Chapter 179

Chapter 179

It was him.

Ji Xinghai still remembered the weeping angel plaster statue and that trainee.

"My innate ability is 'Listening.' When I focus and listen carefully, I can hear movements up to one kilometer away. In an experiment, when I was most focused, I even heard the sound of ants under a dead tree."

Ji Xinghai thought for a moment and sent back an 'OK': "I'll pick the most suitable monster for you. Let's eat first."

The hallmark of fast food restaurants is speed; within two minutes, their meals arrived. While eating his burger, Ji Xinghai tapped on his phone, contacting the trainee who had switched to a life skills profession.

Speaking of which, they had met before during the chess game in the black-and-white chessboard scenario. Her clone had treated Ji Xinghai to a good meal.

She had awakened the ability 'Weapon Enhancement,' and it was said that her ancestors were all skilled craftsmen. This ability translated into the game world as the talent skill 'Crafting Expertise,' which earned her the favor of the game's life skills masters, allowing her to switch professions smoothly.

"My game quest information has changed. If I independently craft a one-star equipment piece within three days, I can become a full-fledged artisan. After that, I get three commission opportunities each day. Completing these commissions earns me regular currency, contribution points, experience, and other items."

This young girl didn't hold anything back, pouring out all her information.

Of course, this also had something to do with Ji Xinghai sending her ten one-star material fish spines without hesitation. Anyway, this material wasn't useful to him, so it was good to help the future master of life skills gain experience.

He had already decided that any materials he couldn't use would be sent to her. Others could follow suit if they wished. All masters are made by investing resources, and he intended to create his own life skills expert.

Unfortunately, she was the only one who had switched to a life skills profession. Ji Xinghai closed the private message and put down his phone. He opened the map, preparing to find new monsters suitable for Bill's innate ability.

Ideally, like the fish monster, it should be difficult for others to attack...

Hmm?

"Monster No. 133, Earth Dragon, D-Class Monster.

"Adult body length: 12-17 meters, weight: 1.3-1.8 tons, double-headed, sharp chrysanthemum-shaped mouths that devour any creature in sight and also serve as excretory organs.

"If severed, it splits into two; only destroying the heads can kill it completely.

"It hides in the dark underground, moving swiftly through the earth with minimal noise, making it hard to locate.

"Due to its species characteristics, its health bar cannot reveal its position."

Along with this text was a picture of a worm-like monster with two ferocious heads, looking quite intimidating.

Its attack method was likely to silently approach prey and then swallow it whole before diving back into the ground.

Indeed, it was hard to guard against.

The updated map even revealed the monster's weaknesses, providing a chance to solo a D-Class monster and become a full-fledged artisan. However, the trainees who needed this information the most were interns without contribution points to update the map.

This highlighted the importance of 'collectives' and 'leaders' in this scenario.

Ji Xinghai grabbed Bill, who was just finishing his burger and biting into chicken strips, showing him the monster information: "Hold onto me and teleport to this location."

"Can you bring someone along?"

"I don't know, let's try. Even if it works, there might be a limit. Hurry."

Bill immediately confirmed the location and initiated the teleportation.

The teleportation succeeded, and they arrived at the destination half a minute later.

This was a park, filled with flower beds and lawns, paved with stone paths. Due to the appearance of the monster, NPCs had fled, leaving only two unfamiliar trainees holding basic light source guns, firing frantically at an empty shallow pit with a full health bar.

These were trainees who hadn't yet become full-fledged artisans and hadn't updated their maps.

Just as Ji Xinghai and Bill were about to act, Bill's face changed, and he pulled Ji Xinghai back several steps.

"!" A brown, round-headed monster suddenly burst from the cement path, aiming directly at one of the trainees.

The incident happened without warning. The trainee, facing away from the monster, showed a look of bewilderment as the monster's chrysanthemum mouth opened wide and swallowed him whole.

In the blink of an eye, it dove back into the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The other trainee, terrified, fired wildly at the spot, but it was futile; the monster had vanished.

"How is it?" Ji Xinghai asked Bill.

Bill took a deep breath. He was much luckier than that trainee. This monster was specifically chosen by Ji Xinghai because it was vulnerable to Bill's abilities. If he couldn't handle this one, the road ahead would be even harder.

He didn't want to disappoint Ji Xinghai.

"I can do it. I will definitely succeed."

Ji Xinghai handed Bill the rocket launcher: "Do you know how to use this? Return it after you're done."

Then, he walked towards the remaining trainee with both guns in hand: "Since you can't handle this monster, leave it to us."

Bill hugged the suddenly appeared rocket launcher, took a deep breath, and listened intently.

Ji Xinghai looked innocent and smiled with squinted eyes, but the weapons he held were clearly not basic versions, and the heavy blood aura around him marked him as a formidable opponent.

The trainee's face turned as black as ink, but he knew better than to provoke someone like this. He stepped back and laughed nervously: "I'll go check nearby areas."

Many low-level monsters had appeared today, and each intern had only one teleportation opportunity. Seeing an old light spot, most trainees wouldn't come over; they would wait for a newly appearing monster.

Thus, no one else teleported here afterward.

An NPC from the Special Operations Group did arrive, saw the Earth Dragon with half its health missing due to the rocket launcher blast, shook his head, deemed it unprofitable, and left.

Bill had to detonate the Earth Dragon seven times before finally killing it.

Unlike the fish monster, the earth dragon's skin is very fragile. Its advantage lies in its ability to burrow through the earth and remain undetected. An earth dragon that has revealed its position and weaknesses loses at least half of its combat power, especially when it faces a rocket launcher.

Bill happily announced he had earned two hundred contribution points and displayed his spoils, letting Jixinghai choose.

Two hundred contribution points? It seems the earth dragon is weaker than the fish monster. However, the two-star earth burrowing skill in the spoils is quite impressive—it would be perfect for ambushes or infiltration.

In the end, Jixinghai only took the battle pet energy block and teleportation card, as they had agreed beforehand.

Feeling indebted, Bill went to the Special Operations Group branch to become a full member, received his upgraded equipment, and exchanged his contribution points for a rocket launcher and an upgraded map.

"Ji, this is for you." Bill handed over the brand-new rocket launcher he had just acquired, having used seven shells.

Jixinghai accepted it; it was his due.

"Ji, are you going to the next person? I'll go with you."

Now that Bill had become a full member, his body had been enhanced, and he had gained some good skills. He could now assist other trainees like Jixinghai in soloing monsters to become full members.

Jixinghai naturally did not refuse. He had originally planned to first help a few people become full members, then have those already established continue assisting others.

If he were to do everything alone, it would be inefficient and exhausting.

Moreover, he needed to keep upgrading himself. A blade must be sharp at its tip, and he was that tip.

They quickly contacted the next trainee, a nimble official who had already participated in two monster hunts and upgraded their basic light gun to a sniper rifle.

Jixinghai and Bill teleported to the city where the trainee was located. They needed to understand the trainee's innate skill and then find a new, targeted monster based on that skill.

"Hello, Brother Ji, I'm Eva." Eva called him "Brother Ji" in JiuZhou language, as she had heard that "Brother" was a term of respect.

Eva's innate skill was "100% hit rate within one kilometer." She could shoot blindly and still hit her target as long as it was within range. Even if the monster used ten "dodges," it would still be hit 100%.

With a firearm in hand, she was like a tiger with wings.

"What an incredible innate skill." Bill couldn't help but marvel.

Her bullets turned and moved freely, making interception impossible. She knew the starting point and the endpoint, but not the path in between.

"During the Great Pollution, I was preparing for the Olympics. My coach said I was a once-in-a-thousand-year shooting prodigy," Eva sighed wistfully.

"You're perfect for fast-moving targets that are hard to aim at," Bill said.

As luck would have it, they spotted a new monster right after their conversation.

"Look at this one. If there are no objections, let's teleport immediately."

Monster code 176: Swift Bird, D-class monster.

Adults have a wingspan of 8-13 meters and weigh 0.2-0.5 tons. They are flying creatures with incredible speed, reaching near sonic levels. Their claws can grip prey three times their weight, and their dynamic vision allows them to easily lock onto moving targets.

Wing injuries disrupt their balance and flight capability. Thus, swift birds have evolved extremely strong feathers. Only by hitting the joints covered by down feathers inside the wings can one force them to stop.

Eva's eyes lit up. "Isn't this made for me? Teleport, let's go now."

This time, they tried teleporting all three of them together but failed. It seemed they could only carry one person. Fortunately, Jixinghai had plenty of teleportation slots, so they quickly arrived at the monster's location.

It was on a cruise ship, with the captain steering it toward shore. The passengers screamed and hid inside, while the swift bird circled overhead, selecting its prey.

There were no other trainees here yet; they were among the first to arrive.

The trainee held the sniper rifle, waiting for the swift bird to enter range.

Jixinghai and Bill stood on either side, each holding a basic light gun. "If anyone else arrives and doesn't act immediately, we'll give them a chance first. If they attack right away, we'll kill them without hesitation."

"Understood."

The three stood on the deck, with Eva at the bow and Jixinghai and Bill behind her, forming a triangle.

More trainees were indeed teleported over later. Most recognized Jixinghai and Bill as formidable opponents and conceded, but a few were particularly stubborn or tried to appeal for sympathy.

They ignored those who appealed for sympathy; someone else's misfortune was better than their own. In resource battles, there was no such thing as justice.

Those who insisted on challenging them were swiftly dealt with by Jixinghai, who put them out of their misery with a single shot, sending them into the resurrection phase.

After killing someone, the blood on Jixinghai's body became even more intense, but he didn't mind. He was already marked red, and debts piled up without worry.

Seeing how efficiently they acted and the glaring red name, the other trainees froze, fearing Jixinghai might do the same to them—his speed was truly terrifying.

Although they had four lives, in this scenario, even nine might not be enough. They decided to be cautious.

The corpses of slain trainees did not disappear immediately, lingering for about two minutes. Unexpectedly, the blood from these corpses attracted the circling swift bird.

As the swift bird charged toward the deck, a compressed energy shell curved strangely and struck the monster mid-dive, hitting the joint of its wing. Blood rained down.

Eva seized the opportunity and fired two more shots, completely disabling the swift bird's wing, causing it to crash onto the deck.

The outcome was clear. Although some trainees were tempted by the spoils, they were in the middle of the sea on a cruise ship, with limited teleportation opportunities. No one dared to risk their safety by interfering.

Thus, they could only watch as Eva soloed the swift bird and claimed all the spoils.

"Brother Ji, thank you for your help."

Jixinghai accepted the battle pet energy block and teleportation card she offered, then gave two cards to Bill. He then asked, "What are your plans next?"

"Once we get to shore and become full members, I'll ask if anyone needs help. With Bill and me around, you can focus on your tasks, Brother Ji."

Eva wasn't foolish. She knew that only if Jixinghai progressed further could they advance as well. They couldn't tie him down here, as other trainees were competing fiercely. Jixinghai's rank had already dropped to second place.

"Teleporting two people at once is best, ideally working in groups of four for maximum efficiency."

"Got it, Brother Ji, you can rest assured."

Bill also nodded in agreement beside him.

Once they reached the shore, the three parted ways. The next tasks were left to the two trainees who had successfully become full-fledged members; he needed to focus on grinding monsters to cleanse his reputation.

"Those guys did drop some good items."

Ji Xinghai sat on a bench by the seaside, preparing to upgrade himself with the spoils of battle when he suddenly felt his mission watch vibrate.

"Respected player, your bug report has been confirmed. Starting from today, teams that engage in factual team actions will be considered as officially teamed up. If one member attacks, the entire team will turn red.

"This system does not encourage players to kill each other. Please rest assured.

"If you have any questions, please contact us immediately.

"To thank you for your active participation, you will receive one lottery draw. The minimum reward is three-star, and the maximum is five-star. Would you like to start the lottery now?"