Chapter 11: Seeking Out the Path of Most Danger

"What exactly did Qin Chuan win?"
"I want to know, too."

Bingbing, with her sharp eyes, noticed a ring that had suddenly appeared on Qin Chuan's hand and said excitedly, "Look, everyone, it seems our little guy has won a ring."
"That ring must have some other function, right?"
"That's for sure. If a one-star draw can yield fire abilities, let alone a two-star one, this ring definitely isn't simple. I suspect there’s an old master living inside it."
"You've read too many novels. An old master? It might be a beautiful woman inside."
...

While everyone else was still trekking on foot through the perilous forest, our Yanhuang troublemaker was already sightseeing on the back of a "big cat." Watching Qin Chuan sunbathe on the Shadow Panther’s back, then looking at the desperate survival struggles of other lucky participants, the contrast was stark.

In Qin Chuan’s livestream, not a single foreigner dared to speak, purely out of envy, jealousy, and hatred. As for the people of Yanhuang, they were busy making subtle and overt jabs at the other contestants, because it felt satisfying.

"Shen Gongbao, do you know where there’s anything fun around here?"
Nezha was never one to sit still. This big cat was a local, after all, so it should be quite familiar with the area.
Shen Gongbao stopped in its tracks, confused by Qin Chuan’s question. What did he mean by "fun"? (O_o)??

"Are there any particularly strong monsters? You are just too weak; this is no fun at all."
Qin Chuan stated bluntly.
Shen Gongbao looked utterly hopeless, suffering critical emotional damage. (ಥ_ಥ)
However, after hearing Qin Chuan’s words, Shen Gongbao had a different idea. To teach Qin Chuan a lesson, it came up with a plan: lead him to other powerful monster clans so they would finish him off, and then it would be saved. It truly was a clever panther!

"Woo-woo-woo~~~"
Shen Gongbao pointed its head in a certain direction.
"Smack!"
Unexpectedly, Shen Gongbao received a slap from Qin Chuan.
"Well? What are you stalling for? Get moving!"
Qin Chuan remarked, clearly dissatisfied.
Shen Gongbao realized it was getting fatter—not from eating, but from all the beatings. Someone, please come and take this little monster away.

Netizens, seeing Shen Gongbao being bullied by Qin Chuan again, flooded the chat with memes.
"Poor thing." (๑ơ 灬 ơ)
"Just accept your fate." [○･｀Д´･ ○]
"It’s a shame you aren't on the planet of Nine Provinces, otherwise you’d be a protected species."

Shen Gongbao transformed into a forest gale, pushing its speed to the absolute limit. Yet, no matter how fast it went, Qin Chuan remained as steady as a rock on its back, hands behind his head, eyes half-closed, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth. Seeing Qin Chuan’s leisurely demeanor compared to Shen Gongbao, who had turned into a beast of burden, the audience couldn't help but laugh.

At first, they had been worried sick about Qin Chuan. But they had been overthinking it completely; look at this troublemaker—he was living more comfortably than any of them.

"Did we forget something?"
"It seems like there is something we forgot."
Wait! What did Qin Chuan say earlier...
The crowd suddenly realized: "Qin Chuan said he was bored and told Shen Gongbao to take him to find some fun."
"And the 'fun' was supposed to be finding stronger monsters."

The crowd was speechless. Thinking about it, this troublemaker wasn't content with just bullying one Shadow Panther; he actually wanted to go and bully other monsters too.
"Has Qin Chuan gone mad? He got lucky and turned a Shadow Panther into a mount, but does he really think all the monsters in the Forbidden Zone are as weak as this sycophant panther?"
Shen Gongbao: You’re the weak one! Your whole family is weak!
"It’s just that 'troublemaker' mindset. At a time like this, helping the country gather resources should be the priority."
"That’s a bit of a moral crusade, isn't it? Just staying alive in the Forbidden Zone is an achievement. Besides, Qin Chuan is just a child; you can't really expect to pin the country's future on him."
"He’s only four years old! What does he know about national destiny? That resource was purely a gift from that boot-licking panther anyway."

People split into several factions to discuss this, and while everyone made valid points, they couldn't influence Qin Chuan’s behavior in the slightest. Bingbing was also deeply confused by Qin Chuan’s actions. Why seek out danger voluntarily? Everyone else was avoiding danger, but Qin Chuan was doing the exact opposite—heading straight for wherever it was most dangerous.

Sure enough, after entering a certain part of the forest, Shen Gongbao’s pace slowed. It seemed worried about hidden dangers, becoming much more cautious.
Qin Chuan noticed this and asked lazily, "Are we there?"
Shen Gongbao: "Roar!"
Qin Chuan: "(*•̀ㅂ•́)"
The meaning seemed to be: We're here.
Qin Chuan stood up on the panther’s back, scanned the surroundings, and then stomped his little foot on Shen Gongbao’s head.
"Bang!"

"Big cat, how dare you lie to me! Where are the monsters? Where are they? I don't see any!"
Qin Chuan looked displeased.
Shen Gongbao shook its head aggrievedly, lamenting the pain in its heart. Being a panther is just too difficult.

The netizens were collectively speechless. Others run when they see a monster, but this kid is upset because he *didn't* find one! He went looking for trouble, only to find the "host" wasn't home, and now he was actually angry. It was truly the logic of a troublemaker.

Shen Gongbao pointed ahead, seemingly trying to convey something.
Qin Chuan’s eyes lit up as he realized something, and he asked happily, "Is there something good ahead?"
Shen Gongbao nodded repeatedly.

The Yanhuang netizens' chat paused, everyone falling into deep thought. Then, the chat exploded.
"Holy crap! Does this panther come with a resource map? How is that even possible?"
"This surprise came way too fast."
"Does that mean anywhere with big monsters must have resources?"
"It must be like a game. Monsters guard treasures, and you only get the resources after killing the monster guarding them."
"John Jelly from the Beautiful Country only got a resource reward after shooting a wild boar."
"And our troublemaker is getting resources by taming the monsters—it’s essentially the same thing."

Even Bingbing agreed with this perspective, saying, "It seems everyone has hit on the key to the problem. That’s what I think, too. Exploring the Forbidden Zone can't be that simple."
"We won't just stumble upon what we want. Since the start of the national destiny event, other than the Beautiful Country and our Yanhuang, no other countries have received resource rewards."
"That’s because they all stay far away from monsters. Even if they are discovered, they run away immediately without engaging in a direct fight, so they never discover the resource rewards."
"So, if you want to get resources in the Forbidden Zone, you have to rely on strength. While you can't rule out the possibility of luck, it is definitely a rarity."
"Bingbing, you're the best at analyzing!"
"When you’re playing a game and fighting monsters, the stronger the boss, the better the loot. I think the Forbidden Zone is the same."