CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: FLYING BACKPACK

Qu Jianlei had good luck venturing into the mountains this time; he actually encountered a pack of Mutant Beasts.

It was a group of mutant weasel foxes attacking a mutated Great Horned Deer.

The Great Horned Deer was huge, with an adult deer weighing about a thousand kilograms.

The weasel foxes weren’t big, only about forty or fifty kilograms, but they were communal animals, and this group had over thirty individuals.

Weasel foxes are carnivorous and can release anesthetic gas; they are very aggressive.

Qu Jianlei struck surreptitiously while the weasel foxes were attacking the Great Horned Deer.

He started by using the Laser Gun for pinpoint shooting; he struck so fast that he hit four weasel foxes in succession before they realized they were being attacked.

Weasel foxes hold grudges; seeing the Great Horned Deer faltering, over ten of them immediately broke off and charged at Qu Jianlei.

They were agile, matching the three-tailed lynx and acting in a very bizarre manner.

Leaping midair, they were actually able to twist around, visually defying the laws of physics.

Qu Jianlei relied on his Body Technique and Saber Technique to kill two weasel foxes, and the rest quickly changed their attack strategies.

They circled around Qu Jianlei, bouncing here and there, no longer directly attacking, mainly trying to use gas to anesthetize their opponent.

The reason Qu Jianlei dared to engage so many weasel foxes was that he understood their general characteristics.

Weasel foxes are proficient in close combat, but when they meet a formidable adversary, they will opt to anesthetize the opponent.

A very clever type of Mutant Beast.

However, what Qu Jianlei feared least was the enemy’s anesthetic gas, as he had cultivated to some success and could hold his breath for half an hour without issue.

So he switched to the Laser Gun to gradually eliminate his foes—if they were hard to hit, he’d just shoot a few more times.

One by one, the weasel foxes fell, yet they refused to retreat.

In their minds, there weren’t many animals that could resist their gas, and certainly not this two-legged kind.

Seeing their foe still standing meant he was close to falling, so they pushed harder.

In the end, after Qu Jianlei killed twenty-eight weasel foxes, the rest finally realized... they couldn’t win!

The remaining weasel foxes scattered, and Qu Jianlei managed to kill two more.

His haul was thirty weasel foxes and one relatively intact Great Horned Deer.

After driving away the weasel foxes, he then realized to his astonishment: he had been poisoned!

Although he held his breath, his body still needed to exchange gases with the outside and had switched to skin breathing.

Feeling drowsy and dizzy was really uncomfortable, but fortunately, he had a Frenzy Potion with him.

One injection of the Frenzy Potion, and he was immediately reinvigorated.

As for the ensuing side effects, Qu Jianlei truly didn’t care; circulating Qi a few rounds and eating something would suffice.

Three to four kilometers away, some weasel foxes still appeared and disappeared, evidently still observing him.

Qu Jianlei had no intention of feigning death to lure them; the mountains were extremely unsafe, and abandoning entanglements to leave quickly was the right path.

However, this time, his haul was simply too massive; he had to shuttle back and forth three times to move his prey forward a bit.

Fortunately, his movement speed was truly fast; otherwise, he had no idea when he’d be able to finish transporting such a catch.

Even so, it took him a full day and two nights to transport the prey to a safe area, consuming twenty Nutrient Injections.

People outside were dumbfounded upon seeing his catch.

If they didn’t know that this guy routinely hunted Mutant Beasts and was absolutely a formidable person, they might have tried to snatch it.

In fact, even now, some people eyed Qu Jianlei with slightly off-kilter looks.

However, at this moment, Fugui approached again, "This time you can sell some meat, right?"

"All the weasel foxes are for sale," Qu Jianlei replied without hesitation, "including the fur."

Weasel fox meat has mild toxicity and needs processing before it can be eaten, and it doesn’t taste very good.

So he didn’t bother with it.

Actually, the weasel fox fur is even more valuable than the meat; it has excellent warmth retention, and clothing made from it is a luxurious commodity.

Especially since these were from the same pack of weasel foxes, the patterns were similar.

Qu Jianlei sold not only the weasel foxes but more than half of the Great Horned Deer as well.

He wouldn’t keep the parts nibbled by weasel foxes, only cutting out intact portions for a few pieces.

Even so, it totaled nearly two hundred kilograms.

Fugui long since had no opinions against him; they already knew that when this one hunted Mutant Beasts, he genuinely consumed it himself.

The guy who first blocked him even laughed, "Raised your standards, haven’t you?"

Qu Jianlei didn’t want to have too much interaction with them, "Just name a price."

His counterpart was indeed sincere this time, offering five hundred silver coins, and Qu Jianlei countered with six hundred.

His counterpart grinned and said: deal!

Should’ve asked for more... the thought flickered through Qu Jianlei’s mind.

But it was just a fleeting moment; he didn’t actually feel any regret. Meeting his expectations was enough.

Such matters weren’t worth stressing over.

Upon returning, Qu Jianlei purchased plenty of materials for making a Flying Backpack and started sequestering himself for research.

Almost simultaneously, the news of him hunting Mutant Beasts spread, given that he earned six hundred silver coins in one go.

In the Hongyi Settlement, such fierce individuals were truly rare.

It is said that those who obtain Mutated Beast Crystals have more glorious battle achievements, but these crystals have a considerable element of chance.

Rather than saying they have strength, it would be better to say they have luck.

And besides, hunting Mutant Beasts is usually a team effort, while Qu Jianlei ventured into the mountains all by himself.

The weasel fox is a low-level Mutant Beast, but even so, thirty weasel foxes... it would take a team of more than ten people to dare to tackle them.

And it is said that this guy has gone into the mountains alone, more than once or twice, and has made quite a profit.

Not long after the news spread, people started getting tempted.

"That guy called Fugui, it seems he really isn’t poor, no wonder he can eat Mutant Beasts so casually."

A few days later, this guy really couldn’t hold it in anymore, and went to find Lie Feng, "Aren’t you really interested in Mecha?"

Although Lie Feng was outside gathering information, he still seemed very laid-back.

He weakly replied, "Boss Fugui thinks I’m trying to screw him over, don’t cause trouble, okay?"

"How could I screw him over?" This guy got anxious, "I’m just worried... don’t you know how strict the Mecha controls are?"

Lie Feng lazily leaned against the wall, too lazy to even speak.

But this guy didn’t dare underestimate the other; in the Wasteland, there are many ruthless people who appear harmless.

So he spoke seriously, "Does your boss insist on inspecting the goods in advance?"

Lie Feng stayed silent for a while before slowly replying, "The price might not be what you’re saying either."

This guy originally quoted a price of eight thousand silver coins, purely exaggerated.

The more illicit the item, the higher the profit.

So he wasn’t bothered, instead saying, "As long as the deal goes through, everything’s negotiable."

"But inspecting the Mecha with just empty promises isn’t going to happen. Pay a deposit of one hundred silver coins, won’t refund if the deal falls through."

Lie Feng lazily replied, "If the deal falls through you might as well kill me, does a refund really matter?"

A seasoned adventurer with over twenty years in the wilderness really has a clear understanding of life.

However, the other side wasn’t stupid either, "So what you’re suggesting is, you might kill me and seize the Mecha?"

Lie Feng replied weakly, "That’s what you’re saying, I definitely didn’t say anything like that."

Regardless, the fact that the other party agreed to inspect the Mecha before the deal shows considerable sincerity.

The two discussed for a while, and agreed on a deposit of fifty silver coins.

After examining the Mecha, if the transaction fails, they can refund about half of the deposit based on who is responsible.

As for whether it’s more or less, that’s a matter for further negotiation.

In any case, this agreement makes the plan much more feasible.

Then this guy requested, "Quickly inform your boss, the longer the night drags on, the more dreams there are."

Lie Feng replied casually, "He’s gone out, wait till he comes back."

"Gone to the mountains again? Truly crazy," this guy muttered, then got angry, "Then why did you tell me so much!"

Lie Feng looked at him speechlessly before finally asking, "Did I actively seek you out?"

This guy was at a loss for words, sighing after a while, "Let him know when he gets back."

Qu Jianlei indeed went back into the mountains, as summer had arrived, and it was time to stock up on more meat.

As for the Flying Backpack, research had a certain direction, but the testing process was quite complex.

Purchasing various materials and equipment had already cost Qu Jianlei more than three hundred silver coins; doing research is indeed costly.

There had been some results, with a solution for the Flying Backpack’s propulsion system already being achieved in preliminary tests.

The durability of the materials was decent, but the consumption of Energy Blocks was a bit high.

He believed that with continued experimentation, better solutions would emerge.

The annoying thing was, some materials could clearly be found in the junkyard, and those things weren’t even worth selling.

But when he wanted to buy them, the prices were shockingly high.

This situation wasn’t frequent, but just two instances were enough to affect one’s mood, right?

He felt more and more resentment towards Mr. Science: it was all your fault, making me pay so much more.

Simply put, he needed to continue preparing dried meat and needed more silver coins to support his experiments.

Moreover, he had the need to cultivate his combat skills, so going into the mountains was inevitable.

This time the results were quite average, two porcupines, one of which was mutated.

Qu Jianlei had a few more holes in him; fortunately, he had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, mostly superficial wounds, with two penetrative injuries.

In fact, he had seen other Mutant Beasts, but it was too much effort to fight them, and the meat was inedible.

The key point was they weren’t even B-level, so there was no Mutant Crystal to gain; why go to such lengths?

However, for others, his haul was still considered decent.

Meat Boss still wanted to buy the meat, but he said: the porcupine meat tasted good, so he wouldn’t sell it.

Meat Boss was helpless, knowing this guy literally ate Mutated Beast Meat at every meal—and was picky about taste.

After all, he had made quite a profit last time, so this time... there wasn’t much to fuss about.

When Qu Jianlei returned home, he heard new information from Xiao Jing, "Can pay the deposit to first inspect the Mecha?"

(Updated to, seeking various support during the new book period.)