After a few lively exchanges, the bar returned to its previous calm.
Wolf’s Den, this is the haven where Lone Wolves gather, forming their own tight-knit circles. Those who choose the Lone Wolf path often hold a deeper recognition for their peers.
Among the three paths available to Battle Soldiers, the Lone Wolf path consistently has the highest casualty rate. After all, both the Defense Corps and the Mercenary Corps have official backing, providing ample medical support and a higher safety margin.
However, with the highest casualty rate, Lone Wolves also boast the most formidable success rate in terms of development. Those who choose the Lone Wolf path often advance much faster in strength compared to their peers. This is one of the allures of being a Lone Wolf!
Placing his empty bottle on the table, Mike looked up at the large screen displaying numerous missions.
The top, pinned mission read:
[Capture the Fourth Demon Cult Leader!]
“Provide valuable clues, reward: 1 million to 10 million gold coins!”
“Capture the Fourth Demon Cult Leader alive, reward: one piece of SSS-grade weaponry, 10 Battle Lords merits!”
“Provide the corpse of the Fourth Demon Cult Leader and confirm death, reward: one piece of SSS-grade equipment, 2 Battle Lords merits!”
Besides the Fourth Demon Cult Leader, there were also wanted missions for deputy leaders and core members. However, most of these missions were far beyond Mike’s current capabilities.
The weakest were at the Battle Chiefs level! If Mike encountered any of them on the battlefield, a mere flick of their finger could end his life!
“Let’s see what missions are suitable for me.”
Mike’s gaze shifted downward, searching among the missions available to tier one Battle Soldiers.
…
In the hallway outside the Director’s office at the Combat Power Test Hall, a bald manager paced back and forth, his expression one of internal struggle.
“To speak, or not to speak… that is the question…”
If he kept silent, pretending nothing had happened, and if the situation were to be exposed later, having missed a mysterious genius right under his watch could lead to severe consequences that the bald manager couldn’t bear.
Reporting the matter upwards, the bald manager indeed had made a mistake initially, but there was still room for remedy. Considering he was willing to come clean voluntarily, he might be treated more leniently.
Finally, mustering his courage, the bald manager raised his trembling hand and knocked on the Director’s office door.
“Come in.”
Creaking open the door, the bald manager entered like a schoolboy who had just been caught in a misdeed, his head hung low as he stuttered through the explanation of everything that had happened.
From the new employee setting the wrong difficulty mode, which led to the infuriated geniuses causing a ruckus, to his own decision to delete the video footage in an attempt to cover up the incident.
He didn’t dare hide a single detail in front of the Director.
The Director, a retired Battle Chief with deep connections to various corps, was a figure of both formidable strength and extensive networks, someone the manager could only look up to. Playing tricks in front of the Director was akin to courting death!
After listening to the bald manager’s report, the Director, contrary to expectations, did not explode in anger. Instead, he pointed to the sofa and said, “Why are you standing? Sit down and talk.”
“Yes.. yes!” The bald manager quickly nodded, perching nervously on the edge of the sofa, his back straight and his belly, grown plump over the years, pressing against his legs, making him look comically like a round ball.
The Director picked up his cup and sipped his coffee leisurely before speaking, “At least you had the sense to come to me. If you had tried to hide this, you really should be sent to the Abyssal Plane to mine rocks.”
“It was a moment of foolishness when I deleted the video. I deserve to die!” the bald manager lamented. “Director, let’s go to the tech department now to recover the video. There might still be time!”
“Recover the video? Who said anything about recovering the video?” The Director’s remark left the bald manager completely baffled.
Without the video, how could they identify the mysterious genius? A person with the qualifications of a tier one Battle Soldier, yet able to pass a tier three Battle Soldiers’ Neural Response Test-wasn’t that the definition of a genius?
Sitting dumbfounded on the sofa, the bald manager looked utterly lost, feeling like a complete fool.
“Sam, you’re only seeing the first layer and missing the third,” the Director put down his coffee cup. “It’s good that you deleted the video. Not just the test video needs to be deleted. From the moment they entered the testing hall, keep a backup of the footage to report to the higher-ups, and delete everything else!”
“Ah?” Sam was utterly confused, feeling as if his intelligence was insufficient.
“Why is that?” he asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. “Don’t keep me in
suspense, just tell me!”
“These videos must be deleted!” The Director stood up, flicked a cigarette from the pack, and tossed it in front of Sam.
Sam caught the cigarette and was about to light it when he was reminded, “No smoking in my office.”
Sam quickly put away the cigarette.
The Director lit a cigarette for himself, blew a smoke ring, and said confidently, “Sam, let me ask you, do we humans lack a tier three Battle Soldier?”
“No, we don’t!”
“Exactly. Whether this mysterious genius is a tier three Battle Soldier or a tier three Battle General, or even a tier nine Battle Chief, what difference does it make? Turning the tide of battle isn’t something one or two Battle Chiefs can achieve. We need higher-tier powerhouses!”
At this point, the Director’s expression grew somber. At his peak, he too had the strength of a Battle Chief, fighting and killing enemies on the battlefield. But after a severe injury, he was no longer the warrior of old and had to step back to a secondary role, overseeing logistical
operations.
It was precisely because he had once stood so high that the Director had a broader perspective and a clearer way of looking at problems-sharp and incisive.
The Director continued, “This mysterious genius is still very weak; he has a long way to go. Paying too much attention to him too soon would be like trying to help the shoots grow by pulling them up, which is more harmful than beneficial.
All we need to know is that he is a human genius. That’s enough. How far he can go should be
up to him.”
“But, but…” Sam instinctively argued, “If we could find him and provide him with more resources, wouldn’t that help him grow faster?”
“Normally, yes, but you’re overlooking a very important point.” The Director’s face broke
into a cunning smile, his words laden with meaning, “Think back to those difficult young people you mentioned earlier, the ones with impressive backgrounds who caused all the trouble. Wasn’t it their rioting that forced you to delete the footage?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Because the footage was deleted, and the genius chose the [Lone Wolf] faction, you couldn’t
find any information about him, right?”
“That’s exactly right!”
Sam kept nodding, as if he had just realized something.
“Is it all just a coincidence? Have you ever considered that this mysterious genius might be
hiding among these young people?”
Sam gasped, could it really be so?!
Under the Director’s reasoning, the truth was perfectly restored. It was all a grand strategy!
Sam couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a meticulously minded, thoroughly calculating genius! Hidden in plain sight, like a tree in the forest, a stone in the mountain!”
“That means this genius doesn’t want to expose his real strength and identity at all!” the Director confidently stated. “He must come from a family of Battle Chiefs, or even Battle Lords, with enough resources to satisfy his growth needs! Moreover, if he showed too much talent and strength, it would actually put him in greater danger.”
Sam was completely convinced. The Director’s analysis was flawless, with no loopholes to be
found.
“Since he doesn’t want to reveal his identity, he must have his reasons.” Finally, the Director concluded decisively, “We’ll back up the other videos on a hard drive and delete them from the cloud. The hard drive, along with the report on this matter, will be handed over. The rest should be handled by the higher-ups.”
“Director, that’s a wise decision!” Sam nodded in agreement, but then asked curiously, “Which department usually handles this kind of thing?”
“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t,” the Director replied, standing by the window and
snuffing out his cigarette. His thin lips moved slightly, but he ultimately didn’t say the name. The human Battle Soldiers, having chosen the [Lone Wolf] faction, grow in solitude in the shadows. But how could they be completely left to fend for themselves?
Even the loneliest wolf has a shadow.
Just thinking of the word “shadow” made the Director’s heart flutter.
The secret organization [Shadow], created by a supreme being, silently watches over the [Lone Wolf], guarding them until a new Wolf King, a new supreme being, emerges.
“Thor, could he be the new Wolf King, the new supreme being?”
No one could answer this question; only time would tell.