Listening to the crowd’s praise, especially a title like "Humanity’s Heroes," made everyone feel a little awkward, and Lin Xinghai was no exception.
After all, such high praise was a bit much.
Fang Tianhe was about to offer a few modest words, but Lin Xinghai knew what he intended and stopped him before he could speak.
"They need hope! Even if we can’t live up to it, we can at least let them keep that hope. As for everything else, as long as we do our best and have a clear conscience, that’s all that matters. Just like this ti."
Hearing Lin Xinghai’s words, it wasn’t just Fang Tianhe; all the high-ranking mbers of the rcenary Corps grew quiet. In the end, however, none of them said anything, and they accepted the crowd’s praise.
It was both an honor and a burden.
As for the other mbers of the rcenary Corps, after so initial unease, they gradually relaxed when they saw that the leadership wasn’t saying anything.
Of course, there was an exception: Liu Miaomiao, who stood beside Lin Xinghai.
The other rcenaries might have found the title a bit exaggerated, but they had indeed given it their all—even risking their lives.
But this had been Liu Miaomiao’s first mission, and her goal had been simply to learn Gun Technique. Her actual contribution was minimal at best.
Yet here she was, standing at the very front with the rcenary Corps’ leadership. Female rcenaries were already rare, and a beauty like her was one in a million, so naturally, she drew even more attention.
Facing all those intense and expectant gazes, Liu Miaomiao felt her skin crawl.
Sensing Liu Miaomiao’s breathing grow short and anxious beside him, Lin Xinghai gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said with a smile, "You need to believe in your abilities. Sooner or later, you’ll be worthy of this honor—and it won’t take long."
"Mhm!" Liu Miaomiao pursed her lips and nodded earnestly.
Just then, the rcenary Guild official in charge of the tally finally ca to his senses and hurried over with his team to begin the count.
Although there were a few other rcenary Corps waiting ahead of the Heaven-Sundering rcenary Corps, an exception could certainly be made for sothing like this.
However, Fang Tianhe simply exchanged a few words with the official, left Shen Han to handle the rcenary Corps’ business, and then departed with Lin Xinghai for the rcenary Guild in the Middle Level District.
...
When the two arrived at the rcenary Guild, they were surprised to find Supervisor Jiang Rui, the man in charge of posting missions, waiting right at the entrance to personally greet them. He welcod them with great enthusiasm and ushered the pair into the largest reception room.
Jiang Rui was among the first to receive the report on the Heaven-Sundering rcenary Corps. When he heard they had brought back twelve Mutated Zombies in a single run, he was stunned for a long ti before being overco with excitent.
It wasn’t that he had doubted the Heaven-Sundering rcenary Corps’ ability to complete the exploration mission.
But completing the mission was one thing; killing twelve Mutated Zombies was another entirely.
The two feats were on completely different levels of difficulty.
It was safe to say that after receiving this news, his assessnt of the Heaven-Sundering rcenary Corps’ importance instantly jumped by two levels.
Otherwise, given his status as the mission supervisor, every rcenary Corps vied for his favor. Why would he have stooped to personally greeting them at the door?
"You two have truly opened my eyes today. I reckon that after this, your title as the First rcenary Corps will be well and truly deserved."
"I don’t think it’s right for you to still be receiving the benefits of a Second Level rcenary Corps. How about I submit a report to my superiors and make an exception to promote you to a Third Level rcenary Corps?" Jiang Rui said with a chuckle, laying on the flattery thick and fast while offering a real perk.
Lin Xinghai remained silent, leaving the decision to Fang Tianhe.
Fang Tianhe was, of course, incredibly tempted. After all, the difference in benefits between a Second Level and a Third Level rcenary Corps was substantial. In the end, however, he shook his head.
He was well aware of the Heaven-Sundering rcenary Corps’s true level. Without Lin Xinghai, they were just an ordinary Second Level rcenary Corps, and Lin Xinghai would be leaving in a month. So, he decided it was better to keep his feet on the ground.
Otherwise, once Lin Xinghai left, jealous rivals might use this promotion to make trouble for them.
"We appreciate the kind offer, Supervisor Jiang, but it’s not good to break the rules. Our rcenary Corps will advance through the proper channels," Fang Tianhe said.
Jiang Rui was a bit disappointed that his favor was rejected, but since the offer had been made on a whim, he didn’t press the issue when it wasn’t accepted. Instead, he transitioned to discussing the mission itself.
As the conversation turned to business, even Lin Xinghai’s expression grew serious.
Fang Tianhe activated the projection function on his wrist-mounted computer, narrating as he played back the video footage from the mission.
Even though Jiang Rui already knew the outco, watching the projected recording now, his heart still jumped every ti a Mutated Zombie appeared.
Although Lin Xinghai had been able to quickly dispatch the Mutated Zombies before encountering "Giant Arm," it was all predicated on his imnse personal Power.
Jiang Rui was also extrely familiar with Mutated Zombies. He knew perfectly well what would have happened if any other rcenary Corps had faced such a situation—it would have been questionable if they could have even escaped.
The danger level in Guanghan City completely exceeded the rcenary Guild’s prior assessnt. Even a Third Level rcenary Corps would have been nothing but cannon fodder.
In that case, the plan they had previously formulated would be impossible to carry out.
"Sigh... Given the situation, all we can do is see what the Military Departnt has to say," Jiang Rui said with a long sigh after viewing all the footage.
"Then based on your experience, what do you think the Military Departnt will do?" Lin Xinghai finally spoke up.
"It’s hard to say, but I suspect it’s a long shot. The plan will most likely be postponed."
"After all, we’re only a dium-sized Shelter. Our military forces aren’t that large, and we already lost a portion of them in the last great battle with the Morgan Conglorate."
"And it’s not just soldiers. We also went through a huge amount of our high-powered munitions, and those can’t be restocked overnight," Jiang Rui said with another sigh.
The Military Departnt could wait and recuperate before making a move, but the problem was, ti was the one thing they were desperately short on.
More and more Abyssal Passages were appearing. If they didn’t take advantage of this lull after the great cataclysm to expand rapidly, the situation would only grow more dire with each passing day.
Eventually, they would most likely have to migrate to one of the other major shelters and seek refuge.
At that point, they would have to start over from scratch, and life would be difficult for everyone.
That was precisely why the military had placed so much of its hope in the rcenary Guild.
They weren’t actually asking the rcenary Guild to do too much—just clear out a portion of the Zombies so the army could focus its Power on more critical areas.
After listening, Lin Xinghai fell into a deep thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive.
After about a minute, the tapping of Lin Xinghai’s fingers suddenly stopped. He looked at Jiang Rui and said, "Actually, it might not be impossible to move forward with the plan. We just need to change our approach."
A thank you to Dog in a Hat for the 10,000 Book Coins!
User Comments
0 comments from readers