Chapter 40

Unable to evaluate the effects of the treatment for the time being, Xu Qiao went home first.

Qin Chi watched her enter Room 101, nodded goodbye once more, and then closed the door.

The moment the latch clicked into place, the fire dragon materialized behind him, a burst of flame surging forward: [When will you let me show up?]

Qin Chi asked expressionlessly, “What did you just do?”

The enormous fire dragon circled the living room, its gold-red scales glistening as it coiled around the chandelier. Its menacing head turned toward Qin Chi, and its slit-like golden pupils conveyed indifference and irritation at Qin Chi’s questioning: [I wanted to touch its petals.]

Why could the little chubby one and the black scorpion stick close, but it couldn’t?

The fire dragon had experienced the soldiers’ reverence and admiration in the army and believed that if Qin Chi let it out, the lotus would be happy to be its friend.

It was only fierce to other beasts and would never scare the lotus. It was Qin Chi’s constant concealment and slander that made the lotus afraid of it.

Qin Chi’s eyes turned cold, “Did you touch it?”

The fire dragon: [No, I only touched the stem.]

It felt cool and refreshing. When its scales accidentally brushed against it, the whole lotus disappeared.

Qin Chi: “Do you want to imitate that yellow cat?”

The fire dragon was enraged: [How could that be! I just wanted the lotus to feel my body and guess my identity!]

Qin Chi: “Then you should be glad they considered your actions as an attack. If they had taken it as harassment, I would have had to move.”

The fire dragon froze in its circling around the chandelier, then disappeared.

Qin Chi sat on the single-seater sofa, where two plates of fruit were still laid out. The watermelon was more than half-eaten, and only a few grapes had been consumed.
—-
After a few minutes, Qin Chi tried to release his suppression of the fire dragon.

This time, the fire dragon didn’t immediately seize control of the body. Was it reflecting on the word
“Harassment,” or had Xu Qiao’s treatment taken effect?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a layer of dragon scales tentatively appeared on his arm.

Qin Chi instantly suppressed it with double his usual mental strength.

The fire dragon struggled violently for a moment before finally settling down obediently in his mind.
Qin Chi leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed.

Meng Li’s mother’s beastification had lasted for at least ten years, gradually deepening until she fully turned into a black scorpion in recent years.

His situation was different. Despite feeling the savagery of his spirit beast during his ten-year military career, his body had shown no signs of the fire dragon until one time when the fire dragon took control without warning. It plunged into the deep sea, fought fiercely, roamed far, and rested on a random island only when exhausted.

When the fire dragon took over, Qin Chi felt as if he was in a deep sleep, completely unaware of its actions and thoughts.

That time, an S-level general from a nearby coastal base searched for him for a day without finding any clues and had to inform his parents.

His father, a marshal, wouldn’t leave the base without an urgent war. His mother brought his retired centenarian grandfather to search for him at sea. After finding him, the two S-level powerhouses worked together to knock the fire dragon unconscious, allowing Qin Chi to wake up and regain control of his body.

He thought it was a special case, but this phenomenon became increasingly frequent afterward.
Professor Wu, at his wit’s end, suggested that he retire and rest, observing for a while to see if it would help.

His father was still hesitant, but his grandfather said his old arms and legs couldn’t handle it anymore, and his divorced mother was too exhausted to deal with it, so his father approved his leave.

So, was Xu Qiao assisting Meng Li’s mother’s recovery just a coincidence, or was Xu Qiao’s current level too low to affect an S-level spirit beast?

Considering that they would be leaving the base for training on weekends in the future, Xu Qiao specially adjusted her night shift with her colleague Zhao Lu. She switched to the Thursday night shift.
—-
On Friday afternoon, Sun Fushan chimed in on the group chat: [This time, should we continue to An County? After the beast riot in Jing City last time, there have been few people in the nearby Huang City and An County these days. We can focus on our practice, and the scenery there is good.]

Qin Chi: [Thanks.]

Meng Li: [Sounds good.]

Xu Qiao: [We’ve been to the north and south of An County before. How about we go west this time?
There’s said to be a large lake there, which used to be a 5A scenic spot in the Old Era.]

Sun Fushan: [Exactly, that’s why the scenery there is good. Plus, Huang City has a natural 5A scenic spot too. Here’s what I’m thinking: on Saturday, we kill C-level beasts in An County to practice our abilities, stay overnight, and then drive to Huang City the next day to really train against B-level beasts, and head back to the aircraft in the afternoon.]

Given the squad’s all-B-level strength, killing C-level beasts posed no challenge and didn’t provide real training. Only going to the B-level danger zone in Huang City would allow them to stretch their skills. If they were unlucky enough to encounter one or two A-level beasts, with the squad’s coordination, B-level strength, and A-level weapons, their chances of victory were pretty good. It wouldn’t be as embarrassing as the last two fights.

Meng Li: [Okay.]

Qin Chi: [Focus on the training; no need to always consider the scenery.]

Xu Qiao: [I’ll prepare some overnight supplies.]

Sun Fushan: [Just bring a change of clothes. I’ve got the tents and food covered. Check if there’s anything we need to add.]

He then posted an equipment list in the group
—-
Xu Qiao first saw four sets of A-level battle armor, with five notes in parentheses:

1.Modified from my parents’ old armor, only paid for the labor.
2.Given our luck, better safe than sorry.
3.Borrowed; whoever breaks it is responsible for repairs.
4.Full squad armor, keep it a secret to avoid exposing our strength.
5.We might level up soon, so it’s not worth spending points on B-level armor.

The list also included other cheap equipment, marked as covered by the squad’s funds and the remaining balance.

Xu Qiao smiled as she read. The captain was so afraid they would refuse his generosity.

Meng Li: [How much is the labor cost for the battle armor? Let’s split it evenly.]

Sun Fushan seemed prepared and reported two numbers: 400,000 points for the female armor and 500,000 for the male.

Xu Qiao was secretly astonished. The modification cost of old battle armor was already so high; no wonder A-level armor sold for billions.

Fortunately, they had just earned a large sum of 360,000 from the tiger-striped harrier; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

When Meng Li and Xu Qiao transferred the money to Sun Fushan, Sun Fushan said: [@Qin Chi, if you have your own armor, you don’t need to wear our old set.]

Qin Chi: [Do you have any pictures?]

Sun Fushan immediately provided photos of the uniforms.

There were two sets for men and two sets for women, carefully hung on display racks by Sun Fushan, looking about 80% new. They were identical black designs with a gold “S” insignia on the collar, clearly indicating they were the squad’s uniforms.

Qin Chi directly transferred the points to him.

Xu Qiao: [What does the ‘S’ stand for?]

Sun Fushan: [Hehe, it can stand for “Silence is gold” or for “All members will reach S-level”. I originally wanted to use our squad emblem, but that would risk exposing our identity.]

Xu Qiao: [Not bad, I like the meaning.]

Sun Fushan: [When the day comes that we all reach S-level, I’ll order four sets of S-level battle armor and proudly put our squad emblem on them.]

Xu Qiao was about to laugh but suddenly remembered that Qin Chi would only be staying at the Southeast Base for two to three years.
—-
At six in the morning, the large aircraft landed once again on the tarmac in An County’s urban area.
There weren’t many mercenaries left in the cabin, only about a hundred, but dozens of squad vehicles were driven out from the A and B-level zones, roaring off into the distance.

The four teammates walked to the outskirts of the city, where Sun Fushan released a brand-new off-road vehicle from an abandoned park, better disguising their identities.

“Armor, should we wear it now?” Sun Fushan asked excitedly.

Meng Li and Qin Chi, who were usually quieter in the group chat, looked at Xu Qiao together.
Xu Qiao: “…Let’s put it on now, and keep it completely hidden.”

Sun Fushan smiled and took out the battle armor.

To differentiate, Meng Li’s armor had a few dark red accents, Xu Qiao’s was lotus green, Sun Fushan’s was dark green, and Qin Chi’s was all black.

The armor was made from A-level metal and materials from A-level beasts, combining the super defense of metal with the flexibility and fit of leather armor. It could be worn directly over the equally slim combat suit.

Qin Chi moved to the other side of the off-road vehicle, the two-meter-high body shielding him.
Sun Fushan followed with the armor.

Xu Qiao and Meng Li quickly changed into their armor and got into the car, with Sun Fushan driving and Qin Chi in the passenger seat.

Following the paths created by other vehicles, the squad soon reached the westernmost part of An County. This area was surrounded by peaks, with flying or land beasts occasionally emerging to attack the off-road vehicle, all dealt with by Meng Li and Xu Qiao using their abilities. Sun Fushan focused on driving while Qin Chi, without wearing his helmet, leisurely enjoyed the scenery outside the window, occasionally taking photos with his communication wristband.
—-
After winding around several mountains, they suddenly emerged into an open area, revealing a large, shimmering lake.

Since they had easily dealt with the C-level beasts along the way, even Xu Qiao felt in a sightseeing mood, removing her helmet for a clearer view.

Qin Chi glanced at the rearview mirror.

The off-road vehicle drove along the lake until it reached the foot of a mountain several hundred meters high, where Sun Fushan stopped the car.

Exotic beasts tend to roam in the mountains and forests, so for training, one must venture into the mountains.

After getting out of the car, Xu Qiao immediately put on her helmet and, without lingering by the lake, headed towards the mountains.

Meng Li: “Shall we split up and meet at the summit?”

The three newly promoted B-level teammates had a strong need for training. If they moved together, finding one or two exotic beasts wouldn’t be enough for everyone, severely affecting efficiency.

Sun Fushan: “Sure, sure. Qin Chi, you…”

He pointed directly at Xu Qiao, saving the rest of his words.

Meng Li, with dual B-level abilities, was the strongest and least afraid to act alone. Sun Fushan had the most defensive earth abilities, while Xu Qiao, though dual-ability, only had water abilities for attack, making her overall defense the weakest.

Qin Chi looked at Xu Qiao.

Xu Qiao joked, “Alright, I’ll be Teacher Qin’s travel bodyguard.”

Having made their plans, Meng Li and Sun Fushan headed east and west, agreeing to send signals if they encountered any trouble.

Xu Qiao also led Qin Chi into the mountains.

Mutant vines surrounded them. Xu Qiao unleashed a water blade, instantly slicing the arm-thick vines into several pieces that fell to the ground with a snap.

Standing at a distance, Qin Chi smiled and commented, “I can tell you have a strong survival instinct.”
Xu Qiao realized that such large-scale attacks were a waste of mental energy. The perfect approach would be to quickly target and kill the main vine.

However, in theory, she was just a former C-level combatant who had recently advanced to B-level. Her first reaction to an attack was to save her life.

Controlling a water blade, Xu Qiao broke two more mutant vine attacks and finally hit the main vine’s weak point.

She didn’t look back at “Teacher Qin’s” expression and quietly dug out the crystal core from the main vine.

A gentle wind surrounded her, lowering the high temperature around her.

Xu Qiao smiled, forgiving him for his earlier tone that was akin to a military school instructor or driving school teacher.