23: Chapter 23 Upgrade Requirements

Su Xiaoxiao remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Last year, three people from our group died at the hands of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group."

"Our leader has always wanted revenge, but the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group has strength in numbers, and Commander Leí Héng is too strong... We can't beat them."

Su Xiaoxiao looked up at him, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"You... you killed Zhou Lie and A-Qing, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group will definitely not let you go."

"If you are willing, we can join forces..."

"No need." Wang Lin interrupted her.

Su Xiaoxiao was stunned.

"You can't beat the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, and adding me won't change that. What's the point of joining forces?"

Su Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Wang Lin turned and walked forward.

"If you really want revenge, don't rely on others."

On the other side, at the base of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group.

Commander Leí Héng sat in a chair, toying with a short blade in his hand.

The blade was narrow and long, its edge glinting with a cold light.

A subordinate walked in quickly.

"Leader, we've found out."

Commander Leí Héng lifted his eyelids: "Speak."

"That kid is named Wang Lin. He's staying at Laifu Inn, Room 305."

"Continue."

"That kid opened over twenty cocoons near the Spider Nest yesterday; that's when Zhou Lie and A-Qing ran into him."

"His Superpower is a bit strange..."

"In what way is it strange?"

"Someone saw from a distance that he can release fire, blue fire."

"Also... he seems to be able to transform into a Calamity form, the kind with tentacles growing out of his back."

Commander Leí Héng's movements paused for a moment.

"A Calamity? A Calamity that can release fire?"

"What kind of new species is this?"

Then, Commander Leí Héng laughed.

"Interesting. No wonder that trash Zhou Lie died."

"I wonder if the Calamity core in his brain can help me level up?"

"Surely, the core of a new species of Calamity will be even more delicious."

He licked his lips and looked at his subordinate:

"Send a few brothers to watch him closely. As soon as he leaves the camp, tell me immediately."

"Understood."

Commander Leí Héng sat back in his chair, picked up the short blade, and continued to toy with it.

"Wang Lin... let me see how many more days you can live..."

For the next few days, Wang Lin did not step out of the camp even once.

He was like the most cautious prey, lurking in the shadows, collecting information bit by bit.

Commander Leí Héng, leader of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, Superpower level LV3 [Blade God].

Rumor has it that he was once a border anti-narcotics armed police officer. When the Mist broke out a few years ago, he personally killed his captain who had turned into a Calamity and Awakened his Superpower.

Afterward, he injected a level 3 genetic serum. His physical strength far exceeds that of other Awakened of the same level, and his true combat power can rival an LV4.

The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group has over thirty members, seventeen of whom are Awakened or Calamities.

Commander Leí Héng is able to establish himself in a place like this because he is ruthless and strong enough.

But the camp has its rules: one cannot blatantly steal points, and even more so, cannot kill people within the camp.

Whoever breaks the rules must face the siege of the entire camp.

That is why Commander Leí Héng has to wait for Wang Lin to leave the camp.

Once outside the camp, dying in the Mist would just be an "accident."

Wang Lin sat in the dimly lit room, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

"An LV3 [Blade God], plus level 3 genetic enhancement, this is going to be difficult..."

His own Sequence 0: [Infinite Evolution] is only LV1.

Although he now possesses two Superpowers, Fire Element and Wind Element, the gap in levels is undeniable.

This is a chasm that cannot be bridged by technique; it's like a child wielding two knives, they still can't defeat a strong man.

The only chance is to level up.

Ever since he devoured Zhou Lie, he has vaguely sensed the leveling rules of [Infinite Evolution].

This Sequence 0 Superpower is like a bottomless pit; for every additional auxiliary Superpower, the energy required to level up increases exponentially.

Now he has two Superpowers in his body: Fire Element and Wind Element.

If his own sequence rises to LV2, then both of these Superpowers will also rise to LV2.

But the cost is that he needs to devour more than three times the energy of an ordinary Awakened.

"Three times, that's a bit much..."

Awakened absorb the cores of Calamities or Mist Beasts to level up.

Calamities eat people, but that only fills their stomachs and prevents them from losing themselves to Beast Transformation.

To level up, one must absorb the cores of Mist Beasts.

And Mist Beasts survive by devouring all living things.

This is a cruel food chain.

And he, Wang Lin, must stand at the very top if he wants to survive.

The next evening, the person he was waiting for finally arrived.

A thin, small boy snuck into his room.

"I've found out," the boy lowered his voice,

"The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group has seventeen Awakened, two at LV2, and the rest are LV1."

"For the past few days, their people have been hanging around the various exits of the camp, especially in this area where you live; there are at least four people watching."

Wang Lin nodded: "What about Commander Leí Héng himself?"

"Every afternoon, he goes to the training ground on the west side of the camp to take new recruits on missions."

"There is a Mist Beast breeding spot there, which is the private territory of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group."

"But don't even think about making a move there; the training ground has over twenty armed ordinary people from their group, and that LV2 vice-captain is always there."

"I see."

Wang Lin transferred 200 points to the boy. The boy's eyes lit up, and then he turned and ran away.

Closing the door, Wang Lin leaned against the wall, his brain working at high speed.

Seventeen Awakened, two LV2s, over twenty armed group members, plus Commander Leí Héng himself...

A head-on confrontation is suicide.

But Commander Leí Héng only dares to wait for him to leave the camp before making a move, which means that even within the camp, Commander Leí Héng has his reservations.

Even Commander Leí Héng wouldn't dare to openly violate the rules set by the camp authorities.

No matter how strong the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group is, they are not stronger than the combined power of the entire camp.

Therefore, Commander Leí Héng can only wait for him to leave the camp and create an "accident."

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Wang Lin's mouth.

What a coincidence, he also needs to leave the camp.

It's just that he's not going to his death, but to level up.

Late at night, Wang Lin silently climbed out of the window.

He didn't head toward the camp exit; Commander Leí Héng's lookouts were there.

So he skirted around to the northwest corner of the camp, where there was an abandoned shantytown; it was also the area with the weakest surveillance by the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group.

At the end of the shantytown was a three-meter-high wall.

Outside the wall were ruins shrouded in the Mist.

Wang Lin took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the wall with both hands.

He was not going to leave through any exit; he was going to climb directly over the wall.

Those people watching probably were still out at the camp entrance, blowing in the cold wind.

The moment he climbed over the wall, the cold Mist instantly engulfed him.

Wang Lin landed on the ground, not rushing to move, but closing his eyes and feeling everything around him.

[Infinite Evolution] brought him not just Superpowers, but also a keen perception of energy.

Soon, he opened his eyes.

In the northeast direction, about five hundred meters away, there was a faint energy fluctuation—it was a Mist Beast.

And, it was the lone kind.

Wang Lin licked his lips, lowered his body, and silently disappeared into the Mist.