After accepting this mission, He Mu thanked Uncle Li again before leaving the Red Mist Bar.
Upon stepping outside, he first looked for a secluded place and sat down, before taking out his cell phone and downloading the Red Mist Alliance's software.
After entering the password to his account and successfully logging into the Red Mist Alliance system, He Mu saw his profile.
[He Mu. Entry-level Red Mist Alliance member. Current city contribution value: 0. Current unfinished task: 1.]
According to the small print next to the profile, entry-level members only needed to complete one mission to become a junior member and enjoy a 10% discount on spending within the Red Mist Alliance.
But thereafter, it would be difficult to upgrade to an intermediate member as 100 city contribution value was required. As for becoming senior members, it was still too distant to even be mentioned.
…
In addition, there was a mission system in the software.
But to open this system, one had to complete 10 missions first.
He Mu's account hadn't yet activated this system, but he guessed that this should be the system of receiving missions independently.
After activating this system, if he wanted to accept a mission in the future, he wouldn't need to go to the Red Mist Bar again.
As for why a threshold of 10 missions was set, it was probably to prevent some newcomers from recklessly accepting missions beyond their abilities.
…
After figuring out the rules of the Red Mist Alliance, He Mu walked into a restaurant dedicated to Red Mist Fighters.
After looking at the menu a few times, he finally ordered the cheapest grilled fish that cost 2999 yuan.
This fish was an artificially-farmed monster with a combat power of 1, most suitable for someone like him who had just become a Red Mist Fighter.
According to his original plan, he should have gone to the supermarket to purchase food.
Because supermarkets sold frozen foods and the same fish would cost only two-thirds of the price here.
But after figuring out the rules within the Red Mist Alliance, he dismissed the idea.
It was better to complete the mission first, and he would receive discounted prices after completing the mission and becoming a junior member.
Besides, the location of this mission was in the industrial area near the Red Mist Alliance. The mission period was also late at night, so he didn't have the need to go home now.
The reason he chose this restaurant was that this restaurant was giving out a free voucher for the use of a nearby resting cabin by dining with them.
This mission involved mind-interfering monsters, so he needed to ensure he had adequate sleep in advance.
And the resting cabin was the best choice for him.
…
After ordering and waiting for a moment, the waiter brought the grilled fish to the table.
The grilled fish was only two-palm-sized, and He Mu weighed its plate.
As he thought, it was quite heavy as if it were filled with two iron chunks instead of a fish.
Picking up the chopsticks next to him, He Mu tried to grab a piece of meat and put it into his mouth.
The first thing he felt as he bit the meat was "hardness".
At least five times the toughness of cooked beef!
Fortunately, he had enough strength and his teeth were strong enough that could bite into the meat.
If he were an ordinary person, perhaps his mouth would cramp after this meal.
As for the taste, it was all right.
"Meh… I wonder what those really strong fighters eat?"
He Mu imagined while eating the fish, and when he was done, he finally experienced the feeling of a full stomach.
After paying the bill and taking the voucher, He Mu left the restaurant and went to the lounge next to it.
There were 20 resting cabins lined up neatly in the lounge, spaced two meters apart from each other.
Each resting cabin was the size of a bed. Looking at it from a distance, it felt as advanced as a space capsule.
Upon finding his resting cabin, He Mu set the alarm, climbed into it, and closed the door. At that moment, the clamors of the outside world were completely isolated.
The only sound in his ears was the slight sound of wind coming from some device inside the cabin.
The sound was neither too loud nor soft. It was just right for him to get a restful sleep.
On top of that, a harmless, hypnotic gas also permeated the cabin.
All in all, this was indeed a wonderful place to rest.
If he didn't own a coupon, it would cost 500 yuan to sleep here for eight hours.
…
Lying in the resting cabin, He Mu looked at the roof. There was a screen, as well as two handles.
Observing the design, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the cleverness of the designer.
He took a deep breath, grabbed the two handles and pulled himself upward with force until his body was completely suspended in the air, and repeated the cycle.
He had to admit that it required a lot of strength to do this action while laying down, but this was the designer's original intention.
This was how Red Mist Fighters trained. They expended all the red mist in their bodies and allowed the red mist to transform into Strengthening Peptide, so they could absorb even more red mist.
Just like that, He Mu did some strenuous exercises in bed, while thinking about the mission he had taken on.
Without him realizing, half an hour had passed, and he finally ran out of energy and fell asleep.
…
By the time he woke up, it was already ten o'clock at night.
The resting cabin was filled with the fresh air of the grassland, which was its unique waking method, allowing those who slept in it to "wake up naturally".
I've slept for nearly eight hours.
He Mu sat up and felt refreshed.
Honestly, he hadn't slept well since losing contact with his big brother and had been depressed.
This sleep was, for him, equivalent to a large bottle of ice water for a person who had been thirsty in the desert for two days.
"Phew…"
With a long breath, He Mu opened the hatch and walked out.
The feeling of his energy being unable to be released instantly filled his whole body.
He had only experienced this feeling in his previous life when he was 11 or 12 years old, and it was the first time in this life.
Leaving the lounge, a cool breeze brushed his face. The Red Mist Alliance was crowded at night, and the lights of the Red Mist Bar ahead shone brightly. Everywhere was shining with bright radiances.
He Mu didn't stare at this scene for long, but walked straight toward the exit.
Not long after, he stopped in front of a wall near the exit.
At the center of this wall was an imprint of a red, swimming ring-sized circle. Its entirety was made of rubber, and next to it was a small screen embedded in the wall.
This was the combat power test wall, which was considered to be a popular spot of the Red Mist Alliance.
He Mu stretched out his fist and pressed it on the rubber, and the screen next to it immediately lit up and showed the number "1".
He Mu increased his strength and the number began to jump.
Not long after, it stopped at "7".
At that moment, He Mu still had a lot of strength left, but he could no longer exert more power because his wrist couldn't withstand the pressure. If he were to force himself, perhaps he would end up paralyzed like that incident when he was still a baby.
…
"I have a combat power of 7 now. How fast."
Retracting his fist, He Mu whispered to himself.
When his big brother became a Red Mist Fighter at the age of 15, his combat power broke the 100 mark by the time he was 18.
In between, his big brother wrote down detailed data of the changes in his combat power in his notes, and those notes were still at home today.
If He Mu remembered correctly, his big brother's took close to 10 days to raise just 1 combat power for the initial 20.
And as for him, he went from 5 to 7 combat power just by eating a meal, exercising a little, and sleeping.
Perhaps he was the only one who had such a talent in this whole world?
It was just a pity that he started a little late.
The more it is this way, the more steady I have to progress.
Another cool breeze blew in his face and He Mu looked into the distance and warned himself inwardly.
As the only surviving member and seedling of a family that had died in the hands of monsters, he was really not qualified to make waves.
There was only one road in front of him.
I have to be cautious, prudent, and progress steadily.
At this thought, He Mu collected his thoughts and walked quickly in the direction of the industrial area.