"She..." Yue Lin just wanted to explain, but realized he didnât even know the womanâs name. He turned to Shen Tang, "Whatâs your name?"
"My name is Xun Fu, Xun as in âsearchâ, Fu as in âlotusâ." Shen Tang decided to use this name.
Yue Lin nodded and solemnly addressed everyone, "From now on, Xun Fu is a member of our team. Everyone must treat her with respect. Anyone who dares to be disrespectful, donât blame me for being unkind."
Sun Jing stepped forward, forcing a reluctant smile, "Ah Lin, whatâs going on? Sheâs just an ordinary person without superpowers. Having her join the team, isnât that too rash? Weâre going to the S-level forbidden zone, after all."
"Exactly, Captain, bringing along a burden, Iâm afraid..."
"Simply because she has a superpower and helped me." Yue Lin sneered, "If sheâs useless, then those of you here are worse than useless."
As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.
All eyes were fixed on Shen Tang. She actually had a superpower? And it was healing?
Sun Jingâs face darkened completely.
Being publicly humiliated, especially reprimanded by Yue Lin with such indirect scolding, made her almost unable to maintain her composure.
A storm of disbelief surged in her heart. A female with a healing superpower and such outstanding looks, she knew exactly what that meant.
Such a woman, even if born in the lower class, possesses immense value. Whether through marriage or other means, rising into upper-class circles is not difficult. To many noble males, a high-value commoner female is even more desirable than a noble female.
No one dared to argue now, nor did anyone dare to have any objections.
The group continued on their journey.
Along the way, they encountered many mutant species, but as long as they werenât overlord level, they were easily dealt with. They then faced two overlord-level beasts, but thanks to previous experience, despite fierce battles, they were successfully eradicated.
The team entered the central district of the S-level forbidden zone.
On the outskirts and mid-zone, they occasionally saw other beastman teams. But the deeper they went, the fewer people they encountered. By the time they fully entered the central district, only their team remained.
Shen Tang, fighting against increasingly stronger mutant species, secretly felt thankful for her choice. Surely, following Yue Lin was the right decision; if she had come alone, she might have long become food for the mutant species.
She didnât simply take advantage, either. Along the way, she healed injured beastmen, and those in the team who had lingering doubts were convinced of her healing ability after witnessing it firsthand.
As a female and healer, Shen Tangâs combat ability was relatively weak. Yue Lin took good care of her along the way, always keeping her close, not allowing her to stray too far.
Sun Jing saw this and burned with jealousy.
It used to be her standing by Yue Linâs side. But ever since this woman appeared, not only did she take her place, but Yue Lin also defended her everywhere. Except during battles, his gaze almost never left Xun Fu, never looking at Sun Jing again.
How could Sun Jing endure such disparity?
On top of it, this woman really did have a healing superpower, making Sun Jing even more envious and angry. Even if she wanted to chase her away, she couldnât find a legitimate reason.
This canât continue.
If it does, not only will this plan fail, but she might also be helping someone else to achieve success!
Sun Jingâs mind raced, a trace of malice flashed in her eyes.
Since this woman is so blind as to run into danger, she canât blame Sun Jing for being ruthless.
The team had now reached the legendary Death Abyss. They stood at the edge of the cliff looking down; as rumored, the mountains seemed cleaved open by a sharp blade, forming a massive chasm. Poisonous miasma hovered in the valley, mist surging, with the bottom as black as ink, unfathomably deep. Someone tentatively threw a stone down, but there wasnât even an echo, as if it fell into another world.
From a high vantage point, the abyss looked like a giant maw, a fierce beast poised to devour, inspiring instinctual fear, making them step back involuntarily.
Someone in the team wiped the cold sweat from their forehead and asked tremulously, "Captain, how are we supposed to get down there? Surely... we canât just jump down, right?"
That would not only fail to uncover the secret but also leave them with no remains.
Yue Lin frowned, staring intently at the depths below.
He could sense the strong energy waves emanating from deep within the abyss, suggesting something even he might fear was hidden below.
But how to get down was indeed a problem.
Their mission this time was to investigate the truth of this S-level abyss, to uncover what exactly lies beneath. If the rumored secrets were true, there had to be another passageway here.