177: Chapter 177 I'm only 25 years old
Early morning.
After Li Yu and Chen Qing finished breakfast, they received a call from the Beast Taming Guild. After a quick cleanup, they headed straight there.
Along the way.
Passersby were in a hurry. Office workers with dark circles under their eyes scanned their surroundings vigilantly. Security Bureau patrols were frequent.
The entire city was shrouded in a strange high-pressure atmosphere, like a pressure cooker about to burst.
Li Yu frowned.
"Lately, Ningyang City doesn't seem very peaceful," he said.
Chen Qing replied, "There are rumors of a Mysterious Beast hiding in Ningyang City. Every day, several people, especially Beast Tamers, are eaten. The Security Bureau hasn't been able to catch it, so it's normal for people to be on edge."
"Is it the one you encountered?" Li Yu asked.
"Can't rule it out."
After encountering that merman-like alien race, Chen Qing told Li Yu the next day. Li Yu reported it to Vice General Liu to let the higher-ups handle it.
He didn't want to be walking down the street and have someone suddenly pop out and take a bite of him.
As for whether the alien race's goal was him, Li Yu wasn't sure. Until it appeared again, everything remained a question mark.
With Chen Qing around, Li Yu wasn't worried about his safety.
After a brief glance at the crowd, Li Yu continued forward.
Besides the Mysterious Beast eating people, there was the pressure of the upcoming College Entrance Examination and the selection before the opening of the Blood Refining Ruins. These three factors combined put Ningyang City in a state of strange excitement and crisis.
It felt like something big could happen at any moment.
The two arrived at the Beast Taming Guild. Upon arrival, they saw Director Wang from the Cultivation Department looking around at the entrance.
He was waiting for them.
Seeing Li Yu, Director Wang immediately came over and said, "You're finally here. Follow me."
As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Qing with a somewhat strange expression.
Chen Qing remained expressionless and didn't look at him, acting as if everything had nothing to do with her, like a personal Guardian.
Well, "personal" was the key word.
The three entered the guild, took several turns, and arrived at an open area.
President Wu and a group of people no older than 30 were waiting there. These were the elites finally chosen through the selection.
"President Wu, sorry to keep you waiting," Li Yu said with a smile.
Wu Shilan said, "It wasn't long."
Li Yu sized up the group of elites chosen from tens of thousands, and they sized him up in return.
His young appearance caused the elites to look surprised.
They thought the Breeder qualified to be the captain would be an old man. They didn't expect him to be so young—younger than everyone present.
However, their gaze soon shifted from Li Yu to the person beside him, showing strange expressions.
"Eh! Why is one missing?"
Li Yu's surprised voice rang out. He frowned and looked at Wu Shilan. "Didn't you say twelve people? Why did I only count eleven? Where's the other one?"
The elites looked at Li Yu with odd expressions.
Wu Shilan also had a meaningful smile on her face. "They're all here. Look again."
Li Yu grew more confused and muttered, "Is there a shorty? No, even if they were short, they wouldn't be invisible, right?"
...
The smile on Wu Shilan's face deepened.
Director Wang covered his face, looking like he couldn't bear to watch.
As for the elites, they all hesitated to speak. Someone wanted to say something but was glared at by Chen Qing and shut their mouth, a flash of fear in their eyes.
Li Yu circled the elites, counting repeatedly, but there were only eleven.
"President Wu, there really is one missing." Li Yu frowned. He didn't like people who were late. If they couldn't even be on time, he would consider excluding them regardless of their strength.
"Is that so... let me see."
Wu Shilan looked at the elites and said, "Everyone, fall in and form a line. I want to... count."
There was a hint of suppressed laughter in her voice.
The elites quickly lined up. Some didn't seem to like being ordered around, their faces full of reluctance, but for the sake of the 5 million reward, they cooperated well.
After they lined up, Chen Qing walked past Li Yu toward the queue.
"Chen Qing, where are you going?" Li Yu asked.
Chen Qing waved her hand and walked straight to the front of the line. Everyone moved back in unison to make room for her.
Wu Shilan nodded and smiled. "See? Twelve people, not one missing."
Li Yu looked at Chen Qing, stunned.
Chen Qing also looked at him, a faint, mischievous smile on her face as she winked.
Good heavens!
Li Yu should have realized it sooner. Chen Qing had been taking leave every day lately.
What could require her to take leave every day? It was the selection for these slots.
"Wait!" Li Yu suddenly said. "You don't meet the requirements for a team member, do you?"
Everyone looked at Chen Qing.
Chen Qing asked, "Am I over 30?"
"No, not that. You're at most 26," Li Yu said hurriedly.
Chen Qing: "I'm only 25."
Director Wang said in confusion, "Eh! The records say you're 22."
...
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Chen Qing wanted to beat Li Yu up and bury Director Wang while she was at it. The park where she buried Jin Yulong before was nice; Director Wang could keep him company.
"Ahem," Li Yu coughed lightly. "That's not important. I meant your strength..."
He wanted to say, with your strength that can crush Gold ranks, is this really appropriate?
Would the ruins block her, leaving him one team member short?
This time, Wu Shilan answered for her. "I've already verified it. Her beast meets the criteria. Don't worry."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Haha~ That's great."
Li Yu suddenly became excited. Looking at Chen Qing, his tone lightened significantly. "With Chen Qing here, my life is practically saved."
A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Qing's eyes.
She didn't want much; this was enough.
Seeing Li Yu happy and joyful because of her presence made her feel that everything she had done was worth it.
"Back to business."
Wu Shilan interrupted Li Yu's joy and pointed at the remaining eleven people. "Chen Qing is already chosen. Out of the remaining eleven, you still need to pick three."
Li Yu looked at the elites. Interestingly, their positioning seemed deliberate.
Chen Qing was the strongest, so she naturally stood in the first position.
Three men in fancy clothes, wearing top-tier Beast-taming bracelets and looking eager, stood in the second through fourth positions.
As for the others, whether in terms of dress, appearance, or the quality of their bracelets, they were a step below the first few, looking like dime-a-dozen mediocre Beast Tamers.
Li Yu's gaze swept over them one by one. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on one person, and he slowly frowned.
The third position.
Qi Mao.
He had seen this person's profile in the list Wu Shilan gave him a few days ago. He seemed to be the strongest Silver Beast Tamer in Ningyang City, having once fought a Gold Beast Tamer to a draw.
His beast was a Level 9 Silver Sandstorm Crocodile.
All the information was excellent, but...
The person was no good.
Insidious and ruthless, he had betrayed his teammates several times to save himself. He was a major liability.
Next, Li Yu looked at the second person.
If Qi Mao was the strongest among the Silver Ranks in Ningyang City, then what about the person in the second spot ahead of him? Where did they come from?