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Chapter 733 - 736 The Prelude to the Great Battle Begins

Chapter 733: Chapter 736 The Prelude to the Great Battle Begins

Qin Tian looked down at the schedule for the current ranking competition. Tonight was a meeting, tomorrow the ring contest, the day after would be for shooting skill, firearms, and hacker skills competition, and the day following that was for intelligence gathering.

Each competition came with points. First place received five points, second place three points, and third and fourth place two points each, while places five to eight got one point. The remaining teams got no points.

In the end, the top teams would be categorized based on their scores. The top four would be three-star mercenary teams, fifth to eighth would be two-star mercenary teams, and the remaining participating teams would be one-star mercenary teams.

"This seems quite fair on the surface."

After reviewing the schedule, Xiao Zhuang nodded and said, "Hehe, hacker skills, when the time comes, I’ll show those numbskulls what the king of hackers is."

Zhou Yang said, "It seems fair, but in reality, there’s more to it."

On their way to their accommodations, Zhou Yang said, "These competition events might look unproblematic, but in actuality, the competition equipment and venues are all here. Those mercenary teams that are on good terms with Skull have definitely touched these firearms before and have trained here as well."

"When we compare ourselves, those people are familiar with the equipment and the venue, certainly we cannot match up. And about that intelligence gathering, some may already be privy to insider information, knowing what intelligence to acquire and from whom. If that’s the case, then this ranking competition is completely under their control."

After Zhou Yang finished, Xiao Zhuang exclaimed, "If that’s really the case, then what’s the point in competing!"

All participating teams’ accommodations were arranged in a large building behind them.

Each floor had only four sets of rooms, and each set of rooms had a layout of two living rooms and two washrooms, which was perfect for five people to live in.

The rooms were decorated in a Southeast Asian style, simple and bright, with few decorations.

After Qin Tian assigned the rooms, and everyone placed their belongings, they all gathered in the living room to discuss the next steps.

Now that the competition events were known, they could also decide who would participate in what events.

"It’s too dark, we only found out about the competition events after we arrived, I’m sure some teams knew beforehand. That way, they could select their team members with a specific purpose in mind. Damn, what kind of Mercenary Association is this, darker than coal!"

Xiao Zhuang cursed, looking at the schedule dissatisfied.

As Qin Tian was about to speak, he saw Lin Zitong suddenly make a silencing gesture.

Everyone was startled, then saw Lin Zitong walk to a corner of the living room and easily find a micro pinhole camera.

Subsequently, her gaze scanned around, and she found a bug under the tea table in the living room.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned.

Xiao Zhuang, shaking with rage, stood up and went back to his room. He checked all the rooms with his detector, not resting until he confirmed there were no surveillance devices or bugs.

"Who would have thought these people would really play cunning tricks, even resorting to eavesdropping on their rivals," Lin Zitong said coldly.

Because she frequently engaged in intelligence gathering and scams, she was extremely sensitive to monitoring and eavesdropping, even more so than an assassin. Therefore, upon entering the room, she subconsciously observed her surroundings and actually detected something amiss.

"Now that we have arrived, this time, we must deal these arrogant fellows a heavy blow. Humph, I’d like to see what sort of tricks these self-proclaimed local tyrants can play."

Qin Tian gave the situation careful thought, and he already had a countermeasure in mind.

Arrangements went like this, "We’re on someone else’s turf now, so we need to be cautious about everything, especially what we eat and drink. From now on, Lin Zitong will inspect our food and drink before we consume it. As for surveillance and eavesdropping, Xiao Zhuang will be on guard, ensuring that no leaks occur. Regarding the possibility of sabotage or being targeted by assassins, I feel it’s unlikely, but just in case, Mu Yunxi, you’ll handle this area. As for external communications and contacts, Zhou Yang will mainly be in charge."

Qin Tian displayed his captain’s resolve. After making the arrangements, he checked the time, stood up, and said, "Let’s go, it’s time for the meeting in the hall."

On the way, Qin Tian and his team discussed their strategy.

Qin Tian shared his thoughts with everyone, "Our purpose here is not only for the Three-star Mercenary Team ranking match. Another goal is to form and maintain alliances. Besides Skull and us, the Mercenary Association has fifteen other teams. We need to clearly identify which are vassals of Skull, which are opposed to Skull, and which are neutral."

"Once we have that figured out, we can ally with our supporters and later, within the Mercenary Association, confront Skull!"

"Hmph, doesn’t the Mercenary Association have a membership system? Every mercenary team gets one vote. When the time comes, we’ll form a coalition with the majority and wrest control from Skull to become the top force in Asia!"

Qin Tian grinned, his gaze drifting into the distance.

He knew that, starting with this ranking match, the confrontation between War Dragon and Skull had begun its prelude!

He had returned to the city and prepared for a long time, waiting for this day.

Even though the current Skull was several times stronger than it was two years prior, and even some of the former Skull leaders he knew had become merely mid-level members of Skull.

But now, the strength of War Dragon must not be underestimated; their economic power and combat capabilities at least held their ground against the Skull’s Asian division.

The arrow was on the string, and he had to let it fly!

In the evening, the meeting was about to start, and the nameplates for the venue had already been arranged.

Without a doubt, in the vast meeting hall, Qin Tian and his four companions were arranged at the very back—

One could see the exclusion of War Dragon by the old powers of the Asian Mercenary World from the seating arrangement.

"Aren’t there sixteen mercenary teams? Why are there so many people?"

Looking at the several hundred people sitting in the hall, Qin Tian furrowed his brow.

"Brother, which team are you from? Hehe, you might not be aware, but only the ones seated directly in front of the podium are participating in this positioning match. Those sitting on the two sides, numbering in the hundreds, are members of the Observation Team."

A young man with a buzzcut sitting beside Qin Tian proactively explained to him.

Qin Tian looked at his nameplate, which read "Zhao Han," and asked, "Observation Team? What’s that all about?"

Zhao Han replied, "Within Asia, there are definitely more than sixteen mercenary teams. We are the first batch of members to join the association, and there are dozens of teams ready to join. They have come here to observe the ranking tournament, and maybe by next year, some of them could become members."

So, this Mercenary Association operates like the United Nations, Qin Tian thought with a faint smile. This could work in their favor—the more teams that joined, the better their chances of opposing Skull.

"I’m Qin Tian from War Dragon Mercenary Team. Which team do you belong to, brother?"

Qin Tian glanced at Zhao Han, extending his hand, as a gesture of goodwill.

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