The repeated recounting of events by this youth left Bennett utterly frozen, like a statue, unable to utter a word for a long time.

He was currently undergoing a baptism by a raging storm; he could not believe that the crisis which had plagued him and left him helpless had simply ended. It left him with a profound sense of unreality!

Just who were these members of the "Ethereal Mercenary Group"? How could they possess such capability, to wipe out those Demon Bugs in less than half a day? What kind of speed was that!

Wait! Bennett’s expression shifted drastically, as if a sudden thought had struck him. He turned back to the disciples and urgently asked, “You... you mean that ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ could actually shut down the ‘Access Point’?”

“Yes! We saw it with our own eyes! That young man used some unknown method—we only registered a flash of light, and when our vision cleared, the ‘Access Point’ was already gone!” one of the disciples replied, clearly agitated.

This... how could this be possible? The ‘Access Point’ could actually be disabled?

Questions of that nature flashed incessantly through Bennett’s mind. He could not possibly conjure an image of what such a scene would look like!

An unknown amount of time passed before Bennett could grudgingly accept these facts, only for one of the disciples to relate another event that utterly stunned him!

“What?” Bennett’s eyes snapped open, widening several times over. “You’re saying the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’ was annihilated by the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’?”

.

Strangely enough, while the news of the Demon Bugs' destruction had not yet spread widely, the destruction of the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’ had instantly saturated every corner of ‘Golden Harvest City.’

This news might mean little to the common folk, but for the mercenaries, it was explosive information! The entire mercenary world was bound to reel from this event!

“Hey, did you hear? That bunch from the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’ got wiped out. Someone actually managed to eliminate those monsters; that’s unbelievable!” Mercenary A exclaimed with wide-eyed wonder.

“Of course, I heard! And I know the ones who took down the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’ are a unit called the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group.’ They must be incredible! Why have we never heard of them before? I really want to see what they look like—do they have three heads and six arms or something!” Mercenary B said, his voice filled with awe.

Similar conversations began to multiply; the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ had now made a name for themselves. Though many had not yet seen Zhong Shenxiu and his companions, the name of the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ was firmly etched into their minds!

Now, it wasn’t just the mercenaries discussing the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’; even the ‘Mercenary Association’ had started paying attention!

After verifying the incident, the Mercenary Association in ‘Golden Harvest City’ swiftly reported to the associations in nearby cities, which in turn relayed the message further afield—and so on. In less than a day, the Mercenary Associations in all the major cities had received word of the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’s’ demise!

The reason the Mercenary Association took this so seriously was that the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’ had been unbearably arrogant, showing outright disrespect to the Association. Worse still, they had repeatedly persecuted other mercenary groups, earning the fury of many.

Because they were so powerful, even the Mercenary Association had been forced to tread carefully around them. The impact unleashed when such accumulated resentment finally found an outlet could be imagined as immense!

Hundreds of miles away, the ‘Tiger Leap Mercenary Group’ received this message that very night. Nearly everyone was shaken, but the greatest shock was reserved for Zakhav and his companions, who had once briefly crossed paths with Zhong Shenxiu’s team.

The name ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ was deeply ingrained in their memories. They owed their safe return to their base entirely to this group. Recalling the events during their escort mission felt like it had just happened yesterday!

“I think the only people capable of doing this must be them,” Zakhav murmured to himself.

“So, they truly are more formidable than that ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’!” Wennar stated blankly.

“Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that we traveled alongside such a group back then,” Yehut added.

Although the three of them were astonished that the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ had annihilated the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group,’ they weren't truly surprised, as they had personally witnessed the almost monstrous power displayed by Zhong Shenxiu’s crew.

※

Meanwhile, Zhong Shenxiu and his team were completely unaware of the legendary status they were rapidly acquiring outside. They had no idea their group had suddenly become the focal point of every mercenary’s attention!

After completing their mission, Zhong Shenxiu and the others returned directly to their lodgings at the ‘Dark Merchant Guild.’ None of them had ventured out again, so they remained oblivious to the turmoil brewing outside.

The next morning, Zhong Shenxiu and his team rose early and headed toward the ‘Mercenary Association,’ planning to collect their payment.

Since they weren't on a mission, Zhong Shenxiu and his group wore civilian clothes and didn't draw any immediate attention.

However, this quiet state didn't last long. When Zhong Shenxiu presented their claim to the young female clerk at the ‘Mercenary Association’ counter, the attendant gasped loudly, “Y-you are the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’?!”

Due to her shock, her voice carried, and every mercenary chatting nearby instantly heard it. The previously noisy hall fell into a dead silence!

But the silence didn't hold for long; it was quickly replaced by waves of astonishment!

“No way, they are the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’? They look so ordinary!”

“These are the people who supposedly destroyed the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’? How can they be so young?”

“This is vastly different from what I imagined. Are they really the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’? Did they really wipe out the ‘Tornado Mercenary Group’?”

Among the murmurs were surprise and doubt, yet undeniably, the mercenaries’ enthusiasm and reverence for the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ had not diminished in the least!

Xia Luo and the others felt somewhat flustered by the intense stares from the surrounding mercenaries, and they couldn't fathom why the female clerk had shrieked.

“Excuse me... what exactly is happening?” Xia Luo asked the still-dazed female attendant.

The attendant seemed jolted by electricity; her body trembled slightly, followed by a small cry, before she finally snapped out of her shock.

“I—I am so sorry. Truly sorry,” the attendant immediately apologized, bowing her head deeply to Xia Luo and the others.

This only made Xia Luo more bewildered. At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu interjected with a rather humorous line: “Miss, are you new here?”

The attendant first froze, then understood the implication of Zhong Shenxiu’s words, and instantly blushed with embarrassment. She wasn't actually new; she had worked here for two years. Her extreme reaction was purely because she never expected the currently most mysterious and legendary ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ to appear right in front of her—it felt like a dream.

Just moments ago, she had been fantasizing about whether the ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’ included handsome men or if they looked fierce and terrifying, only for them to materialize before her eyes! Never mind her; even an association president with decades of experience would likely be rendered speechless by the sudden appearance of Zhong Shenxiu and his crew!

As if lacking a soul, the charming attendant finally managed to process the commission paperwork, yet she remained nervous, daring not to look directly at Zhong Shenxiu and his group.

A name carries weight; she, a mere attendant, would never dare offend the now vastly different ‘Ethereal Mercenary Group’!

“Oh?” Xia Luo showed a look of surprise, which made the attendant standing nearby jump, fearing she had made some mistake.

“Excuse me, weren't we promised a commission of one billion Diamond Coins? Why have you given us two billion? And what is this card?” Xia Luo inquired.

When the attendant heard the question concerned the money, she instantly relaxed and quickly explained: “It’s like this: the extra billion Diamond Coins are an additional reward provided by the employer! And this card contains the employer's address; the employer wishes to meet with you!”

After hearing the explanation, Xia Luo immediately looked at Zhong Shenxiu, her expression asking whether they should accept the meeting.

Zhong Shenxiu didn't give a direct answer; instead, he said, “Alright, let’s go back.”

At present, Zhong Shenxiu had no time to waste on trivial matters. He had a crucial task: figuring out a solution to the rampant spread of the Demonic Mist as quickly as possible!

The time remaining until the ‘Convergence of the Five Evil Stars’ was rapidly dwindling. Based on the current situation, the Demon Bugs were already infiltrating human settlements. If this continued until the day of the ‘Convergence,’ the situation would become utterly uncontrollable. Even with Zhong Shenxiu’s current terrifying level of power, he could not safeguard every single location!

Therefore, Zhong Shenxiu absolutely needed to devise a workable solution in the half-year leading up to the ‘Convergence.’ Stated grandly, it was for the sake of all humanity; stated selfishly, it was to prevent the beautiful flora and fauna from suffering a devastating blow!

The large-scale conflict between humanity and the Demon Bugs would commence before long; perhaps even at this very moment, a battle was already raging in some distant region...

※

“Qier, when you were in the other dimension, did you know what the most powerful Demon Bugs were?” Zhong Shenxiu asked Rachel as they walked back.

“Master, I don’t know everything, but besides the ‘Heiluo’ and the ‘Yansen’ types, there is another called the ‘Ripsaw.’ It is rumored that wherever one exists, no other living creature can be found within hundreds of miles,” Rachel replied gravely.

“Ripsaw?” Zhong Shenxiu murmured the name twice, asking nothing further.

“Young Master, is something about to happen?” Elena, whose observation skills were sharper, asked.

“Prepare yourselves. It won't be long before the Demon Bugs come to cleanse this world,” Zhong Shenxiu’s words startled Xia Luo and the others!

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