Contract, HR Alliance Mall

Limit Martial Arts Hall, Chief Instructor's office.

In front of the spacious, bright floor-to-ceiling windows, Chief Instructor Wu Tong personally poured a glass of water for Lin Fan. For a prospective warrior who had not yet officially passed the actual combat assessment, this was an extremely rare treatment.

Beside him, Instructor Jiang Nian was beaming, his gaze toward Lin Fan so intense that it gave the boy goosebumps.

"Lin Fan, although according to the procedure, you need to wait until August 1st to pass the actual combat assessment before you can officially become a warrior."

Wu Tong sat on the leather sofa, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk as he got straight to the point.

"But rules are rigid, while people are flexible. With your age of 18, a punch force of 1350kg, and superior-grade nerve response, you have fully met the standards for the martial arts hall's 'early recruitment,' or even... the standards for 'genius special recruitment.'"

As he spoke, he pushed a drafted electronic contract toward Lin Fan.

"This is the internal special recruitment contract for the Limit Martial Arts Hall. As long as you sign it and join us, in addition to the basic warrior privileges, you will immediately receive the following benefits."

"First, a detached villa in the Bright Moon Residential Quarter with permanent residency rights."

"Second, a startup fund of 20 million Huaxia coins."

"Third, your choice of a full set of guidance techniques, movement techniques, and attack techniques, provided the price is within 50 million; the martial arts hall will foot the bill."

After Wu Tong finished speaking, he looked at Lin Fan with burning eyes, waiting for the boy to show an expression of wild joy.

However, to his surprise, Lin Fan's expression remained calm.

There was no jumping for joy, nor was there any sign of being overwhelmed by favor.

He simply browsed through the contract terms quickly, confirmed the most critical points for him—the "legal status" and the "time of fund arrival"—and then picked up the electronic pen to sign his name decisively.

"Deal."

Lin Fan put down the pen and looked up at Wu Tong with clear eyes.

"Thank you, Instructor. This is exactly what I need."

Wu Tong and Jiang Nian exchanged a glance, their estimation of this youth rising even higher.

Neither arrogant nor impetuous, calm in the face of favor or humiliation.

His temperament was even more terrifying than his talent.

"Good!" Wu Tong laughed aloud, stood up, and extended his hand. "Welcome to the Limit Martial Arts Hall family. I will upload the paperwork to headquarters immediately. By tonight at the earliest, your citizen status information will be updated to 'prospective warrior,' and Jiang Nian will give you the villa keys in a moment."

After finishing the procedures, Lin Fan politely declined the instructors' invitation to lunch, nor did he choose any guidance or movement techniques.

After all, both the Basic Warrior 36 Forms and the Basic Spiritual Master 18 Forms from the system contained movement and combat techniques, and their force-exertion skills were perfect, even capable of leading directly to the planetary level.

Therefore, he had no need to waste time elsewhere.

Lin Fan walked out of the heavy glass doors of the martial arts hall. The noon sun was somewhat blinding, pouring down without obstruction onto his washed-out school uniform.

The streets were bustling with traffic, and passersby in a hurry were still struggling for their livelihoods.

But in Lin Fan's eyes, this world was already different.

The moment that contract was signed, it was like a key, opening the door to another social stratum.

The channels were open, his status was secured, and his worries were gone.

He touched the space ring on his finger, which was disguised as a cheap trinket.

Previously, the "legacy" left behind by the Vulture Squad was a hot potato for him, black-market goods that needed to be hidden and kept secret.

But now, with the halos of "prospective warrior" and "genius" added, these were legitimate spoils of war.

"First, turn these things into cash, then buy high-grade alloys."

Lin Fan lowered the brim of his cap, a faint arc appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He needed to clear out the ring to make room for more "fodder."

Jiangnan Base City, HR Alliance Mall.

Lin Fan stood before the 88-story, magnificent skyscraper.

This building was arguably the most luxurious landmark in the entire Jiangnan Base City. Huge holographic advertisements constantly changed on the building's surface, showcasing various high-cost combat suits and cold weapons.

Set against the backdrop of the low-rise buildings around it, it looked like a tower reaching toward the heavens built of money, looking down upon the masses below.

Lin Fan tilted his head, squinting at the glaring reflective glass.

"Whoa, being rich sure is grand."

Afterward, he reached back and shook the oversized camouflage canvas bag on his back.

The backpack was bulging, filled with everything he intended to trade this time.

To avoid drawing attention and exposing the existence of the space ring, he had specifically stuffed the items he wanted to sell into this cheap bag bought from a street stall before coming here.

The bag held up well enough, not bursting at the seams.

"Good day, sir. Welcome."

As Lin Fan walked into the building, two tall, uniformed receptionists at the entrance bowed and greeted him.

They had undergone the most professional training and wore standard professional smiles.

But when their eyes swept over Lin Fan's washed-out school uniform, which was even stained with a bit of dust, and that cheap canvas bag that looked so out of place in the surroundings, their professional smiles clearly faltered for a split second.

A trace of imperceptible surprise and contempt flashed in their eyes, which they then moved away as if nothing had happened.

There was no obstruction, nor was there any excessive enthusiasm.

It was just the standard coldness reserved for poor students who came in to enjoy the air conditioning without buying anything.

Lin Fan didn't mind this; he walked into the lobby with a calm expression.

The lobby was heavily air-conditioned, providing a refreshing relief to anyone who had just walked in from the sweltering summer heat outside.

The air was filled with the faint scent of high-end fragrance, mixed with melodic piano music, making it feel like a completely different world from the street outside, which was filled with the smell of dust, sweat, and noise.

"Tsk tsk, truly luxurious."

Lin Fan did not linger in the dazzling luxury goods area on the first floor. He walked straight across the mirror-like marble floor toward the elevator bank and pressed the button for the 36th floor.

As the elevator rose rapidly, the sensation of weightlessness was fleeting.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

A cacophony of noise, mixed with the scents of blood, tobacco, and hormones, rushed toward him instantly.

There was none of the elegance and reserve of the first floor here; it was entirely high-end and wild.

Huge holographic screens hovered in mid-air, displaying the latest acquisition prices for various monster materials, with red and green numbers constantly jumping.

In the spacious hall, warriors wearing combat suits and carrying battle blades held large bags, haggling with buyers at various counters.

Lin Fan lowered his cap, dodged a few fierce-looking men, and scanned the room.

He found a relatively quiet counter in the corner and walked over.

"Sir, are you selling materials?"

Behind the counter sat an old appraiser with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses.

He wore a sophisticated gray vest and was looking down, carefully wiping a monocle with a piece of deerskin cloth.

Hearing footsteps, he merely lifted his eyelids casually, his gaze peering over the top of his lenses.

When he saw Lin Fan's "underage student" attire, and then looked at the tacky canvas bag placed on the counter, the old appraiser's movements slowed significantly.

A flash of disappointment, even a hint of perfunctory indifference, appeared in his eyes.

"Young man, this is the HR Alliance acquisition zone, not a second-hand market or a scrap recycling station."

The old appraiser lowered his head again, his tone flat and filled with condescending advice.

"If it's scrap metal you picked up, or that kind of dried-out low-grade beast hide, go out, turn left, and take the freight elevator to the basement."

"They have people there who specialize in buying junk. The price is low, but at least it'll buy you a meal."

In his view, someone so young, wearing neither a combat suit nor carrying decent weapons, and lacking a warrior badge, was likely a scavenger who picked up scraps on the edge of the Wilderness Zone.

Or perhaps some reckless greenhorn who had run to the edge of a danger zone, picked up some trash discarded by warriors, and thought he had found a treasure, only to come here to try his luck.

He had seen plenty of such people; their bags usually contained worthless junk, and they were a waste of time.

Lin Fan didn't get angry, nor did he explain.

He simply placed the bulging backpack onto the counter, which was made of high-strength bulletproof glass.

Zzzzt...

As the zipper opened, an odor mixed with the unique stench of monsters and the smell of blood wafted out from the opening.

Clatter.

Lin Fan grabbed the handle at the bottom of the backpack and lifted it.

A large pile of items was dumped out, filling the counter.

Aside from a few blood-stained Shadow Cat claws and a pile of Iron-Bristled Wild Boar tusks, the most eye-catching items were several combat vests, folded neatly but clearly showing signs of damage.