Chapter 927: Chapter 927

Lin Chen looked at the cup in his hand, his face full of embarrassment.

No wonder this water tasted so sweet—it turned out it was flavored by a beauty's saliva.

"You!" Lan Xingyue glared at Lin Chen.

"Don't be so stingy. So what if I had a sip of your water? Here's the cup back." Lin Chen grinned.

"I don't want the cup you've used!" Lan Xingyue said angrily.

Long Yin, watching the two who seemed like fire and water at first meeting, shook his head helplessly and said, "I still have plenty of tea here. The two of you can drink from this."

"No need, this one's fine. Actually, there's a trendy term for this—it's called an indirect kiss, right?" Lin Chen chuckled.

"You!" Lan Xingyue shot to her feet, ready to tussle with him again.

Long Yin coughed, "Alright, you two, stop messing around. Time is tight—let's get to the main topic."

Lin Chen glanced at the fiery-eyed Lan Xingyue and nodded, "Miss Beauty, have a seat. Look at you getting all worked up."

Lan Xingyue's cheeks turned red as she lowered her head. Sure enough, her buttons had popped open in her earlier anger, and her ample figure had mischievously peeked out at some point.

"Close your filthy eyes!" Lan Xingyue roared furiously and quickly turned her head away.

Seeing the two finally calm down, Long Yin spoke, "Lin Chen, this time going into the secret realm isn't just about receiving the rewards in there. There's also an important mission."

"Mission?" Lin Chen was taken aback.

"Sorry, the details of this mission are top-secret, and I can't share them. For specifics, I'll let Xingyue explain," Long Yin said with a slight smile.

Xingyue glanced at Lin Chen and said, "This time, I'll serve as the team leader, and everything will proceed under my command."

Lin Chen leaned back on the sofa and nodded, "Alright!"

Lan Xingyue had originally thought Lin Chen would fight her over the leader position, but to her surprise, he agreed so readily.

The truth was, Lin Chen didn't argue because he found it troublesome. A team leader had to manage every aspect of the team's needs while also being responsible for overall planning—an overly tedious job. Even if it were offered to him, he would decline.

Lan Xingyue continued, "The secret realm we're heading to this time is called the Moonlight Forest."

"Moonlight Forest? Such a beautiful name," Lin Chen exclaimed.

Lan Xingyue nodded, "It is truly beautiful inside, but the more beautiful the place, the deadlier it can be."

"Dangerous? Isn't the secret realm supposed to be a place of rewards? Why would there be danger?" Lin Chen asked, puzzled.

Lan Xingyue smiled, "There's a Chinese saying: 'Fortune comes from danger.' Obtaining the token to enter the secret realm is just the first test. The real challenge lies within the forest."

"How dangerous is it?" Lin Chen's gaze turned serious.

Lin Chen glanced towards his team, and he couldn't help but frown. Jiang Qian, Li Moyu, and Gao Qi weren't true Martial Artists. If it was truly perilous, he would have to consider pulling them out.

Lan Xingyue said indifferently, "Nine deaths and one life. Among your teammates, only Zhao Xiaohua and Wang Zixuan are qualified to enter."

"Nine deaths and one life?" Lin Chen looked into Lan Xingyue's pretty eyes and could tell she wasn't joking.

"I understand. I'll talk to those girls," Lin Chen nodded.

It was true that there were many benefits in the secret realm, but safety always came first. If one lost their life, everything else would be meaningless.

Lan Xingyue continued, "Now, including your two teammates, you and I make four people. We still need a few more members."

"You've already picked the other members, haven't you?" Lin Chen smiled.

Lan Xingyue nodded and pulled up a slideshow. "This girl's name is Mu Yuqiu. She's the top sniper of our dragon team, with a 100% accuracy rate. Her bullets never miss their mark."

Lin Chen looked at the screen, nodding at the beauty in camouflage holding a sniper rifle, "Not bad!"

"What did you say?" Lan Xingyue glared at him.

Lin Chen quickly clarified, "I mean, she's impressive—her shooting skills are spot on."

Lan Xingyue snorted coldly and went on, "This girl's name is Yue'er. She's a scout with extensive field experience and extraordinary perception. She once infiltrated a Middle Eastern warzone alone to lead nearly a hundred Chinese workers out of the conflict zone and back to China."

"The Middle Eastern war..." Lin Chen couldn't help but be astonished.

That war had turned the whole of Country Y into ruins, rife with militants. For someone to navigate such a hellscape and bring back a hundred untrained civilians spoke volumes about her scouting abilities.

"Originally, we also needed a field doctor, but you should be able to handle that," Lan Xingyue said, smiling at Lin Chen.

"Mm, leave that to me," Lin Chen nodded.

"This is the current team lineup. I'll give you six hours to gather your people. We leave at 6 a.m. sharp from Zhonghai Airport," Lan Xingyue said coldly.

"What?! Sis, it's already midnight. The girls are probably all asleep by now. How am I supposed to round them up for you?" Lin Chen complained.

"That's your problem. If they're not here, the plane won't wait," Lan Xingyue replied icily.

"You're ruthless!" Lin Chen muttered helplessly as he stood to bid farewell to Long Yin and Lan Xingyue.

Outside the building, a Jeep was already waiting at the entrance, driven by the young man who had greeted Lin Chen earlier.

"To Zhonghai University," Lin Chen ordered as he dialed Wang Zixuan's phone number.

"Zixuan, where are you guys right now?" Lin Chen asked.

"Oh, it's really late, so we didn't go back to campus. Everyone's hanging out at my place," Wang Zixuan replied.

"Perfect, I'll be right over," Lin Chen said hurriedly.

"Wait! We're all girls and it's so late. What are you coming over for?" Wang Zixuan asked suspiciously.

Lin Chen chuckled awkwardly, "Tell everyone not to sleep yet. I have something urgent to discuss."

Twenty minutes later, Lin Chen arrived at Wang Zixuan's house.

It was a three-story villa located near Zhonghai University. As soon as Lin Chen stepped inside, he saw several girls yawning on the sofa.

Seeing Lin Chen, Li Moyu grumbled, "Lin Chen, we're all dead tired. What could be so important at this hour?"

Lin Chen looked at the group of girls, his expression unusually stern.

Noticing Lin Chen's rare serious demeanor, the girls were all stunned. Usually, this guy was all smiles no matter what happened. Today, though, his face carried an unexpected gravity.

Standing in the center of the room, Lin Chen swept his gaze over them and said, "Our Zhonghai University women's basketball team made it to the finals thanks to all of your hard work. But next, we'll be heading into the secret realm."

"We've known that forever. What's the big deal?" Wang Zixuan said with a yawn, unimpressed.

Seeing their indifference, Lin Chen pressed on, "According to the intel I just received, this secret realm is nothing like we imagined. It's filled with dangers, and entering it is practically nine deaths and one life. So, Jiang Qian, Gao Qi, Li Moyu, and Xiaodi, I'm afraid you four can't go."

"What?!" The four girls' faces immediately changed upon hearing Lin Chen's words.