Chapter 65: Recruitment

The A-Rank Sentinel fighting Ding Hua was clad in a gray Combat Suit, wielding a High-frequency Vibrating Blade that he swung at her time and again.

This type of blade was wickedly sharp, able to slice through metal with ease. The combat left deep gouge marks scarred across the surrounding walls.

Ding Hua’s weapons were just as formidable. She wielded a pair of hook-shaped blades forged from the remnants of an S-Rank Mutant Beast. Multiple times they collided with the vibrating blade, yet instead of being cut, they only sent up bursts of fine sparks from the impact.

In this duel, Ding Hua was at a disadvantage.

Her strength was not beneath her opponent’s, but their battleground was Freedom City—her home!

She couldn’t bear to see her home be destroyed. She held back, which naturally prevented her from fighting with full force.

The man in gray had sensed this. He grew more reckless as the fight dragged on. Beyond his blade, his berserk mental power rampaged through everything around them.

A nearby section of recently connected water pipe was shattered by his mental power, sending a high-pressure spray of water everywhere.

The sight of the spraying water made Ding Hua’s rage boil over. The gray-clad man was just about to exploit this moment to grievously wound her when a sudden sense of danger crashed over him.

A spike of concentrated mental power was driving straight for him!

He tried to block with his mental power, but couldn’t stop it. That mental power, which looked so ordinary and nowhere near berserk, pierced straight into his Mental Sea.

His Mental Sea began to crumble instantly, his entire being plunging into a state of Berserk. And at that moment, the mental power spike suddenly detonated. Aggressively charged mental power flooded his Mental Sea, utterly devastating it.

Sentinels who fall into a Berserk state possess a combat power even greater than normal.

But if their Mental Sea is destroyed, turning them back into ordinary people, there’s only one outcome left: death.

After his rebirth, Ying Li had not only consumed a Heavenly Treasure but had never ceased pushing himself in rigorous training.

His strength already matched that of his past self at the time of death. And his current body was in even better condition than it had been then.

That was why he could strike this fatal blow with a single attack.

The downside, however, was that now he wouldn’t be able to interrogate the A-Rank Sentinel for any information.

Though Ying Li had already begun to piece together who the man might be.

This gray-clad man had likely come from Azure Jade Mountain.

Ying Li cast a look at the devastated battlefield, then took Xiang Ye and returned straight to their residence.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ding Hua, whose Mental Sea had become dangerously unstable due to the battle, was absolutely livid. “This bastard was insane! I only asked a question, and he attacked me! Does he not care about the damage because it’s not his city?!”

She continued cursing. When she saw her subordinates lurking and peeking from a distance, she roared at them too, “What are you standing there for?! Get over here and fix the pipes! Is it not your water, so you don’t care if it all drains away?!”

The Sentinels of Freedom City, hearing her bellows, scurried out from all directions. Some fixed the pipes, others cleaned up debris, and a few began flattering Ding Hua. “City Lord, you were incredible!”

“This guy must’ve lost his mind, picking a fight with you. He was just asking for death!”

“City Lord, you’re the pillar that holds Freedom City steady! With you here, we’re safe!”

…

Ding Hua knew these people assumed she had killed the gray-clad man.

But she knew the truth. It was Ying Li who had killed him.

A man who matched her in power and had even slightly held the upper hand—killed so effortlessly by Ying Li. Ying Li was simply too strong!

But since Ying Li hadn’t shown himself, it meant he didn’t want this known. Ding Hua swallowed her pride and took credit for the kill.

“Why are you all crowding around me? Get back to work! And take this piece of trash’s body—bring it back and run a thorough investigation!” she barked at the people around her before vanishing in a flash.

Ding Hua headed straight for Ying Li and Xiang Ye’s residence.

She knocked, and the door quickly swung open. Inside, she saw that Ying Li and Xiang Ye were packing.

“Are you leaving?” Ding Hua asked.

Ying Li replied, “That man was likely targeting Xiang Ye. Once Xiang Ye does your Mental Combing, I’m taking him away.”

Ding Hua’s Mental Sea was in terrible shape right now. Hearing this, she was immensely grateful. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ying Li said, and then he laid out his suspicions about Azure Jade Mountain, also informing her of the Shen Family’s secret human experimentation.

Ding Hua was decades older than him and undoubtedly knew far more. They could exchange intelligence.

Ding Hua was taken aback. “You suspect there’s a laboratory in Azure Jade Mountain? I honestly don’t know about that. But the Shen Family—I’ve heard rumors. Some of the spies I caught from Freedom City were Shen Family operatives.”

The Shen Family’s laboratory was built inside Starlight City and would inevitably leave some traces. Many people knew of it. But Azure Jade Mountain? That was completely new to her.

“Azure Jade Mountain still needs investigating. As for the Shen Family… I plan to blow things wide open.” Ying Li spoke.

The Shen Family laboratory had been destroyed by Xiang Ye in their previous life, and a significant amount of its data had been made public.

While common citizens and Guides like Wu Nian had remained completely unaware of the details, Ying Li, by then, had access to insider information.

He knew exactly what the Shen Family’s laboratory had been doing. He also knew who the Shen Family’s enemies were.

But he had no means of contacting those people. He was hoping Ding Hua could introduce him to a few individuals.

Ying Li explained his plan directly. Ding Hua provided him with a few contact details, confirming those people would be willing to help.

Ying Li carefully memorized each one.

Xiang Ye sat nearby, listening earnestly to Ying Li and Ding Hua’s conversation.

He felt incredibly lucky to have met Ying Li. Otherwise, even after awakening as a Guide, he might never have known a peaceful life.

Once Ying Li and Ding Hua finalized their plans, Xiang Ye performed Mental Combing on Ding Hua’s Mental Sea.

It was the second session now. Xiang Ye was well-practiced and quickly calmed Ding Hua’s turbulent Mental Sea.

Ding Hua let out a long breath, her mood instantly brightening. “I’ll escort you out.”

“Sorry for the trouble, City Lord Ding,” Ying Li said.

After Ding Hua escorted Ying Li and Xiang Ye to the surrounding area, Ying Li drove them—Xiang Ye having already shed his Elder Ye disguise—to reunite with Luo Qiming and the others.

The hunting ground where Luo Qiming’s group was active mostly had C-Rank Mutant Beasts, with a few B-Rank ones appearing occasionally.

A B-Rank Sentinel, one of Ding Hua’s subordinates, was accompanying them there. The group had managed to catch over twenty C-rank Beasts and two B-Rank ones.

For Luo Qiming and the others, this was a massive haul. Bringing such a harvest back to Freedom City also wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.

Once Ying Li arrived at the location, the B-Rank Sentinel Ding Hua had sent—who knew nothing of Luo Qiming’s group’s true identities—departed.

When he was gone, Ying Li asked Luo Qiming, “You didn’t say too much in front of him, did you?”

Luo Qiming instantly replied, “No! For the past few days, we haven’t talked about anything other than the hunt. And he never asked anything.”

“That’s good.” Ying Li smiled.

That B-Rank Sentinel was one of Ding Hua’s trusted men. Under normal circumstances, there was no reason he would be a traitor. Ying Li was just habitually cautious.

They had only been gone for around ten days this trip. When they returned to Starlight City, the city looked no different than before.

Ying Li didn’t rush off to find Boss Lin. He went home first.

The Yu Family was definitely watching him now. If he went looking for Boss Lin, Boss Lin would be watched alongside him. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.

Ying Li’s prediction was correct. Yu Mingwei had been waiting for him. Not long after Ying Li arrived home, there was a knock at his door. The person standing outside was none other than Yu Mingwei.

Seeing Ying Li, Yu Mingwei’s face broke into a broad smile. “Hello. I’m an A-Rank Sentinel from the Central District. I’d like to have a chat with you.”

A similar event had occurred in their past life—Yu Mingwei had sought him out, inviting him to join the Yu Family’s hunting team.

Ying Li hadn’t wanted to go back then. He was an ambitious person and had already done his research on the Central District. He knew it wasn’t the paradise the ordinary folks of the Upper City District imagined.

And beyond that, his gut told him Yu Mingwei was no good person.

But then, Wu Nian had wanted to go, so he’d gone along with it.

The lesson drilled into him at the Sentinel Academy was that a Sentinel must take care of their Guide.

Ying Li perfectly replicated the reaction he’d had when meeting Yu Mingwei in his past life. Guarded wariness appeared in his eyes, but he still invited Yu Mingwei inside.

Since his rebirth, Ying Li had been eating well, but he hadn’t added much to his home. What he did add were all things with an excellent cost-to-value ratio.

The moment Yu Mingwei stepped through the door, he saw a cramped little room furnished with worn old tables and chairs. The walls held some hunting equipment.

Even a glance told him the camping tent was cheap. The clothes on Ying Li and Xiang Ye had no proper cut to them at all.

A flash of contempt crossed his eyes.

No wonder Wu Nian had looked down on Ying Li. Sentinels from the Upper City District were truly dirt poor and had zero sense of style.

But it was also these exact kinds of men who would risk their lives against the Mutant Beasts.

After advancing to B-Rank, Ying Li spent half of every month out in the wilderness. Most people couldn’t do that! And according to Wu Nian, Ying Li in their past life had been even more relentless.

The only reason Ying Li wasn’t pushing himself that hard this time was because he didn’t have Wu Nian to support, right?

Yu Mingwei maintained an impeccable attitude. He made some small talk first, then explained his connection to Wu Nian. He claimed he hadn’t known about Ying Li’s relationship with Wu Nian when he got involved with him and said he had already broken up with him.

Once that was out of the way, he earnestly invited Ying Li to join the Yu Family hunting team. But Ying Li did not agree.

His answer was the same as in his previous life. He said he currently had no intention of joining a large hunting team.

Yu Mingwei looked deeply regretful. “That’s a real shame. I truly appreciate you, you know!”

He praised Ying Li a few more times, left his contact info, and then departed.

But the moment Yu Mingwei stepped outside and climbed into the Yu Family’s vehicle, the kind smile he’d worn in front of Ying Li vanished, replaced by a dark scowl. “A Sentinel from the Upper City District actually dared to reject me!”

Ying Li—a man with poor talent, born in the Upper City District—would surpass him in strength in the future.

Just the thought of it made Yu Mingwei’s blood boil.

He didn’t like Ying Li. But Ying Li could be useful to him…

Yu Mingwei turned to his uncle. “Uncle, please keep watching him.”

He would create some trouble for Ying Li and then step in to help. That was how to win Ying Li’s favor.

And as for Xiang Ye… he could also find an opportunity to make contact.

He had zero interest in a scrawny, dark-skinned Guide. But if Xiang Ye wanted to live in the Central District, Ying Li would probably be willing to agree.