"Old Lin, give us a straight answer. Do you have confidence in dealing with Platinum-ranked opponents?" Ying Xuan and Zhang Haoran asked Lin Zhan.
"I'm 100% sure I can take down early Platinum-ranked opponents. Mid-Platinum is harder to say. A single Platinum is manageable, but if there are two, I can only handle one. If the other one attacks the team members, the losses would be unimaginable," Lin Zhan voiced his concerns.
"You truly live up to your name, Old Lin Hei. You can even fight Platinum-ranked opponents. What is your true strength?" Ying Xuan and Zhang Haoran were very curious about Lin Zhan's abilities.
"Both of my spirit pets have ancestral bloodlines. Little Gold has the bloodline of a five-clawed golden dragon, and Little Black has the bloodline of Xuanwu the Great Emperor."
"Combined with the divine beast rune armaments I've spent a fortune outfitting them with, each set of armored suits is worth 6 peak Diamond-ranked crystal cores," Lin Zhan also showed potential as a shrewd merchant. The divine beast rune armaments, which could be exchanged for 1 million evolution points, were marked up by him to double the price. If he ever found a buyer, he could make a profit.
"You two calculate it carefully. To cultivate Little Gold and Little Black, including their equipment, I've invested no less than 30 peak Diamond-ranked crystal cores. With this amount of money, even 10 early Platinum-ranked opponents would be crushed."
The thrifty Boss Lin managed to bamboozle the dim-witted Ying Xuan and Zhang Haoran into a daze. With the intelligence of these two, they would sooner or later be indebted to Lin.
Little did Lin Zhan know that the members of these two teams were about to tie up their leaders and sell them to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered with all this persuasion.
"Alright, here's the plan. First, tomorrow we have a day to split up and gather intelligence. Don't forget those three old schemers are definitely waiting for experts to escort them." Jiang Zheng began to outline the plan to everyone.
"Second, Old Lin, go and tell Uncle Lin to inform the two old masters to remain hidden within the escort team and not reveal themselves too soon. It'll be cleaner to kill them once their true colors are exposed."
"Third, Old Ying and Old Zhang, contact your families and see if there are any treasures we can use."
"The Celestial Master Sword worn by the third-generation Celestial Master is in my hands. I'll use the Summoning Technique to call forth the third-generation Celestial Master. With the sword's amplification, the power of the True Aurora Thunder Law can be enhanced by about 5 levels, which should be enough to damage early Platinum-ranked opponents."
"Let's wrap up here for now. We don't want to keep the brothers below waiting. We'll gather again tomorrow after dinner." Lin Zhan and the others then went to find their respective team members.
The group arrived at the adjoining suite outside the conference room and were a little dumbfounded by the scene before them.
He Dazhuang and Wang Dazhuang were sitting side by side, calling each other "brother" and "big brother" as if they were real siblings.
Zhang Haoqing, along with his two junior brothers, Meng Gang, Leng Shan, and Zhang Cong, were surrounding Zhang Lingxiu, calling her "sister-in-law" and hoping she would introduce them to beautiful women to escape their single status.
The young Taoist Zhang Haoming was also mingling with some of the female team members, calling them "sister" and enjoying the food and drinks.
Xiao Hanyi and Bai Zhanlong, kindred spirits who admired each other, were chatting. Bai Zhanlong was trying to persuade his sister, Bai Liqiu, to marry Xiao Hanyi.
"What's going on? Is this a 'Loving Family' reunion? Who are the mom and dad?" Ying Xuan exclaimed.
"Hey, hey, hey, everyone, stop for a moment. Is there any good news?" Lin Zhan asked.
Upon seeing Lin Zhan speaking, everyone quickly gathered around: "Greetings, Boss."
Then, they addressed Ying Xuan and Zhang Haoran.
"Captain, after a unanimous vote by all of us, we've agreed to pledge our allegiance to Boss Lin in the capital. From now on, we're all family. If you disagree, we brothers will have no choice but to tie you up and force your hand."
"Also, I've just become sworn brothers with Big Brother He Dazhuang. After this matter is settled, I'll go home and ask my dad to change my name to Wang Erzhuang," Wang Dazhuang said to Ying Xuan, along with Meng Gang, Bai Zhanlong, and other male team members.
"That's right, Senior Brother. We feel the same. Except for our youngest junior brother, who is too young, the rest of us will go on blind dates with Sister-in-law after this is over."
"If you disagree, and we report you to Master and our uncles and aunts when we return to the mountain, we brothers will still tie you up," Zhang Haoqing said to Zhang Haoran with his junior brothers.
Ying Xuan and Zhang Haoran's heads were buzzing from the barrage of words from their team members.
"Old Zhang, it seems we've been 'recruited' by them. Our brothers have all voted for Old Lin Hei. If we disagree, we'll be tied up as a token of our allegiance."
"Wait a moment, let me ask first."
"Zhang Haoqing, are you betraying our sect, or what?" Zhang Haoran asked his junior brother.
"Oh, come on, Senior Brother. Have you forgotten what Sect Leader Uncle said? Our Celestial Master Mansion has few people. You brats need to hurry up and strive to produce the next generation within three years. Remember, this is a top priority."
"Senior Brother, if you disagree, go and tell Sect Leader Uncle yourself, and see if you get punished."
From this, it could be seen that the constant wars with the ten thousand races had caused heavy casualties among the human race's young and middle-aged men. Therefore, to the older generation, procreation was the most important matter.
'Only to die on the battlefield for the country, why must we be wrapped in horsehide and return home.' Facing the crisis of racial extinction, humanity would never lack valiant youths.
"Old Lin Hei, you speak," Ying Xuan and the other handed the difficult problem over to Lin Zhan.
"Thank you for your trust, brothers and sisters. From now on, we'll be eating from the same pot and are all one family. Follow me, Lin Zhan, and I guarantee you'll live a life of abundance," Boss Lin said generously.
"Alright, alright, everyone, give them a round of applause. We're all family now," the two Dazhuangs quickly led everyone in clapping.
"Old Lin Hei, what do you mean?" Seeing this, Ying Xuan immediately became agitated.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Think about our current strength. How many days can we stay in the High Martial Academy before we have to do an internship in the military department? At that time, our 30 people will form a perfect special operations platoon, complete with reconnaissance, combat, sniper, and medical personnel, and they'll cooperate seamlessly."
"It will also ensure everyone's greatest safety. After a year of enlistment in the military department, these girls will surely transition to civilian roles. When we few are promoted to Gold-ranked, we'll definitely go to the Shura Field to hunt the ten thousand races. Isn't this a perfect combat team?"
"Why are you two so anxious? Isn't this how it's arranged from above? Otherwise, would they have allowed the three of us to come together? With your intelligence, if you can't figure this out, how can you be a big brother?"
"This time, we've merged perfectly. From now on, we're all brothers. You two won't have to worry about managing the team anymore and will have more time to cultivate. I'll take care of the burdensome work."
"We also have Advisor Jiang to assist us. You two, think about how bright our future is."
"So, brothers, agree to it. A three-way merger has many benefits. If you don't speak up, it means you agree."
"Alright, brothers and sisters, tonight I'm treating. Let's head to the High Martial Hotel. Order whatever you want to eat; we're not short on money."