Chapter 124: The Truth

There’s a problem! Absolutely a problem! The Miracle Mercenary Corps has a problem!

Originally, it was assumed that after Tang Mubai’s father’s group was wiped out, the Miracle Mercenary Corps would disband. But now it seems clear—the Miracle Mercenary Corps is hiding a great secret!

Could it be some rare, heavenly treasure left behind by Tang Mubai’s father? Or perhaps they are receiving assistance from a benefactor or some powerful faction? Maybe there’s a master-level expert always lurking behind the scenes within the corps, never revealing himself?

Right—the recent half-orc uprising in Red Leaf City was averted from becoming a catastrophe because a sudden appearance of a “Master Hong” came to their aid. Afterward, this “Master Hong” disappeared without a trace. Yet rumors say he lives in the East District!

Could the Miracle Mercenary Corps be connected to him?

If this “Master Hong” truly supports the corps from behind the scenes, then it would make much more sense how Tang Mubai, Lin Tianzhen, and even my own mother suddenly transformed into geniuses overnight.

A master-level expert is not only powerful but also possesses a myriad of techniques. For example, after years of effort and secret methods, he could cleanse Tang Mubai’s body, clear all his meridians, and expand his blood vessels, enabling Tang Mubai to become a prodigy overnight. Such geniuses exist within the Canghe Martial School.

You may envy them, but it’s their foundation. Those from humble backgrounds or lone wanderers can only look up.

Is Tang Mubai’s genius the result of such intervention? Fang Lin believes it’s highly likely!

This realization stirred an inexplicable excitement within him. With a master-level expert stationed in the Miracle Mercenary Corps, the future is boundless.

What if—what if he joined too? Could he transform into a genius overnight like his mother and Tang Mubai?

The thought thrilled Fang Lin so much he grinned foolishly, saliva pooling at the corner of his mouth.

“Son, son?”

Seeing Fang Lin suddenly grinning to himself, Fang Shuixian gently patted her son’s cheek with concern. “Are you alright, son?”

“I’m… I’m fine. What could be wrong with me?” Fang Lin, snapping back to reality, wiped the drool from his face, blushing slightly.

“Eh, drooling and still saying you’re fine, how embarrassing!” teased his little cousin.

“I… I was just thinking about the delicious food Mom makes, that’s why I drooled,” Fang Lin defended, cheeks flushed.

“No one knows what you were actually thinking—bleh!” the little cousin stuck out her tongue.

Fang Lin ignored her, feigning deafness, then glanced meaningfully at Tang Mubai and his mother. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Uh, what are we supposed to be worried about?” Fang Shuixian asked, puzzled.

Tang Mubai was equally baffled, sensing Fang Lin had suddenly become strange. Could it be that their constant pressure had driven him a bit crazy? After all, working hard for a year and still falling behind someone’s monthly progress would shake anyone’s confidence.

Thinking this, Tang Mubai felt relieved he had lowered his own vitality score to 31 calories—wise move. If Fang Lin knew his true vitality was over six thousand calories, he’d be driven mad!

With this understanding, they spent the afternoon happily together. Fang Lin, having uncovered the “truth,” kept it secret. Tang Mubai, seeing how hard Aunt Fang was trying, didn’t want to discourage him further.

After dinner, Fang Lin stood to say goodbye and returned to the hotel where he was staying.

This trip back to Red Leaf City had two purposes: one was to bring Fang Shuixian to Canghe City, and the other was that his class, led by their mentor, was organizing a group of students to undertake a mission beyond the domain wall.

The group stayed at the hotel, preparing to set out early the next morning with hopes of returning the same day. Because of this, Fang Lin didn’t stay at the Miracle Mercenary Corps’ base but went back to the hotel.

Walking there, he pondered how to coordinate school and mercenary corps arrangements. After all, joining the mercenary corps meant being ready to cross the domain wall at any time.

He wasn’t afraid of going beyond the domain wall, but what about school? Should he become an auditor? Or just drop out entirely? With a master-level expert backing the Miracle Mercenary Corps, dropping out seemed inconsequential!

Lost in thought, Fang Lin only snapped back to reality when a strong hand suddenly patted his shoulder.

“What are you doing? You scared me!” Fang Lin rolled his eyes at a tall, broad-shouldered young man with thick eyebrows and bold features.

“Why are you asking me? I called you a few times and you didn’t respond. What, went home and lost your soul? Did the base have beauties that made you restless after leaving?” The tall young man smirked and teased.

“Get lost!” Fang Lin laughed, “Beauties? There’s one little girl, but her tongue’s sharper than usual. By the way, Zhou Hailong, is the mentor and the team ready?”

“Ready long ago,” replied Zhou Hailong as they walked. “All the gear for the No. 9 Forbidden Zone was prepared before we left. Once here, it was just a matter of receiving it. You still haven’t told me what you were thinking earlier. Spill it, or I’ll have Ye Xiu and the others rough you up tonight!”

“I already said it’s nothing. Can you stop overthinking?”

“Am I?”

“You are!”

...

Back at home, Tang Mubai sat in his bedroom, opening his computer to search for a suitable forbidden zone. They planned to depart tomorrow and return the same day.

Within a 300-kilometer radius around the 38th Domain, over forty forbidden zones of various sizes were listed.

Seven contained sinister spirits, and three of those were near Red Leaf City.

After careful comparison, Tang Mubai finally decided on Forbidden Zone No. 9!

This zone harbored powerful non-human creatures, but the main reason it was designated a forbidden zone was the miasma.

This miasma wasn’t in the mountains or forests, but in a swamp.

Indeed, No. 9 was a swamp located just north of the forest Tang Mubai had flown over during his last domain crossing.

It was a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the domain wall—assuming full speed with no giant insects, ferocious beasts, or dinosaurs blocking the way.

Tang Mubai wanted to depart and return the same day, so he couldn’t afford any burdens.

Yes, this time Tang Mubai planned to go alone, not taking Lin Huafeng and the others. Acting solo was more flexible and convenient.

After all, his goal was to collect sinister spirits, not to hunt ferocious beasts, gather minerals, or medicinal herbs for sale.

If it weren’t for needing to cross the domain wall and the distance, he wouldn’t even bother driving.

Since he wasn’t hunting beasts, there was no need to reload his vehicle’s machine gun.

Instead, he had just received two archery manuals purchased online that afternoon: “Shadowless Arrow” and “Energy-Concentrating Arrow.” He needed to learn them immediately to see if he could combine them with “Exploding Arrow Technique” and “Nine Mountain Arrows” to develop new advanced archery skills.

The outcome...