inspire-indiana Chapter 87 Of course it's Lin Ze, could it be me?
Chapter 87 Of course it's Lin Ze, could it be me?
Chapter 87 Of course it's Lin Ze, could it be me?
When I entered the office of Group Eight, Zhuang Yi, Pei Xuan and Tang Wangshu were already there.
Upon seeing Lin Ze enter, Pei Xuan immediately stood up, a fawning smile on his face.
"Team leader, you're here. Have you had breakfast? I brought some breakfast from Yun Ding Xuan. Would you like some?"
After witnessing Lin Ze's feat of defeating Qian Chong despite being a level below him yesterday, Pei Xuan became even more determined to curry favor with Lin Ze. Early this morning, he eagerly went to get an expensive breakfast, intending to flatter him.
"No need, I just had breakfast." Lin Ze shook his head.
Zhuang Yi then joined in, chuckling, "Team leader, you're quite the celebrity in the team now. Feeling especially proud after walking this far today?"
Lin Ze glanced at him and laughed, "Stop talking nonsense. You like being treated like a rare animal, but I don't."
.
"I wasn't just being cheeky," Zhuang Yi said with a wink. "Team leader, you wouldn't believe it, but right now on the internal forum, besides the timing of the market, the most discussed topic is you!"
"Oh right, there's also the special operations team. I heard the branch is going to select young elites to form a special team, and many people say that you, the team leader, will definitely be one of them."
Lin Ze raised an eyebrow and looked at Tang Wangshu.
The latter nodded and explained gently, "Some people from the branch came over this morning. Besides the weather, it's said that they were also there to select members for the special operations team. The news spread very early this morning."
Lin Ze understood, walked to his seat, turned on the computer on the table, and logged into the internal forum.
Just as Zhuang Yi said, the most popular topic pinned to the top of the forum homepage was indeed related to yesterday's battle.
Lin Ze clicked on it and saw that the discussion inside was very lively.
"Tian Shi only sent Dong Zhi yesterday, and he dealt with the reinforcements sent by Blood Eagle and Cliff. His strength is terrifying. He is not at the same level as the previous guilds in the North District."
Will Tian Shi unify the Northern Region next?
"It's hard to say, but if Tian Shi really intends to do it this way, it seems our team can't stop him."
"Be more confident, and remove the 'seems' part."
"In any case, so far Tian Shi has only targeted the guilds and has never caused any trouble for the branch. On the contrary, he has helped the branch solve a lot of problems."
"That's true. Both Gangquan and Black Stone were destroyed by opportune timing. This time, it was also opportune timing that intervened, otherwise the brigade might have suffered a major setback."
"In terms of results, the existence of favorable timing is actually a good thing for the North District."
The post received hundreds of comments, most of which were positive about the timing, and many even expressed their liking for it.
After all, Tian Shi's actions so far have indeed brought tangible benefits to the North District.
Lin Ze scrolled down a few pages, only to find that the post was no longer displaying.
He refreshed the page and found that the post had been deleted.
Lin Ze twitched the corner of his mouth and immediately understood.
After all, it's an internal forum for the brigade. Boosting the morale of others would indeed have a negative impact.
Shaking his head, Lin Ze exited the page, returned to the homepage, and looked at the second most popular topic.
Who do you support in the Special Operations Team selection?
Upon clicking through, the post detailed the reasons for the establishment of the special operations team and the selection criteria, just as Tang Wangyan had said before, and even more in detail.
For example, the selection criteria for members of the special operations team are that they must be no more than 25 years old, have a professional level of at least 3, and be selected from the branch and the four major regional branches based on their comprehensive strength and age. The selected members will have their military rank promoted by one level.
"There are quite a few capable people in the detachment who can gather information."
Lin Ze sighed inwardly.
The branch members had just arrived, and before the special operations team was officially announced, some people had already found out detailed information.
Their intelligence-gathering ability is unparalleled.
Below the post is a poll where users can vote on who they want to be selected for the special operations team.
Lin Ze opened the voting page and found that his name was ranked first, with a far greater number of votes than the second-place candidate, almost four times that of the second-place candidate.
Wei Ran ranked second.
Lin Ze had a vague impression of the name. He vaguely remembered that the person was the leader of Special Operations Team 2, a 22-year-old Level 4 Summoner, who was considered a genius in the North District branch.
It should be noted that those who can enter the special operations team are outstanding graduates from various colleges and universities, and in terms of talent and ability, they are the best among ordinary people.
Even so, most people don't reach Level 4 until they are over 25 years old.
Wei Ran's ability to advance to level 4 at the age of 22 is already considered quite outstanding.
From third place onwards, everyone is a Level 3 professional.
Tang Wangshu was surprisingly ranked third.
Lin Ze was not surprised by this.
Although Tang Wangshu had only recently advanced to level 3, due to his family background, he was able to learn many powerful skills and talents, making him stronger than some experienced level 3 professionals.
Their performance in yesterday's match was also commendable.
He even managed to hold out for two minutes against Blood Eagle, a level 4 professional, without being defeated.
This alone is enough to prove their strength.
More importantly, she is only 19 years old and has enormous potential.
Lin Ze continued reading, but he was unfamiliar with most of the names, so he only glanced at them and then stopped paying attention.
The discussion was even more heated in the comments section below.
"With these conditions, Lin Ze is in luck, right?"
"It's definitely a sure thing. A level 4 sword spirit, capable of killing a level 5 opponent—I ask you, besides Team Leader Lin, who else in the entire Crimson Lotus City could do that?"
"I'm so envious. I wish I had half, no, a third, of Team Leader Lin's talent."
"9
"Go to sleep, you can dream about anything."
Most of the comments expressed admiration and respect for Lin Ze. Occasionally, someone would mention other candidates, but their comments were quickly drowned out by the praise for Lin Ze.
Lin Ze lost interest after watching for a while, exited the voting page, and looked at the third trending topic.
The title made him pause slightly:
Historic Breakthrough! Han Luofan Promoted to Brigadier General, Setting a New Record as the Youngest Person in the Legion!
Lin Ze clicked on the post, and at the top was the official announcement: "After deliberation and decision by the headquarters meeting, Colonel Han Luofan of the Scarlet Cloud Branch is hereby promoted to Brigadier General, effective immediately."
Then came the information about Han Luofan that the poster had collected.
Han Luofan, 27 years old, is a professional Wind Whisperer. He previously served as a colonel in the Scarlet Cloud District. Half a month ago, he successfully awakened, becoming the youngest awakened professional in the history of the Legion.
Three days ago, Han Luofan killed Mingluo Luosha Dai Wang in Mason City, and was promoted to brigadier general for this military achievement, becoming the youngest brigadier general in the history of the legion.
The photo below shows a man in a crisp general's uniform with gold stars on his epaulets. He has a handsome face, sharp eyes, and a faint smile on his lips, exuding an air of composure and confidence.
"Awakening..."
'
Lin Ze silently repeated the word in his mind.
Once a professional reaches level 10, they will face an awakening point.
Awakening successfully will bring a qualitative leap in strength, not only granting access to ultimate techniques and enhanced traits, but more importantly, elevating one's level of life.
However, if one cannot awaken, one will be stuck at level 10 for life and will never be able to advance any further.
Whether or not one can awaken their powers makes a world of difference in strength.
The legion has an unwritten rule that to become a general-level officer, one must be an awakened-level professional.
Lin Ze continued scrolling down through the comments.
"A 27-year-old brigadier general, that's amazing!"
"Han Luofan is from our Chilian City. He was a famous genius back then. I didn't expect him to be promoted to brigadier general so quickly."
"The Rakshasa of the Underworld are all formidable experts. To be able to kill a Rakshasa, this brigadier general rank is well-deserved."
Lin Ze closed the post, leaned back in his chair, and fell into deep thought.
Awakening level....
That's a realm he can't reach yet.
But one day, he will reach that level.
No, he wants to go even further.
Just as Lin Ze was deep in thought, a sudden commotion outside the window interrupted his thoughts.
He got up, walked to the window, and looked outside.
Many soldiers ran out of the office building and walked quickly toward the training building, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity.
Lin Ze was puzzled by this.
With martial law just lifted and yesterday's major battle underway, many soldiers were exhausted and wanted to get some rest.
Just like Group 8, no one went to the training building today; they planned to relax for the day.
Why are so many people suddenly running towards the training building?
Zhuang Yi also went to the window and saw the scene outside. His gossip spirit immediately ignited.
"Team leader, I'll go check it out!"
After saying that, she ran out of the office without waiting for Lin Ze's response.
Training building, martial arts arena.
This is a venue specifically for soldiers to practice and hone their combat skills.
While it's usually quite popular, it's rare to see a scene as crowded and noisy as it is today.
Inside the spacious arena, the movable barriers that were originally used to separate the various battle zones have been removed, revealing the central circular main arena, about fifty meters in diameter, covered with specially made energy-absorbing material.
The area around the arena was packed with soldiers who had rushed over after hearing the news. They stood on tiptoe, craned their necks, and focused their attention on the two people fighting fiercely in the center of the arena.
The sounds of discussion, exclamations, and cheers mingled together, creating a buzzing noise that almost lifted the roof off.
In the center of the arena, two young men in their early twenties were fighting.
Wei Ran stood solemnly on the far right of the arena, with a halo of light floating in front of him, depicting a mysterious and complex six-pointed star magic array.
A ferocious-looking scorpion-tailed beast slowly emerged from it.
The Scorpion-tailed Beast is a common summoned creature, resembling a scorpion magnified several times. Its entire body is covered with a dark purple carapace, and its tail is raised high, ending in a sharp, venomous stinger that gleams with a cold, eerie blue light.
These summoned creatures possess combat power comparable to a level 3 professional. More importantly, they are swift in action and coordinate perfectly. Once they gain a numerical advantage, they become extremely difficult to deal with.
In the past, as long as Wei Ran summoned more than 20 scorpion-tailed beasts, he could easily win unless his opponent was a level 5 professional.
But today was an exception.
At this very moment, the young man who was his opponent was being besieged by more than twenty scorpion-tailed beasts, yet he always seemed to be handling the situation with ease.
He looked a year or two younger than Wei Ran, with a tall and straight figure. He held a long sword that gleamed coldly in his hand. Facing attacks coming from all directions, he moved with light and precise steps, and the long sword in his hand transformed into a continuous curtain of light.
Clang!
The sounds of metal clashing and shells shattering were incessant.
Where the sword flashed, the scorpion-tailed beasts that pounced were either forced back by the sharp sword energy, leaving deep slash marks on their carapaces, or were precisely pierced in vulnerable areas such as joints or eyes, howling as they lost their fighting ability.
The young man moved with extraordinary speed, his steps carrying a subtle rhythm, always managing to evade the scorpion-tailed beasts' attacks and venomous stings at the last second.
Even after summoning another scorpion-tailed beast to join the battle, Wei Ran's expression remained no less relaxed; on the contrary, it became even more somber.
Just then, the young man suddenly lowered his body, as if transforming into a black shadow that darted close to the ground, narrowly passing through the gaps between the attacking scorpion-tailed beasts. He then swung his long sword upwards, drawing a crescent-shaped, chilling glint.
Excellent-grade skill - Crescent Slash!
scoff!
With a flash of sword light, the three scorpion-tailed beasts charging at the front were severed at the waist, and purplish-black bodily fluids spurted out.
The youth continued his advance, his steps faltering, his figure flashing like a ghost, instantly closing in on the other scorpion-tailed beasts, his longsword striking and stabbing precisely at their vital points.
Within a few breaths, another five or six scorpion-tailed beasts collapsed to the ground.
After the outburst, the encirclement of the scorpion-tailed beasts immediately thinned out considerably.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the young man suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his whole body shot towards Wei Ran like an arrow released from a bow. His long sword pierced straight into Wei Ran's chest, and his speed was so fast that it left afterimages in the air.
Wei Ran's expression changed slightly. In his haste, he only had time to instantly teleport a scorpion-tailed beast to stand in front of him.
laugh!
The scorpion-tailed beast was stabbed in the head and let out a mournful cry filled with pain.
A fierce glint flashed in Tao Leshan's eyes. He exerted force with his wrist and let out a low shout.
"break!"
Excellent-grade skill - Piercing Force!
A concentrated and sharp force erupted from the tip of the sword, and the scorpion-tailed beast's head and body exploded instantly.
The sword's momentum hadn't subsided when its tip lightly touched Wei Ran's combat uniform on his chest, leaving a white mark before being withdrawn.
Although it didn't actually pierce through, the force it contained still made Wei Ran groan and stagger back several steps, his face turning pale and then red.
The outcome is decided.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a buzz of discussion.
Many people frowned, their disappointment evident in their expressions.
Tao Leshan twirled his sword, gracefully sheathing it, and looked at Wei Ran, whose face was grim, his smugness undisguised.
"You sounded so confident before, I thought you were something special, but now it seems you're nothing special."
Wei Ran's face turned ashen, feeling both frustrated and angry, yet unable to utter a rebuttal.
On his way to the training building today, he overheard two unfamiliar young men talking, their words showing considerable disdain for the North District Detachment.
Wei Ran, young and hot-blooded, could not tolerate such words and immediately stepped forward to argue.
As a result, this guy named Tao Leshan was extremely arrogant and mocked him to his face. A verbal argument quickly escalated into a sparring match, which led to the current fight.
As the leader of Special Operations Team Two, Wei Ran has always been a standout among his peers and naturally possesses a sense of pride.
He originally thought he could teach the other party a lesson, but after actually fighting, he was shocked to find that the other party's strength far exceeded his expectations.
In terms of attributes alone, he and Tao Leshan are not that different.
However, his opponent's skills and talent configuration were clearly much stronger than his.
In the course of the battle, Tao Leshan displayed three excellent-level skills.
There are probably even fewer people with excellent-level talents.
Even with all his might, he was still no match for Tao Leshan.
"I heard you were a famous genius in the North District branch, but it seems your skills are just so-so now."
Tao Leshan shook his head with a mocking expression.
"It seems that's all the Northern District Detachment is capable of."
Upon hearing this, many soldiers around him glared angrily at him.
"Leshan, enough is enough."
The speaker was a young man who was a year or two older than Tao Leshan.
He had an ordinary face, but his deep eyes gave him a calm and composed look.
"Brother Changyao."
Tao Leshan turned around and smiled at the young man, but the arrogance on his face did not diminish much.
"I'm just telling the truth."
"If the North District branch were capable, they wouldn't have let a civilian organization wipe out all the local guild power while they themselves did nothing."
Chang Yao wore a faint, helpless smile. He didn't respond to Tao Leshan's words, but he also didn't stop him.
The two of them came down with Advisor Xue to convey the branch's instructions, and were also tasked with selecting members for the special operations team.
Deep down, however, he, like Tao Leshan, didn't really think much of the strength of the district branch.
In his view, the real elites were concentrated in the branch.
The regional detachments are mainly responsible for maintaining local security, and the level of the opponents they deal with is relatively low. What kind of elites can they produce?
It would be more reasonable for the special operations team to select members only from the branch.
It wouldn't be a bad thing to let Tao Leshan step in and put down the arrogance of these country folk, making them realize the gap between themselves and the elites of the Party branch.
Seeing that Chang Yao did not object, Tao Leshan became even more arrogant.
He walked to the center of the field and raised his voice, "That was just a warm-up. Anyone else still unconvinced and want to come up and give me some pointers? I'm happy to oblige!"
His gaze swept across the entire area, and most of the team members who met his provocative gaze subconsciously avoided eye contact, or looked indignant but clenched their fists and did not step forward.
Even Wei Ran was defeated by Tao Leshan, so if they went up there, they would only be humiliating themselves.
Seeing that no one answered, Tao Leshan's sarcasm deepened.
He deliberately sighed, took out a card with a pale blue sheen from his pocket, and shook it between two fingers.
"Looks like nobody's here? How boring. How about this, I'll add a little prize: a rare-grade card. Whoever beats me gets the card. How about it? Anyone want to try?"
Excellent-grade skill cards!
Many people immediately showed interest, but when they looked at Tao Leshan, who was imposing in the center of the field, and then at Wei Ran, whose face was ashen, their desire was quickly suppressed by reason.
The atmosphere inside the martial arts arena became somewhat oppressive and awkward.
The soldiers of the North District Detachment felt their faces burning with embarrassment. The other side was so arrogant on their own territory, yet no one could stand up to save face.
Tao Leshan waited a few seconds, and seeing that no one was going to play, he shook his head in feigned disappointment.
"North District Branch - Heh, it seems there really isn't much talent left. The branch even wants to transfer people from here to join the special operations team. They really overestimated you."
"What are you so arrogant about!" A young sergeant finally couldn't hold back any longer, shouting with a flushed face, "Just because you beat Wei Ran doesn't make you so great! Wei Ran isn't even the strongest in our detachment!"
"Exactly! If you're so capable, go and fight the strongest one!"
"You really think no one in our unit can handle you?"
With one person taking the lead, other soldiers who had been holding back for a long time also spoke up, and the crowd was in an uproar.
"Oh?" Tao Leshan raised an eyebrow, a sneer on his face. "The most powerful? Who is it?"
"Of course it's Lin Ze, could it be me?"
"Then call him over, I want to see just how capable he is."
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