Chapter 85 - Eighty-Five: Merit Settlement

This creature was exceptionally strong. If Team Five had truly besieged it, they would have paid a hefty price for the kill. But now, it had played itself to death. Chen Gu grinned and casually flicked nonexistent dust from his clothes. "As long as you’re willing to use your brain, defeating such an enemy is a piece of cake!" Marcus glared at him ferociously. Piece of cake? I almost shit my pants, okay? But then Marcus couldn’t help chuckling. "You kid, you’re full of sneaky tricks!" Melincha smiled sweetly, controlling her mecha as it flew back. "Well done, rookie." Joseph was greatly impressed. As a fellow rookie, I’m just an invisible presence, trembling in fear during the fight, while he can already strategize and command the team leader into battle! Impressive! Even Selena, the little demoness, gave a nod, implying, You have gained this queen’s approval. Only Charles felt like vomiting blood in frustration. My contributions were also enormous! I barely escaped with my life while restraining that monster, but no one paid any attention to me! The special agents remained secretly on alert, but the darkness grew silent. Not a single powerful Mutant came charging out again. Joseph was puzzled. "This was clearly a trap, with Zhou Shenyu being used as deliberate bait, but only two Mutants ambushed us?" Marcus shrugged. "They must have been dealt with by Team Three and Team One." Melincha was surprised. "They came too?" Marcus laughed. "If Mutants can ambush us, why can’t we turn the tables on them?" Everyone suddenly understood. Chen Gu nodded to himself. The Bureau of Mystic Security specialized in dealing with Mutants and had plenty of experience fighting them. If Mutants were cunning, the Bureau was no fool either. Several massive transport aircraft appeared in the sky, casting bright searchlights that illuminated the nearby area, making it as bright as day. Over the communication channel, Director Mei’s voice came through. "Mutant cleanup is over. Begin clearing the battlefield." A large number of cleanup crew members entered. One of their team leaders, seeing the Bone Mutant blown to pieces, cursed in annoyance, "Marcus, it must be you again! Don’t think you can pass the blame onto someone else this time!" Marcus felt genuinely wronged. "It really wasn’t me this time; it was Chen Gu..." "Shut up!" the cleanup team leader said, his voice filled with heartfelt pain. "Marcus, you’re a team leader! Letting a rookie take the fall for you? Aren’t you embarrassed?" Marcus was at a loss for words. No one would believe my explanation anyway. Chen Gu quietly patted Joseph on the shoulder. "Let me tell you an old story called ’The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’" He chuckled. "Heh heh heh!" Then he laughed with schadenfreude. Dejected, Marcus led his team members back. Everyone conducted a thorough cleanup and underwent psychological testing to ensure they hadn’t been contaminated before they could rest. In Team Five’s office, the team members sipped the hot tea prepared by the clerical ladies and groaned in comfort. Melincha’s gaze roamed, eventually landing on Chen Gu. She smiled and said, "Our perks have certainly improved lately. When did we ever have tea waiting for us after a mission before?" A few of them thought about it, and it was indeed true. The special operations teams usually worked at night, after regular work hours. Although many in the support staff actually lived at the sub-bureau—for their safety—not many would work overtime. They were likely already home, lying on their couches binge-watching shows or live streams. Marcus, an old hand, first glanced at Silver Eagle. The Iceberg Prince had already restyled his hair and stood proudly erect. But Marcus shook his head and shifted his gaze, pointedly not lingering on Joseph. Joseph knew his own capabilities. Although frustrated, he raised no objections. Marcus’s gaze finally settled on Chen Gu. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Have you guys noticed? Chen Gu seems more handsome than before." Selena snorted disdainfully. This newcomer isn’t my type, anyway. I prefer someone playful, easygoing, and who doesn’t get too attached. Melincha smiled slyly. "I feel the same way. Agoo has changed since coming back from Yinglong Star." Chen Gu’s heart stirred, but he merely smiled and said, "Becoming a Professional has its perks, even for one’s looks." It must be that piece of the super-life form’s remains, Chen Gu guessed internally. Back on Yinglong Star, Chen Gu had already sensed something was off. Qing Ruyan’s reaction had been very strange. I know I’m good-looking, Chen Gu thought, but not so much that an assistant to the Director-General like Qing Ruyan would go crazy over me. Marcus and the others didn’t press the issue. However, everyone was happy to receive such treatment after every mission. Marcus nodded, about to praise Chen Gu, when he suddenly received a communication from Director Mei. Her voice was stern. "You’ve been collectively reported by the operations teams!" "Ten points will be deducted from your merit value for this mission." Marcus tentatively asked, "So... how much is left?" "The settlement is complete and has been sent to your accounts. You can check for yourselves." Filled with anticipation, Marcus opened his account, hoping to climb a few places on the "Team Five Wealth Leaderboard." Speaking of which, thanks to the addition of the newcomer Joseph, he, the team leader, had recently shed the title of "Poorest in the Group"! After all, Joseph hadn’t participated in a single operation yet, so his merit value was zero. Marcus glanced at his account. The originally pitiful 76 had become 156. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least only ten points were deducted. Team leaders typically earned 90 points for a single operation. Yet, he still felt a bit uncomfortable. Why? I was the one who played the main role in killing the Iron Anchor Mutant. He immediately checked Joseph’s account. That guy was slacking off throughout the entire mission and only got 10 merit points. Marcus felt a flicker of satisfaction. At least there’s someone below me now, so I won’t be the poorest one again. But I’m the team leader; I have aspirations! It feels rather inglorious to always be compared to a newcomer. Then he looked again. Charles had actually received 40 merit points! There was even a special explanation: Charles had a high level of participation in this mission, distracting the Iron Anchor Mutant and making an important contribution to its eventual takedown. Moreover, he was nearly killed in a sneak attack by the Octopus Mutant and deserved some consideration for it. Marcus pursed his lips. Okay, I can understand that. That meant Silver Eagle’s merit value was now 204! Still quite a bit higher than mine, Marcus thought. Melincha and Selena had both earned 30 merit points this time, an average amount consistent with their performance in the mission. Melincha’s account total rose to 185, and Selena’s to 182. Marcus took a look and quietly cheered himself on. Keep it up, Marcus! You’ll soon surpass these two! Err... that still doesn’t seem like something to boast about... Then Marcus’s eyes swept downward and landed on Chen Gu’s merit points. He let out a cry of disbelief, thinking he had misread it. Marcus rubbed his eyes and looked again. No mistake. The account indeed showed 1,300!