Joining the Team

Su Ze noticed that the auntie was seated half a body length behind the refined beauty. Her gaze was wary, and her peripheral vision constantly swept the surroundings. The moment he and the bartender approached, the auntie examined them.

Clearly, the dark-skinned auntie was a bodyguard, while the refined beauty was the employer.

Without a powerful bodyguard at her side, this employer would probably have been like Su Ze—too afraid to post an escort mission like this for fear of attracting a pack of wolves.

This auntie was most likely at the Butterfly Transformation Stage... At that thought, instead of feeling delighted to have such a powerful backer in the team, Su Ze felt the urge to turn around and leave.

With a Butterfly Transformation Stage expert protecting her, she was still recruiting a large number of people for an escort mission with possible danger to their lives. What kind of trouble had this employer gotten herself into?

Still, since he was already here, Su Ze decided to talk with the employer before making up his mind. As he walked over to the table, he caught the three people's conversation. The auntie scrutinized the man across from her and questioned, "Eighty thousand a day? You're only at the Pupal stage. What makes you think you're worth that price?"

"Because I've already absorbed three vials of Tier 2 extract and could complete my second evolution at any moment, becoming a Cocoon Breaking Stage Evolver!" The man's tone was exceedingly arrogant. "Hiring a near-Cocoon Breaking Stage Evolver for eighty thousand a day isn't a loss for you, is it? Don't worry—even if I evolve successfully on the road, I won't raise my price."

Only then did Su Ze take a closer look at the man. He was a young man in his twenties, short and lean, with a mohawk and an unruly expression. He looked like a troublemaker at first glance, while the scar stretching across half his face added a touch of ferocity.

He slouched carelessly in his chair, with both legs propped up on the empty chair beside him.

Before the auntie could speak, the refined beauty nodded. Her voice was gentle but decisive. "All right."

The troublesome young man was visibly stunned. He had not expected the employer to be so agreeable.

The bartender took the opportunity to step in. Moving forward, he introduced Su Ze to the employer. "This is a Pupal stage Evolver. He'd like to join your team. He doesn't have high requirements for compensation—ten thousand a day is enough. More than making money, he craves adventure."

Both the beautiful employer and the bodyguard auntie looked at Su Ze with mild surprise. Seeing his excessively youthful face, they seemed to understand. This was an inexperienced youth who craved adventure. He had completed his first evolution at such a young age, yet he was not particularly greedy for money. He obviously came from a well-off family and might even have sneaked out behind his family's back.

"You need to think this through. This isn't some adventure game for you. Once you accept this mission, you could really die!" the auntie warned coldly.

Su Ze nodded and asked, "I only have one question. Among the enemies we might encounter, will there be any Saint-level experts?"

"Not likely." The auntie shook her head. "Saint-level experts are so exalted. Why would they appear in a place like this?"

"Then I've made up my mind. I want to join your team, unless you won't have me," Su Ze said firmly.

He had to leave the country no matter what. Staying in Black Rock City meant waiting to die, and now two paths out of the country lay before him.

The first was taking the cross-border highway. He would definitely run into people from the Zhao Family and the mysterious organization. It was certain death.

The second was crossing the Black Rock Mountain Range with the refined beauty's team. At most, he might encounter Butterfly Transformation Stage enemies, and even that was only a possibility. There would also be other Evolvers in the team, along with an auntie who was suspected to be at the Butterfly Transformation Stage. Even if they encountered enemies, there was still a chance of survival.

The former meant certain death, while the latter meant possible death. Even an idiot knew which one to choose.

"If you insist on joining, then sit down and let's talk," the refined beauty said to Su Ze.

Su Ze nodded and stepped forward. The dining table had four chairs in total. Three were occupied, leaving only one empty chair—but the troublesome young man had both his legs resting on it.

When Su Ze reached the chair, the troublesome young man showed no intention of moving his legs. Instead, he casually glanced at Su Ze before lowering his head and continuing to toy with the lighter in his hand.

Was this the treatment protagonists got? Would there always be random idiots looking for trouble?

Su Ze did not suddenly erupt and break the villain's legs, nor did he flash a crooked smile. He simply pulled at the chair, only to discover that the troublesome young man was secretly applying force and keeping it firmly in place.

Su Ze remained impassive, seeming to give up on pulling the chair out. However, he secretly activated the Ant Strength skill. His strength surged in an instant, and he abruptly grabbed the chair's backrest and yanked it hard backward.

This time, the troublesome young man could not keep the chair down. Su Ze pulled the empty chair free and held it in his hand. Since the young man had been bracing himself with both legs, he suddenly lost his support and was caught off guard, losing his balance and landing on his ass.

After suffering this setback, the troublesome young man pushed himself up with one hand. His eyes turned fierce and his expression twisted as he prepared to lash out, only to suddenly find the bartender standing in front of him.

"Gao Long, do I need to remind you of the bar's rules?" The bartender's usual smile vanished, leaving only cold indifference on his face.

The troublesome young man, Gao Long, immediately calmed down. Without saying a word, he sat back down, though he still cast Su Ze a chilly glance.

Gao Long was a somewhat famous genius among Black Rock City's Evolvers. He had risen from the slums and achieved what he had today through sheer courage and hard fighting. The kind of people he despised most were greenhouse flowers like Su Ze, people who had never weathered any storms yet possessed everything others could never obtain even by risking their lives.

Gao Long had picked a fight purely out of resentment toward the rich, not because he had any grudge against Su Ze... Though now, he did.

Su Ze did not care either. He sat down openly, as though nothing had happened, ignoring Gao Long's threatening gaze.

They were not even on the same level, so there was nothing to compete over. The enemies Su Ze had provoked were the Zhao Family and the mysterious organization. Gao Long was not even qualified to be considered his enemy.

If it truly came down to a fight to the death, Su Ze, equipped with top-tier skills, was not afraid. He also had the Tier 2 Marvel, Head of the Wailing Ones. No matter how he looked at it, his odds of winning were higher.

Seeing Su Ze take a seat, the bartender turned and returned to the bar.

After the minor clash just now, the beautiful employer and the bodyguard auntie looked at Su Ze somewhat differently.

The auntie asked, "Do either of you have any other questions?"

Su Ze said, "I'd like to know roughly how many people will be in the team tomorrow, and what their strength is like."

"At the moment, more than a dozen people have accepted the mission. Five are at the Cocoon Breaking Stage, and the rest are all at the Pupal stage."

Su Ze nodded. That was only the current number. After a night's time, there would be even more people in the team by the time they departed tomorrow.

Gao Long, meanwhile, asked about tomorrow's route. Different routes entailed different possible dangers and required different preparations. Gao Long was an experienced Hunter.

"The route is confidential for now," the auntie said. "Come directly to the bar tomorrow morning to gather. I'll pay you one day's compensation in advance, and the rest will be paid in full after we arrive in the Luofan Kingdom."

The beautiful employer looked at Su Ze again and advised, "This mission is very dangerous. You can withdraw at any time if you change your mind. Or I can raise your compensation. Risking your life for ten thousand isn't worth it."

I was forced into this too... Su Ze bared his teeth in a grin. "Money doesn't matter. I just want to follow you, big sister, and broaden my horizons."