Just like now—a ten-person squad had entered his field of vision. Seven of the members showed barely any spiritual energy fluctuations, clearly indicating extremely ordinary talent. Yet they still gripped their firearms and coordinated with the other members to exterminate mutant beasts together.
They bravely faced the possibility of death and set foot on this land. Was profit really all they were after?
After all, before the spiritual energy resurgence, they had never chosen to become mercenaries in unstable countries just for profit. So why would they now, after the resurgence?
Therefore, this couldn't possibly be about profit alone.
Just as Skyler was thinking this, a commotion arose from the distant mercenary squad.
"Quick, quick, quick! Old Zhao, finish her off!"
"Hahaha! Brothers, we wiped them out in one wave! The rat-tat-tat of these guns is music to my ears!"
"This haul is insane! When we get back, let's all go for a massage and a foot soak together! Hahaha!"
"Real life is way more fun than video games—it's just that we've all only got one life."
"Whatever, whatever. How does that saying go? If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub?"
"A halfway decent cut of mutant beast meat goes for several thousand yuan per jin now. Kill one and you can live comfortably for days. If I lose my life, I'll have another one next time around. But if I don't have money, I won't be able to rest easy this whole lifetime."
"Next time let's buy more grenades and artillery. They're pricey, but the results speak for themselves!"
"..."
The group excitedly discussed among themselves as they butchered their prey. A few kept watch on the surroundings, guarding against mutant beasts being drawn by the scent of blood.
Hearing their words, Skyler fell somewhat silent.
Reality seemed a bit different from what he had imagined.
But it didn't really matter. As long as they were fighting mutant beasts, that was enough. This was exactly the situation they hoped for—the entire population becoming soldiers. Even if their individual strength was weak, with technology and wisdom, they could still bring tremendous power to bear.
And when danger struck, they could maintain basic composure.
"If things keep developing like this, can we restore the peace from before the resurgence within ten years?"
Skyler murmured, imagining Earth's future.
"Most likely not. This is a war between eras and species. To hope for it to end within ten years—are you underestimating the power of humanity and other species, or are you underestimating this era?"
A sudden voice rang in his ears. His pupils contracted. Instinctively, the Flame Dragon Armor covered his body, and a flame dragon coalesced and surged toward the direction of the voice.
He hadn't sensed anything at all. If not for the voice, he would never have noticed the other party's presence.
"This level of passive reaction... I don't recall any mutant creature on Earth today that could have trained you to develop such habits."
"Being cautious is good. But after doing all that, it's best not to linger. Immediate withdrawal is the safest approach."
Accompanying the calm voice, a jade-white finger lightly tapped the empty air. Faint ripples flickered through space. The flame dragon Skyler had formed dispersed directly within those ripples, transforming into countless red particles of light.
The figure revealed itself.
"Brandon White?"
Skyler froze for a moment upon seeing him, then released his Flame Dragon Armor transformation. His body unconsciously relaxed.
Clearly, he placed deep trust in Brandon.
"What are you doing here?"
"Gathering some ingredients."
Brandon spoke casually.
After experiencing Little Chef's culinary skills, he had contacted him and the two had come to an arrangement involving mutant beast meat and cooking.
He would provide the ingredients. Little Chef would turn them into dishes and send them over.
In exchange, one-tenth of the ingredients would belong to Little Chef.
Originally, Little Chef hadn't wanted any payment at all. For him, being able to work with these unprecedented ingredients was the best reward in itself.
But just because Little Chef didn't want compensation didn't mean Brandon could refuse to give it.
Even restaurants charged service fees. It was just some ingredients—there was no need to be overly polite.
"Ingredients?"
Skyler paused for a moment, then quickly understood that the "ingredients" Brandon mentioned were these mutant beasts.
After all, given Brandon's strength, even the most powerful mutant creatures on Earth were merely tastier ingredients to him.
But still—
"Couldn't you just ask Firewing for this?"
"And why are you in the Imperial Capital anyway? Even if you were looking, shouldn't it be in Vantora City?"
"The ingredients there are too low-grade. I've already scoured most of what Vantora City has to offer. There are a few with decent potential that I've left for you all for now."
Brandon spoke with some resignation.
Previously, for some unknown reason, he and Angel Blazeheart had inexplicably done some rather childish things together.
It wasn't just the playful antics among the Pokémon—they had also held numerous bonfire parties.
Vegetables and fruits were plentiful in the pocket dimension. Even if they ate everything, it would all grow back in a couple of days.
But mutant beast meat required him to hunt for it personally.
Though Firewing could provide it, he didn't want to trouble her.
So during that period, the number of mutant beasts around Vantora City had decreased somewhat—mostly mutant pythons, mutant boars, mutant rabbits, and the like. But it hadn't significantly impacted the overall mutant beast population.
Setting aside strength, the sheer number of mutant beasts was staggeringly high. The main reason was that many of the more powerful mutant beasts had also been hunted by Brandon.
The stronger they were, the more spiritual energy they contained, and the better they tasted.
But unlike ordinary mutant beasts, these powerful ones also represented creatures with considerable potential.
Just as First Sequence and Second Sequence individuals were rare among humans, the same was true among mutant beasts.
Around Vantora City, aside from a few high-potential mutant beasts of various species that Brandon had deliberately spared, the other powerful mutant beasts had already been hunted nearly to extinction by him and Blazeheart.
Going forward, he was planning to raise some mutant beasts in the pocket dimension. Otherwise, given his appetite, Blazeheart's appetite, and the appetites of all those Pokémon, no amount of mutant beasts would be enough.
Although at his and Blazeheart's level, they no longer needed food to obtain energy.
But the pleasure of eating was an entirely different matter from obtaining energy.
This dual satisfaction of taste and soul—no one could refuse it.
"This..."
Skyler didn't know what to say after hearing Brandon's words. Complaining that the ingredients were too low-grade—wasn't that just saying those mutant beasts were too weak?
Though that was indeed the truth.
To him, ordinary mutant beasts were no different from ants—existences that could be slain with ease.
This was the gap in strength!
What struck him most was what came after: "There are a few with decent potential that I've left for you all for now." For Brandon to consider something as having "decent potential," they had to be roughly on par with them, right? Even if slightly weaker, they would be at least Second Sequence.
— End of Chapter —