Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 500 Dragon City
"Perhaps." Sun Hang, mimicking Wang Xiyi, crossed his legs and placed his left foot directly on the coffee table. "But what does it matter?"

“Then you shouldn’t have gone! You could have refused the mission!” Wang Xiyi said. “This is beyond the scope of a monster hunter’s mission! If it were just the occupied areas near Xiazhou, we might be able to risk going in, but Egypt is too far away. Do you know how many regions you have to cross to get from here to Egypt?”

"It's only six time zones, spanning a quarter of the Earth."

"That's all?" Wang Xiyi immediately crushed the wine jar into a piece of scrap metal. "Putting aside whether Egypt contains anything to complete the mainframe, how do you plan to cross this quarter of the Earth? You've been to the occupied territories before; you should know the details of that experience better than I do... You were only within the former Xia State Federation's territory, which wouldn't even be considered leaving the country a hundred years ago... There are countless dangerous places like this on the way to Egypt... Are you really confident you can reach that place?"

"When did I say I wanted to travel by land?"

"If you intend to travel by water, I'm sorry, but human civilization is not yet able to build a ship capable of navigating oceans teeming with monsters."

“If land, sea, and air routes are all blocked, isn’t there still one last way?” Sun Hang pointed to the sky through the ceiling.

"...In the sky?"

"A little higher," Sun Hang suggested, "outside the atmosphere."

"A near-Earth orbit airdrop?" Wang Xiyi was stunned. "You...you're a fucking lunatic."

……

……

At 10 a.m., Yang Qi, who had finally woken up, got dressed and walked out of the study.

She glanced silently at Sun Hang sitting on the sofa, hesitated for a long time, and finally managed to utter, "I'm going to the institute."

"Okay, Director Yang, please be careful on your way!" Sun Hang smiled and waved to her.

"You stay home and don't cause me any trouble." For some reason, looking at Sun Hang's bright smile made Yang Qi feel furious.

But even when she's really angry, she can't bring herself to get angry.

"What trouble could I possibly cause?" Sun Hang handed over the car keys. "Here, I'm returning the car you borrowed."

“Keep this car. I’ve asked the station to assign me another one,” Yang Qi said. “Call me if anything happens. Try not to wander around unless necessary. The entire Tianfu City is currently undergoing post-disaster reconstruction. If hunters suddenly appear in the public eye, it could easily cause panic among the people.”

"Okay, got it." Sun Hang gave an OK sign.

Yang Qi had just taken a step when her legs suddenly went weak, and she almost stumbled and fell to the ground. Fortunately, several timely Tai Sui gently supported her body, preventing her from falling flat on her face.

"Can you really drive like this?" Sun Hang muttered. "I bet you can't even press the brake pedal..."

Yang Qi rolled her eyes at Sun Hang and said in a very low voice, "It's all your fault..."

"Okay, okay, it's all my fault." Sun Hang took out his phone and sent a message to Song Yarong, "Let Song Yarong come pick you up."

“…Okay.” Yang Qi didn’t force it. She knew very well that she couldn’t drive in her current state, and if Sun Hang drove her, he might cause some trouble on the way back.

Yang Qi was well aware of Sun Hang's tendency to cause trouble.

……

Shortly after watching Song Yarong's car pick up Yang Qi, Sun Hang received a call from Zhulong.

“I have spoken with Professor Ouyang in detail. He said that with the current technology, it is possible to do it, but if we start the project now, it will take at least six months to complete,” Zhulong said. “Moreover, to ensure your safe return, the safest way is to launch two orbital drop capsules to the destination.”

"two?"

“Yes, one for people and one for cargo,” Zhulong said. “We can disassemble a launch vehicle and put it into an airdrop capsule. When you’re ready to return, we can assemble the rocket again… This will save us the trouble of finding a decommissioned rocket launch site.”

"That does sound like a good idea."

"But in practice, it's not as simple as it sounds. Even with a launch vehicle, without a dedicated launch site and a series of supporting systems, the difficulty of a successful launch is very low. If things go wrong, you might end up like a modern-day Tao Chengdao."

"Tao Chengdao? Who's that?"

“He also has another name, one that is more widely known,” Zhulong said, “'Wanhu'.”

"Oh, I understand now."

"According to Professor Ouyang, most of the past six months have actually been spent developing this simple launch vehicle. He and his technical staff will try their best to increase the launch success rate of the rocket to the limit that current technology can achieve... However, this is also a good thing. You can use these six months to recruit a group of skilled people who are willing to go to Egypt with you."

“Recruit? Top-notch fighters?” Sun Hang was slightly taken aback. “Do you think if I were to list all the hunters on the hunter ranking list, from first to tenth, the mainframe would reject my request? After all, if I were to take these people away, the combat strength within the Federation would probably drop significantly.”

“I don’t know if the mainframe will refuse, but there’s something you might not know: many powerful hunters aren’t actually on this leaderboard,” Zhulong said.

"Not on the list?"

"The Hunter Rankings started as an unofficial list created by idle media outlets. As its influence grew, the authorities tacitly acknowledged its authority... But in reality, the so-called authority of this list is nothing but a joke," Zhulong continued. "But don't many researchers and hunters often bring up this list?" Sun Hang asked.

"That's because there's only one ranking list that clearly compares and ranks the combat power of hunters right now," Zhulong said. "For example, a forbidden research project in the Tian Shu Tower created a 'hunter' that can only maintain a stable state for thirty seconds, but this hunter can kill the current number one on the list in one move. Do you think the number one spot on the list should be given to this hunter with only a thirty-second 'lifespan'?"

"...Now that you mention it, it does make some sense," Sun Hang muttered. "By the way, is there really such a taboo research?"

"Ahem... I was just using an example. You'd know more about this than I would from the mainframe." Zhulong realized he'd misspoke and quickly changed the subject. "Besides that, there are many low-profile hunters who don't want to be summoned frequently or attract unnecessary attention, so they don't want to appear on this list. Of course, they might appear on some less well-known lists, but very few people know about those lists, and the data on them is completely unreliable."

"After all you've said, where can we recruit these so-called 'reclusive masters' who aren't on the list?"

“The entrance to the Hexi Corridor, Dragon City,” Zhulong said. “The Hexi Corridor is adjacent to the northwestern border and is currently the most active area for strange creatures within the Federation, without exception. The frequency of strange creatures appearing there is even higher than in Shuzhou, which is shrouded in eternal night. However, the Hexi Corridor is sparsely populated, so it is not as obvious as in Shuzhou in terms of appearance.”

“Longcheng…” Sun Hang suddenly recalled a line of poetry, “If only the Flying General of Longcheng were here, the barbarian horses would never dare to cross the Yin Mountains.”

Longcheng is located northwest of Chang'an. It was once a border region of ancient China. Later, the territory of the Xia State Federation expanded significantly to the northwest, and Longcheng transformed from a border town into an inland city.

But with the end of the Monster War, Dragon City once again became a border fortress and a major military stronghold of the Xia State Federation in the northwest region.

“Because of the special nature of the Hexi Corridor, many free hunters gather there to ‘take on jobs.’ If we’re talking about where the most monster hunters gather in the entire Xia State Federation, besides Chunming City, it’s Dragon City,” Zhulong said. “You might want to try your luck there… Anyway, we still have half a year.”

"Okay, when shall we set off?"

“This afternoon,” Zhulong said. “I have a few acquaintances in Dragon City. Using their network, we can get in touch with many free hunters who reside in Dragon City.”

“Okay.” Sun Hang nodded.

"Are you going to Longcheng?" Wang Xiyi, who was sitting next to him, glanced at him and asked.

“Well, Zhulong said that they can recruit powerful hunters over there, so it’s worth a look,” Sun Hang said. “If all else fails, just hook all the hunters on the leaderboard from first to eleventh and drag them all to Egypt.”

"That place, Dragon City..."

"What, you're going to Dragon City?"

“I haven’t been there, but I’ve heard from hunters who have been that although they are both border cities, they are completely different from Tianfu City,” Wang Xiyi said. “Tianfu City still has some of the characteristics of a bustling metropolis, while Longcheng is completely a large military camp. The people there are fierce and everyone values ​​martial arts… In other words, the security situation is quite bad.”

With so many troops stationed there, wouldn't the security situation be bad?

"It's not as bad as you think, it's just that the people there... like to solve problems through duels."

"A duel? We're in the year 4700 in the Chinese calendar now, not 2700, right?"

“Many refugees from Central Asia and natives from the northwestern part of Xia Prefecture have settled in Longcheng, making the religious situation there very complex. The garrison is least willing to get involved in religious disputes,” Wang Xiyi said. “However, there is one good thing: although people of different faiths often clash, they unite against a common enemy in the event of an invasion. No matter what conflicts they have in ordinary times, they will put them aside in times of crisis. If anyone dares to stab a comrade in the back when there is an external enemy, they will be attacked by everyone, regardless of race or faith. This is a tacit rule in Longcheng.”

"It's pretty good," Sun Hang commented.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Wang Xiyi asked again.

"With Zhulong here, that's enough. Many of the hunters who came to help have already left Shu Prefecture. Tianfu City needs a top-tier combatant to hold the fort." Sun Hang shook his head. "No matter how fierce the people of Dragon City are, do you think they can kill me?"

“Yeah, you’re practically unkillable, there’s no need to worry about you at all,” Wang Xiyi said to Sun Hang. “But Longcheng won’t go with you, but you have to take me with you when you go to Egypt.”

"it is good."

……

After calling Yang Qi to report his itinerary, Sun Hang went to the airport and boarded a small passenger plane specially prepared for him. Civil aviation routes between Tianfu City and other city-states in the Federation had not yet been opened. If you wanted to leave by plane, you could only apply for a special plane from the transportation management department, except to go to a military airport.

Sun Hang and Zhulong agreed to meet in Chang'an and then travel together to Longcheng.

The reason for not meeting directly in Longcheng was twofold: firstly, landing directly at Longcheng Airport would involve many complicated procedures; secondly, Zhulong told Sun Hang that if he wanted to go to Longcheng to ask someone for help, it would be best to bring some authentic Xinghuacun Fenjiu liquor – this stuff is a real "hard currency" in Longcheng.

Xinghuacun Fenjiu is produced in Jinyang, but Jinyang is quite far from Chang'an. Fortunately, Chang'an is one of the most prosperous cities in the Northwest, and Xinghuacun Fenjiu has a special counter there.

The two bought several cases of Xinghuacun Fenjiu liquor in Chang'an and stuffed them into the trunk. Zhulong also bought more than a dozen cartons of good cigarettes to fill the remaining space in the trunk. Then the two drove away from Chang'an and headed towards Longcheng along the national highway.

"Speaking of which, is there anything I should be careful about in Dragon City?" Sun Hang asked from the passenger seat. "Old Wang told me that the people of Dragon City are tough and like to have duels all the time. What if I accidentally get thrown a white glove as soon as I land because I step on my left foot first?"

"It's not that exaggerated." Zhulong laughed immediately. "Even among ordinary people, duels are rare these days. Ye Sha was probably fooled. Those are just hearsay stories, passed around and embellished, making people in inland cities really believe that people are dying every day in Dragon City... In fact, in the past year, there have been fewer than ten private conflict cases in Dragon City, mostly caused by disputes between mercenaries and free hunters over the division of 'loot'. Besides, we are public officials, so even if those people are blind, they wouldn't dare to mess with us."

"But I... I'm not... I'm not a public official, will they provoke me..." A timid voice came from the back row.

Sun Hang came alone this time, bringing only Xue Yue with him.

Since dealing with people and negotiating is involved, Xue Yue's abilities are absolutely like a cheat code—even if someone is accidentally angered, as long as Xue Yue steps in, even the angrier person can regain their composure.

(End of this chapter)