Beast Taming: Slaughter Atlas

The seven of Chu Chen set off on their return journey, with more than half of the trees along the way destroyed. Everywhere lay the remnants and blood of Star Beasts, even the ground had turned a dark red, resembling hell itself.

Everyone shuddered at the sight, the destructive power of the beast tide was terrifying, and had they not escaped quickly, they might have been among the casualties.

They did not encounter a single Star Beast until they returned to the city walls; it seemed the Star Beasts living in the outer regions had suffered a devastating blow.

Chu Chen felt rather regretful about this, as he had planned to take on tasks in the East City Forest to kill Star Beasts or collect materials and in the process, earn some Slaughter Value.

Now, it seemed this idea was shattered.

Star Beasts that survived the beast tide were extraordinary; they were either extremely fast or incredibly powerful, and Chu Chen was not equipped to handle such creatures.

After reuniting with their waiting families, they continued to wait.

Rescue operations were still ongoing, the sound of the Communication Bracelet's rescue notifications were incessant.

"Dad, why does your face look so grim?" Chu Chen asked in a deep voice.

Father Chu did not hide anything and recounted the whole incident.

"Don't be sad, Dad, this time you saved a genius who made a great contribution to our Celestial Star City," Chu Chen softly consoled.

"Ji Mingyue, I hope you don't let the Red Flame Wolf's sacrifice be in vain," Chu Chen murmured.

It wasn't until three o'clock in the afternoon that the school's rescue operations ceased.

Everyone looked toward the forest, their expressions filled with indescribable sorrow.

The losses on the human side in this beast tide were significant, with as many as forty-three students sacrificing their lives, fifteen of whom had Cultivation Talents reaching the Yellow Rank, which was a tremendous loss for the entire Celestial Star.

Of course, the City Defense Army suffered the most casualties, with deaths numbering over a hundred, and more than two hundred like Father Chu, leading to nearly a twenty percent decrease in the combat power of the City Defense Army.

However, the loss to the East City Forest was also not insignificant, with more than eighty percent of the Star Beasts in the outer regions and forty percent in the central regions being casualties, which greatly alleviated the city's defensive pressures for the winter.

During winter, food becomes scarce in the forest, and the Beast King would usually launch a beast tide to attack the city. Whether the attack succeeded or not, the surviving Star Beasts would obtain enough food to endure the harsh winter.

"Alright, all students go gather at the school. In a while, the school will announce the Elite Class roster," Chen Haoxiang suddenly stated.

The students, upon hearing this, followed their teachers toward Celestial Star City, leaving only a few grief-stricken parents who had lost children and some school leaders on site.

The school had to provide an explanation for this incident, given the high number of casualties, it could not be wrapped up hastily even amidst such chaotic times.

After watching his son leave, Father Chu too headed towards the City Defense Army; he needed to report back for duty.

This beast tide had appeared extremely suddenly; the weather was getting colder but it was still months away from winter, the Beast King would not initiate a beast tide at this point.

Moreover, no sign of a Beast King or Advanced Star Beast was observed during the tide, indicating that this tide was unrelated to the Beast King and was likely the result of someone's deliberate actions.

Very soon, Chu Chen returned to High School No. 1 with the main group.

Class 4 classmates, upon seeing the return of Chu Chen and the other four, excitedly greeted them.

Curiosity surpassed concern, with more expressions of envy and jealousy.

Ji Mingyue and her group naturally also heard about the return of Chu Chen and the others.

Ji Mingyue was quite pleased about it. Her father had risked his life to save her, and she naturally wouldn't do something as ungrateful as repaying kindness with enmity. Besides, Chu Chen was a worthy adversary, and she was genuinely happy that he returned unharmed.

Qian Jiadong was furious as he watched the five of them chatting and laughing. He immediately led some followers over to Chu Chen.

"Hey, are you Chu Chen?"

Everyone quieted down upon hearing this, looking in the direction where the voice came from.

The newcomer was a robust, dark-skinned young man dressed in branded clothes, striking a superior pose. He looked every bit the wealthy, arrogant young master from a well-off family.

"I'm Chu Chen, may I ask why this fellow student is looking for me?" Chu Chen asked with a smile.

"Listen well, my name is Qian Jiadong, and today I'm here to beat you up."

As the boy finished his words, the onlookers erupted into a commotion.

"This is the young master of the Qian Family."

"The young master? Is the Qian Family really that formidable?"

"Shush! Keep it down, the Qian Family, Ji Family, and Zhao Family are among the top families in our Celestial Star City. All three patriarchs are Peak Great Soul Masters, and Qian Jiadong's brother was admitted to the prestigious Flame Beast Taming University in Celestial Fire City two years ago."

"Celestial Fire City? The city just below the five super-giant cities?"

"Of course, what did you think?"

"Wow, his brother is amazing."

Listening to the whispers, Qian Jiadong's expression became more and more smug.

Chu Chen couldn't help but frown upon witnessing this. He was meeting Qian Jiadong for the first time and wasn't sure why Qian Jiadong was looking to make trouble with him.

At this point, a graceful young girl walked over.

"Hello, I'm Ji Mingyue, nice to meet you," the girl said with a smile, extending her delicate hand.

The onlookers erupted into excitement once again upon hearing this.

"So that's Ji Mingyue, does she have a thing for top students? Guys, we need to hit the books too."

"Get real, Chu Chen is the reigning top student of the entire high school, what about you?"

Chu Chen extended his hand politely, "Nice to meet you."

"Is your father doing okay?" the girl asked with some concern.

"Yes, he's alright," Chu Chen replied simply, not saying much more.

Father Chu's decision to sacrifice the Red Flame Wolf was his choice and part of the City Defense Army's duties, Chu Chen had no intention of using it for personal gain.

"So lively here, isn't this Chu Chen? I'm Zhao Peng, nice to meet you," Zhao Peng said with a smile, extending his hand.

Chu Chen politely shook hands, though Zhao Peng's smile was a typical forced one revealing no genuine warmth.

"I have high regards for you; I'd like to offer you an opportunity to soar," Zhao Peng said with a smile.

"What opportunity?" Chu Chen asked, frowning.

"Our Zhao Family welcomes talent and provides Cultivation Resources to gifted students."

"Oh, how generous of the Zhao Family, is there no catch?"

"Haha, you're a top student indeed, sharp-minded. Our Zhao Family will provide you with a contract offering two hundred thousand Alliance Coins per year; all you need to do is work for our Zhao Family for two years after you graduate from university."

Everyone exploded in astonishment upon hearing this.

"Such a sweet deal, not only do you get money, but a job too."

"Indeed, the Zhao Family is truly generous, two hundred thousand Alliance Coins a year."

Chu Chen courteously declined, "Thank you for your generous offer, I'll consider it."

Zhao Peng sounded benevolent, but in reality, it was otherwise, four years of university plus one year of high school only required a total of one million Alliance Coins.

By the time Chu Chen graduated from university, who knows what level his strength would attain; spending a few days in the forest alone could yield him rewards exceeding one million Alliance Coins.

This so-called contract was merely a sell-out under the guise of employment, playing word games at which they were extremely skilled, tricking a naive high school student wouldn't be too challenging.

"Enough from you two, stay away from Chu Chen in the future, or else I won't let you off easily," Ji Mingyue said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Qian Jiadong and his companion's expressions changed, but facing an angry Ji Mingyue, they did not continue to trouble Chu Chen further.