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墨書 Inktalez
A few hundred meters away, by a clean water pool, a battle had just come to an end.
Three Iron Wall Bears lay dead beside the pool, and Xie Yuanbai, hearing the cries of agony, immediately stopped the work of cleaning up the scene. The others around him paused as well, listening intently to their surroundings while exchanging wary glances.
Xie Yuanbai seemed to sense something was off. He quickly raised his wrist and spoke into his advanced communication watch. "Dong Ming, what’s happening over there?"
Static crackled through the communication device, but there was no response.
Furrowing his brows, Xie Yuanbai felt a wave of unease wash over him. Still, he tapped the watch again, hoping for a reply.
"Dong Ming, what’s going on? Please respond if you can hear me!"
Once more, only the crackling static filled the air, sounding more like interference than anything else.
"It seems someone among us is in trouble..." Hong Xin remarked softly, her voice laced with a hint of mischief as a smile crept onto her lips.
Xie Yuanbai's face darkened with anger. He turned and commanded, "Forget about this place; we need to check on what’s happening."
"Alright then."
The Tall Young Man, who had been squatting in front of one of the Iron Wall Bear corpses preparing to dissect it for materials, stood up. He hesitated for a moment as he glanced at the other bear carcasses.
"Are you really sure you don’t want these materials? They could fetch quite a bit of money."
"I’ll compensate you for however much you want later," Xie Yuanbai replied with irritation.
The Tall Young Man nodded, seemingly unfazed by Xie Yuanbai's displeasure.
"Having a wealthy sister is nice," joked another Black-Skinned Youth. "Da Shuo, how much does he owe us in total?"
The tall young man pulled out a notebook and jotted down some figures before responding.
“Hmm, adding the previous hiring fees, catering costs, and equipment and ammunition wear and tear... the total comes to four hundred fifty-six thousand Federal Coins.”
“Very well. After deducting the fifty thousand each he transferred to our accounts, we just need to take two hundred thousand from the remainder. It wouldn’t be good to push it too far; after all, we can’t afford to provoke the General right now…”
“Okay.” Da Shuo nodded and crossed out the cents from the numbers in his notebook.
“Are you done yet?” Xie Yuanbai said impatiently. “Black Dog, don’t you care about Dong Ming’s fate?”
“What’s there to care about? Fewer people means more money for us. Besides, he was just a temporary addition to our team. If it weren’t for his decent skills in infiltration and long-range sniping, we wouldn’t have needed him at all.” Hong Xin tossed his hair back with a flirtatious smile that made Xie Yuanbai feel increasingly irritated.
However, hearing their conversation, Xie Yuanbai felt less anxious; as long as they didn’t disrupt his plans, it was fine.
At that moment, a crimson flare shot up from where the earlier screams had come from and exploded in the sky.
“Looks like someone has called for help for our dear Dong Ming. How adorable! Let’s go meet him.” With that, Black Dog led the way forward.
Xie Yuanbai followed with an unhappy expression, trailed by Hong Xin and the tall Da Shuo.
When the three arrived at Dong Ming’s location, they found him hanging limply from the trunk of a dead tree, his hands and feet dangling weakly. He looked battered and possibly severely injured; it was unclear whether he was alive or dead. Below him on the ground lay a smoking flare.
Black Dog surveyed the surroundings, his nose twitching like a keen canine's—this was his Empowerment. Coupled with his dark skin, he called himself 'Black Dog.'
He sniffed the air carefully and followed a particular scent to a nearby pile of scattered dry leaves. Suddenly, he dug through the ground and picked up a specialized shell casing.
The others looked at the casing; it was about the size of a thumb.
“This shell casing is for a specialized large-caliber energy Specialized Energy Revolver…” Black Dog analyzed, turning the casing over to examine its unique serial number before bringing it close to his nose to memorize the scent before discarding it.
Xie Yuanbai glanced at Dong Ming hanging from the tree; no one suggested bringing him down since he had lost his combat ability. It seemed that whoever had placed him there did so deliberately to prevent wild beasts from devouring Dong Ming while he was unconscious. Of course, Dong Ming's equipment had also been taken by them.
“Let’s go; the rescue team will be here soon.” Xie Yuanbai turned around to leave but noticed Hong Xin and Da Shuo each holding a flyer and discussing something.
“What are you looking at?” Xie Yuanbai asked.
“You’d better take a look too.” The black dog approached from behind and handed him a flyer.
Xie Bai picked up the flyer and, upon seeing it, his eyes widened in shock, his expression frozen in disbelief.
After a moment, he snapped back to reality and exclaimed, “How can this be happening!”
“Yeah, how can this be? Didn’t you say this news wouldn’t be released until tomorrow? It’s barely dusk, and it’s already out. Seems like your insider information isn’t so reliable after all,” the black dog said with crossed arms, clearly enjoying the situation.
“Hmph, I bet this news was probably bought with money,” Hong Xin chimed in, cutting through the tension.
Xie Yuanbai didn’t argue. He glanced at the others and pondered, “As long as you can help me hunt down the creatures on this list, I’ll double the promised reward!”
Upon hearing this, the others exchanged glances, and it was clear they had reached a unanimous decision.
“Alright,” the black dog said on behalf of the group.
Xie Yuanbai held up the flyer, which prominently displayed fifteen monster cards that needed to be hunted!
Each card depicted a vividly illustrated monster, along with clear standards and approximate coordinates of where these monsters could be found on the island.
Xie Yuanbai rubbed the promotional paper; the rules were clearly stated. Anyone who could hunt one of these monsters would gain entry into the Special Training Camp!
As the name suggests, the Special Training Camp is a concentrated training ground for those in the Special Class who are Empowered Individuals. For those of humble origins or lacking any background, it is akin to a Colossal Creature—a place where legends are born. Anyone who walks out alive becomes a renowned figure in the Free Federation or a pillar of strength in the military!
However, the selection criteria each year are incredibly strict—almost to a perverse degree. Countless aspirants find themselves turned away at the gates because stepping into the Special Training Camp is like having one foot on the path to success and prosperity.
It’s easy to see how enticing these admission qualifications are. Describing it as Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate would not be an exaggeration.
As this information about the assessment spread like a deep-water bomb within the hunting grounds, gradually triggering various chain reactions, a group of special guests arrived at the Headquarters of the hunting base.
The Command Hall was deliberately arranged with two rows of comfortable seats, forming an arc around a massive screen at the front. At this moment, every seat was filled, and many high-ranking generals stood outside the hall, the lowest rank among them being Major.
The screen occasionally displayed important battle updates, but those seated below had little interest in it. The current assessment was not particularly thrilling; they were merely going through the motions. Their purpose for being here was to allow their subordinates to handle matters on their behalf.
They gathered in small groups, whispering to one another and laughing, enjoying the snacks and tea that Shangguan Biluo had prepared for them. Although the refreshments were hardly top-notch, they were not overly picky and seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly.
After attending to some matters, Shangguan Biluo arrived with a few subordinates. The Major Generals present turned their attention toward her, yet their lively chatter continued unabated.
A slightly plump middle-aged general in the front row was the first to speak.
“Shangguan Major General, is your assessment plan going smoothly? Do you have enough personnel? If not, I can arrange for a few Majors to assist you,” he offered.
Shangguan Biluo smiled gently and replied, “Rong Junzhang is too kind. You all have traveled a long way; how could I trouble you? This assessment is nothing I can't handle.”
Rong Junzhang chuckled but said nothing further.
“Oh dear! Shangguan Major General, isn’t your elimination rate a bit too high this time?” chimed in a slightly thinner Major General nearby.
“Only the best will do; I’m merely sifting through the sand,” Shangguan Biluo responded.
“Listen to that! How impressive!” exclaimed another general who had just finished his tea. “With young leaders like you in the Free Federation, you truly are our backbone!”
Shangguan Biluo smiled but remained silent; she recognized this flattery as an attempt to build rapport.
Then another general waved his hand generously and said, “No worries! Shangguan Major General can pick whoever she likes; whatever remains that’s still decent will belong to our Expeditionary Force.”
“Then please make yourselves comfortable here. The accommodations arranged for you are all set. If there’s anything else, my assistant will inform you shortly,” Shangguan Biluo instructed her assistant before departing.
She was reluctant to engage with these seasoned veterans who were so adept at navigating such social situations.
Upon entering her own assessment Command Hall, she found it busy yet orderly. Personnel at various command platforms were diligently issuing precise tasks. A lieutenant colonel saluted upon seeing Shangguan Biluo return and handed her some documents for review.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“The ‘prey’ at the drop point has been completely deployed. By now, they should have dispersed throughout the hunting ground,” the Colonel replied.
“Hmm…” Shangguan Biluo lowered her head, focusing intently on the data.
“General… I have a question that I’ve never understood,” the Colonel said, gathering his courage to ask.
“Go ahead,” Shangguan Biluo replied without looking up, showing no signs of anger.
“A lot of people this time are quite capable. Why not deploy more… card targets?” the Colonel asked her, feeling a bit nervous after finishing his question.
Shangguan Biluo closed the documents and handed them to an assistant behind her, responding casually, “In the entire Free Federation, we only have 15 slots at Monster Base No. 11. Do you think I wouldn’t want to send everyone in?”
The Colonel was momentarily speechless. Indeed, the vast seas of the Free Federation encompassed so many provinces. Just considering the four major seas of the Free Federation—north, south, east, and west—there were hundreds of thousands of reference personnel. Having a dozen slots at a single Monster Base was already a significant acceptance rate.
So he wisely closed his mouth and didn’t ask further. Continuing to question would likely lead to his own embarrassment; being foolish wasn’t scary, but being persistently foolish truly was.
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