Wilderness Hunter

The Pang Family and the Martial Arts Association were both very respectable forces, but Xu Jiang did not accept their recruitment. He chose Grandpa Lei instead.

The reason was simple: trust.

One thing was certain: Grandpa Lei was no ordinary man. There had to be a major organization backing him, or those two would have snatched Xu Jiang away long ago instead of watching him get taken away.

Since both sides had roughly equal backing, choosing Grandpa Lei was only natural.

After all, when he had nothing, Grandpa Lei had lent him a hand. Compared to the far more unfamiliar Pang Family and Martial Arts Association, Grandpa Lei was more trustworthy.

After telling Xu Jiang to wait in the car, Grandpa Lei found a secluded spot, activated an anti-eavesdropping device, and began reporting to his superiors.

The disc-shaped communicator activated, projecting light and forming a virtual figure before him.

It was a young girl with beautiful black hair draped over her shoulders. Her delicate, lovely face carried the serene air of a refined young lady.

Yet the faint worry between her brows suggested that something had been weighing heavily on her mind. Upon receiving Grandpa Lei's call, she brushed back the hair by her ear and forced a slight smile.

"Grandpa Lei, it has been a long time since I received a call from you. Did you need something today?"

Hearing the girl's greeting, Grandpa Lei's gaze softened as well.

"Third Miss, I have something to report. For the past half year, I have been scouting for newcomers, and this time, I finally found a promising prospect."

In half a year, he had found only one promising prospect. The efficiency was indeed pitifully low.

But there was no helping it. The Job Transfer Hall was completely controlled by the Martial Arts Association. Truly gifted people were intercepted immediately, making it extremely difficult to find talent.

Who would have thought Grandpa Lei would actually pick up such a bargain?

The girl became interested upon hearing this. "What kind of talent does this job holder have? Anyone Grandpa Lei approves of must be extraordinary."

Grandpa Lei nodded excitedly. "His name is Xu Jiang. His talent is only B-rank, but I am certain he concealed some of his abilities. He was the one who achieved the perfect clear in Black White Forest."

"Really? He is one of Grandpa Lei's people?" The girl showed a delighted expression.

A perfect clear was no small matter. Almost the moment the fireworks went off, every major force received the news.

Yet the latest intelligence said that the one who cleared it was not the highly anticipated Pang Shi. Even Manager Mo of the Martial Arts Association, who had personally been at the scene, had remained silent on the matter.

She had just been wondering about this person's identity. Who would have thought he was one of their own?

"Where is he now? I will meet him personally." Such talent absolutely could not be allowed to slip away. Third Miss decided to personally step in, show their sincerity, and have a proper talk with him.

But after a moment of silence, Grandpa Lei shook his head.

"Third Miss, I know a little about the company's recent situation. You are being watched very closely right now, so it would be unwise to make a high-profile move."

"Then what do you mean, Grandpa Lei?"

"I will handle him. We will hide him away and nurture him for now. Once he has the ability to protect himself, we can reveal him to the world."

A tree that stood too rigidly would easily break. Everyone knew that.

The company was beset by troubles both within and without. If Xu Jiang rose to prominence now, he would inevitably face suppression from petty people, perhaps even assassination.

Grandpa Lei had seen many gifted geniuses die young. He did not want Xu Jiang to repeat their mistakes.

After a long discussion, Grandpa Lei returned to the car and spoke to Xu Jiang with a serious expression.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to take you as my disciple. Although your family background is poor and you have no grand gifts to honor me with, I am not a petty man. Become my disciple."

Grandpa Lei assumed the bearing of a grand master and waited for Xu Jiang to bow his head in apprenticeship.

"I refuse."

"...What! You refuse?"

"Yeah! I have only known you for a few days, and all your lessons involve fooling around with those aunties. What could I possibly learn from becoming your disciple?"

Faced with Xu Jiang's doubts, Grandpa Lei grew angry. "What does a little brat like you know? Back in my day, I was a formidable expert who shook all of Yong'an City."

Xu Jiang looked Grandpa Lei up and down: an old T-shirt, beach shorts, flip-flops, plus a battered X7 four-wheeler.

Without saying a word, Xu Jiang crooked his lips into a smile and turned to look out the window.

Taking a disciple had failed for the time being, but Grandpa Lei did not lose heart.

After all, they had known each other for only a short time. Xu Jiang had yet to witness his strength, so it was understandable.

Once he finished dealing with the matters at hand, he would give Xu Jiang a proper demonstration of his abilities. Would Xu Jiang not then come begging and crying to become his disciple?

For now, Grandpa Lei needed to drive Xu Jiang back to headquarters immediately and complete his onboarding procedures before another force poached him away.

Along the way, Grandpa Lei could not help nagging. "Xu Jiang! Have you heard of Wilderness Hunters?"

Wilderness Hunters!

Xu Jiang sat up straight and looked at the deep-eyed Grandpa Lei.

"I have heard people mention them, but I do not know the specifics."

Grandpa Lei nodded and continued, "Yong'an City, where we live, is surrounded on all sides by sturdy steel walls. Do you know why?"

"I heard there are endless Wild Beasts outside the city?"

"That is right. Wild Beasts. More terrifying and stranger than the ones you encountered in the Spirit Domain."

As he spoke, Grandpa Lei deliberately took a detour past one section of the city wall.

The wall, dozens of meters high, was built entirely of steel, majestic and imposing. On top of it stood the defensive line of elite soldiers.

But even so, Xu Jiang could still see the shattered wreckage on the wall, where large numbers of workers were carrying out emergency repairs.

"Wilderness Hunters were born to deal with terrifying Wild Beasts. The company I work for is called Nine Rivers Corporation. It also has a Hunter Department, and I plan to assign you there."

Xu Jiang nodded, then asked, "Do you want me to go out with my coworkers and hunt Wild Beasts?"

"No, not yet. The team I chose for you generally only handles routine peacekeeping."

"Huh? Why does that still sound like being a security guard?"

"There is a huge difference. Do you think the city is completely safe? Those Faceless Ones you saw in the Spirit Domain are no good either." Grandpa Lei lit a cigarette, looking somewhat melancholy.

Xu Jiang frowned slightly. He knew very little about those bizarre things.

"Are those Faceless Ones dangerous?"

"Very dangerous. And they are not the only danger. Wild Beasts, Void Rifts, Calamity Infection... these damned troubles come one after another. Every one of them is dangerous."

What Grandpa Lei needed to consider now was helping Xu Jiang grow up safely. He hoped Xu Jiang would get through the novice stage as quickly as possible and gain the ability to protect himself.

"What is the team I am joining called?"

"It has no name. The Hunter Department of Nine Rivers Corporation records its teams by number. You are joining Team 17."

Perhaps to show off his influence, Grandpa Lei pressed the car phone and personally called Team 17, intending to give them advance notice.

Beep—beep—

After the phone rang twice, a blond-haired young man appeared on the car's central control screen.

Before Grandpa Lei could speak, the other party took the lead.

"Wow! Isn't this Senior Lei? It has been a long time since you visited Team 17. Why are you free today? Did you need something from me?"

Judging from his speaking speed, he was probably a very talkative person.

Hearing himself addressed as "Senior," Grandpa Lei nodded in satisfaction. Though he was a blond punk, he had pretty high emotional intelligence. Grandpa Lei immediately put on the demeanor of an elder.

"Little Bao! Here is the thing. I recently took in a student, and I want to assign him to your team."

"Senior Lei's student? Then he must be very impressive."

Now that was influence.

Grandpa Lei raised his eyebrows at Xu Jiang, as if saying: You would not become my disciple. Do you regret it now?

His smugness had barely lasted two seconds before the blond young man suddenly thought of a question.

"Huh? Could it be that Senior Lei's bargain-hunting plan succeeded?"

"...What bargain-hunting plan! This is my rising-star training plan!"

"Isn't it? But last time, Senior Lei said you wanted to start a training class and casually pick up a few disciples whenever fate allowed, didn't you?"

Take back the compliment about his emotional intelligence. This blond punk was here to tear down the stage, was he not?

Grandpa Lei's mouth twitched. It was already too late to turn off the speakerphone. Xu Jiang in the passenger seat had already adopted a deadpan stare.

Sure enough, this unserious old man was simply bored and wanted to take in some disciples to support him in his old age.

Good thing he had not become his disciple. Even carrying the title of student felt like a loss.

Feeling Xu Jiang's contemptuous gaze, Grandpa Lei could only try to salvage some dignity.

After coughing awkwardly twice, he explained, "You cannot call it bargain-hunting. After all, I invested quite a lot into arranging trials for the newcomers."

"Still Black White Forest? But those two slots are given to you every cycle. If you do not use them, they go to waste."

"But I also prepared supplies for my disciples! Bullets, medicine, tents, and so on. Those count as my investment, right?"

"Huh? I heard the Logistics Department was complaining recently that someone had secretly taken supply packs. Could it have been you, Senior..."

Beep—beep—beep—

The old man hung up...

The car remained quiet for a long while. Xu Jiang finally could not hold it in any longer and asked very seriously, "If I get out now, is it still too late?"

Grandpa Lei did not answer. He merely locked the doors, floored the accelerator, and sped toward Nine Rivers Corporation headquarters, giving his answer through action.