Chapter 195: Team Ladder
Chapter 195: Team Ladder
"It's all just an empty title."
Ji Xinghuo laughed as he shook hands with Zhuoligetu.
The name Zhuoligetu was unique, and his appearance and build suggested that he belonged to an ethnic minority group.
In the 23rd century, with the ethnic integration of the Asia-Pacific Community, it was rare to see minorities with such distinct features. Most retained their cultural heritage out of personal preference, and like everyone else, they didn't receive any special treatment.
"Hehe..." Zhuoligetu let out a hearty laugh. "Zhonglin always said that he and you were brothers, and I didn't believe him. Turns out it's true."
"When have I ever lied to you?" exclaimed Zhonglin.
"Six times," Zhuoligetu counted seriously on his fingers. "Just now, for instance, you clearly only drank 25 cups, but you told me you'd had 29. I was about to call you out on it when you disappeared."
"Cough... does drinking count as lying?" Zhonglin asked, feeling a little embarrassed.
"It does," Zhuoligetu nodded.
He continued, "And on the 12th of this month, you said you'd take me to the 'Heroic Summit' to open my eyes, but I waited for half a month..."
"Alright, alright, I just forgot. I promise I'll take you next time, my treat," Zhonglin interrupted, feeling awkward. "I called you here to discuss something important. As for our entertainment plans, I'll make sure they all happen."
Zhuoligetu nodded, clearly taking note of everything.
Ji Xinghuo and Jing Ji exchanged glances, guessing how Zhonglin and Zhuoligetu had become acquainted—probably through drinking or entertainment venues, or perhaps they were even kindred spirits in that regard.
And this guy was supposed to be honest and straightforward?
Ji Xinghuo asked, "Zhuoligetu, what's your actual power level?"
"I became a Superhuman six years ago, advanced to a Combat Priest, and I'm currently ranked 1,812 on the Ladder," Zhuoligetu replied with a goofy smile. "You can check my Ladder profile. ADC has my whole resume written out."
Ji Xinghuo pulled up the Ladder's official website to take a look.
Sure enough, Zhuoligetu was on the Ladder.
He was 38 years old this year. He used to be a top-notch competitor and had played in the Premier League, with a career win rate of 62%, which was quite impressive. Later, he was hired by a renowned Galactic Hunting Company for a high salary and ventured into the Cosmos for ten years, gaining extensive combat experience. He had participated in the elimination of Cataclysmic Beasts three times and performed exceptionally each time.
This year, his contract with the company ended, and he became a freelancer.
ADC gave Zhuoligetu a very positive evaluation. He had excellent healing abilities, held a doctorate in medicine, could assist teammates and enhance their states, and most impressively, possessed formidable strength comparable to a Giant General, making him extremely skilled in close-quarters combat.
He could tank, he could fight, and he could heal!
Zhuoligetu was an exceptionally well-rounded and powerful healing Superhuman.
"Impressive!"
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim after reading his profile. A healing Superhuman like this would be highly sought after by both companies and professional leagues.
Jing Ji curiously asked, "Zhuoligetu, why didn't you continue working with the hunting company?"
"I got tired," Zhuoligetu replied simply.
He then explained, "I worked for the company for ten years and made them a lot of money, but I hardly got any rest. During last year's contract renewal, they complained that my salary was too high and that they'd have to take a cut. They felt they couldn't afford me, and since I was already feeling exhausted, I decided to take a break for a year or two."
In summary, the hunting company had become too small for his greatness.
"I see," Ji Xinghuo nodded, then briefed him on their hunting target.
"Count me in," Zhuoligetu readily agreed. "Africa isn't too dangerous, and this monster doesn't seem that strong, but it's very valuable. If I had seen this video earlier, I would have put together a team to try our luck in Africa."
"With your experience, what level do you think this monster is?" asked Ji Xinghuo.
"Definitely Superlative," Zhuoligetu thought for a moment, then added cautiously as he looked at the video footage, "But there's also about a 30% chance it's a Heavenly Disaster monster, no stronger than the Hong level."
"That's similar to our assessment," said Ji Xinghuo, who had previously discussed this with Jing Ji.
"Hong level!"
Zhonglin was startled.
He had just learned that they might be facing a Hong-level monster, the weakest among Heavenly Disaster monsters, but still more terrifying than a typical Legendary powerhouse.
"It's just a probability," Ji Xinghuo smiled reassuringly. "We're all Superhumans on the Ladder, and together, we'll take down this Hong-level monster. Besides, Earth isn't the Star Realm, so we can use heat weapons. We've got this under control, so don't worry."
After Jing Ji's participation in the killing of the Big Gunman, his Ladder ranking soared from over 700 to 408.
Yuan Chongzhen also broke into the top 3,000.
Zhonglin paused for a few seconds, then grumbled, "I'm not even on the Ladder..."
"In my eyes, you're a Ladder expert," Ji Xinghuo consoled him. Zhonglin had become a Superhuman the previous month, and his strength had skyrocketed. Even before that, he had been stronger than most Superhumans, and earlier this year, he had successfully passed the Master Segmentation Exam and earned the title of Martial Arts Master. He could easily rank in the top 2,000 on the Ladder.
If he obtained the Heaven's Wrath Azure Blood Spear, breaking into the top 1,000 wouldn't be a problem.
"Don't forget about the Heaven's Wrath Azure Blood Spear," Ji Xinghuo smiled.
"Hahaha, that's right! You'd better give me that spear soon," Zhonglin's eyes lit up, and his confidence returned.
Yuan Chongzhen's versatility was slightly higher than Zhuo Lige Tu's.
In terms of scouting, attacking, healing, supporting, and taking damage, Yuan Chongzhen was exceedingly skilled and versatile.
"Are we missing a shooter?"
Zhuo Lige Tu asked again.
With a decade of hunting experience in the Star Realm, Zhuo Lige Tu had a good understanding of team composition and explained, "Although we will all carry firearms, none of us are specialized in that area. It would be best to have a powerful shooter to ensure our long-range firepower."
Chi Zhonglin and Jing Ji exchanged glances, and Chi Zhonglin smiled, "That's our Starfire. He's the strongest shooter on the planet, bar none."
Zhuo Lige Tu was taken aback and scratched his head embarrassedly.
He had read a lot of news about Ji Xinghuo but mostly focused on gossip about his personal life, so he wasn't very familiar with Ji Xinghuo's actual strength.
"What about scouting?" Zhuo Lige Tu asked again. "None of us are particularly good at that, and we'll need strong tracking capabilities to find that monster."
Chi Zhonglin smiled again and said, "That's also our Starfire. His scouting abilities are top-notch globally. I've never seen anyone better than him."
"Huh?"
Zhuo Lige Tu was left stunned.
He stared at Ji Xinghuo and couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything you can't do?"
"I'm not omnipotent either," Ji Xinghuo smiled and shook his head. "I specialize in defensive scouting, but when it comes to tracking prey, I'm not as good as the top trackers."
While magnetic field sensing had a wide range and could prevent sneak attacks from all directions, the monster they were hunting had a habitat of three to four million square kilometers. Finding it through magnetic field sensing alone would be extremely challenging, so they needed a proactive scouting and tracking capability.
Jing Ji agreed, "Indeed, it would be best to have a tracker."
Zhuo Lige Tu watched the video over and over again, "This monster is a typical amphibious creature with heavy sweat gland secretions, so we should start by using our sense of smell."
"Exactly," Chi Zhonglin agreed.
Jing Ji thought for a moment and said, "If we could have a Primal Ancient Hound, or a Soul Chaser, or even an Exotic Hunting Bird, it would be much easier."
These three types of Star Realm creatures were renowned for their exceptional tracking abilities through scent.
Ji Xinghuo's heart stirred.
Qinghong possessed "Spirit Scent," which had reached Level 4, making it more than capable of tracking the monster. However, the team shouldn't rely solely on him for everything, as it wasn't necessary and would also expose too much of his capabilities.
Moreover, he had another purpose in mind.
"I have a college classmate who's a tracker, and he owns a Primal Ancient Hound," Ji Xinghuo spoke up.
Jing Ji smiled, "That would be perfect."
"His abilities might not be as strong, but he'll definitely be able to track the monster," Ji Xinghuo sought his teammates' opinions, not hiding anything. "He's my best friend, and I want to give him a hand. If you guys don't mind having a newbie on the team, I'll call him."
"Since you've spoken, Xinghuo, I'll definitely give you this face," Chi Zhonglin said without hesitation.
"We've all been newcomers at some point," Jing Ji nodded.
Zhuo Lige Tu was equally unconcerned, "It's just Africa, not that dangerous. Many supernormal beings go to the African Nature Reserve to cut their teeth. Having him along won't make much of a difference."
"Great, thanks, everyone," Ji Xinghuo said, stepping out of the private room to call Lu Yunhai.
"Hey, Xinghuo," Lu Yunhai's face appeared on the screen, a smile on his face. "You're spending time with your girlfriend tonight, so why are you contacting me?"
"I have something important to discuss," Ji Xinghuo said. "I've assembled a hunting team to go to Africa and hunt down a monster. If we succeed, the rewards will be substantial. Are you in?"
"Count me in!"
Lu Yunhai agreed without hesitation, his face full of excitement.
Then he added, a bit worried, "I've only recently been promoted to an intermediate supernormal being, and I don't have much experience. Do you think I'll hold you back?"
"Don't worry, I'll look out for you," Ji Xinghuo said with a casual smile.
"Then I'm relieved," Lu Yunhai said.
Ever since his second attempt at integrating an exotic species succeeded, Lu Yunhai's life had taken a turn for the better. Not only did he display excellent talent in cultivation, with his stellar power growing much faster than others, but he also received financial support from his girlfriend, Fang Yinping's family, who helped him repay his debts.
Although the Fang family wasn't a top-tier wealthy clan, focusing mainly on industrial investments with a total asset value of around 500 to 600 million, they still provided significant backing for Lu Yunhai.
Especially in the past two to three months, ever since Ji Xinghuo had returned from the Star Realm, his fame had skyrocketed.
The Fang family immediately increased their investment in Lu Yunhai, providing him with expansion curiosities and exotic species, various auxiliary potions, and even purchasing several superpower equipment for him.
The most precious of all was a Primal Ancient Hound.
As a tracker, Lu Yunhai's strength soared with this elite battle pet, and it would be a great help for his future adventures in the Star Realm.
Previously, Ji Xinghuo had learned about this and decided to give his best friend a hand.
This trip to Africa was the perfect opportunity.
"Get ready, Yunhai. I'll notify you when it's time to assemble," Ji Xinghuo said before hanging up and returning to the private room to continue discussing their plans with his teammates. They decided to wait for Yuan Chongzhen to return to Earth the next day and depart as soon as their team was complete.
(End of Chapter)
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