41: Section 41

Mark glanced at Carrie and said, "Dr. Carrie, you know exactly how dangerous Phage Beasts are. Capturing one alive could cost many lives. It's not worth it for this bit of research."

Carrie replied defiantly, "The mana ecology has spread across the entire continent, yet our research has made no progress. If we don't speed up, returning to The Surface and clearing the mana will forever remain a fantasy."

"Enough," City Lord Morgan spoke up. "Carrie, researching the mana ecology is certainly important. But every member of the Wasteland Hunters is a precious asset to the Lighthouse; we must minimize pointless sacrifices."

Charles stepped forward. "In my view, we should use a traditional method for the assessment and selection. We'll pick a few points of interest with average danger levels and let the candidates draw lots. In the end, whoever has the highest completion rate will be chosen as Deputy Captain."

"I think that's feasible!" Senge was the first to voice his support.

Charles looked at Jing Nan again and asked, "How many points of interest are suitable for the assessment?"

Jing Nan thought for a moment and said, "About four or five. I'll need to go back and check the records for specifics."

Charles looked back at Mark and asked, "Captain Mark, do you think this is acceptable?"

Mark didn't even want to look at Charles. He hadn't been consulted when the decision was proposed, and now that a plan was already laid out, he was being asked for consent?

It wasn't that Mark couldn't see Charles's little schemes; he just truly didn't want to lower himself to bickering with him.

"I will follow the City Lord's arrangements in all things!"

Mark threw the question back to Morgan. To Morgan, such a small matter was naturally worth a nod of approval.

And so, the selection process for the Wasteland Hunters' Deputy Captain changed once again.

In a place ruled by the Lighthouse's autocracy, changing orders overnight was no big deal.

Although people didn't understand the reason for the change, they wouldn't look into it too deeply.

Only Jing Yuan was wondering: what exactly was Charles up to?

Moreover, over the past few days, rumors had begun to circulate. They weren't just spreading among the Upper Citizens; even many Dust Citizens had heard them.

The rumor claimed that Jing Yuan was Charles's man, and that the Deputy Captain selection was Charles's idea specifically to help Jing Yuan rise to power.

After Jing Yuan's previous fight with Mark, everyone knew his combat power was staggering.

Setting up an arena tournament was supposedly for Jing Yuan's convenience.

However, the Wasteland Hunters had disagreed.

Thus, they had taken the matter to the City Lord, forcing him to change the selection plan.

Because the plan had changed, the selection trials were also delayed.

During this period, Charles did not come to see Jing Yuan, and Jing Yuan had no desire to see him either.

Jing Yuan waited for news during his daily training. Instead of the news he expected, he received another Breeding Mission for the Hall of Dawn.

Once you've done a mission for the Hall of Dawn, you'll want to do a second.

This was only human nature.

Jing Yuan hadn't even asked for it himself before Charles arranged it for him; he truly was a 'good leader.'

But Jing Yuan still felt something was off... Arriving at the golden-hued Hall of Dawn, it was just like last time—a Law Enforcer led Jing Yuan inside.

Change clothes, put on the mask.

Two welcoming Enforcers opened the doors, leading him into the central hall.

Beside the large golden bed, two Law Enforcers stood guard to ensure those on the mission completed their task.

After seeing this many times, one became numb to it.

Furthermore, Breeding Missions were actually quite monotonous, lacking the various tricks of the old world, so there wasn't much to see.

Jing Yuan approached the golden bed and looked at his mission partner.

Long blonde hair, a tall figure.

Despite the golden mask, Jing Yuan could still identify that she was the same person from last time.

The blonde woman was clearly surprised to see Jing Yuan as well.

Encountering the same person in two consecutive Hall of Dawn missions?

Was this a low-probability event, or a specific arrangement?

The Law Enforcer nearby said, "Both of you have breeding experience now. I assume you don't need to watch the instructional video again?"

Jing Yuan paused, then said, "Uh, no need."

"Then begin!"

The two Law Enforcers took the initiative to turn their backs.

Those who had executed a mission once before would become proactive; there was no need for these Law Enforcers to supervise closely.

Jing Yuan took the blonde woman's hand, sat on the bed, and began the Breeding Mission... Chapter 42: The Selection Mission Begins

Outside the Hall of Dawn, two Law Enforcers finished packing up and walked out of the hall.

"Does that guy take this long every time he performs a mission?"

"I don't know, but for men in good physical condition, the mission time is usually quite long."

"I've heard that when the mission lasts a long time, the experience is different," one of the Law Enforcers sighed. "I really hope they arrange a strong male for me next time."

"You could go bribe Director Melissa and have her arrange one for you."

"Forget it! I wouldn't dare!"

The Law Enforcers supervising missions were generally female. The reason they didn't assign males was for fear that the Breeding Missions would turn into a massive live show.

But even if the women were supposed to be indifferent to the missions, they would still be somewhat affected over time.

By now, Jing Yuan had already left the Hall of Dawn and come outside.

He looked at the golden gates of the Hall of Dawn and found himself unable to move for a moment, so he waited a while.

Before long, a blonde beauty walked out of the hall. Her hair was tied up, she wore simple clothes, and her expression was somewhat weary.

"Penny!" Jing Yuan called out when he saw Penny approaching.

Penny had actually noticed Jing Yuan, but at the entrance of the Hall of Dawn, she didn't really want to exchange greetings.

Those who understood, understood.

However, since Jing Yuan had spoken, Penny gave a reluctant response.

"Jing Yuan."

"You came to the Hall of Dawn for a mission too!" Jing Yuan smiled.

Penny was so startled she looked around in all directions.

Fortunately, it was night, and there was no one else outside.

"This isn't the place to talk."

Penny walked ahead. When the two of them usually walked on the road, no one would suspect anything.

As she walked, Penny said, "Were you waiting for me at the entrance of the Hall of Dawn just now?"

"Yes."

"We only perform Breeding Missions in the Hall of Dawn. We shouldn't have any interaction in private."

"I understand."

"If you understand, then why did you wait for me?"

Jing Yuan smiled. Although everyone wore masks during missions in the Hall of Dawn...

...appearance, build, voice, and scent were all identifiable.

Acquaintances could even tell with a single glance; a mere mask was useless.

But everyone was intimidated by the existence of the three great laws.

They could breed together, but they absolutely could not discuss feelings in private.

Otherwise, the Execution Pyre awaited them.

"We are also colleagues in the Wasteland Hunters in private. Is it not okay for us to just talk?"

"Talking is fine, but you can't talk about what happens in the Hall of Dawn."

"Of course."

Penny also relaxed her mindset. "The matter of selecting the Deputy Captain has been causing quite a stir lately. Are you still troubled by it?"

Jing Yuan hadn't expected Penny to bring this up. He nodded. "Yeah. No more arena matches; it's been changed to going directly to The Surface for missions."

"Do you really want to be the Deputy Captain?"

Jing Yuan shook his head and said, "Actually, it doesn't matter to me whether I become the Deputy Captain or not!"