Bab 14: Chapter 14: A New War
Shen Hao thought for a moment, then raised his hand and took out the first reward that had dropped for him.
[Gauss Rifle A-23 (White, Level 1)]
"What is this?" Chen Sihui's eyes, already quite large, bulged even bigger as they were instantly drawn to the weapon that was full of a futuristic design.
"You can consider this a Monster reward," Shen Hao explained.
"Monster reward?" Dong Gong, who had been quiet until now, seemed to have his eyes shine slightly, "Defeating a Monster allows you to receive a reward from the Chosen One's panel?"
"Exactly, just like in a game," Shen Hao nodded.
This piece of information was still a secret.
Because up to this point, only Shen Hao and Gu Qiuyue had fought and defeated Monsters directly.
So, the moment Shen Hao mentioned it, let alone the two people in front of him, even Yang Jun standing by lit up with excitement.
"Is this how Chosen Ones become stronger?" Yang Jun thought to himself, clenching his fists involuntarily.
What he most desired now was power, for his past battle-hardened experiences and vigorously trained special combat skills were utterly ineffective in this new situation.
This was a completely new kind of war! Only with power, power as strong as the squad leader, could one protect the people and the country in this conflict.
Being King of Soldiers, he naturally had his own ambitions and beliefs.
"It seems that the Monsters' emergence is indeed connected to the existence behind the Chosen Ones' panel," Gong shifted his focus elsewhere, "Transporting our entire planet to a new Universe, then selecting Chosen Ones, bestowing upon them abilities, and setting up Monsters, leveling up by fighting... It's truly like a game."
"But people don't die in games," Shen Hao looked at him, "And we don't have the luxury to refuse."
"Indeed," Dong Gong smiled slightly and extended his hand proactively, introducing himself, "Squad leader, my name is Dong Gong."
Yang Jun, who stood beside, was slightly surprised to see this scene.
He knew that in the discussions above, this Dong Gong was actually one of the competitors for the role of the squad leader.
Because he was appointed as a Chosen One based on his identity as a top political figure.
Indeed, this was a rising star official whose abilities were extremely prominent, and here he was, having abandoned his former position and status to become just a team member.
If it had been Yang Jun, he certainly wouldn't have accepted this easily.
But it appeared as though this man had already accepted it.
Or was this simply a politician's tactic?
Yang Jun felt some concern in his heart. Facing such catastrophe, he didn't want to see discord within the team.
Meanwhile, Shen Hao, after shaking hands with Dong Gong, also reviewed his dossier.
He was somewhat surprised as well.
Before becoming a Chosen One, Dong Gong was someone Shen Hao didn't even qualify to meet.
However, it was just a moment of surprise.
After having the power of the "Sovereign" to control his emotions, Shen Hao always looked at everything with a sense of detachment — not out of disdain but as a natural ability obtained by controlling his emotions.
He could truly remain unflustered even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him.
"Your Talent must be combat-related?" Shen Hao noticed the line about Dong Gong's Talent and raised his eyebrows, "Cold Frost could be quite effective against those Monsters."
Yang Jun, standing to the side, felt nothing but envy.
His Golden Light was formidable in defense, but it was utterly useless against those monsters.
Those monsters, driving their blood, could Transform into various weapons as if they had no fixed shape at all.
Even bullets could not inflict much damage.
"He's combat class, and the Talent does seem to be completely random," Dong Gong nodded, looking at Shen Hao, then suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, team leader, when I first arrived, I heard that you alone took down forty or fifty monsters in an instant. Such an ability must be more than just Blue."
"That's correct," Shen Hao said directly, "It's Purple Epic, named Sovereign, with the ability to release Suppression that has a chance of subduing living beings."
He had downplayed his Talent to two levels lower than it really was.
Still, even as he spoke openly at this moment, it still caused a certain level of commotion at the scene.
Even with his preconceived notions, Yang Jun couldn't hide his delight.
Chen Sihui, who was less informed, also widened her eyes again.
Purple Talent!
Ninety-nine out of a million! That's like one in ten thousand!
Considering the current number of Chosen Ones in the world, it's highly likely there are fewer than five thousand, meaning there's a good chance this man is the only Purple Chosen One in the entire world!
Epic Talent!
Among a group of ordinary White Talents, he indeed stood out like a crane among chickens, and Chen Sihui's envy was almost spilling out of her eyes.
You should know, until now, fewer than ten Blue Talent Chosen Ones have appeared in the entire country!
"If I'm not mistaken, this Talent should also allow you to stay sane," Dong Gong said with composure but also with a hint of admiration, "Sovereign, truly a name befitting its ability. This Talent could make you a natural-born leader."
Yang Jun noticed a subtle change in Dong Gong's tone and demeanor.
It was as if a subordinate was interacting with a superior.
He was somewhat enlightened.
This elite politician had clearly guessed the level of the team leader's Talent ahead of time, which was why he had given up competing for the team leader position and accepted his place.
In the face of disaster, the significance of a Chosen One's Talent became even more pronounced.
This team could do without Gong, but absolutely not without Shen Hao!
However, Shen Hao seemed unaware, or perhaps, if he was aware, he didn't care.
Having acquired an external assistance, his vision and outlook had already dramatically changed.
It was inevitable.
"Now that we know each other, let's get down to the main topic," Shen Hao tapped his finger on the table to focus everyone's attention, then said in a stern voice, "I'm not sure about other areas, but the situation in Donghua City is very bad. I just visited the homes of three students who were replaced, and those three families... they've been wiped out."
As those words were spoken, the atmosphere on site became heavy.
For them, who not long ago lived in an era of peace, the concept of a family being wiped out was rare.
But in Donghua City at this time, even in the whole world, it was already unknown how many there had been!
"Team leader," Dong Gong spoke up at this moment, "the families of those replaced, or people around them, has anyone else been replaced?"
"I found only one family," Shen Hao said.
"This means that this kind of spreading is not like a virus that can replace someone just by meeting them," Dong Gong clearly had done his homework, "Schools, families, the biggest commonality between the two is the close daily interaction. I have two hypotheses: first, it requires a certain amount of time to replace someone; second, it requires meeting some specific conditions, and these conditions are not that easy to achieve in a simple encounter."
Hadiah
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