Squad Dinner, Preparing to Move

"This guy looked pretty strange, right? He even said he wanted to become sworn brothers with you."

Beside him, a woman took off her helmet.

Her delicate features were revealed, carrying a rather valiant and dashing air.

"First Squad member, Number 6, codename: Shadow Cat. Wu Yao."

Even in her combat uniform, Wu Yao's curvaceous figure could not be concealed.

Yet she was not the least bit coy.

She stepped forward and extended her hand to Ye Fan.

"Star Martial Hall Martial Warrior, Ye Fan. Please take care of me."

Ye Fan also extended his hand and lightly shook Wu Yao's palm.

Wu Yao smiled, revealing two small dimples.

She had a good impression of this tall, handsome Youth before her, whose talent and combat strength were both exceptional.

"No problem, no problem. From now on, at the Star Martial Hall's Jiangning branch, your big sister will look after you."

Wu Yao patted her chest and said confidently.

Indeed, she was the only flower among the Star Martial Hall Jiangning branch.

Naturally, she received plenty of care from the other male Martial Warriors.

"Hmph, certain someone seemed unhappy earlier when I used my summoning privilege on my little brother..."

Having been roasted, Gunpowder glanced at Wu Yao and muttered.

"Hm? Clearly it was you who turned black into white."

Wu Yao said unhappily.

"Haha, alright, let's all introduce ourselves..."

Gunpowder and Wu Yao's banter eased the bloodiness and grim tension brought by the outbreak of mutated beasts.

The other squad members introduced themselves as well.

They also warmly welcomed Ye Fan into the Star Martial Hall.

In this high-martial world, one needed strength to earn respect.

And Ye Fan's performance during the extermination of the mutated beasts had completely won their recognition.

"Mm, according to the intelligence, with the Red-Haired Ape King slain, the danger of this White-Furred Black-Clawed Ape Beast Tide has been completely resolved."

"Cleanup operations are already underway everywhere, and all industries across the city have resumed normal operations."

"Our branch only needs to cooperate whenever necessary."

Wu Xie ended the call and said with a smile.

"Heh, that's great. Since the day has come, why wait for a better one? To welcome our captain, and to welcome my little brother Ye Fan into the squad."

"Tonight, I'm treating everyone at Taotie Tower. Let's feast to our hearts' content."

Gunpowder laughed.

Having grown familiar with Ye Fan, he already had one arm slung over Ye Fan's shoulder.

However, he was a little shorter than Ye Fan. From afar, he looked like he was hanging off Ye Fan, making for a rather comical sight.

"Tsk, the iron rooster that wouldn't shed a feather is finally planning to bleed heavily today."

Wu Yao teased.

"What feathers? Go ahead and pluck them."

Gunpowder was not offended. He rubbed his smooth, bald head, round as a braised egg, and said bluntly.

Looking at Gunpowder's shiny bald head, Ye Fan also wanted to give it a rub.

But out of politeness, he held himself back.

The group chatted and laughed as they headed toward Taotie Tower.

The squad members seemed to be looking forward to Taotie Tower, which made Ye Fan quite curious.

Although he was also from Jiangning.

His family's circumstances had not been good before, so he had never even heard of a place like this, one of the finest establishments in the inner city.

Before long, the group arrived at Taotie Tower.

Its name sounded grand, but Taotie Tower was not actually very large. Its decor, however, was noble and elegant.

It was likely a gathering place known only to certain circles and groups.

"Huh, why does that young man look a little like the youthful hero reported in the news?"

After entering Taotie Tower, some customers pointed at Ye Fan and discussed him.

Ye Fan's Mental Power had now reached 15 points.

Naturally, he easily caught their conversation, though he was somewhat puzzled.

"Little brother, you probably don't know this yet, but you're already a celebrity now."

Gunpowder grinned at Ye Fan.

As he spoke, he used his Martial Artist Watch to project a news report from not long ago.

It even had a hot Fire icon after it.

Ye Fan checked the view count. It had already exceeded one million.

There were tens of thousands of comments alone, with many of them folded away.

The footage showed him using the Bright Silver Spear to kill White-Furred Black-Clawed Ape mutated beasts. Not to mention, he did look rather imposing and domineering.

No wonder he had received dozens of messages.

Moreover, the Jiangning No. 1 High School Class 3 Grade 6 group chat had seemingly exploded.

But naturally, he could not rush to reply right now.

After all, his big brother was treating him. It would be rather rude to keep his head lowered, busily replying to messages.

He only sent word to Mother and Ye Ling that he was safe.

It turned out that Taotie Tower's dishes were delicacies prepared from the meat of ranked mutated beasts.

Not only could they satisfy Martial Warriors' taste buds, they could also replenish and strengthen their vitality.

However, because of the ingredients and the difficulty of preparation, their prices were naturally exorbitant.

There were also drinks mixed with spiritual herbs. Not only were they delicious, they also emitted a faint spiritual aura.

"Big mouthfuls of meat, big mouthfuls of wine—what joy in life!"

Gunpowder looked rough and rugged, but he was not reserved in the slightest.

His social butterfly attributes were maxed out.

He urged everyone to eat and drink to their heart's content, without putting on airs.

He was warm and hospitable.

Since his good big brother had said so.

Ye Fan, who had barely eaten his fill these past few days, naturally did not stand on ceremony.

He picked up a large piece of cooked mutated beast meat and began devouring it with great relish.

The taste was, of course, not as good as ordinary meat. It was somewhat dry and tough.

But the more he chewed, the more springy it became, and the more fragrant it tasted.

Moreover, after eating a large chunk of mutated beast meat, Ye Fan discovered in surprise that his Vitality Value had increased by 1.

Ye Fan's eyes lit up, and he stopped holding back.

Very soon, the members of the Martial Warrior Squad noticed just how much Ye Fan could eat.

Even several basins of mutated beast meat specially served for Ye Fan were easily swallowed by him.

Ye Fan was indeed tall and sturdy, but wasn't this far too much food?

Gunpowder's lips twitched slightly. Damn it.

True brother, come slash me.

By the end, Ye Fan was finally full. His Vitality Value had increased by a full 8 points, leaving him quite satisfied.

Of course, this was also the first time Ye Fan had truly eaten his fill since obtaining the Nine-Star Hegemonic Body.

As for Gunpowder, he had lost his earlier boisterousness and was on the verge of tears.

Everyone found it amusing. Was a thigh really that easy to cling to?

"Ye Fan, I heard that your family even sold its house to pay for your father's treatment."

"This is the access card to your new residence. Put it on your Martial Artist Watch, and you'll be able to activate it."

"Don't refuse. This is one of the benefits of becoming an A-Rank Martial Warrior cultivated by our Star Martial Hall."

As Wu Xie spoke, he handed Ye Fan a transparent card brimming with a futuristic feel, its interior filled with circuits.

"A-Rank."

At those words, Gunpowder, Wu Yao, and the other squad members were all startled.

Upon hearing this news, Gunpowder immediately felt that tonight's spending had been worth it!

"Alright, thank you, Uncle Wu."

Ye Fan smiled, deeply grateful to Wu Xie.

"Mm, downstairs is the vehicle assigned to me by the Martial Hall, the latest Wendao M9. Just use voice navigation. You can drive it for now."

At that moment, Ye Fan completely understood what it meant to have someone in court and find it easy to become an official.

With Wu Xie supporting him, everything was simply far too convenient.

After the gathering ended, Ye Fan entered the luxurious vehicle brimming with technology. Its AI autonomous driving freed his hands.

He went to the hospital to pick up Ye Ling, then navigated directly to the building where his family had originally lived in the outer city.

At that moment, a call came through.

Ye Fan had Ye Ling go upstairs to pack up first, telling her that he would be up shortly.

Then, he answered the call. "Brother Ye—no, Father Ye—you were freaking awesome today..."

A bespectacled Youth who looked refined and scholarly spoke as though possessed by "Gunpowder," shouting excitedly.

This Youth was Ye Fan's best friend, Zhou Liang, whose group nickname was Spectacled Toad Gazing at the Swan.

After chatting with Zhou Liang for a while.

Suddenly, Ye Fan heard the sounds of an argument coming from inside his family's old home...