About how my wife resurrected me as tentacles after my death.

The bullet whistled through the air and struck the head of the level-three magical beast.

Yu Wan's hood was also knocked open by the recoil, and her long, silvery-white hair was lifted by the blast wave, fluttering wildly in the sandstorm.

The level-three magical beast's head jerked to the side, and a large portion of its malevolent aura was torn apart by the shockwave.

But it didn't fall down immediately.

Its towering body swayed for a moment, then let out a roar and charged wildly toward Yu Wan.

Yu Wan did not back down.

"Bang--!"

The second shot struck the level 3 monster precisely in the throat, going in through the throat and out through the back of the neck.

Its roar abruptly ceased, and its body crashed to the ground.

The black, malevolent aura slowly dissipated from the corpse, seeping into the cracks in the rubble like receding tide...

Yu Wan lowered her gun and let out a soft breath.

She walked to the corpse, drew her dagger, cut open the back of its neck, and took out a fist-sized, dark gray magic core.

The detector also showed signals from several level-two monsters lingering nearby.

She wasn't in a hurry to go back; since she was already there, she figured she might as well try out a few more shots.

Over the next half hour, she fired five more shots.

Two level-two armored beasts and one level-two shadow wolf.

All of them were killed with a single shot. One armored beast's carapace was hit and shattered along with its body, leaving no trace of its remains.

The recoil was too strong, and I missed a shot.

The new version of Po Zhen Zi is indeed more than ten times stronger, or even more. At least she no longer poses a threat to a level three magical beast on her own.

And these are only seventeen level-three magic cores; if they were level four, or even level five...

Yu Wan carefully put away the last level-two magic core, wrapped the gun up again, slung it behind her back, and turned to walk towards the city gate.

The wind and sand were still blowing, and the sun was beginning to set in the west.

On the way back to the main city, my communicator vibrated.

She took it out and glanced at it.

Is this... a message from Lian Qi?

The title is a bolded mission number followed by "Assassination Operation in Expedition City, details to be discussed in person".

Below is an attachment, an encrypted mission briefing, marked with a merit reward of 150 points.

Yu Wan didn't immediately open the attachment; she just looked at the line of text on the screen and slowed her pace a little.

With 150 merit points, plus the 240 points she already had in her account, she would still have some left after exchanging them for a level 4 magic core.

Lian Qi's meaning was quite clear: he wanted her to join the operation...

........

The origins of Expedition City can be traced back to the beginning of the Alliance.

At that time, those who were capable became hunters, bringing back supplies from outside the city to feed the ordinary people in the city.

But after a while, the hunters got fed up.

Why should the resources they risked their lives for be given to those who have never even left the city gates?

The conflict is growing, and internal strife is imminent.

The emperor then initiated an expedition, ostensibly to send these discontented hunters on a long expedition to explore more distant territories.

In reality, it's about giving them a way out, allowing them to break away from the alliance and start their own business.

Both sides understood each other implicitly, and the people from Expedition City stopped making trouble, packed their things, and left.

The Expedition City has very few people, but they are almost all powerful hunter teams, whose combat strength far surpasses that of ordinary Alliance hunters.

However, later on, conflicts arose over territory, resources, and old grudges, escalating to the point of life and death.

The emperor is old and can no longer manage things.

Chen Yuan also looked at the three words "Expedition City" on the screen.

So... that masked mole in the Third Wasteland last time was probably the work of Expedition City.

I won't answer.

Only a fool would do something like that.

Assassinate the people of the Expeditionary City?

They succeeded, but now they've attracted the attention of Expedition City.

Failure is out of the question, but that possibility is very small.

Chen Yuan touched Yu Wan's collarbone with her small tentacles, indicating that she shouldn't accept it.

Yu Wan also sensed his movement and looked down at him.

She knew what he meant.

But merit points... 150 merit points is not a small amount, and this task will allow her to gain a foothold within the alliance more quickly.

To truly establish oneself in the league, personal connections alone are not enough; one also needs merit and achievements to back it up.

"Ah Yuan... is the problem serious?" Yu Wan asked.

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then the little tentacle shook its head.

There are virtually no risks associated with the mission.

Since the alliance dared to send people, they must have had enough intelligence. With their current strength, even if they can't win, they can still run away.

But the problem is identity.

The assassination and counter-assassination between Expeditionary City and the Alliance has been going on for a long time, and both sides have their own intelligence networks.

Once Yu Wan participates in the operation against Expedition City, her identity, appearance, and fighting style will likely be recorded in Expedition City's intelligence system.

Being targeted by the Expeditionary City is no small matter.

He was about to type on her palm with his tentacle tip when Yu Wan suddenly exited the task page.

He turned off the screen, almost impulsively, and stuffed the tablet back into his bag.

Then put Chen Yuan back into his collar.

So be it...

She will settle accounts with the matter of the expedition city from back then sooner or later.

Chen Yuan chuckled and stuck out the tip of her tentacle, wanting to ask her what was wrong.

But before she could even speak, she sensed that Xiao Yuwan seemed a little aggrieved, and she lowered her head without saying a word.

The small tentacle gently rested on her collarbone, then rubbed its tip against her chin.

Then he reached up a little higher, his fingertips touching the top of her head, and began to gently stroke it.

Let's comfort the disappointed Xiaoyu Wan.

In the past, Xiao Yuwan loved it when he patted her head. Every time he patted her head, she would squint her eyes and rub them against his palm.

But Yu Wan's eyes were even redder than before.

Then she pressed her face against his and rubbed against his body.

After rubbing against him, she buried the tip of her nose into his body.

Chen Yuan was the one comforting her, but after he finished, she seemed even more aggrieved...

Before, a pat on the head could soothe me, but now even a pat on the head can't comfort me.

Chen Yuan then remembered what had happened.

His death was probably related to the Expeditionary City...

She spent five years trying to revive herself, so she must have done some research...

Yu Wan bit her lip, suppressing the reddened grievances and the resentment she had suppressed for five years.

When he looked up again, his expression had returned to its usual calm.

The corners of her mouth even curved slightly, a very small curve, but it was genuine.

"Ah Yuan, come home for dinner..."

When she said the word "go home," her eyes softened even more.

He pulled the hood up again and walked along, gently touching his body with his fingers through the fabric.

"I'm going to make braised pork ribs tonight, and there's still half a block of tofu left from yesterday, so I'll make a soup. I also need to buy some more vegetables."

"Pfft."

"You can't skip eating vegetables."

I didn't say it.