Something Was Off

Nine Rivers Corporation was located in the south of the city, its headquarters a hundred-story skyscraper.

Rather than a company, it was more like a military base. Heavily armed guards stood watch at the entrance, and everyone entering had to undergo strict inspection.

Looking up, Xu Jiang saw numerous skybridges linking the upper floors of the main building with the surrounding auxiliary buildings in a crisscrossing network. A maglev car could even travel directly to the upper floors.

Unfortunately, Grandpa Lei's ride was a four-wheeled car. It could only stick to the ground and obediently drive into the underground garage.

"Don't envy those flying cars. They aren't practical. It's easy to get shot down in the air. I'm taking you to get registered, and this is the closest route."

Grandpa Lei muttered sourly, barely managing to come up with an excuse. Rather than squeeze into an elevator, he led Xu Jiang up five flights of stairs to the Human Resources Department.

It was indeed not far away. With Grandpa Lei acting as his guarantor, the onboarding procedures were fairly simple.

After all, Xu Jiang was only a Wilderness Hunter and would not have access to core secrets, so the contract terms were not particularly strict.

As for compensation, he would receive a base salary of 3,000 Credit Points per month, with additional earnings based on commission.

For a moment, Xu Jiang felt as if he had returned to his previous life, burying his head in code.

Grandpa Lei hurriedly explained from the side, "The pay is low right now because I want you to keep a low profile while you develop. Stay with Team 17 for now. Starting tomorrow, I'll personally train you. Once you get stronger, I'll transfer you to a better team."

To reassure Xu Jiang, Grandpa Lei even used his own name to request a batch of equipment from the company, which they could collect immediately.

"Really? I can get it for free? No payment?" Xu Jiang asked suspiciously.

"Of course. I still have that much influence. And those spoils of yours—I'll take you to sell them tomorrow. Don't worry, the price will definitely be higher than market value."

He stopped a passing robot and requested two transportation devices resembling floor scrubbers. They slowly glided toward an auxiliary building.

It was clear that Grandpa Lei was genuinely trying to secure benefits for him, though that so-called influence was not all that impressive.

Naturally, Nine Rivers Corporation's armory was also divided into ranks. Grandpa Lei's influence only extended to the beginner equipment warehouse for gear below Level 15.

The moment he entered, Xu Jiang was captivated by the dazzling array of weapons.

There were four-meter-long rockets, chainsaw battle axes that could hack through people like vegetables, and all kinds of weapons, large and small.

He even spotted a blue-quality Level 15 Powered Mech. It had six weapon slots, a short-range propulsion system, and could equip small Laser Cannons. Its attributes were quite good.

"How about it? Tempted?" Grandpa Lei said smugly. "You could spend an entire day here and still not finish looking through all this equipment. Let me give you some recommendations."

"With your combat talent, choosing bulky Powered Armor would be a complete waste. I suggest Nano Armor."

Nano Armor was also a type of liquid armor. It was less flexible than liquid armor, but its protection was sturdier and it could house a miniature power core.

Of course, it was still far behind Qianji's self-evolution.

"As for weapons, I recommend these two Level 15 revolvers. They're a green-quality set. Once you've gotten familiar with them, I can teach you my secret techniques."

A single green-quality item was only slightly better than a white-quality item, but carrying multiple parts of the same set provided extra set bonuses, making the attributes quite impressive.

It was clear that Grandpa Lei had fully embraced the role of a master and was already preparing to teach Xu Jiang every skill he had kept hidden away.

Teaching skills was another way to learn besides using Skill Stones, though it took more time. Whether a student could comprehend them also depended on the teacher's ability and the student's aptitude.

Unfortunately, Xu Jiang could not use any of those weapons.

Looking across the warehouse, there were at least ten thousand pieces of equipment between Levels 10 and 15, yet the General's Order showed no reaction whatsoever. What difference was there between weapons that could not be summoned and trash?

The Desert Eagle had mentioned last time that only weapons with Mech Souls, weapons that had earned merit, could be summoned.

Was it because the weapons here were too low-level? Or did newer weapons lack experience, meaning he needed to find some old antiques instead?

Xu Jiang could not figure it out and could only seek another approach.

"Lei Lao, the equipment here doesn't suit me. Can I exchange it for other materials?"

At that, Grandpa Lei frowned slightly.

Didn't suit him?

He had only scanned the tens of thousands of items here once and already knew they did not suit him? Was it related to his talent?

Grandpa Lei knew Xu Jiang had definitely concealed some talents, but he would not press him for answers.

After all, in these chaotic times, who did not have a few secrets? Exposing all of one's trump cards would only lead to a faster death. He was quite satisfied with Xu Jiang's caution.

But judging from the situation, Xu Jiang's talent did not seem suited to ordinary equipment.

"What do you need?" Grandpa Lei asked.

"These. Can you help me exchange for them?"

Xu Jiang listed the materials needed for his upgrade. Grandpa Lei frowned slightly after reading it.

The materials on the list were not cheap, especially the Level 20 purple mech, which already counted as a top-tier low-level item.

Given Xu Jiang's talent, it would naturally be no problem to give him a set, but he would need to submit a request to higher management.

If he made too much of a move, the company's upper ranks might notice, which would be unfavorable at this stage.

After thinking it over, Grandpa Lei said, "How about this, Xu Jiang? They have Colorless Crystal Shards here, so I'll give those to you first. I'll slowly find a way to get the other materials."

"Alright. Thank you."

Seeing Grandpa Lei running around for him, Xu Jiang was rather moved. Though he had not formally taken him as a master yet, Grandpa Lei was already helping plan his future.

Thinking about it that way, the Team 17 Grandpa Lei had introduced should be a pretty good position. It was worth looking forward to.

While Xu Jiang was pondering this, the armory custodian nudged his arm.

"Hey, brother, you're new, right? Seeing how much Supervisor Lei cares about you, which department are you joining?" the custodian asked nosily. People like Xu Jiang, who received a supervisor's attention right after joining the company, were rare.

Xu Jiang smiled faintly. "I joined the Hunter Department."

"The Hunter Department? The Hunter Department is great!" The custodian's tone turned envious. "I've always wanted to join the Hunter Department too. You make a lot of money and can keep improving your strength. Sadly, I'm not strong enough. By the way, which team are you in?"

"Team 17."

The moment those words left his mouth, the young custodian's expression changed instantly, and his legs involuntarily stepped apart.

That reaction made Xu Jiang nervous as well. This was his first job! Grandpa Lei had better not be screwing him over.

"Is there something wrong with Team 17?" Xu Jiang hurriedly asked.

The custodian hesitated for a moment, then checked that no one was around before lowering his voice. "Generally speaking, there's nothing wrong with the Hunter Department. But Team 17 alone has two terrifyingly high statistics."

"What statistics?"

"First, its mission failure rate is as high as 72%. Its reputation is the worst in the entire Hunter Department."

"Seven failed missions out of ten?" Xu Jiang was stunned as well.

At such a high failure rate, it was no longer a matter of ability. They were clearly slacking off, goofing around, and refusing to work.

But on second thought, it probably would not affect him much.

He was only staying temporarily anyway, to learn some things. If it truly did not suit him, he could transfer out after completing Grandpa Lei's training.

To his surprise, the custodian leaned closer, looking even more mysterious, with a faint note of fear in his voice.

"You don't understand, brother! Its second statistic is the highest death rate in the entire Hunter Department. People can die even while patrolling the streets."

"It can't be that exaggerated, can it?"

"It's true. Two people barely survived, but they applied to leave the team less than a week later. According to them, Team 17 is full of lunatics. Brother, take care of yourself."