This female toad was having an afternoon nap, and it didn't notice that, beneath the rock on which it was resting, there was a stealthed 'fish' swimming around.

Of course, Zhang Lie was being very careful not to startle it. He rapidly swam to the underside of the rock, trying to make as minimal a motion as he could, then began harvesting the black coral that grew along the underside of the rock.

No matter how careful Zhang Lie was, he still ended up making a tiny cracking noise while harvesting the fifth branch of coral.

Zhang Lie's heart leapt into his throat. He would have no choice but to run away if he were caught. After all, the toad on top of the rock was a superior-grade lifeform. If they were out in the open, Zhang Lie might have considered trying to hunt it down, but since he was in the toads' lair, if he were to be caught now...

Luckily, while the toad stirred, it didn't awaken.

If Zhang Lie had panicked and run, he would almost certainly have alerted the toad with the commotion, and then he would have to furiously rush out of the cave while trying to avoid the male toad that was out eating his roasted pig.

The next few minutes went as planned, and Zhang Lie managed to harvest a dozen or so branches of the highest-quality black coral he could find. Wary as he was of the male toad's return, he didn't dare linger in the lair. He swam back out to the mouth of the cave at his fastest speed.

What surprised Zhang Lie was that, even as he returned to the fire pit, he saw no trace of the male toad. Furthermore, the carcasses of the lifeforms that he had slaughtered near the fire had all vanished. 

There were traces of a fight left at the scene by two relatively large-sized lifeforms. However, even after glancing around a few times, Zhang Lie couldn't identify either of the parties that had fought.

As he surveyed the remnants of the fire, the two teams of hunters from before were slowly converging on his location. The two teams were both being very cautious, wanting to approach him but not quite daring to do so.

It wasn't surprising that Fang Yi and Sun Mengmeng would behave this way, after all: the scene of him hunting down all those lifeforms had been too striking. They were all outside settlement grounds, and anything could happen.

Just as they took another step, Zhang Lie suddenly appeared in their midst.

"Cap-Captain!" one of the hunters shouted, causing all of them to look toward Zhang Lie warily, hands on their weapons. That was something any seasoned hunter would do instinctively upon sighting an enemy. 

However, after the two team captains glanced at Zhang Lie, they motioned for their subordinates to lower their weapons. Judging from his fight, the two of them were certain that, if this hunter wanted to kill them, they'd all be dead.

When Zhang Lie saw the male captain's face, he was very shocked. This—this fellow was Fang Yi! Fang Yi, the original Monarch of a Thousand Transformations!  

In Zhang Lie's past life, Fang Yi was the lucky hunter who had eventually obtained the superior-grade white-grub soulshard, as well as one of the strongest hunters who had emerged from the Blacksteel settlement.

In other words, Zhang Lie's armor really should have belonged to him.

Fate was a curious thing, wasn't it? He hadn't anticipated that he would encounter him now, and especially not in this fashion.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sun Mengmeng!" Zhang Lie's attention remained on Fang Yi until the female team leader called out a greeting.

"Haha, hello. I'm guessing you know what I'm here to figure out?" Zhang Lie replied.

"You want to know what happened here, don't you?" Sun Mengmeng's eyes were twinkling.

"Yes, all of you were here while I was hunting those lifeforms. Do you know what happened while I was gone?"

"Well, you returned the moment we got close! From a distance, all we heard were some dreadtoad cries and bestial roars. Given the devastation here, I'm guessing some other superior-grade lifeform made an appearance. Based on my experience in the region, I suspect it's the big cat up on the mountain!" Fang Yi interrupted the conversation before Sun Mengmeng could reply.

"A big cat? What big cat?"

"A thunderfur polecat, a lifeform that looks very much like a cat. It has two antlers on its head that can give off lightning!" This time, before Fang Yi could respond, Sun Mengmeng rushed to provide the relevant information.

It was then that Zhang Lie finally understood what the cat was, as well as what had transpired in his absence. The two superior-grade lifeforms must have fought over his roast pig!

"Do you want to hunt down a superior-grade lifeform together?" Zhang Lie offered.

The two hunters sucked in a deep breath. Superior gene fragments and superior-grade soulshards were the dream of all hunters in the first realm of the dimensional world. Who could resist such a temptation?

"Of course!" Fang Yi and Sun Mengmeng replied at once. 

The two of them certainly weren't going to turn down such an opportunity! Based on their current progression, it would take at least a few months before they were able to challenge even the weakest superior-grade lifeform.

"Report your gene fragments as well as your role in the team!"

The terrain here was rather difficult to work with, and the superior-grade lifeforms in the region weren't easy prey, either. Several helpers would make life far easier for Zhang Lie.

Of course, Zhang Lie also wanted to give Fang Yi an opportunity, in partial recompense for the one he'd taken away. Both in his past life and this one, Zhang Lie had had a good impression of Fang Yi.

As for Sun Mengmeng, well, she was quite lucky to be present. She would obtain this opportunity by being at the right place, at the right time, with the right strength, and with the right attitude.

"Fang Yi; basic genes, 100, mutated, 60; main attacker!"

"Sun Mengmeng; basic genes, 100, mutated, 50; assassin!"

"Yang Ze; basic genes, 100, mutated, 30; trapsetter!"

"Li Feng; basic genes, 100, mutated, 30; main tank!"

"Sun Xiaowu; basic genes, 100, mutated, 40; main attacker!"

"Zhou Ying; basic genes, 100, mutated, 30; ambusher!"

Their teams consisted of six hunters in total, with a considerably wide range of attacking styles, though the number of gene fragments they had were rather subpar. Even as helpers, only the two team leaders would barely meet the minimum criteria. The other hunters would have to lay traps and support them from the sidelines.

"Good. In that case, let's talk strategy!"