"Hunting squads are just teams organized by Mercenaries who havenât joined a Mercenary Corps," Roger explained.
"There are Mercenaries who havenât joined a Mercenary Corps?" Lin Xinghai asked, a look of surprise on his face.
Roger said exasperatedly, "Why wouldnât there be? Did you think that just because youâre a Mercenary, youâre guaranteed a spot in a Mercenary Corps? The corps are very selective when they recruit, you know!"
"So youâre saying the Mercenaries who form hunting squads are just the leftovers?" Lin Xinghaiâs brow furrowed.
If he was going to be saddled with a few dead weights, he would rather go out and hunt Zombies alone.
"You canât really say that. Some Mercenaries choose to leave their Mercenary Corps because of unfair treatment, or because they had a falling out with other members," Roger said.
"You mean, you want me to join a hunting squad made up of Mercenaries like that?" Lin Xinghai followed Rogerâs line of thought.
"Yes! Only a hunting squad like that wonât drag you down. And more importantly, theyâre the ones who have the means to escape from Mutated Zombies and the Hell Tornado," Roger said.
"Hm?" Lin Xinghai was a bit confused.
"These competent hunting squads might not dare to dream of buying a Mecha, and they might not even be able to afford an Armored Vehicle. But if everyone on the team chips in, they can afford a multi-functional off-road vehicle that costs twenty or thirty thousand Points. As long as they install a few rocket thrusters, escaping wonât be a problem," Roger explained further.
The realization dawned on Lin Xinghai. In that case, his safety would indeed be guaranteed.
Of course, this came with a condition: they couldnât enter the city proper or any rugged, difficult-to-navigate terrain.
Otherwise, even with rocket thrusters, they wouldnât be able to pick up speed. If they were unlucky, they might even wreck the off-road vehicle completely.
Next, Roger opened his wrist-mounted computer and listed out some of the hunting squads he knew of.
"These hunting squads Iâm sending you are all competent and have decent reputations. You can start by looking into them."
"If you really canât find a suitable hunting squad, you can also form a temporary one yourself. When the time comes, just apply directly to the Commander to take out a multi-functional off-road vehicle," Roger added as a final reminder.
Lin Xinghai was a little surprised to hear this, and at the same time, he felt a warmth spread through his heart.
"Alright, Iâm heading off now, or the Commander will start nagging me to come back." After sending the list to Lin Xinghai, Roger hurried toward the elevator shaft.
However, he had barely taken two steps before Lin Xinghai grabbed him from behind. "Wait!"
"Good grief, what is it now?" Roger said irritably.
After spending this much time together, Roger subconsciously felt that whenever Lin Xinghai sought him out, it was never for anything good.
"Itâs good news! Isnât the Mercenary Corps recruiting new members? I want to recommend someone," Lin Xinghai said with an innocent look on his face.
"Tsk! Let me guess. You just got to the Star Shield Shelter, so you canât possibly know that many people. The person youâre recommending is either Liu Miaomiao or Wang Yao." The expression on Rogerâs face suddenly turned gossipy.
"Er... itâs Liu Miaomiao," Lin Xinghai said.
"Okay, Iâll pass it on for you. Itâs probably not that easy for others to pull strings, but since youâre the one asking, the Commander will agree, nine times out of ten. But donât have high expectations for her benefits. I can only help you get her the same as an ordinary member." Roger puffed out his chest, looking like a true brother-in-arms.
Lin Xinghai: "...Youâve misunderstood. I never said anything about pulling strings. Just review and recruit her through the normal process. Liu Miaomiaoâs Genetic Assessment is A Level."
At first, Roger watched Lin Xinghai with great interest, wanting to see how he was going to try and explain himself. But when he heard that last sentence, his expression changed in an instant.
He glanced around, and once he confirmed no one was watching them, he quickly pulled Lin Xinghai into a nearby corner.
"Say that again. What Level is Liu Miaomiaoâs Genetic Assessment?" Roger stared at Lin Xinghai and asked in a low voice.
"A Level." Lin Xinghaiâs answer was simple and clear, but those two words struck Rogerâs ears like a clap of thunder.
"Are you sure you didnât make a mistake?" Rogerâs breathing grew heavy as he asked the question.
"Last night, I went with them to the Gene Center for testing. I saw the results with my own eyes. Thereâs no mistake," Lin Xinghai answered in more detail.
Roger stared at Lin Xinghaiâs face for a long while before confirming that he wasnât joking at all.
As he let out a sigh of relief, he couldnât help but complain a little, "Do you have any idea what an A Level Genetic Assessment means? How could you only be telling me about something so important now?"
"Of course I know, but whether she joins our Mercenary Corps or not is up to Liu Miaomiao! She only gave me a clear answer this morning. Besides, I told her to keep it a secret for now, so donât worry!" Lin Xinghai said, reassuringly.
Rogerâs expression brightened considerably when he heard Liu Miaomiao was willing to join, but he didnât linger for a moment longer and left in a hurry.
He wasnât as nonchalant as Lin Xinghai. A talent like this, of course, had to be recruited with every possible effort.
Watching Roger leave, Lin Xinghai didnât rush off to the Mercenary Guild either.
He had taken care of everything he needed to. Since it was rare for him to come to the Upper Level District, he figured he should take a good look around and memorize the locations of some of the important buildings.
Lin Xinghai wandered around the Upper Level District for a full half-hour before taking an elevator down to the Middle Level District.
Once in the Middle Level District, he continued to stroll at a leisurely pace, committing the surrounding buildings to memory.
This way, having seen the Upper, Middle, and Lower Level Districts, he now had a good grasp of the entire layout of the Star Shield Shelter.
And while wandering through the Middle Level District, he also found a deserted, remote spot and drank all 20 vials of Genetic Medicine Liquid he had in his pocket.
Host: Lin Xinghai
Physique: 25 Points
Power: 21 Points
Speed: 30 Points
Blood Qi Power: 107 Points
Genetic Optimization Level: 30%+
Superpower: Speed (Within ten seconds, Speed increases by 100%) (Energy Value: 10/10)
Basic Level Shooting Skill: Proficiency 100%+
Phantom Body Technique (Entry Level): Proficiency 10%+
Looking at his Blood Qi Power, which had broken past 100 points, Lin Xinghai felt much more at ease. He even considered whether he should spend points on his Phantom Body Techniqueâs proficiency.
However, he ultimately gave up on the idea. After all, given the current growth rate of his Perception Power, he would complete its transformation the day after tomorrow at the latest. It was better to save some Blood Qi Power now so he could directly raise his Genetic Optimization Level to 60%.
Lost in these thoughts, Lin Xinghai found himself standing before the gates of the Mercenary Guild.
The Mercenary Guild occupied an area of over 3,000 square meters, making it arguably the largest building in the entire Middle Level District.
From its architectural scale alone, one could see the Mercenary Guildâs prominent status.
With a hint of anticipation, Lin Xinghai stepped into the place hailed as the holy land for Mercenaries.