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Chapter 49: Captain Ella, The Plains of Death
Chapter 49: Captain Ella, The Plains of Death
"Do you have a death wish?" Ella slowly turned to look at Jeremy, her beautiful eyes filled with coldness.
The other four also directed their unfriendly gazes towards Jeremy.
Since joining the Black Dragon Squad, Jeremy was the first to speak to them in such a manner.
The atmosphere outside the factory was somewhat oppressive, and many felt their hearts tighten.
Yet Jeremy seemed oblivious.
He calmly stated, "You could try and see if you're capable."
Had these people spoken nicely from the start, he wouldn't have sought trouble with them.
But now that they had made their move, Jeremy, not one to have a good temper to begin with, naturally would not tolerate it.
Moreover, his boldness stemmed from his lack of fear towards them.
Upon activating The Eye of Omniscience, Jeremy could see the information of the individuals before him.
[Name]: Ella
[Level]: 18
[Occupation]: Gunner (Common)
[Ability]: Death Lock (S-rank)
[Note]: Proficient in command and long-range combat, with strong burst and suppression capabilities. Slightly stronger in close combat, average speed, and defense.
...
[Name]: Kelvin
[Level]: 17
[Occupation]: Thunder Mage (Rare)
[Ability]: Lightning Mastery (S-rank)
[Note]: Excel in burst damage and control, with extremely strong attack damage. Average in close combat, slightly weaker in defense and speed.
...
[Name]: Ramone
[Level]: 17
[Occupation]: Berserker Bear Warrior (Rare)
[Ability]: Grow Stronger as the Battle Progresses (A-rank)
[Note]: Specializes in close combat, very strong in defense and strength. Slightly stronger in close combat, weaker in speed and mental strength.
...
Jeremy, already more powerful than these individuals and aware of their weaknesses in advance. If he wanted to kill this five people, he wouldn't even need to exert much effort.
Upon hearing Jeremy's words, Ella's expression remained unchanged.
However, the faces of the four Black Dragon Squad members darkened significantly.
The tension was palpable.
Claire and Emma stayed silent.
No matter who the opponent was, they firmly stood by Jeremy.
Ritchie seemed excited, already warming up for the confrontation.
Bonnie simply glared at Jeremy.
This guy really had a knack for finding trouble, did he think the Black Dragon Squad members were so easily provoked?
Howard glanced at the Black Dragon Squad and then at Jeremy, suddenly grinning.
This kid really suited his style!
Benjamin knew this couldn't go on.
He stepped forward, stating in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, this is not the place for a fight. Your strength would be better spent on monsters and dungeons."
The Black Dragon Squad held a higher status in the federation than Jeremy had imagined, and Benjamin didn't want him to offend them. It wouldn't be beneficial for him.
The members of the Black Dragon Squad didn't speak, their gazes shifting to their leader, Captain Ella.
Despite Benjamin's significant status, it held little sway over them, as the Black Dragon Squad only followed their captain's orders.
"I hope you can surprise me when we meet in the dungeon." Ella said, giving Jeremy a deep look, choosing not to engage here.
She wasn't overly concerned about Jeremy's arrogance. The federation was never short of arrogant folks, and Ella had encountered many more arrogant than Jeremy.
But those who had survived till now did so because they had the means to back up their arrogance. If Jeremy had the skills, that was fine. But if he was the type who couldn't recognize his own limits, Ella felt it was even less worthwhile to waste time on him.
Whether he was all talk or not would be clear once they entered the dungeon. If Jeremy didn't even dare to enter, then killing him out of spite later would not be too late.
After speaking, Ella turned and walked towards the dungeon entrance.
The others gave Jeremy a cold glance and followed her.
The blue portal rippled as the figures of the five disappeared.
Benjamin apologized to Jeremy, "Sorry, I wanted you to come here to relax. But I didn't expect this to happen."
Jeremy laughed, "It's fine. I'm not taking it to heart."
Howard laughed heartily upon hearing this, "I really admire your fearless nature!"
After a pause, he became more serious, "However, the Black Dragon Squad is not as simple as you think."
Jeremy looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"
Benjamin sighed, "The Black Dragon Squad holds a special status in the federation, entangled with many complexities. For instance, Ella is the eldest daughter of the Ella's family, one of the five major families in the Imperial City. You should know her fiance, Kean, who is currently ranked first in the level rankings.
He comes from another of the Imperial City's five major families, and is hailed as the federation's top genius. He is also the first person to have cleared a beginner dungeon."
"Ella is a daughter of a major family?" Jeremy was surprised.
He was aware that there were certainly influential families within the Federation that had become too powerful to control, but he never expected that Ella was the heiress of one such family, and even more surprisingly, the fiancee of Kean.
But why would such a favored daughter of heaven join the Black Dragon Squad, a department fraught with danger?
Jeremy was even more puzzled.
Howard explained, "Not just Ella, the others also come from notable backgrounds. The reason the Black Dragon Squad is known as the strongest team in the Federation is that its members are top talents selected from various powerful factions. Each of them represents a major power, including intelligence agencies, the military, families, and so on.
This is precisely why the Black Dragon Squad can act without any concerns, instilling fear in many."
Jeremy understood. No wonder he felt that these people were somewhat unusual, different from the super soldiers he had encountered before. So there were so many complexities involved.
However, Jeremy didn't care about this. After the apocalypse, the global order had been reshuffled, and those major forces probably had their hands full just trying to survive, let alone bother with him.
Both sighed upon seeing this, realizing that Jeremy simply didn't care and decided not to say more.
Once he reached the capital, he would understand the prowess of these people.
Letting this young man suffer a bit isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The sun was high in the sky, and it was getting late.
Howard, along with over a hundred soldiers, prepared to enter the dungeon.
Jeremy seized the opportunity to ask, "Can we go in and have a look too?"
"Are you sure your body can handle it? And the Black Dragon Squad..." Benjamin hesitated, worried that the Black Dragon Squad might seek revenge on Jeremy.
Howard, however, smiled and said, "Don't worry. With me around, they'll think twice."
Seeing Howard speak up, Benjamin didn't say anything more.
And so, it was settled.
Worth mentioning, Bonnie also prepared to enter the dungeon with them.
Benjamin couldn't persuade her otherwise. So he could only ask Jeremy and Howard to take good care of her.
This made Bonnie quite dissatisfied, feeling underestimated by her father.
Then, Jeremy and the others followed Howard's troops through the dungeon portal.
The moment Jeremy stepped through the portal, it felt like passing through a curtain of water.
When he opened his eyes again, the scene had changed from the abandoned factory to a lush green meadow.
Under the clear blue sky, the vast meadow stretched as far as the eye could see.
A gentle breeze stirred waves of ripples across the grass.
Around them, various animals and plants could be seen.
Meadow giants as big as cars, man-eating flowers taller than a man, emaciated ghouls wielding various weapons, and so on.
These monsters roamed the meadow. Although not numerous, their levels were all above 20, including many elite monsters.
As they entered the dungeon, a prompt appeared in front of everyone.
[Ding! You have entered the low-level dungeon "Death Meadow"!]
[Recommended Level: 20-30]
Unlike the others, Jeremy received an additional prompt.
[Tip: In the core area of "Death Meadow," "Ghoul Tribe," there is an altar. Using the Ghoul Tribe chieftain's head for a sacrifice can awaken the hidden BOSS "Ghoul High Priest".]
"A hidden BOSS!" Jeremy's heart stirred, his eyes instantly blazing with excitement.
Hidden BOSSes were monsters that existed only within dungeons, and defeating them would surely yield precious equipment and items!
A smile appeared on Jeremy's face. He hadn't expected to receive such a great surprise just after entering the dungeon, thanks to The Eye of Omniscience!
However, the Ghoul Tribe in the core area of Death Meadow couldn't be reached in a short time. So Jeremy had to suppress the excitement in his heart.
This was a good opportunity for him to level up with Emma and Claire.
Jeremy looked towards Howard and the others, noticing that under Howard's leadership, the hundred-plus soldiers had formed teams of five and had already begun exploring the edges of Death Meadow.
These soldiers were clearly carefully selected by Howard, each team having a standard player group composition with DPS, support, and tank roles.
Jeremy retracted his gaze and went to form a team with Claire, Bonnie, and Emma.
Despite Bonnie's claims of wanting to rely on herself.
When Jeremy sent her the invitation, she accepted it straightforwardly.
"You seem to be saying one thing but feeling another, Captain." Jeremy thought to himself, not voicing it out loud, for fear that Bonnie might turn on him right there and then.
After the team was successfully formed, a green team member icon appeared above everyone's head.
Jeremy's icon was slightly different, adorned with a small crown.
Indicating he was the team leader, with the authority to freely distribute the loot dropped by monsters.
Then, Jeremy went to find Howard to convey their wish to split from the main group.
Knowing Jeremy's capabilities, Howard didn't object, merely cautioning them to be extra careful.
With a smile and a nod, Jeremy waved goodbye to Howard and the others.
Then, the small group headed deeper into Death Meadow.
Jeremy frowned, puzzled.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something.