A few days later, Chen Fan invited Sett and Luo Feng out for a meal so the Hunting Gun Squad could get to know one another.
"Come, let me introduce you. These are Sett and Luo Feng, the two I told you about. From now on, we're all comrades," Chen Fan said, introducing them to the other two in the private room.
"This is Zhao Yong. He's an early-stage general-level Martial Artist and mainly uses a War Blade. Luo Feng, you can learn a lot from him," Chen Fan said, pointing at a slightly plump man.
"This is Yang Hui, our squad's sniper. He's an advanced-level Martial Artist with quick reflexes, and mainly uses firearms," Chen Fan said, pointing at a young man with glasses.
After the four exchanged greetings, Zhao Yong and Chen Fan proved to be very friendly. Having lived two lives, Sett was also good at conversation. Luo Feng and Yang Hui, on the other hand, said little, only speaking up now and then.
"Waiter, bring out the food." Seeing that the atmosphere had warmed up, Chen Fan hurriedly called for the dishes. They chatted as they ate.
There were five of them, and Chen Fan ordered more than ten dishes, filling the entire table. At a glance, none of it looked cheap.
For an ordinary family, this meal would have been a fortune. But for Martial Artists, it was just a drop in the bucket. Besides, Chen Fan was a mid-level general-level Martial Artist; killing a couple of monsters would keep him fed for a long time.
"Come on, let's drink!" Chen Fan filled the other four glasses, and the five of them clinked glasses.
As they downed one glass after another, the atmosphere grew livelier.
Zhao Yong and Chen Fan had founded the Hunting Gun Squad together. Back then, they had only been Warrior Level Martial Artists.
"You know what happened last time? Our buddy went looking for a beast general to fight one-on-one, trying to show off. Who knew the beast general had a beast general underling? If I hadn't gone to help, he'd have ended up inside a monster's stomach."
"Bullshit. That monster fought dirty—it actually called for backup!"
The two traded embarrassing stories about each other. Zhao Yong claimed he'd saved Chen Fan's life, while Chen Fan said Zhao Yong would've been eaten by beasts long ago without him.
"All right, we've eaten and drunk our fill. This gathering has two main purposes. First, to meet the new members and get to know each other ahead of time, so things won't be awkward in the Wilderness Zone. Second, to give out our mission.
"We leave for the Wilderness Zone in five days, next Monday. Since Sett and Luo Feng are new members, we've decided to go to City 048. Our main task is to help them get familiar with the Wilderness Zone. Once they've grown stronger, we'll go to a big city to hunt monsters." Chen Fan finished speaking and raised his glass. The five clinked their glasses again.
Learning the first level of the Heavenly God Fist let you unleash an extra burst of hidden force, bringing your strength to fourteen times its normal level.
Sett had been practicing the Heavenly God Fist for several days, but every time, he came just short of finding the right feeling.
"Let's watch the video again!"
Sett entered Extreme Home and opened the Heavenly God Fist instructional video.
The man in the video was too blurry to make out. "The Heavenly God Fist is all about speed, precision, and power! The first level is very simple. I'll demonstrate it once."
After buying the manual, Sett could read its text and watch videos to learn, though he could only access the video for the first level.
The man in the video threw ten punches in rapid succession, his fists as fast as lightning. When he finished, the video narrator said, "Everyone got that, right? The first level of the Heavenly God Fist is easy. Anyone with hands can do it."
"Damn it, I didn't learn a thing. If you're so good, why's your face pixelated? Let me see you in person, and I'll give you a couple of punches." Seeing the man in the video show off, Sett couldn't help grumbling.
But grumble as he might, Sett continued practicing his punches. The main point of practicing the Heavenly God Fist was to increase his force output. He didn't care about the fist technique itself, since he already had Pummel.
The most powerful people on Earth were only Planetary Level. How could they compare to my Innate Secret Technique?
"Sett, dinner's ready!"
"Forget it. I'll eat first and look for the right feeling again this afternoon."
Time passed, and before long, it was time for the Hunting Gun Squad to set out on a mission. That day, Sett put on the custom-made knuckle dusters he'd ordered. He wore a combat vest, had his Communication Watch on his wrist, and carried a Martial Artist's backpack filled with water and compressed biscuits.
"Whew, Wilderness Zone, here I come!" Sett shouted, then left home amid reminders from his family.
"Be careful."
"Come back soon."
Luo Feng and Sett met outside their residential complex, then boarded a private car from Extreme Dojo and headed to the HR Alliance Mall to meet the other three members of the Hunting Gun Squad.
The HR Alliance Mall stood in the main urban district of Jiangnan Base City. It was an 88-story skyscraper, with many soldiers patrolling the area around it, fully armed.
But the private car from Extreme Dojo that carried Sett and Luo Feng entered the HR Alliance building without a single obstruction.
The two found a sofa in the lobby and sat down to wait for the other three.
"Captain, over here." After Sett entered, his eyes kept wandering as he looked around. He didn't spot anything of interest, but he did see the other three first.
"Sett, Luo Feng, you're early." The three sat down with them. All five were fully armed, and Yang Hui had even brought two large guns.
"The biggest advantage of the HR Alliance Mall is that it pays high prices for materials from the monsters we hunt. If you sell to the Dojo, the price is lower, but you get contribution points. The Alliance Mall pays more, but gives no contribution points. It's up to you," Chen Fan explained the mall's offerings to Sett and Luo Feng.
The five drank beverages and chatted on and off.
"Luo Feng, look who that is." Sett's eyes lit up. He tapped Luo Feng on the shoulder and pointed toward a manager at the counter.
"Xu Xin?" Luo Feng stared at the female manager behind the counter in disbelief.
"What are you waiting for? Go on." Sett gave Luo Feng a nudge.
"Brother Chen, Brother Zhao, Brother Yang, I'll be right back." Luo Feng left his gear on the sofa and rose with a smile, heading for the counter.
Xu Xin was busy with her work when she suddenly heard someone call her.
"Xu Xin."
Xu Xin was startled. People here usually called her Manager Xu, and the voice sounded very familiar, too. She looked up and saw a familiar face.
"Ah, Luo Feng! What are you doing here?" Xu Xin asked with a smile.
Their eyes met, and something stirred in both their hearts.
Sett watched them meet from the sofa, thinking that it was working out after all. He was happy for his good friend.
"I should get going. Let's have a meal together another time." After exchanging a few words with Xu Xin, Luo Feng realized this wasn't the place to talk.
Xu Xin saw Luo Feng turn to leave and suddenly called out, "Be careful in the Wilderness Zone!"
"I will," Luo Feng replied with a smile.
The four watched Luo Feng walk back with a grin. Zhao Yong clapped him on the shoulder. "Kid, you've already got yourself a girl? Not bad!"
"An old man like you probably doesn't know how things work for young people. Beautiful girls throw themselves at them," Chen Fan teased.
"Get out of here. What do you know? Men only get more attractive as they get older."
Once the Hunting Gun Squad had gathered their things, they boarded a private car from the HR Alliance and headed to the train station. They left the Base City by train to reach the Wilderness Zone.
Rumble, rumble. After traveling several hundred kilometers from Jiangnan Base City, the train pulled into a military base.
The doors opened, and the Martial Artists jumped off, naturally forming several squads.
"Sett, Luo Feng, when we go out to hunt monsters, we'll return to the military base for supplies along the way. Around the world, the military bases of every country set aside special areas as supply stations for Martial Artists, where they can rest. These supply stations are like lighthouses, lighting the way home."
The captain took a key from an officer and headed to a three-story building to rest.
"It's only noon. Hurry up and get some rest. We'll set out in the evening," Chen Fan said to everyone after opening the door.
Zhao Yong and Yang Hui dropped their gear and went off to find rooms to rest in.
"We're setting out in the evening?" Luo Feng couldn't help asking.
"It's August, the hottest time of the year. If you hike around carrying hundreds of kilos, no amount of water will be enough. Traveling at night is cooler, and it saves water, too," Chen Fan explained with a smile.
"The Wilderness Zone really has a lot to learn," Luo Feng said with a smile.
After that, the three returned to their rooms to rest.
After all, the Wilderness Zone was full of monsters. If you weren't alert, you could doze off and get eaten.
At dusk, the five finished getting ready and picked up their gear. Captain Chen Fan had a long spear strapped to his back and looked imposing.
"Yang Hui, let me carry a couple of your ammunition boxes." Chen Fan took Yang Hui's two large boxes. Fully armed, the five left the Supply Base and officially entered the Wilderness Zone.
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