: "What are you doing?" We're just waiting for you two, hurry up and get going! A
group of more than a dozen people rushed over. Leading them was a tall man carrying a giant twin axes. As soon as he appeared, he impatiently urged them on.
But when he saw Long Chen, he was momentarily stunned. He glanced at the two sons and daughters and asked, "... is this?"
"He must be a rookie who just came here for training. I saw him crying alone here and felt sorry for him. Captain, why don't we take him along? Otherwise, if he's here, he might get blacklisted." The woman said.
'Hei Luo' is a local term here, meaning someone who has been tricked into joining a team and acting as a scapegoat in the most dangerous mission. Many mercenary teams search everywhere for these inexperienced rookies.
"Crying here alone?" So pitiful? Hearing
the woman's words, Long Chen was instantly petrified. If word got out, he wondered if he could survive in this world.
"You can tell at a glance he's a rich second-generation rich kid, a rich kid with high expectations but no real skills, all looks but no practical use." The burly man carrying a broad axe slung over his shoulder sized up Long Chen from head to toe, then shook his head and said.
"Captain... "That woman is still trying."
"Forget it... Forget it, if I'm going to take it along, kid, but let me be clear: you can follow us, but there's no reward. At most, you'll learn some survival experience.
Also, our squad has its own way of coordinating. You don't have to do anything, just follow along. Don't act recklessly, or it could bring disaster upon us.
So, if you behave on the way, for the safety of the team, I'll kill you immediately. "As he spoke, the powerful figure known as the captain spoke with a serious expression.
As he said, they are mercenaries, doing the hardest and most dangerous work, no different from licking blood at the edge of a blade. Teamwork is often the strongest way to survive.
Bringing someone along is fine, but if that person drags down team cooperation, it could lead to total annihilation. This is the most dangerous and taboo.
So, he wanted to speak his dirty words upfront: if Long Chen maliciously caused trouble, to protect the team, he would kill him immediately.
"Don't worry, this young man is so honest. He definitely won't cause us any trouble. I can take care of him." The woman seemed afraid of startling Long Chen and hurriedly said.
At this moment, Long Chen was still in a petrified state, mouth open, still thinking about the line "Crying alone, so pitiful." Everyone thought he was scared by the captain's words.
Seemingly satisfied with Long Chen's awe-inspiring expression, the captain nodded, then led everyone into a shabby tavern. It seemed to be their own business. After finding a quiet private room to sit down, the captain looked at Long Chen and said,
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Fang Liude, the captain of this mercenary squad. You can call me Sixth Brother."
Since we agree to join your team, we will treat you like a teammate. The tasks we accept will be shared with you. But one thing to remember: mercenary missions are top secret and cannot be disclosed to others. Even if the mission is completed, it must not be revealed. Long
Chen nodded, indicating he understood. Originally, it was all a misunderstanding, and Long Chen wanted to leave directly, but the couple seemed to believe he was "crying alone, very pitiful," insisting on bringing him along. For a moment, he didn't know how to refuse.
Now, hearing about mercenary missions, Long Chen immediately became curious. He had dealt with mercenaries before, but he had no idea how these mercenaries actually accepted or completed their missions.
"Big brother, what's your name?" The woman saw Long Chen just nodding without saying a word and asked directly.
"Long Chen,"
Long Chen didn't hide anything and gave his real name directly.
"Your surname is Long?" The people around were stunned.
"You're not part of the Long family, are you?" Someone exclaimed in surprise. In Tianhuang, anyone with the surname Long is actually a branch of the Long family.
"How is that possible? If he were from the Long family, how could he have appeared in Mercenary City? The woman smiled and said,
"My name is Yuying. It seems you're younger than me. You can call me Sister Ying. This is my husband, Wu Song. You can call him Brother Song..."
Yuying wanted to continue the introduction, but was interrupted by Fang Liude. He said, "There's plenty of time on the road to introduce you. Let's talk about this mission first!"
After speaking, Fang Liude took out a piece of parchment with a map drawn on it, along with a catalogue of rare medicines. When Long Chen saw the catalog, he was slightly surprised:
"Proud Snow Golden Silk Chrysanthemum."
When Long Chen mentioned this name, Fang Liude was taken aback: " You actually know this rare medicine? Long
Chen nodded and said, "I know a little."
Of course Long Chen knew. The Proud Snow Golden Silk Chrysanthemum was also a rare herb for refining Nie Chong Pills, and he had searched for a long time but found no news.
He hadn't expected to see it right after arriving in Tianhuang. It seemed the Qiankun Cauldron hadn't deceived him at all. Perhaps in Tianhuang, he could really collect all the rare herbs for the Qi Nie Chong Pill.
Although he was a bit surprised that Long Chen recognized the Ao Xue Golden Silk Chrysanthemum, Fang Liude didn't pay much attention. After all, a disciple from a well-born family who knows some rare medicines isn't really something to be surprised about.
Fang Liude said, "Our mission this time is this Proud Snow Golden Silk Chrysanthemum. Its location has been determined, but it is guarded by a Heavenly Saint-level great demon. We need to carry out the ninth set of plans. Do you have any questions?" "
No objections"
"No objections"
"No objections"
...
Seeing that everyone had already expressed their stance, Long Chen wanted to join in, but Yu Ying smiled and stopped him. He didn't even know what the ninth plan was, so this statement was meaningless. Besides, he wasn't part of the team and had no right to do so.
"Since there are no objections, let's set off."
Fang Liude stood up directly, led by him. Everyone took out a backpack and took out its contents to count one by one.
Long Chen saw the character "nine" written on their bags and immediately understood that each of their plans was a team effort, each needing to prepare their own supplies.
Their expressions were stern and meticulous. After all, this concerned the lives of all of them, and not a moment could be taken lightly.
Long Chen noticed that among this group, there were ranged attackers, close combatants, two wood-element experts, one water-element expert, and even a formation master. Together, they could attack or defend when retreating.
However, judging purely from what they had prepared this time, it seemed they weren't there for battle. Long Chen saw the pill. Although he wasn't holding it in his hand, he could tell at a glance that it was a laxative, and it was a powerful type. Once taken, it would cause a torrent of diarrhea.
Soon, everyone finished preparing and immediately left the tavern. As soon as they stepped out, sharp weapons were pointed at them.