73: Chapter 73 covers a little bit, about the same as you guys.

Hearing Su Wan's invitation, Lin Jianqiu and Chen Yanzhi looked at each other with surprised expressions.

One pursed her lips while the other pushed up his glasses; their gazes quickly swept over Gu Changming.

To be honest, having someone suddenly shoved into the team definitely made them feel uncomfortable. Moreover, once they killed their prey, they would have to reallocate resources—it was a whole lot of trouble.

But because Su Wan was the one who spoke, although they had some objections, they didn't voice them at this moment, respecting Su Wan's position as the team captain.

Not just them, even Gu Changming was momentarily stunned upon hearing her.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Changming said softly, "Won't I be a bother to you?"

He had originally intended to return to the base to rest for a while and then head in a different direction to search for that boss-level spider.

But traveling with Su Wan and the others to look around here was fine too; perhaps he might just happen to run into it.

As for staying up all night, that was nothing for a Mentalist like him. With his level of Mental Power, acting for several days straight wouldn't be a problem, and missing one night of sleep had no impact at all.

"How could it be?" Su Wan immediately replied, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes. "We happen to be heading deeper anyway; having an extra person means having extra help."

As she spoke, she finally remembered the three people behind her and turned to look at them, her gaze inquiringly directed at Lin Jianqiu and the others.

Lin Jianqiu met her gaze and then shrugged, flashing a casual smile. "You're the captain; you call the shots."

Chen Yanzhi nodded. "I have no objection."

Zhang Yuanfan naturally had no say in the matter and quickly followed suit with a nod.

...

After the five formed a team, they continued to head deeper into the wilderness.

The atmosphere and rhythm of the original four-person team underwent a subtle change due to Gu Changming's addition.

After walking for a while, Su Wan naturally turned her head to look at Gu Changming, who was half a step behind her, and asked:

"By the way, I haven't asked yet... what are you generally good at?"

This way, when they encountered prey later, she could arrange positions based on his specialties for better coordination.

Gu Changming looked over, thought for a bit, and gave a rather ordinary answer: "I know a little of everything."

"Oh." Su Wan nodded, lost in thought.

However, this answer was truly a bit vague.

Beside them, Lin Jianqiu's ears twitched. She couldn't help but glance over, looking at the calm Gu Changming and then at Su Wan, who seemed to have no issue with the answer, before finally speaking up:

"Then what about your rank?"

Her tone wasn't aggressive, but Su Wan still heard a bit of a sting in it and explained slightly faster, as if trying to dilute any potential awkwardness:

"Our current team members are all E-rank, so..." Her tone carried a trace of hard-to-detect defensiveness.

Gu Changming lowered his eyes slightly, and a semi-transparent personal panel silently unfolded before him.

[Name: Gu Changming]

[Rank: D-rank]

[Personal Attributes:]

[Strength: 103]

[Agility: 107]

[Constitution: 98]

[Spirit: 152]

"Hmm..." Gu Changming pondered for a moment before looking up to meet the gazes of Su Wan and Lin Jianqiu. "About the same as you guys."

Hearing Gu Changming's still vague answer, Lin Jianqiu's lips pursed slightly. She didn't press further, merely turning her head to meet Su Wan's eyes.

Sister, this isn't how you add people to a team.

A faint, hard-to-detect look of pleading quickly flickered through Su Wan's eyes.

Trust me, trust me, he's really not weak.

Lin Jianqiu let out a nearly inaudible sigh and looked away, her gaze finally landing on Zhang Yuanfan.

Receiving this look, Zhang Yuanfan was stunned for a moment. Then, as if understanding something, he took two quick steps to catch up to Gu Changming, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"It's fine, just follow me. When the fight starts, just listen to the captain's orders."

Zhang Yuanfan actually quite liked Gu Changming; the other guy looked a few years younger than him. With him joining, Zhang wouldn't be the only "newbie" anymore.

Thinking of this, his previous restraint and panic diminished quite a bit.

...

The edge of the city.

Among the broken walls and ruins.

Swoosh!

An arrow pierced the air, accurately pinning itself into the junction between the Razor-bristled Pig's neck and shoulder blade.

Immediately following, a red light flashed on the arrowhead, and a violent burst of flame erupted. The scorching airwave sent the Razor-bristled Pig stumbling, causing it to flip onto its side.

"Go now!" Su Wan's voice was crisp.

Lin Jianqiu shot out like an arrow from a bow.

Almost at the same time she moved, Gu Changming's figure also blurred, his speed not a bit slower than hers.

One on the left and one on the right, they approached the struggling Razor-bristled Pig.

A flash of blade light!

The long blade in Lin Jianqiu's hand accurately swept across the base of the Razor-bristled Pig's left hind leg, cutting through the thick skin and severing the tendons.

When she finished and looked up toward Gu Changming, the tendons in the Razor-bristled Pig's right leg had also been severed by him.

Lin Jianqiu's eyes flickered; she had thought he would be a drag.

The Razor-bristled Pig let out a shrill howl and twisted its body frantically. Its massive frame suddenly sprang up, its blood-red eyes locking onto the two people behind it, and it lowered its head for a violent charge.

Gu Changming shifted his feet and drifted back.

Lin Jianqiu also retreated in sync, creating distance.

As the Razor-bristled Pig turned its attention, Su Wan's command followed immediately.

"Zhang Yuanfan! Neck, bleed it!"

This time, Zhang Yuanfan didn't make another mistake. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward, using his momentum to thrust the short spear in his hand deep into the area below the throat exposed by the Razor-bristled Pig as it turned its head.

Puchi!

The spear tip sank deep, and blood instantly sprayed out.

Having succeeded in one strike, Zhang Yuanfan didn't get greedy. He immediately let go of the spear handle and leaped back, putting a significant distance between them.

Blood gushed out, and the Razor-bristled Pig fell into a deathly frenzy. Its massive body twisted and rolled frantically on the ground, crushing gravel and sending it flying.

Then, it let out a deafening, rage-filled roar.

Clatter!

A strange sound rang out as the gray-white, metallic-glinting bristles on its back suddenly stood on end like they were being plucked by an invisible hand, their sharp tips pointing in all directions.

Seeing this, Su Wan's expression changed, and she shouted sharply.

"Hide! Find cover!"

The creature was clearly making a final struggle, intending to fight to the death and see if it could take them down with it.

Hearing Su Wan's words, everyone's expressions changed drastically, their eyes darting around for any nearby architectural debris or mounds for cover.

However, at that moment, Gu Changming took a step forward.

His movement was so simple it was almost abrupt; he loosened his grip on the hilt, flicked his wrist, and swiftly pinched the blade near the tip of the night erosion. Then, with a twist of his waist, his arm whipped out!

Swoosh!

A condensed black light tore through the air, letting out a short whistle as it shot straight toward the Razor-bristled Pig that was about to launch its bristles.

The blade went straight through the back of its head! The immense force carried by the blade caused the pig's head to snap back violently.

The shrill roar came to an abrupt halt, turning into a short, muffled whimper.

The bristles that had just stood up instantly went limp as if they had lost all support.

The massive body swayed twice before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. A dull impact vibrated through the earth.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Lin Jianqiu looked surprised, her eyes flickering as she looked toward Gu Changming.