Cosmic Mercenary

Biyan Star, one of the planets directly controlled by the 'Black Dragon Mountain Empire', a mid-level cosmic civilization nation. It serves as a crucial hub for the six surrounding vassal states, its importance even surpassing that of an Imperial Capital Star in a low-level cosmic civilization nation. Naturally, branches of the two giants, 'Cosmic River Bank' and 'Universe First Bank', are established here.In the most central area of the bustling city, on a plot of land where every inch is worth its weight in gold.A beautiful, soul-stirring building stands here, surrounded by a lawn spanning over three kilometers. In such a prime location, having no other buildings within a three-kilometer radius, only grass, trees, and flowers, is an absolute extravagance.Humans from other planets on the street looked at the building with envy in their eyes.Because... this is the 'Cosmic River Bank'."So grand!""Truly beautiful!"Luo Feng and Lei Shen gazed up at the building, an architectural masterpiece, utterly captivated."What a presence, how was it built?" Hong's eyes also gleamed.The three brothers from Earth, like country bumpkins, marveled at the towering structure! This 'Cosmic River Bank' skyscraper was designed to create a three-dimensional effect, like a river of stars. Looking at the building... it felt as if the starry cosmos was rushing towards them."I went inside once on Qiulong Star, but seeing it again, it's still incredibly impressive," Luo Feng couldn't help but exclaim."Look, the people walking towards this bank's entrance all have a different aura about them," Lei Shen pouted, gesturing into the distance.Luo Feng looked.Indeed, the occasional person heading towards the Cosmic River Bank clearly possessed an extraordinary presence. After all... the minimum deposit here was 100 million Black Dragon coins, an amount that would make one the wealthiest person on an ordinary planet."Come on, let's go in," Luo Feng said."Mm." Hong and Lei Shen were also filled with anticipation.The three walked side by side towards the bank's entrance.Passersby on the distant street, seeing the three heading towards the bank, were naturally filled with envy. When... would they also be able to enter the 'Cosmic River Bank' doors?...The entrance to the Cosmic River Bank was immensely grand, as if veiled by a layer of flowing water, reminiscent of the Water Curtain Cave entrance from Earth's mythological novels. The only difference was that this seemingly 'flowing water' was, in fact, a light and shadow effect."If you're not an old client of the bank, you'd go that way to open an account," Luo Feng said knowledgeably. "But I'm an old client, so you can follow me and we can go straight through the main entrance."Passing through the 'water'.Inside was an incredibly spacious and pleasing grand hall."Hello, sirs, please rest here for a moment. We apologize, but we have a slightly higher number of clients today," a beautiful young woman in a Cosmic River Bank branded vest smiled and bowed."Understood."Luo Feng saw twelve groups of clients already seated on the various sofas. The three of them also took their place on the thirteenth sofa in order. A screen automatically appeared beside the sofa, displaying a variety of options."Whatever you want to drink, it's all complimentary," Luo Feng said."Oh?" Hong and Lei Shen watched with interest.They waited quietly.Group after group of clients entered the reception rooms, while new clients queued up behind them. By the time Luo Feng's turn was third, there were already sixteen groups in the entire hall.*Whoosh!* Luo Feng suddenly felt the previously quiet hall erupt into a commotion, a hushed clamor! One must know that those who could enter the Cosmic River Bank were all individuals of status, or at least self-proclaimed status. Even if they were arrogant elsewhere, they would strive to appear 'civilized' here, so such a commotion was quite unusual."Hmm?" Luo Feng turned to look.Three people walked into the hall.The one leading them wore a black combat suit, incredibly muscular and lean, about 2.1 meters tall, with bluish-black skin. On his forehead was a third eye! Beside him was another human of the same race, slightly thinner, and the last person was entirely shrouded in a black robe.The only similarity among the three was—On their left chests, they all wore medals, the design of which was a planet atop a crimson wave."This is..." Luo Feng's pupils contracted!"I've seen that emblem on the Virtual Universe Network," Lei Shen also whispered. Beside him, Hong's eyes were also shining, filled with fervor.The other bank clients in the hall, who prided themselves on their status, all held their breath nervously, or gazed with fervent respect at the three newcomers, whispering to their companions."Cosmic Mercenaries! Real Cosmic Mercenaries!""To actually see Cosmic Mercenaries.""And they're One-Star Cosmic Mercenaries!""Three Cosmic Mercenaries, to see them on a planet like Biyan Star, it's too, too..."Excitement!Immense excitement!All the clients, including Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen, as well as the service staff at the Cosmic River Bank, Biyan Star Branch, located on Biyan Star, were incredibly excited. Because... these three were members of the most respected, powerful, and formidable group in the cosmos—the Cosmic Mercenaries!The cosmos' foremost power—the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance!Over 99% of powerful warriors and spirit readers join the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance. Although the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance is relatively loosely organized, in the vast cosmos, no Cosmic Nation dares to offend the 'Cosmic Mercenary Alliance'. Luo Feng's teacher, Huyan Bo, the Yunmo Star Master, was once a member!Planetary-level beings are only considered adventurers.Only Star-level beings are qualified to undergo assessment and strive to obtain the title of 'Cosmic Apprentice Mercenary'!Only Universe-level beings are qualified to participate in the 'One-Star Cosmic Mercenary' assessment!...Realm Lords are qualified to participate in the 'Three-Star Cosmic Mercenary' assessment!Merely being qualified to participate in the assessment!Whether one obtains the title depends on passing the assessment! The 'Cosmic Mercenary' assessments are extremely difficult, so... official One-Star Cosmic Mercenaries are all Universe-level beings who have passed the rigorous selection! Even some 'Domain Lords' who failed the Two-Star Mercenary assessment are only One-Star Mercenaries!This means...The three Cosmic Mercenaries before them are at least Universe-level! They might even be Domain Lords!Cosmic Mercenaries!This is a title that inspires respect and admiration! They brave life and death, repeatedly facing various crises! They possess incredibly formidable strength! This is a group respected and admired by countless human races across the vast cosmos! Perhaps some are Universe-level, but they lack the courage to become mercenaries, or rather, they simply lack the ability to pass the mercenary assessment!The Cosmic Mercenary assessment is considered the most stringent assessment!The death rate is extremely high!"Three Cosmic Mercenaries!" Luo Feng felt his heart quicken."Warriors capable of fighting on white dwarfs!" Hong looked at the three Cosmic Mercenaries, many thoughts surfacing in his mind!As Earth's perennial strongest, Hong, upon seeing the exalted Cosmic Mercenaries, also felt a yearning: "One day, I too will become a Cosmic Mercenary!" Cosmic Mercenary—that was a golden signboard, far more intimidating than any Universe-level powerhouse.Because mercenaries almost always have companions, and those companions are rarely much weaker, having faced life and death together!Even the Nuolanshan family wouldn't dare provoke these three Cosmic Mercenaries! Unless they were prepared for their family's annihilation..."Three esteemed guests!"A slightly corpulent, small-eyed man with two golden horns on his head, wearing a dark green uniform and with purplish-red skin, appeared in the first-floor hall via a luminous elevator. He hurried over, humble and polite, "I am 'Bite'er', the manager of the Cosmic River Bank, Biyan Star Branch. Please, esteemed guests, follow me.""Mm."The leading three-eyed Cosmic Mercenary frowned slightly, his third vertical eye scrutinizing the plump manager before giving a slight nod.Immediately, the three Cosmic Mercenaries followed the manager, taking the luminous elevator directly upstairs.Only then did the hall erupt into a buzz of conversation."They're actually three Cosmic Mercenaries.""Cosmic Mercenaries! And two of them are from the 'Vish Tribe', while the other is completely shrouded in a robe, making them indistinguishable.""Uncle, how did they go upstairs? Don't you conduct business on the first floor of the Cosmic River Bank?""Ordinary clients conduct business on the first floor; star-rated clients are all upstairs!""What's the standard for star-rated clients?""I don't know, but our head office's controlling shareholder, with assets of trillions of Black Dragon coins, is only an ordinary client of the Cosmic River Bank and doesn't even meet the requirements for a 'One-Star Client'."...In the bank hall, various groups were discussing animatedly.Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen also couldn't help but whisper among themselves."From what I can tell, these three mercenaries should be considered 'One-Star Clients'," Lei Shen said."Perhaps, the threshold for star-rated clients is ridiculously high anyway," Luo Feng said.As they spoke, it was already Luo Feng's turn to conduct business."Sir, it's your turn," the bank service staff said humbly."Big Brother, Second Brother, I'll be right back."Luo Feng said, and under the guidance of the service staff, entered the reception room inside...."I'd like to make a transfer," Luo Feng said to the operator inside the reception room."May I have your account number, please?" the beautiful operator inside smiled.Babata had already given Luo Feng the account number, and Luo Feng couldn't help but feel incredibly excited at this moment! This was one of the three accounts his teacher had left him, with each account accessible only upon reaching Star-level, Universe-level, and Domain Lord-level, respectively. This first account likely contained the least amount of money, but for a figure as grand as the Yunmo Star Master... even a mere hair from him would be substantial!"8492—8593—WOXH—8528—5285—032." Luo Feng held his breath and recited the account number."Please wait a moment."The operator inside quickly processed the request, then quietly waited for the transmission response from the Virtual Universe Network."This, this is..."The operator's already large eyes widened to the size of fists, filled with shock. Then, she glanced at Luo Feng in alarm, her voice slightly trembling as she stammered, "Esteemed guest, you, please wait a moment, I'll go inform the manager!" With that, she ran out, only to immediately return, looking at Luo Feng with trepidation and nervousness: "Esteemed guest, someone else will attend to you first, please wait a moment." She then quickly rushed out again....Cosmic River Bank, Biyan Star Branch, ninth floor.Manager 'Bite'er' was conversing with the three Cosmic Mercenaries, humbly smiling as he handled their business: "Although it's a bit troublesome, it will be resolved quickly, please wait." In a place like Biyan Star, even he only occasionally attended to One-Star clients, as the requirements to reach One-Star status were extremely high.Just then—*Whoosh!* The outer door was pulled open directly!"Hmm?" The three Cosmic Mercenaries all turned to look, displeasure on their faces. The leading Vish three-eyed tribesman's vertical eye stared coldly at the newcomer."What's going on?" The manager was very displeased!How could he be casually interrupted while attending to esteemed guests?A woman and a similarly plump man with two golden horns on his head entered, both repeatedly winking at the manager. 'Bite'er' was slightly startled; one was the vice-manager, the other a business processing staff member. 'Bite'er' realized something and quickly bowed to the three: "Please bear with us for a moment."Saying this, he quickly walked out, closing the door behind him."What's going on?" The manager frowned, looking at the two in front of him. "Brother, don't you know I'm with three One-Star clients? This is important!""I know," the plump man, who closely resembled the manager, said, sweat beading on his forehead. "But this matter is even more significant.""What is it?" Manager Bite'er was somewhat surprised."Let's talk in the confidential room," the operator quickly said.The manager's eyes narrowed slightly. The reception room next door, where the three Cosmic Mercenaries were being hosted, was specially constructed so that even psychic energy couldn't penetrate it, making it completely soundproof and blocking many signal detections. As for the 'confidential room', it was an even more crucial technology of the Cosmic River Bank, making it difficult for even immortal beings to eavesdrop....Soon, the three entered the confidential room.In the confidential room, the manager looked at the operator: "Tell me, what exactly is going on?""A big matter," the vice-manager swallowed."Manager," the operator said, her face flushed with excitement, lowering her voice, "There's a client downstairs who wants to withdraw money and make a transfer, and his account is... a Five-Star Account!""What?!"The manager's face instantly turned pale with shock!Heavens!Managers of Cosmic River Bank branches on many planets occasionally encountered One-Star accounts, which was extremely rare. It might take decades to encounter a Two-Star account, and they might never see a 'Three-Star account' in their lifetime, let alone the legendary 'Five-Star account'! One must know... even Universe-level powerhouses were considered good if they had a One-Star account.A Five-Star account, what did that even mean?A client with a Five-Star account could buy planets as easily as buying candy! Low-level cosmic civilization nations like the Silverblue Empire were like ants before such clients! Even in the vast cosmos, even within high-level cosmic civilization nations—Cosmic Nations—these were truly extraordinary figures!Terrifyingly powerful figures who, with a single word, could turn billions of humans into slaves, or elevate billions to prominence!"A Five-Star account?"The manager was completely dumbfounded."Yes, brother, if you don't believe me, check it yourself. The entire bank's control authority has now completely transferred, operated by AI! Our every word and action is being monitored... If we had dared to discuss a Five-Star client outside the 'confidential room' just now, the bank's AI would have instantly eliminated us." The vice-manager was drenched in cold sweat.The manager also wiped his forehead.The Cosmic River Bank, a super-bank of this caliber, absolutely prioritized its clients! Especially Five-Star clients. The money of Five-Star clients, held by the bank for circulation, generated enormous profits daily! Should the secrets of such clients ever be leaked... the Cosmic River Bank would ensure the secret remained protected, even if it meant destroying a planet.