第44章 我不需要队友

Gu Jianlin walked into the conference room and swept a glance over the investigators present.

The Ether Association traditionally organized teams of three. There were fifteen investigators in total, most of whom he had seen during the previous hunting operation; only six were new faces.

His heart sank the moment he saw this structure.

The vast majority of these people were the ones who had been poisoned and taken out in seconds at the Fengcheng No. 2 High School cafeteria last time.

Perhaps he should just find a way to work alone. He didn't fear god-like opponents, but he dreaded pig-like teammates.

This was a burden he couldn't carry.

After entering the room, he felt hostile and scrutinizing gazes landing on him from all directions.

Gu Jianlin frowned and looked up.

Three people sat in the very center of the seating area, a configuration of two men and one woman.

The most conspicuous one wore a white suit, his black hair combed neatly back. He had a cold and stern face, his eyes carrying a hint of gold, sharp and majestic like a white tiger, possessing quite a bit of presence.

A youth who looked like his twin brother sat beside him, though he appeared relatively more indolent, a cigarette dangling unlit from his mouth.

Finally, there was a girl with dyed blonde hair, her face adorned with exquisite and bewitching makeup. She wore a revealing short dress that barely covered the tops of her thighs, exposing a pair of snow-white, slender legs, and she was wearing flip-flops.

That uncomfortable, scrutinizing gaze came from them.

Gu Jianlin had read their files.

This was the currently top-ranked team, and every one of them was a C-rank investigator.

Yan Ye, currently ranked second among the newcomers, was rumored to have Tier 2 strength but could cross into Tier 3 at any time. He also had deep connections within the upper echelons of the Association—a bona fide second-generation elite.

His two teammates were ranked third and fourth, respectively.

Yan Feng was his younger brother, following the Ancient Martial Arts path, though his rank was slightly lower.

It was worth noting that there was a very interesting detail in this person's record.

When the Joker had defected, he had clashed with this man.

However, Yan Feng hadn't won at the time.

The girl at the end was ranked fourth among the newcomers.

Mu Ziqing, Divine Priest path, Tier 2 Nun.

These hostile gazes likely belonged to the loyalist faction of the Tribunal, the local aristocratic forces of Feng City.

Of course, besides these hostile and scrutinizing stares, some people also showed pleasant surprise.

"Brother Lin, over here!"

Cheng Youyu stood up and waved at him.

Nie Xiangsi sat beside him, watching him with bright, lively eyes, nodding shyly in greeting.

Gu Jianlin walked over and said politely, "It looks like you're all much better."

Recalling the incident in the cafeteria, Cheng Youyu felt a bit awkward, scratching his head as he said, "Hahaha, we owe you for last time. If you hadn't stepped in, Brother Lin, we might have been done for."

Nie Xiangsi also whispered, "I haven't thanked you yet. Thank you."

The leader of that operation group sat right next to them, clearly part of the same team.

"Many thanks."

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly.

Compared to the others, these three were quite friendly.

Because immediately after they finished thanking him, Gu Jianlin heard a disdainful sneer.

"Don't mind them."

Cheng Youyu was actually quite perceptive and quickly asked, "Brother Lin, why don't you sit next to us? The person in charge of the operation should be coming to speak soon."

Zhang Cheng shifted his position to clear a seat and said politely, "Just come sit on our side."

Nie Xiangsi seemed a bit shy, keeping her head down and not daring to look at him.

Gu Jianlin was silent for a second. "No need, thank you."

It was obvious that most people didn't welcome him.

There was no need for him to cause these three to be implicated because of himself.

Gu Jianlin went straight to the corner at the very back and sat down.

At this moment, he noticed that of the seven groups in total, only five had arrived.

Suddenly, cold, crisp footsteps echoed.

The doors to the conference hall were pushed open gently, and a white-haired girl walked in carrying a massive instrument case.

She wore a black sun hat and a white off-the-shoulder casual top, revealing her snow-white shoulders and exquisite collarbones. Light blue jeans accentuated a pair of slender, well-proportioned legs, and she wore white sneakers on her feet.

The shadow of her hat brim obscured her snow-white, delicate face, yet one could feel her stern and sharp gaze.

She was at most twenty years old, her figure tall and graceful, yet she retained the youthful beauty of a girl.

Of course, pretty as she was, that aura of danger was the most obvious thing about her.

When she appeared, a powerful pressure enveloped the entire room.

Without a doubt, this was the current top-ranked newcomer in the Feng City jurisdiction.

Tang Ling, Sword Sect path, Tier 3 Sword Fanatic.

Codename, Thunder.

After Tang Ling entered, she didn't greet anyone and sat directly on the other side of the corner.

Gu Jianlin was a bit curious about this person and attempted to profile her based on her appearance and attire.

But as he stared at the girl, a hallucinatory scene flashed before his eyes.

The white-haired girl vanished.

In her place was a red-haired, charming girl, arrogant and stern, seductive and sharp.

It was as if he had seen swords and roses.

In an instant, the profiled image vanished without a trace.

Was that a transcendent image? It feels a bit off.

Gu Jianlin thought to himself.

Ever since he had crossed over to the Kirin Immortal Palace, he seemed to possess the ability to distinguish transcendent beings.

The prerequisite was that the other party had to activate their abilities.

Yet what he saw this time did not seem to be an image from a legacy path.

The white-haired girl seemed to sense his gaze and cast a cold, indifferent glance his way, her eyes strange.

Gu Jianlin's eyes were also strange.

Because they discovered that the other was a lone wolf just like themselves, with no teammates.

Suddenly, the lights in the conference hall dimmed.

On the projection screen, a mediocre yet stern and cold face was reflected.

"Greetings, newcomers."

He said indifferently, "I am the supreme person in charge of this operation, and also your instructor. My name is Chen Bojun. I believe that after today's mission, you will all remember my name. Because I will make you realize how cruel the transcendent world is to you. And how weak and naive you are."

A show of force right from the start.

Everyone looked at each other, no one speaking.

"Now, roll call."

"Group One, Yan Ye, Yan Feng, Mu Ziqing."

"Group Two, Zhang Cheng, Cheng Youyu, Nie Xiangsi."

"Group Three, Ye Xuan, Liu Qing..."

"Group Six, Tang Ling."

"Group Seven, Gu Jianlin."

On the projection screen, Chen Bojun looked up and frowned. "Excuse me, as I have just returned from a business trip, I am not quite familiar with the situation. Tang Ling, Gu Jianlin, why do you two have no teammates?"

The investigators turned their heads to look at the man and woman in the corner.

Tang Ling kept her head down, playing with her phone, with no intention of answering.

Gu Jianlin was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer either.

"Instructor Chen."

Yan Ye suddenly spoke up. "Instructor Chen, I would also like to ask this question. The minimum requirement for this Immortal Palace Project clearing operation is Tier 2. I would like to know why a Tier 0 Divine Priest has been allowed to mix in?"

"Indeed, I am also somewhat curious."

Yan Feng raised an eyebrow. "Is he here to leech off the merit?"

The investigators looked at each other; this was indeed against the rules.

On the projection screen, Chen Bojun also seemed somewhat hesitant. He looked down at the list report and raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Although he is a Tier 0 Divine Priest, he has experience in cross-tier challenges? Defeating a Tier 1 Magician as an ordinary person, and as a Tier 0 Divine Priest, solo-killing a Tier 2 Magician who possessed a Mythic Armament and had mastered a high degree of distortion."

He paused, showing an appreciative expression. "A remarkable combat record."

Someone suddenly said, "That wasn't a solo kill. Our operation group had already severely wounded the Joker, and he only lost his combat ability under the effect of the Necro-Gu. This cannot be called a solo kill."

"That's right."

Someone echoed, "Isn't it a bit excessive to call it a solo kill?"

These two were both Divine Priests from the original operation group, Tier 2 Junior Life Controllers.

"Give it a rest. If you aren't ashamed, I am."

Cheng Youyu flushed red with embarrassment. "Later, a Priest path expert verified it. The damage caused by the operation group was completely painless to the Joker. Classic 'I fired one shot and he's basically dead,' right? Why don't you say that your assets combined with Uncle Ma's make you the richest person in the country?"

As soon as this was said, the two Divine Priests frowned. They looked like twin brothers, their appearances nine-tenths similar.

"Speaking of the Joker incident, I actually have something to say too."

Gu Jianlin looked down from his position and said faintly, "You two, like me, are on the Divine Priest path, right?"

"So what?"

The two twin Divine Priests turned to look at him.

"The Necro-Gu should also be a life form, right? As Divine Priests, who possess the most comprehensive abilities, why didn't you sense the life rhythm of the Necro-Gu? And why did you let him successfully poison the food?"

Gu Jianlin glanced at them indifferently. "You don't know how to use the most basic ability of a Divine Priest?"

On the projection screen, Chen Bojun watched them with interest and said calmly, "Although the Gu Master path is not the most ancient path and its numbers are extremely scarce, it is not without records in the files. The Necro-Gu is indeed a life form."

The expressions of the two Divine Priests shifted between pale and dark. Feeling the gazes from all directions, they were extremely ashamed.

They were so embarrassed they could have dug a hole in the floor.

If one asked why they hadn't sensed it, there was only one explanation.

They were careless.

Or rather, they felt the mission was too simple and became complacent.

"So I believe that even if we are to dislike one another, it is I who should be disliking you."

Gu Jianlin said calmly, "A group of Tier 2s couldn't handle something simple, and I, a Tier 0 newcomer, had to clean up your mess. If anyone commits such a low-level mistake in this operation, I suggest you quit."

What a burn.

Almost everyone who had participated in that operation felt as if they had been struck in the chest by an arrow.

"Apologies."

Gu Jianlin looked at the three from Group Two. "No offense intended."

"I have experience in cross-tier kills, and I possess two Mythic Armaments."

He said without a hint of arrogance, "With my strength, joining this mission is perfectly fine. I don't need teammates; I alone can do things that over a dozen Tier 2s combined cannot. Furthermore, I heard that someone in the operation group was defeated by the Joker..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

If you're weak, don't question others.

Yan Ye raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes.

Yan Feng's eye twitched. He had indeed participated in the mission to hunt the Joker, and it had been a one-on-one encounter, yet he had suffered a crushing defeat.

He had only been Tier 1 at the time; if they were to meet again now, the outcome would certainly be different.

"Stay calm. Dwelling on this is meaningless. Remember the purpose of this operation; don't affect the upper echelons' rating of us."

Mu Ziqing lowered her voice. "Securing a spot to enter the Immortal Palace is what matters most."

The Yan brothers exchanged a look and sat down one after another.

"It seems you are very confident."

Chen Bojun watched the interaction between these young people and narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. Then... what about Tang Ling?"

"I am a Tier 3 Sword Fanatic with the ability to fight across tiers, and I carry three Alchemy Armaments."

Tang Ling kept her head down, playing with her phone, and said without looking up, "I don't need teammates. I am a team-leader level myself."

An unassailable reason.

"Very well, neither of you needs teammates."

Chen Bojun said with interest, "I hope your strength can match your arrogance."