Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 90 Nirvana Team (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Gonon Derev)

Jiang Jin had been communicating with Liu Yan for the past three days.

She couldn't tell Jiang Jin where she was or what she was doing, but everything seemed to be alright.

Jiang Jin also discussed with Liu Yan the matter of Yu Tianlun, the former leader of the Dawn Team, recruiting him. At the same time, he also conducted a general investigation into Yu Tianlun's situation within the Yihai camp.

The Dawn Team is a team that has been established for five years, and Yu Tianlun was originally a level 4 shaman: a shaman.

LV4 is the limit that a leader of a civilian reincarnator team can reach. The imperial court will not allow a LV5 reincarnator to operate outside the official system and will try to recruit them at all costs. Therefore, LV5 reincarnators are basically high-ranking officials in the Membrane Contamination Monitoring Department or the Muxu City Military Region. And a team led by an LV4 reincarnator is a truly top-tier team.

However, half a year ago, Yu Tianlun suffered a backlash in a Japanese horror dungeon called "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), and was demoted to a level 3 Shaman: Oath-taker. Several of his confidants also died in the "Hyakki Yagyō" dungeon.

Liu Yan said that although she hadn't been a reincarnator for long, she had heard about this while gathering intelligence. It was said that this terrifying instance had experienced a memetic leak, risking containment failure and the curse escaping the isolation zone, which was ultimately resolved by Yu Tianlun. The imperial court offered him commendation and even hoped to recruit him, saying that if he simply nodded, he could immediately become a high-ranking official in the Muxu City military region, receiving a government salary. However, Yu Tianlun insisted on not serving in the imperial court, and the plan was ultimately abandoned. Unexpectedly, six months later, the Dawn team was completely sidelined by his wife, who also became a Level 4 reincarnator.

Completely sidelined, he was impeached by the team, removed from his position as team leader, and expelled from the team. Meanwhile, the new leader of the Dawn team offered to be officially recognized by the imperial court, transforming from a civilian reincarnation team into an official team, subject to their command. Yu Tianlun, expelled from Dawn, only brought one person from his original team: the team's medic—the professional reincarnation healer Xu Yinqiu.

There seem to be different factions within the imperial court, and arranging for Yu Tianlun to enter the Yihai Reincarnation Camp, which is only five kilometers away from the outer ring, is also a warning to Chenxi, not allowing them to harm Yu Tianlun's personal safety.

Even so, after he started his own business, his new team now consists of only him and Xu Yinqiu. Many people are still observing, after all, the large Chenxi team definitely doesn't like Yu Tianlun's new team.

Jiang Jin had also considered whether to join a team. He was only a Level 1 Hunter, and for a truly large team, joining would just mean being cannon fodder, with little resource sharing. If he joined the military, he would be conscripted to the front lines of memetic contamination, the edge of Muxu City, where he would also be cannon fodder. Joining a small or medium-sized team wouldn't be very meaningful, as these teams typically last less than a year from formation to annihilation. Statistics showed that over 70% of Reincarnators were only Level 1, and once their rank couldn't be improved, the SAN value rewards would decrease, making it increasingly difficult to curb the decline in SAN value, eventually leading to their fall into the Abyss.

Take Jiang Jin as an example. The more newbie protection he receives at LV1, the more SAN-restoring meat he can harvest. However, as his rank increases, the SAN-restoring effect of meat decreases. And the Mourning Shotgun, which he only possessed at LV1, offered a precise 33% chance to trigger [Fatal Penetration]. If Liang Qin used it, he wouldn't have such a benefit. Even landing a so-called [Fatal Penetration] on an evil spirit would become an unattainable dream.

In short… from a long-term survival perspective, forming a team is an inevitable choice. But Jiang Jin still needs to carefully consider which team to choose. So during this time, he visited many team recruitment sites within the camp, and after looking around, he increasingly felt that Yu Tianlun seemed to be the best choice. At least his experience, achievements, and character were all top-notch. Moreover, the earliest members of a founding team will have higher prestige and influence within the team in the future. Fewer people also mean more resources can be allocated.

After discussing it with Liu Yan, Jiang Jin concluded that she did not object to the matter and that the decision should be made by Jiang Jin. If he decided to join Yu Tianlun's team, it would be a timely help, as he would be among the first batch of veterans and would receive more resources from the team in the future, leaving no room for complaint.

and so……

Jiang Jin decided to see Yu Tianlun today!
……

Jiang Jin stood in front of a two-story villa in the center of the Yihai camp, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

The door opened quickly, and Yu Tianlun, wearing a dark gray turtleneck sweater and holding a laptop, showed a hint of surprise when he saw Jiang Jin, but it quickly turned into a gentle smile.

"Officer Jiang? Please come in."

The interior furnishings are simple, yet exquisite in every detail.

The bookshelves in the living room were filled with various dungeon guides and paranormal research notes, while a map of the Muxu Market was spread out on the coffee table, marking the coordinates of the seven restricted areas and red-code zones.

Xu Yinqiu was making tea in the kitchen when she saw Jiang Jin come in and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Commander Yu, I've made up my mind," Jiang Jin said directly. "I'm joining your team."

A look of satisfaction appeared in Yu Tianlun's eyes. He put down his laptop and solemnly extended his hand: "Welcome."

Jiang Jin grasped his hand and felt a steady strength.

“Our team’s name is Nirvana,” Yu Tianlun said, “meaning rebirth.”

Xu Yinqiu stood up, took out a contract scroll from a drawer, and spread it out on the table. The words on the scroll glowed with a faint golden light, clearly indicating that it was a team contract notarized by the Reincarnation System.

“This is the same as the contract I drafted during the Dawn era.” Yu Tianlun pointed to the clause. “The core of it is that, without violating the interests of the team, the leader has no right to directly or indirectly harm the members, and members are prohibited from killing each other without a legitimate reason. As in the past, members can impeach the leader. The team is not my personal fiefdom. The only difference is that a legitimate reason must be presented.”

Jiang Jin was quite surprised: "Impeachment clauses? Still in place?"

"That's natural. Absolute power inevitably leads to absolute corruption. My team will always follow the path of democracy; that's my principle."

Jiang Jin couldn't help but admire the person before him. He knew he could never have done this if he were the leader. No wonder he was once the leader of a top team; he truly had vision! He believed that one day, Yu Tianlun would return to LV4!

He carefully read through it, and after confirming it was correct, he bit his fingertip and pressed his blood seal onto the contract. A flash of golden light, and the contract took effect. The reincarnation system's notification appeared on the retinas of the three people's left eyes:
"The contract is established, and reincarnator Jiang Jin has joined the [Nirvana] team."

Yu Tianlun put away the scroll, his expression much more relaxed: "Now, our team has three people."

Jiang Jin paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, there are four."

Yu Tianlun and Xu Yinqiu looked at him at the same time. "My wife, Liu Yan." Jiang Jin took out his wedding ring and put it on the ring finger of his left hand. "She is also a reincarnator, and her profession is a sorcerer."

Yu Tianlun was slightly surprised. The information he received was that the two had already broken up.

"I've already mentioned joining the team to her, and she's agreed to join."

Yu Tianlun was overjoyed and could hardly contain himself.

I never expected this! When I was the leader of the Dawn Guild, I always hoped to recruit a witchcraft reincarnator into the team, but I was never able to do so.

"However, she was recently convicted of murder and..."

"This is nothing!" Yu Tianlun shook his head and said, "There's room for maneuver! Don't worry, at worst I'll go all out and incur a favor to help your wife get a pardon from the imperial court!"

"Thank you so much..." Jiang Jin was extremely grateful. He had only just joined the Nirvana team, but he already felt a strong sense of belonging to them!

"Good, good, good! How can we do without wine on a day like this!" Yu Tianlun laughed heartily and said to Xu Yinqiu, "Yinqiu, bring me my Erguotou!"

Then, he looked at Jiang Jin and said, "Jiang Jin, you... can drink, right?"

"Haha, don't you even remember what my name is?"

"Oh, what's your name?"

"My name perfectly matches Li Bai's poem 'Bring in the Wine': 'Call the boy to bring out some fine wine, so we can dispel our eternal sorrows together!'"

"Alright! Let's drink until we drop!" Yu Tianlun patted Jiang Jin on the shoulder. "Next time your wife comes, let's have another meal together and drink to our hearts' content!"

Subsequently, Jiang Jin connected to the marriage system through the team management interface of the reincarnation system and, with Liu Yan's consent, added her as a member.

A few seconds later, the system notification reappeared:
"The contract is established, and the reincarnator Liu Yan has joined the [Nirvana] team."

“Very good.” Yu Tianlun’s voice was deep and firm. “Our Nirvana team’s initial members are complete!”

Xu Yinqiu brought over the wine and gently shook the bell on her wrist, its clear sound echoing in the room: "Jiang Jin, and your wife Liu Yan, welcome to Nirvana!"

At this moment, tears welled up in Xu Yinqiu's eyes.

When Yu Tianlun was expelled from the team, she was the only one who wanted to leave with him. In doing so, she returned all the items the team had given her and all the resentment crystals they had allocated to her, keeping nothing for herself!

Afterwards, the two expelled from the team were forced to live a life of wandering and dependence on others. As the saying goes, a fallen phoenix is ​​worse than a chicken. When you were a top team member, you were surrounded by flatterers and sycophants; now that you're out, everyone avoids you like the plague. If it weren't for someone in the court remembering the leader's past achievements and providing protection, they might not be alive today. But receiving rewards without merit and living under someone else's roof is ultimately unbearable. Since the Nirvana Team was established and began recruiting members, not a single person had been willing to join. Now, not only have two people joined, but one of them is a sorcerer!

When Xu Yinqiu poured the wine, she specifically instructed, "This is Erguotou after all, so you should take it easy, Commander."

"It's okay, I'll take it easy. I'll have another drink in a few days!"

Jiang Jin was taken aback: "My wife won't be back so soon?"

"What I'm saying is... in a few days, the reincarnation system will automatically determine that my wife and I are divorced! Anyway, we've already drafted the divorce property division agreement and uploaded it. She doesn't want to pay the divorce application fee, so we'll just drag it out until the automatic divorce is determined. I'll even celebrate on the day of the official divorce!"

"Well said! Commander, let's do it!"

"Damn! By the way, do you know how to play rock-paper-scissors?"

"Of course!"

"You two are great!"

"The top five!"

……

　The chapter I posted today received a lot of valuable feedback, which I have compiled.

　　This book represents a significant departure from my usual style. The game's numerical values ​​and lengthy rules created a reading barrier for many, which was an oversight on my part. Going forward, the concepts of data and SAN will be less prominent, the rules will be easier to remember, and the pure horror atmosphere will return. I hope everyone will trust my abilities.

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(End of this chapter)