Universe Infinite Canteen

As they neared the edge of the sandstorm, one of the riders jumped off his bike, murmured something under his breath, and then crossed his hands, making a tearing motion.

The next moment, he had forcibly torn open a gap in the middle of the swirling sandstorm. The other five motorcycles took advantage of the opening and charged in, but it wasn't long before they retreated back out and regrouped on this side.

The leader tore the face cloth away, revealing a weather-beaten square face, "Look at the mess you've made, that thing has already burrowed back underground and run away."

"Thousand-Tooth Sand Breams might be big, but they're also cowards. It took us two weeks to find it, and now who knows where it's slipped off to," grumbled another rider with a Mohawk.

"If my father were here, he would have made the same choice," the short rider retorted.

"I'm not talking about you saving someone," the square-faced middle-aged man shook his head, "Do you remember what I tasked you with?"

"To scout and keep watch."

"Exactly, to scout and keep watch," the square-faced middle-aged man pointed at Ma Lu, "You should have detected him earlier. That way he wouldn't have been in danger, and the Thousand-Tooth Sand Bream wouldn't have been attracted to him, causing us to miss the trap we'd set up on the other side."

"Um... Can I interject for a moment?"

Having heard this, Ma Lu roughly understood what had happened. These people had come here to hunt the creature that had just appeared. His arrival in this dimension coincided with their hunting plan, which ended in failure, and now there were disagreements within their group.

However, before he could help clear the misunderstanding, both men simultaneously said, "Shut up, this has nothing to do with you."

"Alright then." Ma Lu could only continue to keep quiet.

The short rider glared into the eyes of the square-faced middle-aged man. A moment later, he ripped off the copper brooch pinned to his left chest and threw it on the ground.

The square-faced middle-aged man frowned, "Don't do anything stupid."

"I'll only ever do stupid things in your eyes, what does one more matter?" the short rider said coldly, "I declare my departure from the Harpist Hunting Group."

Upon his declaration, the Mohawk-haired complainer and the other three members actually started to persuade him to reconsider, while the young rider who had opened the path through the sandstorm remained motionless.

The square-faced middle-aged man's frown deepened, "Do you think this is what your father would have wanted to see?"

"I don't know, but it must be what you've been looking forward to all along," he retorted.

After uttering his spiteful remark, the short rider didn't wait for reactions from others and simply climbed onto his motorcycle.

He rode off less than two hundred meters before turning back around.

Seeing him return, the square-faced middle-aged man's tight brow relaxed as he bent down to pick up the brooch the short rider had discarded.

But the latter didn't glance at him and instead addressed Ma Lu, who was crouching nearby.

"Hey, man in black, didn't you lose your motorcycle? I'm heading back to the city now; do you want to come with me?"

"Mhm mhm mhm."

Ma Lu quickly responded, pulling the head off of a red lizard the size of a thumb he was holding, and tossed the rest into a plastic bag he was carrying before climbing onto the back of the short rider's motorcycle.

Whether the lizard was edible or not, Ma Lu didn't have an answer. But during the quarrel, [Traveler's Bracelet] had popped up a new notification.

It had scanned a 1-star ingredient, [Young Flame Lizard]. Since Ma Lu had some time, he looked around and actually managed to find it.

The Young Flame Lizard resembled the leopard geckos on Earth with even more vivid patterns and tiny sparks coming from its mouth, like a faulty lighter without gas, awkwardly adorable at first glance.

Ma Lu also felt a twinge of compassion, and he estimated that this little creature had a rather low yield of meat, which made him consider letting it go.

But it turned out that the Young Flame Lizard wasn't big in size, yet it had quite a temper. All Ma Lu did was pick it up to take a look, but even after being put down, it refused to leave. Instead, it kept circling around Ma Lu and persistently attacked his shoes.

So, in the end, Ma Lu decided to accept this gift from the different dimension.

As for why he had to behead it, it was because living creatures were not allowed in the [Collection Bag].

Ma Lu surreptitiously wiped the blood from his hands under the seat, while the short-statured rider drove silently ahead. For a long time, neither of them spoke.

Eventually, it was the short-statured rider who couldn't stand the silence and muttered, "Why aren't you talking? Do you also think I'm too willful?"

"Ah?"

The recent ruthless killing of the Young Flame Lizard had led Ma Lu to a new discovery, and he was now focused on studying this new situation. He only came back to his senses when the short-statured rider spoke up.

"I think it's alright. When it comes to work, if you're not happy in one place, there's no need to force yourself to stay. Changing environments isn't bad, provided you can find another position," Ma Lu said.

"That's a rather novel idea," the short-statured rider sighed. "I had never thought I would one day leave the Harpist. My father built the Hunting Group from scratch, and a year later, I came into this world.

"You could say that I grew up with the Harpist. It holds many memories of my father and me. On his deathbed, I promised to carry on his legacy and continue the Harpist's glory, but now... the Harpist has nothing to do with me anymore."

The rider's voice carried a hint of melancholy.

"So, what are your plans now?" Ma Lu asked.

"I don't know," the rider said, "I plan to go for a drink once we're back in the city. If you're not busy, you can join me—I'll buy."

This wasn't to say that Ma Lu was particularly charming; rather, the events of the day had greatly impacted the short-statured rider, who desperately needed someone to confide in, and strangers naturally had an advantage in this regard.

Ma Lu understood this and, coincidentally, he also had many questions he needed to clarify, including but not limited to the monster he had encountered in the sand earlier, the sandstorm that had been violently torn open, and the Hunting Group the rider had mentioned. Not to mention, there was also the bonus of free drinks from the Different Dimension.

Therefore, Ma Lu readily agreed.

One and a half hours later, the two arrived on the outskirts of the city the rider had called the Giant Curtain.

From a distance, Ma Lu could see the outline of the city, which resembled an enlarged version of the Tokyo Dome.

According to what the short-statured rider had told him on the road, the cities here were different from those on Earth, mostly semi-subterranean with both above-ground and underground levels, some even more than one.

Take the Giant Curtain, for example; there are two levels underground, and in addition to that, there is a canopy overhead. The canopy not only protects against sand and intense light but also has solar panels with adjustable angles for collecting light energy which is then transformed into electrical energy and stored.

The electricity consumed by the motorcycle they were riding, for instance, came from there.

Not long after entering the city, Ma Lu witnessed the solar panels fully close, turning the city from day to night.

This planet is constantly under direct sunlight due to two suns in the sky, and the inhabitants can only artificially create darkness in this manner.

However, it has to be said, when the neon lights of the city came to life, there was indeed a sense of night descending.

The short-statured rider parked his motorcycle outside a small bar, then removed the goggles from his face along with the wrapped scarf, revealing a somewhat youthful face.

The constant exposure to sunlight and wind had turned his skin a light tan, a bit rough compared to his peers. His hair and eyebrows were full of sand, giving him the true appearance of being covered in dust and dirt.

Yet, despite this, it was apparent he had a decent foundation. Aside from the straight eyes that looked somewhat fierce, the lines of his other facial features were gentle. It was only the constantly pursed lips that gave off the impression he was always on guard.

Like a small hunting hound ready to pounce at any moment; but nowadays, this type of young man was more likely to capture the hearts of older sisters.