Chapter 546: Chapter 300: The Decaying Sea and the Maze Nest, the Ultimate Battlefield of Infinite Division!
Old Zhou?
Qin Shi was somewhat surprised; he never expected that the first acquaintance he’d run into on the front line would be Zhou Yuanchen!
The other wore a camouflage uniform, a beret on his head, with a familiar sharpness in his face amidst the wind and smoke, and the unique fatigue of a frontline soldier etched between his brows.
Overall, there wasn’t much change.
He just seemed more mature.
"Qin Shi?"
Zhou Yuanchen jumped down from the lead armored vehicle, his gaze sweeping over the slightly dilapidated outpost, habitually observing the environment.
Then he saw Qin Shi who had just completed the task of repelling the black tide pollution.
He clearly hesitated for a moment, then strode over:
"It’s really you! I said the Lieutenant Qin from the front line sounded a lot like you! But the report didn’t mention any names."
Zhou Yuanchen was overjoyed; although he wasn’t an intimate friend with Qin Shi, meeting someone from the past in a strange environment was always something to be glad about.
"Didn’t you watch the live broadcast from White Poplar Barrier City?"
Qin Shi smiled.
"At that time, I was carrying out a sweeping mission. A first-class combat hero, and the Great Star Sea medal, just saying it makes one envious."
Zhou Yuanchen seemed much more stable than before; in Qin Shi’s perception, his life force was more refined, like steel tempered repeatedly.
Both in terms of quality and quantity, it had doubled.
With each breath, brilliance thickened, energy surged, carrying the sharpness and resilience forged by the battlefield.
Specialized Level, late stage of Seventh Rank.
Qin Shi gave an estimation.
Wondering if Old Zhou’s debt crisis had eased?
"Thanks to the collective funding plan you proposed. I managed to secure a lot of sponsorship through that ’everyone’s investment’ project."
Zhou Yuanchen chatted enthusiastically about this; if it weren’t for the front line conscription, he might have already cleared all the ’debts’ at Entropy Sea Bank and come ashore.
"Old Zhou, your business acumen is really strong."
Qin Shi was also a bit surprised; his small-scale fundraising project was a ’gray area’ not notarized by the Tai Monarch.
How did it develop so many ’members’ despite limited dissemination?
"Mainly, Central City Education Department’s representative, Zhou, was quite effective. He roped in his relatives and friends, and now he’s a shareholder of everyone’s investment."
Zhou Yuanchen coughed lightly twice.
"And you?"
Qin Shi asked.
"I transferred my share to Representative Zhou."
Zhou Yuanchen looked up at the sky, indicating everyone’s investment had nothing to do with him anymore.
"Old Zhou has thick eyebrows and big eyes, but actually has a belly full of bad ideas."
Qin Shi pondered; everyone’s investment was initially riding on the legal edge in Heng Province, destined to lose everything if it faced any crackdown.
This pass-the-baton style fundraising game inherently carried huge risks.
Old Zhou was considered successful in coming ashore, but Zhou Shu fell into the trap.
"Your life force development shows obvious effects."
Qin Shi and Zhou Yuanchen arrived at the rest room of the outpost, where everything was very simple.
"I previously took too many detours, barely stabilizing my foundation after battlefield refinement."
Zhou Yuanchen smiled bitterly; in the past, he had borrowed the strength of loans from Entropy Sea Bank to touch the ’genius’ threshold.
But borrowed strength was ultimately superficial, not solid.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been defeated by Qin Shi in the top hundred competition by piercing the specialized level barrier.
"This will allow you to go further in the future."
Qin Shi could sense that every part of Zhou Yuanchen’s current life force was imbued with the vibe of blood and fire.
According to Central City standards for geniuses, Old Zhou should have long broken through the Sixth Rank, beginning to challenge the Fifth Rank.
After all, in the Western Front’s meat grinder, as long as one could survive, they would keep improving and advancing.
"Speaking of cultivation, I stepped into the specialized domain earlier than you, yet now you can directly repel the Fourth Rank followers of disasters."
Zhou Yuanchen licked his dry lips, poured himself a cup of water with an enamel cup, and drank gulp after gulp.
Front line conditions were quite harsh, often making it difficult to even supply basic military necessities.
The treatment Qin Shi received was actually ’super-standard,’ rather than normal.
"Just pure luck."
Qin Shi laughed; it was only after meeting Zhou Yuanchen that he realized how terrifyingly fast his progress had been.
Old Zhou was considered a supernova launched by the Central City Education Department, definitely one in ten thousand.
Even with the loan benefits provided by Entropy Sea Bank, he barely stopped at the Sixth Rank.
"And I’m already in the mid-stage of Fourth Rank, approaching the late stage."
Qin Shi couldn’t help but pinch his chin; perhaps with a few more powerful followers slain, he could enter the Third Rank.
Thinking carefully, it was truly monstrous!
"In this damned place, it’s not easy to even catch a breath."
Zhou Yuanchen sighed:
"I’m currently the captain of the ’Broken Spear’ assault brigade, responsible for clearing the remaining pollution nodes in this area to clear obstacles for the subsequent main force.
I just received Captain Zhao’s distress signal and came by to take a look."
Qin Shi didn’t have the guts to say he led the ’Ox and Horse Brigade.’
Zhou Yuanchen paused for a moment, a bit of inquiry in his tone:
"Your strength... how did you manage to improve so quickly?"
He had fought against Qin Shi.
Also witnessed Qin Shi’s ’strong value.’
But it hadn’t been that long since they last met, and the other had jumped from the Amateur Level to the Fourth Rank of the specialized domain, almost like riding a rocket, growing stronger at a blazing speed.
"The front line brings infinite pressure, yet also offers unlimited opportunities."
Qin Shi replied simply, without delving into the dangers of integrating Martial Arts and Spiritual Abilities in dual pathways.
"I found the path I want to take; as long as I fully commit, there will be no hindrance ahead."
Zhou Yuanchen felt the spiritual fluctuation transmitted by Qin Shi, strikingly pure and unwavering.