All my hunting commissions come from another world?

......

What's that sound...?

The sound of something shattering kept ringing in my ears, accompanied by the hissing of some creature. These sounds were getting closer and closer.

The wounds on his body had gradually become numb due to the low temperature. Although his strength was gradually recovering, the speed was too slow. The surrounding ice was too thick, and he didn't know how long it would take to regain his mobility.

Moreover, at this moment, Qianjie's mind was in complete chaos, except for his own name.

He only vaguely remembered that he seemed to be fighting something before.

"Alma, come and lend a hand."

Thanks to the efforts of the Tide Hunters, the masked man's body has been gradually dug out of the ice, and Alma has made a makeshift stretcher using the materials Gemma threw down.

After the Tide Hunter lifted the masked man from the pit and placed him on a stretcher, Alma gave him a quick check-up and then nodded to Lone Bird.

"Although his vital signs are still very weak, he is indeed still alive."

Alma felt a sense of relief; if the lone bird hadn't discovered the clues, they would have definitely abandoned this person here.

"Let's carry him back to the temporary camp first. I'll go ask Zhou Si for some ancient secret medicine."

It wasn't that Lone Bird didn't bring the secret medicine; she just felt that Zhou Si had taken so many of her items for free, so it was time for her to pay back.

Besides, as his master, what's wrong with him taking some secret medicine?

"You two have such a great relationship, it's truly enviable."

Alma chuckled softly from behind. Although she hadn't interacted much with Mr. Zhou Si, she had learned a lot about his 'heroic deeds' from Lone Bird.

The Lone Bird could go on and on for a whole day and night telling all sorts of despicable things, like throwing female Rathalos scales into a Diablos's nest, smearing poison on a Glavenus's tail, or spraying insect repellent on a Zinogre's back.

Even so, Alma would only show a slight, genuine smile when the lone bird mentioned Zhou Si.

'It seems you've found something important again, hunter.'

Alma recalled why she had chosen the lone bird as her partner.

Because the lone bird had lost something precious, she would do her best to help Nata, who had lost her homeland and loved ones.

But unexpectedly, Nata still hasn't been able to return to his hometown, while the lone bird has moved on from the past first.

Alma watched the lone bird's retreating figure and felt genuinely happy for her.

————————————————————

"Ellie, have you found anything over there?"

As soon as Zhou Si left the sanatorium, he quickly found Alicia, who had already taken the detection device that Melo had given her and was searching for traces of the Xialong in the woods near Dusk Street.

Today, Ellie changed her disguise again. But to Zhou Si, it was just a way for her to satisfy her desire to act.

The pure white suit jacket is paired with a classic khaki long trench coat, a matching hat, and a pipe in her hand that is purely decorative. The classic detective's three-piece suit looks perfectly natural on Ellie.

Perhaps it's because good-looking people look good in anything.

"What, are you captivated by the lovely and beautiful Lady Alicia?"

"If it's Zhou Si, I can give you an autograph for free!"

Ai Li Radar accurately captured the fleeting hint of appreciation in Zhou Si's eyes, and her expression immediately became smug.

"Beautiful Lady Alicia, let's get down to business."

Zhou Si felt somewhat helpless, but still followed Ai Li's advice.

"Zhou Si's seriousness is a big plus, isn't it?"

After joking around, Ellie's expression turned serious. She walked over to Zhou Si and handed him the small detector.

"Traces resembling a chameleon have indeed been found here."

Ellie pointed to the dense green dots on the detector, which were piled up in large numbers in the woods ahead.

Don't be fooled by the small size of the detector that Melo made. The advanced technology of the Machine race allowed her to integrate a large number of functions into this palm-sized box, and these functions are basically modified to suit the characteristics of the Chameleon.

For example, the green dot currently displayed on the screen is a detection of residual poisonous mist from the Chameleon.

Zhou Si and Ai Li quickly moved forward in the direction indicated by the detector and soon arrived at that area.

"Tsk, looks like that guy isn't in a very good mood right now."

Zhou Si looked at the obvious signs of corrosion on the trees around him. A large amount of vegetation had withered and died, and several small animals that had died were lying by the roadside, covered with dense blood spots and bruises. Apart from that, there were similar signs of corrosion.

Zhou Si carefully observed the state of these creatures, and then, to Ai Li's astonishment, he scraped off some of the purple liquid residue with his finger and put it in his mouth.

The moment the toxin entered his mouth, Zhou Si felt a strong corrosive effect. The liquid then quickly seeped into his body and began to damage his circulatory system.

It must be said that the Xialong truly lived up to its name as an ancient dragon; its venom was far more potent than any monster Zhou Si had encountered before. It took him nearly a minute to adapt to the damage the venom inflicted on his body.

Ellie, who had been on tenterhooks all day, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Zhou Si was alright, but her expression was still full of resentment.

"...What you're doing is really dangerous! You can't just take advantage of your physical strength to do something so dangerous!"

Ellie crossed her arms in front of her chest, making a big X.

"Uh, I'm just used to it..."

After encountering the Poison Bird in the New World, he developed the habit of stacking resistances with the toxins left behind by poisonous monsters before fighting them.

This trick never fails; it only worked once, when I was dealing with the Paralyzing Poison Dragon, it was very effective the rest of the time.

The main problem was that he didn't know at the time that the Paralysis Dragon also had a paralyzing effect!

"We need to speed things up."

Zhou Si had lost count of how many times she had said this, but if the previous situations were merely urgent, now they were becoming somewhat dangerous.

In its normal state, the Chameleon usually only releases some hallucinogenic poisonous mist to make it harder for its prey to detect its presence.

The release of such a large amount of venom must be a sign that the chameleon was under some kind of threat, causing it to be in a state of tension for a long time, which is why it chose to use this behavior to protect itself.

Perhaps the Chameleon doesn't have the same terrifying destructive power as the Queen, but an Elder Dragon is an Elder Dragon; their mere existence can alter the ecological environment of an area.

If this highly unstable Chameleon is allowed to roam freely, this place will soon become a deadly forbidden zone shrouded in poisonous fog.

Zhou Si took out the guide bug canister he was carrying and released the guide bugs to search for the Chameleon's whereabouts. Although these little guys couldn't pinpoint the Chameleon's exact location, they were enough to further reduce its activity range.

"Xiaobai, apply poison resistance beads to the arm armor of the Haisi set."

"Good boss!"

He handed the arm guard with the new beads to Ellie. The poison of the Chameleon was too terrifying, and the effect of the ornament would be greatly reduced if it was not equipped on the equipment.

However, since Ellie had not undergone hunter training, overly cumbersome equipment would hinder her movements, so Zhou Si simply gave her the lighter Origin Lifeline Armguard.

Is this considered a double-food ecstasy?

"Take these too."

Zhou Si then stuffed a bunch of traditional Chinese medicines into Ai Li's hands. It was precisely because he knew how terrifying the monsters' attacks were that he made thorough preparations every time.

What was a trivial attack to him might have been fatal to his companions, and Zhou Si absolutely did not want that to happen.

"That's enough, that's enough. I'm an archer, it's not that dangerous for me. Besides, you're up ahead, aren't you?"

"I have complete faith in Zhou Si, you know?"

While looking at the large pile of medicine in her arms, Ellie was both amused and touched by Zhou Si's kindness.

But she's not some pretty face that needs taking care of.

"You're right, but take this with you first."

"No, no need. I will use Honkai energy to protect myself."

Seeing the gas mask in Zhou Si's hand and his "I'm doing this for your own good" expression, Alicia chuckled awkwardly and took a few steps back.

What kind of Eastern parent are you?!

After making some preparations, Zhou Si and Ai Li set off deeper into the forest.

Just as Zhou Si had predicted, the further they went in, the more severe the corrosive effects of the poisonous fog became. After a certain distance, almost all the plants and animals that could be seen with the naked eye had been killed by the terrifying poisonous fog.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the guide insects that had been leading the way for Zhou Si suddenly stopped, as if they had lost their sense of the Xialong's whereabouts, and began to fly around randomly.

The unusual noise made Zhou Si frown. Then he twitched his nose twice, and some almost colorless and transparent mist entered his body through his nose.

Immediately afterwards, a dizzying sensation rushed into his brain, and Zhou Si lost his balance and was about to fall forward, but fortunately, Ai Li caught him in time.

"Are you OK?"

"...It's nothing."

With the help of the anti-poison beads and Honkai energy, Alicia was not affected by the poisonous fog.

Zhou Si recovered after a brief period of dizziness.

"These toxins contain hallucinogens... Be careful!!!"

Zhou Si was about to say that the existence of these hallucinogenic fumes meant that Xia Long was likely nearby, but the next moment he caught a glimpse of a transparent outline flashing by. He instinctively grabbed Ai Li beside him and lunged to the side.

The next moment, a slender pink tongue appeared out of thin air, and a thunderous sound rang out. The long tongue, like a steel whip, left a crack several meters long on the ground where Zhou Si and the others had just been standing.

The forest suddenly fell silent, and the enormous ancient dragon finally revealed its true form before Zhou Si and Alicia.

The air distorted for a second, and then scales appeared out of thin air—first the claw tips, then the long neck and the pair of iconic huge wing membranes, until the entire body was fully revealed.

It gracefully arched its spine, its shell-like scales reflecting mesmerizing colors, and thick saliva dripped from between its fangs, corroding the ground with a hissing sound. Its bulging eyes were now bloodshot, filled with malice towards Zhou Si and the other intruders.

The moment the Xialong fully materialized, a purple poisonous mist filled the surroundings.

But its figure vanished without a trace the moment the poisonous fog spread.

Zhou Si had already gripped the Blood Mist Twin Blades in his hands. Ai Li drew her longbow and stood back to back with him, constantly alert to their surroundings.

"Zhou Si, do you have a way to find its location?"

Unable to find any trace of Xialong, Alicia could only pin her hopes on Zhou Si.

At this moment, Zhou Si was focused on looking around. The pungent poisonous fog filled the space, making it impossible for him to find Xialong by smell. But what surprised him even more was that Xialong's body was so huge, yet it did not make any sound when it moved.

With its sight, smell, and hearing all gone, this chameleon seemed to have vanished from the world.

Zhou Si and Ai Li both knew that it must be hiding somewhere, preparing to attack them.

It was another attack without warning, but this time neither Zhou Si nor Ai Li caught the dragon's movements. Fortunately, it chose Zhou Si as its target.

The enormous triangular head slammed down on Zhou Si with tremendous force. Zhou Si only had time to push Ai Li away before being swept away by Xia Long's double head sweep.

Ellie immediately turned and fired several arrows at the direction where the Chameleon had appeared, but the Chameleon disappeared again during the flight of the arrows, and the arrows fell into empty space.

"Zhou Si, use a wide-area attack to cover this area."

This was the only way Ellie could think of to harm the Chameleon. The Chameleon was only invisible, not invincible. Covering the area with a rain of arrows and attacking indiscriminately would definitely be effective.

But Zhou Si shook her head.

Ellie's idea wasn't wrong, but the Chameleon was one of the smartest Elder Dragons. If it sensed something was wrong and ran away, it would be very difficult for them to find it again.

Moreover, Zhou Si had already come up with a way to catch Xia Long.

Among the monsters he had eaten, there was one type that lived year-round on the uppermost layer of the Coral Highlands. Despite being a flying wyvern, it did not possess the ability to fly long distances.

However, their unique wing structure makes these monsters adept at controlling airflow, greatly enhancing their flight agility in the special ecology of the Coral Plateau.

The prerequisite for these monsters called Wind Dragons to control airflow is that they have an extremely high sensitivity to air movement!

Zhou Si slowly closed his eyes, gradually capturing the subtle air currents, and the invisible, enormous outline gradually appeared in his 'field of vision'.

Xialong had already come up behind Zhou Si, and seeing his unsuspecting figure, it once again stuck out its long, thin tongue.

But just as it launched its attack, Xialong suddenly saw Zhou Si turn around and raise his twin swords.

Chapter Eleven: Ancient Dragon Hunter

A near-blinding red light shone on Zhou Si's body. As he activated his demonic transformation, the ferocious battle aura of the King of Fanged Beasts also rose from his body.

An internal shock blasted away Xialong's tongue. Taking advantage of Xialong's momentary stiffness, Zhou Si stepped forward with his left foot, leaving a crack in the ground, and slashed at Xialong's chest at high speed like a chainsaw.

The sinister blades clashed repeatedly with the scales on the chest of the Xialong, but the Xialong was clearly not a monster known for its defense. Zhou Si's twin blades pierced through the scales almost instantly, leaving a deep wound on the Xialong's chest.

Roar--

The dragon roared in pain and swung its head, trying to knock Zhou Si away. However, Zhou Si, who had activated his battle aura, was clearly not someone it could shake. Zhou Si raised his right hand and used the hilts of his twin swords to smash the dragon's head back down.