Chapter 166: Starfire's Test

Just as Lin Chen and Xia Nuan had finished discussing going to see Lin Chong, the communicator suddenly rang.

It was a message from Zhao Feng: "Lin Chen, come to the Starfire Mercenary Group headquarters at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to participate in the entry test.

You will only be considered an official core member after passing the test. Remember to bring your weapons." Lin Chen replied "Received,"

and said to Xia Nuan: "I have to participate in the entry test tomorrow. It seems it's not that easy to become a core member."

Xia Nuan nodded: "You prepare yourself. I'll wait for your news at the base tomorrow.

Contact me if there is any situation." Lin Chen checked his equipment—Ice Blade long blade, Purple Lightning Purification Gun, protective suit, and energy core were all packed, and he mobilized the energy in his body to confirm his state before resting with peace of mind.

Early the next morning, Lin Chen finished breakfast, said goodbye to Xia Nuan and Tuan Tuan, and drove the off-road vehicle towards the Starfire Mercenary Group headquarters. The headquarters was located in an abandoned military base,

with mercenary group members guarding the entrance. Seeing the Starfire Badge on Lin Chen's chest,

they let him pass directly. Zhao Feng was already waiting in the headquarters square, with two other people wearing the same dark blue jackets standing beside him.

"These are the examiners for the entry test,

Li Yong and Zhang Na." Zhao Feng introduced. Li Yong was tall and sturdy, holding a heavy axe in his hand; Zhang Na was relatively thin and small, carrying a bow and arrow on her back.

"The test consists of three items: killing designated mutant creatures, breaking through the defensive formation, and team collaboration simulation. Passing all of them counts as qualified." Li Yong spoke, his voice low.

Lin Chen followed the three to the test area at the back of the headquarters. The first test point was already prepared—an elite zombie locked in an iron cage,

holding a rusty long blade in its hand, roaring at the outside of the iron cage. "The first test: kill this elite zombie within ten minutes without using thermal weapons." Zhang Na said.

Lin Chen nodded, drew the Ice Blade long blade, the iron cage door was opened, and the elite zombie brandished the long blade and rushed towards him.

Lin Chen dodged to the side, while mobilizing Absolute Zero, the blade covered with a layer of ice-blue cold air,

and slashed at the elite zombie's wrist. With a "crack" sound, the elite zombie's wrist was severed,

and the long blade fell to the ground. It roared and grabbed at Lin Chen with its other hand. Lin Chen backhanded a slash, piercing its chest, and the elite zombie fell to the ground, motionless. The whole process took only two minutes.

Li Yong raised his eyebrows: "The speed is good. The second test: break through the defensive formation ahead.

There are five mercenary group members defending inside. You cannot hurt anyone, and you must reach the finish line within ten minutes.

" Lin Chen looked at the defensive formation not far away—five members held long spears, forming a circular defense, leaving a narrow passage in the middle.

He took a deep breath and rushed towards the defensive formation quickly. One member raised his spear to stab,

Lin Chen bent down to dodge, while using the back of his blade to gently push away the opponent's spear; another member flanked from the side,

Lin Chen mobilized the shared prediction to dodge, avoided the attack in advance, and kept running towards the finish line without stopping.

The five members constantly changed formations to block, but Lin Chen remained calm,

using speed and dodging skills, and rushed through the defensive formation in five minutes without hurting anyone.

"The third test:

team collaboration simulation. You, Li Yong, and Zhang Na will fight against three simulated Lord Zombies together.

You need to cooperate to complete the kill and cannot act alone." Zhao Feng said. Three mechanical Lord Zombies suddenly rose from the ground in the test area, their size the same as real ones, but their movements slightly slower.

"I'll be responsible for attracting attention, Zhang Na will attack from a distance, and Lin Chen, you find an opportunity to attack the weak points."

After Li Yong finished speaking, he brandished his heavy axe and rushed towards a mechanical Lord Zombie, attracting its firepower.

Zhang Na drew her bow and shot an arrow, which hit the eye of another mechanical Lord Zombie,

temporarily making it lose its target. Lin Chen circled behind the third mechanical Lord Zombie,

used the Ice Blade to slash at its joints, the cold air instantly freezing the joints, and the mechanical Lord Zombie was unable to move.

The three cooperated tacitly, Li Yong restrained, Zhang Na attacked from a distance, and Lin Chen fought in close combat.

Twenty minutes later, all three mechanical Lord Zombies were destroyed. The test ended,

Li Yong and Zhang Na looked at each other and nodded to Zhao Feng: "Test passed. The strength and calmness are up to standard, meeting the core member criteria."

Zhao Feng walked over with a smile and handed Lin Chen a black bracelet: "This is the identity bracelet for core members.

It contains the mercenary group's mission list and intelligence database. You can accept missions and

check information through the bracelet in the future." Lin Chen took the bracelet and put it on. The bracelet automatically fit his wrist, the screen lit up, and the words "Core Member Lin Chen" were displayed.

"There is a dinner at the headquarters at noon today.

I'll introduce other core members to you. Go back after eating."

Zhao Feng said. Lin Chen nodded and followed the three into the headquarters building. During the dinner, more than a dozen core members sat around a large table, greeting Lin Chen one after another, and some shared their experiences of executing missions before. Lin Chen listened carefully, asked questions occasionally, and soon became familiar with everyone.

After the meal, Lin Chen said goodbye to everyone and drove the off-road vehicle back to the base.

On the way, he checked the mission list through the bracelet and found a "Rescue Survivors in Abandoned Hospital" mission,

which was not far from the base and had moderate difficulty. Returning to the base, Xia Nuan immediately greeted him: "How was the test? Did you pass?" Lin Chen held up his wrist,

showing the black bracelet: "Passed, became a core member, and also accepted a rescue mission. We'll go together tomorrow."

Xia Nuan nodded with a smile: "That's great. We'll go together tomorrow, just in time to test the new equipment.

" Tuan Tuan ran over and rubbed against Lin Chen's leg. Lin Chen bent down to pick it up,

looked at Xia Nuan beside him and the bracelet in his hand, his heart full of stability—passing Starfire's test not only gained him the status of a core member but also added a group of reliable companions. The road ahead would be much easier to walk. ===== CHAPTER 167 =====