The Contribution Rankings Open, Preparing to Leave the City

Qi Wu arrived at the mission center early.

The hall was already packed with people.

Today was the day the branch's contribution rankings opened.

The contribution rankings had been introduced before the Selection Tournament to encourage competition between teams.

While the rankings were active, teams would be ranked by the contribution points they earned during that period.

When the rankings closed, the top ten teams would receive generous rewards.

Naturally, the way to earn contribution points was to complete missions.

Qi Wu had come here.

He wanted to accept missions and try climbing the rankings.

Just as Qi Wu stepped into the crowded mission hall, a clear voice rang out.

"Mr. Wu! Over here!"

Jiang Qingyue was standing on tiptoe, waving hard at him from the edge of the crowd.

She had gotten up early today to wait for Qi Wu and look for their next mission together.

"You're certainly up early."

Qi Wu yawned and strolled over.

He glanced up at the contribution rankings.

Their Salvation Team ranked in the lower middle.

Their contribution points stood at zero.

The contribution rankings had only opened today.

So naturally, they had zero contribution points.

That was perfectly normal.

Except...

The rankings had only opened today.

Yet plenty of teams already had several hundred contribution points, placing them high on the leaderboard.

"Ugh, these people are trying way too hard."

Jiang Qingyue walked up beside Qi Wu, pressed a small hand to her smooth forehead, and sighed.

"I heard a lot of the teams with contribution points accepted their missions yesterday."

"A mission's completion time is counted from the moment it's turned in, so lots of teams time it just right. They turn in missions they've already finished as soon as the rankings open, getting off to a strong start."

"That way, the points count toward the rankings too."

A hint of surprise entered Qi Wu's eyes.

"You can do that?"

"Isn't that exploiting a bug?"

Jiang Qingyue spread her hands.

"Well, the rewards for the contribution rankings are just too good."

She pointed at the team names at the very top, which already had several hundred contribution points.

"'Qingqiu,' 'Solid Rock'... those A-rank teams must all have done it."

Qi Wu rubbed his chin, looking at the conspicuous "0" beside his team's name.

Then he looked at those triple-digit contribution totals. Rather than growing anxious, he gave an amused smile.

"Tsk, everyone certainly knows how to play the game. But..."

His tone shifted, carrying absolute confidence. "An early lead doesn't mean you've won."

"Exactly! Mr. Wu, we have to win in the end!"

Jiang Qingyue nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

"Let me see which missions offer lots of contribution points and suit us!"

Immediately energized, Jiang Qingyue began deftly operating the nearby mission search terminal, quickly filtering the results.

"We need to rack up points fast."

"We should focus on missions that give lots of contribution points and aren't far from here."

"That way, we can finish one mission a day and build up points quickly!"

Qi Wu listened to Jiang Qingyue's assessment and wholeheartedly agreed.

"What sort of mission do you think would suit us?"

Jiang Qingyue quickly brought up a few missions.

"B-rank extermination mission, 280 contribution points... too few. A-rank escort mission, 500 contribution points, but it'd take several days... no, no."

Jiang Qingyue's fingers flew across the screen, her soft pink lips pressed together slightly.

"These missions either give too few contribution points or take too much time..."

Just then, a striking red emergency mission suddenly appeared at the top of the screen!

[Emergency hunting and clearance mission: clear out the Demon Wolf Pack abnormally gathering in the southern outskirts, C-12 Area]

[Description: large numbers of Demon Wolves have appeared in the southern outskirts. Personnel urgently needed to exterminate them.]

[Objective: kill any Demon Wolf to earn a bounty. The higher its rank, the greater the reward.]

[Mission rank: A+]

[Contribution point reward: 200 points (base) + additional assessed rewards (based on the quantity and quality of Demon Wolves killed)]

[Note 1: the wolf pack has been unusually active and now threatens the safety of nearby outposts. Clear it out as soon as possible!]

[Note 2: this is a special mission and may be accepted by multiple teams.]

[Recommendation: teams of at least B rank should accept this mission.]

"Mr. Wu! This one!"

Jiang Qingyue's eyes suddenly lit up, and she pointed excitedly at the screen.

"It's an emergency mission. We can't miss it! It's right in the southern outskirts, so it's nearby! And it's a clearance mission, which is perfect for racking up points quickly!"

Qi Wu leaned over for a look and nodded in satisfaction.

"Mm, a wolf pack. Since the Demons are in groups, that should make earning points quick."

Qi Wu said that.

But as he looked at the emergency mission's red heading, something seemed to occur to him.

"Demons gathering in packs outside the city..."

Qi Wu murmured.

Something troubling came to mind.

Nanjiang was an inland city, some distance from the border wall.

Generally speaking, cities like this were relatively peaceful.

Large groups of Demons rarely appeared on their outskirts.

In his previous life, while he was a student, he had never heard of any packs of Demon beasts outside Nanjiang City.

Yet now, an emergency mission had appeared asking them to exterminate a pack of Demon beasts.

That meant-

The rate of Spiritual Energy Revival was accelerating!

In his previous life, the next wave of Spiritual Energy Revival hadn't begun for another year.

But in this life...

Perhaps because of the butterfly effect caused by his rebirth, the rate of Spiritual Energy Revival was increasing!

At that thought...

Qi Wu's gaze instantly sharpened, his earlier lazy nonchalance vanishing.

He stared at the emergency mission, his brows drawing together slightly.

"The rate of Spiritual Energy Revival is accelerating..."

He murmured to himself, so quietly that no one else could hear.

"Far earlier than expected..."

If things really were as he suspected...

The Spiritual Energy Revival had arrived early...

This was no laughing matter.

It meant that much of his experience from his previous life, along with the timeline he knew, might no longer hold true. Unknown dangers could arrive ahead of schedule.

Once a new wave of Spiritual Energy Revival began, it would inevitably spawn many powerful Demons that had never appeared before.

If they didn't prepare properly...

The security situation in Nanjiang, and even across the entire world, could become far more dire!

"Mr. Wu?"

Noticing the change in Qi Wu's expression, Jiang Qingyue asked a little uneasily.

"Is there... something wrong with this mission?"

Qi Wu quickly suppressed his slightly grave mood and regained his usual calm demeanor, though his tone grew more serious.

"There's nothing wrong with the mission. In fact, it might be more important than we imagined. Qingyue, your judgment was spot-on. This really is a good opportunity for us to earn points quickly. But at the same time..."

He paused.

"It might also be more dangerous than its listed A+ rank suggests. When Demons gather abnormally in large numbers, it often means something stronger is driving them from behind the scenes. Or... the environment has undergone some unknown change."

At those words, Jiang Qingyue's gaze grew more solemn too.

"You mean there might be more than just a wolf pack?"

"I'm not sure, but we have to prepare for the worst."

Qi Wu looked at the mission screen.

"Still, higher risks mean better contribution rewards. With those 200 base points plus the additional assessment, if we clear them out quickly and thoroughly, this one mission might earn us as much as several missions would earn other teams."

"I wanted to explain the risks to you beforehand."

"As for the mission itself, I still want to take it."

He looked at Jiang Qingyue with a smile in his eyes.

"What do you think? Still brave enough to take it?"

"Of course!"

Jiang Qingyue answered immediately. Though she was a little nervous, her trust in Qi Wu and eagerness to try far outweighed it.

Then this is the mission!

He verified his identity at the terminal and, after a few more steps, successfully accepted the mission.

Afterward, he prepared to take Jiang Qingyue out to complete it.

This mission offered such generous rewards.

Aside from their team, plenty of other teams had probably accepted it too.

If they didn't get there soon, the other teams might kill all the Demon Wolves first.

Pressed for time, he walked a little faster as he led the way.

Just before he left the mission hall, a slightly hoarse, hesitant voice came from the side.

"Qi Wu."

Qi Wu and Jiang Qingyue turned together and saw Blade of Gale standing nearby. Neither had noticed when he arrived.

He was still wearing that same hoodie.

There were plenty of people in the hall at that moment.

They recognized Qi Wu and Blade of Gale too.

Seeing the two meet...

Countless curious gazes immediately turned toward them.

What new drama would unfold today between the opponents from that day's arena match?

Could Blade of Gale be unwilling to accept his defeat and want to challenge Qi Wu again?

"Need something?"

Qi Wu asked calmly.

Blade of Gale hesitated, then suddenly seemed to make up his mind and said something even Qi Wu hadn't expected.

With a serious expression, Blade of Gale asked:

"Your mission... can I join you?"