Lionheart Castle.
Inside a dark room.
A man in a black robe with his face hidden under a hood sat opposite a white-haired old man.
"This person is the target of the mission!"
The thin man in the black robe handed over a photo with the target's personal information written below.
The old man took the photo and squinted his eyes, carefully looking at the photo. It was a young man with a somewhat cold face, his eyes not as gloomy as a normal hunter's. He then continued looking down.
After a while, the old man memorized all the information. With a light flick of his finger, a dark green flame ignited from his finger, igniting the photo in his hand.
Looking at the photo in his hand that gradually burned into black ashes, the old man's eyelids drooped.
"The Abyss, just a rank 1 hunter!
You could've just found a random gang in the Iron Chariots and killed him. Why did you come all the way to Lionheart Castle to find us? "
The Iron Chariots and Lionheart Castle weren't far apart, but they weren't close either. A distance of three hundred kilometers was enough to separate the two sides.
Although they were both gathering points with the Black Steel Shelter behind them, the relationship between the two sides wasn't good. The Black Steel Shelter had more people, and their overall strength was stronger. However, their leader, Leonis, wasn't as strong as the leader of the Black Steel Shelter, Ling You.
In order to fight over the ownership of a mine, Ling You and Leonis once had a semi-public battle. That was the first battle after the young Ling You ascended to the position of Lord. She completely defeated Leonis, a veteran rank 3 mechanic.
It was also from that battle that Ling You slowly gained the title of the strongest ability user under rank 4.
It was also because of this battle that the Iron Chariots' reputation faintly suppressed the other gathering points with more people.
"He's not an ordinary rank 1 ability user!" Black Robe said in a low voice.
"Not only is he a rank C hunter, but he's also awakened many Combat Domain abilities. Whether it's attack or defense, he doesn't have any obvious shortcomings. Even a rank 2 ability user can't deal with him. Moreover, he has Wolf's Teeth Hunt standing behind him!"
Wolf's Teeth Hunt!
The old man's expression became serious, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.
As powerful as Ling You was, her two hunting teams, Wolf's Teeth and Thunder Scorpion, were also quite famous. It was not that there were no powerful hunting teams in the surrounding settlements, but compared to Wolf's Teeth and Thunder Scorpion, they paled in comparison.
Lionheart Castle also had a few hunting teams, and the members were all experienced level-three aptitude users. Their individual strength was stronger than Wolf's Teeth and Thunder Scorpion, but their combined strength was completely crushed.
"What is the relationship between The Abyss and Wolf's Teeth Hunt?"
"He should be one of the potential members of Wolf's Teeth Hunt."
"So that's how it is!" The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of inhuman sharp teeth.
"Wolf's Teeth Hunt suffered a huge loss last time. After losing a few members, they still haven't been able to replenish their members. This is really beyond my expectations!"
At this point, the old man suddenly paused, and then quickly changed the topic.
"A level-one hunter, no matter how strong he is, is only so-so. If a level-two hunter can't deal with him, there are still level-three hunters. Are you worried that Wolf's Teeth Hunt will find you?"
"Yes, in the Iron Chariots, Wolf's Teeth Hunt represents Ling You's will, and no one wants to provoke them."
Black Robe nodded, and the eyes under the hood were vaguely strange.
Although the old man quickly changed the topic, he still smelled a hint of conspiracy.
Wolf's Teeth Hunt was attacked by insectoids, and perhaps it was not an accident, but the work of Lionheart Castle.
"I'll accept this mission, but since this mission involves Wolf's Teeth Hunt, the mission reward will be doubled!
And we'll only do it in the wilderness! "
If people from Lionheart Castle went to the Iron Chariots to kill people, it would definitely be seen as a provocation to the Iron Chariots. With Ling You's deterrence, no one dared to do such a stupid thing.
Once Ling You was angry, even the leader Lionheart might not be able to protect them.
Black Robe was silent for a while, then slowly said, "Yes!"
"If you want to make a move on Qi Yuan in the wilderness, you only have two chances."
"The first chance will appear soon. The Abyss should be out on a mission in the near future, and it's very likely that a few members of Wolf's Teeth Hunt will be accompanying them."
"If you can't complete the kill the first time, the second chance is very likely to wait. Wolf's Teeth Hunt's recruitment mission to clear the old cities."
"With the relationship between Qi Yuan and Wolf's Teeth Hunt, and the strength he has shown, after completing the recruitment mission in the old cities, it's very likely that he will become an official member of Wolf's Teeth Hunt. I think an observer should be easier to deal with than an official member!"
A mocking smile appeared on the elder's face.
"It's just a rank one hunter, we don't need two chances. Once is enough to send him to hell!"
"Don't look down on The Abyss, and don't treat him like a normal rank one!" Black Robe coldly snorted.
"For this mission, the price I've given you is based on a rank three ability user!
I suggest you treat The Abyss as a rank three target, or else be careful of failing miserably! "
The elder gave Black Robe a look of disdain.
"Killing is what we're professionals at. For this type of mission, our completion rate has always been 100%. There isn't a single mission target that can escape our killing!"
"Those gangs of yours Iron Chariots were scared to the point of trembling by a rank one ability user. This only proves that they're trash. None of the people our Venom wants to kill have survived!"
"That's for the best!" Black Robe calmly said.
"According to the rules, I'll pay you half of the mission reward first. After the mission is completed, someone will send you the other half!"
"Don't worry, you'll hear the good news very soon."
Black Robe stood up and left. After a while, the elder raised his head and glanced at the detector hidden in the corner of the room, then slowly closed his eyes.
After a while, a middle-aged man with a sinister face pushed open the door and walked in. He sat on the chair that Black Robe had just sat on. His eyes flickered with a dark green light, just like a poisonous snake.
"What do you think of this mission?" The middle-aged man with a pair of dark green eyes asked.
The elder slowly opened his eyes, calmly meeting his gaze.
"Within a day, we've accepted two missions from Iron Chariots, and the target is the same person. If it's not a trap for us, then this means that this The Abyss isn't as simple as they say!"
The middle-aged man stuck out his scarlet tongue, licking his lips. His tongue was long and forked, just like a cold poisonous snake.
"No matter how strong they are, they're still only rank one. Killing one rank one and getting two rank three rewards, this mission is worth doing!"
The elder was silent for a moment, then said in a regretful voice, "This mission is likely to lead us to meet Wolf's Teeth Hunt again."
"Wolf's Teeth Hunt is just so-so. They're not as strong as the rumors say!" The middle-aged man's face showed a cruel smile.
"In the last mission, boss and them killed three rank three members of Wolf's Teeth Hunt. Until now, they still think that the Zerg attack was just an accident!"
"No matter how strong Ling You is, she's only one person. Even if she suspects that we're the ones who did it, what can she do? Do she dare to go to war with Lionheart Castle?"
The elder was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"We can't touch Wolf's Teeth Hunt for the time being. In the last mission, although we didn't leave any traces, the few who survived are all smart people. Some people must have suspected us, but they haven't found any evidence."
"Wolf's Teeth Hunt deliberately released news about the old city. It's very likely that it's bait to lure us into action."
"Ling You's strength is a threat that we have to consider. After the last battle with Ling You, the Lion King is obviously afraid. If Ling You has something on us and attacks Lionheart Castle, I suspect that the Lion King won't offend the Iron Chariots for us!"
The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed, and there seemed to be a flame dancing in his green pupils.
"You're saying that if Ling You comes to us, the Lion King will hand us over to appease Ling You's anger?"
The elder was silent. Although he didn't want to exaggerate Ling You's threat at this time, after that battle, the Lion King's attitude towards the Iron Chariots had changed significantly. He was no longer as tough as before.
The middle-aged man's eyes flickered, and after a long time, he said fiercely, "I'll go personally.
As long as we quietly take care of the mission target and don't let Wolf's Teeth Hunt have anything on us, they won't dare to do anything to us! "
The elder looked at him deeply.
"Remember what Black Robe said. Don't treat The Abyss as a normal rank 1!
If The Abyss were so easy to deal with, they wouldn't have come from the Iron Chariots to Lionheart Castle to do business with us. "
The middle-aged man laughed maliciously.
"Don't worry about what I do!
Although I'm only rank 2, my poison is something that even a rank 3 ability user can't handle. It's more than enough to kill a rank 1! "
Three days later.
Xiao Hei looked at the lively Qi Yuan as if she had seen a ghost.
"You've recovered from your injuries?"
"Of course." Qi Yuan shrugged and said, "My recovery ability is quite strong."
"With this level of defense, your recovery ability is still so strong. What do you want the other Combat Region ability users to think?"
Xiao Hei couldn't help but ridicule, "I originally thought that the captain's recovery ability was strong enough, but compared to you, it's like he's nothing!"
"Hou's injuries haven't recovered yet?" Qi Yuan asked in surprise.
Hou was a rank 3 ability user. Even if he didn't have Steel Self-Healing, his recovery speed should be very fast. Moreover, Hou shouldn't have suffered too heavy of an injury from the last battle with the Sandworms.
"Not yet, but it's almost there." Xiao Hei shook her head.
"The captain broke one of his ribs when he was attacked by the Sandworms. If he wants to fully recover, he'll need at least three days."
"For your clean-up mission this time, the captain originally wanted to personally see your close combat ability, but Sister Luan stopped him. So this time, it should be me, Sister Luan, and Chestnut accompanying you."
Qi Yuan grinned. As long as Luan and Chestnut were on the move, this check-in would be a sure thing.
Luan, who was piloting Steel Rose, was considered a powerhouse among rank 3. She didn't feel any pressure holding back two rank 3 Insectoids.
Although Chestnut didn't have the support of Mechanical Armament, his rank 3 Shadow Bind was very strong. He didn't feel any pressure holding back two rank 3 Insectoids.
The Insectoid Nest this time was the same as the previous two. It wasn't fully formed. Even if there were rank 3 Insectoids, there wouldn't be more than four of them. There might even be no rank 3 Insectoids.
Xiao Hei's only purpose as an extra was to let Luan and Chestnut join this hunt.
The two chatted for a while before Luan and Xiao Hei came over.
"You're going to continue with the mission today?" Luan was a little surprised by Qi Yuan's frequency of missions.
Qi Yuan smiled.
"Small missions, a few more and I'll become a C + Hunter sooner!"
"The C + authority of the Hunter's Guild shouldn't be that important to you now!" Luan said meaningfully.
Although only a few researchers knew that Qi Yuan was favored by Master Qu, it couldn't be hidden from Luan. She was also a frequent visitor to Master Qu's lab.
Luan was originally only surprised by Qi Yuan's comprehensive combat abilities. However, the more she interacted with him, the more she slowly realized that Qi Yuan was a treasure. Although he was only rank 1, the number of extraordinary abilities he displayed was more than many rank 3 Hunters. Moreover, each of his abilities seemed to be very powerful.
Luan and Master Qu had known each other for many years. She knew very well that Master Qu was a little arrogant.
He had always been dismissive of those who only knew how to kill and knew nothing about machinery and energy.
Over the years, there were only two aptitude users in the Iron Chariots who were worthy of his attention. One was the leader, Ling You, and the other was Fu Qingqing who had already entered the shelter. Both of them had awakened powerful Elemental Domain and Evoking Domain abilities and had solved difficult problems in the lab. That was why he favored them.
Now, Qi Yuan was the third. Moreover, compared to the other two, Qi Yuan was the only rank 1.
As a researcher who could be invited by the Black Steel Shelter, Master Qu's achievements in machinery and energy research had long been recognized by everyone. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had such an extraordinary status.
In order to gain Master Qu's favor, many rank 3 Hunters in the Elemental Domain had volunteered to join Master Qu's workshop. In the end, they couldn't even pass the most basic test in the lab and were chased out by Master Qu.
When Luan went to Master Qu's workshop yesterday, she had only wanted to perform basic maintenance on Iron Rose. She didn't expect Master Qu to take the initiative to inquire about Qi Yuan. Moreover, he seemed to be very satisfied with Qi Yuan, but he didn't elaborate on the reason.
Luan was also curious as to how Qi Yuan had managed to gain Master Qu's approval just by going to the workshop.
This meant that even if he didn't become a Grade-C + Hunter and join Wolf's Teeth Hunt, Qi Yuan could very likely enter the Black Steel Shelter through Master Qu's channel.
The Black Steel Shelter didn't lack powerful aptitude users. However, it had always been highly esteemed for high-level researchers. This could be seen from the status of the Biological and Mechanical Laboratory in the shelter.
An aptitude user who was powerful in long-range sniping, had comprehensive combat abilities, and had almost no shortcomings. He could easily kill a rank 2 Zerg with his rank 1 strength. At the same time, he had also gained Master Qu's approval.
Just based on these points, Qi Yuan could be said to have a promising future. It was very likely that he could successfully enter the Black Steel Shelter, just like Fu Qingqing.
Qi Yuan smiled and didn't explain further. The Grade-C + Hunter Authority was indeed not very important. However, the Check-In Talent was indeed a power that he had to obtain.
"What weapon did you choose?" Luan suddenly asked.
Qi Yuan hooked his finger and the Decapitator flew out from the scabbard at his waist and landed lightly in Luan's hand.
Luan held the Decapitator in her hand and felt a sharp chill in her face.
"Good sword!"
Luan was also someone who knew what was good for her. She couldn't help but praise.
Luan's fingers slowly swept across the blade. She vaguely felt that this sword was somewhat familiar. Her mind raced as she finally remembered the origin of this sword.
After a long silence, Luan casually returned the sword to Qi Yuan and sighed faintly.
This sword reminded her of that tragic battle where Wolf's Teeth Hunt almost became history. Although they were lucky enough to escape in the end, three of their teammates were left in the wilderness forever. Even their corpses couldn't be brought back.
"I didn't expect Master Qu to give it to you!"
"With your strength, I think this Decapitator won't be a disgrace to you!"