As soon as the words fell, a wave of pressure suddenly enveloped Jie Mingchen and the others.
Under Tang Gaoxuan's oppressive force, Jie Mingchen and his companions quickly turned pale, their hearts pounded, and cold sweat streamed down their faces.
Tang Gaoxuan was a master of the Silver Realm and a powerful psionic ability user.
Jie Mingchen and his companions were only at Bronze eighth or ninth star, completely unable to withstand the opponent's mental pressure, and were on the verge of kneeling.
Tang Gaoxuan released and retracted his pressure. "Our Tang family is one of the four major powers in Junhai City. Join the Tang family, and you can continue to be Commander Jie. We won't interfere with the Rockstone mercenary group arbitrarily; instead, you will gain the protection of the Tang family. This is a truly rare opportunity. You must not miss it."
Jie Mingchen reiterated, "The Rockstone mercenary group belongs to Boss Qin Shilei's mercenary group. I am merely a sub-commander and will never join any faction."
"Hmph!"
Tang Gaoxuan snorted coldly, "If you want a backer, find a more reliable one. Qin Shilei's City of Hope is nearly two thousand kilometers away from here. You claim to be his people. This bluff of yours is too far-fetched."
He paused and then added, "Even if Qin Shilei was once the number one on the rankings, if he were to come to Junhai City, he would have to behave. This is not a place where he can act recklessly."
He had just checked the rankings the day before yesterday, and Qin Shilei was only Silver ninth star. Although stronger than him, his strength was limited. He believed that with the Tang family's power, they had no reason to fear the second-ranked title.
"Such big talk. I'm afraid you'll be scared into submission the moment you see Boss Qin," Xiao Mei whispered disdainfully.
"Hmph!" Tang Gaoxuan glared at Xiao Mei with murderous intent.
The entire room instantly felt like winter. An ice arrow materialized in front of Tang Gaoxuan, vaguely pointing at Xiao Mei.
"Brother Tang, why such a temper?" a two-hundred-pound胖子 (pàngzi - fat man) said with a smile as he walked in.
"Li Yunfu, this is my Tang family's territory. Don't cross the line," Tang Gaoxuan said coldly.
"Isn't this slum a no-man's-land? When did it become your Tang family's territory?"
Li Yunfu maintained his smiling demeanor. "Brother Tang, forced relationships don't last. Why are you making things difficult?"
Tang Gaoxuan glared at Li Yunfu, then turned to Jie Mingchen and said, "Commander Jie, I hope you can see the reality and not be stubborn."
With that, he led his subordinates out of the room.
"Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Li Yunfu, a disciple of the Li family, and currently the deputy leader of the Heavenly Origin Gang."
Li Yunfu took out an invitation and handed it over. "Tonight, our Heavenly Origin Gang leader is hosting a banquet at the Junhao Empire. We hope Commander Jie can grace us with his presence."
Not wanting to offend a smiling face, Jie Mingchen could only accept the invitation.
After handing out the invitation, Li Yunfu exchanged pleasantries for a few more moments before taking his leave.
Wu Xia saw that they had left and asked, "Commander, are we really going to the banquet? I'm afraid their intentions are not good."
Jie Mingchen said calmly, "Boss Qin asked us to establish a mercenary group in Junhai City, not to make enemies everywhere. Since they come with good intentions, why shouldn't we go?"
Subsequently, the Zhao and Lin families also sent people to try and recruit Jie Mingchen and the others.
Without dwelling on how Jie Mingchen and his group dealt with those recruitment attempts, Qin Shilei and An Qian were now riding on Xiao Qiang's back, heading towards Junhai City.
When they were about a hundred kilometers away from Junhai City, they suddenly heard a burst of gunfire from below.
They looked down and saw a large horde of zombies chasing dozens of humans.
"Let's go down and take a look."
As his strength grew, Qin Shilei's perspective had also changed. When he was in a good mood, he didn't mind helping others casually.
"Commander, you go first. We'll hold back these zombies."
"If we go, we go together. I, Zhao Yueling, am not someone who would flee alone."
"Commander, you are the fastest and most likely to escape. We entrust the safety of our relatives in the city to you."
"This... your relatives will be my relatives from now on, Zhao Yueling."
Zhao Yueling hesitated for a moment but finally decided to escape alone.
However, it was too late to escape now; the zombies had already surrounded them from all directions.
Zhao Yueling was at Silver one star and wielded a gleaming long saber.
With every swing of her saber, a zombie would be cut down.
However, the sheer number of zombies was too great, at least ten times more than them, and several of them were clearly at or above the Silver realm, watching menacingly from the side.
Screams echoed continuously, and Zhao Yueling's subordinates gradually dwindled, leaving fewer than ten.
Just then, three Silver realmlickers (舔食者 - tiǎnshízhě) began to move.
They charged into the fray like lightning.
"Ah!"
Two evolutionarys had their chests pierced by a long tongue in quick succession, managing only a scream before perishing on the spot.
Zhao Yueling was about to avenge her subordinates when a whistling sound came from behind her.
She turned and swung her saber.
Clang!
It sounded like cutting metal, producing a crisp sound.
At the same time, a tremendous force was transmitted from the lick's tongue, almost making her drop her saber.
Sounds of rapid whistling came from behind and her right, while the lick in front of her lunged at her.
"My fate is sealed."
Zhao Yueling's face turned pale, knowing that it was impossible for her to block or evade the attacks of these three lickers simultaneously.
At this moment, she felt a shadow fall over her head.
Then, a phantom image flashed past, and the licker in front of her was split in two and fell to the ground. Simultaneously, several thuds could be heard from behind.
Zhao Yueling looked up.
Two figures, one white and one red, continuously moved around them, their weapons indistinguishable between swords and sabers.
With flashes of red and silver sword light, zombies fell to the ground, unable to rise again.
No zombie, whether Bronze or Silver, could withstand a single move from these two.
"Junhai City actually has such powerful evolutionarys, and two of them!"
Zhao Yueling looked at the scene with shock.
"Roar!"
Just then, a roar suddenly came from afar.
The surrounding zombies, hearing the roar, retreated towards the distant sound.
"Shilei, it sounds like a Zombie King. Should we go and kill it?" An Qian asked, licking her lips with interest.
Qin Shilei looked into the distance but couldn't find the trace of the Zombie King.
"Forget it, let it live for now."
This was a county town, densely packed with zombies. If the Zombie King fled into the zombie horde, it would be difficult to find.
Zhao Yueling stepped forward to express her gratitude. "Thank you for saving our lives. Zhao Yueling will never forget this kindness."
An Qian, seeing that the other party was young and beautiful, stepped forward and said, "You're welcome. We'll take our leave now."
Zhao Yueling quickly asked, "Are you going to Junhai City or returning to Junhai City? Would you mind if we joined you?"
The zombies had only temporarily retreated and could return at any moment. For her own safety and that of her subordinates, she had to shamelessly ask to travel with them.
Qin Shilei asked, "Are you from Junhai City?"
Zhao Yueling replied, "I am a native of Junhai City."
Qin Shilei pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, let's go."