As her gaze refocused, Bai Nian returned to reality.
The Calamity Gate in front of her had vanished, replaced by a heavy Calamity Core in her hand.
“What the hell?”
Zhang Kun’s startled voice rang out.
He looked around, his mouth falling open in shock, “What the hell!”
Just those few words summed up everything he wanted to say.
Li Qian and Shigao exchanged glances, already understanding what had happened.
They turned, eyes full of amazement, toward Bai Nian.
“You actually managed to pull out the gate?”
“Yeah.”
Bai Nian nodded.
She should have expected it—though both were first-rank Calamity Gates, the difference in difficulty shouldn’t be so vast.
That zombie who still retained a shred of humanity was the key to breaking the deadlock.
At this moment, Zhang Kun caught sight of the golden Calamity Core in her hand.
His eyes widened further, “As the captain, where do I put my face now? I can’t even match a newcomer!”
Pulling out a gate once could be called luck, but pulling out a second time—now, everyone genuinely acknowledged Bai Nian’s strength.
Whether it was luck or intelligence, she had certainly put on a remarkable performance in this solo dungeon.
“A Calamity Core, huh? I’ve only seen a few in my whole life,” Shigao said, pushing up his glasses.
Li Qian teased with a laugh, “Didn’t you get the power you dreamed of as a kid and still aren’t satisfied?”
“What’s the use of Invisibility?”
he retorted, “Besides, I’m a decent guy.”
“A decent guy would use his ability to peep on girls in the bath?”
“Don’t talk nonsense in front of the new teammate!”
The two bickered, while Zhang Kun came up beside Bai Nian.
“Uh, Bai Nian, as captain, I have a bit of an unreasonable request…”
He sounded a little embarrassed.
“Go ahead, Captain.”
She looked at him in confusion.
“That Calamity Core in your hand, are you willing to part with it? Don’t worry, no ‘friend price’—I’ll pay Market Price.”
As he spoke, Zhang Kun added, “I’ll transfer the money instantly.”
So that’s what he wanted.
Bai Nian understood.
Her main reason for joining the Hunter Team to clear the gate was for money.
It didn’t matter who she sold it to, and if she could gain some goodwill and save herself some trouble, all the better.
“Sure, I don’t have any use for it,” she nodded.
Calamity Cores had nothing to do with Divine Patterns—the only known use was to sell them for money.
As for strengthening Weapons and the like, she was a support class—no, a life class—where would she get a Weapon?
As far as anyone knew, combat class Weapons came in two kinds: some were provided by the class itself; the others were custom-made at great expense.
Either kind could be enhanced by a Calamity Core, gaining new attributes and boosting the owner’s strength.
“Straightforward, I like that!”
Zhang Kun was instantly excited.
He reflexively reached to clap Bai Nian on the shoulder, but stopped and turned to pat Shigao instead.
Shigao looked back at him, puzzled.
“Ahem, what I mean is, I like your personality,” Zhang Kun ignored Shigao and added to Bai Nian.
She rolled her eyes, “No need to overemphasize it, Captain…”
The two traded on the spot and completed the transfer right away.
Zhang Kun was as happy as a child.
Li Qian nudged Bai Nian with her shoulder and whispered, “Actually, what the captain likes is men.”
Bai Nian was startled, and when she looked at Zhang Kun again, her gaze carried a hint of oddness.
“What are you two whispering about?”
He turned to look at them suspiciously.
“Oh, nothing, just saying how handsome you are, Captain.”
Li Qian grinned, and Zhang Kun grinned back.
“Good taste.”
He flexed his bicep for them.
Their conversation soon drew the attention of the Tianchao Jiuzhou members stationed beyond the cordon.
It was the middle of the night, and of the ten members on guard, only two were still on duty.
“Captain Zhang, the gate was pulled out?!”
One of them hurried over, disbelief mixed with excitement on his face.
With the gate gone, their work was over and a few days’ leave was coming—no wonder he was happy.
“Yep, all thanks to our new member here,” Zhang Kun said, gesturing to Bai Nian.
“Impressive, Captain Zhang, you really picked up a treasure this time,” the man smiled, “Come on, everyone register and you can all go.”
Seeing Bai Nian’s confusion, Li Qian explained, “Every time a gate is cleared or pulled, Tianchao Jiuzhou records the info of everyone involved—it’s a good thing.”
Bai Nian nodded in agreement.
Indeed, with these records, the authorities could spot talented people more easily.
“Wake up, vacation time!”
Following the group through the iron gate and into the base, Bai Nian could hear the excited shouts of the team member rousing his colleagues, even through the walls.
Soon, Bai Nian was brought alone into a room.
“Name.”
“Bai Nian.”
The Tianchao Jiuzhou member across the table looked up, “Are you from the Bai family of Tianmu City?”
“No.”
Bai Nian shook her head, and he didn’t press further.
“Talent and class.”
“Yellow-rank Hypnotist.”
“Yellow-rank?”
The man was stunned, barely able to believe his ears.
“You’re a life class?!”
“Does it matter? I pulled the Calamity Gate,” Bai Nian replied calmly.
Indeed, the two weren’t necessarily connected.
The reason life classes weren’t allowed in Calamity Gates was to prevent their deaths from raising the gate’s rank.
It was a policy both the authorities and life class professionals agreed on.
The man asked a few more questions—age, alma mater, and so on.
“Alright, no problem. Thank you for your cooperation.”
He stopped writing and indicated she could leave.
Bai Nian turned and walked out, letting out a breath.
Thank goodness they didn’t register with the team, or she’d have a hard time explaining herself again.
“Bai Nian, over here!”
Li Qian waved from a distance.
The other three were already in the Jinp Jeep.
“Only two more hours until dawn. Let’s leave after sunrise,” Zhang Kun said.
“Is it dangerous at night?”
Bai Nian asked her ever-reliable explainer.
“Of course. Apart from Tianchao Jiuzhou members guarding the area around the gate, there might be Wilderness People lurking farther out. They operate in large groups, specializing in robbing Calamity Cores, especially at night,” Li Qian explained.
“The so-called Wilderness isn’t an organization, but a group of people who refuse to enter Calamity Gates. They roam the wilderness outside the cities, living as bandits,” Shigao, sitting in the passenger seat, added.
Bai Nian nodded, “I see.”
It wasn’t hard to understand.
In this age where everyone changed professions, the Alliance wanted to weed out the best to deal with domestic Calamity Gates.
But these people, unwilling to risk themselves yet still wanting to enjoy the hard-won peace—how could things be that easy?
“In the Huaxia Alliance, there aren’t that many Wilderness People. I hear the Free Alliance has the most.”
“They’re always shouting about freedom, totally ignoring the authorities.”
Soon, the eastern sky began to pale, a red sun slowly rising, painting the clouds crimson and dispelling the darkness.
The Jinp Jeep started up, the four of them heading back toward Tianmu City.
Yet for some reason, Bai Nian couldn’t shake a vague sense of unease from her seat in the back.
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