On the eighth day after returning from the Crimson Abyss, Yan Luo sat on the bench press in the living room, looking down at his hands.
Now he finally confirmed that his power had grown remarkably.
Currently, his maximum bench press had reached 280 kilograms. Although it's still far from the world record for unassisted bench press, Yan Luo's physique isn't suited for bench pressing, and strength isn't his strong suit.
His reaction speed and maximum running speed hadn't been tested yet, but Yan Luo could feel that his physical abilities had undergone a tremendous change. If he were to take a fitness test now, his performance might improve by at least a quarter compared to before.
He had already developed his physical abilities to their current age limit, and now he had made a breakthrough beyond that limit.
In a short time, his bench press maximum increased by 100 kilograms, and during this time, Yan Luo's appetite hadn't changed significantly. This made him somewhat question whether he was still human.
However, gaining strength is indeed a good thing.
Even if the cost of gaining strength was eating Demon raw!
Yan Luo picked up a notebook and clumsily used a pen to record today's data on paper.
He still wasn't sure if the changes he was experiencing were good or bad, so for now, it was best not to let anyone else find out about them.
After making his records, Yan Luo stood up, drinking an electrolyte drink while counting his equipment.
"Ten grenades, four landmines, four stun grenades, one long and one short shotgun, one grappling gun..."
Having confirmed his equipment, Yan Luo turned his gaze to the exoskeleton armor beside him.
The matte gray paint made this exoskeleton look unremarkable, but only by wearing it could one know that its maximum output reached two tons, easily lifting a medium-sized car.
Lightly brushing the front armor of the exoskeleton, Yan Luo took a deep breath, his eyes growing resolute.
"It's time to settle this grudge," he said softly.
......
On the ninth day after Yan Luo's return from the Abyss, at nine in the morning.
"That guy is finally on the move!"
The Purple Fox Squad rented a room in a hotel near the Hunter's Guild, with someone on duty here every day to observe whether Yan Luo entered the Abyss.
Today, the person on duty was Qiao Lingzhi. He aimed a camera at the entrance of the Hunter's Guild, and once Yan Luo appeared on the screen, the camera would sound an alarm.
Hearing the alarm, Qiao Lingzhi rushed to the window and immediately saw the fully armed Yan Luo.
In order for a Hunter to enter the Abyss, they must apply at the guild. Seeing Yan Luo in full armor, it was clear he intended to enter the Abyss.
Noting this, Qiao Lingzhi immediately called his two companions to bring all the equipment over as quickly as possible.
Shinkai Katsuyuki and Brandon moved swiftly, and in just over twenty minutes, they gathered with Qiao Lingzhi in front of the guild's entrance.
By then, ten minutes had passed since Yan Luo's application to enter the Abyss had been approved.
To avoid attracting attention, Qiao Lingzhi did not apply to enter the Abyss until Shinkai Katsuyuki and Brandon arrived.
The application process didn't take long, four to five minutes was enough to complete.
The Purple Fox Squad passed through the frosted glass-like entrance to the Abyss, letting the crimson moonlight softly drape over them.
Yan Luo had entered the Abyss half an hour ago. If someone unfamiliar with Yan Luo wanted to track him, it would certainly be a hassle.
However, the Purple Fox Squad had once gone Abyss hunting with Yan Luo and knew his habits.
That kid is a natural hunter—
Unlike most Hunters who are haphazard in action, Yan Luo instinctively cleans up his traces when moving through the Abyss, camouflaging the tracks he leaves behind.
But camouflage is just camouflage; upon careful observation, one could find traces.
Around the entrance, there were many Hunters active. If Yan Luo didn't clean his tracks, it would be difficult for the Purple Fox Squad to trace him.
The problem was that Yan Luo cleaned his tracks instinctively, as if compulsively, no matter where he went.
The Purple Fox Squad might be somewhat unskilled, but to become Hunters, they at least passed in tracking skills.
After five minutes of searching near the entrance, they finally found the direction Yan Luo had taken.
Following the traces, their hearts started beating faster.
Shinkai Katsuyuki and his companions exchanged a look, unable to hide their inner apprehension.
"He seems to be heading towards… the Stone Mine?" Qiao Lingzhi swallowed hard.
Their grudge against Yan Luo was only one of the reasons for chasing him; the primary reason was actually the Stone Mine.
Yan Luo knew the location of the Stone Mine veins, and having no contract with them and a grudge, if this guy suddenly went mad and revealed the mine location to outsiders, the Purple Fox Squad would be done for.
Shinkai Katsuyuki knew Yan Luo wanted to kill them, and heading toward the mine was to lure them over.
Without a doubt, Yan Luo would definitely set a trap for them there.
Yet, they had no choice.
If they still wanted to earn this money, they couldn't let Yan Luo stay alive!
Yan Luo's grudge made him an unstable factor. If he leaked the Stone Mine's location, they'd be finished!
After their initial panic, the Purple Fox Squad acted immediately, scrutinizing all possible traces left by Yan Luo along the way, checking whether there were traps laid by him, while swiftly moving towards the Stone Mine.
The cave wasn't far from the entrance, and with the exoskeletons donned, Hunters could reach it in one or two hours.
"Stop!"
Brandon, leading the way, suddenly halted his two companions. His millimeter-wave radar had detected filled soil three meters ahead.
The three retreated ten meters, hiding behind two trees as Qiao Lingzhi deployed a small corridor drone.
Appearing like an uncapped ampoule, Qiao Lingzhi set the drone's drop point via a smart device, and the drone flew forward.
Qiao Lingzhi had installed a landmine triggering device on the drone, capable of detonating any type of landmine.
Boom!
At the moment the drone landed, the earth, driven by a flash of light, erupted, a rumbling echoing through the forest, hitting the ears of the Purple Fox Squad's trio.
Witnessing this, Shinkai Katsuyuki sighed and said, "Now do you believe me? That kid genuinely wants to kill us."
Rarely would a Hunter bypass the entrance to operate here, and this path was the one Yan Luo had taken. He anticipated they'd follow, thus laying the landmine here.
The landmine existed solely to confront them, with no exceptions.
Qiao Lingzhi and Brandon exchanged a silent look, finally abandoning any intention of negotiating with Yan Luo.
They'd never fight Yan Luo unless absolutely necessary.
Until just now, Qiao Lingzhi and Brandon had held faint hopes of negotiating with Yan Luo, but now that hope was entirely crushed.
Seeing the worry on their faces, Shinkai Katsuyuki encouraged, "There's no need to be so worried. We're not Demons acting purely on instinct. Yan Luo was able to kill that Silent Hunting Lizard because he was familiar with all Demon behaviors in the Crimson Abyss; he's a Demon Master. But we're different, we're human. We have brains; we understand coordination. No matter how skilled Yan Luo is in combat, he's only one person. If we band together, he can't beat us.
"Besides, I'm using a rifle. Humans don't have deflection shields. As long as we can hit him with a few shots, he's done for!"
Saying this, Shinkai Katsuyuki forced a vicious smile.
Hearing this reassured Qiao Lingzhi and Brandon greatly.
Yes, as Shinkai Katsuyuki said, they're human, not Demons. Yan Luo might have defeated a deadly Demon by exploiting his understanding of them, but it didn't mean he possessed truly formidable power.
If they had the same deep understanding of Demons as Yan Luo, they, too, could kill a deadly Demon!
With renewed determination, the Purple Fox Squad set off once more, tracking the path Yan Luo had left behind.