Chapter 347: Chapter 347

"Not using your full strength? Ha," Tan Ke rubbed his hands. "Even if you were, it wouldn’t matter. No one can match my explosive power right now, and arm wrestling requires skill too."

Once both were ready, Snake Spirit shouted from the side, "3, 2, 1, start!"

As the signal was given, everyone’s attention focused. After all, they were quite curious about just how strong this young lady truly was.

Jing Shu took a deep breath and suddenly unleashed all the strength in her body. She felt as if an endless surge of all energies was erupting from within her, seemingly inexhaustible—an uncontrollable force that, once unleashed, could never be reclaimed.

The muscular man tensed instantly, roaring as he also unleashed all his power. But then, everyone saw the veins on Tan Ke’s neck and arms bulge, his clothes ripping apart with a series of SNAPS, and his roar twisted into a scream of agony.

In almost an instant, Tan Ke managed a slight resistance for barely a second before his hand was wrenched to the other side.

Not only that, but Tan Ke’s entire wrist was violently smashed onto the solid wood table, creating a loud impact. The table, as if struck by a heavy hammer, splintered, and a large hole appeared, Tan Ke’s powerful fist buried within the wood.

Everyone stared, agape, at the scene. This... was simply a one-hit KO!

Seeing Tan Ke’s bulging veins and streaming sweat, it was obvious he had given his all. In contrast, Jing Shu seemed to have won as effortlessly as if arm-wrestling a child—an almost laughably easy victory. Afterward, Jing Shu said sheepishly, "Sorry, I really couldn’t control my strength."

Monkey and Monk both swallowed hard, and even Lingling stared at Jing Shu in disbelief. This was the first time everyone truly began to take Jing Shu seriously.

Tan Ke’s hand was stuck in the table in an extremely twisted position. He was sweating from the pain. "Broken, it’s broken!"

Zhen Nantian checked the injury. "It’s fine, just a minor fracture. Rest for about ten days, and it should heal." He then turned to Jing Shu. "Miss Jing, this might be a good chance to test your medicine’s efficacy. We’ve provisionally set the price at 100 Contribution Value for one dose. What do you think?"

Jing Shu nodded. If Tan Ke couldn’t use his arms to absorb damage and draw fire at the front, she would be in danger too. She took out a Wanzi she had made from diluted Spiritual Spring mixed with some Chinese medicinal herbs.

To make them convenient and appear professional, she had specifically categorized them—topical Wanzi, oral Wanzi, hemostatic Wanzi, and so on. Each Wanzi was only about the size of a fingernail. To prevent them from sticking together, Jing Shu had wrapped each one in candy paper. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩

Jing Shu took out one of the ’candies,’ unwrapped it, took out the Wanzi, and then tore it into three pieces. In front of everyone, she rolled them into three smaller Wanzi. She crumbled one and applied it to the wound. She then wrapped the remaining two Wanzi back in the candy paper and handed them to Tan Ke. "Apply once a day. It’ll be healed in three days."

Yang Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Did you upgrade your secret medicine?" He remembered last year when Jing Shu’s secret medicine had been such a rip-off—just a few drops of water in a tiny bottle. He’d thought it would have dried up long before they even reached the United States.

The others looked at the so-called ’secret medicine’ with a mixture of doubt and belief, unable to speak for a moment. Even Tan Ke looked at Jing Shu doubtfully. However, after seeing Zhen Nantian nod, he finally pouted. "I hope your medicine works and isn’t just some sugar paste meant to fool us. Otherwise, don’t even think about getting that 100 Contribution Value. What rotten luck, losing 100 Contribution Value right after setting out."

Nevertheless, whether it was Tan Ke or the members of the Imperial Capital squad, they all acknowledged Jing Shu’s strength. Seizing the moment, Jing Shu suggested that Tan Ke could still wear the Mecha. However, he was ambitious and declared that he would only feel worthy to wear the War Armor after he could defeat Jing Shu.

Emmm... there’s something I want to say, but I’m not sure if I should.

Next, Monkey and Hao Yunlai introduced themselves. With that, all nine members of the squad had been introduced, and they had a basic understanding of each other.

Yang Yang had everyone gather around the large dining table again. Pointing to a map, he said, "As the intelligence and mission officer for this operation, I’m also responsible for issuing missions from above and making strategic decisions. Now, let me first explain the system rules and the target for our first stop."

Jing Shu perked up her ears. The plane’s engines roared, drowning out any other ambient noise.

"This time, we’re still using the Contribution Value system. When executing missions assigned by our superiors, that period is considered ’mission time.’ All mission-related materials obtained during this time will be requisitioned by the group, and you will be credited with the corresponding Contribution Value.

When handling personal matters, please do so outside of mission time. Any materials you acquire then are yours to manage. Personal goods can still be exchanged for Contribution Value to cover transportation costs back to Huaxia."

Jing Shu had a sudden realization. So, all materials related to mission targets obtained during mission time must be handed over, but we’ll be rewarded with Contribution Value. Then, any goods we acquire personally can be shipped back using Contribution Value to cover the transport fees. That must be how Yang Yang used Contribution Value to ship his RV back!

Jing Shu grew excited. This way, I can ship one batch back and hide another in my space. I could totally make a double profit! How thrilling! This Contribution Value... truly, the more of it, the better. No wonder such capable people are all about it, and no wonder Yang Yang’s eyes lit up when he mentioned coming to the United States!

Contribution Value was a good thing; it probably determined how much one could transport back to Huaxia.

Yang Yang continued to explain, "I will record everyone’s Contribution Value. Contribution Value can be freely traded, even swapped, and can also be used as currency within our circle. Although this mission is a team effort, it doesn’t cover food, weapons, or ammunition. You’ll need to provide your own or use Contribution Value to exchange for them from me or your teammates. You can even use Contribution Value to request national rescue, though that’s very costly. Additionally, depending on rank, B-rank members can receive an advance of 500 Contribution Value, B+ can get 1,000, A- can get 1,500, and so on.

Finally, for all missions, prioritize personal safety above the mission itself. If necessary, consider your own and your teammates’ lives first; you can abandon the mission. I hope that however many of us go, that’s how many will return."

Given that Yang Yang managed to bring everyone back safely last year despite such dangerous circumstances, surely with her here this time, and everyone being so incredibly strong, there wouldn’t be any casualties, right?

Ugh, curse it. Not long after, she reflected that she really wasn’t suited to tempting fate, because destiny always seemed to delight in proving her wrong, never letting things go her way.

"Alright, now let’s discuss our first destination: Sacramento. It’s currently a U.S. city bordering Mexico. The recent earthquake caused countless Mexicans to flood into Sacramento searching for food and supplies. This has also attracted the covetous attention of numerous neighboring countries. Consequently, it has not only become a war-torn area but is also now known as a ’lawless’ zone."