Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23 At Least a Rookie King! The Seventh Trait!
Seeing Xu Feng's unusual expression, Chang Zhengping's face changed drastically.
"Did something really happen?"
The moment he received Liu Boyan's message, he had rushed over at once. Had he still arrived too late?
For a moment, Xu Feng did not even know where to begin.
He could only say, "Come take a look first."
With that, he led Chang Zhengping back into the monitoring department.
As they passed by the identity registration personnel, Xu Feng said, "There is no need to investigate Ye Ze's background anymore. I found it."
Hearing that, Chang Zhengping frowned deeply.
Investigate his background?
Was that not the procedure they only followed after a soldier had died in battle, when they needed to contact the family?
Could it really be...
Chang Zhengping, who had originally carried an imposing aura, immediately let out a self-reproachful sigh.
Just as he was thinking that, Xu Feng brought him over to the monitoring device and had the clerk pull up Ye Ze's information.
【Ye Ze, Summoner, Level 7.】
【...】
Chang Zhengping froze for a moment, then waved a hand at Xu Feng.
"Not this one."
"The one I am looking for is level 4..."
"..."
Xu Feng understood that reaction all too well.
Three levels in less than half a day. No one would believe it.
He said with complete seriousness, "Commander, it is him!"
"Three hours ago, he was level 4. War Academy, senior year student..."
"..."
Chang Zhengping fell silent and stared at the information for a long while.
A solo run through the Contaminated Land, and three levels gained in three hours?
Did a genius like this really need me to look after him?
"That is not right. He was only level 4. How could he possibly fight the Fiends in the Contaminated Land? Did he form a team?"
The clerk reported truthfully, "He was solo for more than half the time. He only teamed up with someone else just now."
Xu Feng grew excited.
"It is true, Commander! He is a genius among geniuses!"
"Please, give us a hint already. What kind of remarkable person is that old comrade of yours, to be able to teach a genius like this?"
Chang Zhengping was a little dazed.
His former comrade Liu Boyan, after retiring from the army due to injury, had gone into teaching at a high school. His position had never risen much, either.
So how had he quietly raised a prodigy like this without anyone knowing?
"Old Liu, this..."
Xu Feng suddenly remembered something else and showed him the map sand table.
"Look, Commander. Ye Ze is solo clearing, yet his progress is far ahead of everyone else!"
"He has already pushed deep into No. 19 Contaminated Land... this is the makings of a top vanguard scout!"
As a regiment commander in the East China Army, Chang Zhengping naturally understood just how terrifying that clearing speed was.
Put in the military, he would easily be at least a Rookie King among the newcomers!
Chang Zhengping's eyes suddenly lit up. He slapped his hand and said excitedly, "I get it now!"
"This is not Old Liu asking me to look after a student at all!"
"This is Old Liu delivering talent to our East China Army!"
"Oh, wow!" Chang Zhengping paced back and forth excitedly. "How did Old Liu know our regiment just happened to be short on talent..."
"It had to be Old Liu. He really does still keep me in his heart!"
Xu Feng noticed that things were heading in the wrong direction and said quietly, "Commander, this is a talent discovered by our Scout Camp..."
Chang Zhengping instantly turned serious. "What are you saying!"
"Never mind which camp or which regiment. The most important thing is..."
"Our East China Army absolutely must not let this boy get away!"
"Exactly!" Xu Feng was wholeheartedly in agreement.
But inwardly, Chang Zhengping thought, Thank goodness I came today!
Otherwise, where would I go to steal this kind of talent from?
I owe Old Liu a favor for this...
Meanwhile, the newly leveled-up Ye Ze was looking happily at his experience bar.
【Level: 7 (1080/4300)】
That batch of Fiends had not only been enough to level him up, it had even given him an extra quarter of the bar.
At the same time, the squirrel brought back the dropped loot.
There was actually a Rare-grade skill book among it.
【Steel Muscles and Iron Bones: Warrior Skill Book, usable at level 15.】
It greatly increased defense. In theory, Panda could learn it once it reached level 15.
But there was still a long way to go before then.
By the time he really reached level 15, Ye Ze was confident he would not be lacking Rare-grade skills.
So he still fed the skill book to Panda.
Although a skill book was only usable at level 15, before level 15... it could still be eaten all the same!
Panda opened its huge mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it in one gulp.
【You Are What You Eat! — Consumed 'Steel Muscles and Iron Bones.' Gained: Constitution +4, damage taken from weapons reduced by 15%!】
Seeing that Panda did not seem to enjoy the taste, Ye Ze took out a few stalks of bamboo for it as well.
Then Ye Ze began drawing his level 7 Trait.
After two or three breaths, a dazzling golden Trait frame stopped before him.
And this time, the Trait actually gave Ye Ze a headache...
【You have drawn a golden legendary Trait: Void Creature!】
【Void Creature: A being that lives in the endless Void, possessing adaptability and uniqueness beyond all things, and capable of traveling through the Void.】
(Note: Void Creatures are highly uncertain. The differences produced when this Trait is granted to different targets can vary greatly.)
"Void..."
Even in the most detailed textbooks, there were only a few brief lines describing the Void.
What was mentioned most often was this: The endless Void originated from beyond the world, and was as mysterious and powerful as the Eternal Abyss...
But humanity had never seen a true Void lifeform.
That made Ye Ze hesitate for a moment, unsure whom he should give this Trait to.
Added to that was the note saying it could produce uncertain results, which made him even more hesitant.
Panda already had a very clear role: a Warrior, his main close-combat force.
As for the squirrel, it could develop either into an assassin or focus more on support, such as scouting and treasure hunting.
Both summoned beasts were already excellent. It did not seem necessary to gamble on an uncertainty.
That only left...
Ye Ze looked at the one thing he had left: Summoned Beast Space (2/3).
"I can still make a contract with one more summoned beast."
But where should he go to contract one?
Ye Ze pondered for a long time before finally settling on the Demon Suppression Army Treasury!
For every additional 1000 Military Merit, he could enter a treasury of a higher grade within the Demon Suppression Army and choose an item.
Since it was a military treasury, there were definitely plenty of excellent summoned beasts there.
If he saved up enough Military Merit, perhaps he could go there directly and pick a suitable third summoned beast!
With that thought, Ye Ze temporarily set aside the Trait Void Creature.
He began considering ways to earn Military Merit...
"But the most urgent matter is still to clear this fiend stronghold first."
After thinking it over, Ye Ze decided to head to the left courtyard and help Ruan Xiaoyou deal with the Fiends there.
Mm... and he could earn a little more experience while he was at it.
In the other courtyard, Ruan Xiaoyou had already killed half of the Fiends.
That speed was already fast, but she still wanted to be even faster.
"I wonder how things are on Ye Ze's side..."
"I had better hurry, just in case he cannot hold them off and something happens."
The greatest weakness of an assassin was the lack of area-of-effect skills.
Faced with being surrounded by Corpse Fiends and attacked by elite fiends, all she could do was kill them one by one as quickly as possible.
At that moment, the corner of her eye suddenly caught sight of a squirrel.
The Shadow Squirrel was right there nearby, twitching its nose rapidly as if it were sniffing out some kind of scent.
Ruan Xiaoyou was baffled.
Was that not Ye Ze's summoned beast?
Why was it here instead of going all out to kill Fiends?
Wait...
Ruan Xiaoyou's delicate brows knit together.
Could it be that Ye Ze could not hold on anymore and had sent the squirrel over to ask for help?
She could not help sighing inwardly.
But to her surprise yet again, the squirrel completely ignored her and ran straight toward the deeper parts of the temple.
Ruan Xiaoyou was even more confused.
She could not possibly imagine that this Shadow Squirrel, which she considered Ye Ze's "strongest" summoned beast...
Had merely been sent out by Ye Ze to hunt for treasure.