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

One hour later.

Export from the trading market.

Tang Jingxin, along with his four henchmen and Jiang Ning, walked out of the crowd at a moderate pace. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the buildings on both sides of the street, as if confirming the direction.

Jiang Ning walked to his right, half a step behind, her face expressionless.

"Let's go back to the hotel."

Tang Jingxin spoke casually.

"Brother Tang, wait for me."

Jian Lan's voice came from behind her. She jogged to catch up with the group, her bangs ruffled by the wind, and her breathing slightly rapid.

Tang Jing didn't even turn his head and continued walking forward.

The group of seven crossed the street and headed towards the hotel.

Tang Jingxin suddenly spoke up: "Jiang Ning, you said that Chen Ye has a C-level talent?"

Jiang Ning glanced at him sideways: "Yes, it's a C-level talent, a talent that slightly increases basic strength."

Tang Jingxin frowned slightly: "He's ranked sixth on the level leaderboard, the same level as you, level 6. Is that something a C-rank talent can achieve? Also, the monsters that drop silver treasure chests are at least elite monsters. He was able to kill monsters of that strength in the second trial. How could he possibly be a C-rank talent?"

"Because he obtained a powerful skill in the first trial, which gave him the equivalent of S-level combat power. As for the monster that dropped the silver treasure chest, it was killed by several S-level combat power members. He just happened to pick it up."

Jiang Ning spoke calmly, as if stating something he had confirmed many times before.

Tang Jingxin didn't reply immediately. He shifted his gaze from Jiang Ning's face to the distant city skyline. He knew very well that a skill book was not enough to make a C-level talent comparable to an S-level talent, and even an A-level skill couldn't.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Jiang Ning continued, "No matter what grade his skill is, using skills requires stamina. That 'Exploding Arrow' book just now basically emptied their team's potion reserves. No matter how strong his skill is, without potions, he can't use it indefinitely."

Tang Jingxin nodded slightly, the curve of her lips more pronounced than before.

What Jiang Ning said is true; the higher the skill grade, the more energy it consumes.

Even if they were given SSS-level skills at their current level, it's uncertain whether they would be able to use them, because their level caps on their stamina.

Jiang Ning glanced at Tang Jingxin, a tiny smile curving her lips.

Neither of them spoke again.

Jian Lan, who was walking at the very back, kept watching Jiang Ning's back.

She no longer knew what Jiang Ning was thinking.

While discussing with Tang Jingxin how to deal with Chen Ye, he secretly asked her to contact Chen Ye and work together to kill Tang Jingxin.

The message Jiang Ning asked her to deliver to Chen Ye was actually a mixture of truth and falsehood.

Tang Jingxin did not rob them. It was Jiang Ning who gave Tang Jingxin the potion and the bronze treasure chest, and told Tang Jingxin that Chen Ye had a silver treasure chest.

But judging from what Jiang Ning said to Tang Jingxin just now, it was clear that she wanted Tang Jingxin to underestimate Chen Ye. Even she could see that Chen Ye couldn't possibly have a C-level talent. How could Jiang Ning not see that?

Jian Lan withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and looked at the ground beneath her feet, no longer thinking about these issues. She believed that Jiang Ning naturally had his own reasons for doing this.

……

Star Hotel.

Inside a private room.

The round table was laden with dishes: braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, and a large bowl of rice.

These dishes cost Chen Ye 30 points.

The dishes weren't particularly fancy, but they were piping hot, and the aroma filled the private room—a world apart from the smell of those compressed biscuits.

Six people sat around the table, but no one touched their chopsticks.

Qin Zhaoyang's eyes swept back and forth across the dishes on the table several times, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He already had his chopsticks in his hand, but Chen Ye didn't move, and he felt embarrassed to move first.

"Class monitor, hasn't Wen Ning arrived yet?"

Qin Zhaoyang turned his head to look at Zhou Yating, his tone carrying a hint of impatience.

Zhou Yating checked the system chat: "They should be here soon. I wonder if we can get any useful information from Wen Ning while we're preparing this big meal."

Chen Ye leaned back in his chair, his hands in his pockets: "Anyway, we need to eat too. It would be best if we could get some information about Tang Jingxin, but if we can't, we can just consider it making a friend."

"It would be too extravagant for us to spend the cost of two nights' room in one meal."

Zhao Hai's lips twitched. They weren't exactly rolling in money right now; that skill book had already drained most of the team's resources.

Wang Shuo leaned back in his chair casually: "Brother Hai, that's not right of you. As the saying goes, 'Drink today, for tomorrow we may die.' If we're doomed in the next trial, we'll make a profit by eating now."

Li Zheng glanced at him sideways: "Can you shut the hell up? You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

This time, Wang Shuo unusually refrained from retorting to Li Zheng, instead awkwardly scratching his head and chuckling twice.

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open.

Wen Ning walked in.

She changed her clothes, wearing a dark gray knit sweater with black casual pants, and her hair was loose over her shoulders.

Wen Ning's gaze swept over the steaming dishes on the table: "You guys are really extravagant, eating so well, aren't you tired of it?"

Chen Ye smiled slightly: "We've been eating compressed biscuits for a few days now, it's time to improve our meals. Have a seat."

Zhou Yating got up and pulled out the chair next to her.

Wen Ning sat down and, without any ceremony, picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, took a bite, and narrowed her eyes slightly: "Really good."

"Let's eat first, then we'll talk."

After Chen Ye finished speaking, everyone began to eat and drink heartily.

Chopsticks flew across the plate, the broth from the braised pork was mixed into the rice, and the bones from the sweet and sour pork ribs were piled up like a small mountain on the dish.

Qin Zhaoyang's eating habits were particularly ferocious. His mouth was stuffed full of food, yet he would still reach for the next piece with his chopsticks, his cheeks bulging like a hamster's.

"This is the most delicious meal I've ever had in my life."

Qin Zhaoyang mumbled something, a grain of rice still clinging to the corner of his mouth.

Wang Shuo glanced at him sideways: "Look at your pathetic self."

"You're not much better; you ate half a plate of braised pork all by yourself."

"You're talking nonsense! I ate three pieces and that's half a plate?"

"Is that three pieces? You haven't stopped talking since the meal started."

"Did you count them?"

"I didn't count, but I have eyes."

Wen Ning watched Qin Zhaoyang and Wang Shuo bickering, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, but she didn't say anything and just quietly ate the food in her bowl.

The noise in the private room continued for a while, then gradually subsided.

Chen Ye put down his chopsticks, picked up a tissue from the table to wipe his hands, and then looked up at Wen Ning.

Wen Ning also put down her chopsticks. She leaned back in her chair and met Chen Ye's gaze: "You invited me to a big meal because you wanted to ask about Tang Jingxin, right?"

Wen Ning spoke calmly, without probing, and directly revealed the purpose of the meal.