The "Mercenary Guild" was situated right in the heart of "Gulu City," a place perpetually swarming with people.

Generally speaking, there were two types of individuals who frequented the "Mercenary Guild": those commissioning tasks, and those accepting them.

Employers commissioning a task would relay the details to the person in charge at the "Mercenary Guild" and pay the entire deposit upfront. A small portion of this deposit went to the "Mercenary Guild" as an intermediary fee, while the vast majority of the remainder was designated as the commission for the mercenary group that completed the job.

The profession of a mercenary was incredibly sought-after in this world. If you had the will and some competence, you could apply to form a mercenary group. It paid no mind to your background, whether you possessed a diploma, or if you had prior work experience; it boasted a near one hundred percent employment rate.

However, one thing needed to be stated: to form a mercenary group, a minimum of three individuals were required; otherwise, the application would not be accepted. Furthermore, being a mercenary meant facing immense danger. Generally, any mission exceeding D-rank signaled the peril of bloodshed and the loss of life!

A mercenary was a profession where one gambled with both their life and their strength!

Despite the inherent danger, students who had just graduated from school and hadn't yet found employment often opted to form a mercenary group to take on tasks within their capabilities. This not only allowed them to earn some extra cash but also provided a venue for the skills they learned in school to be practically applied and honed.

Since mercenary groups have been mentioned, the author shall elaborate specifically:

Mercenary groups were ranked from highest to lowest in the following order: S-rank—A-rank—B-rank—C-rank—D-rank—E-rank—F-rank.

Newly registered mercenary groups were all initially assigned F-rank. Upon completing a mission, they would accumulate a certain number of points, and once the total points reached a specific threshold, they could advance to a higher rank, and so on.

Enough preamble. Today, the "Twin Axes Mercenary Group" had just returned from completing a mission. Captain Christoph wore an expression of sheer delight, for he had earned a significant profit this time.

The "Twin Axes Mercenary Group" was a C-rank mercenary group, and its reputation was none too savory. This was because the group's leader was rumored to have originated as a bandit chief, possessing an exceedingly arrogant demeanor, frequently bullying the weak, and having surely orchestrated countless misdeeds behind the scenes!

"Captain, we absolutely must have a few days of proper rest after this one!" stated Deputy Captain Cosmo. This man had a sharp, weasel-like face; one look told you he wasn't the benevolent sort.

"I know what you all have in mind. Fine, the haul was good. Once we collect the commission, we’ll go have some fun!" Christoph boomed.

"Huzzah! Long live the Captain!" The brothers behind them cheered excitedly, looking utterly impatient.

"Move aside, move aside!"

Just as Cosmo was about to enter the Mercenary Guild, a small three-person mercenary team was exiting. He shoved the leading man aside with a single sweep of his arm, displaying pure domineering force.

The small mercenary team clearly understood that the "Twin Axes Mercenary Group" was not to be trifled with, and they could only yield.

This world was simply like this: those with power were the masters, and those without were the underlings! Law only bound the weak; for the strong, it was nothing more than a pleasant slogan!

After submitting the mission and collecting their commission, Christoph and his group left the Mercenary Guild and headed toward their den. But they hadn't walked far when they saw several dust-covered figures running towards them from ahead.

"Captain—" they called out from a distance. It seemed they were also members of the "Twin Axes Mercenary Group."

(It should be noted here that it wasn't mandatory for the entire team to participate in a mission; even if only one person completed the task, the credit ultimately went to the mercenary group that person belonged to.)

The men running towards them were none other than Alida and the others who had clashed with Robin at the tavern that day.

"Is everything alright?" Christoph asked casually, not noticing anything amiss at first.

But then, suddenly, he saw it. He asked with confusion, "Fred, what happened to your hand?"

At that moment, Fred’s right hand was heavily wrapped in white cloth, appearing severely wounded.

Readers might recall that this was the arrogant fellow Robin had crippled in the fight at the restaurant.

It was better that Christoph hadn't asked. His question seemed to strike at the heart of Fred's sorrow. Fred’s face immediately crumpled with grievance: "Captain, you must deliver justice for me!"

He even started to sob, truly baffling as to how a grown man could burst into tears so readily! (Hmph!)

"What exactly happened?" Christoph's expression turned serious.

"Captain, we were bullied," Alida interjected from the side.

"Who dares bully a member of our 'Twin Axes Mercenary Group'? Do they have a death wish? Tell me, what happened?" Christoph’s face darkened.

The others, who had been laughing moments before, instantly grew solemn, for they knew their Captain was angry. Their Captain’s anger was a terrifying event! No one wished to challenge the Captain's authority at such a moment.

Seeing Christoph inquire, Fred recounted the events of that day in the restaurant. However, he attributed all the blame to Robin, portraying themselves as law-abiding citizens instead. While telling the tale, he embellished it with groundless additions, describing how Robin had slandered the "Twin Axes Mercenary Group," painting Robin as exceptionally arrogant!

"What audacity! To dare bully us right here! They truly don't want to live! Captain, we must reclaim our honor, otherwise, what will become of us if this is allowed to stand!" Deputy Captain Cosmo fanned the flames from the side, stoking the fire.

In "Gulu City," the "Twin Axes Mercenary Group" was practically a local tyrant. Christoph knew precisely how to manage the "limits"; he understood that as long as he didn't incite widespread public outrage, being arrogant was acceptable.

"Do you know who they are?" Christoph asked in a low voice.

"No, but we discovered these two emerging from the 'Magic Beast Forest' early in the morning, wandering around 'Gulu City' until nightfall, then returning to the 'Magic Beast Forest.' We dared not follow too closely, so we don't know why they enter the forest," Fred reported.

"You mean they enter and exit the 'Magic Beast Forest' every day?" Christoph inquired.

"It's been like this for several days. It seems they are searching for something within 'Gulu City'?" Fred quickly added.

Upon hearing this, a cunning expression suddenly flickered across Christoph’s face.

An operation targeting Zhong Shenxiu and Robin was thus launched!