In the Cultivation Room, the air seemed to freeze because of the constantly flashing, blood-red announcement.
Qin Feng stood silently, his gaze locked firmly on the jarring number "2," which represented two lost lives.
After a long moment, he slowly shook his head.
He understood that his current anger and impatience were of no use.
The number of people hunting Shi Dang would only continue to grow.
They would come from all corners: righteous students from Cannan Star Martial Arts University, cold and merciless Judges from the Imperial Court of Justice, even Bounty Hunters who operated in the gray areas for a hefty reward, and possibly Planet-level Strongmen from the Warbands.
But this Cosmos was simply too vast, too empty.
The distance between a star system and its nearest neighbor was often several, or even dozens, of light-years of nothingness. This Dark Forest was a stage for all Hunters, but it was also the best hiding place for any prey.
What’s more, those blessed by a Subspace Evil God possessed all sorts of bizarre and unpredictable abilities.
If Shi Dang was determined to hide, finding him in this boundless Star Sea would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
This was especially true since the location of his betrayal was on the border of the human Empire, at the edge of the chaotic Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races where it constantly warred with the Alien Races.
The spatial beacons there were chaotic and the various factions were deeply intertwined. It was a zone where the Empire’s laws and Order were at their weakest—a paradise for those looking to hide or escape.
Therefore, even though the pursuers included elites of every level—even Planet-level Strongmen capable of traversing the Star Sea—the chase would be futile as long as they couldn’t obtain Shi Dang’s precise, real-time Subspace Teleportation coordinates.
Unless... a team could withstand his furious assault upon encountering him and successfully upload his real-time coordinates to the Imperial network, drawing in nearby experts for an encirclement.
Otherwise, capturing this rapidly evolving demon would come down to luck.
And that blood-red "2" was cruel proof of the tragic price required to achieve that.
Qin Feng forcibly banished all these chaotic thoughts from his mind.
’Waiting is not my style.’
’Resentment cannot be converted into strength.’
The only thing he could do was use every means at his disposal to make himself stronger in the shortest time possible!
"Hammer."
His voice returned to its usual calmness. "Filter for Warrior Level missions for me."
’This was the most efficient Trial Ground that matched his current strength.’
"Yes, Master."
Hammer immediately began executing the command but also displayed a friendly reminder. "According to system analysis, the vast majority of missions at Warrior Level and above are team-based. Their difficulty and complexity are far beyond what a single person can handle. Master, do you confirm the filter?"
"Confirm."
Qin Feng didn’t hesitate.
"The mission rules for the Warband Ranking Tournament do not require team members to be from the same Warband."
Hammer added, "However, based on past data analysis, in 97.3% of cases, the mission captain will only approve applications from members of their own Warband. This is an unwritten rule that maximizes team synergy and trust."
"I understand."
Qin Feng nodded.
’It was easy enough to understand.’
’A Warrior Level mission meant that every person on the team had to be the elite of the elite—geniuses who cultivated a Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique, with a high complexity in their combat methods as well.’
’Fighting alongside comrades-in-arms from the same Warband, people you knew inside and out, was naturally far safer and more efficient than forming a temporary team with strangers.’
’Of course, there was also the issue of point distribution.’
Soon, Hammer presented Qin Feng with a mission that matched his current needs.
[Mission Name: Enemy Lines Sabotage—Destroy the Nurgle Pathogen Refinery on the G-784 Battlefield]
[Mission Type: Team Mission (Required Personnel: 2)]
[Mission Difficulty: Warrior Level]
[Mission Rewards: 10,000 Contribution Points, 30,000 Warband Reputation, 10 Competition Points]
[Mission Status: Captain in Position (Fearless Warband), recruiting one team member.]
Qin Feng’s gaze fell upon the word "Nurgle."
This was also one of the Chaos Four Evil Gods, representing decay, plague, and despair.
Without hesitation, he submitted his application to join the team.
Almost the very next second after he submitted his application, a system notification of his acceptance came through.
[Your application to join the team has been approved. Please proceed to the "Fearless" Warband’s exclusive teleportation area within ten minutes to meet with your captain, Mike.]
Qin Feng didn’t delay, immediately activating the Teleportation Array in his dorm.
With a flash of light, his figure vanished from the spot.
...
「The Fearless Warband’s Exclusive Teleportation Area.」
The space here was much larger than a normal public area, filled with a cold, militaristic style.
A faint smell of metal and energy hung in the air. At intervals, Warband members clad in various types of power armor would hurry out of or step into one of the teleportation halos. The entire area operated with a busy, efficient hum.
Qin Feng’s figure appeared at the designated meeting point.
He had just come to a stop when he saw a tall, burly figure not far away, leaning against a metal pillar as if he had been waiting for some time.
He was a dark-skinned, brawny man with not a single hair on his body and a large, gleaming bald head.