Chen Yu heard the voice and turned to look.

A young man in a black uniform was walking out of the main hall in the courtyard.

He was slim, about 1.78 meters tall, with a short buzz cut.

His blue eyes were especially striking.

"I’m Chen Yu. And you are?" Chen Yu asked, looking at the approaching young man in the black uniform.

The young man stepped forward and sized him up.

"Release your Qi. Let me see it."

Chen Yu frowned but complied, unleashing the Qi within his body. An invisible wave of Qi radiated outward.

"Hmm, it’s alright. Barely acceptable. You’ll need to work harder, though," the young man in the uniform said with a nod, sensing Chen Yu’s Qi.

Chen Yu watched him in silence. ’Anyone who can just show up at the Twelfth Team’s base must be a member of the team.’

Including himself, the Twelfth Mercenary Team had ten members. Besides the few he had already met, there were still several he didn’t know.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Duan Feng, vice-captain of the Twelfth Mercenary Team," the uniformed young man said.

’Vice-captain...’

Looking at the young man before him, Chen Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

Yesterday, Tie Niu had told him that the Twelfth Mercenary Team had two Third-level Martial Artists.

The first was Captain Li Qing, and the second was Vice-captain Duan Feng.

A Third-level Martial Artist could completely overwhelm him.

Martial Artists were ranked up to level nine, with a massive gap between each level. A high-ranking Martial Artist could immobilize a Low-level Martial Artist with their aura alone.

"Greetings, Captain Duan," Chen Yu said, quickly snapping back to his senses.

Duan Feng waved his hand with a cheerful smile. "No need to be so formal. We’re all on the same side. From now on, we’re comrades."

"You haven’t gotten your weapons and gear yet, right?" Duan Feng asked, looking at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu shook his head. "Not yet."

Yesterday, Tie Niu had only brought him over to register his identity and give him a Life Watch. The rest of his gear could only be collected today.

Duan Feng clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, I’ll take you to get it. We’re assembling for a mission right after."

Chen Yu nodded and followed Duan Feng toward the main hall.

When they reached the equipment room in the courtyard, Duan Feng swiped a card to open the door.

He collected Chen Yu’s gear: two sets of black uniforms, and the rest was weaponry.

There was a heavy, silver KA revolver. Besides the firearm, there were also grenades and a long blade forged from Vibrating Steel.

It could withstand stronger Qi and unleash greater power.

Of course, besides the Vibrating Steel Blade, there were also swords, spears, and other weapons available.

Firearms were only to be used when absolutely necessary.

Firearms were very effective against Low-level Mutant Beasts, but against High-level Mutant Beasts, never mind a gun—even a cannon couldn’t kill them.

After getting his gear, Chen Yu changed into the black uniform, and he instantly looked sharper and more alert.

He placed the other set of uniform in his personal locker.

Duan Feng also gave him a brief rundown on the firearm.

The main point was simply being able to fire it.

After all, you rarely get a chance to aim when you’re fighting off an enemy.

As they walked out of the hall, the other members began to arrive one by one.

Seeing Chen Yu, many of them fixed their gazes on him.

It was normal for a newcomer to attract attention.

Captain Li arrived as well. Spotting Chen Yu, he strode over.

"Looks like you’ve received your gear. Everything fitting alright?"

"No problem," Chen Yu replied.

Li Qing nodded, then turned to the others. "Everyone, fall in!"

At his command, the nine members, including Duan Feng, quickly formed a line.

Chen Yu stood at the end of the line.

Looking at the group, Captain Li’s resonant voice rang out. "First, an introduction. We have a new team member today. His name is Chen Yu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes turned toward him.

"He’s from the Crane City Safety Zone," Li Qing added. This statement immediately caused the expressions of several members to change.

The few team members who had met Chen Yu before seemed unfazed, but the rest now had grave expressions.

Crane City Safety Zone!

Nowadays, there was hardly anyone who didn’t know of that place.

Struck by a B-class beast tide, the entire city had fallen.

The Qing City Safety Zone was not far from Crane City. Never mind the Mercenary Team members; even an ordinary citizen of Qing City was well aware of this.

Although all safety zones were occasionally hit by beast tides, it was rare for one to be completely overrun.

A safety zone’s defenses were strong, and they could generally withstand attacks without issue. But if a beast tide was too large, even a typical safety zone couldn’t hold out.

Even though the government had launched a rescue effort, the Crane City Safety Zone still fell.

"Now, let’s give a warm round of applause to welcome our newest member."

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

As applause broke out, Chen Yu looked at the other team members and gave them a bow.

"Alright, you can all get to know each other later. For now, you’re dismissed. Go carry out your patrols," Li Qing said.

"Yes, sir!"

A chorus of voices answered in unison. The other members then dispersed, getting into the military vehicles parked in the courtyard.

Only Duan Feng and Tie Niu remained.

Li Qing walked up to them. "I’m leaving him with you. It’s his first time, so show him the ropes, help him get familiar with things."

Duan Feng nodded. "Don’t worry, Boss. I understand."

Li Qing glanced at him, then his gaze fell back on Chen Yu. "This is your first day, so just stick with them. Remember, if you encounter extreme danger, you have permission to retreat first to save yourself. Your safety comes first, understand?"

Chen Yu nodded.

Then, Li Qing also got into a military vehicle.

Two military vehicles started up and quickly left the courtyard.

"Let’s go, too," Duan Feng said, heading for the last military SUV. Chen Yu and Tie Niu followed him.

The three of them got in the vehicle.

The SUV’s engine roared to life, and it sped out of the courtyard.

...

The vehicle left the city district, heading toward the exit.

Chen Yu sat in the vehicle, gazing silently at the scenery outside the window.

"The captain said you took down a few Wilderness Wolves before?" Duan Feng suddenly asked from the side.

Chen Yu replied, "It was a team effort. They were just level-one Wilderness Wolves, nothing special."

Duan Feng looked at him and laughed heartily. "You brat, you talk big. Wilderness Wolves aren’t that easy to kill. Hmm, looks like you really do have some skill."

"Will we encounter any Mutant Beasts today?" Chen Yu asked.

"It’s not guaranteed, but the probability of running into them has been high lately. You’d better be mentally prepared," Duan Feng replied.

Chen Yu nodded.

...

Half an hour later, the vehicle had left the safety zone completely.

Entering the wilderness again, Chen Yu felt a different kind of sensation.

Excitement!

Hunting Mutant Beasts was his official start.

The SUV drove across the wilderness, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Chen Yu looked at Duan Feng beside him. In his hand was a palm-sized device.

A Life Fluctuation Detector!

A Mutant Beast’s Life Fluctuations are generally stronger than a human’s, and the Life Fluctuation Detector could be used to track them within a small radius.

Of course, this only worked on common Mutant Beasts. If a beast had special abilities that allowed it to mask its Life Fluctuations, the detector wouldn’t be able to pick it up.

"Stop the car!"

Suddenly, Duan Feng ordered.

SCREECH—!

The SUV slammed to a halt. Tie Niu looked back at Duan Feng. "Captain Duan, what’s wrong? Is there a Mutant Beast?"

Duan Feng looked at the Life Fluctuation Detector in his hand. Three red dots had appeared on it, and they were moving quickly.

Chen Yu was also watching from the side. The three red dots represented a Three-headed Mutant Beast.

The stronger the red dot, the stronger the Mutant Beast!

From the looks of the device, the three red dots were rapidly converging on their position.