My career aspirations have come true.

Chapter 88 I'm afraid he'll get hurt

Zhuang Yi rushed back to the office, panting and shouting as soon as he entered.

"Team leader, something's happened! Someone's here to cause trouble!"

Lin Ze looked up from his computer and said slowly, "What happened? Tell me slowly."

After catching his breath, Zhuang Yi walked to the table, picked up his water glass, and took a big gulp before saying, "Over at the martial arts arena, two lieutenants from the branch are fighting with Wei Ran, the leader of the second group!"

"People from the branch?" Pei Xuan asked in surprise. "Did they come with Advisor Xue?"

People on the forum have already uncovered the identities of the people from the branch.

Like Fan Zhenyue, he was a branch advisor.

He was just one rank higher than Fan Zhenyue, being a captain.

"That's right, I heard they're all members of the special operations team."

As Zhuang Yi spoke, an indignant expression appeared on his face.

"There was a guy named Tao Leshan who was particularly arrogant and spoke very rudely. He kept mocking our detachment for being inferior to the branch. Wei Ran couldn't stand him, so he challenged him to a duel."

Zhuang Yi recounted the details of the conflict he had heard, which made Tang Wangshu and Pei Xuan frown.

"Who won?" Tang Wangshu asked.

Zhuang Yi curled his lip: "Tao Leshan won. Although that guy has a foul mouth, he's actually quite strong. Wei Ran is no match for him."

Pei Xuan wasn't surprised. He shrugged and said, "Those who can be selected for the special operations team are elites in the branch. It's normal for Wei Ran to lose."

Zhuang Yi said indignantly, "The key point is that this guy won, but he still had to show off and even specifically asked to spar with the team leader."

"What?!"

Now it was Pei Xuan's turn to panic, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"What right does that guy have to spar with the team leader? Doesn't he know his own strength?"

As the team leader's staunchest supporter, he would not allow anyone to offend the team leader.

"That guy definitely hasn't heard of the team leader's achievements."

Zhuang Yi curled his lip in disdain, then moved closer to Lin Ze, his face full of anticipation.

"Team leader, should we go teach that guy a lesson?"

Lin Ze shook his head calmly: "Not interested."

He couldn't be bothered with such competitive matters.

There's no benefit in winning.

Instead of wasting time like this, you might as well go to the training building and work up a sweat.

Zhuang Yi was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this; he had been hoping that the team leader would teach that arrogant guy a lesson.

"What a pity, that guy even brought out a high-quality card as a prize, saying whoever won could take it."

"What cards?" Pei Xuan asked curiously.

"Talent card." Zhuang Yi scratched his cheek. "It seems to be Precise Perception, but I don't know exactly what its effects are."

Just as he finished speaking, a soft cough suddenly came from beside him.

Zhuang Yi turned his head and saw Lin Ze stand up, his expression serious.

"As a member of the detachment, I have a duty to uphold the honor of the detachment and not allow anyone to belittle our detachment. Let's go to the martial arts arena."

Tang Wangshu: "————"

Pei Xuan: "————"

Zhuang Yi paused for two seconds, then reacted and chuckled, "Right, right, the team leader is right. We must teach that guy a lesson."

Lin Ze immediately left the office.

Watching Lin Ze's retreating figure, Tang Wangshu couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.

Pei Xuan, with an "I understand, I understand" expression, quickly followed.

Zhuang Yi lagged behind, muttering to himself, "The team leader's ability to change his expression so quickly—but I like it."

The atmosphere inside the martial arts arena was extremely tense.

Tao Leshan stood lazily in the center of the field, playing with the cards in his hand, his smirk becoming more and more obvious.

"Ten minutes have passed, why hasn't that Lin Ze guy arrived yet? Is he too scared to accept the challenge?"

The surrounding crowd glared at him angrily.

"Don't be so arrogant. Team Leader Lin will beat you in no time!"

"That's right, Team Leader Lin is someone who has killed a level 5 professional before!"

"Just wait and see what failure tastes like."

Tao Leshan laughed: "You guys are talking about Lin Ze, who is a level 4 professional, right? A level 4 killing a level 5? Are you kidding me? You can't brag like that."

Chang Yao, who was standing to the side, chuckled and shook his head upon hearing this.

Killing a stronger opponent who is of a higher level is extremely rare.

Let alone a level 4 killing a level 5, even a level 3 killing a level 4 is extremely rare.

Those who can do this are all exceptionally brilliant geniuses.

How could the Northern District Detachment produce such a person?

He simply doesn't believe it.

These people heard the rumors from who-knows-where and believed them without verifying them.

Shaking his head, Chang Yao said, "Leshan, that's enough. If this continues, it will be difficult to explain to Consultant Xue."

When Consultant Xue was mentioned, Tao Leshan finally restrained himself and pursed his lips.

"Alright, Yao-ge, whatever you say. Since that guy doesn't dare to accept the challenge, then..."

'

Before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly came from the periphery of the crowd.

"Who's afraid to accept the challenge?"

The soldiers watching instinctively made way for Lin Ze, who led Zhuang Yi and the other two into the room.

Pei Xuan glanced at Tao Leshan, raised his chin and was about to speak when Zhuang Yi stepped forward, crossed his arms and said, "So you want to challenge our team leader, huh? Fine, our team leader is in a good mood today, so we'll give you the chance."

Pei Xuan froze, staring wide-eyed at Zhuang Yi.

Why did you steal my lines?

Tao Leshan narrowed his eyes, ignoring the two clowns who were clearly not the main characters, and focused his gaze directly on Lin Ze, looking him up and down a few times.

"You're Lin Ze?"

"It's me." Lin Ze stopped at the edge of the arena. "I heard you wanted to spar with me?"

"Not bad." Tao Leshan smiled slightly, shaking the card in his hand. "If you win, this is yours. If you lose—I don't want anything from you. Just consider it as giving the junior some pointers."

These words were spoken in a condescending manner, carrying a sense of superiority and arrogance, which caused many soldiers around to show their dissatisfaction.

Lin Ze simply smiled faintly: "Then I'll thank you for the card in advance."

He took off his military jacket and handed it to Zhuang Yi, stretched his wrists, and slowly walked into the field.

Tao Leshan was slightly taken aback, then let out a cold snort.

This guy named Lin Ze looked even more arrogant than him, as if he was certain he would win and didn't take him seriously at all.

Well, the more arrogant they are now, the more pathetic and laughable they will be when they are defeated.

The two then stood in the center of the field, facing each other from a distance of more than ten meters.

Tao Leshan drew his longsword, assumed a starting sword stance, and stared directly at Lin Ze.

Although he verbally belittled Lin Ze, Tao Leshan had no intention of holding back.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, let alone Lin Ze, who is recognized as the most outstanding young person in the North District branch. He must have some strength, at least more than Wei Ran just now.

He was determined to go all out and deliver a spectacular performance, showing this country bumpkin the might of the branch's elite!

"start!"

As soon as the sergeant, who was temporarily acting as referee, finished speaking, the two men made their movements almost simultaneously.

Tao Leshan dashed forward like lightning, flicking his wrist to inject invisible force into the sword blade, tearing through the air and creating a piercing whistling sound as it hurtled towards Lin Ze.

Chang Yao, who was watching from the sidelines, had a slight gleam in his eyes.

He knew Tao Leshan's strength very well and could tell at a glance that the latter's attack combined the power of two excellent-grade skills, Crescent Slash and Piercing Force, making it his strongest attack.

Tao Leshan clearly intended to end the battle as quickly as possible and teach the people of the North District Detachment a lesson.

Chang Yao's gaze shifted rapidly and landed on Lin Ze.

Lin Ze remained calm and composed as he steadily raised his right hand, the black steel sword gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the training hall lights.

Something invisible seemed to be swirling and flowing around the sword, slightly distorting the light and creating a layer of almost transparent ripples in the air.

Before Chang Yao could take a closer look, Lin Ze suddenly lowered his wrist and the sword blade slashed down!

laugh!

A piercing shriek suddenly rang out, as if the air was being torn apart!

A cyan whirlwind burst forth from the tip of the sword, growing longer as it faced the wind, expanding to more than three meters in an instant.

Inside the whirlwind, countless fine, silk-like vacuum slashes twisted and spun at high speed, cutting the air with a piercing shriek as they hurtled toward Mount Taole!

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy.

Luo Du, Pan De, and Guo Wenzhou sat upright, their expressions solemn.

Xue Dai sat at the head of the conference table, listening to Luo Du's report, his expression unchanged.

Fan Zhenyue was seated to the left of the main seat.

Although both were branch advisors, Xue Dai had a higher rank and more seniority than him.

The branch was clearly dissatisfied with his performance in the previous incident, which is why they sent Xue Dai to take over the leadership.

"Advisor Xue, that's roughly the situation."

Luo Du quickly finished reporting the details of the incident, then shut his mouth and waited for Xue Dai's instructions.

Xue Dai was in his forties, with his hair neatly combed, fair skin, and gold-rimmed glasses. He looked more like a refined scholar than a military officer.

After listening to the report, he pondered for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Consultant Fan, in your assessment, what level of professional is Dongzhi?"

"At least level 7."

Fan Zhenyue didn't even want to answer.

"Furthermore, I suspect that he held back some of his strength when he killed Qin Lie and Tong Linyuan."

Xue Dai remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Fan Zhenyue, however, couldn't contain himself and asked, "Advisor Xue, what is the branch's current attitude towards Tian Shi?"

Xue Dai raised his head and said calmly, "The branch's meaning is that we should do nothing for the time being."

He looked at the four of them and said calmly, "Tian Shi's actions so far have been in the best interests of the branch. We should not clash with them before they show clear hostility. The branch's biggest enemy at present is still Duan Ya. There is no need to create unnecessary trouble and make another strong enemy."

Upon hearing this, Luo Du and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.

Their biggest worry was that the branch would decide to take action against the opportune moment.

When that time comes, even if the branch sends reinforcements, the North District Detachment will definitely be the main force, and in the end, it will likely pay a heavy price.

Being able to coexist peacefully with the times is undoubtedly the best outcome.

"I understand." Fan Zhenyue nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Seeing this, Xue Dai changed the subject to the special operations team.

"Besides understanding the weather conditions, I have another mission when I came down here this time: to select young elites from the North District branch to join the special operations team."

Xue Dai looked at Luo Du and the other two, "Do you have any promising young talents to recommend?"

Luo Du was prepared; he took out a stack of documents, stood up, and handed them to Xue Dai.

"Advisor Xue, these are some candidates we've shortlisted. You can take a look."

Xue Dai took it and turned the pages one by one.

Each sheet of paper contains a candidate's resume, including name, age, occupation, rank, military rank, and position, etc.

He flipped through the pages quickly, but his brows gradually furrowed.

Lin Ze, 19 years old, Level 4 Sword Soul, Warrant Officer rank, Leader of Special Operations Team 8 —

Wei Ran, 22 years old, Level 4 Summoner, Warrant Officer rank, Leader of Special Operations Team Two —

Tang Wangshu, 19 years old, Level 3 Talisman Master, Private First Class, member of Special Operations Team 8 —

After reading to the end, Xue Dai gently placed the documents on the table and shook his head.

"The talent development in the Northern District branch is somewhat lagging behind that of other districts."

"The lists submitted by the East and West districts each have three or four qualified Level 4 professionals, so why is there only two from the North district?"

Luo Du was about to explain when he was interrupted by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

He frowned immediately. "Come in."

A soldier pushed open the door and rushed towards Luo Du with an anxious expression. He wanted to get closer to report, but Luo Du stopped him by raising his hand.

"Just say what you have to say."

The sergeant hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Reporting to the captain, Second Lieutenant Chang and Second Lieutenant Tao from the branch have had a conflict with Wei Ran, the leader of the second group, and are currently sparring at the martial arts arena!"

Luo Du was taken aback: "And then?"

"Lieutenant Tao—you won."

Pan De and Guo Wenzhou looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xue Dai remained expressionless, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

He knew Tao Leshan's strength; even among level 4 professionals, he was among the top tier. Defeating a squad leader from a regional branch was perfectly normal for him.

The hierarchy of contempt between branches and districts is well known.

Although such discrimination is detrimental to unity, the facts are the facts.

The overall strength of the branch's elite members is indeed stronger than that of the division.

"I understand, you may leave."

Luo Du waved his hand. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with Wei Ran's impulsiveness, he was even more dissatisfied that Wei Ran had actually lost and disgraced the North District Detachment.

However, the soldier did not retreat; instead, he looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What else is there?" Luo Du asked impatiently.

The sergeant gritted his teeth and said, "Lieutenant Tao publicly proposed to spar with Team Leader Lin, and—someone saw Team Leader Lin rushing towards the martial arts arena."

Luo Du's expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help but let out a low shout.

"Nonsense!"

He was about to leave when Xue Dai stopped him.

"Captain Luo, please calm down."

Xue Dai put down his teacup, a smile appearing on his face.

"Young people are naturally competitive, so it's fine to have a friendly spar. Although Tao Leshan is a bit impetuous and arrogant, he knows his limits and won't hurt anyone too badly."

Xue Dai was also somewhat dissatisfied with Tao Leshan's unauthorized provocation of the North District Detachment.

But since the incident had already occurred, he decided to go with the flow and take this opportunity to give the North District Detachment a warning, making them realize their shortcomings and put more effort into talent development in the future.

However, after Xue Dai finished speaking, he noticed that not only Luo Du and the other two, but also Fan Zhenyue had a very strange expression on his face.

Luo Du gave a wry smile and said, "Advisor Xue, we're not worried that Lieutenant Tao will go too far—"

Xue Dai was slightly taken aback: "What are you worried about?"

"I'm afraid he'll get hurt."

Xue Dai was taken aback at first, then chuckled and shook his head.

"Captain Luo is overthinking it. Tao Leshan is an elite member of the branch selected for the special operations team. He has mastered several excellent skills and talents, and his strength is very close to level 5. I don't look down on the young people of the North District Branch, but to be honest, I don't think Tao Leshan will lose."

He spoke very politely, but his meaning was quite clear.

He has full confidence in Tao Leshan.

At this moment, Fan Zhenyue coughed lightly and said, "Advisor Xue, I think we should hurry up and stop him. I know Tao Leshan. Sometimes he speaks too arrogantly. If he angers Lin Ze, he might suffer a bit."

Xue Dai looked at Fan Zhenyue in astonishment, now he was truly surprised.

It's understandable that Luo Du and the other two didn't know Tao Leshan, but Fan Zhenyue had worked in the branch and should have been very clear about Tao Leshan's strength.

How could anyone still think Tao Leshan would lose to Lin Ze?

He couldn't help but pick up Lin Ze's file again and take another look.

To be promoted to Level 4 professional at such a young age is truly outstanding, even within the branch.

But to say he could beat Tao Leshan...

Xue Dai looked down and finally fixed his gaze on the very bottom of the document.

I just skimmed through them, only looking at the candidates' basic information, and haven't had time to read their records and evaluations yet.

Upon seeing this, Xue Dai's eyes widened in surprise.

When he was still a level 3 professional, he once killed a level 4 Holy Priest.

After advancing to Level 4 professional, he single-handedly killed a Level 5 officer from Cliff in yesterday's battle that annihilated Blood Eagle.

What an outrageous record!

Xue Dai blinked, wondering if he was seeing things, but no matter how he looked at it, the document still contained the same words.

He looked up in astonishment, staring at Fan Zhenyue in disbelief.

"Consultant Fan, this..."

'

Fan Zhenyue understood what he meant and nodded, saying, "Everything written in the documents is true, and I personally witnessed Lin Ze's performance in yesterday's battle."

Upon receiving confirmation from Fan Zhenyue, Xue Dai finally stopped doubting, and his heart was filled with shock.

It's important to know that the officers at the Cliff are no pushovers; they are genuine Level 5 professionals with extensive combat experience and impressive skill sets.

How could Lin Ze, a level 4 sword soul, actually kill the cliff's cadre head-on?

If it weren't for Fan Zhenyue saying this, he wouldn't have believed it at all.

The North District Detachment actually has such a promising talent!

Xue Dai felt he had to take back what he had just said.

The Northern District Detachment isn't incapable of training talent; on the contrary, it's exceptionally skilled at it!

Lin Ze's value is higher than all the candidates in the East and West districts combined!

"So, Consultant Xue, let's hurry up and go to the martial arts arena," Luo Du urged.

Xue Dai no longer objected.

Tao Leshan was only close to level 5, while Lin Ze had killed a level 5 person head-on. The two were not even on the same level.

If Tao Leshan had been even slightly foul-mouthed, he would probably have been beaten to a pulp by Lin Ze.

The five of them hurriedly left the office and rushed towards the martial arts arena.

After a hurried journey, the five of them quickly arrived at the martial arts arena.

As soon as I stepped inside, a tidal wave of exclamations suddenly erupted.

Xue Dai's heart skipped a beat. He looked closely and saw a blue whirlwind filled with fine slashes strike Tao Leshan.

Xue Dai, who was well-informed, recognized the attack at a glance and stared in astonishment.

"Gale Slash!"

"A rare skill!"

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