Reed Like a Fish in Water
The treasures stored on Ilo Star are the result of Brave's years of plundering in the Quilla Universe. Although most of the valuables are handed over to Wayne each year, the remaining items, accumulated over hundreds of years, are quite considerable. All things combined, they are enough to buy one or two five-star divine artifacts.
After clearing the storeroom of all valuables, Gu Ding left Brave alive. Gu Ding knew very well that the man was still Wayne's loyal dog, and if he wasn't killed, Bluff would definitely join the hunt for his team immediately.
After eliminating Brave, the Gu Ding Team left Ilo Star immediately.
Under Sea Emperor's control, the Titan Warship made several long-distance Space Shuttle in an attempt to escape Wayne's controlled area.
However, during their time on the run, the Federal Government also issued Wanted Order for Dokter and Tagore.
Wanted Criminal: Dokter
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Cultivation Level: Demigod
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 150 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official evaluation: An inheritor of a special bloodline, a powerful individual who cultivates both qi and blood and soul.
Danger level: Four stars
Wanted Criminal: Tagore
Race: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Cultivation Level: Mid-rank God
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 130 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official assessment: Unknown species of creature, extremely powerful in combat.
Danger level: Four stars
In other words, apart from the seemingly harmless Blue and the unknown Sea Emperor, Wanted Order have been issued for all seven members of the Gu Ding Team. And none of them have a bounty of less than one hundred million Universe Crystal. Keep in mind, this is only the initial bounty.
However, news of Gu Ding Team eliminating Brave and provoking Wayne quickly spread.
The video of Liliath knocking several people unconscious with a single glance also went viral. It seems that besides the uniformed individuals, there were other people present when Liliath made her move. The videos on SkyNet were likely taken by bystanders at the time.
Of course, not many people are actually paying attention to news about Gu Ding Team. This is because during the few days that Gu Ding and his team were escaping Wayne's territory, a major event occurred in the Universe Sea.
This incident didn't happen in the Shallow Sea Zone Gu Ding and his group were located, but rather in the Deep Sea Zone of the Universe Sea. The main figures involved were several prospective members of the Federal Government's top three organizations. They joined forces to destroy four Interstellar Pirate outposts and marked the four individuals' territories as Federal Government property.
The federal Federal Government had conducted similar "training exercises" before, but they usually ended in failure, with a success rate of less than one in ten. This time, however, four consecutive "training exercises" were successfully completed, which was clearly unusual. The Federal Government's high failure rate was because most of the Interstellar Pirate in the Universe Sea had fought against them many times and were very familiar with the military personnel. They knew everyone's tactics and methods perfectly. But this time, it was said that the strategist for these battles was the same newcomer.
In the deep sea, many powerful figures were discussing this matter, and many Interstellar Pirate forces were also searching for information about the strategist.
"Boss, we've found some information about that new recruit through our inside contacts, but not much," a chubby man with small eyes said to a burly man with a full beard.
"Speak!" The big man seemed to care about this matter as well.
"The strategist on the Federal Government's side this time is named Reed. He's only sixteen years old and just graduated from military academy this year," the chubby man with small eyes said, recounting the information he had found. "According to insiders, this Reed made a splash at the federal conference a few days ago and was subsequently poached by Marshal Balin, who was presiding over the meeting. Later, it was said that he demonstrated the special abilities of a 'Gambiter,' and was directly promoted by Balin to test his skills in this 'training exercise.' As a result, he achieved four consecutive victories, exceeding everyone's expectations."
"What kind of past does this Reed have?" the bearded man asked, frowning slightly.
"He graduated from the Hai Lan Star Basic Military Academy, but his written test scores were terrifying, so his Universe Country put him on an additional test. There were three additional tests in a row, and the last one used the question bank of the Elite Legion in the Universe Sea, which he still passed with a perfect score. After the high-ranking officers of the Elite Legion learned about this, they specially recruited him to be an information recorder, starting from the basics. As a result, by chance, he participated in that meeting as a temporary recorder and was then poached by Balin."
"Hai Lan Star Basic Military Academy? Why does that name sound so familiar?" The burly man with the thick beard thought for a long time but couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
"Boss, the new pirate Gu Ding's been getting a lot of attention in the shallow seas lately is also from this school." The chubby guy with small eyes had done his homework quite well; he had researched all the information in great detail.
"From the same school? Could they know each other?" the burly man with the thick beard couldn't help but ask.
"According to the information I found, they were classmates and very good friends. When Gu Ding was once involved in a lawsuit, Reed was his lawyer." The chubby guy with small eyes had even dug up this kind of information, which meant he had obviously put in a lot of effort.
"If you can find this information, the Federal Government can't possibly be unaware of it." The bearded man nodded. "To be involved with popular Interstellar Pirate and still get promoted so quickly shows that this Reed is more than just someone with the ability of a 'Gambiter'."
"People who possess the 'Gambiter' ability usually have exceptional calculation skills and a strong sense of the big picture, but precisely because of this, their emotional intelligence is very low, and they can at most serve as strategists in the Federal Government. But this Reed is very likely a person of extraordinary wisdom and strategy before he even acquired the 'Gambiter' ability. The Federal Government is giving him so many opportunities so quickly, which clearly indicates that they want to cultivate him into a higher-level figure."
"The Federal Government's strategist holds a very high position. Although he doesn't have much real power, in terms of rank, he's second only to the Marshal in the Federal Government Headquarters, right?" The chubby guy with small eyes was somewhat shocked by his boss's analysis. "But it's said that Reed's cultivation level isn't even close to demigod..."
"With the resources of the Federal Government Headquarters, creating a Peak-rank God wouldn't require much effort at all. Besides, those with high intelligence usually have extremely extraordinary cultivation talent. His low cultivation level is most likely just because of insufficient resources in the past. Even if he does have some kind of obstacle in his cultivation, the Federal Government will help him solve it, even if it costs a lot of money to rebuild his physical body. Cultivation level won't be an obstacle on his path to advancement," the bearded man explained.
"Boss, what if he attacks us?" The chubby guy with small eyes suddenly became worried.
"He wouldn't. The targets he chooses to attack are Pirate Crew with no real background. For the Federal Government, this is just a 'military exercise' and they won't actively provoke other forces." The bearded man shook his head.
Meanwhile, inside the Federal Government, a group of teenagers are holding a meeting.
"Reed, should we target a larger force next?" a young man asked confidently. "With your command and our strength, there shouldn't be many forces in the Deep Sea Zone that we can't touch, right?"
"It's not that simple. In the Universe Sea, various forces are intertwined, and there are very few Interstellar Pirate without a powerful backer. After all, we're just 'training'. If we accidentally offend a major power and start a war, it will only displease the higher-ups. Headquarters has given me very limited access to information during this 'training' to train me. I've been very careful in choosing my opponents, afraid of stepping on a landmine." Reed's blond hair had been cut to less than an inch long, making him look energetic. He had also shed the childishness of more than half a year ago, and his eyes no longer held the languor of the past.
"So who is our next opponent?" another tall, strong young man asked anxiously.
"Are you really planning something big, or are you just talking?" Reed's lips curled up slightly as he glanced at the ten people present.
"Of course we want to go big! There are two empty seats in the top 3 regular rankings, and so many people are eyeing those two spots. Among equally matched opponents, only those with higher merit can secure those positions. Naturally, the stronger the opponent, the better." A young man sitting in the corner, exuding a cold aura, suddenly spoke up.
"Alright then, let me explain the mission objectives first, and then you can decide whether or not to accept it," Reed said, launching a projection.
On the projected image was a tall, Bald Head, muscular man whose powerful aura made many of the teenagers present feel a sense of suffocation.
"You've all heard of the Violent Bear Mercenary Crew, right?" Reed's gaze swept over the crowd. "This bald Bald Head is the leader of the Violent Bear Mercenary Crew. He's One-Star Peak-rank God, and his Combat Strength is probably above Two-Star Peak-rank God, but no more than three stars."
Several people gasped when they saw Reed's target this time.
"Bill of the Violent Bear Mercenary Crew is already quite strong, but more importantly, his mercenary group has tens of thousands of members, each with Combat Strength at least at the Mid-rank God. Nearly a hundred of the core members are High-rank God Combat Strength, and two vice-captains are Peak-rank God. In the Deep Sea Zone, his force is easily among the top twenty. Among forces without powerful backers, it ranks third." A girl in a red battle robe looked somewhat grim. "Reed, we only have ten people; I'm afraid we can't swallow this force."
"Ten people are certainly not enough. You can ask your friends for help to gather twenty people. I'm 80% confident we can win. If we gather thirty people, I'm 99% confident we can wipe them out in one fell swoop." Reed's lips curled up slightly. "Although more people will spread the Merit Points, each person will still get more than before. Moreover, if we succeed this time, it will definitely be sensational news."
"Alright, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. We'll take this chance!"