Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 88: Look Forward

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

Upon hearing that the Golden-Spotted Leopard had reappeared, all the hunters outside the city tensed up, staying on high alert.

However, aside from Harpist’s Chi Qi, no one else was attacked.

Meanwhile, new beasts began converging on their position. Wei Cha and the others maintained their vigilance as they methodically retreated toward The Giant Screen.

“Let’s head back,” Ma Lu suggested.

Though the team still had plenty of blessings left to continue fighting and expand their gains, Ma Lu had already completed his mission by securing the 5-star ingredient. Even if they hunted more, they wouldn’t be able to bring it all back.

Moreover, their current haul was already impressive enough. It was the kind of moment when caution was needed to avoid any last-minute disasters, especially with the Golden-Spotted Leopard lurking nearby.

“Agreed,” Bocchi nodded without objection.

However, the position they were in was already awkward enough just standing still, and trying to move made it even worse.

Ma Lu tried to step forward with his left leg, only to find Bocchi doing the same, causing his left leg to bump into Bocchi’s right leg, nearly tripping her.

To maintain her balance without touching the water rings in front of her, Bocchi instinctively reached back and wrapped her arm around Ma Lu’s waist.

“Sorry!”

They both blurted out at the same time. Bocchi quickly pulled her hand back and steadied her breathing.

“We need to sync our steps. I’ll count to three: I’ll step with my right leg, and you step with your left, then we alternate.”

“Good idea.”

Even with their steps synchronized, their different strides made their movement clumsy.

Ma Lu almost stepped on Bocchi’s shoes several times, and Bocchi had to repeatedly reach out behind her to keep her balance.

As they neared the motorcycle, Ma Lu suddenly slapped his forehead.

“Wait, I almost forgot—we need to bring that Earth Dragon back. Let’s go back.”

“Huh?”

“Setta’s by himself, and even with his puppet, he probably can’t drag it. We need to help him out.”

Since the Traveler's Bracelet hadn’t detected the Golden-Spotted Leopard for a while, Ma Lu’s confidence was returning.

Bocchi, however, wasn’t eager to backtrack. The short walk had already left her feeling light-headed. She had to stay on guard against an attack from the Golden-Spotted Leopard while awkwardly rubbing shoulders with Ma Lu in the cramped space…

She felt dizzy, and the boosted reflexes didn’t seem to help at all. She hadn’t even been this exhausted when fighting the Earth Dragon.

But they couldn’t just abandon such a valuable catch.

The Earth Dragon was incredibly valuable—not just for its meat but because every part of it was precious. A single Earth Dragon could easily sell for over three million units of energy in the market.

Even at current rates, it would fetch at least 270 to 280 thousand, a considerable fortune.

“Let’s get on the bike first, then we’ll loop back,” Bocchi proposed a solution.

It wasn’t until she was on the motorcycle that Bocchi finally let out a sigh of relief, and her previously racing heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

Not wanting anyone to notice her earlier embarrassment, Bocchi, the leader of the Double Sunflower Hunter Group, took the initiative to speak.

“Next time, when I tell you to get close, just do it. Don’t hesitate; I’m not going to bite you.”

“You’re not bothered?”

“Why would I be?”

Bocchi countered, raising her voice to mask her nervousness.

“Why would I care? I don’t care at all. You can stay close as long as you want. As the leader, it’s my responsibility to protect every member, and besides, it’s… brotherly camaraderie, yeah, that’s it—brotherly camaraderie!”

“Oh, but aren’t you a woman?”

“Women can’t have brotherly—” Bocchi stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. “How do you know?!”

“Uh… didn’t you say it yourself outside the container that day?”

“You heard that?” Bocchi slammed on the brakes, nearly throwing Ma Lu off the back seat. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

"Ah, well, you never brought it up again, so I thought you preferred things the way they are now."

"If you knew everything, why were you still sticking so close to me?!" Bocchi’s face flushed red instantly.

"Uh… didn’t you tell me to?" Ma Lu replied cautiously.

"..."

The three members of the Double Sunflower Hunter Group worked together to drag the Earth Dragon back into the city. Along with the earlier Emperor Red-Backed Scorpion and other miscellaneous prey, their haul exceeded everyone's expectations this time!

They even attracted a number of merchants who rushed to the city gates, eager to make purchases.

However, Bocchi didn’t immediately negotiate with the merchants. After greeting them, she walked towards the area where the Harpist Hunter Group was stationed.

After Chi Qi was injured, Gu Li hadn’t abandoned him, instead carrying him back despite the risk of being attacked by the Golden-Spotted Leopard. However, when the emergency medical team at the city’s edge examined Chi Qi, they shook their heads at the other members of Harpist.

"Notify his family."

The male doctor didn’t even use a stethoscope; he simply checked Chi Qi’s eyes, glanced at the wound on his neck, and declared his verdict.

On Chi Qi’s neck were two thick, three-finger-wide puncture wounds, clearly left by the teeth of some fierce beast, nearly severing his throat.

Gu Li’s expression was grim.

Bocchi could understand his frustration. Harpist’s recent performance had been poor, and their appeal to top hunters was waning. After finally discovering a promising talent, that talent had died before making any notable achievements.

“My condolences.”

“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have accepted this commission,” Gu Li muttered. “Our strength doesn’t match that of other hunter groups; we were never equipped to handle an attack from the Golden-Spotted Leopard. I should have known Chi Qi wouldn’t just follow orders given his personality.”

At that time, the Harpist members had been outside the city for a while and had gradually let down their guard. Everyone’s attention was on Double Sunflower’s battle with the Earth Dragon, including Chi Qi, who stopped using his sandstorm ability to shield the team.

It was this small lapse that cost him his life. Bocchi didn’t know what to say.

Her relationship with Chi Qi had never been good, and he had even hired thugs to try to eliminate Double Sunflower.

She had originally planned to speak with Chi Qi privately in the coming days, though she was unsure of how it would have ended. In truth, Chi Qi’s death solved quite a few problems for her.

But she pitied Gu Li. Harpist’s future, in which he had placed so much hope, was now gone, and this blow would likely only worsen the already dire state of the hunter group.

Bocchi sighed and said to Gu Li, “Have you ever thought about disbanding the group? With your skills, Uncle Gu Li, no other group would turn you away.”

“What are you talking about? Disband Harpist? No, that’s impossible, absolutely impossible.” Gu Li refused without a second thought.

“This is your father’s hunter group. As his successor, it’s my duty to protect it. Unless I die, Harpist will continue to exist, even if there’s only one member left.”

“Alright, forget I said anything.” Bocchi swallowed the rest of her words.

She fell silent, but Gu Li had more to say.

“You’ve changed.”

The Harpist leader looked into the young woman’s eyes.

“No, the power you’ve seen doesn’t truly belong to me,” Bocchi shook her head.

“I’m not talking about your strength. Though, of course, you have grown much stronger. You’re now an exceptional hunter, one your father would have been proud of. If he were still alive, I’m sure he’d be pleased.”

“Maybe.”

“But you’ve changed. The old you cherished what he left behind. You would never have suggested disbanding Harpist. What changed you?”

“I don’t know,” Bocchi replied. “Maybe I just realized that the past is the past. No matter how hard we try, it won’t come back. So maybe it’s time to look forward.”

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