Chapter 330: Joining

Chapter 330: Joining

As soon as Jane Qing asked this question, her expression turned serious.

She realized that this question was akin to probing for intelligence about the Theater Commander.

The question seemed like casual chit-chat, but spies often gleaned valuable information from these seemingly trivial details.

Therefore, in the Theater, conversations with Li Guining were usually off-limits to avoid prying ears.

Lu Heng noticed her discomfort and opened the file on his notebook, pointing to her skill data, and said, "You've maxed out the proficiency of these few skills, right? Especially this D-rank Gale Acceleration, which was quite good a year ago, but now it seems a bit lacking."

Jane Qing nodded and replied, "This skill is indeed low-level, but it used to be my core skill. I specialized in wind attribute enhancement, and it all started with this skill. I had planned to prioritize upgrading it after receiving the World Quest reward, but I didn't expect..."

She had obtained the World Quest reward during the Siks World's summoning.

The second option among the three choices for the World Quest reward was skill upgrading.

However, the third option was to increase skill slots.

Comparatively, increasing skill slots was clearly more important.

So, she chose the skill slot option, forgoing the opportunity to upgrade her skill.

Jane Qing sighed at this decision.

Lu Heng pointed at the three D and C-rank skills in her skill data and said, "If you join the Dragon Ascendant Special Operations Team, I can help you upgrade these skills."

Jane Qing's expression froze upon hearing this.

Although Lu Heng didn't directly answer her previous question, this statement was as good as a response.

Jane Qing understood how Li Guining had been convinced.

Anyone who possessed the method to upgrade skills had the right to set conditions.

It wasn't just Lu Heng; anyone else would have done the same.

Of course, different individuals might have different conditions to offer.

Lu Heng himself had peak combat power, which qualified him to establish such a Special Operations Team.

If one's combat power was insufficient, the most likely outcome would be to be assigned as a mascot in the military.

A life of wealth and honor was guaranteed, and they might even receive honorary titles, but real power came from strength.

Jane Qing's heart pounded wildly upon hearing Lu Heng's condition, but she remained relatively calm.

She thought for a moment and asked, "What's the price?"

It was already April of the second year since the Abyssal Descent, and Jane Qing had experienced numerous Abyssal Battlefields, gaining a good understanding of the Abyssal World.

The world rules had already set many things in stone from the beginning.

For example, to gain combat power, one had to put in the effort.

It was almost impossible to gain combat power without any effort, and even if there were such methods, the improvements would be minuscule.

The best example of this was the superpower serum.

Injecting the superpower serum was a way to gain powerful combat abilities without much effort.

However, this method of gaining combat power had been constrained by the rules from the start, resulting in irreversible side effects.

Therefore, Jane Qing understood one thing clearly: there were no easy gains in the Abyssal World. Upgrading skills required corresponding effort or a price to pay.

Otherwise, such an upgrade method would likely be a trap, just like the Betrayer's Quest.

The Betrayer's Quest offered rewards so tempting that it was hard to resist, but accepting this gift meant becoming a pawn of the Abyss, forever losing the chance to turn back.

So, she needed to clarify.

Lu Heng guessed her thoughts and replied, "It requires Divine Energy. Upgrading a D-rank skill will cost around 300 points of Divine Energy, and there's a chance of failure. The higher the skill level, the more Divine Energy is consumed."

Jane Qing nodded slowly after hearing this.

Upgrading skills by consuming Divine Energy made sense.

She pointed to her skill data and asked, "You said all of these can be upgraded?"

Lu Heng nodded in confirmation, "Yes, as long as the skill proficiency is maxed out."

"In other words, the method to upgrade skills can be repeatedly used." Jane Qing extracted the most crucial information from this response.

Lu Heng smiled and nodded again, "Yes, it can be used repeatedly. To be straightforward, anyone who joins the Dragon Ascendant Special Operations Team will have the opportunity to upgrade their skills. As for the allocation plan for skill upgrade qualifications, we can discuss that later."

Jane Qing gasped after hearing this.

At that moment, she finally understood the foundation of the Special Operations Team.

This was a team that could upgrade skills, and if the method to upgrade skills could be repeatedly obtained, it meant that this team could cultivate a group of super warriors with high-level skills.

Jane Qing took a deep breath and asked, "Has your team already used this method to upgrade skills?"

Lu Heng smiled and nodded.

"Are there any side effects?" Jane Qing was concerned about potential side effects from this skill upgrade method. If the side effects were as severe as the superpower serum, it would definitely be off the table.

"There are no side effects as long as the skill upgrade is successful. But there is a chance of failure, and if it fails, the divine energy is wasted. If luck is even worse, the skill might become unusable, but that's a small probability." Lu Heng genuinely wanted to recruit her into the special forces team, so he patiently answered all her questions.

"Have you tested this skill upgrade method? Do you have detailed records of the upgrades?" Jane Qing asked.

Lu Heng slowly shook his head and replied, "Some things are not suitable for public disclosure."

Jane Qing understood the implication of his words and fell into deep thought.

"If you're willing to join us, the captain position is yours, and you can also participate in selecting team members," Lu Heng continued.

Jane Qing was already tempted, but her cautious nature prompted her to ask, "If I agree, what do I need to contribute?"

Lu Heng thought for a moment and answered, "There's nothing special. The only thing to note is that this team reports directly to the Southern War Zone Command. To be blunt, only Commander-in-Chief Li and Li Guining can mobilize this special forces team.

"So, if you agree to join, you won't need to report to any department outside the Southern War Zone Command. All information related to the special forces team is classified."

Jane Qing raised an eyebrow and smiled, asking, "What if I refuse to join?"

Lu Heng spread his hands and said, "Then it's not a big deal, but you'll have to forget everything we discussed today and keep it confidential."

Jane Qing tapped the table with two fingers, thinking it over. After weighing the pros and cons, she nodded in agreement, "Alright, I agree. Can I participate in the discussion for the special forces team members now?"

"Of course," Lu Heng finally found his first satisfactory candidate and couldn't help but smile.

"Who are the candidates you have in mind?" Jane Qing immediately switched to work mode.

"I think Chen Zihan is a good fit. His ability is rare, and his future combat power is promising. Also, some of our previous comrades would be suitable, but it depends on whether they're willing to join. I'd prefer them to join voluntarily rather than forcing them," Lu Heng shared his thoughts.

Jane Qing nodded, "I'll talk to Chen Zihan, and I think he'll agree."

Lu Heng had the same idea.

Chen Zihan wasn't from a military background; he entered the National Defense Academy based on his academic performance. But he had a steady and adventurous personality.

Given his character, there was a high probability that he would be willing to join.

As for Wu Weibing, Tao Yalu, and the other comrades who had fought alongside them, Lu Heng trusted them, but not everyone was suitable for the special forces team.

This special forces team would undertake extremely dangerous missions in the future, requiring exceptionally high combat capabilities.

Wu Weibing and Tao Yalu had been promoted to commissioned officers and transferred to various units to take on important roles.

They all had their strengths, but their combat power wasn't particularly outstanding.

Some people were suited to be super warriors, while others were better suited for logistics work.

Everyone had their areas of expertise, and staying in the right positions would ensure the best development.

In the afternoon, Chen Zihan had some free time and arrived at the Longwei Base after receiving the notification. He waved to Lu Heng and Jane Qing as he entered.

Staff Officer Qi Jinghui showed him a document and explained, "Today's discussion is confidential, and this is the classified file."

Chen Zihan waved his hand dismissively and said, "There's nothing in the war zone that isn't confidential. I understand the rules."

His statement was accurate.

Almost everything in the military bases of the war zone required confidentiality.

Lu Heng gestured for Chen Zihan to sit down and repeated what he had told Jane Qing, but he omitted the skill upgrade part.

It was better to keep this secret undisclosed.

Jane Qing was the first person they needed to convince, so they had to reveal this card.

It would be better to bring up the secret of skill upgrades after the selected individuals agreed to join.

Chen Zihan turned to look at Jane Qing and asked curiously, "You joined?"

Jane Qing nodded matter-of-factly, "Of course."

Chen Zihan had already made up his mind to join, but he was still curious, "I knew the war zone was forming a special forces team with a unique structure, but for a team with such a special nature, the future is uncertain. You're willing to join?"

Indeed, his confusion was justified.

It was evident to anyone with a keen eye that Jane Qing's future was bright.

With her formidable combat strength, she had already achieved the rank of Captain at a young age. With a few more meritorious achievements, she could be promoted to a commissioned officer, and her future potential was limitless.

Under these circumstances, she didn't need to take the risk of joining a special team with an uncertain future.

Jane Qing turned to Lu Heng and asked with a smile, "Should we tell him the secret?"

Lu Heng joked casually, "If we tell him, he'll have to join, or else we'll have to silence him."

Jane Qing nodded and said, "Yes, if we tell you the secret of the Special Forces, you'll have to join, or else we'll have to silence you. You can choose now, do you want to hear it?"

Chen Zihan rolled his eyes and said, "You've said it like that, how can I leave without hearing the whole thing?"

That was his personality; the more curious he was, the more he wanted to know. Even if he found out that joining the Special Forces might not be as great as expected, he would still jump in with tears in his eyes.

Jane Qing had guessed his answer from the start. She pointed to her file and said, "When Lu Heng invited me, he offered me a condition I couldn't refuse. He said that as long as I join, he would help me upgrade these few skills."

"These few?" Chen Zihan widened his eyes, emphasizing the word "few" to clarify the quantity.

"Yes, he meant these few," Jane Qing said, tapping the screen three times with her finger to reveal the three D and C-level skills.

"What about me? If Jane Qing can upgrade her skills, shouldn't I be able to upgrade at least... two?" Chen Zihan still felt a bit incredulous, but Jane Qing wasn't the type to make meaningless jokes.

So, no matter how unbelievable it seemed, he was sure it was true and immediately started negotiating the price.

Lu Heng smiled and replied, "As long as you max out the skill proficiency and have enough Divine Energy, you can upgrade as many skills as you want."

Suddenly, Jane Qing realized a problem and asked, "Wait a minute, if I upgrade my Gale Acceleration to C-level, will I have a chance to upgrade it to B-level in the future?"

Lu Heng smiled and nodded, "I said, as long as you max out the skill proficiency and have enough Divine Energy, you can upgrade any skill."

Jane Qing couldn't sit still anymore.

Chen Zihan's eyes widened in astonishment, "No wonder, I noticed that many of your skills and Su Muyu's skills have stronger effects than the first time I saw them. So, you have a way to upgrade skills!"

Among the psychics he knew, Chen Zihan was one of the earliest acquaintances.

During the first summoning, while rescuing Tempering Castle in the Abyssal Battlefield, he had met Chen Zihan.

Therefore, Chen Zihan had seen Lu Heng's initial appearance and probably witnessed Lu Heng and Su Muyu's skill effects.

At that time, Su Muyu had mastered the Recon Eagle and Invisibility skills.

The Recon Eagle back then was just a summoned creature with little offensive power, mainly used for reconnaissance.

But what had the Recon Eagle grown into now?

A Chongming Bird! It could create solar winds with temperatures exceeding ten thousand degrees by flapping its wings. As a Sensory, Su Muyu possessed a more powerful flame attack ability than elemental casters of the same rank.

Chen Zihan asked in surprise, "Did Su Muyu's Chongming Bird evolve from the Recon Eagle?"

Lu Heng nodded and replied, "You could say that, but the Chongming Bird isn't an ordinary skill upgrade. It has undergone two rank enhancements, so the Chongming Bird can be considered a summoned creature with two source essence abilities."

"Then Su Muyu's Invisibility skill must have been upgraded, right?" Chen Zihan compared Su Muyu's Invisibility skill from their first encounter in the Abyssal Battlefield to the current one, and the effects were vastly different.

Lu Heng nodded and answered, "Yes, Muyu's Invisibility skill was indeed upgraded."

Chen Zihan slapped the table and complained, "I thought you guys only upgraded skills through World Quest rewards, but you have a special way to upgrade."

Lu Heng admitted, "Yes, we have a way to upgrade skills, but the process might fail. I want to remind you of that. If it fails, Divine Energy will be wasted, and in the worst-case scenario, the skill might become unusable."

Chen Zihan didn't care about the latter part, "On the path to gaining greater power, there are no smooth sails. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. Forget everything else, I'll join the Special Forces, but I want a senior position."

Lu Heng and Jane Qing exchanged glances and said in unison, "Deputy Commander, it can't get any higher."

"Deal!" Chen Zihan decided without hesitation.

He had one year left before graduating from university and had been considering his post-graduation plans.

Now, joining the Special Forces had solved his dilemma.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end