Moving and Joining the Fire Hammer Squad

At the main entrance of Bright Moon Residential Area.

When Luo Zhe arrived, seven or eight soldiers were busy carrying items off a large moving truck. Luo Feng stood at the entrance, pushing a thin youth with sickly pale skin in a wheelchair, following behind a middle-aged couple. They were listening to the gray-haired old man from the security guard station explain the layout of the residential area.

"Luo Feng." Luo Zhe quickened his pace as he walked toward them.

Luo Feng's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise; he hadn't expected Luo Zhe to arrive so quickly, as he had planned to call him later.

"Brother Zhe, how did you get here so fast?"

Luo Zhe rolled his eyes and pointed toward the Limit Dojo, which stood far taller than any other building in the center of the complex. "From the dojo building to the main gate, at your speed, it wouldn't even take ten minutes if you jogged a little. If you hadn't contacted me so late, I would have been waiting here ages ago."

"Besides, we agreed during the prospective martial artist assessment to exchange numbers and grab a meal sometime. You only let me know now that you're moving into Bright Moon Residential Area—I'm truly heartbroken." Luo Zhe feigned a look of deep sorrow, stomping his feet and beating his chest, which made Luo Feng feel quite embarrassed.

Luo Feng sheepishly admitted his fault: "Brother Zhe, I'm really sorry. I had intended to find time to call you these past two days, but one thing after another kept coming up, catching me off guard, and I just couldn't break away."

Luo Zhe hadn't actually been angry, so seeing Luo Feng's sincere apology, he naturally stepped down from his high horse and waved a hand. "Let's not talk about that. Have you finished moving everything in?"

Luo Feng nodded and looked at the soldiers still hauling boxes. "Everything is here. If we need anything else, we can just buy it later."

"Oh, right, Brother Zhe, let me introduce you." Luo Feng put his arms around his parents, who were standing somewhat stiffly behind him, and pulled them forward. "These are my parents."

He then looked at his younger brother, Luo Hua, who was sitting in the wheelchair, staring at them with wide, curious eyes. "And this is my younger brother, Luo Hua."

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie. Hello, little brother Luo Hua." Luo Zhe smiled and waved a greeting.

"H-hello, Luo Zhe." Luo Feng's parents were a bit reserved; they weren't mentally prepared to interact with a martial artist like Luo Zhe, who was a peer of their son.

Luo Hua, however, was not shy at all. He waved his hand and said, "Hello, Brother Luo Zhe! You look so young, about the same age as my brother. Are you also a genius martial artist who just joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall?"

Luo Zhe reached out to pat Luo Hua's head. "What kind of genius am I? Your brother is much more impressive than me. But you got one thing right—I also just joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, having moved here only half a month ago."

The gray-haired old man on the side teased, "Little Hua, don't listen to his false modesty. Our Yangzhou City Limit Dojo only recruited two martial artists early this year: one is your brother, and the other is this Luo Zhe. If he doesn't count as a genius, then very few people do."

The old man turned his head to a young woman standing nearby holding a folder. "The villa next to Luo Zhe's, number 200, is still vacant, right? It's perfect to have them as neighbors; they'll have some company."

The young woman nodded and flipped through the documents until she reached the page for Villa 200.

"Please, follow me!"

Luo Zhe and the Luo family followed the young woman into the residential area, taking in the small bridges, flowing water, rockeries, and the individual villas surrounded by streams.

"From today on, this is our home." Luo Feng turned to look at his parents and his brother in the wheelchair. Both his parents and his brother were looking at the complex with visible excitement.

"Mr. Luo Feng, the one in front, 199, is Mr. Luo Zhe's home. Your house is the one right next to it." The soldiers followed behind with the luggage, while the young woman in the lead smiled as she held the documents. "Villa 200 will be your home in Bright Moon Residential Area. This villa has three floors, a basement, and an extra-large terrace on the third floor. Just like Villa 199, the second floor has bedrooms and a media room, and a large martial arts training hall has been built to facilitate Mr. Luo Feng's daily training. The entire villa covers 536 square meters. If you include the basement, the courtyard, and the large terrace, it exceeds 850 square meters."

In the small bar on the first floor of the Limit Dojo.

Luo Zhe, Luo Feng, and Chen Gu sat facing each other. Wu Tong brought over a few cocktails from the bar counter and laughed, "Don't just sit there! Come on, have some cocktails. This is a signature feature of our Limit Dojo. This bartender is a high-level mixologist I specifically invited from the HR Alliance headquarters. You both should try it."

Although Luo Zhe and Luo Feng had been here before, this was their first time drinking the bar's cocktails. Hearing Wu Tong's introduction, they became interested and picked up their glasses to take a sip.

Chen Gu joked, "Brother Wu, you say that every time a newcomer arrives, as if we only joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall for the sake of a drink."

"You brat." Wu Tong pointed a finger at Chen Gu. "You have the nerve to say that? I've never seen you drink any less whenever you come to the bar. What, are you starting to look down on our bartender now?"

"I wouldn't dare! Old Guan is a treasure of our dojo; I wouldn't dare look down on anyone, let alone him." Chen Gu quickly waved his hands, signaling that he wouldn't take the blame for that.

Wu Tong shook his head and turned serious. "Alright, enough joking. Let's talk business."

"Luo Zhe, Luo Feng," Wu Tong said with a smile, "as per Director Zhuge's instructions, we are arranging for you both to join a Warlord-level martial artist squad. This way, it will be easier for you to gain experience outside the base city, and your safety will be better guaranteed! Although your strength isn't bad, having the protection of a squad is definitely better than fighting alone. Chen Gu and I have discussed it, and we'd like you to join the Fire Hammer Squad. As it happens, Chen Gu is the deputy captain of the Fire Hammer Squad, so you can always ask him if you have any questions."

Luo Zhe paused for a moment and asked, "Is this Director Zhuge's idea?"

Wu Tong nodded. "Yes. Although the Fire Hammer Squad isn't the top-tier among Warlord-level squads, the captain, Gao Feng, is a veteran with many years of experience in the wilderness. He is very skilled at training newcomers, which makes him perfect for your current stage."

Luo Feng didn't mind; after all, being able to join a Warlord-level squad right from the start showed how much they valued him as a newcomer. Plus, with Chen Gu as a member—an acquaintance from the same residential area—it was certainly better than joining a squad of strangers.

Luo Zhe thought for a moment and nodded, signaling his approval.

Even though the Fire Hammer Squad only had two Warlord-level martial artists and couldn't offer him much direct help, he still had to give face to Director Zhuge and Wu Tong.

Besides, as a newcomer, he certainly didn't know the wilderness as well as those old veterans who had been roaming it for years.

Rather than wasting the good intentions of Director Zhuge and Wu Tong by blindly joining a top-tier Warlord squad and struggling to keep up with their pace, it was better to join the Fire Hammer Squad for the time being.

In any case, once his application for the Special Training Contract was approved in a few days, he would be heading to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall headquarters in Hongning Base City for training anyway.

"Hey, you two good lads." Chen Gu, the Cannon, patted Luo Zhe on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "I'm the deputy captain of the Fire Hammer Squad! From now on, just follow my lead in the squad, and I'll have your backs."

"However, Luo Zhe, Luo Feng, I have to say the ugly things first. Even though our Fire Hammer Squad will give you opportunities to gain experience and help you adapt to fighting monsters, you must work hard yourselves. You cannot always rely on other squad members for help. After all, as martial artists, you must ultimately rely on your own efforts to stand firm in the wilderness."

Luo Zhe and Luo Feng both nodded.

Martial artist squads operated on the edge of life and death; if there was a burden within the team, it would indeed have a significant impact.