Chapter 25: First Strike Principle

"Zhang Chao? Who the hell is that?"

Lin Mo asked casually.

"Young Master, Zhang Chao is the First Company Commander under Commander Zhao Lei, and also Zhao Lei’s most trusted confidant."

Ye Hongyu spoke, her gaze fixed on the middle-aged man striding toward them.

Lin Mo nodded in understanding.

In other words, his status here is roughly equivalent to Ye Hongyu’s.

As they spoke, Zhang Chao arrived with two aides.

The man was lean, with sunken eyes, giving off a sinister aura.

"Ye Team, long time no see."

Zhang Chao greeted with a cold, forced smile, "Last time we met was half a year ago, wasn’t it? You still look as sharp as ever, Ye Team."

Facing Zhang Chao’s pleasantries, Ye Hongyu didn’t even lift her eyelids, her voice icy:

Get to the point. You know a monster tide is about to hit here—I have no time to chat with you.

"Heh, Ye Team, still as fiery as ever."

Zhang Chao wasn’t angered, but his gaze landed on Lin Mo behind her.

At this moment.

Dozens of people behind Lin Mo were urgently setting up a temporary camp.

A large, soft bed had been placed in the center.

The attending maids were arranging fruit platters and snacks on the nightstand.

Nearby, a chef was testing a grill on-site, preparing an outdoor barbecue for the Young Master.

Seeing this, Zhang Chao’s eyelid twitched twice.

He’d seen people leveling up and wealthy second-generation heirs coming out for a taste of adventure—but he’d never seen anyone move their entire "home" right to the frontlines of a monster tide.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Zhang Chao turned his gaze back to Ye Hongyu and said:

"This must be the Young Master of the Lin Commandant’s family? Indeed... quite the show."

A true scion of a wealthy family—facing a battlefield like a monster tide, still living as if it’s a vacation.

As he spoke, Zhang Chao sneered inwardly.

What good are levels artificially stacked?

Just a pile of stats with no matching skills or combat experience—nothing but a super soldier.

And worse, a blank-element mage with no elemental affinity—pure waste of resources.

"Zhang Chao, if you’re not going to use your mouth, I’ll sew it shut for you."

Ye Hongyu spoke coldly, a short knife appearing in her hand.

"No no no, Ye Team, just joking!"

Zhang Chao raised both hands in surrender, "I came here with serious business to discuss."

"Spit it out."

Ye Hongyu said coldly.

Zhang Chao’s smile faded slightly as he pointed toward the depths of the canyon:

By tradition, when facing large-scale monster tides, we usually join forces to clear them—maximizing efficiency.

"But this time is different."

Zhang Chao glanced at Lin Mo, then pointed toward his own side:

"Your Young Master is leveling up. Our Zhao Young Master is leveling up too."

"There’s only so much loot to go around. If we mix together, fights over monsters will inevitably break out—and then no one saves face."

Ye Hongyu frowned slightly: "So?"

"So, I suggest we keep our paths strictly separate."

Zhang Chao drew an invisible line:

"Split along the canyon’s central axis. We handle the western defense zone—monsters there are ours. Your Lin family handles the east—monsters there are yours."

"Each side claims what they earn, no interference."

As for the inevitable outdoor boss...

Zhang Chao’s eyes flashed with cunning as he added, "Whoever finds it first and lands the first hit gets it. The other side must not interfere. Deal?"

Ye Hongyu didn’t answer immediately.

The proposal sounded fair—arguably the most reasonable solution available.

If they didn’t divide the zones, the two forces would mix, and a fight over an elite monster could easily escalate into a full-blown standoff between the two armies.

Moreover, the ownership of the BOSS followed the unwritten rule of the practitioner circles: the "First Strike Principle."

But with the Young Master here, she had no authority to decide alone.

Ye Hongyu turned to Lin Mo and asked: "Young Master, what do you think of Zhang Chao’s proposal?"

Lin Mo didn’t overthink it.

The proposal was perfectly normal.

Everyone plays their own game, BOSS goes to whoever earns it—no issue.

"Sure, makes sense."

Lin Mo nodded, expression indifferent.

Having received Lin Mo’s approval, Ye Hongyu turned back to Zhang Chao and said:

"Our Young Master agrees. West is yours, east is ours. BOSS goes to whoever earns it. Now, you can leave."

"Straight to the point!"

Zhang Chao had achieved his goal and didn’t care about Ye Hongyu’s tone.

He cast one last glance at the grill being set up on Lin Mo’s side, and at the Young Master turning toward the bed, a wave of contempt rising in him.

A Young Master fed by servants—even at level 100, he’s still useless.

"Then we won’t disturb the Lin Young Master’s leisure."

Zhang Chao shook his head and turned, striding away with his aides.

On the other side, in the Zhao family’s defense camp.

Unlike Lin Mo’s relaxed atmosphere, this place was grim and deadly, hundreds of soldiers standing at attention.

Zhao Yu sat on a chair, eyes closed, resting.

"Vrrr—"

His phone beside him vibrated.

Zhao Yu opened his eyes and answered.

"Speak."

A respectful voice came from the other end:

"Young Master Zhao, it’s done. Xia Qingyue has accepted the three million and promised not to compete with you for the Top Graduate title in the upcoming exam."

Hearing this, Zhao Yu’s lips curled into a sneer.

"Understood."

He hung up casually and tossed the phone aside.

A teammate beside Zhao Yu scoffed:

"She acted so high-and-mighty before—yet still took the money? Xia, the campus queen, is such an actress."

"Pfft..."

Zhao Yu snorted, a look of disdain on his face: "My dad’s always overdoing it—wasting money like this."

"Even if Xia Qingyue leads her team through the Abyss Dungeon, so what? She’s just an A-rank Water Mage."

Zhao Yu’s face was full of irritation.

Though his family wasn’t short on cash, he still felt like they’d been played for fools.

The Abyss Dungeon—even at the same level and difficulty—varied greatly in actual challenge.

Clearly, that so-called Abyss Dungeon had a very low actual difficulty.

Otherwise, how could an A-rank Water Mage possibly lead a team through it?

Just because she ranked first in theory and combat scores before her career transformation?

Ridiculous. Career gaps can’t be bridged by a few scores.

"Exactly!"

The teammate immediately agreed:

"I bet the dungeon was way too easy. In DPS, how could she compare to Zhao Young Master’s S-rank Flame Mage?"

"Zhao Young Master’s Multi-Burst Fireballs can split into five—what a talent! No one in Jianghai City can match him!"

"Giving her three million? Just throwing money at dogs."

At that moment, Zhang Chao strode back in.

"Young Master Zhao."

Zhang Chao bowed slightly to Zhao Yu, "I’ve settled things with the Lin family. West is ours, east is theirs."

As for the boss, follow the first-strike rule—whoever lands the first hit gets it.

Zhao Yu let out a light laugh and nodded. “By the way, how’s Lin Mo doing? What’s he up to now?”

At the mention of him, Zhang Chao sighed. “That Lin family’s Young Master… probably lying on his bed playing with his maid right now…”

“Bed?” Zhao Yu blinked. “Wait, he brought his bed here?”

Zhang Chao shook his head and shrugged.

“More than that—he brought his maid, his chef, even set up a barbecue grill. The way he’s acting, you’d think he’s on vacation.”

“Compared to your professional readiness, Young Master Zhao, the gap is enormous.”

“Hahaha…”

Before Zhao Yu could respond, several teammates nearby burst out laughing.

“Does this Lin family’s eldest son have a mental defect? Why not just move his whole house here?”

“Does he really think high level alone lets him do whatever he wants? No skills, no combat experience—he’s nothing.”

“He’s a rich heir—he values comfort above all.”

Hearing his teammates’ mockery, Zhao Yu could only shake his head helplessly.

His disdain grew even stronger.

“You can’t say it that way.”

Zhao Yu said coolly, “Though he’s a blank mage, with his level advantage, he might still scrape into the city’s top ten.”

As he said this, Zhao Yu couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy.

Once, before his class transformation, he had always regarded Lin Mo as his greatest rival.

After all, their families were evenly matched, and both their fathers were powerful city defense commanders. Since childhood, everyone compared them.

Back then, Lin Mo may have seemed lazy, but whether in theoretical scores or combat performance, he kept pace with him—never falling behind.

But now…

Lin Mo was completely ruined.

He was destined to enter a top-tier academy and rise to greatness.

From the moment he transformed his class, they were no longer from the same world.

If they weren’t even on the same path, why bother treating him as a rival?

That would be an insult to his S-rank talent.