The crowd thinned out significantly upon reaching the B-grade hall.
Ren Yuanhao counted, and there were no more than eight or nine people. These individuals were clearly more relaxed, lacking the initial excitement of newcomers.
However, the moment they saw newcomers stepping into their territory, sharp killing intent ignited in everyone's eyes.
"Yo, new guy, not bad. You're the first to bring this many people into the B-grade area today."
The man speaking had his hair slicked back in a pompadour and constantly held a mirror and a comb.
Ren Yuanhao ignored him, habitually craning his neck to look at the names scrolling on the large screen. Oh, no need to scroll, as there were only eight or nine people.
His gaze quickly landed on the first name.
"Bai Feng? Who is Bai Feng?"
As soon as he spoke, the man being fêted by the crowd suddenly stood up from his 'dragon throne.'
"You're the first newcomer to dare call me by my name. Therefore, I'm standing to make sure you remember this: from now on, this is not a name you can utter. You will address me as King Bai!"
Bai Feng's voice was like a biting wind in the dead of winter, sending chills down one's spine.
"Sorry, I have a bad memory. I'll just call you Little Bai for now."
Ren Yuanhao pulled out another banana and nonchalantly began to eat it.
His mouth was soon full of banana, only managing to mumble, "Hey, Little Bai, if I beat you, can I enter A-grade? I don't see any evaluators or anyone giving out certificates."
"Damn it, I've never seen such an arrogant newcomer before. Boss, please don't be angry, I'll go drag this kid over."
As the words fell, two dark figures sprinted towards Ren Yuanhao as if they were snails. Ren Yuanhao seized the opportunity, casually tossing two banana peels onto the ground, sending both men sprawling.
"I'm telling you, it's rude to interrupt someone while they're eating."
Ren Yuanhao opened his backpack. The others thought he was retrieving a weapon and immediately leaned forward!
"I already told you, I just want to enter A-grade. If you want to come over and get beaten, I have no objections."
The moment Ren Yuanhao moved, he vanished, and the next second he was standing before Bai Feng, his backpack slung over his shoulders.
He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke directly into Bai Feng's face. The several people behind him lay on the ground like stunned shrimp, groaning in pain, completely unaware of how they had been taken down by Ren Yuanhao in an instant.
"Little Bai, I'm a reasonable person. If you step down from that ranking, you can keep being a B-grade big shot. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to knock you down."
Bai Feng clenched his fists, his face turning from pale to green and back again. Suddenly, he knelt respectfully and handed the token hanging from his waist to Ren Yuanhao. Along with it was a box of Cuban cigars.
"Tsk, tsk, this is a gift for me? Very good, I accept. But what's the meaning of this token?"
Ren Yuanhao took the two items. Bai Feng, seeing the eight men who had been instantly defeated, couldn't even articulate properly. His whole body began to tremble, his teeth chattering.
"Don't be nervous. I'm very reasonable. Today, you've made things smooth for me. Later, if you want to enter A-grade, I'll cover for you."
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng's heart finally settled a little. The strength Ren Yuanhao had displayed, even if not S-grade, would at least secure a decent rank in A-grade. But then again, A-grade was all about...
Seeing that he was slow to respond, Ren Yuanhao's expression changed. Bai Feng, being observant, quickly said, "M-my lord, I advise you not to go to A-grade. It's basically filled with living test subjects who have successfully injected the Mandala gene. Some of them have extremely unstable emotions, and the numbers are huge. If you, a newcomer, go there, I'm afraid..."
Ren Yuanhao immediately understood the implication of his words. "Oh? Are you saying you are all waiting to inject the Mandala gene?"
Bai Feng nodded. "Those who enter B-grade have definitely met the physical standards. Even if they inject the Mandala gene, the risk will be very low, and there's a high probability of becoming an acquired ability user."
"From what you're saying, it seems there's no precedent for a raw newcomer to directly enter A-grade?"
"There have been, but they were all innate ability users. My lord, you..."
Bai Feng seemed to be sizing up Ren Yuanhao.
Ren Yuanhao wasn't paying attention to Bai Feng at all; his mind was already racing with thoughts.
"Since I've already come this far, if I stay in B-grade, I'll definitely be injected with the Mandala gene. However, perhaps I'll have the chance to enter their laboratory. This carries some risk. If I go to A-grade, I can only use wind-element abilities without drawing attention, and to establish a foothold in A-grade, I must stand out among the numerous acquired ability users. This is too aggressive and will draw great suspicion. Instead, being a weakling in A-grade might make it easier to carry out my actions."
After a moment of consideration, Ren Yuanhao made up his mind. He then deliberately activated an extremely weak wind elemental ability, and dust instantly swirled up in the hall.
"My lord is actually an innate ability user. This junior admires you."
Bai Feng prostrated himself. Ren Yuanhao then asked, "What is the meaning of this token?"
"The token is the sole pass to enter A-grade. With this, you can move freely in all designated areas of A-grade. Your authority will be much higher than those below B-grade."
Ren Yuanhao took the Cuban cigars and the token with satisfaction, patting Bai Feng's shoulder. "Hey, once I establish myself in A-grade, I'll definitely cover for you. I'm off."
He swaggered through the corridor, opening the passage to the A-grade area with the token. Shortly after, a chaotic and powerful frequency exclusive to ability users surged towards him like a sea of corpses and blood.
At this moment, he didn't yet know that he had actually entered the devil's domain.
"Boss, can someone like him even survive a day?" one person slowly got up from the ground, his abdomen throbbing with pain.
Bai Feng sneered, his face contorted with a grim expression as he said, "I don't know if he can survive a day, but I know that with that thing, he's bound to become a target."
...
After crossing the long corridor, they had completely entered the A-grade area.
As far as the eye could see, the entire area resembled a bustling street market. On both sides were various food stalls, shops, clothing stores, accessory shops, bars, boxing gyms, and even a cinema. It was comparable to any major plaza.
Most of these buildings were constructed from modular prefabricated units, also indicating that the Grey Wolf organization wasn't very old.
All sorts of handsome men and beautiful women mingled within the crowd, seemingly without any abnormalities. However, Ren Yuanhao knew that at least half of them were ability users, and some were awakened individuals who had received the Mandala gene but had not yet awakened their abilities.
As Ren Yuanhao was observing, the system's voice suddenly echoed through his mind.
"Beep beep, a new order has been generated. Mission difficulty: three stars."