Chapter 44: Joining the Squad?

On the afternoon of the second day.

Yu Lin and the others have already returned to the Civil Affairs Bureau headquarters.

They left quickly and returned quickly.

Naturally, they secured an S‑rank evaluation.

It made Chen Haoxi very happy, his face full of smiles:

"Very good! I knew you could do it!"

"Tonight, your rewards will be delivered to the dormitory; each one's different, hand‑picked by me, your teacher, just for you!"

"Go back and rest; no training today. Remember to come early tomorrow."

"The bureau has invited a master to come over and teach you more refined combat techniques and team coordination tactics."

"Any other questions?"

"Yes!" Qin Zhao raised a hand, a puzzled expression on her face:

"Teacher, do you know about the internal traitor?"

"Why aren't we finding them?! Letting them run amok like this?!"

"If we continue like this, someone in the bureau will eventually be killed by them!"

Hearing that, Chen Haoxi's smile gradually turned solemn; he said in a deep voice:

"It's not that we won't look for them, but... just wait."

"In at most half a year, you'll know exactly what we're doing now; this matter is under the director's full authority."

"If we let them be arrogant now, later... none of them will escape, including the forces behind them!"

He sneered, as if he had already seen that day arrive.

"Alright, you don't need to worry about this; these are our affairs. You just continue your cultivation."

"When your cultivation improves, any conspiracy can be shattered with a single strike!"

"If you are all already at the Grand Void, why worry about this or that? Any chaotic cult can just be run over by a bulldozer!"

"Go, go, all go rest! Otherwise stay behind and train more!"

Hearing him say that,

"Fine." Qin Zhao said no more.

She simply didn't choose to leave with Yu Lin and the other two, but headed toward the training room.

She seemed, somewhat, to have grasped the extreme training method tip that Yu Lin mentioned.

Need to add more fire!

At least.

When she fights again later, she can take on more, instead of only using "Inverse Logic Balance" as support!

ZhouYi headed toward the treatment room; his injuries were only temporarily transferred and still need full recovery to avoid any lingering effects.

As for Bai Xiaoxia,

Seeing that Yu Lin was fine, she patted his arm and said with a smile:

"Yu Lin, bro! I saw a video yesterday about a super tasty place in Kyoto; want to go with me?"

"I'll treat!"

Yu Lin raised an eyebrow: "Hm? Can't you just go alone? Why call me?"

"Ah," Bai Xiaoxia waved her hand and explained:

"I just want to eat more dishes, preferably try everything on their menu."

"I'm afraid I'll get full halfway, so... you know what I mean."

"Is that okay?"

Yu Lin thought it over, found it acceptable, and nodded: "Alright."

"When? Or now?"

Bai Xiaoxia, seeing his agreement, immediately replied: "In an hour!"

"I've already made a reservation!"

"Wait for me; I'll come to your dormitory to find you, okay?"

"Okay," Yu Lin nodded, then went his separate way.

Their dormitories aren't on the same floor; Bai Xiaoxia's is next to his, same building as Qin Zhao but on a different level.

ZhouYi shares the same building with Yu Lin, but on a different floor.

Back inside the dormitory.

Dragon Lord impatiently flew out from the Ding Pattern and said to Yu Lin: "Quickly, summon the Cauldron."

"Remember to shrink it a bit, about the size of your palm will do."

"Got it."

Since the Cauldron recognizes Yu Lin as its master, Dragon Lord currently lacks direct control; Yu Lin must let the Cauldron obey him for Dragon Lord to use it.

Yu Lin gave it a five‑star rating.

When Dragon Lord obtained the Cauldron, he immediately stuffed a female ghost inside, then seared it over high flame, simmered on low, and finally reduced the sauce slowly.

"Done, wait three days; after three days it'll be ready."

After placing the Cauldron in the corner, Dragon Lord flew to the computer desk and eagerly opened the game.

Seeing its impatient look, Yu Lin thought to himself, "He really has become a net‑addicted old dragon."

"Dragon Lord."

"What?"

"You're restoring by eating ghosts to replenish your spirit, right?"

"Pretty much, it's mainly good for the Soul; you know, you Dragon Lord, I am essentially the spirit of a Cauldron."

"Got it, I'll keep an eye on you from now on."

"Hey, it wasn't for nothing; alright, you go attend to your matters, I've launched the game."

It waved its claws and dived back into the game.

Yu Lin smiled, said little else, lay down and scrolled through short videos, forwarding all the abstract, crappy ones to Ning Ya.

He didn't know what Ning Ya was doing; she didn't reply, not even read them.

It must be something important.

Suddenly, a day without this guy's harassment felt oddly unfamiliar.

Yu Lin thought, and the knocking sounded:

"Yu Lin, Yu Lin, let's go!"

"Coming."

A moment later, the two walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau gate.

It was only at the moment they stepped out.

Yu Lin felt someone watching him from behind and suddenly turned to look.

His gaze met that of a youth with white hair, unsure whether it was natural or dyed.

The youth grinned at him, waved a hand in greeting, looking quite friendly.

Yu Lin gave a slight nod, then vanished around the corner.

"That guy must be Yu Lin, right?"

The white‑haired youth turned his head and asked his companion.

The companion nodded: "Yes."

"He's the newcomer who one day drew Qi and received the Heavenly Grant 'Heavenly Luck' Authority."

"What? Boss, you want to recruit him?"

"Of course." The white‑haired youth showed a smile as if he had spotted a prized prey.

"If this mascot can join our squad, wouldn't future missions be a lot easier?"

The companion laughed: "Then boss, you might be disappointed."

"The bureau now has high expectations for him and the other three newcomers, planning to intensify their training, pushing ten groups at once."

"Especially Yu Lin; Director Zhang places great emphasis on him, and it's said he's applying for the highest‑level replica spatial ring, intended to be used for his survival."

"He needs survival for his Heavenly Luck?" the youth scoffed, but he didn't doubt Director Zhang's interest in that information.

Just as he was about to say more, a disdainful voice came from beside them:

"A luck‑dependent guy, worth your Hong, worth Director Zhang's high regard?"

Hong, without seeing the speaker's face, knew exactly who it was—the captain of Team 6, Group 7, Cheng Chang'an.

Cheng Chang'an's looks were quite good, not far off from Hong's, and with a tall yet fleshy build, one might initially think a celebrity had arrived.

But the mocking smile at the corner of his mouth and the contempt in his eyes made anyone feel uneasy.

He stepped before Hong and said with a half‑smile: "Didn't you say you'd achieve an unblemished perfection by the end of last month?"

"Why is it still not perfect in the later stage?"

"If later the people from that little place of Bai Ying catch up, that'll be a loss for our Kyoto folks."

Hong's smile faded, and he said calmly:

"None of your business."

"What? Your big brother's back, you can't lift your head at home, so you come to me for attention?"

"You!" Cheng Chang'an's expression instantly darkened.

Hong sneered: "Look at you, what's the hurry?"

"You think you can talk about others?"

"Practice your temperament more; I suggest you hang out on the forum."

"Hmph." Cheng Chang'an let out a cold snort, stepped forward, and as he passed by, left a remark:

"If the person you want to recruit gets taken by me first, you won't be angry, right?"

Listening to the footsteps fading away.

Hong's companion, indignant, said: "What is he bragging about?"

"If it weren't for you, boss, getting injured last month while protecting that mother‑and‑daughter pair from an ambush, you wouldn't be unblemished now!"

"Disdain Bai Ying? You don't even know who was shattered by three shots last time!"

"Alright, alright, say less; this guy is short‑sighted." Hong patted his shoulder, his own lips curled into a playful smile:

"Just from that glance, I, the boss, saw that Yu Lin isn't a simple character, nor easy to bully; befriend him, and he'll befriend you......."

"But someone like Cheng Chang'an, who looks down on everything, meeting him..."

"Thinking he can subdue Heavenly Luck, fearing he'll be used as a stepping stone!"

"Let's go, call them together, and head out on a mission!"

The companion, hearing him, let the lingering resentment be replaced by the thought of a good show, and quickly said:

"Alright, I'll notify them right away!"