16: A hidden outpost with outrageous prices

The others who got off the same vehicle were clearly not first-timers; they walked towards the small house with practiced ease.

Approaching the house, its dilapidation became even clearer.

The wooden plank walls were riddled with cracks, and the roof even had several missing tiles, as if a strong gust of wind could rip it off.

“Creak—”

A burly man walking at the front pushed open the wooden door.

Inside, it wasn't the small space one might expect, but rather a downward-sloping staircase entrance with a metallic sheen.

On either side of the staircase stood two soldiers in black Alliance combat uniforms, holding rifles.

It turned out this dilapidated house was just a disguise.

The real Outpost was built underground.

Lu Yuan thought that this was probably to defend against or avoid surprise attacks from large demonic beasts.

To minimize its presence as much as possible.

“Identity card,” a soldier said coldly, extending his hand.

The people in front successively handed over their cards, which were scanned and verified on the terminal held by the soldier.

When it was Lu Yuan's turn, he complied, handing over his student card.

“Oh, another Little Fellow,” the soldier remarked.

The terminal emitted a soft “beep” and turned green.

“No problem, everyone can go in.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Lu Yuan retrieved his card and followed the crowd down the stairs.

The staircase wasn't long, about twenty or thirty steps, ending at a heavy alloy door.

Once the door opened, the view suddenly broadened!

This was an underground space carved out of the mountain, not exceptionally large, but sufficient to accommodate a small base.

Above were exposed rocks, supported by thick metal frameworks, with rows of lighting tubes embedded, illuminating the entire space as brightly as day.

Straight ahead was a relatively wide main passage with a hard concrete floor, and on either side were various shops and facilities built from shipping containers or simple materials.

The most conspicuous on the right was a bustling bar.

【Wild Mountain Bar】

The sign hung crookedly, and Card Masters in various outfits gathered in groups of three or five, loudly chattering, with the clinking of glasses, the rattling of dice, and crude laughter all mixed together.

Next to the bar were several shops selling equipment and consumables.

【Veteran's General Store】, 【Fang and Claw Material Shop】, 【Li's Workshop】... On the left side of the passage, it was relatively quieter.

There was an 【Outpost Medical Station】 with a red cross symbol painted on its door.

There was also a slightly tidier-looking 【Wild Mountain Inn】, with the small words “Accommodation, Hot Water, Simple Meals” written under its sign.

Though the sparrow is small, it has all its vital organs.

This place was like a small stronghold in the wilderness, providing basic supplies and rest for passing Card Masters.

First, he needed to solve the accommodation problem.

There were no other options; this was the only inn in the entire Outpost.

The interior of the inn was small, with only a simple wooden counter behind which sat a plump woman scrolling on her phone.

“Accommodation?” She lifted her eyelids, glancing at Lu Yuan.

“Yes, a single room,” Lu Yuan said.

“Six hundred star coins a night, a thousand deposit. Pay first.”

Six hundred?

Lu Yuan's mouth twitched; this price was at least five times more expensive than a hotel of similar conditions in Jiangcheng City.

And looking at the environment, the conditions were probably much worse.

It seemed he would have to work hard tomorrow; if he didn't bring back more monster materials, he wouldn't even be able to afford a place to stay.

“Second floor, room 207.” The plump woman handed over a simple room card with numbers written on it, “Hot water stops at ten PM and comes back at six AM. Don't break anything, or your deposit won't be refunded!”

“Oh, and the Outpost's signal is charged. You can choose our inn's WiFi, 500 star coins a day, good value for money. Would you like to consider it?”

Lu Yuan quickly waved his hand and turned to walk towards the narrow staircase beside him.

He found room 207 and opened the door with the room card.

The room was indeed very small, probably only seven or eight square meters.

A flimsy iron frame bed, a chipped bedside table, and a simple metal wardrobe in the corner; besides these, there was nothing else.

It was practically a perfect substitute for a school dormitory!

The walls were stained, and the only window was sealed with iron bars, outside it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

“I'll make do.”

Lu Yuan took out compressed biscuits and dried meat from his backpack, and with the water from his canteen, he simply had dinner.

Then he immediately fell asleep.

The night passed without incident.

Perhaps due to the long journey, he slept quite soundly.

Walking out of the inn, the base's internal lighting was still on, but the changes in light coming through the vents indicated that it was already daytime outside.

At this time, the underground base was much quieter than last night, but also had a more bustling atmosphere.

Some Card Masters were restocking supplies at shops or treating wounds at the medical station, while more people, like Lu Yuan, were carrying their bags and hurrying towards the exit.

The heavy alloy door slid open again.

A fresh and moist air rushed in, carrying the fragrance of soil and vegetation.

Lu Yuan took out a simple map from his backpack's side pocket, which marked the general terrain of the Beast Hunting Zone and the activity areas of some known demonic beasts.

After orienting himself, he chose the “Gray Wolf Hills” area marked on the map.

The hunt had begun!

He remembered what the bearded boss had said: in the hunting zone, besides the card in his hand, no one else could be trusted.

Similarly, he couldn't completely trust the map either.

Demonic beasts were alive; they moved, they migrated, so the information on the map could only be used as a reference.

“Come out, Little Fellow,” he muttered softly, his fingertips moving slightly, and a grayish-white card appeared.

【Wind Bamboo Worm】

【Quality: White】

【Star Rating: Two-star】

【Type: beast taming card】

Lu Yuan's fingertips moved slightly, and a faint trace of Source Power was injected into the card.

Buzz!

The card transformed into a green light, and a thumb-sized Wind Bamboo Worm, almost blending in with the surrounding vegetation, appeared out of thin air.

It flapped its transparent wings, flying silently, and under Lu Yuan's mental command, it skimmed low to the ground ahead.

Through the weak mental link established with the Wind Bamboo Worm, Lu Yuan could perceive the blurry vision and sounds it transmitted back.

At the same time, he closed his eyes, trying to recall the Source Power perception techniques mentioned by Senior Zheng Shuai during his lecture.

He concentrated, slowly spreading his own Source Power outwards like ripples, sensing the energy fluctuations and life aura in the surrounding environment.

This was more mentally demanding and more precise than relying solely on the Wind Bamboo Worm's reconnaissance.

Initially, it was difficult; the range of perception was very small and chaotic, with various weak energy signals mixed together, making them hard to distinguish.

The sound of the wind, the natural energy of plants, the aura of other Card Masters or demonic beasts that might be present in the distance... Lu Yuan patiently filtered out the interference little by little, focusing his perception on the fan-shaped area ahead.

It was like trying to distinguish a specific voice in a noisy environment.

A few minutes later, his spirit slightly vibrated.

Behind a bush about fifty meters to his front-left, he sensed a faint but stable life energy source.

The energy fluctuation was very low, carrying a dull, heavy texture.

At the same time, the Wind Bamboo Worm also transmitted back a blurry image.

A beetle, about the size of a basketball, covered in a thick grayish-brown carapace, was clinging to the base of a plant, slowly gnawing at it with its mouthparts.

【Hard Shell Beetle】

【Quality: Gray】

【Star Rating: One-star】

【Type: Demonic Beast】

“This feeling... quite interesting.” Lu Yuan opened his eyes. He didn't rush forward but first observed the surrounding terrain to confirm there were no other demonic beasts lying in ambush.

“Shadow Mantis, prepare.”

A white card appeared in his hand.

【Shadow Mantis】

【Quality: White】

【Star Rating: Two-star】

【Type: beast taming card】

A blurry black shadow darted out from the card, silently sneaking into the grass, moving towards the Hard Shell Beetle.

At the same time, he split off an extremely faint wisp of Source Power, like an invisible thread, carefully entwining it around the area where the Hard Shell Beetle was located.

This was not an attack, but a form of interference.

It simulated a chaotic, blurry energy field, attempting to affect the Hard Shell Beetle's perception, making it ignore the rustling nearby.

This required extremely precise control; even a slight mistake in Source Power output could alert the opponent.

Lu Yuan held his breath, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

The Hard Shell Beetle, which was gnawing on the plant, seemed completely unaware, still slowly moving its mouthparts.

Now!

“Go!”