Enemies Are All Nourishment for My Fungi..

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Accepting a Task to Enter the Secret Realm

“`

Of course, in the afternoon, I continued to kill time at the training gym. For the sake of my own life, I must train well so that I wouldn’t fail to react to an assassination.

Nearly a week passed in this monotone, regular routine. The trial boxing classes ended, and Ye Nai purchased some trial Sanda classes, with mixed martial arts to follow.

She wanted to see what suited melee combat.

In terms of cold weapons, she preferred heavy weapons like knives and axes. With her strength, she found lighter weapons awkward to use, so the martial arts coaches eager for her to learn a traditional martial art provided her with weapons like the Wolf Tooth Stick, mace, and King’s Whip.

Every day was so fulfilling that when she received a call from Sister Qiao, it felt like it had been ages since they last spoke.

...

“Sister Qiao, is there another big job?”

“Smart guess, but it’s not the same type of big job as last time.”

“Oh? What is it then?”

“The heatwave has started, and manpower in the danger zone has been reduced to a minimum. We need you to save the day.”

“Uh…” Ye Nai thought for a moment, “Are the Awakeners on vacation?”

“Their numbers have also been cut down. Those still working under the high temperatures are Awakeners who are really short on cash. There are barely any ordinary people left to move trash outside, so we need you to save the day. Otherwise, with this continuous heat, the stench… we’ll need to wear gas masks soon.”

“Oh, so I just go in and clean up the trash?”

“That won’t do. Sending you to sweep up trash would be too inefficient.”

“Fine, if they can’t earn this money, then I won’t be polite about it.”

“Haha, no need to be polite. Come early tomorrow; beat the heat before the garbage trucks set off, and you can head back early for training.”

“Okay, see you at six in the morning.”

“Great.”

The next morning, Ye Nai arrived on time for work. When changing into her protective gear, she really did switch to a gas mask.

Due to the significant reduction in manpower, the few Awakeners who had worked hard for several days had only managed to create three hills of garbage. Ye Nai rode the electric trike and collected all the trash in one trip to the parking lot for counting.

Finishing work with just one trip, she earned tens of thousands of dollars.

After stripping off her protective gear and walking out of the electric gate, it wasn’t even seven o’clock yet, but the sun had already risen above the horizon, casting waves of heat. The sweat from being stewed in protective gear had not even dried yet, and she began sweating again.

Ye Nai used the last of her power to unleash a huge wave of spores. Since nobody worked during the dog days, she didn’t feel the need to hold back.

Pulling out her electric bicycle, she settled in, put on her polarized sunglasses, and rode towards the training gym in the sunlight.

As she passed the main gate of the Yijia District, a convoy of three battered SUVs drove out. They turned left to cross the road, heading in the same direction as Ye Nai.

Ye Nai moved to the side to give way.

But the convoy just nonchalantly stopped beside her.

Ye Nai became alert, as she had a bit of a reaction to being stopped. Garnering the last bit of strength inside her body, her superpower spores were ready to burst forth. She sensed that there were very imposing Awakeners in all three vehicles, not much different from several active-duty captains, probably an old battle team with a distinguished record.

The passenger-side window of the lead vehicle rolled down, revealing the face of a man with dark skin so deep that his facial features and age were unclear, except for his dense short hair.

“Hey, are you that Big Space User?”

“Yes, who are you?”

“`

“We’re from the Trembling Team, are you taking jobs now?”

“I’m still too weak, not taking any jobs at the moment.”

“Alright, maybe we can collaborate in the future.”

“Sure, looking forward to the opportunity.”

They waved goodbye amicably, and the fleet moved on, while Ye Nai leisurely rode her little bike to the entrance of the swimming pool at the training center.

Living in the Yijia District already implied hefty rent and therefore residents who could earn. Having been there for several days and having her business card hanging for a few hours, it was quite normal for her to bump into a combat team.

Ye Nai folded up her bike and on her way to the swimming center’s changing room, she took out her phone to look up the public information of this team on the Awakener software.

Providing information about Awakeners was the software’s main function, and it also included online courses, address changes, recipes, and other minor features that offered some convenience in daily life. Over time, it evolved into an all-purpose software for industry insiders, always running in the background on one’s phone, never shut off.

Searching directly for the Trembling Team in the No. 5 Hazard Zone, even without initially knowing which characters “Trembling” comprised, the search function automatically matched it as soon as she started typing.

The team name was also pretty standard.

There was only one team named Trembling in the whole East Ridge City, ranked mid to high in the city, but virtually invisible on the national level.

But there’s an old saying—don’t judge only by modest achievements; what matters is longevity. Having been registered for nine years, the founding leader and captain had remained unchanged. The photo showed someone who looked a bit like the dark-skinned man who had spoken to Ye Nai earlier.

Ye Nai made a mental note of the team to observe them further.

Mainly because teams like these that survive a long time are either strong in combat, exceptionally good at enduring, or ruthless, with everyone outside the core team considered expendable cannon fodder. As long as the core members are unscathed, the team remains operational, and the dead cannot speak for themselves. Outsiders are unaware of the real situation and continue to join one after another.

Putting away her phone, Ye Nai changed her clothes and jumped into the swimming pool.

After thrashing in the water for two hours, she practiced shooting for another two hours, then went home, rested after lunch, and continued her training at the martial arts class, enduring an afternoon of rough and tumble, arriving home with muscles both swollen and sore.

Riding her bike, her arms almost couldn’t keep the direction straight.

Entering the gates of the residential complex, she kept bumping into combat teams along the way, just like the Trembling Team she had met in the morning, all driving vehicles that had seen better days, and passengers exuding an astonishing presence.

Eager to display the strength of their respective teams.

All encounters were pleasant, exchanging names, greeting each other, and then each went their own way.

Back home, Ye Nai placed her phone on the sofa, then changed her clothes, washed her hands, and started making dinner. When she returned to the living room with the pot in hand, she saw an unread message on her phone. Opening it, she found that “Meimei Does Not Rain,” Captain Mei, wanted to hire her for the day after tomorrow to haul some goods in the Secret Realm, asking her to put up her business card.

After reading the message, Ye Nai promptly put up her business card, and two minutes later, she was hired. She hadn’t finished her dinner when the mission’s deposit was transferred to her account.

She put down her bowl and started a private chat with Captain Mei.

[Captain, what time and where should we meet the day after tomorrow?]

[Xiao Yezi, you’re so straightforward. Come to the bottom of my Block 6 at seven o’clock in the morning.] Captain Mei felt that Ye Nai truly lived up to their expectations, a promising seedling indeed, practical, not beating around the bush; her straightforwardness was precisely what they liked.

[Alright, how many days will this mission take?]

[Bring clothes for a week. The trip there can take two to three days one way, and that’s under favorable conditions.]

[Should I prepare outdoor camping equipment?]

[No need for that, the infrastructure in the Secret Realm is decent. You might need dry food for lunch, but we’ll stay in inns at night. Just bring some beverages, snacks, and a gaming console for entertainment.]

[Got it, see you then.]