Chapter 41: The Cunning Fox

Inside a room furnished with a few tables and chairs, Zhou Ming silently stared at Brother Snake before him, his mind constantly weighing the pros and cons.

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Zhou Ming’s eyes, as though he had made up his mind.

“How can I be sure you’re not lying to me?”

Before replying to Brother Snake, Zhou Ming needed him to prove that there was indeed a mutated Ironthread Snake.

“This is a photo of that mutated Ironthread Snake, along with the location of those two adulterous bastards, and the information of the Hunter Squad protecting them.”

It seemed Brother Snake had already prepared in advance.

As soon as Zhou Ming asked his question, Brother Snake immediately placed a kraft paper envelope on the coffee table in front of him.

Opening the envelope, Zhou Ming directly took out a photograph. It was exactly the mutated Ironthread Snake he valued most.

Inside a glass case made of bulletproof glass, a small snake about a foot long was coiled up.

Its scales were crimson all over—Zhou Ming didn’t even need to examine it closely to know this Ironthread Snake had undergone a second mutation.

Normally, Ironthread Snakes were grayish-black.

“Do you know the specific changes after it mutated?”

Zhou Ming was still assessing whether it was worth taking action.

“It’s fast, extremely agile. According to the seller, they only caught it with traps.”

Brother Snake was clearly well-acquainted with his own merchandise.

“I’ll take this job. Once it’s done, transfer one million to this account.”

Picking up the pen on the coffee table, Zhou Ming wrote down his Gold Card account number, then grabbed the envelope and stood up to leave.

As for whether revealing the account might expose him, Zhou Ming didn’t worry—because it was anonymous.

“Thanks, brother.”

Watching Zhou Ming’s departing back, Brother Snake expressed his gratitude with excitement.

Zhou Ming didn’t respond and left directly.

He had accepted this shady job mainly because that mutated Ironthread Snake was too important to him.

Without the Serpent Saliva Fruit, a twice-mutated Ironthread Snake wouldn’t greatly affect Zhou Ming’s strength.

But with the Serpent Saliva Fruit, Zhou Ming could obtain a second Ferocious Beast-level contracted beast.

As for why Zhou Ming didn’t capture the twice-mutated Ironthread Snake himself—it was simply because it was far too difficult.

In the wild, although Ironthread Snakes sometimes experienced secondary mutations, most died during the process; those that survived were extremely rare. Moreover, a mutation didn’t necessarily mean it was a beneficial one.

As for ordinary Ironthread Snakes showing early mutation symptoms, Zhou Ming had only ever seen one—and even if he encountered another, it didn’t mean he could guide it to mutate successfully.

Besides acquiring the mutated Ironthread Snake, Zhou Ming could also earn an additional one million Alliance Coins—no matter how he looked at it, he had to accept this deal.

As for why he didn’t immediately read through the materials in hand—the reason was simple. If the task turned out to exceed his capabilities, he would simply walk away; Brother Snake wouldn’t be able to do anything about it anyway.

Leaving the alley behind, Zhou Ming returned straight to his residence.

He originally planned to visit Sister Wu, but he decided to postpone that for now.

Once home, Zhou Ming opened the kraft paper envelope and began reviewing the information inside as quickly as possible.

He only had one chance to strike—tonight. If the targets managed to leave Qinshan Base tomorrow, the mission would be a failure.

He could endure losing a million in bounty—but letting a twice-mutated Ironthread Snake slip away was something he couldn’t accept.

As the main obstacle of this mission, the Hunter Squad protecting those two people was naturally the first thing Zhou Ming needed to study.

“Cunning Fox Hunter Squad.”

Reading the name on the documents, Zhou Ming slowly spoke the title aloud.

Then he carefully went through the information, discovering that it was a full-member Hunter Squad.

According to the Hunter Guild’s regulations, teams with ten or fewer members were classified as Hunter Squads.

Aside from requiring at least one Apprentice Beast Tamer, there were no strict conditions.

Teams exceeding ten members and possessing an Official Rank Beast Tamer could apply to become Hunting Corps, though their numbers were capped at one hundred.

When Zhou Ming first learned about this, he suspected it was the Blue Star Alliance’s deliberate measure to suppress civilian armed forces.

After briefly understanding the general situation of the Cunning Fox Squad, Zhou Ming continued reading through the details of each member.

Their strengths and weaknesses, areas of expertise, and danger levels—all were clearly annotated.

After reading, Zhou Ming couldn’t help but sigh at Brother Snake’s hatred toward the two traitors; without paying a significant price, he couldn’t possibly have obtained such detailed intel.

Among the members, the most troublesome figure was undoubtedly Cunning Fox—the squad’s leader.

He controlled an adult Night Fox and was proficient in both firearms and martial arts.

The Night Fox, a low-tier Ferocious Beast, reached the size of a normal leopard when mature. Its night vision far surpassed other beasts of the same level, and it could move in utter silence—adept at ambushes.

Most importantly, the Night Fox had an extraordinarily keen sense for danger; the slightest disturbance could startle it.

It was precisely because of this beast that Cunning Fox had risen from an ordinary Beast Tamer to the founder of his own Hunter Squad.

“Troublesome.”

Zhou Ming frowned after reading the file—it seemed this money wouldn’t be easy to earn.

Even without considering the rest, just dealing with Cunning Fox alone would be difficult.

In the darkness, his beast was no less dangerous than Inkband, and with over a decade of experience in the perilous hunting trade, his combat skills and instincts far exceeded ordinary Beast Tamers.

The man himself was infamous for his cunning—foxlike—hence the name, “Cunning Fox.”

Aside from Cunning Fox, his subordinates were all well-versed in firearms and martial arts, posing threats comparable to regular Beast Tamers.

Although private ownership of firearms was forbidden within the base, after seeing the Black Market, Zhou Ming didn’t believe the Cunning Fox Squad was unarmed—at most, their weaponry wouldn’t be complete.

Sitting on the living room sofa, Zhou Ming felt a headache coming on.

Just when he thought he had finally found a lead on the twice-mutated Ironthread Snake, the matter had suddenly become far more complicated than a simple financial transaction.

Helpless, Zhou Ming set aside the Cunning Fox Squad’s documents and picked up the file on Brother Snake’s bounty targets.

“It’s him?”

At first glance at the photo, Zhou Ming immediately recognized the man—it was Er Leng, Brother Snake’s trusted subordinate.

Zhou Ming had seen him a few times before when purchasing Ironthread Snakes.

He hadn’t expected that Er Leng would be the one to betray Brother Snake.

Zhou Ming simply shook his head, unwilling to delve deeper into their reasons.

All he needed was to know who the target was.

Flipping to the second photo, a gentle-looking woman appeared in his view.

She wore an off-white home outfit, without much adornment, yet from her expression and posture in the picture, Zhou Ming could sense an almost imperceptible air of seduction.

If he were to describe it—this woman possessed natural allure in her very bones.

Just from the photo, she was undeniably an exceptional beauty—in every aspect.

No wonder the two of them had immediately hired one of the best Hunter Squads after defecting.

Given their shrewdness, they not only knew Brother Snake would seek revenge but also understood that no amount of money mattered if they couldn’t stay alive. Hence, they wisely sought out the Cunning Fox Squad for protection.

However, these two had little impact on Zhou Ming’s plan.

After setting aside their files, Zhou Ming once again picked up the Cunning Fox Squad’s dossier and began contemplating his plan for tonight’s operation.