Forbidden Zone of the Human Race

The salesgirl woke from her daze, her mind still buzzing, then scanned every item for Xiang Ning. 

Downstairs, Mr. He’s face twitched when he read the notification. Fifty beast cores? How is this kid so rich? Looking at the small pile of beast cores, he smiled, hiding his pain. “Do you need us to deliver it to your place, kid?” 

Xiang Ning shook his head. He was actually regretting it, because the items were so expensive and he was sure that Mr. He was making a loss. His anger was only momentary, and now he felt like he was taking advantage of Mr. He. It was looking like he hadn’t brought enough money. And that was the most awkward part. 

“Sir, I think the payment’s being declined due to insufficient funds?” 

A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.

Mr He’s eyes lit up. That’s right! How could a kid have that much money? 

“You only have enough for forty-five beast cores.” 

Mr. He was speechless. 

Xiang Ning paused, then took out his phone to send a message to Dong Qianyi. 

Ten seconds later….

“Thank you and please come again,” said Xiaoqin. 

I sure hope not, thought Mr. He. Still furious, he took out his phone and texted, “Old Bo, you’ve got to compensate me for this, I shouldn’t have come back. I should’ve let him beat my men and leave.” 

…...

When Xiang Ning left Pearl Pavilion, there was already a crowd gathered outside. 

“Hey, hey, someone’s coming out, someone’s coming out!” 

“It’s not him, is it?” 

“That’s impossible. Mr. He came himself, do you think the intruder would still be walking?” 

“I heard it was a mistake.” 

“That’s impossible, too. It’s only been five minutes since Mr. He arrived. Also, there were more than ten tier five martial artists, but they couldn’t take the kid down?” 

Xiang Ning hurried off the premises. 

…...

The next day, Xiang Ning woke at daybreak. After washing up, he received a call. “Hello, good morning. Is this Mr. Xiang Ning? The Permafrost you ordered has arrived at the address you provided. Are you able to sign the receipt and collect it now?” 

“Alright, thank you. I’m coming down now.” Hanging up, he went downstairs and saw two people standing there, one wearing the car dealership’s uniform while the other was the boss lady of the hotel. 

“Uh… Ma’am?” Xiang Ning almost couldn’t recognize her. What a stark difference in height! 

“Oh, Xiang Ning? Is this the bike you bought?” The boss lady waved and smiled. 

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, is it blocking the entrance?” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I like bikes, too, so I came to see what you bought. You just arrived here, I hope you didn’t get scammed.” Then, the boss lady’s eyes darted at the delivery guy, who just politely smiled. 

“You must be Mr. Xiang Ning. Please sign here, then I’ll help you open the crate and inspect the vehicle.” 

Xiang Ning nodded and signed. When the wooden crate was opened, the newly risen sunlight bounced off the shiny Permafrost, showing off its beautiful aerodynamic curves and the shiny, ice-blue exterior. 

“The Permafrost! And… it’s been upgraded to the maximum too?” 

“Tsk tsk, I couldn’t tell, you’re pretty rice too.” The boss lady circled around the bike, though it looked like it would be difficult to climb on it with her height. 

“Would you like a ride?” Xiang Ning grinned at the way she hesitated to touch it. 

“Really?” The boss lady’s eyes lit up, but she quickly dismissed the idea. The bike required someone with long legs and she wasn’t tall enough. Thus, she waved it off. “It’s fine, I was up all night, I’m too tired.” 

…...

An hour later, Xiang Ning arrived in the western region of the city. That was where he promised to meet Ye Lingling. They had agreed to meet at eight in the morning, and it was now ten minutes to eight. Ye Lingling and her brothers were already sitting at a breakfast stall, their bike parked next to it. They looked like they had already eaten. 

“Oh, Xiang Ning! You’re here,” Ye Lingling enthusiastically greeted Xiang Ning.

“Have you eaten?” 

“I have, should we leave now?” 

Ye Ming and Ye Xuan were paying attention to Xiang Ning’s bike. “A Permafrost! This is a Permafrost, right? 3.4 meters long, Meteor engine, and… it’s been modified! Upgraded to the maximum? No… it’s amazing!” Ye Xuan’s eyes sparkled as he admired the bike while Ye Ming quietly observed, not as hostile as he was yesterday. However, when Xiang Ning looked over, he huffed and looked away. They had a bike, too, but compared to Xiang Ning’s, theirs looked pathetic. 

Ye Lingling didn’t mind. “Well, let’s go then. Our destination is a canyon seventeen kilometers outside Kunlun City. Once we arrive, we’ll have to travel into the canyon on foot.” 

Ten minutes after they left, another team followed them. Although ten minutes was considered a long time, the armored bikes’ weight and speed meant the trails they left didn’t disappear as quickly. Furthermore, with the help of technology, tracking a person wasn’t that difficult. 

“Old Lin, are you sure the intel you got is accurate?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” 

“But based on my understanding, no one’s found a sweetsop in the past three or four years. Everyone says the outskirts of the wilderness has already been plucked bare... plus, the fruits attract beasts, beasts that aren’t weak. Why didn’t they hire someone stronger? Why only a tier three?” 

“What do you know? Sweetsop is very valuable. That little girl is probably getting taken advantage of. Also, the beasts around the outer parts of the wilderness aren’t too strong, they could just distract them away from their team.” 

“Haha, Old Huang, there’s no need to worry. We’ll follow them, time will tell if the intel is accurate.” 

The wilderness of the Kunlun Mountains was different from the wilderness Xiang Ning had experienced in other areas. There weren’t any ruins, just all-natural terrain. The trees weren’t tall, but they were very healthy. Here, the air was much fresher and he felt closer to nature. He started looking forward to his year there. 

Very soon, they had traveled seventeen kilometers and arrived at their destination. The canyon was more dramatic than Xiang Ning imagined. Right now, they were standing on a cliff, staring out into an infinite wilderness. Far away were layers and layers of mountains. In the center was a canyon thousands of meters wide. 

“Haha! First time? What do you think?” Ye Lingling stood in front, arms akimbo, and laughed.