Chapter 4: Fully Equipped
A gentle breeze blew, and the rampant vegetation within the abandoned city sought to devour this remnant of human civilization. Fortunately, the signs of cutting on the plants prevented this.
Atop a tall building, five contractors stood or sat—three men and two women. They appeared imposing, and in truth, their strength was considerable, earning them some renown within the fifth rank.
“Summoner?”
A one-eyed man with bronze skin spoke. He appeared to be in his early thirties, and the stubble on his face made him look more mature and steady, giving off a reliable vibe. Clearly, this one-eyed man was the representative among the six.
“Obviously.”
Su Xiao shrugged his shoulders, signaling for Baha to land on Amu’s back. The creature was rather large and was somewhat blocking his view.
“This looks cooler.”
Baha whispered as he spread his wings, exuding an imposing aura.
“But you’re completely blocking my view.”
Su Xiao looked at the wing just a few centimeters in front of his face, his cheek twitching.
“Uh~”
Baha was speechless and moved his wing behind Su Xiao’s head.
On the rooftop, the five contractors were also whispering among themselves.
“What’s that guy down there… doing?”
“Looks like he’s communicating with his summon?”
“How much longer do we have to sit here? There’s a steel rod under my ass. And what’s the point of striking this pose?”
“Can’t lose the intimidation factor. Bear with it a little longer. If that guy’s reliable, we’ll pull him into the team. We’re short on hands anyway.”
“Ahem.”
The one-eyed man cleared his throat, signaling his teammates to keep quiet.
“Friend down there, you said you wanted to find a temporary team?”
The one-eyed man called out, his gaze fixed on Su Xiao. Personally, he felt this was most likely a summoner. Earlier, when his teammate fired a shot, the guy’s reaction hadn’t been particularly fast.
“Of course. Going solo means taking on greater risks. I arrived at the ‘Contractor Camp’ a bit late; most of the contractors there had already formed teams.”
Based on the information he had, Su Xiao said what he thought was believable. He had wiped out a team earlier, and that team was clearly searching for something. Moreover, during the fight, the members’ coordination wasn’t very smooth.
That was obviously a temporary team. If it were just one team, Su Xiao wouldn’t have suspected that all contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise started at the ‘Contractor Camp.’ But now, he had encountered a second temporary team.
This team was clearly a cut above the previous one. The five of them showed no wariness toward each other, but their positions suggested they weren’t used to cooperating regularly.
So far, Su Xiao had encountered two groups of Apocalypse Paradise contractors in this world, both in the form of temporary teams. This indicated that their arrival points in this world were very uniform.
Another important point was that compared to Apocalypse contractors entering normally, Su Xiao had arrived later—at least a few days later.
Su Xiao’s ability to think this way wasn’t innate; it was honed through brutal derivative worlds and primordial worlds. Without such skills in the Reincarnation Paradise, dying in battle would only be a matter of time.
“Abnormal entry?”
The one-eyed man frowned, his gaze turning wary.
“I had some issues with my mission in the last world.”
Su Xiao smiled. Sometimes, a slightly suspicious identity was actually more trustworthy.
“Punishment entry, huh. That’s fine then.”
The one-eyed man’s expression softened. He leaped down from the rooftop, and the remaining two men and two women followed suit.
Boom!
Debris flew as the one-eyed man approached Su Xiao. He seemed full of openings, but in reality, he was very alert.
Su Xiao also sized up the one-eyed man. The guy had decent strength and was likely a tank—able to withstand a few strikes.
Su Xiao now needed to infiltrate this team. His first thought was to capture someone alive, but that would mean dragging around a burden for 64 hours.
Moreover, he couldn’t kill the target during those 64 hours. This world’s difficulty wasn’t low, with some areas reaching sixth-rank danger.
During the capture, Su Xiao would need to completely control the enemy’s actions. Once the enemy was utterly hopeless, they would likely try to end themselves. As fifth-rank contractors, it wasn’t impossible for them to do so.
Rather than dragging around a burden and constantly worrying about them committing suicide, it was far better to blend in and strip the mark without the enemy’s knowledge. Meanwhile, the target would still be combat-effective, since no one wanted to die.
More importantly, by interacting with these contractors, Su Xiao could learn the location of the Contractor Camp, as well as the habits, atmosphere, and behavior patterns of Apocalypse Paradise contractors. All of this was valuable, including information about their missions.
Besides, Apocalypse Paradise contractors were wealthy—this was an opportunity to reap benefits.
Even if his identity was exposed, Su Xiao could strike immediately, killing 4 to 5 and leaving 1 to 2 alive for capture. That was the backup plan.
The one-eyed man stopped a few meters in front of Su Xiao, while the other four stood behind him in a semi-encirclement.
“We’re also a temporary team. As long as your strength is sufficient, signing a contract won’t be a problem.”
As soon as the one-eyed man finished speaking, Su Xiao received a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise.
[Hunter is about to sign a contract belonging to the Apocalypse Paradise. Temporary contract being drafted…]
[Drafting complete. Hunter may proceed with this contract signing. This contract will have no binding effects and no anomalies.]
…
Seeing the Reincarnation Paradise’s notification, Su Xiao understood. His chosen method was correct. ‘Free-range branding’ was far better than ‘forced captivity.’
“No problem.”
Su Xiao’s straightforward attitude relieved the one-eyed man. Willingness to sign a contract basically ruled out any malicious intent.
“You should know how dangerous a primordial world is, so I need reliable teammates.”
The one-eyed man’s words were somewhat euphemistic, essentially meaning he wanted to see some of Su Xiao’s attributes.
“That’s only natural.”
Su Xiao naturally wouldn’t refuse. Revealing some attributes was fine.
“Good.”
The one-eyed man’s attitude noticeably warmed. The four behind him also stepped forward. Among the two men, one held a sheathed longsword in his arms. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, with a half-smile on his face and an earring in his right ear. This youth was clearly a melee fighter.
The other carried an oversized shotgun. He was over forty, with various bombs hanging from his waist. A smell of gunpowder emanated from him, indicating he was a mid-to-close-range combatant.
As for the two women, the tall one held a staff and seemed somewhat timid. She wore a robe of light green and white, clearly a healer.
The last woman was petite, with bright eyes and short hair. She wore a fitted white shirt with only three buttons fastened, her left sleeve rolled up to her elbow. She looked energetic overall, but judging by her aura, she was a support type.
The one-eyed man, the team leader, was a tank.
The half-smiling youth with the sword was a melee fighter.
The middle-aged man reeking of gunpowder was a mid-to-close-range firepower specialist.
The timid woman was obviously a healer.
The androgynous-looking girl was a support type.
And the one hiding in the shadows was the sniper who had fired the first shot.
That was the full composition of the six-person team. It was impressive that even a temporary team could be this well-rounded. The number of Apocalypse Paradise contractors was truly astonishing.
Su Xiao was somewhat curious about how these people fought. After all, he had never cooperated with such a fully equipped team. In the Reincarnation Paradise, aside from adventure groups, no team had this kind of setup. As for rare temporary teams, they had almost no coordination. The lone wolves there were each more capable than the last. If you weren’t proficient in melee, ranged combat, and survival, you’d be embarrassed to call yourself a lone wolf in the Reincarnation Paradise—that would be shameful.