Chapter Forty-One: Strength

After resolving a minor commotion caused by himself, Ren Kaiming pulled Long Yu to his side. “Let me introduce you—this is Long Yu, the commander of our safety zone. He will be joining you on this mission.”

“So it’s this person?” Zhao Yihan scrutinized the man before her. He didn’t seem very old—probably around her age—but as for his strength, she couldn’t quite gauge it. He felt like a black hole, unfathomable and deep.

“This one is very powerful,” Zhao Yihan silently labeled Long Yu in her mind.

Long Yu, too, was examining the newcomers. The woman was quite attractive, her skin fair, not at all what one would expect from a soldier. Especially her large, luminous eyes—they seemed to glow.

As for their abilities, the physical qualities of these people were surprisingly high. Though still a notch below his own, it impressed Long Yu nonetheless.

“Hello, I’m the team captain—Zhao Yihan.” She extended her hand.

“Hello, I’m Long Yu, commander of the safety zone.” Long Yu quickly shook her hand. The warmth lingered for a fleeting moment—“So soft,” he thought to himself.

After a brief greeting, Ren Kaiming interjected, “You’ve come a long way. Would you like to come in and rest a bit? I’ve prepared good food and wine.”

“No thank you. Our mission is urgent. According to our clues, the mutant beast is in this area, but it could leave at any moment. We can’t afford any delay.” Zhao Yihan declined without hesitation.

“Commander Long, shall we go?” Without further ado, Zhao Yihan called for Long Yu and made to leave.

“You’re leaving already?” Long Yu was caught off guard by their haste.

But after all, he was being paid for this mission—money is hard-earned, and whoever pays is in charge. Long Yu had nothing more to say and followed Zhao Yihan.

“Goodbye, Commissar Ren.”

The entire team disappeared in less than five minutes, as if they had never been there at all.

Soldiers truly are decisive and efficient. They barely even exchanged names before departing.

“Your name is Long Yu, isn’t it?” Zhao Yihan’s voice broke Long Yu’s thoughts.

“Yes, that’s me,” Long Yu replied.

“Good. Let me give a quick introduction. Since we’ll be working together, I don’t want to be in the dark about my teammates’ abilities.”

Zhao Yihan spoke directly, seemingly introducing herself but really referring to Long Yu, which made him a bit uncomfortable.

“Can’t she be a bit more tactful? Are all soldiers so lacking in social skills? Does she think I’ll lie?” he grumbled inwardly. But then he remembered who was footing the bill and suppressed his irritation.

“I’m the team captain, Zhao Yihan. You can just call me Number One from now on,” her voice came again.

“I’m a wood-type ability user, with an A-rank healing technique, C-rank Wood Binding, and for martial skills, B-rank Shadow Step.”

“This is Number Two,” Zhao Yihan said, pointing to a burly man beside her. “He’s a lightning-type ability user, with a physical strength of 330 points. His skills: C-rank Thunder Imbue and B-rank Thunder Strike. Martial skill: A-rank Blade Technique—Air Slash.

“C-rank Thunder Imbue allows him to channel lightning into his blade, unleashing tremendous damage.”

“This is Number Three,” she indicated another man, “an earth-type ability user, with 300 points in physical strength. Skills: B-rank Earth Summon, to call forth earth golems for battle. C-rank abilities: Rock Solid and Keen. Both Rock Solid and Keen are buffs for the golems. Imagine a golem with formidable speed and defense—it’s terrifying.”

“This is Number Four,” Zhao Yihan pointed to the last member, a small but lean and capable-looking man. “A body evolutionist, physical strength of 400 points. He possesses exceptional sensory abilities—sight, hearing, smell, and a sixth sense. He’s an expert tracker. Martial skills: B-rank Shadow Step, A-rank Absolute Defense, and A-rank Combat Fist.”

Despite being prepared, Long Yu was still shocked by the introduction. These people were incredibly strong!

“And Number Four also knows Combat Fist, and it’s even A-rank. I wonder if it’s the same as mine…” he mused.

With the introductions complete, Zhao Yihan quietly awaited Long Yu’s self-introduction. The others also looked at him expectantly.

“Oh! Sorry, I was just amazed by your abilities.”

Zhao Yihan’s lips curled in pride—her team was one of the elite squads, after all. If this man was so easily impressed, perhaps he wasn’t as formidable as she’d thought.

What she didn’t know was that Long Yu’s astonishment came from realizing that some people were now approaching his own level of power. He, after all, had the equivalent of a cheat; the flow of time in the secret realm was much faster than outside, and he had the resources of an entire nation for his cultivation.

“My name is Long Yu. I have both psychic and spatial abilities. Physical strength, 500 points. My skills are Beast Mastery and Spatial Gate. For martial arts, I have A-rank Mountain-Splitting Palm, C-rank Nine-Star Step, and C-rank Combat Fist.”

“By the way, Number Four, your Combat Fist is A-rank, mine is only C-rank. Could you show me your technique sometime?”

Zhao Yihan’s expression stiffened. “He’s too powerful…”

Her confidence took a severe hit. After all, her team was the product of the nation’s full support, yet this man’s individual strength far surpassed all of them. How could she not feel disheartened?

The others didn’t fare any better, all deeply affected by Long Yu’s reveal—some even feeling a twinge of envy.

He must have had the good fortune to stumble upon some secret realm and obtain rare treasures.

But Long Yu wasn’t finished. “Beast Mastery is S-rank—it can make any living creature feel goodwill towards me, or I can forcibly control them if I wish.” As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Yihan, sending a chill down her spine.

“Spatial Gate is A-rank. It can bring two locations infinitely close—essentially, I can open a portal here and another at my destination. Passing through the gate, I arrive instantly. The portal is invisible, and only other spatial ability users can detect it.”

When Long Yu finished, silence fell.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Long Yu couldn’t help but ask.

“We have nothing to say. Comparing ourselves to you is just infuriating! Long Yu, don’t ever mention these things again. I’m too jealous!” Zhao Yihan managed a rueful joke.

“We wanted to give you a little show of strength, but you’ve completely outdone us.” Zhao Yihan suppressed her bitterness.

“Exactly! Long Yu, you’re going to drive us crazy with envy!” the others chimed in.

But this round of teasing brought them all a little closer together.