Lin Feng stared at those four words, his mind racing.
D-Rank Rift.
What did that mean?
The Exotic Beasts inside were Martial Master rank at the very least.
Martial Masters stood a whole major realm above Martial Artists.
He was only a Martial Artist Rank 2.
Even with Mountain Splitter and the System, he couldn't say how things would turn out if he charged into a D-Rank Rift.
Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao seemed to have guessed what was on Lin Feng's mind and began to explain.
"This Rift was still E-Rank three days ago. Then it suddenly doubled in size two days ago, and its detected rank jumped to D-Rank. But according to the analysis of the internal fluctuation frequency, the Exotic Beast population inside hasn't fundamentally changed."
He traced a circle on the detection map with his finger.
"Simply put, the shell got bigger, but what's inside is still the same. The main body of the Exotic Beast population is still E-Rank. There may be a few Exotic Beasts nearing the Martial Master threshold, but not many."
"So the actual difficulty of this mission is probably somewhere between E-Rank and D-Rank."
Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and thought it over for a couple of seconds.
He had already killed E-Class Exotic Beasts.
The Red Flame Earth Lizard had been at the Martial Artist level, and he had hacked it to death while it was weakened.
If most of the Rift's inhabitants were E-Rank, then the risk of this mission would be considerably lower.
But lower didn't mean nonexistent.
Facing a whole horde of E-Class Exotic Beasts was a completely different matter from taking on one by himself.
"Why pick me?"
Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao flipped to the last page of the folder.
It contained a report Chen Lie had written. The details were clear.
Lin Feng had killed a Red Flame Earth Lizard alone inside a Rift.
"Chen Lie reported your accomplishment." Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao closed the folder. "A Martial Artist Rank 2 killing an E-Class Exotic Beast alone—that's an achievement that ranks among the best in the entire Northern Territory."
"Besides, your progress is far too fast. You've been stationed here for less than a week, and you've gone from Martial Disciple Rank 5 to Martial Artist Rank 2. I haven't seen that kind of pace in more than ten years in the Northern Territory."
He paused.
"So I need you to take this trip into the Rift. Partly because the mission requires it, and partly..."
"To see where my limits are," Lin Feng finished for him.
Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao didn't deny it.
"You could put it that way. If you perform well in the Rift, I'll submit a special recommendation to my superiors when you return. It'll help your military career."
"When do we leave?"
"Dawn the day after tomorrow. Report to Assembly Point No. 3 tomorrow afternoon and meet the new team."
Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao stood and handed Lin Feng the folder.
"The personnel roster's inside. Take a look yourself. If you have questions, ask Chen Lie."
Lin Feng took the folder, stood, and headed for the door.
Just as he reached it, Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao called after him.
"Lin Feng."
"Yeah?"
"I know what's going on with Zhao Tianxiong. The ledger and evidence have already been sent to the Provincial Capital. They'll send people down to investigate. Until then, keep your head down."
Lin Feng looked back at him with a rueful smile, then pushed the door open and left.
With the System, keeping a low profile was hard.
When he returned to the Barracks, Wang Tie and Li Ming were both still awake, waiting for him.
Lin Feng tossed the folder onto his bed.
"D-Rank Rift mission. We leave the day after tomorrow."
Wang Tie leaned over and flipped through a couple of pages. His expression changed several times.
"D-Rank? Are you fucking going there to get yourself killed?"
"It's an E-Rank Rift that mutated. Most of the Exotic Beasts inside are still E-Rank."
Wang Tie flipped through a couple more pages. When he saw the personnel roster, he relaxed a little.
"Two Martial Artists at the peak leading the team. That's not bad. But a Martial Artist Rank 2 going into an E-Rank Rift is still pretty risky."
Li Ming chimed in from the side. "Brother Feng, can Brother Tie and I go with you?"
Wang Tie slapped him on the back of the head.
"You're a Martial Disciple Rank 3. You'd be lucky if you were enough to get stuck between an Exotic Beast's teeth."
The slap made Li Ming grimace, but he didn't argue.
He knew he wasn't qualified for a mission at this level.
"You two don't need to come this time." Lin Feng pulled Mountain Splitter out from under his pillow and checked the blade.
"Old Wang, how long have you been stuck at Martial Disciple Rank 9?"
Wang Tie scratched his head. "Almost two years."
"Use the Magic Cores and Elixirs you got from the Black Market to break through in the next couple of days."
Wang Tie froze.
Break through? Of course he wanted to, but the hurdle between Martial Disciple and Martial Artist couldn't be crossed by brute force alone. He needed Elixirs to temper his body, along with plenty of combat experience to grasp that threshold.
He'd spent more than two years in the Northern Territory. He had enough combat experience; the only thing he lacked was Elixirs.
Now he had them.
"Fine." Wang Tie gritted his teeth. "I've been grinding away for over two years. I'm just one push away. You go into the Rift and farm monsters; I'll shut myself away at Base Camp. When you get back, we'll see which of us made more progress."
Li Ming raised his hand. "What about me?"
"You?" Wang Tie rolled his eyes. "Try reaching Martial Disciple Rank 5 first."
Li Ming pursed his lips, but still took a low-tier Magic Core from his pocket—the one he'd received earlier—and clenched it in his hand.
"I'm going into seclusion too."
Lin Feng ignored their bickering and opened the folder to check the personnel roster.
The Special Squad had nine people in all.
There were two leaders, both Martial Artists at the peak.
One was named Han Qingshan, with a note that read "Deputy Captain of the Northern Territory's Third Patrol Squad."
The other was named Shen Yunfei, with a note that read "Specially Assigned Observer from the Provincial Martial Arts Association."
Both names had been underlined in red.
The remaining seven ranged from Martial Artist Rank 5 to Rank 7.
Lin Feng's name was last: Martial Artist Rank 2, followed by a small note that read "Special Approval."
He closed the folder, drew Mountain Splitter, and held it in his hand.
The Spirit Pattern shimmered in the lamplight, and the blade radiated a chill.
The System Panel flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Host: Lin Feng] [Realm: Martial Artist Rank 2 (0/200)] [Martial Technique: Mountain-Breaking Slash (1/1000)] [Talent: Steel of the Blade 86/500] [Martial Path Points: 0]
His points had run dry.
Perfect. He could farm some points in the Rift this time.
Once he'd made up his mind, he set the sword down, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep.
The next afternoon.
With Mountain Splitter on his back, Lin Feng headed alone toward Assembly Point No. 3.
Wang Tie and Li Ming stayed in the Barracks to enter seclusion. Before Lin Feng left, Wang Tie had pressed two Energy Recovery Pills into his hand, saying they were for emergencies.
On the way, he ran into a few stray E-Class Exotic Beasts.
Iron Spine Pythons and Armor-Splitting Bears—types he'd seen before.
Lin Feng didn't hesitate. He drew his blade and attacked.
Mountain Splitter's A-Rank power was on full display against the F-Class Exotic Beasts. He could now split open their iron armor with a single slash.
[Defeated F-Class Exotic Beast: Iron Spine Python, gained Martial Path Points ×1] [Steel of the Blade: 87/500] [Defeated F-Class Exotic Beast: Armor-Splitting Bear, gained Martial Path Points ×1] [Steel of the Blade: 88/500]
He killed his way along the road, and by the time he reached the assembly point, several fresh smears of blood stained his clothes.
Two armed guards stood at the entrance to the assembly point. They checked his credentials, then let him in.
Six people were already inside the bunker.
Lin Feng looked around, gauging each person's presence as best he could.
Two men stood against the wall in the far corner.
One was in his early thirties, with short hair, an old scar on his chin, and a lean, sturdy build. His aura was deeply restrained. Martial Artist at the peak.
The other looked younger, around twenty-five or twenty-six. He wore a white undershirt that clashed with the military uniform, and his hair was combed perfectly smooth. He stood ramrod straight and clearly wasn't a native of the Northern Territory. He, too, was a Martial Artist at the peak.
Han Qingshan and Shen Yunfei.
The two stood in the same corner, a full two meters apart, each looking elsewhere, without even exchanging a glance.
The tension between them was so strong you could smell it from the doorway.
Lin Feng walked in and took a seat at an empty table.
There was a kettle on the table. He poured himself a cup of water and took a sip.
A bearded man sitting nearby glanced at Lin Feng.
"You the new recruit? Martial Artist Rank 2?"
"Yeah."
The bearded man looked him up and down twice, then gave a mocking snort.
"A Martial Artist Rank 2 made it into the Special Squad? Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao must be short on people."
Lin Feng set down his cup and didn't respond.
Another bald man sitting nearby chimed in. "I heard he killed a Red Flame Earth Lizard by himself. Otherwise, how could he have been selected?"
The bearded man curled his lip. "A Red Flame Earth Lizard? During its weakened period, right? That thing doesn't even count as a mid-level monster in an E-Rank Rift."
He hadn't exactly said it under his breath.
Han Qingshan lifted his eyes from the corner, then lowered them again.
Shen Yunfei, on the other hand, looked at Lin Feng for a couple of seconds longer. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, but it was hard to tell what he meant.
Lin Feng ignored them all and closed his eyes to rest.
The System Panel hovered quietly in his mind.
[Current Martial Path Points: 2]
A little low.
But it didn't matter. He'd have plenty of chances to farm once they were inside the Rift.
About twenty minutes later, the final two people arrived.
All nine were present.
Han Qingshan stepped away from the wall and surveyed the team.
"Everyone's here. I'll say a few words."
His voice wasn't loud, but the bunker fell silent.
"This mission is for Rift Exploration. The Rift mutated from E-Rank to D-Rank three days ago. The Exotic Beast population inside is mainly E-Rank, though there may be a few mutated individuals nearing the Martial Master threshold."
"Once we're in, we'll split into two groups. I'll lead one through the main passage, and Shen Yunfei will lead the other through the side passage. The groups will meet up on the third level, then push into the Core Zone together."
Before he could finish, Shen Yunfei spoke from the corner.
"I have a different opinion about the team split."
Han Qingshan paused for two seconds.
"Go on."
"Your group is taking the main passage, where you'll encounter more Exotic Beasts. In theory, the stronger people should be concentrated on your side. But on your roster, you've assigned Old Zhao and Old Ma, both Martial Artist Rank 7, to my team."
Shen Yunfei straightened up from the wall and walked to the table.
"Deputy Captain Han, don't you think there's a little self-interest in the way you've split us up?"
The atmosphere suddenly tightened.
Han Qingshan fixed his gaze on Shen Yunfei, and the air between them nearly froze.
"You're an observer from the Provincial Capital. What gives you the right to interfere with the Northern Territory's tactical arrangements?"
Shen Yunfei smiled. His smile was polite, yet cutting.
"I came here to observe, but I don't want to end up dead while I'm observing."
Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and watched the two men.
Well, damn. They hadn't even entered the Rift, and the team leaders were already at each other's throats.
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