"Ah, it's Council Head Wang! I'm honored to have my little gathering attract your attention— and you as well, Governor Xiao!" Zhang Lie shouted, calling out to the two men.

"Council Head!"

"We greet the governor of Qi!"

No other dared do the same; they bowed toward them deferentially.

Xiao Zhengyang began, half-joking and half-serious, "It's not a formal occasion, so there's no need for all the pleasantries. Aren't you going to welcome us, Deputy Leader Zhang? Why, it's almost as if you don't want us here!"

"Of course I do! Please, come, have a seat!"

Xiao Zhengyang had treated Zhang Lie well, and Zhang Lie would treat him the same way.

Yang Ze and Li Feng prepared to stand up to give their seats to the governor and council head, but Xiao Zhengyang stopped them. "There's no need—just put down two more stools and two more sets of utensils!"

The banquet table sat ten: Zhang Lie, the members of Team Zenith, along with the newcomers Zhuo Yiong, Xia Na, and Qin Tian. Troop Leader Zhou Liao had joined them, and with both the governor and the council head, there would be thirteen guests present at that table.

A spectator might have imagined that the special forces were so poor that even this welcoming party had to be held under cramped conditions, but in truth, everyone present at the table was an influential figure in Qi.

As the extra stools and utensils were laid out for them, Xiao Zhengyang and Wang Yanyi sat down. The atmosphere around the banquet table seemed to change. Xiao Zhengyang felt kindly toward Zhang Lie, and that kindness was reciprocated; the problem was Wang Yanyi.

He and Zhang Lie were, frankly speaking, enemies. However, what Wang Yanyi said next was somewhat surprising. "Deputy Leader Zhang, please allow me to apologize for our altercation outside the walls of Qi. I came over here today to tender that apology, as well as to meet the heroes of Team Zenith. I've dealt with Wang Po, and he won't appear in your sight ever again. Thank you for sparing him his life, Deputy Leader Zhang." 

As expected of a career politician, Wang Yanyi was wily and possessed a glib tongue. He had initially imagined that Zhang Lie, strong though he was, would be a solitary hunter without any backing, but matters changed as soon as he learned of Team Zenith's arrival. None of the members of Team Zenith would be his match individually, but if they were to work together...

Zhang Lie's rise wasn't something he, nor anyone else in Qi, could stop. Wang Yanyi knew that he would need to placate this man if he wanted to keep his position in Qi.

Zhang Lie was taken aback by Wang Yanyi's words, but he recovered swiftly with just a moment's hesitation. "We'll let matters be. As long as you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you."

Zhang Lie toasted him with a cup of wine, which Wang Yanyi reciprocated. "I admire your magnanimosity, Deputy Leader Zhang!" Wang Yanyi downed his cup of wine in a single gulp, and Zhang Lie followed suit.

The other hunters at the table watched this scene. The deputy leader of the special forces troops, and the head of the Tianji Council... the latter's position seemed far more important than the former, but in reality, Wang Yanyi's aura seemed to be dominated by Zhang Lie's. Even the governor, Xiao Zhengyang, seemed to be dwarfed in comparison.

Despite the presence of the governor, the head of the Tianji Council, and the troop leader of the special forces, it was the deputy troop leader Zhang Lie who felt like the most important hunter at that table.

Wang Yanyi proposed another toast. "Let me dedicate this toast to welcoming the hunters of Team Zenith! It relieves me greatly to have such strong hunters joining the defense of our city, so allow me to toast you all!"

Wang Yanyi's words were as polished as expected. The members of Team Zenith all raised their cups of wine.

Governor Xiao commented, "Ah, he's left nothing for me to say! Regardless, welcome to Qi."

Xiao Zhengyang raised his cup of wine in a toast, followed by Zhou Liao. "Welcome to Qi, and welcome to the special forces!"

"Thank you for coming, everyone! It's an honor to have you all here." Fang Yi spoke up for the members of Team Zenith. The two strongest and most authoritative figures of Qi had personally attended their welcoming party in a clear demonstration of respect.

Thirteen cups of wine clinked against each other in the center of the table, and the guests downed their cups at once. Upon doing so, Wang Yanyi made a little more casual conversation, then hurriedly left, leaving only friends and acquaintances behind at the table.

"Governor Xiao, what's going on? Why did Wang Yanyi come?" Zhang Lie asked, after the council head was out of earshot.

Xiao Zhengyang laughed. "He was scared of you and your team, of course! I'd do the same if not for the fact that we both know Yan Long. I'd have been too frightened of offending you given your team! Come now, tell me—do you care about being the governor of this city at all? If so, I'll convene a meeting of the elders tomorrow and hand the reins over to you," Xiao Zhengyang joked half-seriously, as if trying to probe Zhang Lie's attitude.

"Oh, no, no! I'm not interested in such a restraining position at all. In fact, once the members of Team Zenith settle down here, I intend on exploring the second realm alone," Zhang Lie told him in confidence.

His goal in the second realm was to finish maxing out his gene capacities as quickly as possible. Being a governor sounded interesting, but it would be far too much work. Zhang Lie intended to enter the third realm as quickly as possible, and this position which might have tempted the others was almost meaningless to him.

Zhou Liao knew that Zhang Lie had set his sights toward the future, but he wouldn't have expected that Zhang Lie would turn down such a position so easily.

Governor Xiao had offered him the seat of the governor! There were millions of hunters in Qi, and he would be able to control and manipulate them all just like that! If Zhou Liao had been made the same offer, he was certain he wouldn't be able to refuse—but unfortunately, he wasn't Zhang Lie, and Zhang Lie wasn't him.

Xiao Zhengyang seemed to have predicted Zhang Lie's response. Smirking, he clapped him on the back and said, "I knew you wouldn't want to shoulder my burdens! Well, I can't foist my responsibilities onto you, but let me at least give you some advice: don't rush to head out of the city on your own. The second realm is far more dangerous than the first, and it's best to be cautious. Why not hunt down a few superior-grade lifeforms with your team first?"

"It's alright. After all, I entered the dimensional world in order to train myself, and I expect I'll be safe with my given level of strength. The members of Team Zenith will need to learn how to grow strong in my absence as well. They've outgrown the first realm, and the second realm is where they belong at the moment.

Xiao Zhengyang nodded. "In that case, safe travels. I'll keep an eye out on the members of Team Zenith for you—at the very least, I can prevent them from receiving unequal treatment within the city grounds."

Zhang Lie smiled. "You're saying all this as though you think I'll never return! There's no need to take special care of them. Let them learn to handle things on their own."

Zhang Lie felt that the hunters of Team Zenith didn't need any special care whatsoever; they could easily fend for themselves. The unofficial motto of Team Zenith was: don't cause trouble, but don't be a punching bag, either.

Meanwhile, the other hunters at the table whispered incessantly to each other, trying not to disturb Zhang Lie and Xiao Zhengyang's conversation.

The banquet lasted all the way until midnight before the troops and guests dispersed unwillingly. By that time, the members of Team Zenith had gotten to know the other troops in the special forces very well. Governor Xiao had consumed so much alcohol that his eyes were droopy and his words slurred, but even so, he was still holding a conversation with Zhang Lie.

As hunters, if they didn't want to get drunk, they could easily purge the alcohol from their bodies by circulating genetic energy. The reason they had chosen not to do so was to preserve the convivial atmosphere that came from getting drunk; it would be pointless to remain perfectly sober by cleansing themselves with genetic energy. Of course, the moment the hunters departed, they would use that very handy trick to sober up and avoid a hangover the next day.

With Xiao Zhengyang and the special forces troops gone, only Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith remained in the canteen. It was clear that Zhang Lie had some news for them. "I wasn't joking at the banquet—I'll be heading off on my own tomorrow morning."

The hunters of Team Zenith weren't surprised—except when he was facing enemies, Zhang Lie was a man of his word. Of course, that didn't mean they didn't have opinions of their own. There had been too many people just then for them to voice their concerns, but now they were free to do so.

Sun Mengmeng began, "Captain, why don't you at least bring a few of us with you, just in case you get into trouble? We'll be more help than not, I'm sure."

The others nodded.

Zhang Lie laughed. "Sun Mengmeng, I'm not some pampered young master who needs to be taken care of, and the second realm is far more dangerous than you think. With your current strength, you won't be able to help me out at all.

"I have my own reasons for leaving all of you behind. After collecting regular and mutated gene fragments with the special forces troops tomorrow, acclimate to your newfound strength as quickly as possible. Subsequently, start collecting certain herbs in Qi secretly. I'll hand you all a list of important herbs soon. Keep an eye on Zhuo Yihong, Xia Na, and Qin Tian for now. If they seem trustworthy and reliable to you, you're free to share up to Potion #2 with them, but not Potion #3.

"Finally, get used to how the special forces operate. As I've said before, the reason you're all here is to train and widen your perspective—you're all strong enough to be working independently otherwise. I'll be back before you know it. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"In that case, let's end the meeting here. There's no need to send me off tomorrow—I want to keep a low profile."

Zhang Lie vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

The next morning, almost at dawn, the hunters of Team Zenith arrived at Zhang Lie's cottage. Despite Zhang Lie telling them not to send him off, they still instinctively did so—only to find Zhou Liao, the other team leaders, and even the governor Xiao Zhengyang waiting for them.

Unfortunately for them all, Zhang Lie had departed overnight, predicting exactly such a scenario. By then, he was already in the depths of the second realm.