"We're here; this is the mercenary assessment spot. Come on, my friends. My dear Goat said I should join your mercenary ranks this time and enjoy the same treatment as you. In your ancient Chinese words, I will be in your care from now on. After all, I'm part of the team now. Oh, and don't pout, my dear teammates. None of you five can speak English, so you need me, your loyal and reliable interpreter."
Jing Shu couldn't help remembering how she had scored only a few dozen points on her English test back in school, proudly telling her teacher that she refused to study English for the sake of patriotism. Reality had proven otherwise; mastering another language was really important.
The Mercenary Association was, as always, designed to be grand and awe-inspiring. In the underground black market, it was built like a gladiator arena at the very center. Massive boulders, their rough surfaces grey and cold, were stacked into a circular pit-shaped structure that filled the entire lower level.
"Look at this breathtaking place. It's the only spot in the underground market that connects directly to the top-tier nobles. Every day, nobles come to the upper stands to watch mercenaries fight to the death in the arena. Only the so-called nobles get the right to bet on who wins or loses. They say that's their favorite pastime.
As for us commoners, we can only bet on battle pets: lizards, tigers, venomous snakes, and so on. The current star is a crocodile. If you want to make some quick black market coins, that's the fastest shortcut. Honestly, I think this Ah Huang looks promising. It could win five or six fights, easy. That's several hundred, maybe even over a thousand black market coins; quick cash."
Xiao Hei's eyes sparkled as he looked at Ah Huang, who was baring its teeth at him. "My friends, compared to the parrot, the bald chicken, and that toothpick snake you have got, I don't think much of them. Better keep those in the truck, or they will just end up getting eaten."
The parrot and Xiao Dou were indeed left in the truck. The so-called toothpick snake was coiled around Snake Spirit's head like a "bulletproof hat," while Ah Huang trotted faithfully behind Monkey, its claws clicking against the stone floor.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, mulling over Xiao Hei's words about battle pets. Maybe he wasn't wrong. Without selling food or trading for supplies, betting on pets might really be the fastest way to earn black market coins. If Xiao Dou could win a few matches, who is to say it wouldn't turn out to be the fiercest fighter among all chickens?
The hall was packed with people, the air thick with the smell of sweat and gun oil. Some were holding up signs looking for teammates, asking specifically for folks with guns and bullets.
"Hey, friends. In the black market, about eighty percent of 'intern mercenaries' are pushovers. Only twenty percent are real mercenaries, and more than half of those are retired special forces from other countries. Every one of them has got insane combat ability, and plenty are ruthless criminals.
This isn't a joke, so we have got to be careful. First, we register as 'intern mercenaries.' A mercenary team can have at most six members. To register and form a team costs 100 black market coins. Damn bloodsuckers, when a black loaf of bread only costs 2 coins!"
Xiao Hei winced as he paid the fee, his fingers reluctantly sliding the coins across the counter. They had their fingerprints taken, the ink dark and sticky, and each was handed a badge marked "Internship Mercenary."
"Hey, friends. Our goal now is to become true black market mercenaries, starting at D-tier, then C, B, A, and eventually S. Only real mercenaries get the right to fight in the arena. To move up from intern mercenary, we have got to complete missions posted in the black market. If more than half a team dies, the squad gets forcibly disbanded."
Tank asked, "What kind of missions let's move up?"
Time was tight. Their team's goal was clear: reach S-tier mercenaries in just ten days.
"Simple. To move from intern mercenary to mercenary, the team has got to complete a mission worth 1000 black market coins. After that, it gets easier. From D to C, just rack up 3000 coins. From C to B, you will need 8000. B to A takes 20,000, and A to S needs 50,000. The higher the tier, the better the perks, and the higher the mission pay. I have heard S-tier mercenaries even get to live up in the top levels."
So, to hit S-tier, they would need to earn a total of 50,000 black market coins and deliver value far beyond that. Could they pull it off in ten days?
Wait… Jing Shu suddenly understood why Yang Yang called him Xiao Hei. It wasn't because of his skin tone, but because he kept saying "Hey."
"What kind of missions are there?" Jing Shu asked curiously, her eyes scanning the glowing mission boards. In her past life, she had read a ton of mercenary novels. Beginners were usually errand boys: finding rare goods, retrieving stuff merchants wanted, or doing bodyguard work.
Xiao Hei translated: "Scout Sacramento Mine while avoiding patrols. Hold out for five days. Full team reward, 1000 black market coins. Assassinate government remnants. One verified corpse, 50 black market coins. Escort a mercenary group to Mexico to snatch up local specialties (you know what that means). One trip, one team, 1000 black market coins.
Eliminate armed forces at a small diamond mine in Sacramento and take back the mining rights. 1000 black market coins. Guard a fish pond. Pay is 10 coins per person per day, settled daily. Death voids the pay."
There were all sorts of jobs, messy and varied, but they all had one thing in common: death was always part of the deal. Assassination, fighting, guarding until you dropped. No wonder the black market didn't mind outsiders showing up. These missions were practically designed to get people killed.
The problem was, interns and real mercenaries weren't the same. To become a real one, you had to finish a 1000-coin job. Otherwise, you would be stuck forever as a washed-up intern taking scraps. Even retired special forces couldn't guarantee success. As for regular folks, they were nothing but cannon fodder with a gun in hand. No wonder Xiao Hei said only twenty percent of mercenaries ever made it.
Tank pointed at a mission with a thick finger. "Let's go wipe out the armed forces at that diamond mine. It's the fastest."
Xiao Hei passed on the idea, then turned back with a helpless shrug. "Hey, friends, someone already took that mission today. If they don't return by three this afternoon, it will count as failed. We can take it then. But another team has already booked it. We can either cooperate and split the reward, or challenge them head-on. Winner gets first rights to the next mission."
Snake Spirit rolled his eyes, the movement sharp. "How the hell are we supposed to split rewards and still rank up? We will just challenge them."
Jing Shu was actually curious about how these challenges worked, how teams measured each other's strength in this situation. But she never expected what came next…
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小黑 (Xiǎo hēi) with hei as in black