Chapter 182: Group Brawl

“Huh, Ava, you’re here for the recruitment too?” Tang En glanced over and immediately spotted Ava walking in from the doorway.

Ava was a towering figure, over 1.9 meters tall, with solid muscles and bronzed skin that looked as if it had been cast from molten copper—tough and strong, the very image of a born hunter or adventurer.

Tang En and Ming Mu’s eyes lit up at once.

“Yeah.” Ava glanced at them expressionlessly and nodded.

He was a bit puzzled inside. Why did these three pretty boys look at him like they’d just seen a juicy steak?

Ming Mu immediately asked, “Are you an S-class ability user?”

Ava nodded dully. “Yes, S-class, metal element.”

“Great, you’re in. Welcome to the team as our second mission-taker.” Ming Mu made the decision on the spot.

He smiled at Ava, then rattled off the details at lightning speed: “This morning, you two will take my brother’s and my place to represent Molan City as external support for Longteng. You’ll leave Earth Village with Village Chief Yun and the others, heading to Chaos City.

“There are three days left before the Senmuze hunt. Once you arrive in Chaos City, rest there for three days, then on the fourth day, join Longteng for the hunt in Senmuze. The hunt lasts three days. Just follow Longteng’s people or Village Chief Yun’s instructions. Got it?”

Tang’s dad grinned and nodded. “Got it.”

Ava also nodded blankly. “Got it.”

Ming Mu looked at them with satisfaction. “We’re not sure exactly when you’ll depart, so wait for Village Chief Yun’s notice. I won’t hold you up—while you have time, go pack up and say goodbye to your families or whatever.”

Ming Xiao chimed in, “Earth Village has those defensive jade pendants, right? Even though it’s safer with a big group this time, there’s still danger, so you’d better each take a defensive pendant, and some red potions too—they’re life-saving.”

“We know, we know. We always take them when we go monster hunting on the snowy mountain. Don’t worry, we’re not about to risk our necks.” Tang’s dad waved cheerfully at the Ming brothers, then slung an arm around Ava’s neck.

“Let’s go. We’ll be partners for the next few days. I saw you in action on the snowy mountain before—your metal powers are pretty sharp.”

Ava bent slightly under Tang’s dad’s arm, his rugged face silent, letting himself be led out.

As they reached the mission hall’s exit, the mission system’s notification chimed: the light potion was as good as in their pockets. Once they returned from the hunt, they’d get it for sure.

Whether it was Tang’s dad, grinning from ear to ear, or the stoic Ava, both were secretly thrilled.

Ava didn’t have much to pack—he carried everything he owned with him.

Tang’s dad, on the other hand, had a bunch of odds and ends. He ditched his useless son and dragged Ava back to their little cabin.

Tang’s dad had a storage compartment and a small, secret spatial button. Back at the cabin, he cleared out the unimportant stuff from both, stuffed in the clothes he’d taken out a few days ago, and, before leaving, snatched up a plate of Tang En’s grilled fish jerky. He munched happily as he swaggered out.

“That was my snack for today!” Tang En glared at the fish jerky in his hand, fuming.

Tang’s dad was unfazed, tossing another piece of fish into his mouth and muttering, “Brat, your old man’s about to head out—what’s wrong with taking a little snack? You can always make more, but I won’t get to eat any for seven or eight days.”

There was nothing Tang En could do—after all, the fish jerky was already in his dad’s hand. He could only watch him leave, cursing him to choke on the salty snack with no water to drink!

Originally, they’d planned to leave in the morning, but for the sake of a plate of orchid pork from Lou Wai Lou, Yun Qimu postponed departure until the afternoon.

Everyone was quite pleased with this decision.

The Kuihai couple prepared two extra defensive jade pendants, along with other supplies and daily necessities. The eight people from Molan City also managed to take down two more monster nests on the snowy mountain, making a tidy haul.

Seeing there was still time, Tang’s dad ditched his foolish son again and took Ava up the snowy mountain to build some combat rapport.

They picked up a few extra spoils along the way.

So after lunch, the group set off from the village, all smiles and in high spirits, flying toward Chaos City.

At the gates of Chaos City, a huge crowd had gathered, both on and outside the walls, craning their necks in anticipation.

When they saw three winged white horses flying rapidly from the horizon, the city gate erupted in excitement.

“They’re here, they’re here! Yun Qimu is back—!”

A loud, clear shout instantly ignited everyone’s enthusiasm.

People jostled and pushed, rushing out of the city gate.

“Where? Where? Where’s Yun Qimu?”

“She’s the one on the white horse—so beautiful, so noble!”

“Wow, does she need a man? I’ll sign up to be her man—or even her boy toy! With looks like hers, I’d never lose out.”

“Heh, dream on! Did you see the guy on the white horse next to her? With a hunk like that around, what chance do you have?”

“Not necessarily! Maybe she’s tired of gourmet food and wants to try something plain for a change.”

“I’m up for it too! Check out my eight-pack abs and this body—women love it!”

“Get lost! Only a gentle, refined guy like me is worthy of a noble rich lady.”

“Ha! You pretty boys talk big. My bronzed skin gives the most sense of security.”

“No way! Nine out of ten women love my suave, dashing style. Miss Yun must have mainstream tastes—don’t even try to compete with me.”

“Pfft! Stop flattering yourself. Brothers, let’s teach him a lesson—let’s see how Yun likes you with a pig’s head for a face!”

“Yeah, get him! Beat him till he’s a pig-head!”

Who knew whose instigation was so effective? The crowd of show-off men couldn’t resist and broke out into an all-out brawl right at the city gate.

With so many people, even the bystanders got swept up in the chaos and joined the fight.

So when Yun Qimu and her group arrived, what greeted them was a spectacular mass brawl at the city gate.

Yun Qimu:

She’d only been gone a day—had everyone in Chaos City lost their minds? They were actually fighting at the city gate.

Yun Qimu stared in bewilderment, turned to Wu Xingyu beside her, then looked at Kuihai, and asked in confusion, “Mr. Kuihai, does Chaos City have some kind of group combat event? It sure looks lively.”

Though she said this, her expression was one of utter speechlessness."