76: Chapter 76 The Emblems of the Twelve Zodiac Animals

At the edge of the campsite, a battered small truck was parked, with a faded safety charm hanging from the rearview mirror.

That was his father's truck, the one he had ridden in since he was a child; he even remembered the hole in the seat clearly.

Wang Lin's heart settled halfway. As expected, they were here to deliver goods.

It seemed that his father and Uncle Zhang held transport and driving positions within the Twelve Zodiacs.

They weren't combat personnel, so they didn't need to enter the temple or face those monsters and traps.

Deliver the goods, go home, eat, and sleep. This was what his father should be doing.

"Are you done delivering? Go home early once you're finished."

"Mom is at home taking care of Xiao Yueyue by herself, and she's overwhelmed."

At this moment, Zhang Qiming, standing to the side, said, "Not yet. I heard we still have to go to that place you called the temple in a while."

Wang Lin was stunned for a moment. "What? You guys have to go to the temple too?"

Wang Dashan stubbed out his cigarette butt under his foot. "Yeah, it was arranged by the organization."

Wang Lin looked his father up and down, then glanced at Zhang Qiming.

Wang Lin couldn't help but ask, "By the way, what are your levels? How come I can't tell?"

Wang Dashan replied casually, "Your Uncle Zhang and I are both LV5."

"But neither of our Superpowers are combat-oriented; they're both support types."

LV5? Support type?

Wang Lin's heart settled completely.

He finally knew the level of an old Calamity: LV5. His mother was probably around the same.

Two LV5s, neither of them combat types. He didn't need to worry anymore.

Even if these two old Calamities got hungry one day and wanted to eat him, even if he couldn't beat them, escaping wouldn't be a problem.

Wang Lin nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

At this moment, in the center of the campsite, a member of the Twelve Zodiacs noticed Wang Lin.

He was wearing a crisp uniform with a Silver Badge pinned to his chest—LV7, Silver Badge.

His gaze first fell on Wang Lin, scanning his chest.

There was no Twelve Zodiacs badge, only a Reserve Member bracelet on his wrist.

He frowned, preparing to scold him.

"You're a Reserve Member, who let you wander around? Who let you walk over to that corner?"

Then, his gaze followed the direction Wang Lin had come from and saw the two people squatting in the corner.

His pupils constricted sharply.

On the chests of those two people, black badges were pinned.

The Twelve Zodiacs' badges were divided into five types.

Copper Badge, for official members from LV3 to LV5.

As for LV1 and LV2? Sorry, the Twelve Zodiacs didn't accept them at all.

Silver Badge, for LV6 to LV8.

Gold Badge, for LV9.

Anything above that was the Masked Head.

Only core members above LV9 could wear a Zodiac mask, also known as a Masked Head, just like the Tiger before them.

No one knew his level, no one knew his face; they only knew his mask was a Tiger.

But besides these three types of badges, there were two other colors.

Those were prepared for non-combat personnel, similar to logistics staff.

Their badges were not based on level, but on years of service.

Under twenty years of service, a white badge.

Over twenty years of service, a black badge.

The treatment for a white badge was about the same as a Copper Badge.

But a black badge... that was an existence on par with a Silver Badge.

No, not just on par. Many people would rather offend someone with a Silver Badge than offend someone with a black badge.

Even a powerhouse with a Gold Badge, an LV9 existence, would treat someone with a black badge with respect.

Because those who had worked for the Twelve Zodiacs for over twenty years were equivalent to the founding heroes of the Twelve Zodiacs.

They existed during the early days of the Twelve Zodiacs, when there was no campsite, no rules, and no red tape.

They followed the first leader of the Twelve Zodiacs, fighting their way out of the wasteland, carving out this territory with blood and bone.

Although their combat strength wasn't high and their levels weren't great, you would never know what kind of connections the person with the black badge in front of you had within the Twelve Zodiacs.

They might have known the leaders of the Twelve Zodiacs for a long time, they might be trusted aides of the previous generation's leader, or they might be life-and-death friends with some core member.

If you offend someone with a Silver Badge, you only offend one person.

If you offend someone with a black badge, you might be offending an entire network.

The Silver Badge member's open mouth instantly snapped shut, and he lowered his head, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Actually, it wasn't just the Silver Badge member in front of them who noticed this scene.

There were Copper Badges, Silver Badges, and even people with Gold Badges.

They had sensed something unusual the moment Wang Lin took his first step.

If they could all notice it, it was impossible that Tiger, wearing the mask, wouldn't have noticed.

Since Tiger hadn't said anything, why should they meddle?

No one who could work for the Twelve Zodiacs was an idiot.

Everyone understood the principle that it was better to avoid trouble than to invite it.

At the very front of the campsite, Tiger stood there.

His gaze slowly swept across everyone on the field, and then he nodded at Xingtian behind him.

Xingtian understood and strode toward the high platform in the center of the campsite.

Seeing his chief instructor walk toward the high platform, Wang Lin said to Wang Dashan and Zhang Qiming:

"You two, don't wander off."

"There are powerhouses above LV5 everywhere here. Don't go causing any trouble."

"The speech is starting; I have to go to the squad side. Remember, don't wander off."

Wang Dashan, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, squinted at his son. "Go on, don't worry about us."

"We've been hanging around the organization for over twenty years; we know very well what should and shouldn't be done."

"We don't need you to remind us."

Wang Lin stood up and patted his father on the shoulder. "The word 'hanging around' is well used."

"Then I'll head back now."

After saying that, he turned and walked toward the squad.

Su Tang stood in the middle of the crowd, her eyes lighting up.

She wasn't a greenhorn like Wang Lin; she had inquired very clearly about news regarding the Twelve Zodiacs.

She had originally wanted to kill Wang Lin and take the points in his hands.

But now that she saw Wang Lin chatting with two black-badge members, and they seemed to have a good relationship, this made her change her mind.

Instead of killing Wang Lin to take his points, it would be better to make good use of Wang Lin's network.

This would allow her to establish a foothold in the Twelve Zodiacs faster.

She looked at Wang Lin, smiling even more sweetly.

Wang Lin found a spot on the side to stand, shoved his hands into his pockets, and cast his gaze toward the high platform.

Xingtian was already standing on the podium.

His gaze swept across the entire field, and then he spoke.

"The entrance to the temple has been confirmed."

"It's in the depths of the Mist Forest, about half a day's journey from the campsite."

Xingtian's gaze fell on the Reserve Member area.

"After entering the temple, your mission is to come out alive."

"As long as you can walk out of the temple alive, you will be considered qualified."

Xingtian's gaze shifted to those with Copper Badges, Silver Badges, and Gold Badges. "As for you..."