Nan Yue took one last look back at the town before rushing into the dense forest, wondering how many lives and sins were buried in that seemingly quiet place.
When they had arrived a few days ago, they had no idea that so many malevolent ghosts in human skin lived there.
No one spoke, and no one slowed down.
The remaining few were all top-tier scavengers with excellent physical fitness, and even after running all this way, only their slightly hurried breathing could be heard.
Chang'an came to a halt; they had returned to the location where they had originally agreed to meet the driver.
The driver had said he would pick them up here in seven days, but they didn't know exactly what time he would arrive.
They could only wait here.
If the mission was particularly cruel and the driver didn't show up until dawn or later, they might be overtaken by those infant ghosts.
Everyone stood ready, their expressions solemn and silent.
Fortunately, as soon as midnight passed, the roar of an engine reached their ears.
The battered minibus emerged from nowhere and wobbled to a stop in front of them.
It was the same driver, looking as impatient as ever.
"Everyone's here, then. Get on."
Hearing the driver's words, the group knew that Pu Yuan and Lu Jiao hadn't made it out.
Nan Yue's heart felt heavy, knowing they had been so close to a way out yet missed it.
The five of them boarded the vehicle, and the moment it started, Nan Yue was transported back to the task room of the Purification Center.
Nan Yue turned her head to see Gu Xiang Kai standing beside her, his posture completely relaxed.
He let out a yawn, looking exhausted as he waited for the results to be broadcast.
"Nan Yue, ID number FCY091452; Gu Xiang Kai, ID number SCY14223, residence: City State 66."
"Multiplayer qualification task, code 34163: Multi-fortune Town. Task result: Cleared."
"Scavenger rank evaluation is being processed based on the cleanup process, please wait..."
"Team evaluation grade: S"
"Evaluation reward: 5,000 team reward points."
"Congratulations. We hope you will continue your efforts and fully devote yourselves to the Scavenger Project."
"We look forward to your even more brilliant performances."
"Whoa, badass. Five thousand points for one mission."
Despite his fatigue, Gu Xiang Kai's face was full of surprise.
He was a veteran at completing tasks, but since he usually relied on brute force, he rarely earned more than seven or eight hundred points per mission.
This was the first time he had earned so many points in a single go.
It really was important to follow the right person.
Although Gu Xiang Kai was a bit arrogant, he wasn't ungrateful, and he knew this was largely due to Nan Yue.
"After forming a team, points are issued via team settlement. I still have some money on me, so you keep the points. I'll ask you if I need more."
Nan Yue didn't want to take on such a troublesome chore, but seeing that Gu Xiang Kai didn't seem like the type to have a clear enough head to manage accounts, she could only agree for now.
When the two of them walked out of the Purification Center, they saw Zhu Xi Ning waiting outside.
She waved at them and ran over with a smile on her face.
"I'm treating you both to blanched soup bowls!"
...
On the second floor of the commercial district in the City State Center, there was a shop selling blanched soup bowls.
It cost 10 points per person for all-you-can-eat.
Once you chose your ingredients, the owner would blanch them in a rich broth and add seasonings like chili and Sichuan peppercorns.
Eating such a meal made one never want to go back to those 1-point lunch boxes.
Zhu Xi Ning generously swiped for all three portions.
It was Nan Yue's first time here, and she looked around curiously.
To the left was a large freezer containing rows of categorized ingredients.
There were four or five types of meat and three or four types of vegetables.
Knowing Nan Yue was new, Zhu Xi Ning introduced them one by one.
"This is pork, this is chicken, these are eggs, and over there is my favorite, the beef."
Nan Yue looked at the meats, which only differed slightly in color, and nodded, picking a bit of everything.
Gu Xiang Kai didn't care much for the variety and simply filled a large bowl to the brim.
The owner's eyelid twitched at his tall, sturdy build, but he said nothing.
The food was served quickly, and the three of them ate in silence until they were half-full before slowing down.
This mission had been truly unfriendly.
A person like Nan Yue, who loved food, had spent most of her time eating nothing but vegetables and steamed buns.
Zhu Xi Ning noticed that Nan Yue's bowl had a lot of chili, making it look bright red and mouth-numbing.
Looking at Nan Yue's slightly moist eyes and reddened lips, she didn't look anything like the calm, powerful figure from the mission.
Once Nan Yue had mostly finished eating, Zhu Xi Ning finally spoke up.
"Yueyue, I want to discuss something with you."
Nan Yue took a sip of the broth that had been turned red by the chili, wiped her mouth, and shook her head.
"No."
Zhu Xi Ning's face fell, and she began to act spoiled.
"Aw... why not! We worked so well together in the mission! You were willing to take him, so why not me?"
Gu Xiang Kai, who was busy eating, was very annoyed to be dragged into this.
He tapped his bowl loudly with his chopsticks.
"With the way you spend money, are you even fit for a team? You'd blow through the entire team's points in no time."
Zhu Xi Ning was like a deflated balloon, her bravado vanishing instantly, and she pouted for a long time.
"What was your evaluation grade for this mission?"
Gu Xiang Kai glanced at her, his tone casual, but Nan Yue could hear the smugness in it.
"S."
Zhu Xi Ning's eyes widened, and a second later, a very fawning smile appeared on her face.
"Actually, my material desires aren't that high. If we team up, we can keep the points in a unified account, and you guys can keep me in check."
She wasn't joking; in previous missions, Zhu Xi Ning was lucky just to get out in one piece.
Her evaluation grades were usually a B, or a B+ if she was lucky.
This time, she had received an unprecedented A- only because she had benefited from Nan Yue's presence.
But she hadn't expected their team grade to be that high.
Zhu Xi Ning looked at Gu Xiang Kai huffily; that muscle-brain had certainly gotten the better deal.
Nan Yue finished her meal and set down her bowl.
"Fine."
She had envisioned her team having four to five people, where both character and ability were indispensable.
Gu Xiang Kai was brave, straightforward, not easily frightened, and had high combat power.
During this cooperation, she had discovered that his senses of smell and hearing were surprisingly well-matched to his nickname.
Although it seemed like Gu Xiang Kai didn't use his head to complete missions, Nan Yue had found after two missions together that he possessed an almost animal-like intuition.
His way of handling tasks was unique.
Even though his grades might not be very high because he didn't explore the background of the tasks, he was undoubtedly an expert.
And Zhu Xi Ning was also very suitable for a team.
Although her awakened ability wasn't prominent yet, her sensitivity to danger was very important.
As a support, Zhu Xi Ning was quick-witted and brave.
This mission showed that she could keep up with Nan Yue's logic and had her own ideas.
Nan Yue was very confident in herself, but the missions were too eerie; having teammates to think with was a good thing.
She was proud, but not conceited.
Moreover, teammates needed time to bond, and she felt comfortable around these two, so she was naturally satisfied.
Rate on N.U.
