ctnovel Chapter 44 A Master-Level Enemy, "Flame Soul" Nott
Chapter 44 A Master-Level Enemy, "Flame Soul" Nott
"I suggest adding some contingency plans for facing master-level powerhouses."
Jiang Yong stood up and spoke directly. He had no intention of secretly preparing and then staging a dramatic comeback behind his teammates' backs; sharing information promptly was a good habit he had cultivated since his days as a player. Even players who could be resurrected shouldn't be allowed to sabotage others, let alone real people who only had one life.
Although what's displayed on the panel can't be used as evidence, shooting an arrow first and then drawing a target to fool your teammates is still acceptable.
"Every master in the Carol Confederation is under the joint attention of multiple forces."
Zhang Zhan raised an eyebrow: "Once someone suddenly disappears from intelligence, it will immediately raise our vigilance. We haven't received any news of a master-level being in an abnormal state yet."
"But you must have your own reasons for bringing this up. Tell me why."
After saying that, he took a half step back, crossed his arms, and gestured for the audience to begin their performance.
"I have had some conflicts with Tianducheng in the past and have dealt with them quite a bit, so I think I understand their style fairly well."
Jiang Yongchong nodded, then looked around, cleared his throat and said, "The Administrator said before that the incident in the Eastern Territory was entirely fabricated by Tiandu City itself, which means that the current situation was actually something they wanted to provoke."
"In this situation, don't you all think that the fact that none of their master-level members are acting abnormally is itself abnormal?"
Everyone frowned slightly upon hearing this.
They had only learned a few minutes earlier that the story about the Eastern Territory was fabricated, and for a moment they couldn't connect the two events. Jiang Yong's words gave them a wake-up call.
"And as far as I know,"
Jiang Yong continued, dropping a bombshell without batting an eye: "Tiandu City has long since innovated its intelligence concealment methods for master-level contractors, but it hasn't shown it yet. They're probably waiting for a moment like this to use it."
—This statement is also true. The plan to create artificial bosses in Tiandu City has always been overseen by several veteran master-level experts. If the method of intelligence concealment had not been innovated, other city-states would have discovered the clues long ago.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the experts present all turned serious.
Although they didn't know how credible Jiang Yong's words were, they always preferred to believe them rather than not, and no one would joke about their own life.
"...Jiang Yong is right, this situation is something to be wary of."
Zhang Zhan stroked his chin, his expression noticeably more serious than before: "What are your thoughts?"
A moment of silence fell over the audience; you could hear a pin drop.
The gap between their ranks was like an insurmountable chasm. Although these dozen or so individuals were all veteran experts, and on paper their stats were enough to pose a certain threat to a master-level fighter, the greatest threat of individual strength always lay in their formidable agility and stealth, allowing them to easily escape and wage guerrilla warfare when surrounded. Furthermore, in this particular tactic, they would be divided into three groups operating independently…
"Ahem, actually there's no need to be too pessimistic."
Seeing the prolonged silence, Zhang Zhan coughed twice, trying to salvage the situation and boost morale: "Our mission this time is to receive spies, not to directly confront a master-level expert. If our actions are covert enough, we can complete it easily..."
Someone in the audience couldn't help but scoff, "Do you even believe that yourself?"
Zhang Zhan is a secret henchman directly under the Yunqi City government. He's willing to risk his life for such an important mission, but other expert-level individuals who make money in the black market wouldn't.
"Ahem, this..."
"If a master-level expert does emerge, I will offer assistance."
The man, who had been waiting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and spoke: "I will do my best to ensure everyone's safety. At the same time, everyone's reward will be doubled, and if we encounter a master-level opponent, it will be doubled again. In addition, I would like to personally give you some items after the mission as a token of my gratitude."
"Your Excellency, Administrator!"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt reassured, and their enthusiasm increased significantly. An Li had always had an excellent reputation in the black market, and her promises were quite effective.
However, Jiang Yong didn't care much about these rewards—aside from the rewards displayed on the task panel, the originally agreed-upon reward was 70 high-quality gold coins. Even if it were doubled, it would only be gold coins, which were extra gifts from the NPC in addition to the task rewards. The experience points and black market reputation, which were exclusive to the task panel, would not change.
However, the hidden rewards in the panel already include master-level objectives, so the final reward will definitely be commensurate with the difficulty of the mission. Star Age: Evolution has always maintained a good balance between mission difficulty and rewards.
After a brief discussion, including the addition of several more facilities and insurance plans, Zhang Zhan adjourned the meeting, setting the departure time for noon the next day.
……
"...Ah, Jiang Yong,"
Just as Jiang Yong stood up, several more people quickly approached him. They were all members who had joined the third team, making a total of four people. Including Jiang Yong himself, that made up the entire third team of five.
Now that they are teammates fighting side by side, and given that Jiang Yong's background seems to be quite extraordinary, they all want to cultivate a good relationship with him.
"We need to go to the warehouse to check out the equipment and do some testing. Want to come along?"
The speaker was a thin young man named Chen Yue. His main Pokémon was a Flying type. His mission this time was aerial reconnaissance and, in case of a critical situation, to carry out an emergency evacuation with the evidence.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do too."
Jiang Yong naturally wouldn't want to offend his teammates, so he nodded in agreement. The five of them chatted as they walked, getting to know each other before quickly arriving at the designated equipment warehouse.
"The administrators have given us considerable authority this time. We can use all the equipment here at will, and we can even modify it ourselves if we are not satisfied with anything."
After giving a brief introduction, Chen Yue smiled and said, "However, among the five of us, only Jiang Yong is skilled in mechanics, so I'll have to trouble you with that."
"No problem, just let me know if you need anything."
Jiang Yong readily agreed, which immediately won the favor of the others.
The main advantage is that each of these expert-level individuals can create a task based on their requests, and the processing and manufacturing of equipment also provides experience, so why not take advantage of it?
"Then I'll go check on the car first."
He gave a brief explanation and then turned to walk towards the garage. His task was to drive the vehicle and operate the radio, giving him the authority to handle the radio truck independently.
The vehicle provided by Yunqi City was similar to the last one, a simple off-road vehicle made of riveted metal plates that could house mechanical-type spirits. However, this time the vehicle was much larger, equipped with a small repeater radio and an antenna that folded up to look like a fly swatter, which could be erected and run day after day after parking.
"Nott's strength lies in his powerful offensive capabilities. The three fused spirits can form a formidable combined attack, and his training techniques are also incredibly potent, capable of inflicting overwhelming pressure. That's why a Master-level character like An Li, who leans towards support, would suffer against him."
While observing the vehicle, Jiang Yong recalled the information about this boss: "The good news is that he's not known for his speed. We need to find a way to improve that aspect..."
After a moment's thought, he made up his mind and summoned Cortia to begin a radical transformation.