22: Chapter 22 Work for me, and I will unlock your full potential.

Xu Daili walked cautiously through the dark alley.

Ever since she was expelled from the Crossing River Dragon Team, there had been no shortage of all kinds of trouble around her—either punks and scumbags who found out about her situation and wanted to extort some Source Energy Points from her,

or some shady Pioneer Squads that flew the banner of recruiting her while actually plotting to violate her.

If it were not for the fact that she was currently burdened with massive debts,

and that some people did not want her to die, her current situation could definitely have been several times worse.

Xu Daili frowned deeply.

She had less than a hundred thousand Source Energy Points left on hand. To an ordinary family, converted into universal currency, this was definitely a huge fortune.

But in the world of Pioneers,

one hundred thousand Source Energy Points could not even buy an ordinary golden collectible.

Even… even purple collectibles were very difficult to afford.

"Synthesizing blue or even green-grade collectibles yields virtually no profit, and might even result in a loss. Are we supposed to venture out into the wilderness and gather materials ourselves？"

The heavy debts pressed down on her until she could barely breathe.

Suddenly.

With a loud thud, like some heavy object slamming onto the ground, Xu Daili was so startled that she shuddered violently.

"Who is it！？"

Amidst her tense and slightly distorted voice, she hurriedly flashed her flashlight behind her.

Instead, she saw a figure standing coldly like a sharp blade at the mouth of the alley she had just passed.

Xu Daili trembled violently.

She was not a Pioneer who excelled in combat; neither her initial skill nor her secondary skill provided the slightest boost to combat.

And what about the tall and straight figure before her?

At this moment, lying right beside the person's feet were several figures whose life or death was unknown.

"You, don't come over！ I'm calling the patrol officers！" Xu Daili warned loudly in tension, the palm holding a ladies' handgun already slick with sweat.

Chu Hong stepped forward, positioning his face in an angle where the other party's flashlight could catch it.

"It seems you really haven't participated in any combat matters at all… They've been following you the whole way, were you planning to take them home？"

Chu Hong asked calmly.

At this moment, Xu Daili finally recognized that the handsome and tall man in front of her turned out to be the Pioneer who was selling golden collectibles in the black market just moments ago.

Hearing Chu Hong's explanation, her tense heart finally eased slightly.

"I… Thank you, I really am not good at combat."

Chu Hong walked up to her: "Do you have time to chat？"

……

Xu Daili's mind was in a mess. Feeling the steady footsteps of the figure beside her, her gaze nervously glanced toward his profile from time to time.

Even she herself didn't understand why she had absurdly brought this strange man straight to her home.

"Th-This place is a bit messy…"

Entering a building, Chu Hong wore a weird expression from an angle Xu Daili couldn't see.

For no other reason.

This Xu Daili actually lived in the same residential complex as him!

Even…

When he followed Xu Daili to a doorway and watched her twist open the lock and step inside,

through the window of her home, Chu Hong caught sight of his own window in the opposite residential building, on the exact same floor.

……

With a click, the light was turned on.

Xu Daili was poor, but that didn't mean she was poor at the level of an ordinary person's life.

Her poverty stemmed from the loss of her villa assets in the core area of Huangshan Base City and the cutoff of certain Source Energy incomes. Her home conditions at the moment weren't bad; on the contrary, Chu Hong could see the final stubbornness of a single woman in difficulty.

That was… refusing to let herself live in a dog kennel.

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Daili brought Chu Hong a cup of hot water.

"I don't have money to buy coffee or tea…"

Chu Hong waved his hand, not minding this at all. After motioning for her to sit down, he finally broached the purpose of seeking her out today.

"I heard your initial skill is [Synthesis Promotion]？ May I take a look？"

Xu Daili sighed.

A light screen appeared in front of Chu Hong.

[Synthesis Promotion]: Origin-Awakening Eighth-Stage Operative skill. Can synthesize collectibles of any grade. 70% chance of synthesis failure, 25% chance of synthesizing a collectible of the same grade, 5% chance of synthesizing an upgraded collectible.

Chu Hong's eye twitched fiercely.

This scene was caught by Xu Daili, and instantly, she couldn't help but lower her head gently.

The trace of hope that had just risen in her heart was shattered on the spot.

At this moment, Chu Hong clearly understood why Xu Daili had been kicked out of the Pioneer Squad and could still be saddled with a mountain of debt.

What the heck… A 70% chance of losing everything, a 25% chance of losing half, and only a 5% chance of either making a profit or breaking even？!

Lisboa Casino would call you a master！

"What about the secondary skill？"

The text on the light screen in front of Xu Daili flickered.

[Promotion Anchor]: Origin-Awakening Ninth-Stage Operative skill. When using the skill [Synthesis Promotion], the type of synthesized collectible can be confirmed. 70% chance of synthesis failure, 25% chance of synthesizing a designated type of collectible of the same grade, 5% chance of synthesizing a designated type of upgraded collectible.

Chu Hong's heart felt slightly comforted.

Although the success rate was still shockingly low,

this designated-type synthesis could save him a lot of trouble.

Thinking of this, he cut straight to the point.

"Ms. Xu, I can hire you and provide you with a job that can not only solve your immediate predicament but also ensure that you can pay off your debts very soon."

The knuckles of Xu Daili's hand gripping the water cup turned slightly white.

"What are the conditions？"

"From now on, whatever I tell you to do, you will do. Don't ask what shouldn't be asked, and don't do what shouldn't be done！" Chu Hong said coldly, while placing the Source Energy crystal card he had just obtained from Song Jiaojiao onto the coffee table between them.

"Don't worry about me having any other thoughts about you. I came entirely for your skill in synthesizing collectibles. This probability is indeed very low to others, and the returns are very low as well, but… it's not a problem for me."

Chu Hong did not explain why such a low success rate was acceptable to him.

He just looked at Xu Daili calmly.

"Your monthly salary will follow your previous treatment in the Crossing River Dragon Team—one hundred thousand Source Energy Points a month. You won't need to participate in combat. Every once in a while, I will give you a batch of collectibles, and your only task will be to synthesize these collectibles according to my requirements."

"If the synthesis is successful and you produce the collectibles I need, I will give you additional rewards, which can be generous bonuses or the collectibles you need."

"How about it？ Do you agree？"

The surprise and disbelief on Xu Daili's face no longer needed words to answer Chu Hong's question.

"Yes! Thank you! Mr. Wu, thank you very much! I…"

Chu Hong raised his hand: "No need to call me Mr. Wu, let's change how you address me… You can call me Captain."

Captain？

Xu Daili asked curiously: "Captain, are you… are you also from a Pioneer Squad？ What is our squad called？"

Hearing this question,

Chu Hong thought for a moment, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.

"Our Pioneer Squad, its name is called… Thunder Hajimi Team！"

Xu Daili: "？？y？"

What kind of thunderous name is that？"