strokinit Chapter 37 Entering the Rift
Chapter 37 Entering the Rift
At 4 PM, near the 1F7981 Origin Rift, the area was filled with martial artists, staff, and security personnel.
As a newly emerging rift, it was contracted out to the local martial arts industry by the state due to its low development value, and is currently under the actual control of "Breaking Boundaries Exploration Management Co., Ltd."
This company is quite experienced in developing the rift industry. Even if the rift appears in the wilderness, they can set up a camp the next day and complete the development of a series of industrial chains, including food, lodging, supplies, equipment, and transportation, within three days.
Therefore, even though the southern suburbs of Lushui County were previously deserted, they are now bustling like a temporary town.
Martial artists come and go here, many harboring dreams of striking it rich through an adventure, much like the gold rushers of centuries past.
Whose money is easiest to earn? Naturally, it's those who dream of getting rich quick.
However, at this time...
The three brothers, Zhang Hu, Zhang Long, and Zhang Cangqiong, had no intention of entering the rift at all. They stood not far away, their eyes fixed on the entrance of the rift.
They would pay extra attention to each team that entered.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Cangqiong, who was squatting on the ground, flung the foxtail grass in his hand and suddenly stood up, saying:
"Damn it! We've been waiting for so long and he still hasn't shown up. Has the job fallen through? I bet that guy's already in jail!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Long shook his head and said:
"Third brother, don't be so impatient. We've been staking out the place since early this morning. We've seen a few people wearing masks, but they're all just ordinary masks, and their height and manner of speaking don't match up. I reckon the real person hasn't arrived yet."
Zhang Hu nodded in agreement.
"Well, let's wait a bit longer. We're paid to do things, there's nothing to complain about."
"Big brother! Didn't you ever consider what if that person wasn't wearing a mask and had an average appearance? What nonsense about recognizing someone at a glance! I think there's no one in this world who can compare to the three of us brothers... uh?!"
Zhang Cangqiong stopped talking.
Because he saw a handsome young man carrying a huge travel bag slowly walking into the crowd.
The young man was handsome and reserved, a completely harmless and charming young man.
His innocent eyes practically screamed "I'm so easy to fool."
"Damn it! I knew this brat was the target the moment I saw him. That pretty boy, that delicate skin! He was born to ruin women, it's definitely him!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hu and Zhang Long also looked over and agreed wholeheartedly.
No wonder the client said, "I can tell who the target is just by looking at their face."
Zhang Long stared approvingly at the boy, then stroked his beard:
"Wow! A narrow victory!"
Zhang Hu glanced at him, didn't respond, and instead said seriously:
"Keep a close eye on him. Our assigned task is to track and protect him. Stay hidden and don't team up with him. Also, be careful not to expose yourselves."
"Yes." ×2
The three pretended to be casual, but they were all taking turns watching the boy, intentionally or unintentionally.
The three brothers pretended to be chatting casually, but in reality, they were constantly discussing and exchanging information about the target's movements.
"It's good to have a pretty face; a whole bunch of female warriors want to team up with you right away."
"But that kid is so ungrateful! He actually refused them all!"
"Third brother, you're mistaken. There were several female martial artists who were at least at the second level of cultivation. If they had gone in with him, that young man would probably have died from exhaustion."
"That's true, but this kid is too naive. Why did he team up with those two?"
After Zhang Long finished speaking, Zhang Hu and Zhang Cangqiong also looked over.
Then they saw the handsome young man being dragged away by two sleazy-looking young men who pretended to be kind.
Those two people didn't look like decent people at all. They were probably the kind of people who would take advantage of the chaos after entering the rift, or even kill to silence witnesses.
The boy is still inexperienced; he just escaped one danger only to fall into another.
Zhang Hu patted his two younger brothers on the shoulders:
"That's why we were sent here. The employer didn't go into details, but he probably wanted this young man to experience the harsh realities of society without actually getting into trouble. Let's get ready to go; we'll go in with the next group."
The three quickly began to act.
Everything is proceeding normally.
The boy and two other young men completed the formalities, paid the registration fee, put on their locators, and then entered the black rift one after the other, disappearing from sight.
The three brothers immediately set off for the paperwork processing office.
Just then, they heard a man and a woman arguing behind them.
He Yunwei: "It's all your fault for slowing us down on the way! We lost him! I don't even know if he's entered the rift yet. If the mission fails, you'll have to make up for these credits!"
Jiang Xi: "How was I supposed to know that kid had such good stamina? He ran for an hour without getting tired. Damn it, I, a dignified high-level Bronze Bone Realm cultivator, couldn't even outrun a student who just entered the realm... That's outrageous."
As they talked, the two squeezed past the three Zhang brothers and arrived at the processing office first.
He Yunwei addressed the staff:
"Did you see a really handsome boy go in? He was about this tall..."
She gestured with her hand about ten centimeters above her head.
The receptionist was a burly man wearing sunglasses and a suit. He said in a cold, hard tone:
"I'm sorry, our company does not allow us to disclose customer privacy to anyone."
"Damn, what privacy is there to talk about with such a simple question!"
Just as He Yunwei was about to argue, Jiang Xi suddenly spoke up:
"Alright, what are you doing talking to this kind of human-machine? Wang Sheng has already gone in. I just asked the others."
After Jiang Xi finished speaking, he turned to the three Zhang brothers and gestured a thank you, then turned back to the burly man in sunglasses and spoke:
"We need to go in now, let's get the paperwork done quickly."
He and He Yunwei each presented their martial arts certificates.
The burly man in sunglasses took the item, glanced at it, and then said coldly:
"Both of you are level one martial artists, which does not meet the requirements for a team. At least three people are needed."
"Huh?" He Yunwei's temper flared up. "I'm at the peak of the Bronze Bone realm, and he's at the high level of the Bronze Bone realm. You need three people for this? Are you alright?"
"Rules are rules. You can find people to form a team, or hire our company's security personnel to make up the number of people."
"Damn it, I..."
"Alright, He Yunwei, if you keep dragging this out, the people will get too far ahead. The rift exit keeps changing and shifting, so hurry up and gather enough people to get things done!"
Jiang Xi immediately took out his phone:
"Just transfer the money directly, and I'll hire your cheapest security guard."
"Sure. The cheapest option is the Bronze Bone Level 1 security guard, which costs 1000 per day with a 10,000 deposit, refunded or charged as needed."
"Damn it! You're robbing me! How dare even the weakest martial artist ask for so much money?!"
Jiang Xi launched into a tirade of curses.
"Sir, watch your words. You can't get money from robbery that quickly."
"Alright, hurry up! We've already paid the deposit, let us in!"
The two hurriedly completed the procedures and finally entered the crevice.
At this moment, Zhang Hu and the other two, who had already finished watching the show from the sidelines, looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What do you think, brother?" Zhang Long asked.
Zhang Hu remained calm.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Regardless of whether those two are friends or foes, we just need to follow at the back to cover for them. Let's hurry inside."