Can't Keep Up

The transaction that followed went smoothly.

Before long, Manager Fang transferred 800 million into the Fire Hammer Squad's account, and Captain Gao Feng distributed it among them.

As agreed beforehand, the Luo Feng and Luo Xia brothers received eighty percent, or 640 million. Captain Gao Feng and the others each received 32 million!

After splitting the money, the group held a dinner at the HR Alliance.

Since no one in the team had been injured as they had in the Original Work, everyone was in high spirits during the meal!

Even though Luo Xia was not old enough to drink, he still had a few beers with Captain Gao Feng and the others.

Once the atmosphere grew lively and everyone had drunk about enough, Captain Gao Feng suddenly called out to Luo Xia and Luo Feng.

"Captain, what is it?"

Luo Xia and Luo Feng exchanged a glance, then looked toward Gao Feng, whose face was slightly flushed.

Gao Feng looked at the two brothers and said with a smile, "What I'm about to say may sound like I'm trying to drive you two away, but... you need to know that isn't what I mean."

"Captain, are you..."

Luo Feng looked at Gao Feng in surprise.

"Luo Feng, Luo Xia, listen to me."

Gao Feng cut Luo Feng off and continued with a smile.

"You two were Newcomers before. When Wu Tong first came to me and asked me to take you along, I was somewhat unwilling. Newcomers meant trouble, and in the wilderness, they could bring more danger to the team."

"I'm not alone. I have Chen Gu, Zhang Ke, and the Wei Brothers with me. Since I'm their Captain, I have to take responsibility for their safety."

"Every time we enter the Wilderness Zone, my greatest hope isn't to kill however many monsters. It's to bring them back the same way I brought them out!"

At this point, Gao Feng took another drink and said with emotion, "But... being a Warrior means encountering plenty of danger. No one knows when something bad will happen."

He looked at Luo Xia and Luo Feng again.

"So at first, I didn't want to take you two Newcomers. But Wu Tong kept pestering me, and eventually, I agreed."

"At the beginning, I thought that I didn't care how talented you two brothers were. If you couldn't adapt to our team and put my members in danger, I would absolutely kick you both out!"

Luo Xia narrowed his eyes slightly.

Hadn't Gao Feng and the others been put in danger because of Luo Feng in the Original Work?

Zhang Ke's shoulder and right arm had both been blown off by the Tiger Fang Squad!

So Luo Xia and Luo Feng truly had nothing to say about Gao Feng thinking this way.

It was only natural.

"But the speed at which you two brothers improved astonished all of us. Not only did you quickly absorb the experience we taught you, you even saved us in the battles afterward!"

Gao Feng's expression was filled with emotion as he looked at Luo Xia and Luo Feng.

Chen Gu, seated nearby, said with a flushed face, "That's right. During that Beast horde caused by the Tiger Fang Squad's sudden attack, if not for Xia and Luo Feng, we probably would have died there!"

Gao Feng continued, "You two brothers have improved too quickly! Wu Tong told me that you only had the Physical Quality of Advanced Warriors. But now, Luo Xia has the Physical Quality of an Advanced Warrior-General and the Spiritual Power of an Intermediate God of War."

"Luo Feng isn't bad either. If I'm not mistaken, Luo Feng, your Physical Quality should be close to the Elementary Warrior-General level, right? Including your Spiritual Power, you've reached Advanced Warrior-General as well!"

Luo Feng nodded.

When he had joined the Fire Hammer Squad, his Physical Quality had already been very close to the Elementary Warrior-General level. After going through battles in the Wilderness Zone, it had improved further.

He had now firmly entered the Elementary Warrior-General level!

Gao Feng showed a wry smile. "You brothers are improving too quickly! And you're both Spiritual Psychics, so you still have a period of rapid growth ahead of you! The rest of us simply can't keep up!"

After a pause, seeing Luo Xia and Luo Feng both looking at him, he reached out and patted their shoulders before continuing.

"So, Luo Feng, Xia. We've taught you everything we can. From now on, even without old hands like us, you two brothers can survive in the Wilderness Zone."

"Captain, you... are you driving us away?"

Luo Feng asked somewhat agitatedly.

Gao Feng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I told you, I'm not driving you away. It's just that... our strength can't keep up with you two. Keeping you in the team would only hold you back."

The Wei Brothers had been silent beside them. At that moment, Wei Qing said,

"The Captain is right. My eldest brother and I probably have Elementary Warrior-General as our limit for this lifetime. If you stay in the team, we'll only hold you back."

Every Warrior had his own pride.

It sounded somewhat ridiculous.

But Wei Tie and Wei Qing were unwilling to become anyone's burden.

Luo Xia said, "Captain, Brother Tie, Brother Qing, how can you think that way... What burden or not..."

Zhang Ke shook his head. "This is the truth."

He looked at Luo Xia and Luo Feng and said sincerely,

"Luo Feng, Luo Xia, just as the Captain said, we aren't trying to drive you away. We'd love for you to stay—after all, you're both Spiritual Psychics! Who would refuse Spiritual Psychics? But your stage isn't the Fire Hammer Squad. It's a far broader world!"

"Staying in the Fire Hammer Squad would only delay you."

Luo Xia and Luo Feng looked at each other and both sighed.

They knew everyone in the Fire Hammer Squad meant well. They did not want to become burdens to them.

The group did not drink much longer before quickly saying their goodbyes.

Before leaving, Gao Feng patted Luo Feng and Luo Xia on the shoulders and said warmly,

"Luo Feng, Xia, although we've only been teammates for a few days, meeting each other was fate. No matter what happens in the future, you can come find me! Find Chen Gu and the others!"

"We know, Captain!"

Luo Feng and Luo Xia nodded. Then Luo Feng added, "Captain, thank you for teaching us these past days! If you ever need anything in the future, come find Xia and me! We definitely won't refuse!"

"Haha! All right! Until we meet again!"

Gao Feng laughed heartily. "Just as Zhang Ke said, your stage lies in a broader world!"

Luo Feng and Luo Xia left.

Chen Gu walked over to Gao Feng's side. Looking at the brothers' departing backs, he softly muttered, "I have a feeling that someday in the future, we'll see these two brothers on television!"

Gao Feng smiled faintly. "That's bound to happen sooner or later! With Luo Feng and Luo Xia's talent, as long as nothing unexpected happens midway, they're destined to reach the top. Perhaps they'll become great figures like Hong and Thunder God!"

"Is there a chance Luo Xia might surpass Hong and Thunder God...?"

"Uh... haha, indeed. Given that Luo Xia reached Intermediate God of War at sixteen, he truly might surpass Hong and Thunder God!"

"So, Captain... do you regret it?"

"Of course I regret it! Those are two Spiritual Psychics, and Luo Xia is even an Intermediate God of War! But they're improving too quickly. We can't keep up with them."

"Yes, we can't keep up..."

In the darkness of night, Chen Gu gazed in the direction Luo Xia and Luo Feng had left. He took a deep breath of the cold night air and sighed helplessly.

Sometimes, the gap between people was like the chasm between heaven and earth—something that simply could not be made up or crossed!

How could they not have wished for Luo Feng and Luo Xia to remain in the squad?

But keeping them would only delay the two brothers' future.

It was better to part on good terms like this...