Chapter 139

Gao Jianli turned around with a slightly thoughtful expression.

Castorice's words were indeed Blessing, but they seemed to carry a hint of... the feeling of a host, and didn't sound like Blessing from someone who was also a 'wanderer'.

However, seeing that Castorice did not intend to say anything more, Gao Jianli did not press the matter, but simply smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."

The two didn't talk much; one was disappointed that the other didn't ask, and the other was disappointed that the other didn't want to say more.

But at least both sides have confirmed that the other is not their enemy, which is the biggest gain.

Knowing that Castorice, like himself, did not want to reveal too much about his identity, 'Gao Jianli' did not show any special treatment. Or rather, he had already reverted to the original Gao Jianli. After hearing another report from Castorice from a different perspective, he said goodbye to Castorice and returned to his office.

Castorice was unsure whether Gao Jianli was aware of their conversation.

But she felt that Gao Jianli probably knew.

As Castorice walked out of the Hunter Association's gates, she was about to go home when she saw a man wearing a red coat and neat glasses approaching her.

"Long time no see, Castorice Hunter."

It's Choi Jung-in.

"It's been a long time, Your Excellency."

Castorice smiled and nodded at him.

"Thank you so much for helping our vice Chairman this time."

Choi Jung-in- in's smile was still somewhat insincere, but his words were sincere. Whether for public or private reasons, he did not want anything to happen to Che Huiyi.

But his next sentence immediately revealed his purpose. "I didn't expect such an accident to happen today. A Demon Beast suddenly appeared in the city, as if it were a premeditated attack. However, targeting the car hunters was a miscalculation on their part."

It sounds completely nonsensical, like someone who doesn't know the situation but is just guessing. But if he guesses 90% correctly, it will naturally make others think that he is also in the know.

Che Huiyi wouldn't break the rules casually, so it can only mean that the association agreed to his right to know.

Unfortunately, his guesses were completely off the mark, so naturally, Castorice couldn't follow his line of conversation to get information out of him.

"..."

Seeing that Castorice remained silent and only smiled, Choi Jung-in knew that he hadn't guessed correctly. He knew too little information and could only speculate in Tai He direction, since this was an event covered up by the association and couldn't be very reasonable.

But reasonable guesses are easy to come up with, while unreasonable guesses are incredibly difficult. Therefore, Choi Jung-in was not too disappointed and smoothly transitioned to the next topic. "After all, the car hunter is not alone. He also has a reliable friend like the Castorice hunter... Speaking of which, including this time, the Castorice hunter has helped Hantes twice. You could say it's fate."

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't have any plans to join a guild at the moment."

"Don't get me wrong, Castorice Hunter. While I do really hope you can join us, I'm not the type to be oblivious to romance or relentlessly pursue someone."

Choi Jung-in smiled and said, "However, I still hope you can give me a chance to thank you, in my personal capacity."

Castorice was somewhat helpless. She said she wouldn't relentlessly pursue the matter, but in reality, she did just as much.

However, thanks to him stopping the various actions of other guilds, she only had to face Hantes' relentless pursuit.

"No need for thanks, helping friends is something I want to do."

Castorice said.

Unexpectedly, Choi Jung-in did not insist this time, but nodded regretfully. "Alright, then I will keep this kindness in my heart for the time being."

"..."

If Castorice didn't know he was acting, she would have felt a little embarrassed.

Knowing he couldn't get any information out of him, Choi Jung-in didn't intend to stay any longer. But since they had already met, he casually asked, "Speaking of which, does the Castorice Hunter know about Qizhou Island?"

"It's that island that fell a few years ago because of the out-of-control S-Class portal."

Castorice naturally knew this; it was the biggest scar in Country H in the past ten years, where countless intermediate hunters, many advanced hunters, and even an S-Class hunter had died.

However, despite the immense sacrifices made, the portal to the island has not been closed, and to this day, it remains a forbidden zone for humanity.

That battle was an indelible wound for the S-Class soldiers of Country H.

"Just recently, we have decided to restart the crackdown on Qizhou Island, which requires as much manpower as possible."

When this topic was brought up, the smile that was always on Choi Jung-in's face faded considerably, and his eyes seemed to be flashing with fire.

"It's not just about saving face and territory for S-Class, but more importantly... time is of the essence."

Choi Jung-in said, "Just recently, we captured an insect that had evolved the ability to fly across the ocean. After killing seven citizens and two D-Class hunters, it was killed by three B-rank and A-Class hunters working together."

His tone was filled with hatred and anger, as well as a deep-seated fear. "Although there is only one case so far, we must consider whether this kind of individual has become the norm, and... if this growth ability is not limited to flight..."

If we continue to ignore it, the other party will become stronger and stronger without us even realizing it.

"I will go."

Castorice had no reason to refuse.

Thank you.

Choi Jung-in was still somewhat consumed by anger, but Castorice's nod improved his mood considerably.

After all, Castorice is not a hunter from Country H, nor does she have the pain and hatred that Country H has for Qizhou Island. Even S-Class hunters from Country H do not intend to participate in the extermination, so it is normal that Castorice is unwilling to get involved.

But she agreed, which moved Choi Jung-in- in.

No wonder they got along so well with Che Huiyi. Compared to us, perhaps only these two girls can be called true heroes.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Swordsman Guild.

The decision to attack, or rather retake Qizhou Island, had been secretly prepared long ago. Although it was initially strongly urged by Choi Jung-in, the Hunter Guild also went along with it and reluctantly agreed.

This was not a decision that could be made lightly. The Hunter Association was not ruled by the Chairman, but during Gao Jianli's tenure, it was almost a one-man show, and he did not make any wrong decisions.

This shrewdness and decisiveness is one of the reasons why Choi Jung-in- in respects Gao Jianli.

Two days after Choi Jung-in privately confirmed Castorice's attitude, Castorice received a transfer order from the association when she and Han Songyi walked out of the underground city.

Although it was a transfer order, the phrase "cannot be refused without a major reason" carried a sense of powerlessness, drastically reducing the order's authority.

There's no way around it. After all, although the Hunter Association is nominally superior to the guilds and is the official authority of Country H, in reality, it is in a very passive position when facing the guilds because it doesn't have enough high-level combat power to deter others.

The highest-ranking member of the association is Gao Jianli, the Chairman, an S-Class hunter. However, his advanced age greatly affects his strength. He is a trump card that will hasten death every time he makes a move, and trump cards cannot be used easily.

The reason the association and guilds can maintain a balance now is because Gao Jianli is still alive. Therefore, the guilds are willing to check and balance each other. Gao Jianli is gone, it's hard to say what will happen.

It wouldn't be surprising if the association at that time became a mere figurehead.

But that has nothing to do with Castorice.

Looking at the transfer order in her hand, she replied without hesitation.

The next morning, Gao Jianli held a press conference to announce the fourth recapture operation of Qizhou Island. He emphasized that this time, Country H was not fighting alone, but was fighting together with hunters from DFN (Japan). The number of S-Class personnel in this operation reached sixteen.

In fact, Gao Jianli did not really want to launch the operation to retake Qizhou Island at this time.

Having just received the Fang Monarch, he felt a sense of urgency, eager to obtain more information from the Fang Monarch and the kings' actions.

But... while they could wait, DFN couldn't. Although they didn't know why, DFN was unusually attentive to this operation, which was originally proposed by Country H. They were so attentive that it didn't seem like they were there to help others, but rather that they were eager to help them.

Although DFN had entered the ants' attack range after they grew wings, something still felt off.

Gao Jianli wanted to refuse, but he couldn't.

One of DFN's Swordsman Guild alone has eleven S-Class, while the entire Country H only has seven S-Class capable of fighting.

The gap was too large, and Gao Jianli couldn't afford to delay for long. Moreover, the time he could afford to delay might not be of any use. In the end, he decided to cut the Gordian knot and quickly resolve the matter of Qizhou Island before figuring out how to deal with the king.

A day after the press conference, Castorice was invited by Gao Jianli to the Hunter Association headquarters.

This was Castorice's second time entering Gao Jianli's office.

"I'm sorry, it's only now that I have the chance to explain this operation to you."

Gao Jianli had prepared the tea early this time. After personally pouring two cups, he placed one cup in front of Castorice.

"Fine."

Castorice shook her head.

"Actually, I didn't intend to invite you to join this operation from the beginning."

Both of them understood Gao Jianli's meaning. Gao Jianli seen Castorice from the beginning. Although he was willing to trust her, he could not put her on important matters just because of personal trust before she opened up.

It's fine if he stays in the association, but he really can't do anything about Qizhou Island.

But now that the two have maintained a certain level of trust in each other, Gao Jianli no longer needs to be so cautious.

After taking a sip of tea, Gao Jianli continued, "We have already discussed the plan for this operation with DFN. In short, we have decided that the DFN hunters, who are in larger numbers, will release their magic as bait to attract the ants on the island, while the hunters from Country H will take this opportunity to penetrate the ants' nest and kill the Queen Ant that produces the ants."

Castorice's eyelids twitched slightly. "Brave and selfless."

It's gotten to the point where it makes people suspicious.

Her comments were also a point of doubt and concern for Gao Jianli. If he hadn't paid much attention to them at first, DFN's aggressive attitude after she explained that the Qizhou Island operation should be delayed made him suspicious.

"Demon Beast is humanity's greatest enemy, but the Castorice Hunters may not know that the number of people killed by Demon Beast every day and every year is less than one percent of the number of people killed by humans themselves."

A complex light flickered in Gao Jianli's eyes.

So, this time you brought me along not only because you trust yourself more, but also because you want to find a nanny, right?

Castorice inwardly complained, but her face showed determination. "Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will not let the shadow of death fall on my comrades on the battlefield."

However, the final interpretation of what constitutes a companion rests with Castorice herself.

Gao Jianli naturally understood this, and that was enough. Based on his current understanding of Castorice, he was certain that Castorice was a kind-hearted person with universal values. Someone who could be excluded from Castorice's definition of a partner was not worth Gao Jianli's heartache if she died.

After finishing their business, there wasn't much left to talk about, so Gao Jianli invited Castorice to go to the training ground together.

The S-Class hunters are currently undergoing pre-battle training there. Although Castorice has been active as a hunter for some time, the only S-Class she has actually met and knows are Che Huiyi and Choi Jung-in. This situation is thanks to Choi Jung-in.

During this period, he almost turned into a tentacle monster, spending most of his time helping Castorice fend off others.

Although his real goal was to get Che Huiyi to poach Castorice.

However, since it's a team effort now, even Choi Jung-in can't stop Castorice from getting to know the other S-Class hunters.

Castorice wasn't particularly interested in getting to know other hunters, but when she heard that Che Huiyi was there, she didn't refuse, since she also had a gift she wanted to give to Che Huiyi these past few days.

With the Chairman's private elevator, the two quickly arrived at the training room floor. Castorice had been here once before to test her strength, so she wasn't unfamiliar with it.

The vibrations of magic echoed in the air. When Castorice and Gao Jianli entered the training room of the S-Class, they saw a burly man with a wild hairstyle and a wild look in his eyes, wrestling with another bearded man with an afro and wearing karate clothes.

"That's Baek Ryul-ho, the Chairman of the White Tiger Guild, and Ma Dong-wook, the Chairman of the Fame Guild."

Although he knew that Castorice would definitely recognize them, since they were all celebrities, Gao Jianli still introduced them.

Choi Jung-in had been watching the game there early, greeted the two of them and was about to walk over when he heard the sound of the gate below opening.

Looking at the neat line of one person in front and nine people behind, Gao Jianli said, "They are the hunters sent by DFN to provide support, belonging to the Swordsman Guild."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Sparring

"DFN...?"

Castorice had actually heard the term once before, but she was quite unfamiliar with it.

Choi Jung-in assumed she wasn't very familiar with the guilds on DFN, so he helped explain, "The Swordsman Guild is probably the second largest guild in Asia. The one at the front is their Chairman, Goto Ryuji, who is said to be the only strong person in Asia who can rival Liu Zhikang, a seven-star hunter from Country Z."

As for Country Z, I'm quite familiar with Castorice.

However, judging from this context, DFN might be the Hunter Association of Japan in this world?

As for why the Hunter Association can order guilds to come and provide support... in fact, it is normal for the Hunter Association to order guilds to come. Country H can only be said that the Association does not have the ability to control the guilds.

Gao Jianli was ultimately too old.

As Castorice looked down, the Japan hunters below, after watching the battle between Baek Ryul-ho and Ma Dong-wook, also looked up.

Goto Ryuji's expression was usually calm and dignified, but at this moment he frowned and carefully examined the direction of Castorice.

"Who's that purple-haired guy...?"

Goto Ryuji looked at his assistant beside him.

"That's one of the newly promoted S-Class hunters, Castorice. She's not a hunter from Country H; she just happened to register as a hunter in Country H while studying abroad."

The assistant had already gathered all the necessary information about Country H: "In fact, there is another S-Class who registered shortly after Castorice. It seems that he became S-Class after his second awakening, but there is very little information about him."

"Secondary awakening? That sounds interesting."

"What's the code name 'Castorice'? It's not her real name, is it? Oh, could it be a name she chose from Country H?"