39: Chapter 39 Three Rules! The Female Killer God on the Prodigy Ranking

The alloy gate slowly closed behind them, cutting off the last glimmer of light from the civilized world.

The military off-road vehicle braked sharply in front of a massive crater, its tires plowing two deep furrows into the dark red scorched earth.

After driving for about ten minutes, Shen Qingci stopped the car next to the wreckage of a mech that had been severed at the waist.

"Get out. We proceed on foot from here."

She unbuckled her seatbelt with clean, efficient movements.

"The high-sensitivity radar in the car will continuously scan for energy fluctuations within a five-kilometer radius. However, the fog interferes with detection, so don't stray too far."

Su Ming pushed the door open and stepped out.

The air was filled with a nauseating, sweet, bloody stench and the oppressive heat of high radiation.

This was the edge of the Source Abyss, known by frontline soldiers as the "Ash Belt."

Everywhere he looked, there were scars of war.

Shen Qingci didn't rush to move forward; she leaned against the car door.

She opened the tactical terminal on her wrist, and a micro-probe on her left shoulder lit up with a blue ring of light.

"Before this Source Abyss training officially begins, let's set three rules."

Su Ming stood straight, hands in the pockets of his trench coat, putting on a well-behaved expression, listening intently.

"First, this is my training mission. All Source Beast kills must be led by me. The tactical recorder's kill verification is extremely strict; I must guarantee my effective output exceeds thirty percent and complete the final kill for it to count as valid points. Do not intervene unless it's a critical moment."

"No problem." Su Ming nodded like a bobblehead.

Stealing kills was a cardinal sin. This was the most basic rule of team etiquette.

Seeing him so agreeable, Shen Qingci continued, "For this training, aside from completing the Military University semester mission, my personal goal is to break into the national heavenly pride ranking. You've heard of this ranking, right?"

The heavenly pride ranking?

Su Ming raised an eyebrow.

He actually knew about this.

It was the ultimate bragging target for high school students.

It was a list that gathered all the young powerhouses under the age of twenty-five across the entire Federation.

It included the four major military regions, top universities, research institutes, and independent hunter associations.

Those who made it onto the list were monsters among monsters.

Shen Qingci's tone revealed a rare hint of arrogance typical of a top genius.

"I'm a freshman this year, nineteen years old, and my current score is 820."

She paused.

"I'm ranked sixteenth in the Southern United Military Academy and one hundred and eighty-eighth nationally."

Su Ming was slightly shocked.

So fierce?

A freshman, and she already broke into the top two hundred nationally?

If he had awakened a powerful talent last week, he estimated the sycophants at his school would have arranged him into the top three directly!

It was just that he himself was useless!

"For this trip to the Source Abyss, my goal is to accumulate two thousand points and break into the top one hundred of the ranking."

She looked up, her gaze landing on Su Ming.

"Therefore, this is the second rule, and also the most important one. When we encounter Tier 3 Source Beasts, you must unconditionally obey my commands. If we are confident, we can attempt to kill them; if not, we must decisively retreat. No reckless suicidal behavior."

"Understood. I'm a coward who fears death most of all."

"Third, I will keep your current body density and defensive capabilities absolutely confidential. This twisted power you gained by overdrawing your lifespan will cause a lot of trouble if it catches the eye of people with ulterior motives."

An innocent man is innocent, but holding a jade ring is a crime.

A "mutant" with a trash talent possessing a physique that defied common sense—once exposed, it would attract the covetous eyes and research of countless forces.

And she, Shen Qingci, with such a monster by her side, would likewise fall into endless trouble.

The young lady's imagination is quite something, just as "understanding" as he is.

Su Ming shrugged. "I completely agree. But Miss Shen, since we're teaming up, I should also be able to propose a small condition, right?"

Shen Qingci turned to look at him.

"Aside from the points and those valuable Source Energy cores which belong to you, what about the remaining stinking beast carcasses, rotten meat, broken bones, and scrap..."

Su Ming grinned. "Can all of that go to me?"

Shen Qingci was stunned.

She looked Su Ming up and down as if he were an alien.

Why would he be interested in such scrap that took up space, contained impure energy, and couldn't be sold for a good price?

Even if he hauled it back to a scrapyard to sell by the kilogram, it wouldn't even cover the transport costs.

Was this guy really nearing his end?

But to avoid wasting time, she couldn't be bothered to care.

She crisply spat out two words.

"Deal."

After speaking, she turned and walked into the thick fog of the abyss.

The two had barely gone less than a kilometer when the surrounding fog suddenly churned.

A wave of bloody stench suddenly hit their faces!

From an abandoned trench on the right, a monster the size of an adult water buffalo, covered in dark green barbs, lunged out violently like an out-of-control bulldozer.

A Tier 1 beast, the [Poison Blade Demon Lizard]!

Highly corrosive mucus dripped from its gaping maw, sizzling as it hit the ground.

Su Ming stood still, preparing to see what this thing was capable of.

Shen Qingci, however, advanced instead of retreating!

The SS-rank [Geng Metal Blade Bone] activated instantly.

"Clang—"

Accompanied by a clear, resonant blade hum, the matte silver-gray Tang horizontal blade "cold edge" erupted directly from the bones of her right palm!

Her entire figure pulled an aesthetically pleasing afterimage in mid-air.

Fast!

Su Ming only saw two dazzling flashes of cold light, one horizontal and one vertical, streak through the air.

"Puchi!"

The first blade precisely severed the Poison Blade Demon Lizard's tough cervical ganglion.

The second blade followed through, lopping off the massive head that weighed several hundred catties.

With a loud boom, the headless corpse crashed a dozen meters in front of them due to inertia.

It twitched twice, then died completely.

From the moment the Demon Lizard lunged out to being decapitated, the entire process took less than three seconds.

Shen Qingci landed gracefully and flicked her wrist.

The horizontal blade silently melted back into her bones and blood.

Not even a single drop of foul-smelling beast blood stained her black tight-fitting combat suit.

It fully displayed the peerless demeanor of a female killing god on the heavenly pride ranking.

Su Ming stood to the side, his Adam's apple bobbing.

What a cool combo.

This was practically a high-spec female version of Wolverine.

And look at himself?

He only knew how to ram people with his body or slap them.

In the face of this fierce blade technique, he was like a country bumpkin who only knew how to street fight.

Poor baby!

Without realizing it, Su Ming had already started to resent these flashy talents.

At the same time, he couldn't help but imagine.

When he went back to the college entrance exam arena and slapped that grandson Zhao Kuo to death, where should he fill in his college entrance exam application?

Should he go to the Imperial Capital or Demon City?

Or, simply respond to the country's call and join the army?

Looking at Shen Qingci's style, her teacher Commander Huangfu Jing was even fiercer.

Going to the Federal Central Military University seemed like a good choice?

In his previous life, he had heard how deep the waters were in the military.

Could a cheat-user like him, with no background and completely penniless, really make it?

He wouldn't end up playing those rich second-generation and official second-generation kids to death, would he!

Hehehe...

Su Ming silently suppressed his inner demon king personality.

His gaze had already shifted to the massive, steaming corpse on the ground.

Shen Qingci had already walked to the side of the Demon Lizard's corpse.

She flicked out a steel dagger and, with extremely practiced movements, pried open the Demon Lizard's skull.

She dug out a thumb-sized, shimmering Source Energy core, wiped it clean, and tossed it into her pocket.

"Done?"

Su Ming rubbed his hands and stepped up.

His eyes were glowing green.

This was an entire beast!

It had to have at least a few hundred mass points!

He was finally going to eat well!

Shen Qingci frowned as she watched his eyes glow.

"What on earth do you want this corpse for?"

"To sell for money!"

Su Ming said righteously, with the natural attitude of a pauper.

"Even a fly's leg is meat. If I strip down the skin and meat of a Tier 1 beast, I can at least sell it for a few thousand. Don't you have to be frugal to get by?"

The corner of Shen Qingci's mouth twitched.

"Fine, sell it. Then how do you plan to take it away?"

She pointed at the mound of meat on the ground that weighed nearly a ton.

"Carry it? We're going to be in the Abyss for three days; are you planning to carry this pile of rotten meat around while we fight Tier 3 Source Beasts?"

Su Ming froze.

That's right.

He couldn't use his Devour ability in front of Shen Qingci.

If she saw a multi-ton corpse vanish instantly, wouldn't that be game over?

What was he supposed to do now...