Chapter 86: Disorder

For the next two days, Chu Feng enjoyed a very peaceful time. Staying in the sprawling city, he saw no exotic beasts, making it feel no different from his past holidays.

Later, he went shopping at a mall and found it surprisingly novel, primarily because he had been constantly encountering exotic beasts in the vast primeval mountains recently, and his mind hadn't quite adjusted.

To his great surprise, Chu Feng saw animal bones and bird beaks displayed in a luxury store. Could such items really be put up for sale?

When he checked the prices, he was startled; they all started from tens of thousands of "Earth coins," making them more expensive than other luxury goods.

"Sir, are you interested in this fiery raven beak pendant? You have excellent taste. As you can see, it's as vibrant red as jade, not only beautiful but also said to relax muscles, activate blood circulation, and possess remarkable properties when worn," a beautiful female shop assistant said, approaching Chu Feng with a smile. She was introducing a reddish-orange bird beak, polished to a crystal-clear sheen, that resembled jade.

"It's beneficial for the body?" Chu Feng asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Certainly. You see, this is the essence of an exotic bird's entire body. Hunting it is incredibly difficult, and it contains mysterious energy. You can gently touch it to see if you feel a warm current entering your body," the beautiful shop assistant said, carefully taking out the fiery red bird beak.

Chu Feng touched it and indeed felt a warmth slowly permeating his body.

"So expensive!" He saw the price – a staggering 300,000 Earth coins. A family would need to save for many years, even without eating or drinking, to afford that.

"Yes, this piece is a premium item. As you know, exotic beasts are exceptionally formidable and incredibly difficult to eliminate, and not every beast produces such miraculous materials," the polite female assistant explained gently, pointing to a few other animal bones.

Relatively speaking, their prices weren't as outrageous, but they were still absolutely unaffordable for ordinary people, with figures always in the tens of thousands.

Soon, Chu Feng spotted an even more expensive animal bone, priced at one million Earth coins!

"Converting that, it's roughly five million 'Jiuzhou coins.' This is the frontal bone of a Thunder Leopard, the very part that allows it to generate lightning, essentially the essence of its entire being!" The shop assistant's eyes gleamed with excitement as she described the bone.

Earth coins are a universal unit of currency, applicable in all countries, and have an approximate 1:5 exchange rate with Jiuzhou coins. In the post-civilization era, following a devastating war, China adopted an ancient name for the country: Jiuzhou.

In recent years, prices haven't been high; one or two tens of thousands of "Jiuzhou coins" are generally enough for a family for an entire year. One can imagine just how astronomically expensive an animal bone worth five million Jiuzhou coins would be.

"What is this Thunder Leopard bone used for?" Chu Feng asked.

"The lightning it emits offers immense benefits to the human body; it can stimulate cell activity, significantly enhance physical fitness…" The shop assistant listed numerous advantages, her eyes glowing with fervor as she added, "It can also stimulate the skin, providing unparalleled beautifying effects!"

"Is it really that miraculous?" Chu Feng wanted to examine the bone.

The shop assistant hesitated, as she didn't have the authority to make such a decision. She eventually sought the manager's approval before carefully and cautiously retrieving the bone and placing it on a soft silk scarf.

Chu Feng examined it closely. After polishing, the bone was just over three inches long and two inches wide, snow-white and delicate, indeed more exquisite than jade. When he held it in his palm, he distinctly felt a tingling sensation as strange electric currents emanated from it and spread into his body.

"These are currents imbued with mysterious power, quite unique, and highly beneficial to the body," the shop assistant said, allowing him only a brief touch before quickly returning it to its original place.

"It's alright!" Chu Feng nodded.

The shop assistant stared at him as if he were a monster. The Thunder Leopard bone only received an "alright" rating from him? This was considered a rare and precious material currently.

Chu Feng felt he had been incredibly wasteful, having discarded the white rhinoceros horn and the golden wildcat's hide. If he had brought them here, they would undoubtedly fetch a high price!

"Do you offer consignment services here?" Chu Feng asked tentatively. He had a good impression of this luxury store; at the very least, the beautiful shop assistant and the manager were both very patient and did not treat him dismissively just because he wasn't buying anything.

The shop assistant confirmed they did, then smiled and handed him a business card. "Luoshen?" Chu Feng was surprised. This was a fairly large luxury store with branches in many cities, and its brand name was Luoshen. He wondered if it had any connection to Jiang Luoshen.

Chu Feng left the store and began to ponder some things.

An ordinary family's annual expenses were only one or two tens of thousands of Jiuzhou coins, yet even the cheapest animal bone in this luxury store cost tens of thousands, with the most expensive reaching several million.

His family's financial situation was decent, but certainly not luxurious. Chu Feng realized that in just a few days, he had effectively thrown away at least several million Jiuzhou coins in the mountains. The thought startled him; such lavish spending was quite terrifying. "Did I really earn that much Jiuzhou currency?" he wondered with a strange expression.

However, upon reflection, he realized he truly could. Killing Chen Hai meant he had now joined the ranks of the most powerful individuals among the mutated humans. To hunt exotic beasts, one needed such high-level masters.

"While I don't need a lot of money, I do need enough to spend," Chu Feng mused.

He was considering hunting for the rarest animal bones to have them polished into a bracelet for his mother, Wang Jing, to wear, as it would be very beneficial for her health. At the same time, he wanted to get a string of animal bones for Chu Zhiyuan, selecting the highest quality bones but ensuring they looked simple and inconspicuous, for his father to handle and nourish his body.

"I'm going to become a hunter!" Chu Feng declared seriously, but in the end, he couldn't help but smile. He had already graduated and was originally supposed to start working, but given the current environment, his life path was clearly going to be different.

Chu Feng was making plans. He couldn't stay in Shuntian forever. Since he had embarked on the path of evolution, he wouldn't stop. He felt he should visit famous mountains and great rivers; even if he couldn't conquer one, he should at least see them up close. Perhaps he would gain something. Of course, he could also consider hunting monsters and collecting their bones; any exotic beasts that wreaked havoc and attacked human towns would be his targets.

Afterward, Chu Feng saw even more precious items in another mall. "Mutated fruits?" Such things were actually available for sale.

Many people were gathered around, but they were only looking; ordinary people simply couldn't afford them—they were too expensive. There were only two mutated fruits, both considered treasures of the store. The relatively cheaper one was priced at eight million Earth coins, which roughly translated to forty million Jiuzhou coins, enough for a family to spend for three to four millennia. The other mutated fruit was even more expensive, priced at fifteen million Earth coins!

No one present found the prices outrageous, because they belonged to a completely different world; the cost was meaningless to them. They were simply looking out of curiosity.

"It's a pity I don't have the money; otherwise, I'd definitely buy one. Mutated fruits can extend a person's lifespan—that alone makes it worth it!" someone sighed. "Based on my salary, I'd need to work for several millennia to afford it," another person shook their head.

Chu Feng was also astonished; such prices were indeed daunting. He considered that if he became a hunter, his future seemed very promising.

"While I don't need to live in extreme luxury, it's necessary to help my parents move into a bigger house." Of course, he also felt he should find some top-tier animal bones and life-extending fruits for his parents.

Chu Feng truly felt that exotic beasts and mutated fruits were now influencing human life in every aspect.

"Oh no, monsters are coming, an overwhelming horde, charging towards Shuntian City!" Suddenly, someone in the mall screamed, instantly triggering widespread panic.

Chu Feng's heart pounded. This was Shuntian, the largest city in the north, with the most stringent defenses. How could fierce birds and exotic beasts dare to attack? He didn't panic and quickly checked online, hoping to find the latest news there.

Boom! Soon, he heard artillery fire. Rocket launchers and other weapons were firing fiercely in the distance. Something truly major was happening!

"Dad, Mom, where are you? Don't panic, I'm coming to find you!" Chu Feng contacted his parents, telling them to wait, as he wanted to get to them immediately.

"Xiao Feng, don't worry, your dad and I are fine. We've already finished work and are almost home."

"Okay!" Chu Feng found that he couldn't hail a taxi; the streets were in complete chaos. He chose a path and ran quickly towards his home.

However, he couldn't move very fast. The streets were densely packed with people and too many vehicles, causing immense congestion. The news that monsters were about to attack the massive city of Shuntian had caused widespread terror.

Soon, Chu Feng learned what had happened from the internet. Thousands of exotic creatures had appeared from nowhere—ferocious beasts running on the ground and terrifying exotic birds circling in the air—all attempting to breach Shuntian City. If they had truly broken through, the consequences would have been unimaginable! Fortunately, the city's defenses were astonishing; the anomaly was detected very early, and they immediately opened fire, sweeping the sky and ground with various new types of weapons.

"They've been repelled!" The engagement didn't last long. Someone exclaimed, and the sound of gunfire outside the city ceased. Although the exotic creatures appeared suddenly, they were effectively resisted. Intimidated by the terrifying firepower, they fled into the mountains outside the city.

"Investigate! We must find out their origins. It was too sudden!" Someone from Shuntian's military headquarters issued a stern command. Today's events were too strange; a major disaster had almost occurred.

"Oh no, a beast tide has appeared in Sichuan! Various monsters are stampeding, shaking the ground. They're about to attack the cities!" At this moment, the internet exploded. Shuntian had just faced a crisis, and now a major incident had occurred in Sichuan, shocking the entire country.

"My god, an exotic beast king! Something big has happened in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau!" The next moment, another explosive piece of news broke: a monster was massacring cities in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau—a terrifying azure wolf had emerged.

"Heavens, an azure wolf comparable to the white snake of Mount Taihang and the old ape of Mount Song! It's too terrifying! A bloody catastrophe has occurred in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the Azure Wolf King is incredibly brutal!"

News from Shuntian, Sichuan, and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau came one after another, like thunderbolts, stunning everyone. Unease spread everywhere, and people were terrified. The internet, meanwhile, was in an uproar.

All of these events were too sudden, happening almost simultaneously.

Chu Feng rushed home and found his mother's eyes were red. "Mom, what's wrong? Where's Dad?!" His heart sank.

"Xiao Feng is back. I'm fine," Chu Zhiyuan's voice came from the room, sounding a little tired.

Chu Feng strode quickly into the room and saw his father lying on the bed, looking somewhat pale. "Dad, what happened to you!?" Chu Feng was extremely worried. His father seemed injured, yet they had just been speaking on the phone.

"Some people are just terrible. Someone bumped into your dad on the street just now, making him fall directly into the path of a car. He was almost run over. Luckily, a young man was quick-handed and pulled your dad away. Just thinking about it, I'm still trembling," Wang Jing said, tears welling in her eyes, her emotions high. She had truly been terrified. Chu Zhiyuan had been just a hair's breadth away from being crushed by that car.

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng's eyebrows shot up. "It's nothing, just an accident. Everyone was panicking on the street earlier, there were so many people, and I just got bumped by accident," Chu Zhiyuan reassured him, saying he was fine.

"Nothing? Your waist is injured! And I think that person did it on purpose. If it were just an accidental bump, it would be one thing, but how much force did he use? He sent you flying!" Wang Jing retorted indignantly. After knocking Chu Zhiyuan down, the person didn't even stop to apologize, just ran off.

"There were so many people then, and everyone was scared. Who had time to pay attention to that? It was just an accident," Chu Zhiyuan said.

"Dad, let me take a look," Chu Feng said, kneeling to examine him. In the depths of his eyes, there was a murderous glint. Was this an accident? He suspected something was amiss! "Do they really think I'm a pushover!?" Chu Feng fumed inwardly. He intended to investigate thoroughly, and if it wasn't an accident, he swore to uproot those responsible. "Is it people from Jiangning City? Do you still think I'm powerless against you? Don't force me to go straight to Jiangning City and kill you!" Chu Feng's mind was anything but calm.

Chu Zhiyuan's waist was indeed injured and would require some rest. "Dad, Mom, eat these pine nuts!" Chu Feng knew he couldn't wait any longer; he had to get them to eat the purple-gold pine nuts quickly. For the past two days, he had been preparing, buying many herbs and boiling them to make a broth for his parents to drink. This was a method circulating online, which claimed that conditioning the body with herbs for a few days before consuming mutated fruits would lead to more thorough absorption and remarkable effects. Chu Feng had been half-skeptical, but he checked, and the herbs were harmless, even offering general health benefits with regular consumption. For these two days, he had been helping his parents condition their bodies but hadn't told them it was in preparation for consuming mutated fruits. Now, it seemed, he couldn't wait any longer!