22: Combat squad? Not interested.

"What's the situation?"

"The battle is already over?"

"Where are those Ghouls? And the big guy? Where are they all?"

"This... what on earth happened here?"

The faces of all the Special Agents who had come to provide support were filled with bewilderment and shock.

They were all talking at once, completely unable to grasp the situation.

A team leader quickly walked up to Wang Hu and asked urgently, "Wang Hu, what happened? How's your squad? Where are those Ghouls?"

Wang Hu took a deep breath, his voice carrying a hint of undisguisable trembling: "They've... been dealt with."

"Dealt with?" The team leader was stunned for a moment, then became even more confused. "Dealt with by whom? Just by you few?"

Wang Hu didn't say a word.

He simply raised his hand and silently pointed toward the young man standing alone in the center of the pool of blood not far away.

Everyone's gaze instantly followed the direction of Wang Hu's finger and focused there.

Then, everyone saw Chen Nian standing amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, his expression indifferent.

The scene once again fell into an eerie silence.

All the support personnel widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.

Actually, they had noticed this young man when they first entered.

But they had all just assumed he was a colleague who had been fighting for his life.

But now, why would Wang Hu point at him for no reason?

It couldn't be that this terrifying disaster was solved single-handedly by this ordinary-looking young man, could it?

How could that be possible!

Who on earth was he?

...A long time passed.

Outside the abandoned industrial zone in the east of the city.

The entire area had been completely cordoned off by the Spiritual Energy Bureau.

Dozens of special service vehicles with flashing red and blue police lights surrounded the place so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

The yellow caution tape that had been put up kept all irrelevant personnel out.

A large number of logistics personnel and Special Agents from the Spiritual Energy Bureau were moving in and out of the scene, handling the aftermath, the atmosphere tense and solemn.

Chen Nian walked out of the cordoned-off area alone and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

At this moment, he felt incredibly refreshed.

The impulse to find something and punch it hard after upgrading "Mountain-Collapsing Fist" earlier had now been perfectly released.

He hadn't killed enough during the morning mission, but now he had thoroughly satisfied his urge!

In just one night, he had gained a total of over ten thousand points.

This was a huge sum of money!

He could enjoy upgrading again when he got back!

At the same time, a ripple of emotion rose in his heart.

That Heart-Devouring Old Demon was actually a Peak Rank Three existence.

Although it was just an incomplete form that had recently manifested and its power hadn't returned to its Peak before he slaughtered it.

But that was still a Peak Rank Three!

Had he actually become powerful enough to directly blow apart an existence of this level with a single punch?

He was suddenly a bit curious about what level his current strength was actually at.

Moreover, he had also gained a brand-new skill tonight.

It was precisely that Heart-Devouring Old Demon's innate skill.

【Heart-Devouring Demon Silk: Woven from extremely condensed power, it can be as soft as silk for binding and restraining, or as tough as a blade for cutting and slashing.】

This was a very powerful skill, both offensive and defensive, and incredibly unpredictable.

Tonight was truly a huge gain!

With over ten thousand points and a powerful new skill, he could become even stronger!

Thinking of this, Chen Nian's sense of satisfaction almost overflowed.

Just then.

Several figures quickly walked up from behind him.

"Senior Chen Nian!"

Chen Nian turned around and found that it was the members of the three Second-Class Squads he had saved earlier, with the captain Li Weijie among them.

At this moment, the gaze they directed at Chen Nian was filled with undisguised awe and gratitude.

"Senior Chen Nian, my name is Li Weijie, captain of the Falcon Squad. This time, I'm truly grateful to you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid all of us would have met our ends here today."

Li Weijie walked up to Chen Nian and bowed deeply, his attitude respectful to the extreme.

"My name is Zhang Haoran, captain of the Storm Squad. Thank you for saving my life, Senior Chen Nian!"

"My name is Liu Kaixuan, captain of the Thunder-Fire Squad. Senior Chen Nian, you are practically our second parent!"

The other two captains also hurried forward, vying to introduce themselves and earnestly expressing their gratitude.

Seeing them like this, Chen Nian was in a good mood, so he casually started chatting with them.

"It was just a small effort."

After a few lines of conversation, Li Weijie looked at Chen Nian with a hint of expectation in his eyes and asked tentatively, "Senior Chen Nian, you are so powerful, I wonder... would you be interested in joining our Combat Squad?"

Hearing this, the eyes of Zhang Haoran and Liu Kaixuan behind him also lit up instantly.

Zhang Haoran immediately followed up, "That's right, Senior Chen Nian, with your strength, we all thought you were some big shot from headquarters coming down to experience life."

"I really didn't expect that you're actually just a First-Level Agent. This talent is simply too Prodigy-like!"

After the subsequent support arrived, someone recognized Chen Nian's identity.

When they learned that this powerhouse who had blown apart a Peak Rank Three Demonic Evil with one punch was actually just a First-Level Agent who had registered not long ago, everyone was shocked speechless.

However, when facing such a powerful colleague, they were willing to address him as Senior.

After all, in the face of his strength, they were like little kids who hadn't even grown their hair out yet.

Just then, Liu Kaixuan beside them spoke even more startlingly, saying directly, "That's right, Senior Chen Nian, are you interested in coming to our Thunder-Fire Squad? As long as you're willing to come, I'll give you my position as captain directly. I'll just be your vice-captain!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Weijie and Zhang Haoran both looked at him with a helpless and disdainful gaze.

This guy, for the sake of clinging to a big shot, he doesn't even want his dignity?

But then again... what does being a captain matter?

If they could pull a great god like Chen Nian into their team, wouldn't they be able to walk sideways from now on?

Wouldn't missions be a breeze?

That would be like taking off from flat ground, a rhythm of soaring into the sky!

So, Li Weijie and Zhang Haoran also immediately joined the ranks of those trying to recruit him.

"Senior Chen Nian, don't listen to him. Come to our Falcon Squad, our squad has the most complete configuration!"

"Come to our Storm Squad! Our squad has many beauties!"

Seeing the three of them arguing until their faces were red, Chen Nian found it somewhat amusing.

Regarding Combat Squads, he had learned about them on his personal terminal before.

These were the core combat forces of the Spiritual Energy Bureau, formed or joined freely by powerful Special Agents to specifically handle various troublesome spiritual energy incidents.

Joining a Combat Squad would mean better benefits and access to more Advanced missions and resources.

But correspondingly, there would also be more restrictions and control, needing to follow the unified dispatch and arrangements of superiors, and freedom would be greatly reduced.

For Chen Nian, who just wanted to quietly grind monsters, kill Demonic Evils, and earn points, joining a squad was undoubtedly a form of restraint.

Therefore, he didn't have that intention for the time being.

So, he casually waved his hand and spoke to refuse, "Thank you for your kindness, everyone, but I don't have plans to join a Combat Squad for now."

Hearing this answer, although it was within reason, a hint of regret still appeared on the faces of Li Weijie and the other two.

Li Weijie said with a smile, "True, with Senior Chen Nian's strength, you probably intend to form a top-tier Combat Squad of your own."

Chen Nian just smiled and didn't reply.

Actually, he had no interest in forming a Combat Squad either.

He just wanted to be alone, freely hunting those Demonic Evils and supernatural creatures, turning them all into points to make himself stronger, and that was all.