God Strategy Army

Xi City Hotel.

Morning.

Bai Pu silently slipped past the security guards at the stairwell and arrived at the presidential suite on the top floor.

"What do you want?"

At the door, two muscular bodyguards wearing earpieces blocked Bai Pu's path.

"Excuse me. I'm here to see Mr. Bratton on urgent business," Bai Pu answered in a low voice.

"Mr. Bratton is receiving important guests. Please leave!"

"Wait, how did you get in without being announced?"

The two bodyguards spoke almost at the same time, one driving him away while the other demanded an explanation.

Neither of them was an Awakened, but Trial Participants who had failed to awaken.

The odds of Trial Participants successfully awakening were actually quite low. Faced with the complex and unknown environment of the Spirit Realm, along with exceedingly difficult Trial Missions, the chance of failure was simply too high.

With every failure, the difficulty of a Trial Participant's next Trial Mission increased. This was a punishment imposed by the Spirit Realm Will. Basically, anyone who failed three trials could forget about ever succeeding in this lifetime.

Of course, failing to awaken would not leave someone starving. They still had 20 points in Total Four-Dimensional Attributes, with physical fitness three times that of an ordinary person. They could still survive by finding another path.

Becoming a bodyguard was one of the more common career changes.

Bai Pu tilted his body and slipped between the two men with astonishing speed.

The two bodyguards spun around and gave chase. One reacted more quickly, throwing a punch at Bai Pu's back.

With a muffled thud, the blow landed squarely between Bai Pu's shoulder blades.

Bai Pu did not even sway. Instead, he used the force of the blow to smash straight through the suite's door!

Inside the suite, several pairs of eyes at the conference table turned toward him in unison.

Bai Pu immediately spotted Bratton in the seat of honor. The bald, pale, plump old man looked exactly like he did in the news.

Behind Bratton, a tall Black man strode over and shouted in English, "Who are you? Get out!" As he spoke, he reached out to grab Bai Pu.

This Black man was probably a veteran Awakened, far stronger than Bai Pu! His grasp concealed variations from multiple angles, leaving Bai Pu with nowhere to dodge. Without at least Level 4 advanced combat proficiency, it would have been impossible to execute.

Bai Pu immediately opened his personal attributes panel, set two lines to display mode, and shouted, "Mr. Bratton! I'm here to request to join the Equilibrium Faction! I have enough value!"

The Equilibrium Faction was the core organization of the Byronnes Merchant Guild. Put another way, the entire Byronnes Merchant Guild existed as an affiliated outer organization serving the Equilibrium Faction!

When an attributes panel was set to display mode, it appeared in different languages to different viewers. To native Chinese speakers, it appeared in Chinese characters; to native English speakers, it appeared in English. There was no barrier to understanding.

"An alchemist?"

"Reinforced Elite... tank?"

One English term and one Chinese phrase came respectively from Bratton and the person seated opposite him.

"Wait, Benny," Bratton said amiably.

The Black Awakened, Benny, had already grabbed Bai Pu by the collar and lifted him up, preparing to throw him out. At Bratton's words, he put him down.

"Young man, your name is Bai Pu, correct?" Bratton had already seen some of Bai Pu's displayed information and learned his name. Smiling, he spoke in Chinese. "You wish to join the Equilibrium Faction. Personally, I welcome it. But could you tell me why? A rare entry-level Awakened like you should have no trouble joining any superpower."

"Thank you."

Bai Pu straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and sat at the end of the conference table. "Your secretary should be looking into my background right now. She will soon tell you why I want to join the Equilibrium Faction. Her words should be more credible than mine."

The female secretary standing beside Bratton hesitated before nodding. She was indeed using a handheld computer to look up Bai Pu's name. She simply had not expected him to be so perceptive.

Very soon, the secretary's expression shifted slightly. She handed the computer to Bratton and quietly whispered a few words into his ear.

"Bai Pu, a contracted clinical patient of the Superpower Corporation, disappeared around twenty days ago... suspected of stealing a Spirit Energy Oddity of immense value. A report has already been filed with the Huaxia Security Department."

Bratton nodded slightly. "I understand why you wish to join the Equilibrium Faction now... Please allow me to decline."

"Sorry to disturb you." Bai Pu turned and left.

Bratton, who had originally intended to continue explaining his reasons for refusing, froze. Was he really leaving so decisively?

From Bai Pu's perspective, however, the reason for leaving immediately was simple.

He had discovered that the Byronnes Merchant Guild was involved in the spirit energy potion industry, purchasing large quantities of spirit energy medicinal materials from outside. It was in business competition with the Superpower Corporation, which was also deeply invested in the spirit energy potion industry.

A superpower like this was the most likely to accept him.

However, relationships between superpowers were intricate. There were not only conflicts of interest, but also cooperation for mutual gain! It was hardly surprising that they would refuse to take him in.

The Equilibrium Faction was not Bai Pu's only option. This time, he had shown himself in a semi-public manner, so it was unwise to waste time. He needed to find another backer quickly.

Bai Pu absolutely did not want to fall into the hands of the Superpower Corporation. If he could not find a faction willing to take him in, he would rather leave the base city and enter the vast Wilderness Area, becoming a wanderer who ruled the wilds.

"Wait!"

A woman's voice rang out. It belonged to the young woman seated opposite Bratton. She had healthy wheat-colored skin, tea-tinted glasses, a black leather jacket, and skinny jeans, with a crisp white shirt beneath. She had a valiant, dashing air about her.

The woman in tea-tinted glasses swiftly stood and blocked Bai Pu's path.

She was even faster than Bai Pu! Clearly, this woman in tea-tinted glasses was also an Awakened.

"What, you don't recognize me? Last night, you were using my car window as a mirror." A smile appeared on her heroic face.

Bai Pu had noticed her the moment he entered the conference room, but he had neither the time nor the reason to greet her. He forced a smile. "Hello... Sorry, I'm in a hurry."

"In a hurry to find your next option? Why not consider us?"

The woman in tea-tinted glasses handed him a business card.

Bai Pu glanced at it and saw words such as "Great Tang," "God Strategy," and "Li Ling."

"Great Tang Group, God Strategy Army?" Bai Pu was somewhat surprised. He had heard of the Great Tang Group, another famous company in the spirit energy potion industry. The God Strategy Army, the Great Tang Group's core organization, was much less prominent. He had only heard of it occasionally, and it could not be considered a superpower.

"Our God Strategy Army club hasn't made it into the Super League yet, so we're not very famous among ordinary people." The woman in tea-tinted glasses, Li Ling, coughed lightly. "But the God Strategy Army's strength is absolutely guaranteed."

"I need an organization that dares to stand against the Superpower Corporation," Bai Pu emphasized.

"You mean the Superpower Corporation's core organization, the Superstar Alliance."

Li Ling smiled and said proudly, "The Superstar Alliance is indeed a powerful old house with a long history and deep foundations. We can't compare to them in terms of influence in the Spirit Realm. But in reality, the situation is reversed. Do you know why?"

Bai Pu honestly shook his head.

Li Ling did not keep him guessing. She directly pulled out a dark green ID booklet.

Bai Pu glanced at it, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a military officer's ID!

Well, damn. This was actually an Awakened organization with military backing. No wonder they were so confident.

"I've read the Superpower Corporation's accusations against you. To be honest, this is a civil dispute. The charge should not stand." Li Ling tucked the officer's ID into the inner pocket of her jacket. The second button of her white shirt was stretched high, and from Bai Pu's angle, he could see a glimpse of pale, soft skin in sharp contrast to her wheat-colored complexion.

"So you believe I'm innocent?" Bai Pu asked.

"The main reason I'm willing to believe you is something else."

Li Ling looked at Bai Pu's somewhat ill-fitting, worn-out clothes and showed a hint of appreciation. "You picked up these old clothes from a dumpster just now, didn't you? I remember that when you returned from the Spirit Realm last night, you didn't even have clothes on. As an Awakened, you didn't steal or rob anyone. With principles like that, you must be trustworthy."

Uh, I got these from a community charity's used clothing collection station...

Bai Pu muttered inwardly. He did not correct Li Ling, since there was not much difference between a used clothing collection center and a dumpster. Residents only donated old clothes they could no longer wear, and quite a few people really did toss unwanted clothes into dumpsters out of convenience...

"So? Join the God Strategy Army. With your foundation, a little training will be enough for you to serve as the tactical core tank of a large team, an MT. Your future will be limitless," Li Ling said.

Bratton, standing nearby, could no longer sit still. He rubbed his face, put on a warm and infectious smile, and walked over to Bai Pu. "Young man, your original goal was to join the Equilibrium Faction, wasn't it? On further thought, we can still consider it, as long as you are willing to accept some additional terms."

Bai Pu glanced at Bratton.

This old bastard's "Please allow me to decline" had actually been a ploy to play hard to get. He had probably expected Bai Pu to beg a little more, then he would go with the flow, propose additional terms, and reluctantly agree.

"Please allow me to decline." Bai Pu firmly shook his head.