Monster Hunter, start with a wife!

120 kilometers south of Star Iron City.

This area is now within the coverage area of ​​the Sanhe Town Lighthouse.

Looking towards the shallows where the three rivers converge outside the town, sections of concrete ruins peek out from among the vines and shrubs in the dense forest on the opposite bank.

From a distance, it looks like the skeleton of the entire forest.

That place is the Nanling Ruins.

In the open field one kilometer outside the ruins.

A temporary camp for tens of thousands of people was spread out along the edge of the riverbank, with colorful tents packed tightly together.

What should have been a desolate wilderness was transformed into a bustling marketplace by the sheer number of people around it.

The edge of the temporary camp.

Outside the green canvas tents on the high platform, the flags of the Hunting Ruins Army fluttered in the wind.

Huyan Song stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the high platform, his gaze fixed on the flag embroidered with a blazing sun in the distance, his eyes filled with solemnity:

"Mayor Qian, look, this is the result of your town not blocking the news. Even the troops from the neighboring Bright City have come here after smelling the news."

Qian Jinshan followed behind, his round face full of worry.

"Ugh, this is really weird!" He sighed, a hint of grievance in his voice.

"The news of someone triggering a legendary quest just came over, and I immediately placed that person under house arrest. How did the news still leak out?"

Liang Ye leaned casually against a tent pole, took a sip of water, and thought to himself:

I only spread the word; the leak is none of my business.

Qian Jinshan rolled his eyes and took half a step forward:

"Deputy Director, how about... we kick them out? It's going too far for people from Bright City to come to our Star Iron City territory and steal resources!"

Huyan Song glanced at him sideways:

"They paid their dues and didn't break any rules. Are you trying to make Star Iron lose face in the Federation by now asking them to leave?"

Qian Jinshan shrank back as he was being scolded:

"The deputy director is right; it was my oversight."

Huyan Song withdrew his gaze and asked:

"How long until the Nest Gate opens?"

Qian Jinshan hurriedly pulled out his portable terminal from his waist, examined the data on the fluctuations of source energy, and replied:

"Deputy Director, the fluctuations have stabilized. The gate should open in about two hours."

Hu Yansong nodded, then turned to look at Liang Ye beside him:

"Colonel Liang, are the three elite squads ready?"

Liang Ye straightened up and replied respectfully:

"Everything is arranged. There are seven teams in total, all of whom are peak Tier 3 hunters. Each team is also equipped with a Seed Hunter of Grade A or above. The equipment and source energy supplies have also been checked in advance, and nothing has been missed."

"Very good." Hu Yansong's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a solemn tone:

"Before you leave, let me emphasize to each team leader again: if you manage to obtain the core, you must give it to the Seed Hunter. Anyone who dares to keep it for themselves will be punished according to military regulations."

"Understood." Liang Ye nodded in response.

After arranging matters for the Hunting Ruins Army, Hu Yansong looked at the leaders of the four major guilds behind him.

He took two steps forward, his tone solemn:

"Gentlemen, the legendary advancement core this time will most likely be chosen from the four major guilds and the elite teams of the Hunting Ruins Army."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four people, and emphasized his tone:

"This concerns the honor and future of the city. If any of your top teams happen to meet in the lair, please cooperate with each other and absolutely do not let internal strife occur, lest the City of Light take advantage of the situation and seize the city."

"Don't worry, Deputy Director!"

Songhe patted his chest and said, "At times like these, when we need to unite against a common enemy, our four major guilds never hesitate to stand together."

Os of the Thunder Guild pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes:

"Bright City is ridiculous. They went through all that trouble to cross the high-risk zone, only to bring three teams, and they think they can steal resources from our Star Iron City?"

"We cannot let our guard down," Huyan Song said in a cold, deep voice.

"As long as the Necropolis Gate remains closed, we will never know what this Lighthouse mission is all about, and having more teams doesn't necessarily give us an advantage."

"If they dare to rob us, just kill them!"

Suddenly, a gentle yet ruthless voice came from behind them.

Everyone was startled and turned around abruptly—

At the entrance to the high platform, a slender, upright figure was walking slowly towards the platform.

He wore a flawless purple uniform, his face was fair, his features were slender, and his brows exuded a refined, scholarly air.

"Lord City Lord!"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, their eyes filled with delight.

The person who arrived was none other than Rhodes, the Lord of Star Iron City and the Director of the Hunting Ruins Administration, who had not appeared in public for nearly half a year.

Hu Yansong was taken aback and quickly stepped forward:

"Lord, your health..."

"It's all better now." Luo De raised his hand and patted Hu Yansong on the shoulder:

"These past few months, you've been holding things together in the city. You've worked so hard."

"It's all part of my job, nothing too hard."

Huyan Song replied humbly, his eyes still full of concern and surprise, "But City Lord, have you truly recovered completely? No one has ever been able to cure the Fallen Witch's poison. How did you manage to do it?"

"It's a long story," Rhodes shook his head and sighed softly, then a smile played on his lips.

"I'll tell you about this later when I have time. Let me show you a team first."

Having said that, he waved behind him and said:

"Come on up, everyone."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of deep footsteps sounded.

Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, and the next second, gasps of shock rose and fell.

A team of six people walked up to the high platform of the camp.

Each of them was wearing the Hunter's Army's three-star uniform.

But its appearance sent chills down the spines of everyone present:

The leader of the group had the upper body of a strong human with bluish-gray skin, but the lower body was a spider abdomen covered with shiny black hair, and eight slender spider legs that looked like blades.

The person beside him appears to maintain a human form, but when he opens his mouth, it is a three-lobed mouth full of sharp teeth.

The other four also possessed more or less the characteristics of the strange beasts.

What surprised everyone was not their appearance.

After all, many of the Zanpakuto who possess the ability to transform into beasts also have similar forms after transforming.

Those present were all high-ranking members of the Hunting Ruins Army or various guilds, most of whom were at least at the fourth or fifth rank. They immediately saw the problem.

The energy fluctuations emanating from this team were turbid and restless, exactly the same as the aura of the beasts of the wilderness!

"Lord City Lord!"

Huyan Song suddenly stepped forward, his voice filled with disbelief and shock:

"So you still approved of those people's inhumane plan?"

"Don't overreact like that." Rhodes shook his head and chuckled.

"What do you mean by an anti-human project? Look at them, half-beast bodies, so the beasts won't attack them; they also have human souls and intelligence, they can protect the city, and they can replicate quickly, what's wrong with that?"

"This is utterly absurd!"

An aged yet resounding voice suddenly rang out.

An elderly man, who had been sitting in a chair, slowly stood up and said in a blunt tone:

"Rhodes, don't you know that research on orcs has been banned in Sky City, and those members of the Evolutionists are all on the wanted list! Your orc proposal from back then was voted down by the council, yet you still dared to experiment on it privately!"

The old man who dared to reprimand Rhodes in public was none other than the former president of the Holy Beast Guild and Rhodes's former teacher, the Azure Turtle Elder.

Rod slowly turned around, a calm smile still playing on his lips:

"Teacher, you've been with the Holy Beast Guild since the beginning of the cataclysm, and have you ever seen how many times Sky City has actually sent people to assist us before the beast tide?"

He changed the subject, his voice turning cold and deep:

"If I don't find a solution, am I just going to watch my city fall in the Seven Star Ruins next year?"