“I think I can!”
After Ellie heard Fang Xin’s words, her azure eyes fixated on Fang Xin.
“You? I know your performance. You were tenth on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings during the midterm exam, a Level 5 Warrior then. You should be a Level 6 Warrior by now. With only two months left until the final exam, reaching Level 8 Warrior might be a bit difficult, junior!”
Fang Xin pondered for a moment, his Qi condensing. His internal organs immediately rumbled with the sound of tigers and leopards, and a protective shield nearly three feet thick appeared around his body.
“Senior, I’m already a Level 7 Warrior!”
Ellie’s beautiful azure eyes widened a bit. Her hands, holding a coffee cup, froze in the act of drinking, as if she had been stunned by a petrification spell, staring blankly at Fang Xin.
“Level… Level 7 Warrior?” Ellie’s rosy lips parted slightly, clearly astonished.
When she first met Fang Xin, he was only a Level 4 Warrior. How much time had passed since then for him to reach Level 7 Warrior? It was incredible.
She recalled how Captain Xiao of the Seventh Division had initially wanted to recruit Fang Xin into the Seventh Division, but the attempt to poach him resulted in a mix-up, and Qin Junhao was brought in instead. At the time, Captain Xiao was filled with regret.
If Captain Xiao knew how far Fang Xin had developed now, and compared him to that trash Qin Junhao, Captain Xiao would probably need intravenous sleeping pills to fall asleep at night.
A moment later, Ellie recovered from her shock. “Based on your progress, reaching Level 8 Warrior by the end of the semester won’t be a problem. You’ve already met the basic requirement to become a Battalion Commander of the Ninth Division. Now, only battle merits and background remain. For battle merits, with your ability, you should be able to accumulate enough if you work hard. As for background… Mr. Zhuge should help you, right?”
Fang Xin smiled shyly. “Whether Zhuge helps me or not, as long as I have enough battle merits, no one will stop me from becoming a Battalion Commander!”
Ellie thought for a moment, then, like an older sister, she said softly and earnestly, “Fang Xin, background is still very important. I’m going to say something very realistic that you might find annoying, but this society is all about connections. Ability is important, of course, but there’s a saying I think is very true: ‘Heroes are merely tools of power.’
It’s clear that Mr. Zhuge treats you very well. I think you should cling tightly to his leg! Otherwise, no matter how strong you are, even with outstanding battle merits, in the end, you’ll only be a team leader in the Ninth Division!”
Fang Xin could tell that Ellie was genuinely speaking from the heart. “Understood, Senior! Then I’ll definitely cling tightly to Zhuge’s leg from now on! I’ll grow step by step, become the director of the Ninth Division! Then I’ll promote you to be my secretary!”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile, saying half-jokingly, “Okay, if you can really become the director of the Ninth Division, I’d even be your cleaner!”
The two of them drank coffee and chatted. As they were talking, both their zhilian devices rang one after another.
“There’s a mission!”
Fang Xin had just opened the mission when he saw the words “Joint Operation.” Before he could finish reading, Bai Mao Zai’s call came in.
“Why did you run off to take on private work again, kid! Send me your location, I’ll come pick you up!”
Fang Xin reported his location.
Ellie looked up at Fang Xin. “Is it Mr. Zhuge?”
“Yes! It’s the man you told me to cling to!”
Ellie smiled. “Then you really must cling tightly to this big shot’s leg. He’s rumored to be the next director of the Ninth Division. Your future promotions in the Ninth Division will depend on him!”
Ripples appeared in the void behind Fang Xin.
Bai Mao Zai stepped out from it.
Ellie quickly stood up. “Mr. Zhuge!”
Bai Mao Zai, without a word, casually slapped Fang Xin on the back of his head.
Smack!
Fang Xin’s head dipped forward slightly.
Bai Mao Zai stood behind Fang Xin, shaking his hand. “You freeloaded off me again, kid!”
“You could have just said so, I could have gone back myself!”
“The mission is urgent. Old Master Ye asked me to pick you up. For this mission, only ten new students are qualified to participate, and Old Master Ye specifically named you. It’s a way to gild your resume! To pave the way for your future promotion!”
“Thank you, Old Master Ye!”
Bai Mao Zai picked up a dessert from the table and took a bite. “Don’t give me these thanks. I told you before, Old Master Ye said that after the final exam, he wants you to bring your sister to his house for New Year’s. If you want to thank him, go to his house and tell him in person!”
“Alright!”
As he said this, Bai Mao Zai looked at Ellie by the coffee table.
At this moment, Ellie was staring, dumbfounded, at Fang Xin and Bai Mao Zai.
The conversation between Bai Mao Zai and Fang Xin just now had echoed in her ears like thunder.
Fang Xin going to Old Master Ye’s house for New Year’s?
What kind of status did one need to be able to spend New Year’s at the home of such a powerful figure?
The connections were self-evident.
Ellie recalled her earlier conversation with Fang Xin. No wonder Fang Xin had that confident, composed smile in his speech. She had thought then that Fang Xin was young and impetuous and hadn't taken her advice about clinging to Zhuge Heng’s leg seriously. Now it seemed Fang Xin not only had Bai Mao Zai as a strong backer but also an even more influential one!
With two such powerful figures backing him, how could he possibly lose?
“You are Captain Ellie from the Seventh Division, aren’t you?” Zhuge Heng said.
“Yes!”
Zhuge Heng’s gaze lingered between Fang Xin and Ellie. “You two here… it doesn’t look like you’re dating, so it must be something serious. What serious business could you two have? Eh? Could it be about your parents’ case?”
This Bai Mao Zai’s mind was truly sharp.
“If I become a Battalion Commander, will I have the authority to access case files?” Fang Xin asked.
Bai Mao Zai stuffed a small cake into his mouth. “Yes! With me and Old Master Ye backing you, promotion won’t be an issue, but you need to reach Level 8 Warrior, and your battle merits must be sufficient! What? You want to be a Battalion Commander right after graduation?”
“I have that idea!”
“You haven’t leveled up again, have you?”
“A small improvement, Level 7!”
Bai Mao Zai’s motion of eating the small cake paused slightly. He hooked his sunglasses down a bit, and his bright white eyes stared at Fang Xin. “That fierce? You’re almost on par with me back in the day!”
It sounded like he was praising Fang Xin, but upon closer listening, wasn’t Bai Mao Zai subtly showing off?
Ellie’s beautiful eyes flitted back and forth between Fang Xin and Zhuge Heng.
The two of them were like a showdown between a ‘King of Bragging’ and an ‘Emperor of Bragging.’
“Let’s stop talking nonsense! It’s time to go back!”
Bai Mao Zai grabbed Fang Xin’s shoulder, then glanced at Ellie. “Do you need me to give you a ride?”
Ellie wasn’t pretentious. “Yes! Thank you, Instructor Zhuge…”
Before she finished speaking, Ellie was pulled into the void and disappeared on the spot.
When everything reset, Fang Xin was back at Sky Shield Academy.
“Did you see the mission?” Bai Mao Zai asked.
“I haven’t had a chance yet!”
Zhuge Heng ate the leftover pastries he had brought from the coffee shop. “Then I’ll give you a brief overview. The gods worshipped by the Church issued a divine oracle a long time ago, saying that the Seven Kings would reappear. The Seven Kings are terrifying, a sign of the apocalypse. So, we either capture them alive for our use, or we kill them directly.
Yesterday, the Church detected the King of Slaughter’s appearance and wanted to capture him alive. But everyone knows how powerful the King of Slaughter is, and we absolutely cannot let such a terrifying entity be captured alive by the Church. So, various organizations have united, preparing to go and capture the King of Slaughter alive!”
Fang Xin was stunned by the news.
“Capture who?”