Chapter 41

“Want to know? Come and have a match with us, and I’ll tell you.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Haoxuan and Ke Junda gave a thumbs up to their boss in their hearts.

Back when discussing on the star tracks, everyone unanimously believed that Gu Dong, the chief of the Agility Department, was the best candidate to wear the emblem for the match.

Gu Dong, an agile type, runs fast, professionally a killer, skilled in stealth and disguise.

If he were the emblem bearer, the elite squad could let him go, without worrying about the safety of the emblem bearer. They could deploy more new recruits to annihilate the opposing newcomers. It seemed like the best combination no matter how you looked at it.

Even two outsiders who had never attended military courses could think of this. There was no way Xuan Yuansheng, who had received education in this field, wouldn’t have thought of it.

He stood there tangled for a long time but ultimately did not speak up to stop it.

Compared to his grudge against the killer profession, it was clear that the military training credits of the entire Silver Star newcomers were more important. Xuan Yuansheng was not someone who didn’t understand the bigger picture.

Moreover, since Gu Dong dared to operate within the empire, he must have undergone scrutiny by relevant imperial departments. Even if he takes on a contract, he can only kill the heinous fugitives. If he kills someone he shouldn’t, there will be imperial legal sanctions.

Thinking this way, Xuan Yuansheng also let go of his concerns.

The team members had no objections, but the person involved had a lot to say.

“A match? What do you mean?” With Gu Dong’s proud height of 1.9 meters, he only needed to lower his head slightly to see the words on the screen in front of Yuan Hanshuang.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to get me to join your 6v6 team?”

“Why not?” Yuan Hanshuang asked back. “This year’s military training assessment includes a confrontation match between the two major academies. Both sides can invite a senior student to become the emblem bearer to support the match. In order to defeat the Imperial Military Academy, we plan to invite you.”

“Oh.” Gu Dong calmly said, “Whether you can earn credits is your own business. Don’t tell me you’re expecting me to have some ridiculous sense of collective honor?”

The indifferent attitude in his tone, which indicated that it had nothing to do with him, immediately angered Xuan Yuansheng.

“Now, the bounties entrusted to me in the black market start at least in the seven digits. I don’t think the value of a seven-digit price can equal the intelligence value of accurately recognizing me from the crowd.”

Initially, he chose to become the chief of the Agility Department not because he planned to lead Silver Star to a better rank in next year’s academy ranking competition, but because the treatment Silver Star gave to the chiefs was excellent. They not only enjoyed luxurious individual dorms but also had highly private individual training rooms.

Considering the pros and cons, Gu Dong did not choose the position of the president, which required dealing with various documents every day and taking on the responsibility of the entire school. Instead, he chose the position of the department chief, a position where he could enjoy and slack off.

“You’re arrogant, and you think highly of yourself. We are reaching high.”

Xuan Yuansheng snorted, clearly not wanting to talk much with someone lacking a sense of collective honor.

However, Yuan Hanshuang did not give up. “Really? I remember last time you wanted to buy my martial arts technique.”

“You’re willing to sell?” Sure enough, these words made Gu Dong stop his departure.

“Not for sale, but as long as you participate in the confrontation match, I can teach you.”

While martial arts techniques couldn’t be sold, there was no problem with passing them on.

Gu Dong tilted his head.

A wary glint flashed in the amethyst-colored eyes.

The keen intuition of the assassin told him that agreeing so readily must involve some deception.

However, a powerful close-quarters ancient martial arts technique was too tempting. While others might not be aware, Gu Dong, who had undergone years of assassination training and immersed himself in combat, knew the true value of that martial arts set. That day, he had initially quoted five million star coins, even underestimating it several times, thinking there was room for negotiation. However, Yuan Hanshuang unexpectedly refused to negotiate at all.

Enormous benefits triumphed over the uneasy intuition.

In the end, Gu Dong opened his own Neural Implant. “Alright, but I need to record the evidence first.”

“Sure.” Yuan Hanshuang grinned.

With a dozen or so moves in the martial arts set, she could teach him one move at a time. Was she afraid of not luring this big fish?

Of course, before imparting the technique to Gu Dong, Yuan Hanshuang would make him swear an oath to the heavens, sign a written agreement, and ensure he wouldn’t use the martial arts to harm innocent people. There were many conditions and restrictions, and it was a test of who could endure more.

“Voiceprint verification complete; the contract takes immediate effect.”

Hearing the prompt from the Neural Implant, Gu Dong’s expressionless face revealed satisfaction. “Let me remind you, the Gu family has one of the top three luxurious legal teams in the entire interstellar. If you violate the contract, you won’t want to know the consequences.”

“It’s just a few million in compensation. Anyone can afford that.”

Unable to tolerate this guy’s attitude, Xuan Yuansheng deliberately retorted, and Xia Mengrou also nodded in agreement.

Gu Dong had heard much worse words from childhood to adulthood, and he had developed a thick skin.

Feeling pleased to have obtained what he wanted, he said, “Let’s go, I’ll accompany you to training.”

“Following my standard rate for a single intervention, you’ll make a profit.”

Having lured in the final enforcer, Yuan Hanshuang entered Gu Dong’s information into the matching list.

Surprisingly, this guy turned out to be a diamond-level contracted fighter. It seems that the young master hasn’t been shy about making money for his alliance at the underground combat arenas.

Unexpectedly, while Yuan Hanshuang was astonished, Gu Dong subtly glanced at her.

The classification of fighters in the combat arena is quite strict, divided into bronze, silver, gold, black iron, diamond, master, and grandmaster. Because the higher the rank, the more points are deducted for each loss, making it harder to accumulate points. The difference in the number of people between ranks also sharply decreases.

Higher-ranked titles not only require enough points but also a sufficient number of matches. For example, Gu Dong’s diamond rank is maintained because he needs to keep his combat skills sharp when there are no assassination contracts. Therefore, after coming from the federation to study in the empire, he diligently visited combat arenas.

However, this new student in front of him, at only the fourth-tier in the initial stage, surprisingly shares the diamond rank with him, who is at the peak of the fourth tier.

A fourth-tier initial diamond-level fighter at this age is extremely rare in the entire interstellar realm.

After the failed attempt to purchase the martial arts technique, he had his family’s intelligence department investigate her background. The result was a clean record, and Gu Dong could tell at a glance that it was the handiwork of the dark street intelligence department in this kind of background.

As the heir of an assassin family, Gu Dong was aware that some families in the dark underworld do indeed send their heirs to the black streets or dark stars for training.

Thinking this way, he became even more convinced of the black-haired girl’s identity as an inheritor of a prestigious martial arts family.

Yuan Hanshuang’s words interrupted Gu Dong’s thoughts. “Alright, before we get matched, let’s briefly introduce our skills and avatars to each other. At least let our teammates have an idea so that we can cooperate well on the field.”

“But before that, we need to determine a main commander.”

Xuan Yuansheng patted his chest. “I’ve studied tactical command; let me do it!”

With the command decided, Ke Junda spoke first. “My avatar is the Diamond Parrot, a defensive type, with skills like Diamond Shield and Tai Chi Fist. The Diamond Shield provides a defensive shield for all teammates, while the Tai Chi Fist is an attacking skill, but its development is not aimed at traditionally defeating enemies, but repelling them.”

Yes, under Yuan Hanshuang’s guidance, the top little brother also developed Tai Chi Fist as his skill.

His defensive abilities were quite standard, and everyone had no objections after hearing it.

Wu Haoxuan said, “My avatar is the March Rat, a support type, with a single draw skill. It can randomly draw N, R, SR, SSR cards, but currently, I’ve only developed abilities for two cards. SSR provides a five-minute all-around double enhancement for a teammate, and N card weakens the opponent’s abilities for up to one minute. Then I also have a passive skill, as long as I don’t speak and stay still, I can infinitely reduce my own presence. However, the drawback is that once I speak or move, the skill automatically loses its effect.”

“This passive skill is like a divine technique! The support skill is also interesting; used well, it can lead to unexpected victories.” Excited to hear about reducing presence and double enhancements, Xuan Yuansheng’s eyes lit up. “Is there a distance limit for your cards?”

“Yes, I must be within five meters to use card enhancements.”

“Then you need to coordinate with Gu Dong. When you draw the N card, he needs to bring you out from the back row to apply debuffs to the enemy.” Xuan Yuansheng confidently said, “Remember to follow my command when you draw SSR. Your passive skill is excellent; no need for defense-oriented support. It’s like liberating a combat force. No wonder our classmate wants to bring you along. I couldn’t tell; you’re quite reserved!”

Appreciated, Wu Haoxuan chuckled.

He felt that today he would definitely advance to a higher tier!

Seeing Xuan Yuansheng’s excited eyes, Yuan Hanshuang hesitated.

Well, for now, let’s make a Second Fool happy. When they really go on stage later, he’ll understand the gap between ideal and reality.

Xia Mengrou said, “Dream Butterfly, a control type, with skills like Hypnotic Powder and Wind Blade. After sprinkling Hypnotic Powder, it can cause a slowing effect on the enemy’s movements. If the powder stacks to five layers, it can make someone fall into a deep sleep on the field. As for Wind Blade, it’s a regular long-range attack skill with a repelling effect when used up close.”

“Good, balancing control and long-range. Our team has two close-quarters fighters, which perfectly compensates for the shortcoming.”

Xuan Yuansheng didn’t expect a pleasant surprise from Xia Mengrou’s avatar. “My avatar is the Golden Rampage Lion, a melee type, with skills like Golden Rip and Fierce Pounce, all of which are attacking skills.”

Yuan Hanshuang said, “Koi, a melee type, with the Eight Extremes Fist skill, all of which are melee attacking skills.”

One person hadn’t introduced himself, and everyone looked at him.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Gu Dong calmly said, “Silver Wing Falcon, an agility type, as an assassin, Skills are confidential.”

Xuan Yuansheng exploded, “Hey, you’ve joined the team, and you won’t inform us about your skills. What kind of attitude is this?”

“Due to professional reasons, our skills cannot be casually disclosed to others to prevent enemies seeking revenge,” Gu Dong said calmly. “Furthermore, I only agreed to train with you and participate in the academy confrontation match. If you want to know my specific skills, that’s a separate price.”

“Also, when we’re on the field later, don’t bother about me. A qualified assassin will hide and seize the opportunity to strike when the time is right.”

Sounds nice, but isn’t he just an opportunistic onlooker on the verge of duels?

Harming teammates? Leave it to him. The kills? He’ll snatch them. How annoying!

“Big Brother Xuan Yuansheng, forget it, forget it.” Wu Haoxuan hurriedly restrained the about-to-explode Xuan Yuansheng. “We’re teammates, and we should respect each other’s abilities. Besides, Senior Gu Dong is an assassin, very suitable for off-field support and harvesting on the edges. Since Senior has said not to pay attention to him, let him play freely.”

Yuan Hanshuang: I think it’s more like letting him roam freely.

So, after a simple self-introduction, she submitted the application to prepare for matchmaking.

Looking at the prompt for the team ID on the screen, Yuan Hanshuang casually entered “Silver Star Reaper Harvesting Squad.”

They quickly found opponents.

Wu Haoxuan and Ke Junda had expectations on their faces as first-timers in team battles. Xia Mengrou was excited and nervous, Xuan Yuansheng was full of passion, Yuan Hanshuang had her hands in her pockets, and Gu Dong remained indifferent.

“All right! Charge!”

And so, the group entered the combat arena together.

At this moment, they had no idea that in the not-too-distant future, this story would become a legend celebrated by people throughout the interstellar realm.

In the inconspicuous black street combat arena, with an ID casually entered, and a team hastily assembled, the epic began.