Chapter 25: Shengtang_2

"The other four are on a mission and aren't available," Tang Xian said.

On a mission?

How can someone who hasn't registered as a hunter be on a mission?

The middle-aged man felt something was off, and that's when Dong Ran took out her identity card.

"Just scan it, and you'll know," Tang Xian said indifferently.

Looking at the two's attire, the middle-aged man thought they must be workers who had just moved up from the lower levels, freshly minted full-timers, easy to deceive.

But the moment he scanned Dong Ran's identity card, he was dumbfounded.

He, after all, also worked in a public sector job, with a D-level identity status, which was considered top-tier on the second level.

Yet the scan revealed—this woman was actually a C-level soldier.

At the same level, a soldier's rank was inherently higher, let alone a C-level one.

Looking at the identity information's note, there was a red eagle emblem on the lower left corner, the family crest. Those who could have their family emblems on their identity cards were countable on one hand among Huaxia's major families.

With trembling lips, the middle-aged man uttered in a shaky voice:

"The... Li family's person?"

Dong Ran was quite pleased with this effect, but Tang Xian remained calm.

"Since you recognize it, this makes things a lot easier. In the eyes of the law, attempted bribery is a completely different crime from successful bribery. Of course, your crime is quite special, you'll also be charged with extortion of a soldier. The Li family is very petty. Not long ago, many shops on the lower level were sealed off, all related to the Li family. Those on the fourth level were unlucky, having the lower level folks take the fall for them."

"But you, you're just on the second level, not high enough to ignore the rules, but not low enough to slip by unnoticed. Getting into trouble is very inconvenient for you."

The middle-aged man went pale, feeling his legs turn to jelly, about to apologize.

Tang Xian made a shushing gesture with his right hand.

"There are many hunters around here, with many voices that could leak information. If word gets out, we can't just let this incident slide."

The man immediately quieted down.

With his left thumb and middle finger pressing together, Tang Xian made a gesture that the middle-aged man was all too fond of making.

"You're in luck today. A hundred grams of blue organic ore, and we'll pretend nothing happened."

Dong Ran struggled to suppress her laughter.

She had been curious as to why registering a hunter team necessitated an additional fee.

It turned out she and Brother Tang were being extorted.

Tang Xian, having lived in the most chaotic part of the lower levels for six years, didn't consider himself a genius, but he did know a thing or two about the various ways to deal with robbery, extortion, and deception. He especially enjoyed being extorted.

What followed was much simpler.

The middle-aged man in charge of registration felt terrible but was compelled to put on a smiling face, showing an incredibly high level of work efficiency.

Tang Xian was very satisfied.

But Dong Ran wasn't as pleased.

"Comm...Comm...Commander, as per regulations, you don't have to leave real names, just codenames."

"Hmm, mark this down, the first team member's codename is 'Tang.' He's not here."

The middle-aged man and Dong Ran were both stunned.

What kind of codename was this?

Most military hunter teams had hardcore codenames like Black Hawk or Cheetah. 'Tang' was what exactly?

Dong Ran opened her mouth wide, unable to believe Brother Tang would come up with such a codename. Who would want to join a team with such a name? She began to worry about what her own codename would be...

"The second one, not here, a combat member, Tang Wudi."

"..." The middle-aged man was speechless and could only register the name in silence.

"The third one, not here either, also a combat member, Tang the Mage."

"The fourth, still a combat member, here she is, it's her, Tang (based on the crackdown, homophony)."

"Ah!" Dong Ran let out a startled exclaim.

Her ominous premonition had come true.

Good heavens, what were these codenames? Tang the Terrible? Was this serious? Was this the work of a devil?

Incredulous, Dong Ran looked at Tang Xian. She now understood the meaning behind Tang Xian's words "that's not your most defining feature."

Tang Xian remained unconcerned, even feeling that these codenames perfectly fit the image he had in mind.

Adept at elemental combat, the elite ranged unit could play a significant role in certain battles, as long as it was properly protected by teammates.

Elites skilled in direct combat must be able to shield their teammates from the fiercest of attacks.

Assassins, adept at stealth and ambush tactics, are lethal when they gain the upper hand in combat, but speed is essential.

They were Tang, Tang Da, and Tang the Mage. As for Tang Xian, he felt that having a mascot in a team was a very prudent setup for good Feng Shui.

As for what Dong Ran herself thought, Tang Xian didn't care.

"The fifth one, who hasn't arrived, is the healer, Tang Busi."

The middle-aged man in charge of team registration was getting used to this man's style. He looked up at Tang Xian, thinking that it must be Tang Xian's own turn last.

He figured that Tang Xian could only serve as the "eyes" of the team.

The team leader was actually the "eyes"?

He had seen many unusual teams, but it was his first time seeing the weakest in combat power taking on the role of team leader.

Tang Xian didn't care about the opinions of the insignificant, and said:

"The sixth one is myself, the 'eyes,' and my code name will be Tang Wudi."

Dong Ran felt like she was about to spit out tender blood, and even the clerk who had been extorted by Tang Xian couldn't help but want to complain that he had never seen such a shameless person.

Tang Xian's expression was as calm and serious as ever.

He truly thought so.

Dong Ran was right about one thing; the team leader definitely had to be the strongest in the team.

Tang Xian was confident he could win people over with his wisdom, but he was lazy, so he planned to try something later.

"Registration complete... Are you sure about these code names?" Looking at the aggrieved expression of the girl from the Li family, the middle-aged man couldn't help but ask again.

Tang Xian nodded.

These code names helped him categorize and know who he needed as teammates.

As for Dong Ran's "Tang", Tang Xian thought it was an absolutely adorable code name.

A woman identified first and foremost for her "assets," if even her code name made one think of "assets," she was definitely a popular woman.

Unfortunately, Dong Ran wasn't wise enough to understand this.

Seeing that Tang Xian nodded without any thought, the registrar said no more and finally asked:

"What's the team name?"

"Shengtang."

Perhaps because the earlier names had set low expectations, the formal name "Shengtang" was actually to Dong Ran's liking.

But the thought of "Tang" made her lower her noble head and stick out her ample chest.

The following procedures were handled quickly.

After completing them, Tang Xian returned to the mission handover department.

This time, there was no extortion; the person in charge of this task was a middle-aged woman, who seemed listless.

"Hello, turning in a mission. The team name is Shengtang, number 055428." Tang Xian was just following procedures.

The middle-aged woman entered the number and frowned, saying:

"What mission could a team that's only been formed for a few minutes have completed? Go away."

This time, Tang Xian wasn't mischievous but calmly placed the Hellhound's Soul Crystal into the identification box beside her.

The woman froze instantly.

While it wasn't impossible for a six-person team to hunt a Hellhound, an elite-level boss, there hadn't been any elite-level boss creatures' Soul Crystal Mines in Fortress No. 39 for over a month.

"Did you manage this?"

Tang Xian nodded.

A team that had been established for less than ten minutes would naturally be at the bottom of all hunter teams. However, with the achievement of having hunted a Hellhound, the team's ranking would skyrocket to a very high level.

The woman's job was to record accomplishments and issue task rewards, deal with various private task mandates, as well as handling enterprise and even national mission reward disbursements.

She quickly found that sixteen companies and thirty-four merchants had issued hunting missions for Hellhounds.

"There are many high bidders. Who do you plan to sell to?" The woman's tone was much more polite, and she seemed more alert.

When one creature becomes a target for multiple people, the person completing the mission has the right to choose who to trade with.

"Choose the highest private bidder."

The middle-aged woman nodded and immediately started checking for Tang Xian among the non-corporate and national mandates to see who offered the highest bid.

"Let's see, oh, here it is. This person's bid is somewhat outrageous, fifty-two pieces of purple organic ore. His name is Jiang Ming."