New Opportunities

"Awoo!"

Gu Xiechen let out a piercing howl.

Maria, holding a syringe, winked triumphantly at Gu Xiechen and sneered, "Esteemed First Deputy Commander, mighty Realm Master, you're afraid of pain too?"

Rubbing his burning gluteal muscles, which felt like they'd been stung by dozens of killer bees, Gu Xiechen glared at Maria. He was still flesh and blood, of course he was afraid of pain. The Bearded Commander had requested a comprehensive physical examination for Gu Xiechen, and Gu Xiechen had cooperated wholeheartedly. However, Maria had been too rough, making Gu Xiechen feel like a piece of marbled meat being hacked apart by a butcher.

"Are you drawing my blood for tests?" Gu Xiechen gritted his teeth and asked Maria. "I've never heard of drawing blood from someone's butt!"

Maria shrugged, smiling broadly as she winked at Gu Xiechen. "Does it make a difference? It's still your blood, and it can be tested. Hmm, would you like a bone marrow aspiration?"

Gu Xiechen suddenly extended his middle finger, and a faint wisp of cold air shot out from it, reaching about a foot high.

Maria wisely raised her hands. "Hehehe, I don't think that will be necessary. Your bone marrow is very healthy! Uh..."

Maria looked at Gu Xiechen with some hesitation, her expression suddenly turning very strange. Gu Xiechen looked at Maria in surprise and asked, "What's... wrong? Are you having menstrual cramps?"

A nameless rage surged to the top of Gu Xiechen's head. Maria glared at Gu Xiechen and roared, "Do you believe I can make you hurt like a woman every month for a few days? Get out of my territory! Your body is very healthy!"

Gu Xiechen jumped off the examination table, winking and grinning at Maria. Maria, with a dark expression, placed Gu Xiechen's blood samples into a refrigerated container, not even bothering to look at him. Gu Xiechen put on his combat suit and said calmly, "Let me guess what you were about to say. You wanted to ask me what a Realm is... Well, I can only tell you it's related to mental power. If you can understand the concept of the 'Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness' from the Daoist Canon, you'll have a general idea of what it is."

Frowning in thought for a moment, Gu Xiechen gently patted Maria's shoulder. "Maria, it's a shame that Realm Masters are too rare, and each one is excessively powerful. Otherwise, I'd be willing to catch one for you to dissect. Hmm, I can only describe it to you like this: the Cristo Crystal Ball merged with my mind, or rather, my soul, in a tiny point near my brow, creating a new source of power, tens of times more efficient than a warrior's Dantian. Something like that."

Maria frowned in thought, and Gu Xiechen strode out of the medical center. After a long time, Maria, lost in thought, finally sighed helplessly. "Without practical verification, I can't imagine what a Realm Master is like. Sigh, catching a Realm Master for research? The difficulty is too high, Uncle Bearded definitely won't agree to my request. Hmm, researching this guy? How can I get him to agree to cooperate with my research?"

Maria's sly gaze swept over her own body from top to bottom...

Half an hour later, Gu Xiechen walked into the Hell Angels Mercenary Group's conference room on time. The Bearded Commander and over a dozen high-ranking civilian officials of the mercenary group were waiting for him in the conference room.

"It's settled then, we Hell Angels finally have our own Realm Master." The Bearded Commander, beaming and almost arrogantly strutting around the conference room, spoke with pride. The heads of the dozen civilian officials moved like radar antennas, following the Bearded Commander's movements, creating a rather comical scene. The Bearded Commander, his face blooming like a flower, loudly declared, "The news of Evil Dragon taking over as the First Deputy Commander of the Hell Angels Mercenary Group will be kept confidential for now, especially from those bastards in the military and the Special Affairs Committee."

Gu Xiechen asked in confusion, "Why?"

The Bearded Commander's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Why? Because of that damned Federal Mutual Defense Act! If your identity as a Realm Master is known to the military and the Special Affairs Committee, they'll constantly want you to fight for them, and you'll have no time to work for the mercenary group. Hmph, Realm Masters, that's a big piece of meat everyone wants a bite of!"

Gu Xiechen nodded. "I understand!" Not letting people know his true strength was beneficial to Gu Xiechen. However, glancing at the dozen civilian officials around the conference table, Gu Xiechen doubted how long this secret could be kept. When he was with the Gu Group, he had seen too many underhanded dealings; who could guarantee there were no spies among them?

The brief meeting established Gu Xiechen's status and authority within the Hell Angels Mercenary Group. No one objected to a Realm Master having the same authority as the Bearded Commander. Might made right; this principle was the highest rule in the mercenary world. Not to mention the tangible benefits a Realm Master could bring to the mercenary group.

After this meeting, Gu Xiechen spent three days selecting a hundred elite warriors from the base's Imperial Guard Regiment to form his personal guard. As for the direct main combat regiment promised by the Bearded Commander, Gu Xiechen unceremoniously requested the Third Regiment. Bore and Maha were among the few acquaintances Gu Xiechen had in the Hell Angels Mercenary Group. The brothers practiced peculiar and powerful techniques, and both had reached the Innate realm through their own abilities, making them Gu Xiechen's best choice.

The hundred personal guards were all elites from the Imperial Guard Regiment, and they were considered top fighters within the entire Hell Angels Mercenary Group. However, in Gu Xiechen's opinion, the soldiers' strength was still too low. He specifically devised a hellish training plan for them, intending to spend two to three months to further improve them.

Before the training plan could be implemented, the Bearded Commander rushed over, his face ruddy but also extremely agitated, and dragged Gu Xiechen out onto the vast ice sheet.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, whipped against their bodies, and the biting chill made Gu Xiechen involuntarily twitch his facial muscles. Even a peak-level Innate expert wouldn't enjoy being dragged from a warm ice sheet base to a plain where the temperature was minus forty degrees Celsius.

The Bearded Commander saw through Gu Xiechen's thoughts. He pulled Gu Xiechen up a small ice ridge before chuckling, "It's safe here, absolutely no listening devices. That's why I had to bring you here. You, the First Deputy Commander, need to get out and do some work. Grand Rhine, the commander of the Seventh Regiment, and his two deputies are in a major dispute, and they need you to go and take charge."

"What's so urgent?" Gu Xiechen knew the Bearded Commander's office was well-secured, making it virtually impossible for listening devices. What could be so sensitive that the Bearded Commander had to go to such lengths to bring him to the ice plain to talk?

Looking around cautiously, the Bearded Commander lowered his voice and said, "Grand Rhine and his men were bored while stationed at a branch mine of the Danube Heavy Metals Company. They were patrolling in their speedboats and discovered a new wormhole behind a small asteroid belt. They went in..."

"What was inside?" Gu Xiechen's eyes lit up. A new wormhole? Could there be something behind it...

"A planet twice the diameter of Earth, with an atmosphere, surface vegetation, and oceans and lakes. However, the airflow at high altitudes is extremely turbulent, making it impossible for small patrol boats to get close." The Bearded Commander's face was flushed with excitement, and he rubbed his hands together. "According to Earth Federation law, if our mercenary group discovers this planet, we'll receive a huge monetary reward."

"If our mercenary group surveys the planet's main resource reserves and geographical environment and then reports it, we can..." Gu Xiechen's heart began to pound rapidly. "We can obtain a ten percent mining right for this planet!"

Discovering a new planet and surveying a new planet were two completely different matters. Discovering a new planet only required a single flyby. Surveying a new planet required immense manpower and resources, and no one knew what dangers lay on the planet. Any organization that could organize personnel to survey a new planet and report its general situation to the Federation would receive a ten percent mining right for that planet!

Gu Xiechen and the Bearded Commander's eyes gleamed.

The Bearded Commander said coldly, "No matter how powerful a mercenary group is, it's still a mercenary group that works for others. But if we can have ten percent of a planet as our base, with you, a Realm Master, overseeing it, we have a chance to develop into a major force in the Federation!" A chilling glint flashed in the Bearded Commander's eyes. The Bearded Commander said in a low voice, "When our mercenary group becomes such a major force, we'll have the strength to confront the Gu Group directly."

'Gu Group'?

Gu Xiechen's heart skipped a beat. It seemed this seemingly rough and powerful man knew everything. As the commander of the Hell Angels, with deep connections in the military, it would be too absurd if the Bearded Commander ignored Gu Xiechen's identity and background.

"So, what is the Commander's intention?" Gu Xiechen narrowed his eyes. They were both smart people; many things were understood with just a hint.

"You take a thousand men and go there. I'll allocate the remaining two heavy patrol boats and three transport ships from the group to you," the Bearded Commander said through gritted teeth. "Grand Rhine's two subordinates have had too easy a life, and they don't dare to risk surveying the planet's surface. Grand Rhine can't do anything about them, so you go and rein them in. There are over two thousand brothers there, all under your command. Give you two months to figure out the general situation of that planet."

"I understand!" Gu Xiechen felt a surge of heat and excitement. This was an opportunity, an opportunity for him to confront Gu Juechen's forces directly.

Defeating Gu Juechen and reclaiming the Gu Group was something he couldn't do alone.

"I'll stay at headquarters," the Bearded Commander said with a dark expression. "A newly discovered planet? This piece of fat meat will drive many people crazy. I'll keep an eye on things here. Once you've surveyed the planet's surface, send all the data back immediately, and I'll file it with the Federal Congress. A planet twice the diameter of Earth, ten percent mining rights... our future, whether we eat meat or grass, depends on this!"

Gu Xiechen exhaled deeply, his internal energy flowing like thunder, with continuous crackling sounds emanating from his body.

The Bearded Commander looked up at the sky and sneered, "If Grand Rhine's two useless subordinates don't listen, disable them. Mercenaries without their edge are no longer mercenaries."

"I understand!"

Gu Xiechen's words carried a strong scent of blood.

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The climax is approaching, and Little Gu's fate is about to change...

Uh, please vote with your recommendation tickets, comrades! (To be continued)