Chapter 162: Invitation

This time, Lin Xiao prepared a large quantity of food. Aside from what was needed for the current meal, he had Zi Shu store plenty of it inside a spatial ring.

This way, the members of the War Wolf Mercenary Group could eat a bit better while he was away.

Seeing Lin Xiao's thoughtful actions, Zi Shu and the others were overjoyed.

This kid Hai Zhu is truly fantastic, always looking out for them like this.

After a hearty meal, Lin Xiao produced an off-road vehicle.

Under the cover of night, the group directly headed back to the capital.

It was already midnight by the time they arrived. Submitting their quests at this hour was clearly impossible, so Zi Shu quickly found a nearby hotel and arranged for everyone to stay there temporarily.

No one raised any objections. After all, it had been an exhausting journey, and it was indeed time for a good rest.

Lin Xiao felt the same way, but just as he returned to his room, someone knocked on his door.

Looking somewhat surprised, Lin Xiao wondered who could possibly be visiting him at this late hour.

Upon opening the door, he discovered it was Zi Shu.

He couldn't quite figure out why Zi Shu would come to see him so late at night.

"Brother Zi Shu, it's so late. Why aren't you resting yet?"

"There's something I need to discuss with you. Actually, I wanted to tell you before we entered the mystic realm, but after thinking it over, I decided to wait until we came out to ask for your opinion."

"Go ahead, Brother Zi Shu. If it's something within my power, I won't refuse."

Hearing Lin Xiao say this, Zi Shu visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, it's nothing too major. My superior wants to meet you. Don't overthink it—he just wants to ask for your opinion. If you don't want to go, you won't be forced."

Zi Shu knew very well what kind of figure his superior was. He had been utterly shocked when that leader first approached him to arrange a meeting with Lin Xiao.

Especially when witnessing the leader's attitude, leaving the final decision entirely up to Lin Xiao.

Heaven knows how shaken he had been inside.

Hearing these words, Lin Xiao did not reply immediately.

Instead, he began to ponder, still unsure whether he should meet this superior.

At that exact moment, a particular thought struck him.

If he didn't go to meet this leader tomorrow, he would likely have to return to the Capital Spirit Martial Academy.

And barring any accidents, Luo Yao would be leaving as well.

That would mean there was a high probability of running into Luo Yao back at school.

Furthermore, it would most likely be Luo Yao's secondary personality.

If he returned at that time, would it arouse Luo Yao's suspicion?

Luo Yao already harbored some doubts about his identity, and if their schedules coincided, she might become even more suspicious.

Yet, if he didn't return to the Capital Spirit Martial Academy, he didn't seem to have anywhere else to go.

Oh well, I might as well go meet this so-called superior.

"Is the person you mentioned in the capital? If so, I suppose I can meet him."

"Does that mean you've agreed?"

"Yes, I agree."

Receiving Lin Xiao's affirmative answer, Zi Shu let out a long breath of relief.

Since the leader had entrusted this task to him, it meant the leader trusted him, and he had successfully fulfilled his mission.

Seeing that Zi Shu showed no signs of leaving yet, Lin Xiao looked puzzled.

"Brother Zi Shu, is there something else?"

"Well, there is one more thing. You now hold a military rank, which means you are officially part of the system. Even though you aren't required to report for regular duty, there are still some members in your assigned squad. My thought is, since you're already going to see the leader tomorrow, why not take the opportunity to inspect your troops?"

Lin Xiao genuinely hadn't considered this. He had assumed his rank was merely honorary, never expecting to have subordinates under his command.

"Does this conflict with meeting the leader?"

"Not at all. They're located in the same place."

"In that case, I'll take a look at them together when the time comes."

"Alright, then there's nothing else. Get some sleep early. Once we finish submitting the quests tomorrow, I'll take you over there."

After Zi Shu left, Lin Xiao lay down on the bed.

He wondered why the so-called superior wanted to meet him.

He also found it fascinating that he suddenly had a group of subordinates. He had no idea what kind of people they were, and he wondered what the scene would be like when they met tomorrow.

All of this was actually quite exciting.

***

Early the next morning, after waking up and freshening up, the group went straight to the Mercenary Association.

Zi Shu submitted all the required quests. The harvest this time wasn't massive, with each person earning just over twenty thousand contribution points.

Lin Xiao wasn't particularly satisfied with this result. It seemed his previous earnings had caused him to underestimate the difficulty of becoming a Class-B mercenary.

At his current pace, reaching Class-B status during military training seemed a bit challenging.

Fortunately, he had obtained a Three-Leaf Green Ganoderma during this trip to the mystic realm.

That alone was worth one hundred thousand points. Combined with a few other personal tasks, his total earnings this time reached one hundred and thirty thousand points.

This speed wasn't exactly slow either.

He could only hope to have such good luck in the future.

Once all the quests were completed, it was time for farewells.

Though they called it a farewell, strictly speaking, only Luo Yao was leaving.

"Luo Yao, we'll be taking a break for a few days now. The exact duration isn't set yet, but we'll notify you when there's another mission."

"Got it! Understood."

If Luo Yao had initially joined the War Wolf Mercenary Group out of circumstance, she now genuinely looked forward to operating with them.

She had gained immensely from this mystic realm expedition—putting aside the dark-attribute spirit bead she acquired, the fact that she could eat such delicious food to her heart's content was reason enough for her to participate next time.

"Then let's part ways here. We'll find time to sell the spirit beads and other items, and your share will be given to you when we meet next."

"That won't be necessary. I've already obtained a spirit bead I can use, and taking a share on top of that wouldn't be very polite. Besides, I imagine you know how I joined; you should realize that money is the last thing I lack."

Zi Shu: *Sigh...*
So frustrating, yet completely irrefutable.

Meanwhile, alarm bells were ringing loudly in Lin Xiao's heart. While the others hadn't noticed anything unusual, he acutely perceived that the current Luo Yao was no longer the one from the mystic realm—the secondary personality was now in control.

*You can't see me!*
*Currently invisible!*
*Do not ping me!*

Whether Lin Xiao's prayers worked or not, Luo Yao merely glanced at him coldly before turning away.

After leaving, Luo Yao headed straight for the underground parking garage. Instead of checking on her own vehicle first, she walked over to Lin Xiao's off-road vehicle.

Seeing that the vehicle was still parked there, she fell into deep thought.

The position hadn't changed, which meant Lin Xiao hadn't returned yet.

She wondered if she would be able to see Lin Xiao when she returned this time.

After pondering for a moment, she decided to send a message to Hu Yu:

[If Lin Xiao returns to school, notify me immediately. There's something good in it for you!]

Little did Luo Yao know, at that very moment, Lin Xiao was already riding in a car with Zi Shu toward a remote military base in the capital.