Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 551 Four-Person Squad
In the year or so since he joined the company, he has completed a total of four tasks.

The first mission was a false alarm. The culprit was a python that was not infected by memes. Because it killed three villagers, the village sheriff believed it was the work of a strange creature and reported it to the Anomaly Investigation Bureau. The Bureau, which was short-staffed, submitted a request for support to the Strange Creature Research Institute where Cheng Ming worked.

Cheng Ming, who was still a novice hunter at the time, was sent down and searched the mountains for four days and four nights with a group of investigators and soldiers assisting in the operation. Finally, they found the fat python in a mountain hollow and then found the remains of the murdered villager in the python's belly.

During that mission, Cheng Ming did nothing; the fully armed investigators and soldiers easily killed the python—nevertheless, it became the first mission he had completed in his hunter experience.

It seemed that Cheng Ming's luck had been used up in the first mission, because he encountered a troublesome target in the second mission. It was a group hunting operation, with a total of six monster hunters, including Cheng Ming. The team was led by a veteran hunter who had completed nine missions, while the other five were either complete novices with no experience or rookie hunters like Cheng Ming who had only completed one or two missions.

Three people died and two were seriously injured. In the end, the target was only taken down thanks to the veteran hunter's "power surge." Cheng Ming spent two whole weeks in the research institute's medical department before he was finally able to get out of bed.

Fortunately, the logistics department specially assigned an intern to take care of Cheng Ming's mother; otherwise, Cheng's mother, who had little ability to take care of herself, would probably have starved to death at home.

The latter two missions were completed by Cheng Ming alone. The mission targets were not threatening. Cheng Ming simply took the container given to him by the research institute, put the strange creature into it, and that was considered to have completed the containment mission.

This job can actually be done by ordinary people, but ordinary people are at risk of being infected by the monster meme, while Cheng Ming, who is already infected, does not have this problem.

Having completed four missions, Cheng Ming should theoretically be beyond the realm of a novice hunter... but only he himself knows that his practical experience only came from that second mission.

But in fact, in the second mission, Cheng Ming was whipped away by the tail of the strange crocodile less than five minutes into the battle and fell into a coma.

In other words, this so-called practical experience is practically useless...

Cheng Ming's source of infection was the cactus on his desk. One day during his lunch break, he noticed that his cactus had grown many strange red spikes. Curious, he touched it with his finger, and his whole body instantly convulsed as if he had been electrocuted.

His colleague, somewhat surprised, reached out to pull him up. The next second, his colleague's skin turned bright red, and then countless tiny beads of blood seeped from his pores.

Within seconds, the seeping blood turned into a spurting of blood, and the office was thrown into chaos.

When the sheriff and the anomaly investigator arrived at the scene, Cheng Ming's colleague was nothing but a withered shell, while Cheng Ming himself had fallen into a state of unconscious rage. Ignoring the blood streaming from his palms and mouth where the cactus had pierced him, he grabbed the cactus and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing it whole.

Shortly after the cactus entered Cheng Ming's body, it merged into his flesh and blood, and Cheng Ming himself transformed from an ordinary person into an infected person containing the monster meme.

This cactus was a gift from Cheng Ming's ex-girlfriend. Cheng Ming has been raising it for two years now. The Institute of Strange Things, the Investigation Bureau, and the Public Security Bureau have investigated Cheng Ming, his ex-girlfriend, the flower shop that sold the cactus, the people in Cheng Ming's company, and even the deliverymen and security guards who have entered and exited the office, but they still can't find out why the cactus turned into a strange thing.

Like its kind, this cactus was grown at a flower cultivation base on the outskirts of the city. There were no abnormalities during its transportation and sale. No strange memes were detected on other cacti in the same batch. After exhausting all the clues, the researchers could only come to a helpless conclusion: this cactus was most likely transformed into a strange creature on its own after certain special conditions were met.

This is similar to spontaneous human combustion; it's rare, but not impossible.

The Institute of Mysterious Things took on the compensation for the death of Cheng Ming's colleague, but as an infected person, Cheng Ming was definitely unable to return to his original company. In this city, it would be very difficult for an infected person with no skills or reputation to find a decent job.

Even if the research institute issues a test report showing that Cheng Ming's meme is stable, people around him will still view infected people with prejudice—no one knows whether an infected person who is no different from an ordinary person one second will turn into a monster or a monster that chooses to devour people the next second.

The probability is very low, but no one dares to gamble on it.

Moreover, the general public lacks understanding of the strange memes and infected individuals.

This isn't Chunming City. Monster hunters aren't treated like celebrities here. To passersby, Cheng Ming is a walking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

After all, he had already "killed" one person.

The subsidies given to Cheng Ming by the federal government and the Institute of Mysteries were only enough for his own living expenses; he had to find a way to pay for his mother's medical expenses himself.

Cheng Ming didn't want to be a monster hunter, but he had no other choice.

Cheng Ming sometimes found it ridiculous that the hunters who appeared in the news seemed to have the power to destroy the world with every move, but his own abilities sounded like a joke.

"Photosynthesis".

That's right, the only ability he inherited from the strange cactus was "photosynthesis".

Cheng Ming doesn't need to eat. When he feels hungry, he just needs to bask in the sun. During this process, he inhales carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen like a plant.

This ability seems magical, but it's of no help to the profession of monster hunter—photosynthesis doesn't mean Cheng Ming can "abstain from grains" like a cultivator; he still needs to ingest water, only his need for food has decreased significantly.

The only meaning this ability had for him was that it allowed him to save money on his own meals and buy more nutritional supplements for his mother.

Aside from photosynthesis, the most obvious difference between his body and that of an ordinary person is his physiological endurance. If the average level of an ordinary person is 7, and that of a special forces soldier who has received specialized training and has excellent willpower and physique is 10, then Cheng Ming's physiological endurance is probably between 12 and 13.

Physiological endurance is a relatively general indicator. It symbolizes the body's resistance to pain, thirst, fatigue, extreme temperatures, and extreme environments. It also includes data such as physical strength, injury recovery speed, and physical fitness. In short, the higher this value, the stronger the body is compared to that of an average person.

The institute director told Cheng Ming that most infected people's physiological tolerance would be improved. Cheng Ming's value was neither high nor low, but only the average value of infected people.

In the second mission, the other hunters had lower physical endurance than Cheng Ming, and their injuries were even less severe than Cheng Ming's, yet Cheng Ming was the one who survived—this is also a reflection of physical endurance. The other three hunters' conversation had gone from nightclubs in Shanghai to housing prices in the city—although Cheng Ming didn't participate in their conversation, he still learned their names from what they said.

The young female hunter was named Yu Duo. She was the only free hunter among the four. Although she looked very young, she was actually twenty-nine years old and had dated ninety-five boyfriends. She said this in an almost boastful tone.

The male hunter, dressed in a typical police uniform, is named He Dawei. He belongs to the Liangzhu Mystery Research Institute. He is thirty-one years old and has been a hunter for seven years, but he has only completed four missions, the same number as Cheng Ming.

As for the hunter who looked like a high school student, his name was Shen Rui. He also belonged to the Liangzhu Mystery Research Institute and had just turned eighteen this year.

When talking about their "achievements," He Dawei kept talking about how difficult the four tasks he had completed were, while Yu Duo talked about how many difficult men she had managed to handle—the two were talking about completely different things, but they were able to have a ridiculous conversation about the same thing.

“Speaking of which, it seems we’ll need a guide to enter the uninhabited areas of the Hexi Corridor,” Yu Duo suddenly said. “It’s too much of a waste for one person to pay for a guide. Since we all have the same goal, why don’t we form a small team and chip in to hire a guide?”

“We can form a team, but there’s no need to hire a guide.” He Dawei lowered his voice and shook his head. “There are so many people in this carriage, all heading to Nanhua Town. There will definitely be some suckers who will pay to hire a guide first. We just need to follow the main group... That way, our safety will be guaranteed.”

“That makes sense!” Yu Duo glanced at He Dawei. “Anyway, we’re just going there to get welfare, and we’re not going to compete for credit with anyone. It’s best to stick with the group! Maybe we can even meet some handsome guys…”

"I'll just follow Brother Wei." In just a few minutes, Shen Rui had already started calling He Dawei "Brother Wei." After all, the two came from the same research institute, and in a sense, He Dawei was Shen Rui's senior.

"And what about you?" Yu Duo looked at Cheng Ming. "You've been so quiet, you probably aren't interested in teaming up, right?"

“I’ll participate.” Cheng Ming nodded.

His idea was similar to He Dawei's. After arriving in Longcheng, he would directly follow the main force into the no-man's land. Once they reached the mission area, he would see if there was anything he could do to help, so that he would have proof when he received his reward.

"I thought you'd stay silent and pretend to be an expert," Yu Duo asked jokingly. "Those guys who are aloof and always keep to themselves are usually experts... I wonder how good you are?"

"Not bad," Cheng Ming replied honestly.

Yu Duo: "Are you being modest or just telling the truth?"

"truth."

"Since you've decided to team up, could you tell us your name, brother?" He Dawei asked.

"Cheng Ming."

“Okay, Brother Cheng.” He Dawei nodded. “I know it might be a bit offensive to ask about your abilities directly, but I wonder if you would mind sharing your qualifications so we can have a better understanding of your background.”

"One year and eight months, and I completed four missions," Cheng Ming replied.

"Wow, you've completed four missions in less than two years?" He Dawei's face showed a hint of surprise. Compared to Cheng Ming, his experience of four missions in seven years suddenly paled in comparison. "But speaking of which, Brother Cheng, you're not a registered hunter at the Liangzhu Mystery Research Institute, are you?"

As the second largest monster research institute in the eastern part of Xia State Federation after Shencheng, Liangzhu Monster Research Institute gathers a large number of monster hunters. People like He Dawei, whose abilities are not particularly outstanding, have a hard time getting a mission in a year... This is completely opposite to the situation in Tianfu City, where a useful hunter is captured and used to the death.

"No, I'm from Kuaiji."

"Oh, no wonder... there aren't many hunters working at the Kuaiji Monster Research Institute, which explains why you've had to go on four missions in two years." He Dawei felt that he had regained some face—although the Liangzhu Monster Research Institute couldn't compare to Shanghai, it was still much better than Kuaiji.

This allowed him to regain that sense of superiority that made him feel like he was above others.

“I’ve been to Kuaiji. It’s a pretty good city,” Yu Duo said. “There are lots of bars and handsome guys, but it’s not as lively as first-tier cities like Liangzhu or Shanghai.”

“Of course, Liangzhu is the second largest city in the eastern part of the Federation.” He Dawei said with considerable pride. “Brother Cheng, how difficult were your four missions? Speaking of which, I haven’t heard of any serious monster invasion incidents in Kuaiji in recent years. If there had been, we in Liangzhu would definitely have received a request for help.”

“They’re all simple tasks,” Cheng Ming replied. “There’s no danger involved.”

“I knew it… Compared to Liangzhu, the hunters in Kuaiji are quite leisurely. After all, if something happens nearby, people will definitely think of Liangzhu first…” He Dawei boasted.

"Maybe he's just being modest." Yu Duo glanced at He Dawei out of the corner of her eye, a hint of dislike in her eyes, though she didn't show it on her face.

"No, to be honest, they were all very simple containment missions," Cheng Ming said.

"Miss Yu, what about you? How many missions have you completed?"

“Three orders, two of which were collaborative orders, and one I completed independently,” Yu Duo said. “They were all hunting monsters, things that could be done with a gun.”

"Looking at it this way, I must be the most experienced one among us," He Dawei said with a smile. "Then I'll be the team leader, everyone agrees, right?"

(End of this chapter)