Universe Infinite Canteen

"Do you have confidence you can handle it?"

Mai Mai nodded, "Mm-hmm, my psychic powers are meant for times like these."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Upon hearing this, Mai Mai stood up from the sand dune, slung her large backpack over her shoulder, and penguin-ran down it.

She said something to Boggy, who glanced in the direction of the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream, then put away his mechanical spear and climbed the dune.

Ma Lu noticed that her clothes were almost completely soaked with blood and said offhandedly, "I have a spare set of hunting clothes in my storage box; you should change into it."

Boggy seemed surprised at first, then shook his head, "No need, it's just a bit of blood..."

"It's not just the blood; you've been standing next to that pile of rotten flesh for so long you're nearly marinated in it."

Boggy sniffed his sleeve and indeed noticed a stench, but he still insisted, "I'm not changing."

"Hmm, are you worried about Mai Mai seeing you? Then you can go to the other side of the dune, and I'll keep watch for you."

"Impossible!" Boggy blurted out.

Having said that, he realized his reaction was a bit too intense, and quickly added, "It's none of your business."

"How can it be none of my business, when I'm the one squatting here with you?" Ma Lu said, covering his nose.

"Then just... stay away from me."

"Tsk, you're in such a bad mood today, is it because of Mai Mai? If you really don't like her, you don't have to accept her into the Hunting Group. After all, you still have plenty of other candidates."

"Or is it because she's an acquaintance that you can't bring yourself to reject her? I can play the bad guy for you, exercise my authority as the deputy leader, and fail her assessment."

"Stop joking; do you have any idea how many Hunting Groups will come knocking if they hear she's planning a comeback?" Boggy said with a stern face.

"Is she that formidable? I feel like she's not even as good as me."

As a member of the spectator duo, Ma Lu felt his level was on par with Mai Mai's, and at least he had scored a head in his account. Mai Mai was just a pure cheerleader; no wonder her nickname was "Tagging Along".

"Can she really handle that Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream on her own? Don't get eaten."

"She... might not be as strong as you, but she's quite powerful. I haven't seen her in action, but my father once mentioned that Mai Mai's abilities are terrifying, and that was the first time I heard him use 'terrifying' to describe someone."

Hearing Boggy speak like this, Ma Lu also became interested. This was his third time in this dimension, but most of his time was spent with Boggy. Aside from Chi Qi, who could tear through the sand with his hands, and the Treasure Hunting Group he had encountered, Ma Lu hadn't seen any other Hunters use psychic powers.

Especially the real experts.

Mai Mai was so young yet had joined a Diamond Level Hunting Group and had been highly praised by the leader, Li. She must be among the top Hunters in the Giant Curtain.

Ma Lu was also curious about her combat abilities.

"Electric field?"

While the two discussed, the moving "sand dune" had almost reached them—its eagerness resembling a middle school student ready to dash to the cafeteria when the lunch bell rings.

Yet Mai Mai simply stood still, calmly waiting for the prey to approach.

She seemed incredibly relaxed, as if she wasn't hunting but on a vacation instead.

It wasn't until the sand dune stopped in front of her, sand trickling down to reveal the large, ugly head beneath, that the dynamic changed.

The Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream opened its mouth, revealing a dense array of sharp teeth, ready to gulp down both the pile of rotten innards and the woman in front of it.

And just at that moment, Mai Mai finally moved.

She tore open her backpack, revealing a stack of high-density batteries inside.

Mai Mai even had time to wink at the two on the sand dune before she laid her hand on those batteries.

The next moment, with her body as the epicenter, blue electricity danced out like a frenzied dragon, spreading in all directions!

It almost instantly reached the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream, entering its massive mouth and traveling down its oral cavity!

Then, the nearby electric currents, like sharks that had caught the scent of blood, swarmed toward the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream!

They converged into an electric arc thicker than an arm, firmly linking Mai Mai and the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream together.

At that moment, Mai Mai seemed to transform into a power station, her pupils, eyebrows, and mouth all engulfed by electric light.

The entire discharging process lasted for almost ten seconds, and when it was all over, Ma Lu felt the air around him become much fresher, tinged with the scent of pine.

He knew this was because the air had been ionized by the high-voltage electricity, creating ozone.

Looking at the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream not far away, its massive body had already collapsed onto the ground. Although it wasn't immediately dead, it was left with its last breath.

Boggy jumped down from the dune and circled the barely alive Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream twice, continuously stabbing with his mechanical spear.

However, due to the immense size of the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream, it was difficult for Boggy's mechanical spear to truly hit its vital points; he could only continue to bleed it.

It took a grueling half an hour to finally grind the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream to death.

At the same moment, Ma Lu also received a notification.

[Congratulations, your team has just defeated the formidable Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream. Please choose one of the following three blessings to receive before the 60-second countdown ends.]

Ma Lu's gaze quickly moved downwards, and seeing the three Purple Blessings, he was somewhat disappointed.

But soon, the blessing on the top started to flicker, and he knew it was the effect of triggering the Jackpot from Heartbeat of Wonders.

Ma Lu couldn't help but hold his breath.

Here it came, the biggest gamble of the day. Profit or loss hinged on this one moment!

Ma Lu had never felt half a second to be so prolonged before.

He thought he saw a flash of gold beneath the blessing, but upon closer examination, it seemed a bit blue.

As the flickering stopped, the original Purple Blessings disappeared, replaced by a new blessing.

[Corpse Bomb: When a team member dies, the body explodes after 5 seconds, causing massive one-time damage to all life forms within a radius of 100 meters.]

It was gold, yet not quite. As if it were gold.

This was the first Golden Blessing Ma Lu had obtained in all his hunts, yet the effect was quite abstract.

Was this... a sacrificial tactic?

Ma Lu had never encountered an effect that could only be triggered by turning into a corpse; he glanced around and realized that among the three present, he was the only one who might just be able to use this Golden Blessing.

But even if he could resurrect, he would have to wait for the next time; besides, dying would cause him to drop all the ingredients in his Collection Bag, which would be like working in vain this time.

Moreover, there was another critical point: the effect of [Corpse Bomb] was effective on all living creatures, meaning it didn't distinguish between friend or foe.

One fallen teammate might well lead to the entire Hunting Group being wiped out.

This wasn't a blessing; it was more like an activated nuclear warhead.

The only consolation for Ma Lu was that this hunting trip was nearing its end, and the next time they came, this deadly thing should be refreshed away.

And no matter how frustrating the effect was, its quality was undeniably golden, meaning it should contribute a sizeable number of points in the subsequent settlement.

Looking at it that way, it was quite profitable.