Chen Jing learned about what had happened in the city from "Uncle Zhang," the captain of the city gate guards.
"Lord Blackhand has been assassinated!"
"The killers were part of a gang; only a few were caught, the rest are on the run!"
Chen Jing could hardly believe it. The Black Hand, such a powerful figure, one of the highest-ranking people in this settlement, had actually been assassinated? Who did it?
Many of his weapons came from the Black Hand, but of course, he paid for them by scavenging and being exploited terribly.
"You'd better go home quickly and don't wander around. Be careful around strangers. The city might turn into a battlefield, and there could even be fights between extraordinary individuals and cultivators," Uncle Zhang warned.
Normally, people would check their bodies and belongings before entering the city. If a scavenger found treasure, they would have to pay an entry tax based on what they found. However, Chen Jing was the one who lured the monsters, so it was unlikely that he would have time to scavenge after luring the monsters. Moreover, he had a good relationship with Uncle Zhang, so Uncle Zhang didn't check him and let Chen Jing in.
After thanking Uncle Zhang, Chen Jing walked through the city gate.
The streets of the settlement were not wide, and the gravel on the ground showed that the place was not well maintained. As Chen Jing walked along the road, he was still thinking about what Uncle Zhang had said earlier.
A battle between cultivators and those with extraordinary abilities...
Chen Jing had never met a cultivator, but he had seen some people with extraordinary abilities. The hunting party was full of people with extraordinary abilities, including a swordsman nicknamed "Expert." He could calculate distances with precision, and his swordsmanship was superb. Every time you fought him, you would lose by the slightest margin. When his sword hit you, your sword would just happen to graz his clothes.
The "expert" is also the main force of the hunting party. He is the hunter who fights the glass monster in close combat on the front line. His strength and speed are not much better than Chen Jingqiang's, but his precision allows him to take on close combat work.
There was also a woman with extraordinary abilities, nicknamed "The Treasure Bag." She could enhance weapons and shields, making them able to withstand the Glass Monster's attacks and shatter its glass armor. She was the hunting party's most important logistical support; without her, the party would have had no chance of hunting the Glass Monster.
The leader of the hunting party was a man named Ma Guang, who was said to be a person with extraordinary abilities, but his extraordinary abilities were not outwardly displayed. Chen Jing often felt like he was bathed in a spring breeze when talking to him. He had a unique leadership charm and could formulate very detailed strategic and tactical plans. His nickname was "Leader".
But all of these were far from the cultivators Chen Jing imagined. The cultivators he envisioned should be able to move swiftly and use certain spells. Even if they were cultivators in fantasy novels who cultivated their physical bodies, they should be able to completely overwhelm ordinary people in terms of strength, speed, and resilience.
Perhaps this is the difference between extraordinary individuals and cultivators. Extraordinary individuals are ordinary people who have obtained a certain type of ability from cultivators, and are not essentially cultivators at all.
Incidentally, Chen Jing doesn't have a nickname. In the settlement, only those with extraordinary abilities or well-known warriors can be given nicknames. Having a nickname is a symbol of strength. Chen Jing doesn't have any extraordinary abilities; he's just a monster attractor, so he doesn't deserve a nickname!
However... things might change after the slave spirits are lured away this time. The slave spirits are known as powerful spirits throughout the settlement.
Chen Jing knew that another hunting party had once set up specialized weapons and equipment near the arena, entered the arena, and attempted to kill the wandering slave spirits.
They were all wiped out. All the hunters who could fight the Glass Monster were dead. Only a few on the outskirts escaped and told everyone the news.
"Thinking about it carefully, although the slave spirits are incredibly powerful in combat, their tracking ability doesn't seem very strong, only slightly better than ordinary spirits," Chen Jing thought.
Indeed, if the slave spirits' tracking ability was strong enough to chase after things like "aura," then those on the outer perimeter wouldn't have been able to escape either. However, at the time, people believed that the reason the outer perimeter people escaped was because the slave spirits had some kind of restriction that prevented them from leaving the arena.
But now, Chen Jing has seen the departing slave spirits and confirmed that the idea that slave spirits cannot leave the arena is a mistake.
Chen Jing took a breath, wiped his face, and chuckled to himself. What was the use of thinking so much? Why were the slave spirits coming out? Why was Black Hand being assassinated? These things had no direct connection to him; they were matters for those big shots to consider.
The settlement is called Ash City, but despite its name, it's actually only the size of a village. After passing the outermost "High Walled Zone" where the army is stationed, Chen Jing has arrived at the "Eggshell Zone." The Eggshell Zone is where Chen Jing and other scavengers live. It's bustling with activity, filled with shacks and cramped spaces. The gravel roads are riddled with secret paths that only locals can find.
Ash City is divided into zones from the outside in. The High Wall Zone is the military area along the city walls, the Eggshell Zone is where the common people live, and further in is the Chick Zone, where the "rich" and nicknamed masters reside. There are also many entertainment buildings and facilities there, as well as a variety of goods for sale. When Chen Jing earns money and hands it over to his "father," his "father" will spend several days playing in the Chick Zone.
A river runs through the middle of the fledgling area, where the "Black Hand's" boats are located. Only the leaders of hunting parties and scavenging parties are allowed to go there after a successful hunt to sell their spoils and buy truly valuable goods. Chen Jing bought his revolver and tripwire mines there. It is the core area of Ash City, and the locals generally call it the "River District."
There is also a legend of the "phoenix" in this world, so the residents of Ash City named their city after the image of the phoenix, expressing their good wishes.
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