"Brother Xiao, I'm off to recruit some people as well. Let's meet later."

Chen Ming cupped his hands toward Xiao Mu and left with his group.

"See you later!" Xiao Mu felt that after their brief conversation, Chen Ming seemed to be a decent person, so he returned the courtesy with a salute.

"Xiao Xiao, did Chen Ming come to talk to you? What did he say?"

Huang Yuan suddenly appeared in front of Xiao Mu. The moment he spoke, he brought up Chen Ming. Judging by his stern and vigilant expression, it seemed his opinion of Chen Ming was far from favorable.

"Oh, Senior Huang, greetings!"

Xiao Mu greeted Huang Yuan, as the two were old acquaintances and had known each other for a long time, so he habitually referred to him as Senior Huang.

For others he had met later, even if their strength was comparable to that of Huang Yuan, Xiao Mu rarely addressed them as "Senior."

After all, his own strength was now formidable enough.

He replied, "It's nothing much, really. We just talked about cooperating during the mission. If we encounter a powerful enemy after entering the zone, we'd help each other out."

"That's all?" Huang Yuan raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled.

"Oh, and we also made a wager. We agreed to see who can obtain the Life and Death Seal first. The loser will give the winner ten thousand Advanced Energy Fruits."

Xiao Mu casually added this detail, but he couldn't help feeling perplexed at Huang Yuan's suspicious attitude.

Why was Huang Yuan so extraordinarily alert toward Chen Ming?

Huang Yuan paused for a moment, deep in thought. "It seems there's nothing wrong on the surface. But with Chen Ming, you need to be careful. This person is deeply cunning. Every word and action of his could be calculated to manipulate you. Be on guard and don't be deceived."

"No way, really?"

Xiao Mu was taken aback.

No way, could Chen Ming truly be a scheming person? From their earlier conversation, Chen Ming came across as forthright and straightforward, without a hint of duplicity.

Could someone like that really be calculating and manipulative?

Huang Yuan, unhappy, retorted, "I'm stationed in Headquarters and interact with him often. Wouldn't I know him better than you?"

"Well..."

Xiao Mu found himself momentarily speechless.

Huang Yuan was straightforward by nature, and based on Xiao Mu's understanding of him, he wasn't the type to deliberately lie or deceive on such matters.

Could it really be true that Chen Ming was a deeply scheming individual?

If that were the case, what had been his true intention during their earlier conversation? What did those two agreements really mean?

At least on the surface, neither arrangement seemed to have any hidden traps for Xiao Mu.

"Xiao Mu, Old Huang is right. Chen Ming truly is as cunning as they come. I can vouch for that. You need to be careful and avoid falling into his traps."

Yan Qingxu had somehow arrived with a few others and suddenly chimed in with a solemn tone.

No way. Even Captain Yan said the same thing?

Xiao Mu immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. If it were only Huang Yuan criticizing Chen Ming as overly cunning, one could argue that Huang Yuan's abrasive temperament or personal grudges might be influencing his judgment.

But now, even Yan Qingxu was echoing the same sentiment. Xiao Mu had no choice but to reconsider the issue carefully.

If Chen Ming truly was a cunning manipulator, then his earlier behavior might not have been as innocent as it appeared.

But what exactly was he plotting against Xiao Mu?

For the moment, Xiao Mu felt utterly baffled, unable to fathom Chen Ming's agenda.

He glanced around at the group surrounding him. By now, all his acquaintances had gathered, including Yu Wen'en, Yan Qingxu, Huang Yuan, Zhu Fuchen, and Zhao Yaogu.

"Brother Xiao, what's your plan? Will you be entering the zone together with us?"

Zhao Yaogu asked with an excited expression.

He had a good understanding of Xiao Mu's strength and naturally looked forward to Xiao Mu joining their group to face challenges together.

Xiao Mu glanced at the four of them and asked curiously, "Aren't you planning to join any of the other groups?"

As he spoke, Xiao Mu motioned in the direction of Chen Ming, Xu Lang, and the others with his chin.

"Not joining!"

Huang Yuan spoke again, his face cold. "Headquarters has issued a Merit Record for this task. Those who accomplish great deeds will be richly rewarded."

"Otherwise, do you think these greedy folks would participate? Don't tell me you believe they're acting out of altruism."

As he spoke, he threw a disdainful glance at Chen Ming, Xu Lang, and the others. Huang Yuan didn't hide his distaste for these well-connected Mutated Beings.

"Joining them would be tantamount to working for their benefit. In the end, all the merit would go to them. What would we have left? That's why we rely on ourselves and venture into the zone based on our own abilities."

"Xiao kid, you should join us as well. We can watch each other's backs."

With that, he openly tried to recruit Xiao Mu into their group.

Unlike others, Huang Yuan, being a familiar face, was much more direct and straightforward in his proposition, skipping any unnecessary formalities.

Join them?

Xiao Mu looked at Huang Yuan and then at Zhu Fuchen, Yan Qingxu, Yu Wen'en, Zhao Yaogu, and the others. These were his people, comrades with whom he shared strong bonds.

Collaborating with his own people would undoubtedly be more reliable than working with outsiders.

But despite this, he couldn't find a way to join Huang Yuan and the others.

He could only tactfully decline for now, "Senior Huang, your proposal is excellent, and I would love to join you. But for this journey to the Pool of Chaos, I have other tasks assigned to me. Unfortunately, I'll have to turn down your invitation."

"What? You have other tasks? What kind of tasks?"

Huang Yuan was startled by Xiao Mu's words.

The others were equally surprised. Xiao Mu not only had the objective of entering the zone but also seemed to have additional assignments. Why didn't they?

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