I Need a Teammate

Ye Qingxue looked at him but did not answer immediately.

Her mind raced with thoughts.

Why did Su Mu want to team up with her? He could clearly farm it on his own. Would he level up faster in the Land of Buried Bones? He could clear the Nightmare Goblin Nest, so soloing the Land of Buried Bones wasn't out of the question. Why did he need her?

And...

She clearly intends to surpass Su Mu. How can she surpass him if she teams up with him?

Su Mu seemed to sense her hesitation and added, "The college entrance exam is coming up soon. We'll be encountering geniuses from all over the world. Our competition should be focused on the future."

He paused, his tone calm but sincere. "And, I need a teammate."

Su Mu naturally knew Ye Qingxue's personality.

If I directly said I'd take her, that would be like using a high-powered attack right in front of her, so I phrased it differently.

Ye Qingxue stared at him for a few seconds.

Su Mu's words were neither humble nor arrogant. He didn't say "I'll carry you" or "You support me," but rather "I need a teammate." This gave her enough face to save face and showed her enough respect.

The vague sense of competition that Ye Qingxue felt suddenly faded.

She turned her head, her voice still flat and indifferent. "Okay."

Su Mu nodded. "Let's go then. First, let's go to the Land of Buried Bones."

The two walked side by side toward the edge of the crowd.

The crowd behind me fell silent for a moment, then erupted.

"Wait, who is that girl? Ye Qingxue? Ye Qingxue from Rongcheng No. 1 High School? The SSS-level Snow Queen?"

"They left together? What happened?"

"What a perfect match! One has an F-rank core card that can clear Nightmare difficulty, and the other has an SSS-rank. They actually look quite good together."

"What do you mean by 'team up'? They're teammates. It's perfectly normal for dungeon raiders to team up."

"What do you mean 'normal'? Have you ever seen Ye Qingxue team up with anyone? With her personality, who would she willingly team up with? It can't be just anyone."

Several girls who had just given Su Mu water stood in the crowd. One of them scoffed, "What's so great about him? He's just an SSS-rank."

Another short-haired girl pouted, "Su Mu ignored us, so he's already taken."

"Don't talk nonsense, they might just be a teammate."

"Teammates? You believe that?"

The murmurs were carried away by the wind; Su Mu and Ye Qingxue had already gone far away.

In a corner on the other side of the crowd, Wang Hao leaned against a wooden stake, his face so gloomy it could drip water. His gaze was fixed on the retreating figures of Su Mu and Ye Qingxue, his knuckles clenched so tightly they cracked.

Ye Qingxue left with Su Mu again.

Once again.

He took a deep breath, turned around and walked to a deserted corner, took out his communicator, and dialed a number.

The call was connected.

"Hello, it's me." Wang Hao lowered his voice. "I need your help with something. I want to take care of someone. Can you come to the wilderness? I'll send you the coordinates."

After hearing what the other person said, Wang Hao nodded. "Yes, just one. Not a high level, the core card is an F-grade stone. Just attack as soon as you arrive, don't leave any traces."

He hung up the phone, sent out the coordinates, then leaned against the stone wall, waiting for a reply.

However, the communicator rang again shortly afterward.

He looked down and frowned.

It was his father's number.

Wang Hao hesitated for a moment, then answered. He carefully held the communicator to his ear. "Dad?"

A deep, authoritative male voice came from the other end. "You just sent Uncle Zhang out into the wilderness? What were you planning to do?"

Wang Hao's heart tightened. "No... it's nothing, I just need Uncle Zhang to do me a small favor."

"What small favor?" The voice on the other end turned cold. "Reveal the other person's identity. Why did you target him?"

Wang Hao dared not lie.

He Taiqing. Lying would only make things worse.

"I... I lost a bet with someone." His voice trailed off. "Back in the wilderness, I wanted to... teach him a lesson."

"Lost the bet? It was that Su Mu?" The voice on the other end carried a hint of suppressed anger. "You lost to an F-rank core card, and you're going to hire someone to take action? You don't dare to do it yourself?"

"He can solo a level 10 Nightmare Lair!" Wang Hao exclaimed anxiously, his voice rising several decibels. "Dad, you don't know, that Su Mu, his core card is an F-grade stone, but he cleared the Nightmare Lair! He..."

"You bastard!"

A sudden roar came from the other side, making Wang Hao's ears ring.

"Ordinary people are one thing! But someone who can solo Nightmare Lair, especially level 10 Nightmare Lair! Their records are on the Dungeon Master Association! If you mess with them, and the guild investigates and it comes back to us, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Wang Hao opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"I've always turned a blind eye to your misdeeds outside. But now you dare to plot murder to silence me at such a crucial time? And you're supposed to be a genius capable of soloing the Nightmare Lair?"

The voice on the other end was as cold as ice. "Let me tell you, Wang Hao, if you dare do this, I'll break your legs when you get back. I mean what I say."

Wang Hao's lips trembled slightly.

Did you hear me?

"I heard you."

"This matter ends here. If you dare to do anything like this behind my back again, don't blame me for disregarding our father-son relationship."

The communicator disconnected.

Wang Hao stood still, the communicator still pressed against his ear, only the busy tone remaining.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, and a trickle of blood seeped from between his fingers.

But he eventually let go.

He dared not.

He dared not disobey his father.

Wang Hao leaned against the stone wall, looked up at the gray-green sky, and felt an indescribable sense of frustration.