Chapter 22: Invitation to Join the Group

Home of Warriors, a grand villa, living room.

Zhang Chu felt he had drunk a bit too much—his mind was clear, his eyes darting restlessly, but there was not a hint of sleepiness. He glanced at the class group chat again; it was filled with discussions about the anonymous troublemaker and the messages tagging Su Mingyue. Su Mingyue herself had not once responded directly.

Zhang Chu had already imagined an entire drama in his head. The proud Su Mingyue was probably curled up under her covers, crying her heart out.

“Ding-dong!”

The sudden ring of the doorbell in the dead of night startled Zhang Chu. He hadn’t ordered any takeout, nor had he told Huang Lili that he had moved to a new home. The only possible visitor at this hour would be the property management.

Clad in golden silk pajamas and holding a wine bottle, Zhang Chu lazily opened the door.

“Zhang Chu, it really is you!”

As soon as the door opened, a faint scent of orchid wafted in. Su Mingyue stood at the threshold, her eyes red and swollen—she had clearly been crying. Glancing at the lavish villa and the wine in Zhang Chu’s hand, her tears brimmed again.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Su Mingyue would never have believed that this young man in front of her, even after being wheelchair-bound and stricken with ALS for three years, had once been so devoted to her.

But now—

A grand villa, red wine, the status of a Level 2 Warrior. Zhang Chu had once again become a legend at Binzhou University.

“How did you find me?” Zhang Chu was utterly bewildered. After all, this was the Home of Warriors. Then it dawned on him—it must have been the post he just shared on his Moments that had driven Su Mingyue mad.

“I came to ask you one thing: how did you do it? How did you go from being an ALS patient to a Level 2 Warrior in just ten days?” Su Mingyue’s tone was laced with curiosity. If she could gain Zhang Chu’s help, with her own talent, perhaps she could soon become a Level 2 Warrior as well. “Tell me, and I might consider coming back to you.”

Bang!

Zhang Chu glanced at her, then simply closed the door.

What a joke! Women only slow down the draw of the blade, and especially those who play innocent.

Outside, Su Mingyue could no longer hold back. She squatted down and burst into uncontrollable sobs. Her pride was shattered by Zhang Chu in that moment.

“Security? Come up and remove the crazy woman at my door; she’s disturbing my sleep.” Zhang Chu immediately called security at the Home of Warriors.

Soon, the sound of Su Mingyue’s cries faded as two guards forcibly escorted her out of the villa district.

The next morning—

Zhang Chu, as usual, skipped breakfast and headed to the Warrior Center.

Zhou Chuanxiong always prepared breakfast, and he liked to keep things fresh. Today, it was hamburgers, soy milk, and fried chicken—a hearty meal. Zhang Chu didn’t stand on ceremony.

After breakfast and a brief chat with Zhou Chuanxiong, he entered the virtual hunting ground.

There were six days left until the leaderboard prize event ended. Zhang Chu needed to seize this last opportunity to rake in as much as possible. At the moment, his total savings didn’t even reach a thousand. Buying Blood Vitality Pills, equipment, and heading out to the hunting grounds all required money.

For six consecutive days, Zhang Chu had dominated the trending topics on the Home of Warriors forum, earning himself the nickname “Mr. Inspiration” from the online community.

Twenty virtual hunts a day wasn’t his limit—it was the system’s.

On the sixth day, Zhang Chu continued as usual. Over these six days, he had perfected his combination of “Iron Mountain Shield” and “Sky Cannon,” handling Level 2 virtual beasts with ease. Especially the Overlord Tiger—one head-on clash, one “Iron Mountain Shield” to meet the attack, and the beast was crushed.

Thanks to Zhang Chu, “Iron Mountain Shield” also became a hot seller in the Warrior Mall, joining “Sky Cannon” as the top two best-selling techniques for Level 1 warriors.

On the sixth day, Zhang Chu managed to squeeze in one extra hunt. Seeing the 390,000 credit balance on his Warrior Card, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. “At last, I’m not broke anymore.”

“Brother Zhang, I’ll fight for more events from above. If anything comes up, I’ll call you right away.” Seeing Zhang Chu about to leave, Zhou Chuanxiong was somewhat reluctant. With the event ending and Zhang Chu leaving, his own performance bonuses would take a hit.

“Brother Zhou, go buy yourself some cigarettes.” Zhang Chu wasn’t ungrateful; he slipped 5,000 yuan directly into Zhou Chuanxiong’s pocket. Zhou protested modestly, but gripped his pocket tightly, fearing Zhang Chu might change his mind.

After lunch at the Warrior Center, Zhang Chu went to work in the afternoon. He headed to the ninth-floor equipment section to buy gear.

The virtual hunting ground was still different from the real beast forest. The other day, in the Level 1 Warrior zone, he had run into a Level 2 Overlord Tiger. That gave Zhang Chu an idea—he needed to buy defensive gear for safety.

Warrior equipment was more expensive than techniques. After browsing for a long time, Zhang Chu chose a top-grade Level 1 defensive battle suit—the Nano Xuanwu Armor. Made from nanomaterials, it was lightweight and didn’t hinder movement. Although it ranked at the bottom among top-grade Level 1 armor, when paired with the defensive technique “Iron Mountain Shield,” it could withstand a full-force strike from a Level 2 beast.

Paying for it made Zhang Chu’s heart ache. That was 350,000 yuan—five days of hard work!

He didn’t immediately spend the remaining 40,000 on Blood Vitality Pills.

He had just received a call from Zhao Nameless; the experimental Blood Essence Pill was entering its fourth testing phase, and he was scheduled to try it the day after tomorrow. Why spend money when there was a free trial available?

Level 2 Warriors enjoyed high privileges. The armor would be delivered to his door within twenty-four hours.

Hands in his pockets, Zhang Chu headed downstairs, preparing to leave the Warrior Center.

Just as he reached the main hall, over a hundred people burst in, jostling for position.

“Fatty, hurry up! The first mercenary squads to complete official registration get Blood Vitality Pill rewards.”

“What’s going on with the Warrior Bureau? Out of nowhere, they’re announcing official mercenary squad certification. Does that mean mercenaries are now officially recognized?”

“Cut the chatter—secure your spot! Only the first ten squads get Blood Vitality Pills. We’ll finally be legitimate!”

Zhang Chu quickly grasped the situation. Mercenary groups, previously unrecognized by the authorities, could now register officially at the Warrior Center and be acknowledged as a legal profession.

From now on, in addition to Warriors, there would be professional Pharmacists, professional Artificers, and official Mercenary Groups. All classified into six levels, just like the warriors. As for the criteria for mercenary group rankings, Zhang Chu didn’t care.

“Brother Zhang Chu!” Dodging the surging crowd, Zhang Chu had just stepped outside when a tall figure blocked his path, greeting him with a hearty laugh.

Looking up, Zhang Chu recognized the four members of Squad Gale. Hu San’s arm was still in a sling, and the four of them stood together at the Warrior Center. “Brother Zhang Chu, what a coincidence running into you here!”

“Captain Hu, is your arm better?” Zhang Chu nodded toward Hu San’s bandaged arm.

“I’ll be able to remove the bandage in a few days,” Hu San replied with a smile.

“Brother Zhang Chu, we were just talking about you on our way here,” said another, the one with gold-rimmed glasses, who smiled harmlessly. “Any interest in joining Squad Gale? We’re putting together an officially certified mercenary team.”

Zhang Chu’s first instinct was to turn them down. Life as a mercenary meant risking life and limb—injuries were routine, and there was always a chance of dying for nothing. Right now, he was living in a grand villa, receiving a monthly stipend of ten thousand, participating in regular experimental trials, and steadily upgrading his status. Occasionally, he got to toy with Su Mingyue’s fragile ego.

Wasn’t it better to enjoy a comfortable life? Why risk it all?

“Brother Zhang Chu, with your level, if you join us, Squad Gale will qualify as a Level 2 mercenary team. Never mind the Blood Vitality Pills—the cash bonus alone is 800,000 yuan per member!”

Zhang Chu’s eyes widened.

Eight hundred thousand—just like that? He could pocket the money and skip the missions afterward.

With that thought, Zhang Chu agreed with a straight face, “Captain Hu, money is not my motivation. I’m mainly drawn by your character!”