Wu Tong's Shock
Mingyue Residential Area, Wu Tong's villa.
Wu Tong stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, gazing quietly outside.
Several days had passed, and the application he had submitted to the dojo's upper management had sunk like a stone into the sea, without the slightest response.
Just as he had expected, using satellites to search for Li Jing was a dead end.
The dojo's upper management would not waste resources on a genius whose temperament fell short, whose confidence bordered on rash stupidity.
Much less when that genius was most likely already dead.
There had also been no news from Warrior Supply Base No. 004, where he had put in a request, since Li Jing had left a few days ago.
Perhaps, just as he had thought, Li Jing had died in some unknown corner of the Wilderness Zone.
The thought pained Wu Tong.
A promising talent with Planetary Level potential had died prematurely because of a flaw in his temperament, without even reaching War General Level.
And this promising talent was someone Jiang Nian and Wu Tong had reported to their superiors and recommended to join the Limits Dojo.
How could he not feel pained and regretful?
Just then, his Communication Watch rang.
Wu Tong raised his wrist and saw that the caller was none other than a good friend he knew in the Military.
A ripple of anticipation inevitably stirred in Wu Tong's heart. Could there be news of Li Jing?
Was he alive or dead?
Not knowing what to expect, Wu Tong answered the call.
"Old Wu, there's news about what you asked me to look into. That warrior named Li Jing just returned to Supply Base No. 004, but he went out again shortly afterward. I reckon he came back to restock or sell his spoils."
After hanging up, the cloud of worry finally lifted from Wu Tong's face.
Li Jing wasn't dead!
On his first trip into the Wilderness Zone, he had spent six days there alone with the strength of an Intermediate Warrior, and had actually returned to the Warrior Supply Base safe and sound!
How had he done it?
Could it be that Li Jing wasn't as rash as they had thought, but had already thought things through?
If he stayed away from the cities and only operated on the highways or in some of the small villages and towns along the way...
With Li Jing's Intermediate Warrior physique, coupled with his superb saber techniques and movement techniques, it wasn't impossible for him to get some training in.
After all, monsters were fairly intelligent and knew that in the open wilderness, with no cover at all, they could easily become targets for human firearms.
Most monsters occupied the major cities that had existed before the Great Nirvana.
Only some ordinary beast soldier-level monsters with low intelligence and very little strength wandered the highways and some smaller villages and towns.
If Li Jing hadn't gone to any city, including county seats, and had instead operated in this kind of dangerous Wilderness Zone environment, that would explain it.
Wu Tong pondered the matter, convinced he had guessed what Li Jing had done.
He was no longer frustrated that the iron had failed to become steel; now he admired him.
The fact that Li Jing had survived six days in the Wilderness Zone unharmed proved that setting out alone had not been a rash move, but a choice made after careful consideration.
While other newly minted warriors were still hiding in the Base City or seeking the protection of other warrior squads, Li Jing had dared to go to the Wilderness Zone to hunt monsters on his own. That showed how resolute he was.
How could he be the rash, foolish boy they had thought him to be?
No, Wu Tong had to set out for Warrior Supply Base No. 004 at once.
Although Li Jing had survived six days in the Wilderness Zone unharmed, he was still only an Intermediate Warrior, with no ability to defend himself against sudden danger.
Wu Tong had to keep watch at the Warrior Supply Base and hold Li Jing there the next time he returned.
The courage to venture into the Wilderness Zone alone was certainly commendable, but at the beginning of a warrior's path, it was better to play it safe and follow a squad.
As Wu Tong headed out, he called Zhang Jian, the captain of the Bloodthirsty Squad.
Of course, he had understood what Zhang Jian had implied when they parted at their last meeting.
But that had been based on the assumption that Li Jing really was a genius so rash he was nearly a fool.
Now, however, Li Jing had survived alone in the Wilderness Zone for a full six days with the strength of an Intermediate Warrior.
Was that something a reckless fool could do?
Many veteran Warrior Level fighters might not have done any better than Li Jing!
How could Zhang Jian and his Bloodthirsty Squad still dare look down on him? Wouldn't they be falling over themselves to welcome a genius like Li Jing into their ranks?
Sure enough, on the other end of the call, Zhang Jian heard that Li Jing not only hadn't died in the Wilderness Zone, but was alive and well, and that after returning to the Warrior Supply Base once, he had headed back into the Wilderness Zone.
Without so much as mentioning what he had implied before, Zhang Jian instead eagerly offered to go with Wu Tong to Warrior Base No. 004 and wait by the stump for the rabbit.
When Li Jing returned again, they would formally invite him to join the Bloodthirsty Squad.
Who would dare call a rookie warrior genius who could survive alone in the Wilderness Zone for six days a reckless fool?
If they could recruit him into the Bloodthirsty Squad, they would gain more than a future core member to build the squad around.
They could even dispense with teaching him much of the knowledge needed to survive in the Wilderness Zone. His combat experience probably wouldn't be too lacking either, so there would be no need to train him specifically in that.
Who wouldn't love a rookie who could fight as soon as he joined and had limitless potential?
Meanwhile, as Wu Tong and Zhang Jian hurried toward Warrior Supply Base No. 004,
Li Jing returned to the suite in County City No. 156 where he had stored the monster materials.
None of the traps around it had been triggered, and the valuable beast general-level monster materials were piled safely in one of the suite's rooms.
Seeing this, Li Jing breathed a small sigh of relief.
It was good that no one had touched the materials. If someone had, even if he could recover them, it would still cost him some time.
Li Jing's time was precious now, to say nothing of the countdown on the limited card pool.
There was also the crisis that would come when the Nolan Shan Family fleet arrived on Earth before long.
And the Cosmic Humans' Peak Genius Tournament, which would begin in just a few years.
All of them urged Li Jing to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Although he had the Card Draw System, Li Jing also had ample reason to join the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer through the Peak Genius Tournament.
Drawing cards from the current Apprentice Level card pool cost Huaxia Currency.
Would the higher-level card pools in the future require higher-level currencies?
Silver Blue Coins, Black Dragon Coins, Ganwu Coins, Universe Coins, or even Hunyuan Units?
Without joining a major power and becoming a genius in its Core Layer, not only would his earning speed be limited.
He would also have to be secretive when selling some of the resources and treasures he obtained from card draws, for fear of being murdered and robbed.
Just look at Luo Feng before he joined the Virtual Universe Company: he had concealed even a fragment of Crimson Chaos Copper Mother that had fallen from the Yunmo Star Ship, not daring to show it to others casually.
After joining the Virtual Universe Company, he had dared to bring out the entire Yunmo Star Ship, worth tens of millions of Hunyuan Units, openly.
That was the difference status brought!
Granted, after joining the Virtual Universe Company, if he performed brilliantly, he would surely become a thorn in the eye and a splinter in the flesh of the Alien Race.
But as long as Li Jing grew fast enough, the Alien Race's assassination attempts would not be able to catch up with him.
With the Card Draw System, his speed of growth would exceed many people's imaginations!
Temporarily putting his plans for the future out of his mind, Li Jing set about packing the monster materials into his backpacks. He only just managed to fit them all in, filling both packs until they bulged.
"Without spatial equipment, this is far too inconvenient!"
Li Jing sighed inwardly.