A moment later, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses returned.

Looking at Chen Yu, his face blossomed into a wide grin.

An S-rank Awakened!

’I’ve hit the jackpot this time!’

HAHAHAHA-hic...

—

Seeing the smile on the man’s face, Chen Yu felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.

"Instructor Wang, how did it go?" Captain Xu asked, looking at the man with the gold-rimmed glasses.

"Student Chen Yu, allow me to congratulate you in advance." The man with the gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward, speaking with a beaming smile.

Captain Xu: "So, it’s completely confirmed?"

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses nodded. "Absolutely. However, his paperwork needs to be processed in person at the Jingzhou Superpower Academy. Once that’s done, he’ll be enrolled immediately."

Chen Yu nodded.

A brilliant smile also appeared on Captain Xu’s face.

’An S-rank Awakened. Looks like I’ll get to bask in some of the reflected glory this time.’

’Producing an Awakened like this is sure to bring a hefty reward from the Association.’

"Student Chen Yu, I’ve already made the arrangements. You’ll be leaving by car first thing tomorrow morning."

"I’m leaving tomorrow?"

Chen Yu stared at him, stunned.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses nodded. "Yes, tomorrow. I’ll be accompanying you. The Dean will meet with you personally!"

"..."

’This is putting a lot of pressure on me!’

Chen Yu sighed internally.

Leaving tomorrow... that was really a bit fast.

He wasn’t prepared at all.

"Is something wrong, Student Chen Yu? Do you have anything you need to take care of? If so, just say the word, and I’ll handle it for you," the man with the gold-rimmed glasses said, looking at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu shook his head.

"No, I’ll just go back and pack a few things."

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses nodded and handed him a business card. "Alright, go on then. This is my contact number. You can call me anytime you need anything, 24/7."

Chen Yu took the card, pocketed it, said his goodbyes, and left the office.

Watching Chen Yu leave, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses pushed them up his nose and looked at Captain Xu.

"Old Xu, don’t report this news just yet. Wait a couple of days. These were the Dean’s specific instructions."

"Understood. Don’t worry. After all, our Qing City Safety Zone is under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhou Base," Captain Xu nodded.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses smiled faintly and dialed a number.

...

"Chen Yu, how did it go?"

As he was leaving Building A, Li Qing called out to him.

"Captain, I have to go to Jingzhou tomorrow," Chen Yu said.

"You’re leaving tomorrow?!" Li Qing was taken aback.

Chen Yu nodded. "Yeah, I have to go tomorrow. It’s the academy’s arrangement."

"That’s so soon. They must be in a hurry." Li Qing sighed, but quickly recovered. He looked at Chen Yu and said, "Do your best. You’re the first person from my Team 12 to get into the Superpower Academy."

Chen Yu smiled. "Don’t worry, Captain. I won’t let you down."

Li Qing clapped him on the shoulder. "You’ve got a bright future ahead of you. If you have time, remember to come back and visit."

Chen Yu nodded.

"How about this? I’ll make arrangements for tonight. Let’s all get together, what do you say?" Li Qing suggested, looking at Chen Yu.

"No problem," Chen Yu agreed readily.

He hadn’t spent much time with the members of Team 12, but he had gotten to know a few of them.

Since he was leaving, a farewell gathering was only natural.

"You go back and pack first. I’ll call you tonight."

"Alright."

...

After leaving the Mercenary Association headquarters, Chen Yu returned to his residential complex.

He didn’t have much to pack. Besides clothes, he didn’t really own anything else.

As night fell, Chen Yu arrived as promised.

In a private room at a restaurant, all the members of Qing City’s Team 12 were present.

And besides the members of Team 12, there was one other person: Lola from Team 9.

Chen Yu could tell that ever since they got out of the Crane Ridge Anomaly, Duan Feng and Lola’s relationship had been heating up fast.

"Come on! To celebrate Chen Yu getting into the Superpower Academy, let’s have a toast!"

"Cheers!"

CLINK~

Glasses collided, beer sloshed, and after downing a glass, the atmosphere instantly became much livelier.

"Chen Yu, congratulations! You’re one of a kind in our Team 12." Duan Feng stood up, holding his glass and smiling at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu stood up as well, raising his glass. "Duan Feng, next time we meet, will you have a big, chubby son by then?"

Hearing this, Lola, who was sitting nearby, flushed bright red.

Duan Feng laughed heartily. "I’ll take that as a good omen! Here’s hoping I can achieve that goal by our next meeting. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

...

The group ate and chatted.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively!

With all the toasts and clinking glasses, Chen Yu ended up drinking quite a bit.

It was around ten o’clock at night when the group finally left the restaurant.

After saying goodbye to Li Qing and the others, Chen Yu walked alone along the street.

He’d been in the Qing City Safety Zone for some time now, but he had never really taken a good look around.

The lights were brilliant, like a chain of stars stretched across the sky. Gazing at the night scenery, Chen Yu found himself momentarily missing his previous life as a second-generation heir.

This new world was constantly fraught with danger.

It was better inside the Safety Zone. Outside, it was extremely perilous.

"Hm?"

As he entered an alley, Chen Yu suddenly stopped and glanced back.

Under the dim lights, no one was there.

After a brief pause, he resumed walking.

But just as he was about to leave the alley, Chen Yu froze. In that instant, he spun around, and his Biological Force Field erupted.

BANG—!

The air vibrated, dust shook loose from the alley walls, and a figure tumbled out.

It was as if they had appeared out of thin air.

SWOOSH—!

With a single leap, Chen Yu was in front of the figure in a flash.

A ball of blue light bloomed in his palm, and the temperature in the entire alley plummeted as if it had instantly plunged into the dead of winter.

"Stop! It’s a misunderstanding! I mean no harm!"

The figure, enveloped by the Force Field, immediately spoke up. Chen Yu looked at the person before him.

It was a young man, about thirty years old.

His gaze was icy, and the blue orb in his hand didn’t disappear, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

Seeing the blue orb in Chen Yu’s left hand and feeling the extreme cold, the man quickly said, "Chen Yu, I’m here to protect you! I have no ill intentions."

Hm?

Hearing the man’s words, Chen Yu studied him. The blue light in his hand dimmed slightly but didn’t vanish.

’Here to protect me?’

’He knows my name, so he must have information on me.’

"Who sent you?" Chen Yu asked coolly.

"It was Wang Bo, Instructor Wang," the young man immediately replied.

’Instructor Wang... ’

Chen Yu was stunned to hear the young man say the name so readily.

Coming back to his senses, the blue light in his hand vanished completely, and the Force Field enveloping the young man dissipated.

The young man immediately got to his feet.

"Instructor Wang sent you to follow me?" Chen Yu asked, narrowing his eyes.

The young man replied, "Not to follow, to protect."

"Are you from the Superpower Academy?"

Chen Yu looked at him.

The young man shook his head. "I’m not from the Superpower Academy. I’m just here on Instructor Wang’s orders. I’m from the Bounty Association. I’m a Bounty Hunter."

"...The Bounty Association, a Bounty Hunter."

Hearing the man’s explanation, Chen Yu instantly understood his identity.

The Bounty Association!

Unlike the Mercenary Association, the Bounty Association was a bit more loosely organized, with most members operating solo.

Bounty Hunters were very free, but they didn’t have a fixed salary, unless they were exceptionally powerful.

The requirements to become a Bounty Hunter were also very high.

Only a Third-level Martial Artist was qualified to become a Bounty Hunter!

It was only a semi-official organization. Under normal circumstances, only the high-ranking presidents and managers of the Bounty Association had official status. Still, it was an incredibly influential organization.

He’d heard of them, but this was the first time he’d actually met a Bounty Hunter.

A small safety zone like the Qing City Safety Zone didn’t have a branch of the Bounty Association. Only large safety zones or top-tier base cities had them.

Of course, whether there were any Bounty Hunters *in* the city was another question.

"My apologies. I thought someone was trying to rob me."

The young man: "..."

"Well, uh, you can carry on. I’m heading out." Chen Yu didn’t linger. He tossed out the sentence and quickly disappeared.

The young man stood in place, watching Chen Yu disappear into the distance. He clutched his chest and took a deep breath.

Just now, a strange power had suddenly pressed down on him, like a mountain collapsing. A peculiar energy field had swept over him, nearly suffocating him.

"With that kind of strength, does he even need me to protect him?"

The young man muttered, rubbing his chest and wincing in pain.

He, a Level 4 Martial Artist, had been almost instantly suppressed. He was completely stunned.

"His file said he was Level 2, with strength comparable to a Third-level Martial Artist. But this is fucking ’comparable to a Third-level’?"

"Then what does that make me?"

"Protect his ass..." the young man cursed, then turned and vanished into the darkness.