Chapter 367: Chapter 367

Monkey was at a loss, unsure whether he should tell them to be slower or faster. Slower meant prolonged suffering; faster seemed crude. Ah Huang bared his teeth, worried for his master, while Fat Chicken constantly schemed to pluck some fur. In this chilly weather, the dog’s fur seemed exceptionally warm.

No one openly questioned the bizarre incident where Jing Shu used insects to devour the heads of two big men, but everyone was tacitly aware of what had happened. After all, Jing Shu had single-handedly killed four people, while Monkey, a B+ ranker, had struggled in a one-versus-two fight and even sustained injuries. So, what exactly was Jing Shu’s rank? For more chapters visıt 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍

Tan Ke patted Jing Shu on the shoulder. "Looks like we need to request a re-evaluation of your rank from the higher-ups. We’ve all seen your strength these past few days."

Snake Spirit hissed, "How about we classify you as an ’all-rounder’? Though you’re still a bit behind our captain."

"Is there any benefit to a higher rank? Is there money involved? If not, then never mind."

"The only benefit of a higher rank is privilege. For those S-rank and above, the country records your dossier, and your identity is recognized throughout all of Huaxia."

"Oh," Jing Shu was a bit disappointed.

Jing Shu had initially wanted to take Fat Chicken to a pet combat competition. However, because their team had accidentally killed quite a few people during their matches, many spectators left the Duel Arena. Consequently, no one was participating in the betting matches, so Jing Shu had to give it up for the time being.

Tan Ke went to the task hall to check if there were any missions with high Black Market Coin rewards, Snake Spirit joined a solo competition, and Monkey went back to recuperate from his injuries. An exhausted Jing Shu also returned to her room to sleep.

The next day, Jing Shu and her group participated in the team challenge match again. However, their reputation had become quite prominent. They possessed at least A-rank mercenary strength, not to mention Jing Shu, a Wizard skilled in Cup Skill. As expected, no teams were willing to fight life-and-death matches against them; even teams for matches with low penalties were scarce.

A-rank mercenaries could make a name for themselves in the Underground Black Market.

They watched as other teams engaged in bloody battles across the arena, quickly finding opponents, yet no one dared to challenge their group.

Eventually, they could no longer be selective about their matches and had to accept any available team challenge. Opposing teams had the right to refuse, but at the cost of a 10% fee. Two teams, unable to afford this fee, were forced to fight.

These two matches were incredibly bizarre, seemingly designed to satisfy the Nobles’ more grotesque desires. One match consisted of six mini-games, with victory going to the team that won the most.

One mini-game involved holding one’s breath in a pool; the contestant who held out the longest would win.

To win, the opposing team knocked one of their own teammates unconscious and threw him into the pool, holding him underwater. Jing Shu was initially worried Snake Spirit might suffocate, and Tan Ke even forfeited that round. Unexpectedly, Snake Spirit stayed underwater for a full five minutes. Meanwhile, the unconscious opponent suffocated and died. Snake Spirit, however, was still lively, claiming that water snakes are naturally adept at breathing underwater.

Hey, does he have gills or something?

Another mini-game involved two people slapping each other’s faces; the first who couldn’t persist or lost consciousness won. In this round, Tan Ke went up. He received three slaps and delivered four to his opponent, knocking him out and ending the game.

The audience and the Nobles found the experience utterly lacking; there was no challenge!

Another game Jing Shu participated in was the knife-throwing game. Each person would throw ten knives, and the one who hit the most targets—naturally, the opponent—would win. This round was more dangerous, with a risk to life, but Jing Shu expressed that compared to other competition events, this was really the only kind she could participate in.

Jing Shu admitted that while her archery was accurate, her knife-throwing was not. She was certainly not better than an opponent with professional training. However, there was no rule stating you had to throw from a distance, right?

As soon as the match began, her opponent started throwing knives directly at her with chilling accuracy and cruelty, aiming specifically for her eyes. Jing Shu showed no mercy. Taking advantage of the small arena, she chased her opponent down, beat them to death, then laid the body on the ground and threw her ten knives into it. A 100% hit rate! Jing Shu prevailed!

"Oh, what a cunning Huaxia person."

What was supposed to be the highlight of this match? An exchange of stabs, a test of endurance to see who could last. It was meant to be thrilling, but it was utterly ruined.

The host was unhappy. But Jing Shu hadn’t broken any rules. It wasn’t stated that killing an opponent before throwing was a violation. So, reluctantly, the host had to declare Jing Shu victorious. For the next match, the referee stipulated that competitors could not kill their opponents first.

This match resulted in a poor experience for the audience and the Nobles!

The subsequent matches fully demonstrated a key difference: foreigners played strictly by the rules. In contrast, Huaxia people actively looked for loopholes, figuring out any way to win. It was much like examinations: foreigners focused on answering questions correctly, while Huaxia people focused on how to answer questions correctly even if they didn’t know the material, driven by a strong sense of purpose.

This indeed epitomized the saying: "The ends justify the means."

The second match was even more inhumane. Just thinking about it made Jing Shu feel disgusted.

After an entire day, they had only won 3,000 Black Market Coins. There was nothing else to be done. Tan Ke said they should think of other methods. Regardless, their popularity that day was off the charts. Now that Jing Shu had her own little treasury, she finally went to register, pulling Fat Chicken along.

"Today, I’m betting all my Black Market Coins!"

When they heard Jing Shu was taking Fat Chicken to enter the pet combat competition, her teammates were intrigued. Monkey was also somewhat tempted, as this was the only type of event where they could participate in betting.

"But in the pet battles, there’s no right to refuse. Assignments are random and filled with uncertainty. What if we’re unlucky and get matched against the toughest crocodile in the Black Market?" This was Monkey’s biggest worry.

After observing for two days, Jing Shu noted that dozens of pet battles were held daily. Sometimes, when there weren’t enough pets, wild animals were caught to make up the numbers. So, the chance of encountering the crocodile was only about one percent.

"Okay, I’ll bet 100 Black Market Coins on your Fat Chicken winning." Tan Ke pulled out his money.

"I’ll bet 500," Lingling muttered, head down.

"I’ll bet 50." Little Black put down his meal money for the day. Regarding Fat Chicken, they didn’t have much confidence. However, observing it over the past few days, it laid many eggs, proving to be a good chicken. It had even pecked Ah Huang yesterday, which suggested it might be quite fierce.

It seems to be a bit stronger than an ordinary chicken. That was pretty much their consensus.

Jing Shu smiled. "You only get one chance. Not betting more?"

"Then I’ll add another 300." Monkey gritted his teeth. Any animal that can bully Ah Huang must have some capability. Whether it’s a mule or a donkey, we’ll know once it’s on the track.

Jing Shu said no more and bet all her earnings from the last two days. Her teammates looked at her in surprise. Jing Shu simply smiled, pulled Fat Chicken into the arena. The real show is about to begin.

"Fat Chicken, win, and I’ll reward you with a chicken leg."