Chapter 1

When this mutated fungus explodes, the ejected spores are a hundred times more adhesive than cockleburs. One can imagine the sensation of having them stuck to one's skin... You'd have to expend a great deal of effort to remove them. The purpose of this fungus is to try to spread its seeds as far as possible by utilizing the stickiness of the seeds.

Of course, what gave Fang Senyan and the others the most headaches were the Stingers they had encountered before. These guys, who lived near the Omaticaya northern Bikabu tribe, seemed to have mutated and become even more powerful. When they concealed themselves in the jungle and launched a surprise attack, they posed a powerful threat to any Contractor!

The tiny poisonous thorns ejected by these creatures were often well camouflaged by the surrounding environment and accurately shot towards the Contractor's vitals...

This was, in fact, the Stinger's usual surprise attack method in the primeval forest. That blowgun was actually their mutated poisonous tooth, secreting a terrifying venom more poisonous than that of a black mamba! According to A.I.'s report analysis, the venom from that poisonous tooth could kill a blue whale in a minute!

In actual combat, even Reef had to quickly cut off the area where he was hit, otherwise, the continuous damage would be difficult for even him to bear.

It was said that on that evening, right at the appointed time, Fang Senyan and his group of three secretly sneaked out of the base, while the remaining Contractors waited for twelve hours before cautiously venturing out again.

Occupying such a head start, coupled with detailed information, there was no doubt that Fang Senyan's trio had already begun to lead the way in terms of A.I.'s reputation progress. Of course, they cleverly concealed this fact.

At the same time, it had to be admitted that those colonizers from Stalo had done a good deed before they left. Their clearing of those summoners undoubtedly helped Fang Senyan and the others a great deal.

However, Fang Senyan and the others were prepared, and the other Contractors also had their own special abilities. That woman, Zi, actually had a very good relationship with Professor Grace, which undoubtedly gave her many innate conveniences. Although the professor was an upright person who would not show favoritism, she would definitely spare time to answer some difficult questions that Zi raised.

Among the remaining Contractors, there were bound to be some hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Those who could survive to this day and remain were not to be underestimated. The competition in reputation definitely did not mean that Fang Senyan and the others could rest easy.

As time went by, the pressure from the external enemy disappeared, and the competitive and defensive atmosphere between the Contractors gradually became intense again.

Fortunately, Fang Senyan had only gone to Supervisor Parker once at that time, and he did it perfectly in one go, which was quite deceptive, so his secrecy work was excellent. He completely let Zi steal his limelight. At this time, there were only about forty Contractors left, and the Illuminati would probably occupy about one-third of them.

As the saying goes, past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. Since Stalo and his gang had "cleared the field" first, the remaining Contractors were naturally wary of the Illuminati, avoiding the tragedy of another clearing. The main contradiction was still between the Illuminati and the other Contractors, while Fang Senyan continued to calmly not bear too much pressure.

Time passed quickly in the tense and busy work of all the Contractors, and soon the three-day deadline arrived. The work that Fang Senyan and the others had done rewarded very few Universal Points and Potential Points, and the accumulated reward was still mainly in the effort to improve their reputation in the A.I. company. As the countdown began, prompts also began to come from the Nightmare Imprint:

"You have completed the subsequent battlefield side mission: The Trust of Hell's Gate."

"Mission Objective: Within 72 hours, raise your reputation within the A.I. base to Revered."

"Your current reputation is: Four Hearts Revered."

"You have received a reward of 3 Achievement Points." (Basic reward of 2 Achievement Points, Silver Team Leader bonus of 0.5 points, Legend bonus of 0.5 points.)

"Contractors who fail to raise their reputation to Revered will be forcibly returned to the Nightmare World within ten minutes."

"Hint: The top three Contractors who completed this mission ahead of schedule are: Contractor Jiu Yi Hao, Contractor Dao Lv Hao, Contractor Xi Yi Hao!"

"Hint: Contractor Si Hao, you are the first to complete this mission ahead of schedule."

"Additional reward calculation in progress..."

"Please select one of the following rewards as your additional reward."

"Reward 1: You receive an additional 5 Achievement Points."

"Reward 2: You receive an additional 10,000 Universal Points."

"Reward 3: You receive an additional 3 Potential Points."

"Reward 4: Your stay in this world can be extended by an additional 5 days."

Faced with this four-choice question, although the rewards were very tempting, Fang Senyan still decisively chose option 1, which he had expected a long, long time ago.

But as soon as he saw the sentence "The top three Contractors who completed this mission ahead of schedule are: Contractor Jiu Yi Hao...", a chill immediately ran down his spine. He couldn't help but lament in his heart:

"As expected of a battlefield side mission! Announcing it like this is simply going to ignite the fuse of infighting? And this competition is a bit too intense."

To be honest, Fang Senyan didn't expect that Mogansha and Reef hadn't made it into the top three despite completing the side mission. It could be said that the three of them occupied an absolute advantage and head start, and they also had the title of "Excellent Employee" to help them. Only Fang Senyan became the first among the top three!

At this time, the importance of that Legend bonus could be seen. This thing seemed inconspicuous at ordinary times, but at critical moments, it really had a powerful effect of settling the matter!

At this time, Reef had already said in the team channel:

"Zi is the second name, 'Huan Yi Hao', I don't know who that 'Xi Yi Hao' is. Boss, your identity may be exposed."

Fang Senyan said lightly:

"It won't be, my perception is no worse than others, and there is also the Lars pulse jammer with priority that comes with the helmet. They can't detect my space code."

Mogansha said seriously:

"Boss, sometimes, not being able to find any information at all is very telling."

Fang Senyan smiled and said:

"If the Illuminati dare to investigate, unless they want to suffer both losses. If I'm not mistaken, that 'Xi Yi Hao' must also have come with a very strong purpose. Most likely, several teams would rather fail their side missions and deduct 1000 Achievement Points in order to ensure that he gets into the top three. Such a person has been hidden until now, so his plot must be very big. Think about it, would he compromise with the Illuminati at this time?"

Just as the situation became very delicate, it could be said that the storm was about to break. The Hell's Gate base suddenly broadcasted, asking the new mercenaries who had passed the test to go to the second basement floor of the command center for a meeting. At this time, about half of the Contractors had been eliminated by this battlefield side mission, leaving about twenty people. The Illuminati still had seven people left, occupying about one-third of the total number.

When they entered the meeting hall one after another, they found that Miles, Colonel Quaritch, and Dr. Grace Augustine, the two giants, were impressively present, and Supervisor Parker Selfridge was also standing on the rostrum. After everyone stood still, Supervisor Parker began to speak:

"Brave soldiers, we have just received a communication from an exploration team. In their communication before they disappeared, they claimed that they had discovered the location of the Na'vi's spiritual sanctuary: the Tree of Souls. Professor Grace confirmed that these blue-skinned monkeys who like to live in trees may indeed have a common belief, so if we figure this out, then it is very likely to subdue these tricky guys, or even persuade them to help us with mining."

"And what you have to do is very, very simple: confirm the authenticity of this matter, and then bring back a section of the branch of the so-called Tree of Souls. I will prepare champagne, flowers, girls, and of course, a blank check waiting for you in the base."

Fang Senyan and the others also received information:

"The final step of the battlefield side mission is issued: Branch of the Tree of Souls"

"Mission Objective: Within five days, obtain a section of the pendant from the Na'vi Tree of Souls."

"Description: Through your unremitting efforts during this period, you have successfully gained the recognition of the people in the A.I. base. So they now plan to give you a difficult task. The latest exploration team that set off sent back a very important piece of information, that is, they may have discovered the location of the Na'vi's spiritual sanctuary: the Tree of Souls. Confirm the authenticity of this news, and then bring back a section of the pendant from the Tree of Souls!"

"Hint: Only the top three people who bring back the pendant from the Tree of Souls will be rewarded!"

"Warning: If you reject this mission, then you will receive a four-day free stay or return immediately after receiving a certain reward."

"Do you want to accept this mission: Yes, No?"

After seeing this mission, many thoughts flashed through Fang Senyan's mind in an instant. He suddenly stood up and said very seriously to Supervisor Parker:

"I'm sorry, sir, I think my ability is limited and I can't bear such a difficult task."

Then he gave Parker a small "you know" wink, and Parker, an old fox, understood it, but said calmly:

"Well, A.I. will never force employees to do anything. We will not forget your previous achievements." (To be continued.)