March 21, 5th year of the federal calendar

There is a question that has been haunting my mind. I still vividly remember whether it was a conversation to Cinta or a conversation with Yi Qi afterwards, once I found the right topic, I could see the task prompt above their heads. However, the agreement I made with the Abundance Chamber of Commerce was treated as a mere transaction, not as a mission. So, in what way is the so-called task of this world defined? After this mission, I should talk to the other players about this, and some of them may have received similar missions.

Since joining the ranks of the Rich Chamber of Commerce, my journey has been so much easier, and I don't even have to endure the disgusting dry food stored in my carry-on space that I've had enough of. Most of the time, I just sit in the carriage and casually look around the scenery, or chat with mercenaries and merchants. These people are all veterans who have traveled from south to north, not only knowledgeable, but also very talkative, and the different stories I heard from them have benefited me a lot as a rookie.

Honestly, their enthusiasm made me feel more and more guilty. I understand that most of their enthusiasm comes from respect for the strong, but why don't I have my own careful thoughts? I admit that it is not just for the sake of those Starry Night Stones that I agreed to the commission, but I also have some selfish motives that I am ashamed to talk about.

Yes! For this mission, I know that the recent attacks have all taken place in the southern section of the Black Pine Forest, and that the attacks were all carried by chambers of commerce and mercenary teams. They...... Also my bait.

It's only been ten days since I've been in this world, and at first, these natives just act like robots that follow the program, so in my mind, they're just lifeless NPCs. But then, they began to transform at an alarming rate, as if overnight they had become flesh-and-blood humans. Whether it's Wen Li from the Horn Tavern, or Crumb Feng from the Rich Chamber of Commerce, or the captain of the mercenary team, everyone has their own families, beliefs, and lives. Talking to them and learning about their stories is like being in front of a living human being.

I was a little confused and wondered if I had the right idea in the first place. Are you struggling with whether you should make a change? Because I know that treating the world as a game will make my journey so much easier. But once you accept the world, many things can become incredibly complicated.

A very simple example, such as the perception of killing.

"I'm too busy to think about these chores."

"I was thrown into this world inexplicably, who cares about my life or death?"

I tried to comfort myself with such reasons, but the inner turmoil kept tormenting me.

Finally, the caravan arrived safely at the eastern border of the Black Pine Forest and smoothly entered the Xifeng Grassland. Bidding farewell to this group of strangers who I knew for a short time, my hanging heart was a little lost, but I also felt a lot more relaxed.

Perhaps, I really need to change my mind.

With a happy mood, I returned the way I came, and found the place where the attack had taken place in the evening. It was a popular camping spot on the northern part of the Strip, and according to the mission log, the attack took place between March 7 and March 8, and the incident was reported by the Hayabusa riders of Eagle City. It was a routine flight patrol, and a sharp-eyed team member noticed something unusual at the scene. According to their descriptions, there was little left of it, only blood stains and a few broken wooden carts.

I stared blankly at the empty scene and stubbornly patrolled the surroundings. But those professionals can't find clues, so what can I do? Moreover, more than ten days have passed since the incident occurred.

I suddenly had the feeling that I was like a complete idiot, took this inexplicable task, and then lay on the grass and fumbled for a long time, and finally found nothing. It's a real world, not like the game, where you just have the protagonist walk to a designated location on the scene and it will be done automatically. So, this task should be done by detectives whose IQ is close to that of the demon, not me.

"Are you kidding me? Survey? What do I take to investigate? I threw my head back and muttered to the sky in a bit of frenzy. I'm already thinking about whether it's time to leave for the city and end this stupid mission as soon as possible.

Maybe my words activated an in-game feature, or maybe something else, a small circular window appeared in the lower right of my field of vision. The shape of the window looks familiar, and a bright white pillar of light is constantly rotating within the grid-lined window. Yes, it's like the radar interface that often appears in movies.

"This ...... Is it a player's benefit? I started giggling and put away the grumbling in my heart.

So, I started trying to walk around the site until a flashing red dot appeared inside the radar interface. I walked briskly over and rummaged for a moment in the red dot mark, spotting some scales.

These scales are about the size of a fingernail, have a dark cyan surface, and are very hard. I can't tell what kind of creature the scales come from, and if it comes from the body of the attacker, then the attacker may be some kind of monster with high intelligence; If it's just a bandit's pet, then I can't speculate any more clues.

Based on the position where I was standing when the red dot appeared, I could probably tell that the radar scan area was about one meter in radius. With this in mind, I began to patiently walk back and forth around the site, scanning the entire site until the mission prompted me to complete my survey of the area. Summing up the harvest, I found some dried blood, a few small fragments from a broken weapon, and more cyan scales.

Well, those clues still didn't help much, but at least I had a way forward.

A day spent in the carriage gave me a lot of energy, and the appearance of new gadgets really got me a little excited. At that moment, as if I had become an energetic detective, I decided to set off overnight to check out all the remaining three attack sites.

……

When the first rays of the morning sun swept across the earth, Duqi, who was resting against a boulder, opened his eyes. He was busy until four o'clock in the morning, when he finished surveying the last attack site under the guidance of radar. It was also after that that the narrative of the operation in the mission window changed, from investigating the location of the attack to patrolling and tracking the attacker's identity.

Rubbing his eyes, Du Qi felt the difference in his body more and more. His spirit seemed to be adapting to his strengthened body, and only a short light nap was enough to regain his spirits.

"Tracking mode." He lifted his hands and stretched his body as he muttered something under his breath

There were some subtle changes in Duzi's field of vision, the circular radar was still there, but a few more pairs of red footprints appeared in the window, guiding him in a northeasterly direction.

Looking at the map, Duzi determined that its current location was in the southwestern part of the black pine forest, and that, according to what had been revealed on the map, the forest had taken the shape of an inward depression in this area. This meant that if he had followed the instructions to enter the forest, he would most likely have entered the depths of the black pine forest shortly after.

Thinking of the monster named "Nightmare Weaving" that he had witnessed not long ago, Du Qi subconsciously touched the leather armor on his body. He's not a coward, and this new piece of equipment has given him a lot of confidence.

"The big deal is to be chased and killed by those sacred guns, I don't believe that they can still lay a net for me." Du Qi gritted his teeth and raised his legs and walked in the direction of the forest.

The Black Pine Forest is a truly vast primeval jungle, much larger and more dangerous than the groves where Duqi exercised himself and the green forests that weave nightmares. In just one hour, Duzi had already encountered two spotted helmets and a pack of red-maned wolves.

Then, Dozi ran into trouble.

In this world, beasts such as the red-maned wolf are only classified as beasts, and their individual strength is far lower than that of creatures classified as monsters such as the Spotted Helmet. However, the Spotted Helm itself is not as strong as the player, and it is a lone creature, so killing it will solve the problem. But the red-maned wolf is a social animal, and it is very calm and intelligent, and once there is a conflict, it is even more difficult to deal with.

The wolves are very cooperative, and can always retreat at the right time, while other companions will make up from other directions at the right time. With the advantage of his physique and equipment, Du Qi forcibly killed three wild wolves at the cost of several wounds, and only then did he disperse the wolves.

However, the wolves were very vindictive, and they did not retreat after the defeat, but only opened a safe distance, and followed persistently in the rear. Whenever Duzi turned around impatiently to teach the krafts a lesson, they scattered and disappeared into the forest. Then they would gather again, relying on their keen sense of smell to find Dozi's tracks.

"Damn brute...... The situation inside the Black Pine Forest was too complicated for me to pursue at all. But if I don't solve these troubles, if I encounter other powerful enemies, they will probably find an opportunity to kill me. Duzi simply stopped, jumped on a thick branch, and looked down at the jungle ahead. He bit the nail of his thumb and frowned, "I have to find a way to kill them." ”