Chen Xiaolian walked out of the training room.
He simulated the underground palace of the deserted island once again in the training room and stayed there for three days.
When he came out, he saw that everyone was waiting in the central resting hall of the base.
Even Roddy, who had spent the past few days locked in the equipment room tinkering with mechanical devices, had come out.
"What's going on?" Chen Xiaolian asked as he noticed everyone looking somewhat serious, especially Xia Xiaolei, who seemed eager.
Lun Tai chuckled and stepped forward, "It seems like our vacation may be coming to an end."
"Oh?" Chen Xiaolian immediately understood what was happening.
Soon, Lun Tai forwarded a system notification within the guild system.
Chen Xiaolian quickly scanned it and his eyes lit up, "Instance Draw notification?"
Lun Tai glanced at everyone, and they all looked at Chen Xiaolian.
Lun Tai then said slowly, "This morning, we received a system message when we were on the outer island. So... everyone is waiting for your decision."
Chen Xiaolian fell silent. He moved to the side, found an empty chair, and sat down. Xia Xiaolei and Roddy immediately ran over, one handing him a cup, the other pouring water.
Chen Xiaolian looked at the two of them in surprise, "Oh? Both of you? Ah, do you really want to participate in this instance?"
Xia Xiaolei looked a bit aggrieved, "Guild Leader, I've been left at home by you so many times, I hardly have any presence."
Roddy smiled and said, "I've recently gone through all the equipment for this mission, and it's a good opportunity for some practical experience to test their effectiveness."
Chen Xiaolian nodded and then looked at everyone, "What's everyone's opinion?"
Qiao Qiao didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes as she gazed at Chen Xiaolian spoke volumes: "We'll follow your lead."
Lun Tai hesitated for a moment and said cautiously, "Although we have the base, and we can ignore the Instance Draw, but... Xiaolian, I feel that for the guild to grow and for us to strengthen our abilities, we can't always live in a sheltered environment. I looked at the system message, and the level of this instance isn't high. It might be worth considering to train our guild."
At this point, Lun Tai paused and continued, "If it were a high-difficulty instance, I would definitely not advocate for participation. We have the resources now, and there's no need to take unnecessary risks. But for this instance, I think it aligns well with our training conditions."
Chen Xiaolian nodded.
He had seen the system prompt, and the level of this instance was... [B] class.
In other words, based on his estimation, the difficulty level was likely the lowest among all the instances his guild had faced so far.
Moreover, what really intrigued Chen Xiaolian was a sentence in the system prompt.
"This instance does not restrict the use of modern firearms."
With this in mind, Chen Xiaolian nodded, "When does the instance open?"
"We received the system notification in the morning, and it requires us to arrive at the instance area within 48 hours. There are still forty hours left on the timeline, so we have plenty of time. Apart from the time required for the journey, we still have some time to prepare equipment and supplies."
The response came from Lun Tai once again—within the guild, it seemed that everyone had developed a habit, assuming that Lun Tai was the second leader under Chen Xiaolian, essentially the deputy Guild Leader. Lun Tai was, after all, the senior member, steady and thorough in character, loyal to his comrades, and also the oldest among them. So, under Chen Xiaolian, everyone respected his leadership and had grown accustomed to following Lun Tai's advice when Chen Xiaolian wasn't present.
"Alright, I agree with everyone's views. If it's for training purposes, then I do think it's necessary," Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment, "However... there needs to be someone staying back at the base."
Considering the current overall evaluation of the Meteor Rock Guild, for a [B] class instance, the guild could have a maximum of ten participants... taking the entire guild away wouldn't be an issue.
But Chen Xiaolian naturally wouldn't send everyone.
"The base island needs someone to stay behind. It's not yet completed here, and we need to prevent any unwanted visitors. We can't leave the base empty," Chen Xiaolian glanced at everyone.
Clearly, no one was willing to stay behind—perhaps Qimu Xi, the timid girl, might be willing, but Chen Xiaolian believed that someone like her needed proper training.
"First of all, I absolutely refuse to stay behind this time! I've been left behind every time, and I can't take it anymore!" Xia Xiaolei was the first to raise his hand.
"This instance allows the use of firearms, which naturally suits my mechanical abilities, and I can't miss the opportunity to test those new equipment," - these were Roddy's words.
Chen Xiaolian sighed.
"So...," he turned his gaze to Bei Tai.
Bei Tai smiled wryly, immediately understanding Chen Xiaolian's intention, "Guild Leader..."
Chen Xiaolian patiently said, "Soo Soo is just a child, despite being an Awakened, leaving her to guard the base wouldn't be appropriate. Roddy has mechanical abilities, and this training session requires him to integrate our equipment. As for Xiaolei... he should also go out and experience more. Well, Qimu Xi too. Qiao Qiao has the same issue, lacking combat experience, and she has spent too much time in Zero City before. So... this time, we'll have to trouble you, Bei Tai."
Bei Tai sighed, "Alright, I'll stay behind then."
Chen Xiaolian nodded, "Alright, I've assigned the tasks. Lun Tai and Roddy, both of you are responsible for organizing the equipment. Xia Xiaolei, you're in charge of preparing medicines and supplies. Qiao Qiao, Soo Soo, Qimu Xi, you're responsible for preparing everyday supplies. Well, this time, Bei Tai will stay behind. Everyone, prepare, we'll depart in twelve hours..."
As he spoke, Chen Xiaolian glanced at Roddy, "This time... we're deploying the Tidal Warplane! Roddy, you'll be the pilot."
"No problem, leave it to me!" Roddy laughed heartily.
...
At the entrance of the residential area.
In the security room, Tian Lie was holding a lunchbox, and he saw Nicole walking in.
Tian Lie glanced at Nicole, and there was no one else in the security room. He lowered his head and continued to use chopsticks to pick up the chicken leg from the lunchbox, and said quickly, "Wait for me a few minutes. After I finish this chicken leg, we can go into the woods and spar."
However, Nicole suddenly chuckled.
She looked at Tian Lie and said, "I didn't come here today to fight with you."
"Hmm?" Tian Lie was momentarily taken aback.
"Da Gang, I've been coming here every day these past few days, and we've sparred every day. Haven't you had enough?" Nicole huffed, "Both you and I know that when we spar, we hold back, and neither of us can go all out. No matter how we fight, it always ends up in a draw, and continuing like this is meaningless."
"So, what do you want?" Tian Lie huffed.
Nicole took a deep breath and looked seriously at Tian Lie, "Don't think I don't know... you've also lost contact with Chen Xiaolian's guild, haven't you?"
"..." Tian Lie fell silent.
"I haven't gone far these past few days; I've been patrolling around this area. So, I'm sure that no one from Chen Xiaolian's guild has returned for many days. I'm not a fool; I can guess the implications of that."
"Just tell me what you mean!" Tian Lie shook his head.
"This is Chen Xiaolian's home, but they haven't come back for so many days... It's clear they've given up on this place and found another base. And you... you can't continue following them. In simple terms, whether you like it or not, you've been left behind. In this regard, you and I are the same!" Nicole said.
Tian Lie finally smiled a bit.
"You admit it?" Nicole was somewhat surprised.
"Of course, why wouldn't I admit it?" Tian Lie looked at Nicole. "I've been left behind... because in front of them, my identity is just an ordinary person. They are a guild, and you should be aware that as the battles intensify, people like them cannot continue to live among ordinary people. They definitely have a secret base, so I no longer have the opportunity to continue following them."
At this point, Tian Lie held up his chopsticks and pointed at Nicole. "But that doesn't mean I'll let you continue spying on them."
"Huh?"
"I'm different from you; I have no ill intentions towards Chen Xiaolian and his guild. Let's be clear, if I had malicious intent, given the countless opportunities I had when I was living with them, I could have harmed them. But you are different, little girl. I still don't know where you came from, so I won't easily let you operate freely."
Nicole fell silent for a moment, a whole minute passed—until Tian Lie had finished eating one chicken leg. Then Nicole suddenly spoke, "What if I said I have no ill intentions either?"
"Oh?" Tian Lie's eyes lit up.
"I can prove it with a contract oath, using the magic contract oath in the system," Nicole said calmly. "In fact, I approached them for some... personal reasons, and to clarify some personal matters."
Tian Lie tossed the chicken leg bone into the trash and turned to her. "Tell me your intentions."
"This morning, I received a notification from the system about the Instance Draw," Nicole smiled.
Tian Lie didn't say anything, but there was a subtle change in the corner of his eye.
Nicole noticed this slight change and smiled triumphantly. "Ah! It seems I came to the right person. Da Gang, you didn't receive the Instance Draw this time, did you?"
"..."
"The Instance Draw randomly selects Awakeneds in the same area. Obviously, I was selected, and you weren't. And I guess that Chen Xiaolian's guild and ours should belong to the same area, so there's a good chance they were also selected."
"In other words... Da Gang, the instance I'm going to might involve encountering Chen Xiaolian's guild."
"Get to the point; I hate beating around the bush, especially when women do it," Tian Lie smirked.
Nicole stared into Tian Lie's eyes. "Cooperate!"
"Cooperate?"
"Cooperate!" Nicole nodded solemnly. "Since we both have no ill intentions toward them, there's no reason for us to continue being hostile towards each other. You also want to get close to them, but you don't know the details of this instance... I can tell you, and then we can go to the Instance Area together. When we enter the Instance, let's cooperate."
"A temporary team-up?" Tian Lie chuckled.
"That's right, even if it's a temporary team-up," Nicole's tone was very serious. "We have a chance to observe Chen Xiaolian's guild up close, and maybe we can make contact with them under different identities... I'm searching for my answers, and you do your thing. How does that sound?"
Tian Lie paused for a moment, then walked over and extended his right hand.
Nicole hesitated for a moment but also extended her hand, and the two of them shook hands firmly.
"So, now tell me, where is the instance?"
"[B] class Instance, no restrictions on firearms, should involve modern technology and machinery. Whether there's anything beyond conventional science fiction levels, I don't know for sure, but considering it's [B] class, it shouldn't involve too advanced technology. Well, the location is..."
Nicole furrowed her brow. "Jerusalem."
When Tian Lie heard the name of the location, he suddenly paused, then burst into hearty laughter. He pointed at Nicole. "Hahaha! I know why you came to cooperate with me now! I also believe you have no ill intentions towards them! You're worried about their safety, so you came to me for help, to go together and be babysitters for Chen Xiaolian and his guild, right? Hahaha..."
Nicole sighed. "It seems you also know some information."
"Of course," Tian Lie smirked. "A [B] class Instance is almost no challenge, but... Jerusalem, that place... is the territory of certain dangerous individuals! In the entire Awakened world, no one is willing to easily provoke those guys. I just didn't expect that this time, the system arranged the instance in their territory? That's quite interesting!"
Nicole sighed, "That's exactly what I'm worried about... not many people know about these circumstances. Chen Xiaolian and his guild might underestimate the situation when they see it's a [B] class Instance."
Tian Lie's eyes lit up. "Exactly! Those guys are all rookies. Oh, that Lun Tai Bei Tai has some experience, but they're all weaklings. They couldn't possibly know about the reputation of those guys in the Holy City. In the Awakened circle, not many are aware of them."
Tian Lie's laughter grew even louder, and he looked increasingly pleased.