Chapter 89: Observing

“I don’t know.” Jie Xi pondered for a moment before replying.

In Jie Xi’s view, it was most likely the work of a mutated species. There was no need to continue investigating, as it would only lead to more losses. However, if they already knew their opponent was a mutated species and still chose to pursue the matter, then their goal must be to eliminate it. If the final objective was to kill the mutated species, then what was so valuable about it that they were willing to pay such a hefty price in blood? Could it be…

As Jie Xi thought of this, she suddenly looked up in shock at the Tower Master. At this moment, beneath the platinum mask, the Tower Master’s eyes gleamed with a strange light as he stared at her.

“Since you understand, start making the necessary preparations.” With that, the Tower Master lowered his gaze back to the books on the table.

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“Captain Wang, something happened again!” Fatty came running towards Wang Zhi in a hurry.

Wang Zhi, who was in the middle of training, could tell from Fatty’s anxious demeanor that something serious had occurred.

“What happened?” Wang Zhi slowly put down his equipment.

“The Dawn Tower issued a bounty mission!” Fatty said mysteriously.

“Oh? A bounty mission? This is the first time I’ve heard of the Dawn Tower issuing one.”

“The mission objective is to recover Doomsday Eternal’s magnetic cards from outside!”

“What? Doesn’t that mean everyone will know that Doomsday Eternal was wiped out?”

“I don’t know about that, but the bounty reward is a full 20,000 contribution points!”

“Twenty thousand!?”

Fatty nodded with satisfaction at Wang Zhi’s shocked expression.

This amount was enough to help an average team meet the requirements for promotion to a Level Three squad. But here was the problem—Wang Zhi had already learned about Doomsday Eternal’s annihilation two days ago through An Qing. In fact, the event must have happened even earlier, since An Qing hadn’t received the news immediately.

Wang Zhi considered the implications. Why hadn’t the Dawn Tower issued the bounty mission right away? Instead, they kept it a secret for a few days before making it public. The only explanation he could think of was that the Dawn Tower had sent their own people to investigate the site first. However, things didn’t go as planned, and they also perished there. If that were the case, the Dawn Tower definitely wouldn’t let this go easily.

“Forget about it for now. We’re staying put this month. No missions—just training.”

They had only arrived a few days ago, and Wang Zhi had no intention of taking any jobs before the end of the month. Their squad still had nearly 30,000 contribution points, which was enough for them to live comfortably for a while.

That night, after training, Wang Zhi returned to his quarters and noticed a new message on Lingling One.

“Lingling One, check new messages.”

As he changed his clothes, he instructed Lingling One to read the message.

It was from the Flying Tiger Squad, asking if Twilight Remnant was interested in teaming up to search for the bounty.

Wang Zhi chuckled at the message. The Flying Tiger Squad was interesting—they didn’t ask for help but instead proposed a direct collaboration.

However, Wang Zhi had no intention of getting involved in this mess. Since they reached out, he decided to give Long Yi a piece of advice.

“Not participating. Suggest observing for now.”

After sending the response, Wang Zhi shut off Lingling One and went to sleep.

The next morning, Wang Zhi checked Lingling One again but saw no reply from the Flying Tiger Squad. He didn’t dwell on it. He had already given his warning—whether they listened was up to them.

Since the bounty was announced, many Level Two teams had been eager to try their luck. After all, 20,000 contribution points were worth risking everything. If they succeeded, they could immediately promote to Level Three. And at that level, wouldn’t the women from lower-tier squads be easy pickings?

After breakfast, Wang Zhi headed to the training grounds and saw the Flying Tiger Squad practicing as if nothing had happened. It seemed they had taken his advice and chosen to wait and see.

“If you don’t understand it, don’t act rashly,” Wang Zhi reminded himself.

And this bounty mission? Wang Zhi didn’t understand it. It was unclear, unpredictable. No matter how tempting it was, he had no interest. He would just watch from the sidelines.

“Excuse me, are you Captain Wang Zhi of Twilight Remnant?”

Wang Zhi was focused on his training when he suddenly heard someone call out. He turned to see a young man with a crew cut and a friendly face, carrying luggage along with three men and one woman.

“Yes, and you are?” Wang Zhi looked at him curiously.

“I’m Qiao Hao, captain of Flowing Time! It’s an honor to meet you. Your squad has always been our role model. We just got promoted to a Level Three team today, and the first thing we wanted to do was meet you. I hope we can count on your guidance in the future!”

“Haha, Captain Qiao is too kind. We’re all just ordinary survivors helping each other. There’s no such thing as guidance.”

Wang Zhi extended his hand and shook Qiao Hao’s, sizing him up. His team didn’t seem particularly remarkable, and Wang Zhi didn’t feel much interest in them.

“Yes, we should look out for each other… Haha! Well then, Captain Wang, we’ll go settle in first. See you next time.” Qiao Hao waved and left.

“Heh! That guy’s pretty sly! Just arrived on the third floor and already making connections.” Fatty scoffed.

“Ha… You think any of us who made it here are fools?” Wang Zhi started to speak but stopped himself when he glanced at Fatty.

After training for a while, Wang Zhi suggested they have lunch on the second floor, as it had been a long time since they last ate there. It would also give them a chance to catch up on the current situation.

Upon arriving at the second floor, Wang Zhi’s first impression was that it was crowded! The number of people bustling about was at least twice as many as when he was last here.

From what they gathered, all available housing on the second floor had been completely filled due to the recent recruitment. Some hopeful refugees who wanted to join were placed on a waiting list until a squad was willing to accept them.

As they walked through, Wang Zhi and his team were frequently recognized. Some people greeted them, while others, seeing that Wang Zhi’s teammates weren’t around, even approached to ask if they were recruiting.

Seeing these opportunists, Wang Zhi frowned. He would rather take in a crippled survivor with determination than one of these spineless people.

At the dining hall, Wang Zhi was surprised to find that food prices here were 10% higher than on the third floor.

“So there are hidden perks to being on the third floor?” Fatty commented.

“There’s no help for it. No matter the time or place, social classes will always exist,” Su Muying remarked as she grabbed a menu and ordered some cheap but filling dishes.

Meanwhile, on the first floor, inside the battle preparation hall, thirty people were assembled. Clad in hazmat suits and armed with automatic rifles, they stood ready, their expressions grim.