Chapter 140: The Mercenary's Path, a Grand Serial Unfolds!

On the third night after the great adventurer Jon Williams and the event planner collaborated on a live broadcast, a squad of mercenaries clad in desert camouflage gear set out for the Wasteland Zone. Their chests bore the insignia of the Sand Scourge Mercenary Corps.

Among these mercenaries were a few gaunt, feeble-looking men who limped with each step, resembling skeletal addicts dressed in combat uniforms.

These emaciated soldiers were the "cannon fodder" of the Sand Scourge Mercenary Corps, mostly composed of desperate individuals drowning in debt. Their fates were invariably miserable—either thrown into unrestricted fighting matches for the entertainment of spectators or sent to illegal factories to work themselves to death for free. Those less fortunate were sold to private laboratories conducting human experiments or to wealthy patrons with cannibalistic inclinations.

Their primary role within the mercenary corps was to be sacrificed in crises—thrown forward to take the brunt of attacks, buying precious time or serving as human shields.

"Hurry up!" urged a young mercenary with a scholarly appearance, pushing them from behind and urging them to quicken their pace.

This young mercenary was named Luo Jie. A glance at his résumé would reveal a brilliant student life—an academic prodigy who earned straight A’s across all subjects, served in student council positions for three consecutive years, and graduated as a top student with dual majors in Media Studies and Economics.

After graduation, his mentor recommended him for an internship at Han Tide Entertainment, under the Xu Corporation, where he was assigned to the public relations department to assist in managing affairs related to Jin Yuchuang.

For Luo Jie, this was a rare and golden opportunity. Jin was a star heavily promoted by Han Tide Entertainment and backed by the influential Xu family heir—there was no way his career could fail. This internship was less about experience and more about adding a prestigious credential to his résumé.

Luo Jie knew that after this internship, his résumé would shine brilliantly, making him a highly sought-after elite in the entertainment industry.

Then, unexpectedly, Jin Yuchuang fell from grace, and Han Tide Entertainment collapsed. In an effort to save face, the PR department naturally scapegoated the intern, pinning all the blame on Luo Jie.

"Due to an error by an intern in the PR department, significant issues arose in managing Jin Yuchuang’s affairs, resulting in inappropriate remarks and a series of subsequent incidents. We sincerely apologize..."

When Luo Jie saw this apology posted by Han Tide Entertainment on social media, his heart sank cold.

The following six months of his life were marked by confusion and dread.

The entire entertainment and media industry turned against him, treating him as the scapegoat. Every job application he sent disappeared into a void. Even his mentor, who had originally sent him to the internship, regretfully patted his shoulder and whispered, "Such a good kid, what a pity," before severing all contact.

To make matters worse, Jin Yuchuang’s devoted fans somehow obtained Luo Jie’s personal information and began subjecting him to online harassment and real-world violence, as if blaming him for Jin’s downfall.

Forced to constantly change residences, phone numbers, and social media accounts, Luo Jie’s endurance finally snapped a month ago.

One day, while returning from grocery shopping, he discovered a Jin Yuchuang fan attempting to glue the lock on his door with superglue. When the fan saw him arrive home, instead of stopping, they began hurling insults.

Half a year of humiliation had pushed Luo Jie to the brink of mental collapse. At that moment, his emotions completely lost control.

Luo Jie took a knife and killed the fan, then fled to a slum unreachable by the police and joined the local Sand Scourge Mercenary Corps.

"You say you were framed by Han Tide Entertainment and had no choice but to become a mercenary?" The head of the mercenary corps’ human resources department immediately clapped him on the back and chatted warmly:

"Damn, isn’t that a coincidence? We hate Han Tide too! Those filthy scoundrels hired us to wipe out a village, then went bankrupt before settling the bill! Who do you think we can complain to?!"

After living in the mercenary corps for a week, Luo Jie realized he had finally found his true home.

The mercenary world was free from the scheming and backstabbing of the entertainment industry. There was no need to constantly mask oneself. What existed here was pure violence and unbridled arrogance.

So when the mercenary corps handed Luo Jie his first mission, he was filled with immense joy.

"Your name is Luo Jie, right? Sounds pretty close to Diego Roger. You’ll be joining him on the Wasteland Zone investigation," the HR chief said, tossing him a mission brief.

"You just stick close, watch and learn from the veterans, and help out. Since it's your first mission, we’ve kept it simple for you."

...

Walking among the mercenary squad, Luo Jie brimmed with anticipation for his inaugural mission.

He had watched adventurer Jon’s live streams and gained a basic understanding of the Abyss.

Broadly speaking, though mysterious, it was less dangerous than the desert regions east of Night Axis City. There was no radiation, no gigantic mutated monsters. While zombie dogs and ghouls lurked in the graveyard, their appearances were scary but their threat level low. In the livestream, Jon and the planner dispatched these creatures quickly and efficiently.

Thus, the Sand Scourge Mercenary Corps did not bring many heavy weapons, only a few “cannon fodder” for emergencies. They did not expect to find any great treasures, merely to scout and sell intelligence to interested financial tycoons.

"Please... please spare me..." one cannon fodder stopped, trembling as he begged.

"I won’t gamble again... just give me one more chance..."

Before he finished, Luo Jie struck him in the back with the butt of his rifle, his expression stern as he pushed him forward.

"Enough nonsense, gamblers deserve no mercy!"

Seeing this, the surrounding mercenaries laughed heartily.

An older mercenary with wrinkles patted Luo Jie’s shoulder, grinning:

"Little Luo, you’re really getting the hang of being a mercenary! Doing what we do takes guts!"

"Thank you, sir. I still have much to learn from you all," Luo Jie replied humbly.

"You’re young and humble, that’s good," the veteran answered. "But I’m old now—after this job, I’m heading home to farm!"

Others chimed in:

"This mission should be easy; after we’re done, we can go have fun with the ladies in the Succubus District."

"Once this mission’s over, I’ll have enough money to marry Xiao Fang."

"I’m going to renew my subscription to Captain A-Meng!"

...

Amidst the veterans’ chatter, the atmosphere filled with joy. Even Luo Jie, relieved from his tension, felt an unexpected sense of home.

Unlike the others, this mission was just the starting point for him. His ambition was to climb to the top ranks of the mercenary world. If the man named Diego Roger was called the “King of the Abyss,” then Luo Jie aspired to be the “King of Mercenaries.”

"Um... I think you guys shouldn’t make jokes like that..." the trembling cannon fodder muttered.

"Shut up! Move faster!" Luo Jie pushed him again and stepped into the abandoned bar in the Wasteland Zone alongside the mercenary squad.