21: Chapter 21 I even gave him a red envelope.

Commander Leí Héng's eyes slowly lit up.

"In other words, as long as Wang Lin hasn't become an official member, the Twelve Zodiacs won't care about him?"

The subordinate nodded. "That should be the case."

Commander Leí Héng smiled.

"Then it's easy to handle."

"That kid Zhou Lie has been with me for three years. Although he's a piece of trash, he's still my man."

He turned around and looked at his subordinate.

"Pass the order down: keep an eye on this Wang Lin for me. Find his hideout and figure out his movement patterns."

"When the time is right…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the subordinate's eyes were already glowing.

"Understood, Commander." The subordinate turned and ran out.

Commander Leí Héng sat back down in his chair, picked up the long blade, and continued to wipe it clean.

"Wang Lin… a reserve member of the Twelve Zodiacs… interesting."

The blade flashed.

He sheathed the blade, leaned back against the chair, and closed his eyes.

...

On the other side, at the Twelve Zodiacs camp.

Zhao Hu sat with his legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, puffing out clouds of smoke.

Zhang Qiming sat opposite him, holding a cup of hot tea, sipping it slowly.

Zhao Hu exhaled a smoke ring. "I wonder if there are any outstanding people in this batch of recruits."

Zhang Qiming smiled. "It's only the first day, what's the rush?"

"It's like raising a Gu; you have to let them bite each other for a few days first."

Just as he finished speaking, a subordinate rushed in.

"Master Hu! Master Zhang!" The subordinate panted. "There's a situation among the new recruits…"

Zhao Hu didn't even lift his eyelids. "Speak."

"Someone's score reached over seven thousand on the first day!"

Zhao Hu's hand shook, and the ash fell onto his trousers. He sat up straight abruptly. "How much?"

"Over seven thousand!" the subordinate repeated. "To be precise, 7,912 points!"

The teacup in Zhang Qiming's hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face stiffened.

"Seven thousand nine? Nearly eight thousand? On the first day?"

The subordinate nodded frantically.

Zhao Hu and Zhang Qiming exchanged glances.

"That's impossible, right?" Zhang Qiming put down his teacup.

"I've reviewed the profiles of all the recruits. Among the recent candidates, there's no one particularly outstanding."

"They all start with 100 points. On the first day, at most, they could kill a few Mist Beasts, which would be three or four hundred points at best."

"Seven thousand nine? Did he rob a bank?"

Zhao Hu also reacted, gesturing to the subordinate with his chin. "Where are the wristband records? Bring them here for me to see."

The subordinate immediately handed over a crystal screen.

Zhao Hu took it and glanced down at it.

Rows of data jumped out on the screen—

[Wang Lin, initial points 100]

...

[14:32, earned 2100 points]

[14:33, earned 1800 points]

[Current points: 7912]

Zhao Hu stared at that name, his eyes narrowing.

"Wang Lin? The son of that Dragon?"

Zhang Qiming leaned over to take a look.

"It's actually this kid? Could I have misjudged him?"

"Didn't this kid just awaken? To be this powerful right after awakening, that's unlikely, right?"

Zhao Hu nodded. "Exactly. Before, Chen Long said his son hadn't awakened even at eighteen."

"We laughed at him back then for having a useless son,"

"I didn't expect this useless son to teach us a lesson."

Zhang Qiming was silent for two seconds, then laughed. "Truly, a tiger father has no dog son…"

Zhao Hu laughed. "Don't spout nonsense, he's not my son."

Zhang Qiming ignored his dad joke and said to the subordinate:

"Check where his points came from."

"How many Mist Beasts did this kid actually kill?"

The person looked down, swiped a few times on the crystal screen, and looked up.

"I've checked; it wasn't from killing Mist Beasts."

"Then where did they come from?"

"They were snatched from others."

Snatched?

Zhang Qiming was stunned, and even Zhao Hu sat up straight.

"Snatched?" Zhang Qiming frowned.

"Nearly eight thousand points, how many people would he have to rob?"

He leaned in, staring at the transfer records on the screen, his gaze falling on the last two largest amounts.

"These two largest point amounts, who were they transferred from?"

The person took a look. "From the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, named Zhou Lie and A-Qing."

Zhao Hu raised an eyebrow. "Wild Wolf Mercenary Group? I remember their commander is named Commander Leí Héng, right?"

"Yes, Commander Leí Héng, the Blade God of Sequence 067, whose skill level is already LV3."

"And he has injected a level 3 genetic serum; his strength is close to level 4."

Zhang Qiming's brows furrowed even tighter. "Close to level 4?"

"Wang Lin is only level 1, right? If he encounters…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.

The person spoke tentatively. "Should we… send someone to keep an eye on things? In case…"

Zhao Hu waved his hand, cutting him off. "No need."

"The purpose of our Twelve Zodiacs selection is to raise a Gu."

"Before a winner is decided, we absolutely will not interfere."

"I came through it this way, and Dragon came through it this way too."

"It's impossible to make an exception for this kid."

Zhang Qiming was silent for a moment. "What if this kid dies?"

"If he dies, he dies."

He flicked the cigarette ash. "Chen Long was the one who sent his son in."

"And he also said there was no need for special care."

"Then what if Dragon gets angry?"

Zhao Hu laughed. "If he gets angry, we'll just take Commander Leí Héng's head to make amends."

He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.

"We are acting according to the rules."

"If something really happens, it won't be our fault."

Zhang Qiming thought for a moment and slowly nodded. "That is indeed the logic…"

"It's just a pity for this kid. He always called me Uncle Zhang."

"What, can't bear to see him go?"

Zhang Qiming smiled bitterly. "I am a little reluctant. I even gave him a red envelope for the New Year."

"If he dies, my red envelope will have gone down the drain."

Zhao Hu was stunned, then slapped the table and burst into laughter. "You stingy old man!"

"You're still thinking about such a small amount of money?"

Zhang Qiming coughed twice. "It's not about the money…"

"Fine, fine, it's not about the money."

"Don't worry, besides, this kid might not necessarily die."

He looked out the window at the churning mist, his eyes becoming profound.

"Someone who can get 7,900 points on the first day… isn't so easy to kill."

Zhang Qiming looked out following his gaze.

Outside the window, the mist churned, and nothing could be seen.

...

Meanwhile, at the Mist Camp.

When Wang Lin walked out of the mist, it was already dark.

The clothes on his body were tattered beyond recognition.

His chest, shoulders, and arms were covered in bloody holes and scratches from being clawed, looking shocking.

The guards at the camp entrance saw him, and their expressions changed.

Looking at his appearance, if you didn't look closely, you'd think you'd encountered a zombie.

One of them subconsciously placed a hand on the hilt of his blade…