Newcomer

At 8 PM, on the second floor of Restaurant No. 1 in the Elite Training Camp, a full 21 trainees from Huaxia gathered here, all to welcome Luo Feng's arrival! Only when one is far from home does one truly feel the warmth of fellow countrymen. Many senior brothers and sisters enthusiastically drank and chatted with Luo Feng. An hour later. “Phew, they finally let me off the hook.” Luo Feng stood in a corner, holding a glass of wine. “This banquet was prepared just for you. You're the guest of honor tonight, so of course everyone wants to drink and chat with you.” Zhao Ruo's face was slightly flushed, and under the hall's lighting, she exuded a hint of feminine charm. “And Junior Brother Luo Feng, Senior Brother Chu Qiang paid for tonight's banquet. Do you know how much this one dinner cost?” Luo Feng shook his head and said, “The dishes were all delicious, I really can't guess the price. But even if it's astronomically expensive, a million Huaxia coins should be about right, shouldn't it?” How expensive could food and drink possibly be? “A million? You're joking!” Zhao Ruo lowered her voice, “The chefs at the Elite Training Camp are all world-class, and many of the ingredients for these dishes are even made from materials sourced from powerful monsters. Just this one banquet... for 21 people, the food alone cost at least tens of millions.” Luo Feng blinked twice. “Don't think it's expensive! You couldn't even get this food elsewhere in the world, no matter how much money you had!” Zhao Ruo shook her head and said, “But this amount of money is really nothing to Senior Brother Chu Qiang. Trainees who can rank in the top ten in our training camp, as long as they're willing to join an organization, will definitely have vast sums of money!” “Has Chu Qiang joined an organization?” Luo Feng asked, surprised. When he arrived yesterday, Chu Qiang was ranked second on the Heilong Leaderboard. To be able to rank second in the Elite Training Camp, even temporarily, was already terrifying. “Chu Qiang was recruited by our Huaxia Nation's military. That news has been common knowledge for a year now.” Zhao Ruo said in a low voice, “And I heard that the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo was also trying to recruit Chu Qiang. Several organizations within the Huaxia Nation were vying for him. It's rumored that the military even established a special action department specifically for Chu Qiang! After graduation, Chu Qiang will directly become the head of this action department!” Luo Feng was greatly astonished. The national military, establishing an action department specifically to welcome Chu Qiang? “There's no helping it, Chu Qiang's strength is truly formidable.” Zhao Ruo exclaimed, “He's someone who can consistently rank in the top five in the training camp. In the training camp, purely in terms of strength, there are ten people who could rank in the top five! But only one or two can consistently maintain a top-five ranking on the Heilong Leaderboard long-term.” Luo Feng nodded, indicating he understood. The Heilong Leaderboard is ranked by points, and while strong individuals will rank high, the ranking cannot perfectly reflect a person's true strength! This month I might surge into the top five, next month perhaps another equally strong person will. Everyone's strength is quite close. That's why it's said... there are ten people qualified to be in the top five. But to consistently rank in the top five long-term, that's terrifying. “The government military definitely gives Chu Qiang a large sum of money every year.” Zhao Ruo sighed, “In our training camp, there are three types of people who are the wealthiest... One type is like Chu Qiang, strong and having joined a special organization. The second type has joined a core family of the HR Alliance. The third type is a Psychic Reader!” “However, the second type of person, joining a core family of the HR Alliance, is quite foolish. Although those families are wealthy, in terms of backing and influence, how can they compare to the national military? How can they compare to the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo or the Thunder Dojo?” “The third type, Psychic Readers! Ah, there's no way around it. With their psychic energy controlling hidden weapons, killing monsters is practically harvesting! The amount of monster materials they hunt daily is terrifying, and just relying on that, their earning speed is frighteningly fast! One Psychic Reader's earning speed can rival ten of us!” Luo Feng smiled. He himself was a Psychic Reader, so of course he knew how fast Psychic Readers earned money! A mid-tier Warlord, like Gao Feng, might earn two or three hundred million in a year. And a high-tier Warlord warrior earning a billion a year would be considered good. But for Luo Feng, a high-tier Warlord-level Psychic Reader, earning close to ten billion a year wouldn't be surprising. Stronger than even an average Beginner Tier War God! A high-tier Warlord-level Psychic Reader, in terms of strength, is comparable to a Beginner Tier War God. Coupled with the mysterious nature of psychic energy, their efficiency in hunting monsters is even higher. “These three types of people are the wealthiest and most influential in our training camp.” Zhao Ruo muttered. “Luo Feng!” A hearty voice rang out. Luo Feng and Zhao Ruo turned to look, and saw a tall young man with a face as if carved by an axe and chisel walking towards them. It was none other than Chu Qiang, the prominent figure of the Elite Training Camp! “Senior Brother Chu Qiang.” Zhao Ruo called out with a smile, “You two chat.” With that, she obediently walked away. Luo Feng and Chu Qiang stood in the corner. “Luo Feng.” Chu Qiang glanced at the others in the distance, then lowered his voice and said, “Our Huaxia military is very interested in you. Are you interested in joining the military?” “The military?” Luo Feng was startled. He had just joined the Elite Training Camp, and they were already trying to recruit him? “Yes!” Chu Qiang took a sip of his wine, “Don't worry, the military is never stingy when it comes to talent. Your treatment in the military after graduation will naturally be based on your strength! The stronger you are, the better the benefits! As for the detailed benefits, we can discuss them later. And if you agree to join, then... for your five years in the training camp, the military will provide you with 5 billion in annual operational funds.” Luo Feng's heart rate subtly quickened. 5 billion? If not a Psychic Reader, the efficiency of ordinary warriors hunting monsters is not high. For example, a Beginner Tier War God would find it very difficult to successfully hunt a Beginner Tier Lord-level monster! So, for a Beginner Tier War God to earn 5 billion a year would be considered good. However, War Gods' expenses are terrifyingly high, so most War Gods are very short on money! Dragon's Blood, Water of Life, SS-grade combat suits, and so on... Which one isn't astronomically priced? Most War Gods can't afford them either. For instance, the combat suit Luo Feng obtained in the Armored Dragon's lair only had an SS-grade combat vest. Clearly, that deceased War God couldn't afford the full set, only the most crucial combat vest. “Senior Brother, I've only just entered the training camp. I haven't planned on joining any organization. Let's talk about it in a few years.” Luo Feng said. “Oh?” Chu Qiang was a little surprised, “Alright, your thinking is also correct. These five years are the most crucial for your strength improvement. If you decide to join the Huaxia military, just let me know.” ... That night, Luo Feng received a total of six invitations! Three of them were from within the Huaxia Nation. Upon receiving these invitations, Luo Feng realized... that besides the military, there were also some special power departments within the Huaxia Nation. However, comparatively, the military had stronger backing. The other three invitations came from two core families of the HR Alliance and a mercenary group called the 'Flame Legion'. There were quite a few mercenary groups on Earth. Most were of average strength, but some were extremely powerful! Hong and Lei Shen could each occupy a Base City, and with their two great Martial Arts Halls spread across the globe, their influence was no less than that of a powerful nation! They were truly two great overlords. And on Earth, there were other ambitious individuals who also wanted to establish their own forces and become regional lords! For example, the 'Flame Legion' was jointly established by two beings who surpassed War Gods, and it was extremely powerful among mercenary groups. It was even invited by several Base Cities in Africa to assist them. However... Luo Feng rejected all six invitations! ... On the morning of March 30th, the temperature was very low. Many trainees were running or walking within the training camp, and Luo Feng was one of them. “Luo Feng, Luo Feng.” Walking along the stone path, Luo Feng, clad in a black training suit, stopped in surprise and looked back. He saw a young man with slightly curly golden short hair walking over with a smile. His slightly awkward Mandarin made it clear to anyone listening that he was a foreigner speaking Mandarin. “My name is William, William Edison, from the European Union.” The blond youth said enthusiastically. William? Luo Feng muttered to himself, that name was like 'Alexander' in Soviet Russia, 'David' in America, or 'Wang Wei' and 'Zhang Wei' in Huaxia—names so common they couldn't be more familiar. “William? Hello.” Luo Feng also said with a smile. “I've always been curious about Huaxia.” The blond youth said enthusiastically, “And in the training camp, there are many talented Huaxia warriors. And Luo Feng, you were specially recruited. I really want to spar with you, to test our strength. I wonder if you can grant my request?” Luo Feng was startled: “Spar?” “Yes, a spar in the challenge room, would that be alright?” The blond youth William said enthusiastically. “Challenge room?” The contents of the 'Trainee Handbook' he had read immediately surfaced in Luo Feng's mind. This challenge room was a product of ancient civilization ruins. After entering the challenge room, two people would put on consciousness sensors, enter a 'virtual space,' and then engage in a life-and-death battle within that virtual space! Typically, such battles would involve wagers! “We won't bet big, how about a billion Huaxia coins?” The blond youth William's smile became even brighter and more enthusiastic. “William!” A sharp cry rang out. Luo Feng turned to look, and saw Zhao Ruo, clad in a purple training suit, with an angry expression, shouting: “William, you're shameless! Junior Brother Luo Feng just arrived, he's a newcomer. You want to gamble with him in the challenge room? You're probably just trying to take his money. You despicable bunch, in March, you secretly sought out several newcomers, made them gamble with you, and they lost money to you! If you're so capable, bet with me instead!” “Miss Zhao Ruo, this has nothing to do with you, does it? I believe Luo Feng is very strong, perhaps I'll even lose to him.” William looked at Luo Feng. Zhao Ruo also quickly looked at Luo Feng: “Luo Feng, don't trust this foreigner. Some people in the training camp are quite insidious. They specifically bully newcomers. They don't dare to openly bully them, but instead engage in gambling battles with them... And in these gambling battles, almost all the new arrivals lose. Only after suffering losses do the newcomers realize the veterans' prowess! This foreigner's combat power amplitude is 'medium'. While not high, it's not low either, and newcomers are generally no match for him.” “It's just a billion.” The blond youth William looked at Luo Feng, “Just joining any organization, you'd earn more than that in a year, wouldn't you?” Luo Feng fully understood the whole story now. Some people in the training camp took advantage of newcomers' unfamiliarity with the rules, enthusiastically inviting them to gambling battles, and making a hefty profit from them. “It's William!” A Huaxia youth ran over. This Huaxia youth was Jiang Chen, whom Luo Feng had met at yesterday's banquet. “Luo Feng, don't gamble with him! This guy is very cunning. I just joined the training camp on March 1st this year, and on my first day here, this guy tricked me into the challenge room. He made a killing off me.” “Fuck!” William's expression wasn't very pleasant. He had originally seized the opportunity to approach Luo Feng when he was alone, but unexpectedly, his plans were repeatedly thwarted. “Alright, if you want to gamble, I'm in.” Luo Feng smiled as he looked at him. “Luo Feng.” Zhao Ruo and Jiang Chen were both greatly astonished. “Oh.” William showed a look of pleasant surprise and unexpectedness, “Luo Feng, let's set a time.” “However, a billion is too small; I'm not interested. Let's make it a bit bigger, 5 billion!” Luo Feng glanced at William, “If you dare to play, then play. If not, forget it.” Zhao Ruo and Jiang Chen's eyes widened. “5 billion?” William was also stunned.