Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

Zhao Hai glanced at Chen Ye, and there was gratitude in that glance.

He didn't expect Chen Ye to stand up for him at this time, and he didn't expect that every word Chen Ye said would be just right.

He took a deep breath and made a decision.

"I won't take any of you with me. My abilities are limited. You'll have to figure things out yourselves—find a teacher, find Li Jiahao, or form your own teams. In short, I can't take you."

Zhao Hai's voice was deeper and more steady than before, as if he had thought about this decision over and over again in his mind.

After saying that, he stopped looking at their faces, turned around, and lowered his voice to say, "Let's go."

"Wait a moment."

Chen Ye's voice came from behind him, not loud, but Zhao Hai heard it.

He stopped and turned his head: "What?"

Chen Ye walked to his side, lowered his voice, and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear, "There are two people we can bring along."

Zhao Hai frowned: "Who?"

"Zhou Yating".

Chen Ye's gaze passed over Zhao Hai's shoulder and landed on the girl in the crowd wearing pink bear pajamas. Zhou Yating was standing next to Zhao Ruoxi, her expression much calmer than most of the others.

"She has an A-rank talent [Elemental Affinity]. Although she says she has no combat power now, I don't need to say more about the potential of an A-rank talent. She will definitely be a major fighting force in the later stages."

Zhao Hai nodded slightly: "And the second one?"

"Gu Qinghuan".

"Gu Qinghuan?"

Zhao Hai frowned slightly; he didn't recognize Gu Qinghuan.

"right."

"What are her talents?"

"I'm not sure, you'll know if you ask Zhou Yating, but I feel that her talent is extraordinary."

Chen Ye's expression remained unchanged as he turned his gaze to Gu Qinghuan, who was standing at the edge of the crowd.

Zhao Hai followed Chen Ye's gaze.

Gu Qinghuan stood at the very edge of the crowd, her black silk nightgown appearing like a crack in the grayish-white mist.

Unlike the others who shrank into the crowd, she stood there, her gaze calmly fixed on the depths of the gray fog.

Zhao Hai knew very well that the calmness was not feigned. Just like him, with his S-level talent, he didn't really have much fear, especially after he had just blasted the monster away with one punch.

He has seen many kinds of people on the court. There is one kind of person who, when the game is in its final seconds and the score is close, not only doesn't get nervous, but becomes unusually calm.

That calmness wasn't numbness or sluggishness, but rather a kind of confidence—confidence that one could make the game-winning shot.

In the current environment, this means Gu Qinghuan has absolute confidence that she can deal with the monster.

"You're right, she's not simple."

Zhao Hai lowered his voice.

Chen Ye added, "Moreover, she doesn't stick with anyone. In this environment, not sticking with anyone means either being a fool or having the ability to survive on your own. She's clearly not a fool."

Zhao Hai nodded, then hesitated for a moment: "But will she come with us?"

Chen Ye withdrew his gaze: "Let's give it a try. Even if we don't want to, we won't lose anything."

"Okay, let's invite Zhou Yating first, and while we're at it, let's ask her what Gu Qinghuan's talent is."

After saying that, Zhao Hai turned and walked towards Zhou Yating.

But as soon as he took two steps, he saw a scene that made his blood pressure rise.

Li Jiahao had somehow walked up to Zhou Yating's side.

What is he saying?

Zhou Yating is listening.

Zhao Hai paused for a moment, then quickened his pace.

He strode over and stood directly between Zhou Yating and Li Jiahao, using his 1.95-meter height to completely block Li Jiahao's view.

"Zhou Yating, come with me."

Zhao Hai didn't beat around the bush or offer any pleasantries; he got straight to the point.

Zhou Yating looked up at him without saying a word.

Li Jiahao walked around behind Zhao Hai and said, "Zhao Hai, that's not right. There's a proper order to things. I invited the class monitor first."

Zhao Hai didn't look at Li Jiahao, his gaze remained fixed on Zhou Yating: "Zhou Yating, my team has one A-level and two B-level members besides myself, an S-level member. Our combat strength is sufficient."

"Although I'm not very bright, I know how to listen to advice. Chen Ye will stay with me; he's smart. If you come to my side, we'll have no problem surviving the next 24 hours."

Li Jiahao chuckled lightly: "Zhao Hai, you make it sound like my side isn't safe. Squad leader, although I don't have any S-ranks here..."

"But my talent can play a role that is no less important than that of an S-class player in crucial moments. And my team doesn't need anyone else to do tactical analysis for me."

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Zhou Yating looked at Zhao Hai, then at Li Jiahao, and remained silent for about three seconds.

"I'll go with you."

She said this to Zhao Hai.

"Can you tell me why? We're classmates! Why are you following this brute instead of me?"

Li Jiahao's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhou Yating glanced at him: "Because Zhao Hai's team is stronger than yours. Although your talent is amazing, it's only limited to protecting yourself. Can you make me use the ethereal form?"

Li Jiahao's expression finally changed slightly, but he didn't say anything more and turned back to his team.

Sun Kai leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Hao, Zhou Yating, she..."

"It's nothing," Li Jiahao interrupted him. "Since the class monitor doesn't want to join us, there's no point in him staying here. Let's go."

After saying that, he led his two henchmen straight toward the exit. There was no need for him to stay any longer once the main group had dispersed.

In his view, either there is strength in numbers, or there is a small target with few people. A large group like this, where all the experts have run away, is not an aid but a burden, so he naturally doesn't care about their lives.

On the other side, Zhao Hai led Zhou Yating back to his own team.

Chen Ye watched Zhou Yating walk over, nodded slightly, then stepped forward, lowering his voice to a level that only the two of them could hear.

"Squad leader, I have a question for you."

"explain."

"What is Gu Qinghuan's talent in our class?"

Zhou Yating glanced at him, thought for a couple of seconds, and then said, "What she told me was the C-level talent [Mental Enhancement], with an initial mental strength of +2, similar to your C-level talent [Monstrous Strength], which has an initial strength of +2."

"understood."

Chen Ye nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the edge of the crowd.

Gu Qinghuan was still standing there, her gaze still fixed on the deep gray fog in the distance.

Chen Ye walked up to her and stopped.

The two people were about two meters apart.

"Do you want to join Zhao Hai's team?"

Chen Ye didn't exchange pleasantries or lay any groundwork; he went straight to the question.

Gu Qinghuan finally turned her gaze away from the gray fog and onto Chen Ye's face.

"unnecessary."

She said those three words in a very indifferent tone.

Chen Ye looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "You really have C-level talent?"

"Take advantage of this time and get off the train quickly, or you'll run into trouble."

Gu Qinghuan didn't answer Chen Ye's question, but instead said something inexplicable.

She then walked towards the platform exit, her black silk nightgown fading into the grayish-white mist until it slowly disappeared.