Samsara Space: They're all begging me to heal them one more time.

"Please wait a moment, everyone."

Just as the three of them were stuffing their spoils into their storage space, excitedly preparing to rush to the train plaza to splurge—

Zhang Yuan's steady and magnetic voice sounded like an administrative order, causing everyone to instinctively stop in their tracks.

"Before you all go to the free market to make purchases, I think it's necessary to establish our future cooperation framework."

Zhang Yuan sat in the main seat of the private room. Instead of getting up immediately, he slowly took out three parchment scrolls (that he had just bought) from his storage space. These scrolls emitted a faint magical glow, and he laid them out in a row and gently patted them on the table.

"This is a notarized [Fixed Squad Team Contract (Buff-Specialized Version)] issued by the train."

"On the Train of the Heavens, the greatest risk comes not only from monsters, but also from the random allocation of train services."

"If we don't sign this agreement, the system will treat us as independent passengers when we depart in the future. Unless we get extremely lucky, we will most likely be assigned to different trains and go to different mission planes."

At this point, he adjusted his glasses, his tone becoming serious:

"By signing it, our passenger serial numbers will be 'aligned' at the legal level. When the system issues tickets, it will treat us as a whole. This not only ensures that we are always on the same side, but also unlocks dedicated storage space for the team."

"Of course, the most important clause for you is..."

His finger lightly tapped the third line of the contract:

"【Buff Solidification】: As the team leader, my buff effects will be reinforced by the laws and will not be attenuated due to distance or spatial interference."

"I'll sign!"

Without any hesitation, A-Qiang picked up the pen and signed his name crookedly on it.

Are you kidding me? This isn't a contract, it's a ticket to latch onto someone powerful! Forget signing a contract, I'd sell my soul to Zhang Yuan, as long as I get that endless buff, I'd do it!

"Me too, I'll sign..."

Although Tao Tao was a little shy, she didn't move quickly. She stood on tiptoe, leaned over the table, and carefully wrote her name, even drawing a small slime sketch behind it.

We secured two high-quality assets.

Zhang Yuan nodded in satisfaction and put away the two parchments. Then, he picked up the last contract and turned his gaze to Lin Qingyue, who was sitting in the shadows in the corner.

The arrogant demon swordsman was currently sitting cross-legged, holding the broken optical camouflage generator in his hand. He seemed to be studying its structure, but his eyes were actually somewhat unfocused.

Seeing Zhang Yuan looking over, she didn't respond as enthusiastically as the previous two. Instead, she slightly raised her chin, revealing her long, fair neck, and spoke in a cool voice:

"The previous collaboration was pleasant, but it was a temporary job. Now that the mission is over, I'm a free agent."

"I don't like being tied down, and I especially don't like signing long-term contracts that sell myself to others."

The atmosphere froze for a moment. A-Qiang and Tao-Tao looked at each other, not daring to speak, somewhat confused about what this aloof and sophisticated woman was thinking.

Lin Qingyue had just returned from the mission world and was actively inquiring about contract renewal with Zhang Yuan on the platform. Why is she suddenly emphasizing her lone wolf nature now?

"A free agent? That's an interesting term."

Zhang Yuan wasn't angry; instead, he seemed to have heard a joke. He stood up, holding the contract, and walked towards Lin Qingyue step by step, the sound of his leather shoes on the floor steady and rhythmic.

"But in business logic, the so-called free agent often means—no insurance, no maintenance, and having to bear all profits and losses."

He walked up to Lin Qingyue, but didn't get too close, maintaining a polite yet imposing social distance.

"Miss Lin, although I am not clear about the specific operating mechanism of your demon sword, as a professional support, I feel it is necessary to remind you of two sets of data."

Zhang Yuan held up one finger:

"First, throughout the entire Starship Troopers mission, in order to maintain that sword's 'unsealed state,' I infused you with at least 500 MP (mana). That should be equivalent to five times your total mana."

He then raised his second finger:

"Secondly, after each battle, your vital signs will plummet. You should know best what that feeling of weakness is like, even if I don't tell you."

Lin Qingyue's grip on the generator tightened slightly, her expression becoming somewhat unnatural. She instinctively pressed her left hand against the cuff of her right arm—there, the backlash patterns from the demonic sword were throbbing faintly.

Although the man couldn't see the scars, his sensitivity to data was terrifying; he directly hit her weak spot.

"Your knife is a bottomless pit that devours magic and life force."

Zhang Yuan pushed up his glasses, his tone calm to the point of being cold: "Without me as your external energy core, you're just a killing machine that could shut down at any moment due to energy depletion."

Even if you can endure pain, can you endure becoming weak?

"On this train, without sufficient logistical support, how many missions can your 'freedom' sustain? One? Or two?"

Silence. The only sound in the private room was the breathing of everyone.

Lin Qingyue bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes shifting back and forth between Zhang Yuan and the contract.

She wanted to argue back, and she really wanted to say defiantly, "I can live even if I drink blue potion," and she even wanted to throw the contract in his face and say, "I don't need you."

But she did the math, and it was an astronomical figure.

If she relied on taking medicine, the few reward points she earned wouldn't even be enough to satisfy the demonic sword's appetite, let alone strengthen itself.

If I don't sign the contract, I'll lose the thrill of recklessly squandering magic power, and the sense of security of being healed when I'm on the verge of death.

She's going back to those hard times of meticulous budgeting, where she wouldn't dare unleash her ultimate skill just to save a single blue potion.

To make matters worse, the [Demon Blade Crimson Rain] in her arms seemed to sense the surging divine energy emanating from Zhang Yuan—especially the even purer aura that came with Zhang Yuan's recent advancement to D-rank—and surprisingly, it let out a humming sound.

That tremor was clearly a way of begging Zhang Yuan for food.

"Even your knife is more honest than you." Zhang Yuan glanced at the knife with a half-smile.

Lin Qingyue pressed down on the hilt of the knife in embarrassment and anger, forcibly quieting it down, her cheeks flushed red.

……

"There aren't any unfair terms or conditions in this agreement, are there?"

After a long silence, Lin Qingyue finally spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse, her momentum noticeably weaker.

"Of course not." Zhang Yuan smiled, knowing that the negotiations were over.

He gently placed the contract on the table in front of Lin Qingyue and even thoughtfully handed her a quill pen.

"This is just a mutually beneficial long-term maintenance agreement."

"You provide the force, I provide the energy and maintenance. I'll guarantee your blade will always be sharp, and your condition will always be at its peak. And you..."

Zhang Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "All I need is to lend you my sharpest demon sword."

Lin Qingyue looked at the blank space waiting for her signature and took a deep breath.

She knew it was a trap, a cannon fodder disguised as a weapon.

Once she signed, she truly wouldn't be able to leave this man. Whether in battle or...

"A swindler."

She muttered a curse under her breath, her tone carrying a hint of resentment, but more so a sense of resignation and compromise.

She grabbed the pen and quickly signed her name.

【Lin Qingyue】

The handwriting was still sharp, but the last stroke seemed somewhat weak.

"It's just to replenish my magic power! Don't overthink it!" After signing the contract, she pushed it to Zhang Yuan and quickly turned her head to the side.

"Also, you're not allowed to look at me with that 'see-through-all' look anymore, it's really annoying."

"make a deal."

Zhang Yuan smiled as he put away the contract, in a great mood.

now it's right.

This feeling of being half-heartedly resisting, of wanting to reject the body but having no choice but to rely on it, is the strongest bond.

[Note: A fixed team has been formed.]

Team Name: Apocalypse

[Captain: Zhang Yuan.]

Team members: A-Qiang, Tao-Tao, Lin Qing-Yue.

"Alright, everyone."

Zhang Yuan stood up, straightened his collar, and acted as if the psychological battle he had just fought had never happened.

"Now that the team is assembled, what's next..." He walked to the door and pressed the start button. As the heavy, airtight door slowly slid open, the deafening noise from the train plaza once again filled his ears.

Zhang Yuan turned around and waved to the proud and aloof older woman who was still sulking in the corner of the sofa:

"Let's go, beautiful Lin."

"Go get that greedy knife of yours and buy some good stuff to heal it."

Lin Qingyue hesitated for a second, but finally stood up, straightened her slightly disheveled leather jacket, and quickly followed.

Although she was stubborn, her steps honestly followed half a step behind Zhang Yuan.

That is the optimal distance for the guardian, and also the safe distance for the protected.