Chapter 28 Sacrifice

"Do the higher-ups at the Sanctuary not care about these things? Are they just going to let the Night Slayer Team force us into such a desperate situation?"

A member of the Ninth Squad couldn't help but speak bitterly.

Yang Lie gave a bitter smile and remained silent.

Beside him, Zhang Wu let out a cold laugh: "Why would they care? In the eyes of the higher-ups, can we even be compared to the Night Slayer? Moreover, the hunting list they've provided is quite reasonable. Although we of the Ninth Squad are now injured and detained, the member roster registered with the management hasn't changed."

"At most, the management will merely be criticized for being inhumane. What impact does that have on them?"

Hearing Zhang Wu's words.

The members of the Ninth Squad present were momentarily silent.

Yang Lie also gave a bitter smile, clenched the list in his hand tightly, then released it futilely after a moment, and sighed: "Forget it, let's not think about this for now. I'll go and rescue Old Wang and Old Wu. With more people, we'll surely figure something out."

The group nodded in agreement, and Su Yu followed them to the Detention Center.

When Wang Shan and Wu Yue emerged from the Detention Center, both had become much more emaciated, and their eyes were bloodshot.

There was no need to ask—just one glance was enough to know what they had been through in the past days in the detention center.

Seeing their appearance.

Yang Lie's eyes immediately turned red.

The ominous aura rising from him scared the staff member who escorted Wang Shan and Wu Yue out, causing them to retreat a few steps with a face full of fear.

"Hoo..."

Yang Lie exhaled heavily, saying nothing more, but stepped forward and firmly grasped both of their hands.

Wang Shan and Wu Yue looked somewhat emotional as well.

But Su Yu noticed that both seemed to have something unspoken, causing a sinking feeling in his heart.

As expected.

After taking a short rest, Wang Shan and Wu Yue spoke decisively.

"Captain, I heard that our hunting list for next month hasn't decreased but is instead in the highest category—is that true?"

Hearing Wang Shan's question, Yang Lie was taken aback and instinctively wanted to hide the truth, but seeing Wang Shan and Wu Yue's bloodshot, serious eyes.

Yang Lie's Adam's apple bobbed for a moment, but he eventually did not conceal anything and nodded with a wry smile.

Wang Shan and Wu Yue's expressions changed slightly. Then they exchanged a glance, and a certain determination surfaced in both their eyes.

"In that case, we'll just stay here in the detention center for now!"

"Wh-why would you do that?"

Hearing this, Yang Lie and the others were startled.

Wang Shan and Wu Yue, however, seemed to have figured it out long ago and calmly said: "In our current state, even if we were released, we wouldn't be able to help the team. We'd just be a burden. In that case, it's better not to waste contribution points to bail us out."

"Though these contribution points may not be much, they are at least enough to cover a third of next month's hunting objectives. That way, the pressure on everyone will be slightly lessened in the coming month."

Saying this.

Both Wang Shan and Wu Yue forced a faint smile: "Although life in this detention center is a bit rough, the Night Slayer Team wouldn't dare to actually harm us in here. We might be safer inside than you are out there!"

Hearing Wang Shan and Wu Yue's words.

Yang Lie and the others fell silent.

Even a fool could tell that those last words were merely to comfort them, but even Yang Lie had to admit that Wang Shan and Wu Yue's suggestion was the best plan the Ninth Squad had at the moment.

"But..."

Yang Lie couldn't help but want to say more, but was cut short by Wang Shan and Wu Yue, who raised their hands to indicate silence and nodded to the other members of the hunting team. Finally, they looked at Su Yu, eyes apologetic.

"Brother Su, it seems we'll have to trouble you moving forward. It was our impulsiveness that caused this..."

Originally meant to join Su Yu in the roles of sniper and scout to fill the void left by Li Mao and Zhang Wu.

Now, all these responsibilities fell on Su Yu alone, leaving the two deeply apologetic.

Su Yu shook his head slightly: "No need to be so formal, brothers. It's not your fault..."

"Alright, are you bailing them out or not? If not, visiting hours are over. Let's go, let's go!"

The stern voice of a detention center officer interrupted their conversation, urging them from afar.

Without saying more, Wang Shan and Wu Yue gave Yang Lie a deep look: "Captain, about my family..."

Yang Lie nodded firmly, gritting his teeth, and after a moment forced out a promise: "Don't worry, I'll take care of them!"

Wang Shan and Wu Yue immediately smiled and said no more, following the officer back into the narrow, dark corridor of the detention center.

Seeing their thin frames, which seemed they might collapse with the slightest breeze.

Yang Lie and the other Ninth Squad members clenched their fists, and even Su Yu gritted his teeth, anger blazing in his eyes!

"Let's go back and prepare."

"In two days, we'll set out into the wilderness again!"

Yang Lie spoke without turning back, staring in the direction Wang Shan and Wu Yue had disappeared, only speaking softly once they were out of sight.

Without hesitation, Su Yu and the others responded in unison: "Yes, Captain!"

Over the next half-month, the Ninth Squad hunted like men possessed.

With Su Yu's assistance, their hunts were quite fruitful every time they ventured out.

Furthermore, as the number of hunts increased, Su Yu's accumulated experience also rose steadily, along with his level and skill proficiency, rapidly improving.

This improvement, in turn, made the Ninth Squad's hunts increasingly successful.

With about a week left in the month, the Ninth Squad had already completed their hunting targets for the month.

"With seven days remaining, we can hunt at least once more, and with the whole of next month, we can schedule intermediate hunts about five times within seven-day intervals."

"Even if we can't meet all the hunting targets imposed by the higher-ups, completing more than two-thirds will suffice!"

The remaining one-third shortfall could be compensated for with the contribution points left by Wang Shan and Wu Yue!

Assessing the recent harvest.

The members of the Ninth Squad showed delight in their eyes!

Su Yu, too, was invigorated.

His progress and gains were among the greatest for the Ninth Squad.

Although he hadn't yet researched improvements for the Falcon gun during these days.

He had acquired many new design blueprints nonetheless.

Most thrilling of all was the acquisition from an exceptional-grade Electric Sniper Rifle—a design blueprint for a Night Vision Lens.

"By adding this component, I can ensure shooting accuracy even in the dark of night!"

"Moreover..."

Su Yu's eyes gleamed slightly as he looked at the design blueprint in front of him.

According to the blueprint's instructions, he could even craft a simple night vision device using this Night Vision Lens.

In this way.

"Not only will I gain nighttime combat capability, but the other members of the Ninth Squad can also attempt nighttime hunting!"