Chapter 47: Area-wide Hunt

Yasha and Mals stood together outside the training room of the Clover Branch, waiting for Li Wei.

Yasha wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to see Li Wei one last time. Maybe it was because he had saved her life twice when she was most vulnerable, or perhaps it was because of the deep conversation they had when she first arrived at the Clover Branch.

As she waited, her gaze drifted to the lush greenery outside the window. Although she could only see a small portion of the scenery, she felt as though she were overlooking the entire city of Wisdum.

Gradually, she realized that perhaps she just wanted to bid farewell to the city. Among all the people she could see in this city, only Li Wei had left an impression on her heart.

Leaving a city always required a farewell.

Lost in thought, the door suddenly swung open, and Li Wei appeared before her.

Li Wei was wearing loose sweatpants, barefoot, standing in front of Yasha, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel while looking at the young girl with a puzzled expression. The tight black tank top he wore accentuated his muscular physique perfectly. He was indeed a charismatic figure.

Without speaking, Yasha just stared at him.

Li Wei felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "Yasha, is there something you need?"

Taking a deep breath, Yasha smiled and said, "I'm leaving."

Li Wei fell silent for a moment before asking, "Heading to the Vale Lake Town?"

"Yeah."

Li Wei smiled as well. "Safe travels."

Yasha nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Yasha turned and left.

Beside her, Mals nodded at Li Wei and followed her.

...

Watching Yasha's car disappear around the corner, Li Wei suddenly lost interest in training.

Yasha was a special girl, he thought.

"Someone as strong as Mals personally accompanying her to see me..." He couldn't forget this detail.

But he found Yasha special not just because of her status; there was something about her that made him feel a bit sympathetic. She seemed to carry a heavy burden, always wearing a hint of sadness in her eyes. Yet, Li Wei could also sense a strong resilience within her.

Don't misunderstand, he had no romantic interest in a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl. He just felt that Yasha was a very special individual, that's all.

He didn't know who Yasha really was or what stories she held. At first, he was merely curious, but now, he genuinely wanted to delve deeper.

But he quickly pushed aside these thoughts.

One must have self-awareness. This was something he couldn't get involved in.

After some contemplation, Li Wei decided to go back and rest for a while.

As he descended the stairs, he suddenly heard a loud explosion.

"That direction... Yasha?"

Li Wei's heart skipped a beat as he dashed outside.

A crowd had already gathered outside the Clover Hall, all looking towards the south where thick black smoke billowed.

From the distance, it was no more than two kilometers from the Clover Branch.

"We've been attacked!"

Mals's voice came from the second-floor staircase. Li Wei looked up to see the middle-aged man, who had always appeared kind in his gray suit, now fully armed.

He was clad in a silver combat suit, with alloy armor protecting vital areas. A blue energy core in the chest provided energy to the suit. He had a couple of pistols strapped to his waist, which were Silver Radiance and Angel's Envoy, his famous weapons.

With a serious expression, Mals continued, "The convoy that just left the branch has been attacked by unknown enemies. Anyone who dares to attack us in the Clover Community is declaring war! I declare the start of an area-wide hunt! Eliminate all threatening targets! All hunters, move out!"

"Good!" The crowd cheered.

Looking around, Li Wei saw the excitement on the faces of every hunter nearby.

He understood their excitement because of the "area-wide hunt" mission.

Such missions were extremely rare and signified that all hostile targets within a designated area were fair game. Depending on the rank of the hunted target, hunters could directly receive corresponding rewards from the guild, treating it as completing a separate mission.

Area-wide hunt missions were usually issued in areas where the guild hoped to explore extensively. The mission location was typically outside the city, such as a place intended for establishing gathering points or outposts, requiring a large number of hunters to clear the area of monsters. Therefore, when the Clover Community, one of the top hunter branches in Wisdum, issued an "area-wide hunt" mission, all the hunters associated with it were ecstatic, seeing it as a grand celebration.

Clearly, not many people had thought about the word "failure."

Indeed, the Clover Branch, one of the top hunter branches in Wisdum, held the advantage on its home turf. How could they possibly fail?

But Li Wei didn't share the same optimism.

It seemed that the attacked convoy was the one Yasha was on. How long had it been since her car left the Clover Branch's gate? Barely five minutes? It couldn't have gone more than a kilometer or two, well within the Clover hunters' sphere of influence.

As Mals declared, it was indeed a war. Some unknown force was declaring war on the Clover Branch.

So, who attacked? Who dared to stir up such trouble right outside the Clover's territory without any assurance of success?

Li Wei had no idea, but he believed that whoever had the guts to do this was not easy to deal with.

However, although he understood the situation clearly, he couldn't make everyone calm down. He could only watch as groups of hunters excitedly followed Mals out of the guild gate.

Li Wei didn't join the crowd; instead, he took a step back and went upstairs.

It wasn't that he intended to stay out of it — he couldn't. But he felt something was off about the situation and wanted to be fully prepared.

He was currently armed only with a dagger and nothing else.

Returning to his room, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and retrieved the SN97 police pistol, sliding it into his holster. After counting, he had six magazines of armor-piercing rounds, distributed among his thigh, waist, and chest pouches.

With these preparations done, Li Wei muttered a spell under his breath. Soon, the Mage Armor, an excellent defensive spell, enveloped him.

Ready to go, Li Wei planned to head downstairs. He intended to follow the crowd, assess the situation, and then decide on his next move.

As he reached for the door handle, he felt a sudden darkness behind him.

A sense of danger surged through him as he quickly turned around, only to see a shadow blocking the light from the window.

What kind of monster was this?