You said you'd fail to awaken your powers, but you're actually a master of top-tier abilit

After hearing Zhao Renjie's explanation, Su Ming's doubts were somewhat relieved, but a new question immediately arose.

Looking at Zhao Renjie, whose expression remained calm, as if the thrilling scene just moments before was merely a routine interlude, he couldn't help but ask, "Professor Zhao, so from the very beginning of this mission, you knew that there would be a Grandmaster-level assassin from the Dark Council lying in ambush?"

"And you made us, the unsuspecting students with only fourth-tier martial artist strength, accompany you to Cave Number Four just to lure the snake out?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zihan, Zhang Yang, Li Hao, and the four military personnel standing nearby all changed their expressions slightly, and their gazes turned to Zhao Renjie.

Zhao Renjie paused in his cutting of the ferocious beast materials, then nodded frankly, a slightly apologetic smile on his face, and said to Su Ming:

"I apologize for not fully explaining the situation to you beforehand. The assassins of the Dark Council are very cunning and their whereabouts are difficult to pinpoint. I had no choice but to resort to this tactic."

After speaking, Zhao Renjie paused, adjusted his glasses, and continued, "The news that I went out to collect the Demon Source Flower was indeed deliberately released. Given my identity and the project I am currently researching, it is enough to attract the Dark Council to take the risk. As for involving you students, it is because I was afraid that an overly powerful guard team would deter the Dark Council from taking action."

"However, the school has made ample preparations for this operation, and has secretly arranged another protective force. The one you just saw is one of the powerful individuals who are protecting us in secret."

Although Zhao Renjie's tone was calm, everyone still felt a lingering fear.

In reality, they were all used as bait to fish on this mission.

The assassination attempt was at the level of a grandmaster; if it weren't for the timely intervention of Senior Mo Wendao, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Moreover, the beast tide they had just witnessed and the arrow shot at them by the Dark Council assassin truly made them feel like they had just escaped death.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Yang took a deep breath and spoke first: "Professor Zhao, we understand that the Dark Council is of great importance, but we hope that if there is a next time, the school can give us a heads-up in advance."

"Yes, Professor Zhao, you really gave us a fright just now!"

As soon as Zhang Yang finished speaking, Song Zihan chimed in.

As third-year students, the two were obviously aware of the rampant activities of the Dark Council, but having just experienced a life-or-death crisis, they couldn't help but feel resentful.

"If I had told you in advance that you would be easily spotted by those shrewd people in the Dark Council, things wouldn't have turned out this way, hahaha."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Renjie shook his head and smiled.

Seeing that Su Ming and Zhang Yang's expressions hadn't improved much, he added, "Alright, I admit the school didn't consider this carefully. Regardless of whether you catch the Dark Council assassins or not, how about giving each of you an extra 300 credits?"

"That's more like it, hehe."

Upon hearing Zhao Renjie's promise, Su Ming, Zhang Yang, and the others nodded with smiles.

Seeing this, Zhao Renjie sighed helplessly, and then said, "Thank you all for your hard work this time. Let's clean up the battlefield first. These are real spoils of war."

His reminder brought everyone back to their senses from the terrifying incident, and their eyes burned with renewed fervor as they looked at the carcasses of ferocious beasts scattered throughout the canyon.

Although this mission exceeded their expectations, it was fortunate that it ended without any major incidents. Moreover, without the assassin from the Dark Council, they would not have had such a huge gain.

Su Ming stopped worrying about it and started dealing with the surrounding ferocious beast corpses.

Risk and reward go hand in hand. Although this mission was fraught with danger, his gains were enormous. He not only obtained a massive amount of enhancement points, but also evolved his superpower to S-rank, resulting in a surge in his strength.

The group then threw themselves back into their busy collection work.

With Zhao Renjie's help, everyone was able to process the beast's corpse much faster.

About forty minutes later, all the valuable materials from the ferocious beasts in the entire canyon had been collected and piled up into a small mountain.

Zhao Renjie's spatial ring flashed with light as he collected all the materials: "We'll calculate the value of these materials back home, convert them into credits, and then redistribute them. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No objections!" everyone responded in unison.

It would be safest to have Zhao Renjie keep and handle it.

Whoosh!

Just then, a streak of light flashed across the distant horizon and landed swiftly in front of everyone; it was Mo Wendao, who had gone to pursue the assassin.

He was also carrying a middle-aged man who was weak and unconscious.

The man was pale and his black clothes were torn in many places, indicating that he had been completely subdued after a fierce battle.

"Old Mo, how's it going?"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Renjie's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward to ask.

Mo Wendao casually tossed the man to the ground, his tone indifferent: "Caught him. This guy is slippery and quite strong. It took me a bit more effort. I've crippled him. I'll definitely take him back for a proper interrogation this time."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work." Zhao Renjie nodded.

Mo Wendao's gaze swept over the ravaged canyon and the unharmed crowd, pausing for a moment on Su Ming, a hint of surprise and approval flashing in his eyes.

Clearly, Su Ming's previous performance had also exceeded his expectations.

"Mission accomplished, let's head back!"

"yes!"

Zhao Renjie waved his hand, and everyone immediately agreed.

With Grandmaster Mo Wendao accompanying them, the return journey became incredibly smooth.

The powerful aura of the Grandmaster realm spread out, and all the ferocious beasts along the way fled in terror. The group returned to the entrance of Cave 4 in the Demon City at a much faster speed than they had come. After passing through the cave passage, they returned to the military base outside.

After completing the handover procedures, everyone took a helicopter back to Magic Ocean University.

Back at school, Zhao Renjie immediately went to handle the follow-up matters, while Su Ming, Song Zihan, and others soon received a notification on their student IDs that the mission was completed.

[Quest "Assist Professor Zhao Renjie in collecting Magic Source Flowers" completed, reward: 120 credits]

[Special Contribution Reward: Successfully handling a sudden crisis and assisting in drawing out a Grandmaster-level assassin from the Dark Council, reward: 300 credits]

"Not bad, you've earned 420 credits in just two days. If you had missions like this every day, you could accumulate 5,000 credits a month."

Looking at the 420 credits that had arrived in his account, Su Ming smiled and murmured something to himself.

Beside him, Song Zihan, Zhang Yang, and Li Hao were also beaming with joy.

"Junior Su Ming, come on, let me treat you to a good meal at the school cafeteria."

At this moment, Song Zihan suddenly stepped forward and extended an invitation to Su Ming.

"Yeah, junior Su Ming, we've earned a lot of credits this time, we have to celebrate properly, let's all go out for a meal."

As soon as Song Zihan finished speaking, Zhang Yang stepped forward and said to Su Ming, and Li Hao did the same behind him.

Su Ming's displayed strength had completely won them over, making them realize just how monstrous his talent truly was.

All three of them wanted to get along well with a prodigy like Su Ming.

However, Su Ming shook his head and replied with a smile, "Thank you, seniors, but I have something to take care of. Let's talk again next time."

After saying that, without waiting for Song Zihan and Zhang Yang to respond, Su Ming turned around and left in a flash.

Seeing this, Song Zihan and the other two could only exchange helpless glances and then head towards the school cafeteria together.