The Mercenary Corps Leaders all nodded and began to file out. They needed to contact numerous other Mercenary Corps, and time was short.

Lin Xinghai started to leave, but Jin Canlan’s voice rang out. "Little Brother Lin, don’t be in such a hurry! Stay and have some tea with me. As for forming your contingent, just leave it to me. Once they hand in their lists, I’ll get everything sorted out for you."

Hearing this, Lin Xinghai looked at him suspiciously. After just a moment’s thought, he instantly understood Jin Canlan’s intentions.

If Jin Canlan formed the contingent for him only after all the other teams had submitted their rosters, then the Mercenary Corps shoved into his group would be the leftovers nobody else wanted.

These Mercenary Corps were either weak or had bad reputations. In any case, they all had issues.

Leading them would be a massive headache.

"Chairman Jin, this tea of yours leaves a bad taste in my mouth!" Lin Xinghai said, clearly displeased.

"Heh heh, it’s delicious, absolutely delicious! Here, this is my prized oolong tea." Jin Canlan, beaming, actually began to prepare a cup for Lin Xinghai.

Looking at the man’s chubby face, wreathed in a shameless smile, Lin Xinghai felt a mix of anger and amusement. For the moment, there was nothing he could do about this shameless man.

...

By noon, the construction of the entire camp was nearly complete.

In the intervening hours, once the leaders of the First and Second Level Mercenary Corps learned they would be entering Guanghan City in separate teams, they had been scrambling about, all hoping to join a powerful squad.

As a result, the top-ranked Third Level Mercenary Corps, like the Holy Light Mercenary Corps and Soaring Dragon Merc, naturally became highly sought-after.

Of course, the major Third Level Mercenary Corps weren’t about to let just anyone join. The First and Second Level groups couldn’t simply get in on a whim.

Consequently, arguments broke out frequently over the next few hours. If not for the soldiers stationed there, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the hot-tempered Mercenaries had come to blows.

Regardless, by 12:00 PM, the rosters for twenty-nine teams were neatly arranged before Jin Canlan.

"Heh heh! See, Little Brother Lin? Your idea was brilliant. I didn’t have to do a thing except sit here and wait," Jin Canlan said, refilling the teacup in front of Lin Xinghai.

However, the tea leaves had been steeping for hours and were now as bland as plain water. Lin Xinghai couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

But Jin Canlan paid him no mind, picking up his own cup of what might as well have been plain water and taking a gulp.

"Little Brother Lin, here is your team’s roster. I’ve arranged everything for you. And your team is designated Number 1, so you get to go in with the first wave. That’s a huge advantage!" Jin Canlan said with a broad smile, looking as if he’d done Lin Xinghai a massive favor.

A vein throbbed on Lin Xinghai’s forehead. If the man weren’t a Blood Qi Realm expert, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from throwing a punch.

"Fine. I hope this is the last time you’ll be bothering me," Lin Xinghai said, grabbing the roster and heading outside.

Five minutes later, in a makeshift plaza, the leaders and vice-leaders of seventeen Mercenary Corps had been told to assemble.

The looks on their faces were a mixture of nervousness, anxiety, and unease.

It couldn’t be helped; after all, they were the ones who had been picked last.

They had no idea how the Mercenary Guild planned to handle them.

However, their anxiety didn’t last long, because two figures were soon walking toward them: a young man with a calm, steady bearing, and a tall, powerfully built man.

At first, they didn’t pay the two much mind, but after a second glance at the young man, one of them couldn’t help but exclaim, "The Gun God! What’s he doing here with us?"

At his cry of surprise, the others all turned their gazes toward Lin Xinghai.

Lin Xinghai’s fame had skyrocketed recently. Recordings of his battles, in particular, were being passed around everywhere. Basically every Mercenary Corps Leader had seen them, so they recognized him in an instant.

Seeing Lin Xinghai was really walking over to them, they seemed to guess what was happening, and a stir of excitement went through the group.

Lin Xinghai, with Gao Mountain in tow, walked up to the assembled Mercenary Corps Leaders. Seeing the looks on their faces, he said with a faint smile, "It seems you all know who I am, so I’ll skip the introductions."

"To put it simply, the Mercenary Guild has arranged for all of you to be gathered here to form a single brigade. And I, of course, will be its commander."

"I’m sure you’re all aware of why you’re here. The brigade we’re forming now is, to put it bluntly, the weakest one in terms of overall strength."

"If you still want to enter Guanghan City with me, then I have only one requirement: you must follow orders."

"If you can’t do that, then I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave the brigade."

"Alright, that’s all I have to say. Our brigade is on the list for the first departure wave. You have half an hour to prepare. Then, assemble outside the camp."

"One last thing. This is Gao Mountain, the leader of the Mountain and Sea Mercenary Corps. I’ve appointed him as my vice-commander. If you have any questions, ask him." After he finished speaking, Lin Xinghai turned and left without a moment’s hesitation.

Before he left, however, he cast a meaningful glance at one of the seventeen leaders—a middle-aged man with a hooked nose.

Among these seventeen Mercenary Corps, sixteen of them were First Level Mercenary Corps, the weakest of the bunch. The only exception was this hook-nosed middle-aged man, who was the leader of a Second Level Mercenary Corps.

Furthermore, his Blood Carving Mercenary Corps was by no means weak among the Second Level Mercenary Corps. The reason no team had been willing to take them was because of their terrible reputation.

Bullying weaker Mercenary Corps was one thing, but there were even rumors of them attacking other corps outside the Shelter. It was only because there was never any proof that the Mercenary Guild hadn’t dealt with them.

It was safe to say that the Blood Carving Mercenary Corps was the sole destabilizing element in this new brigade.

However, Lin Xinghai only gave it a moment’s thought. With his power, he wasn’t the least bit worried they would dare to pull any stunts in front of him.

After Lin Xinghai left, the expression on the face of the Blood Carving Mercenary Corps’ leader, Chen Tianlei, instantly darkened.

It wasn’t just him; his vice-leader, Gou Sen, looked the same.

They had both clearly seen that meaningful glance from Lin Xinghai as he left.

They understood, of course, that the Gun God had taken notice of them, and they knew full well why.

"Leader, what do we do? Is he going to do something to us?" Gou Sen asked, his face tense.

Chen Tianlei’s expression was grim. After a moment of silence, he let out a helpless sigh. "He holds all the cards right now; there’s nothing we can do. But don’t worry too much. After all, with so many other Mercenary Corps entering Guanghan City alongside us, he probably won’t dare to do anything out in the open."

"Just tell our men to be on guard. Have them turn on all their cameras. The moment something seems off, we pull back immediately."