Full-Time Public Enemy

The girl said coolly, "I believe.

"The item I'm looking for is also related to the divine. However, I'm not sure what it is exactly—don't be impatient, let me finish. When anyone sees it, they will immediately understand that it's what we're searching for.

"As for why I need to find this item, you don't need to know.

"This place is indeed very dangerous, even more so than I anticipated. If I had known this beforehand, I wouldn't have hired only your mercenary group.

"Regarding your companions who died in battle, I am truly sorry, but..."

The girl spoke, opening a storage compartment on her Mecha. She took out five transparent, slender cards and handed them to Xulong.

"You must recognize these. They're unregistered, require no password, and can be cashed directly at that bar on the interstellar quantum network. Each card holds fifteen million. This compensation should be enough for your comrades' families to live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

Xulong took the five cards, but his eyes lingered on the girl's storage compartment, where six more cards lay.

The girl understood his thoughts and continued, "There's no need to look. If you manage to survive and complete this commission, I'll give you a gift suitable for Professionals. But such gifts are useless to ordinary people; they'd be of no use to your families and could even bring disaster upon them. For them, Starshield currency is most appropriate."

Xulong clenched his teeth. "Those bugs, what exactly are they?"

The girl simply shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we find what we want, that's all that matters."

"Fine..." Xulong sighed. He pocketed the five cards and waved to the others. "Our client is generous and has made arrangements for those who fell. Alright, brothers, get up! Time to work!"

"Where to next?" another woman in the team asked.

There were seven or eight exits around the grand hall.

Xulong gestured to one of the team members with a nod. "Bu She, you decide."

Chen Gu, though distant, sensed a familiar power emanating from Bu She—that of a Quantum Wizard.

A moment later, Bu She pointed to one of the exits. "There."

Chen Gu gave a bitter smile. Of all the luck, Bu She chose the very passage where I'm hiding.

"Move out."

The mercenary group guarded the girl in their midst as they entered the passage where Chen Gu was.

Chen Gu pondered for a moment, then decided to retreat further, maintaining a certain distance from them. *Complete Invisibility* probably wouldn't fool these Professionals, and he himself possessed several abilities suited for stealth. However, this passage isn't wide. At such close range, I'm not confident I could evade detection by a Sixth Energy Level adept.

So, Chen Gu, having just traversed this passage, now found himself retreating the way he came.

Meanwhile, Chen Gu was still pondering what the girl had said earlier. Deities? In this day and age, did people still truly believe gods existed?

The Beast God Seal mercenary group proceeded with extreme caution. They advanced slowly, and it took them over ten minutes to emerge from the passage into the Sarcophagus Hall.

Chen Gu had already arrived here earlier. He noticed a new, large hole in the ground. There's a second level? 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Chen Gu hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow down.

He wasn't concerned whether the mercenary group and the girl behind him would continue searching the upper level or also come down. He suspected the girl was looking for the same thing he was.

Only a divine statue of that kind would make someone instantly recognize it as the object of their search.

Furthermore, Chen Gu had secretly observed earlier that the girl might not truly know what she was looking for. After all, in that grand shrine hall, all the divine statues had been destroyed, so they wouldn't release any contamination that could trigger mutations. If the girl had known she was looking for that type of divine statue, she wouldn't have been so unfazed.

The level below was much cruder than the one above; it looked as if its construction had only just begun and was never completed.

However, before Chen Gu could get a better look, the mercenaries, protecting the girl, followed him down. Chen Gu cursed inwardly and had to flee again, putting more distance between himself and the group.

The ground was covered with tracks left by the giant egg monsters. The footprints were jumbled, and due to the immense weight of these creatures, they were embedded a centimeter deep into the solid rock.

Xulong was baffled. "What are these? Human footprints... But their pattern is too chaotic; they don't look like they were made by humans."

"Footprints this deep couldn't possibly be human."

The mercenaries discussed this amongst themselves. The girl, cool and detached, did not interject.

Suddenly, a tall, thin warrior among the mercenaries raised a finger to his lips. "SHHH—"

He seemed to have discovered something, signaling for everyone to be silent.

But Chen Gu immediately thought, This is bad! The 'SHHH' sound had produced sonic vibrations that bounced right off him! This man was like a bat, capable of using sound waves for reconnaissance and targeting!

Xulong, Ghost Ape, and Bu She charged forward. Xulong, who had the highest Energy Level, was already airborne and threw a punch. Instantly, Chen Gu felt the surrounding space grow incredibly heavy. His every movement slowed, and even the air felt too dense to breathe.

Gravitational Messenger!

The gravity in the area suddenly intensified more than tenfold.

Chen Gu immediately deactivated his Complete Invisibility. He retreated several dozen meters, not wanting to clash with Xulong, and raised his hands. "I'm a soldier of the Confederation! I mean no harm! I had to remain hidden due to a matter of military secrecy!"