Chapter Seventy-Two: The First Task

Jiang Xiaotian licked his lips. In a world where appearances reign, it's truly pitiful. Fortunately, Yan Min was a warm-hearted person and took him around the entire base, introducing a variety of things. Outwardly, this was still an ordinary military base; there weren't many martial artists, and few were in the know. Their activities were confined to this small section.

They didn't have much leisure time either—sometimes they even doubled as martial arts instructors. Aside from Yan Min, whose identity was somewhat special, the others came from fairly ordinary backgrounds. Wu Siya and Wu Jian were from the same village and, by luck and guidance from a master, entered the world of martial artists. Song Yixuan, on the other hand, came from a wealthy family and had a passion for martial arts from a young age, so she simply paid to hire a teacher.

Compared to them, Jiang Xiaotian was rather shabby—the so-called master he had was Ling'er. What she taught him was... well, who knows what.

At last, Yan Min led him to the dormitory. He had expected the dorms to be poor and cramped, but they were actually quite decent—duplex apartments, built specifically for martial artists. As the two returned, they happened to run into Wu Jian.

Wu Jian greeted Jiang Xiaotian enthusiastically. Between men, there’s rarely much drama; a few words and they’re friends. What’s more, Jiang Xiaotian's outwardly displayed peak External Strength made him the strongest among them, so the other men understood and respected him.

Yan Min had just stepped into the world of martial artists, but he was mainly an intelligence officer with wide connections, so strength wasn’t his focus—self-defense was. Wu Jian was a martial arts fanatic, deeply admiring Jiang Xiaotian for having achieved peak External Strength at such a young age.

Jiang Xiaotian could have concealed his true strength, but since everyone was open, there was no need to hide. Besides, if it came to a real fight, he wouldn’t be afraid to face Internal Strength practitioners.

He was quite satisfied with his living quarters, though that was only because he hadn’t seen where Ling’er stayed—it was almost indistinguishable from a luxury mansion, with a host of personalized amenities to ensure her comfort. Zhang Guodong said nothing and simply arranged the best for Ling’er.

That night, Zhang Guodong summoned everyone to the arena. He didn't come alone this time; beside him was a lively young girl carrying a large medical kit. She was adorable and called everyone "big brother" or "big sister," sounding very close and affectionate. But when she saw Jiang Xiaotian, she couldn't hide her joy.

"Brother Tian! You're finally here!" Qin Lulu bounced over to Jiang Xiaotian. Because she was so reclusive and lazy, she had few friends and clung to Jiang Xiaotian unusually.

Zhang Guodong introduced her to the others. The two girls' attitudes toward Qin Lulu were night and day—they treated her very well, but continued to ignore Jiang Xiaotian, even telling Qin Lulu to stay away from him.

Why must women make things difficult for men?

That night, Jiang Xiaotian turned in early, needing to adapt to life here.

But the organization’s pace was astonishingly fast. The next day, Zhang Guodong announced that the mission would commence immediately. He worked with a vigor that belied his frail appearance—efficient and decisive.

At dawn, he gathered everyone again and projected several photos onto a large screen. Almost all depicted corpses, so mangled they bordered on grotesque—brutal deaths.

Even Jiang Xiaotian felt nauseated at the sight, but Zhang Guodong’s next words were key: “All of these were martial artists, and highly skilled ones at that—some had already achieved Internal Strength.”

Everyone was stunned, including Jiang Xiaotian. These brutally murdered victims were martial artists—and some were Internal Strength practitioners?

The others exchanged bewildered glances. What sort of situation was this?

“This is highly unusual, which is why you’re being sent to investigate.”

Song Yixuan immediately frowned. “Leader, among the dead are Internal Strength martial artists. Isn't it reckless to send us?”

Aside from Jiang Xiaotian, the Falcon group’s strongest only reached mid-level External Strength. How could they face a killer capable of slaughtering Internal Strength practitioners?

Of course, Zhang Guodong wasn’t foolish and wouldn’t send them to their deaths. “Don’t worry too much. Your task is only to investigate. The dangerous parts will be handled by other groups. But as you know, the stronger the team, the more conspicuous they become—if they investigate, the enemy will surely be on guard. That's why you're the ideal candidates.”

Song Yixuan and the others breathed sighs of relief.

The real Falcon group was their idol. The youth teams were numerous, and impressive among their peers. But compared to those seasoned martial artists who fought year-round, they were still novices.

Thus, knowing other Falcon teams would handle the dangerous aspects, everyone felt much more at ease.

“But you must still conceal your identities. The incident occurred in Dragon City. I’ll assign each of you false identities, but you must stay in contact. If you encounter trouble you can’t handle, go to each other's aid! Remember—you are a team!” As he said this, Zhang Guodong’s expression grew serious, his gaze drifting intentionally toward Jiang Xiaotian.

In truth, the mission was highly dangerous, but offered great opportunity for growth. His real intent was to help the other members mature, while Jiang Xiaotian would do his best to protect them.

Moreover, if faced with danger beyond Jiang Xiaotian’s capacity, that girl would certainly not stand idly by.

Otherwise, how could Zhang Guodong dare entrust Internal Strength-level incidents to them? That was why he had waited for Jiang Xiaotian’s arrival before proceeding.

Naturally, he wouldn’t expect Ling’er to intervene under normal circumstances; the group had the real Falcon teams backing them. Though their whereabouts were unknown, if a life-or-death crisis arose, they would surely appear.

After the mission briefing, everyone was eager except for Jiang Xiaotian and Qin Lulu, who lay slumped, finding it all too troublesome.

No wonder they’d become friends—they were both lazy.

Zhang Guodong also provided each person with a special signaling device, like a wristwatch. In case of danger, pressing it would alert everyone to their location, and those nearby were required to rush to help.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaotian felt an ominous premonition.

In keeping with confidentiality, each person’s assigned identity was unknown to the others.

But when Jiang Xiaotian received his, he was so furious he could hardly restrain himself.

“Zhang Guodong, you old dog!”

His message read: Jiang Xiaotian, beggar, age 23, scavenging for over ten years.