Goal: First Place!

Fifteenth!

They've been struggling in this damn War Zone for three years, never even making it into the top seventeen!

Upon hearing this, a genuine hint of curiosity finally appeared in Chen Fan's amber eyes.

He looked at Lei Kun and asked directly.

What's the use of rankings?

Lei Kun was stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, a strange light flashing in his One-Eye.

"It's incredibly useful!"

His voice was hoarse, yet it carried an irrepressible excitement.

"The higher the ranking, the more fixed Merit Points the War Zone allocates each day. Before, when we were ranked eighteenth, we only got a pitiful four hundred points each day, barely enough to cover the cost of repair fluid. Now, at fifteenth, we get five hundred and fifty points!"

He paused, and the faint light burned brighter and brighter in his One-Eye.

"More importantly, higher-ranked teams are eligible to receive more promising new talent."

Lei Kun's voice trembled as he spoke the last few words.

After listening, Chen Fan understood.

Merit Points, resources, better teammates.

I see.

The Senior Fellow Apprentice's fabricated identity was indeed ordinary enough that the system precisely assigned him to this most desolate place with the harshest living conditions. However, he didn't care; on the contrary, he felt that this place suited him very well.

He spoke directly, interrupting Lei Kun's reflections.

Where can I see my Merit Points?

"Huh?" Lei Kun was taken aback. The Monkey had already realized what was happening and quickly pointed out, "It's on your Personal Terminal on your left wrist. Just turn it on."

Chen Fan opened his Terminal interface as instructed.

A clear number floated above the Light Screen.

[Personal Merit Points: 15000]

He did some mental calculations.

A three-headed, Sixth Grade Early Stage Executioner in the early stages, each head is worth five thousand Merit Points.

This is entirely consistent with my own achievements.

After confirming that everything was correct, Chen Fan did not hesitate at all and immediately opened the resource exchange list within the War Zone.

A dazzling list popped up, offering everything from weapons and ammunition to Genes serums.

He turned directly to Lei Kun and asked again, "When replenishing life energy, which resource is the most efficient?"

Lei Kun, still thrilled by his ranking jump, instinctively replied, "The most efficient is the High-Purity Life Crystal Core, which costs 500 Merit Points each. Its energy is pure, with almost no impurities... but that stuff is too expensive. We usually only use the cheapest nutrient repair solution..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan's fingers rapidly tapped a few times on the Light Screen.

[Exchange for 30 'High-Purity Life Crystal Cores']

[Payment Confirmed: 15,000 Merit Points]

[Payment successful. Item has been delivered to your personal storage space.]

A series of system notification sounds rang out in the silent barracks.

Chen Fan's personal Merit Points were instantly wiped out.

Lei Kun's second half of his sentence got stuck in his throat.

He, Monkey, and Leng Yan watched in disbelief as Chen Fan took out a crystal core emitting a soft green light from his personal space, casually tossed it in his hand, and then put it back like trash.

The entire process was smooth and effortless, without the slightest hesitation or heartache.

That's 15,000 merit points!

That's it... gone?

At this moment, Lei Kun and his two companions finally realized, albeit belatedly, that the young man before them was perhaps not the same kind of person as them, these veterans who struggled to survive by licking their wounds in the quagmire of war.

They fought for survival and risked their lives for Merit Points.

And he... seemed to be just conducting an easy hunt, with the Merit Points being nothing more than spoils to be casually counted after the hunt.

Watching Chen Fan casually collect the pile of crystal cores that they considered priceless, as if he had just bought some cheap snacks on the roadside, Lei Kun's heart, which had been dormant for many years, suddenly skipped a beat.

Hope.

When the word came to mind, even he found it absurd.

But the uncontrollable, insane thoughts grew like weeds, becoming impossible to suppress.

He looked at this unfathomable boy, at his youthful yet calm face, and finally blurted out.

"Chen Feng..."

Lei Kun's voice became somewhat distorted with excitement.

"With your abilities, we... perhaps can..."

He swallowed hard, and the thought that had swirled in his mind countless times but which he had never dared to utter aloud was finally squeezed out.

"Trying to break into the top ten?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stared intently at Chen Fan.

The Monkey and Leng Yan held their breath, their hearts leaping into their throats.

The top ten—that's a field they wouldn't even dare to dream of, a stage for the true elites of the War Zone.

Chen Fan glanced at him, and that calm look made Lei Kun's burning passion momentarily falter.

Then, he shook his head.

Lei Kun's heart sank instantly.

Was I just being too unrealistic?

"It's not 'maybe,' nor is it 'a sudden push.'"

Chen Fan spoke up, correcting him.

His tone was calm, as if he were stating a fact.

Our goal is to be number one.

"..."

One sentence, like an invisible giant hammer, slammed hard into the hearts of Lei Kun and his two companions.

It's not an attack, it's a target.

It was as if that unattainable top ten throne was merely a fruit he could easily pluck.

This self-righteous arrogance did not seem absurd to Lei Kun; instead, it made his almost stopped heart pound like thunder again.

"Drop!!"

Just then, a faint mechanical sound came from the entrance of the barracks.

A logistics robot glided over, carrying thirty High-Purity Life Crystal Cores that emitted a soft green light, neatly stacked on a tray.

Chen Fan stepped forward and casually swept all the crystal cores into his personal space, without giving them a second glance throughout the process.

That's a resource that would make any sixth-rank expert in the War Zone green with envy.

He turned around and spoke to Lei Kun, who was still in a daze.

"Captain, I need a private, Quiet Chamber to meditate in seclusion. I don't want to be disturbed."

Lei Kun suddenly snapped back to reality, and a smile appeared on his weathered face.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pounded his chest loudly.

"No problem! Leave it to me! There's a spare isolation room on the east side of the camp, all metal-sealed, and the quietest one! I'll apply for maximum access permission for you right away!"

Half an hour later.

Chen Fan sat cross-legged in the cold, metal isolation room.

Without the slightest hesitation, he summoned thirty High-Purity Life Crystal Cores in front of him with a Divine Thought.

The next second, an invisible vortex unfolded around him.

The Undying Divine Fire quietly began to circulate.

Those thirty crystal cores, which would be the envy of anyone in the outside world, contained immense life energy that was precisely and efficiently devoured and refined, like a torrent finding an outlet.

The entire process was completed without a single wasted moment.

Lei Kun, who was personally guarding the door, only sensed the unfathomable aura emanating from the isolation room. After a brief fluctuation, it returned to deathly silence, as if there was nothing inside.