Chapter 196: Marauders' Stronghold, Selection

At Jiangcheng International Airport Terminal 2, domestic flight exit.

As evening approached in Jiangcheng, the weather gradually turned somewhat gloomy.

Because the airport itself was located in the southern suburbs of the city, Lin Yu didn’t take long to get here by taxi.

After getting out of the taxi, Lin Yu quickly found members of the Marauders without much effort.

About ten people were gathered around a tour bus, crowding around a girl with dyed yellow hair.

The girl's style was also very eye-catching—clashing colors, a laser jacket, scattered metal accessories, exaggerated fishnet stockings, and short boots, forming a typical millennial Y2K fashion style.

Plus, the girl was naturally beautiful, causing quite a few travelers to subconsciously assume she was some internet celebrity who had come to Jiangcheng.

Lin Yu recognized her too.

It was Fish from the last dungeon!

Her real-life outfit was even more flamboyant than in the Death Game.

Lin Yu felt that Fish’s personality was probably even more flamboyant than he had imagined. He quickly walked forward and showed the app page open on his Heavenly Artisan phone, identifying himself.

“Everyone, I am Heavenly Artisan from Zheng City... Due to some reasons, I happened to be stuck in Jiangcheng, so I’m here to participate in this mission.”

“I am a ‘First-Tier’ ‘Craftsman.’”

As he introduced himself, Fish raised her eyebrows.

“Oh, a ‘Craftsman,’ that’s okay... Come on in.”

Lin Yu obediently stepped into the line.

However...

The Marauders members from various parts of Jiangcheng, plus a few so-called “associates” that Fish probably brought from Beijing, cast some hostile looks toward Lin Yu.

The Marauders, as an organization gathering all kinds of rule-breaking, profit-driven killers, didn’t have a very harmonious internal atmosphere.

Mutual suspicion and wariness among members were very normal.

Those who had interacted within the same city branch might get along a bit better, but people from different branches truly had the feeling of “villagers meeting villagers.”

Especially with Heavenly Artisan’s recent reputation... it was quite notorious.

May May’s identity had recently gained some fame, and most of his reputation came from Heavenly Artisan.

So, conversely, Heavenly Artisan naturally became famous as well.

Especially within the Marauders, Heavenly Artisan had almost turned into a negative example.

Because of this, even though Lin Yu stood quietly among the crowd without provoking anyone, he could still hear some biting criticisms.

“Oh, isn’t that the lost dog?”

“So he didn’t go back to Henan Province...”

“Does the Zheng City branch have no face to return?”

Several people from the Jiangcheng Marauders branch mocked.

And the members from Yanjing standing closer to Fish were extremely disdainful.

“What’s someone like this doing here, Chief...”

“Isn’t this just making things worse?”

“Just get rid of him!”

Fish herself disagreed: “If he’s here, he’s here to help, so say less.”

But she only limited herself to persuasion.

The ridicule toward Lin Yu in the team somewhat subsided, but everyone still showed him little goodwill.

In response...

Lin Yu remained very calm.

He clearly knew these people were targeting Heavenly Artisan, not Lin Yu himself!

Moreover, for an “actor,” if a character is played to the point the audience intensely dislikes them, it’s also a kind of recognition for the actor’s skill.

Currently, Heavenly Artisan’s character image was indeed somewhat “negative.”

After all, he was meant to be a stepping stone for Lin Yu’s other characters.

However, since Lin Yu chose to keep this identity and brought it out now,

he was precisely planning to reverse Heavenly Artisan’s image.

He still had to keep using it going forward.

As a few more people gradually arrived, the Marauders group eventually formed nearly twenty people, slightly smaller in scale than the Order.

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Among them, Fish brought four people from Yanjing.

The rest were Marauders members from Jiangcheng and surrounding cities.

The twenty-plus people boarded the tour bus parked in the airport parking lot, sitting down in small groups.

Then...

The driver from Yanjing started the vehicle, and the bus slowly moved forward.

Recalling what he had seen earlier in Zheng City, Lin Yu couldn’t help but be curious...

Where would the Jiangcheng Marauders branch place Fish?

He soon got the answer.

Because the bus’s destination wasn’t far from the airport.

Soon, the bus stopped at an abandoned dock.

On this dock was a huge, old, rusty, seemingly abandoned cargo ship.

Many containers were stacked on top.

Among the Jiangcheng Marauders members, the highest-ranking one spoke to Fish, explaining.

“This will be our temporary stronghold for this trip, Deputy Chief.”

“Before relocating, this was our branch’s original location.”

“Now, it’s still a branch outpost that hasn’t been abandoned.”

The adult male in a suit, speaking respectfully to Fish who was much younger, maintained a courteous tone.

Fish slightly nodded.

“Not bad, very concealed... and not too far from that overpass.”

“But it looks like it’s going to rain. Is this place waterproof? It won’t leak, right?”

Looking out at the gloomy weather, Fish raised her concern.

“Of course not!”

The Jiangcheng Marauders leader pounded his chest with confidence.

“Don’t be fooled by the shabby appearance, that’s all camouflage... Inside, it’s not just waterproof, the soft furnishings are quite good! Lighting and ceiling height all meet standards!”

His tone was practiced enough to make Lin Yu suspect this guy’s profession was probably some kind of broker.

However, though exaggerated, he wasn’t lying.

Under his lead, the group entered the ship’s interior through a hidden staircase inside a container on the deck...

The interior decoration was indeed quite nice.

Carpet covered the hallways, and ceiling chandeliers gave off gentle warm light.

Rooms were arranged on both sides of the hallway, and the original cargo hold at the far end was converted into a space similar to the underground area in Zheng City.

There was a “training area” and a “recreation area.”

“How is it, Deputy Chief? Not bad, right?”

Fish nodded.

“Not bad, quite standard...”

She walked to the sofa by the arena, sat down, adjusted her posture, and comfortably crossed her legs.

“Since there’s an arena here, that makes things easier.”

“This operation is very important, so... participants will receive very generous rewards.”

“But at the same time...”

“All players below ‘Second Tier’ will undergo a selection and assessment by me!”

“Only those who pass will be eligible to participate in the upcoming operation!”