Chapter 36: The Sword of Infernal Flame

Bringing Tifa back to the Bounty Hunters' Guild, Han Feng chose a vacant counter. An opaque light screen once again rose up to form a private space, and the guild’s AI, Anna, appeared before them.

"Hello, how may I assist you?" Anna asked routinely.

"Register a hunter," Han Feng replied.

"Applicant, please look straight ahead."

Tifa stepped forward, and a beam of light scanned her irises.

"Authenticating applicant information. Authentication complete. Applicant: Tifa Lockhart. Detected: Tifa Lockhart’s cellular activity far exceeds that of ordinary humans. Would you like to test for psionic abilities?"

"Yes," Tifa responded.

"Please release your psionic energy."

Tifa released her energy, enveloping her body, and Anna’s detection beam swept over her.

"Psionic test complete. Psionic strength: Grade D. Profession: Martial Artist. According to Article 16, Chapter 3, Section 1 of the Bounty Hunters’ Convention, Tifa Lockhart’s application is approved. Bounty hunter rank: One Star. Maximum mission level: D. Welcome to the guild." Anna bowed to Tifa.

A One-Star Hunter’s badge rose from the counter. Tifa picked it up, held it out to Han Feng, and said happily, "Commander, I’m a bounty hunter just like you now! What’s next?"

"Next, we need to form a Hunter Team. However, I haven’t decided on a name yet," Han Feng said, touching his nose a little awkwardly. "Do you have any ideas?"

"How about ‘Seventh Heaven’?" Tifa tilted her head, thinking.

"Are you planning to open another bar in the universe?" Han Feng couldn’t help but laugh.

"Then maybe... Avalanche?" Tifa suggested tentatively.

"There’s no Shinra Company here," Han Feng teased. "Let me think... The name should have a distinctive character."

Han Feng propped his chin in his hand, pondering, when suddenly inspiration struck.

"I’ve got it! How about ‘The Infernal Blade’?"

"That’s great!" Tifa’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands.

"Anna, register a hunter team," Han Feng instructed the AI.

Two minutes later.

[The Infernal Blade Hunter Team]
Credit Points: 10
Credit Rating: E
Team Size: 2
Grade D Members: 2
Missions Completed: 0
Active Region: None
History: None
Creator: Han Feng
Evaluation: A newly established small hunter team—nothing much to say.

Credit points are directly tied to credit rating; only by continuously completing bounty missions can one accumulate points. When enough points are earned, the credit rating automatically increases, representing the reputation of the hunter team.

The higher the credit rating, the better the reputation and the more high-quality missions available.

Han Feng was in no rush to raise their team’s credit rating. After all, their team was just the two of them at the moment, both only Grade D, so they couldn’t take on major jobs.

The priority was to head for the Central Star Region. For the "Blood-Red Shadow War" main storyline mission, only the Central Star Region could maximize their gains.

The secret war was being waged in the various star regions of the Longteng Republic and the Merican Union, surging beneath a calm surface. Even remote, low-security star regions were embroiled in conflict, but their importance paled beside the battles in the Central Star Region.

The peripheral star regions had few valuable targets, and were mostly chaotic.

If there was any place with the highest concentration of important targets, it was without a doubt the Central Star Region—and so most missions were centered there.

The universe was an open and diverse place; with few exceptions, ninety-nine percent of star regions were accessible to outsiders. Races and civilizations exchanged, learned from each other, and advanced together.

The immense population of the universe provided the perfect cover for operatives on the secret front. Both sides could infiltrate the other’s key star regions through various means: gathering intelligence, stealing secrets and technology, assassinating important figures, or sabotaging vital facilities.

According to Han Feng’s experience from his past life, to participate more deeply in the "Blood-Red Shadow War" mission and boost one’s contributions and evaluations, heading to the Central Star Region was the optimal choice.

Their current plan was to see if they could find an escort mission—protecting a commercial ship bound for the Central Star Region. That way, they could travel for free, earn some star credits, and raise their team’s reputation—all at once.

Han Feng opened his neural terminal and browsed the missions posted by the Hunters’ Guild, while Tifa played with her portable device; the interstellar network was her quickest way to learn about the universe.

After filtering, there weren’t many suitable tasks, since their team was so small. Many escort missions required a minimum number of hunters or a certain credit rating; the higher the rating, the more employers favored the team.

Although bounty hunters and mercenaries both worked for pay, there were distinct differences. Their work overlapped in many areas, but bounty hunters in the universe were more united and rarely fought among themselves, in contrast to mercenaries, who often clashed.

Moreover, bounty hunters rarely accepted wartime contracts, whether civil wars or inter-civilization conflicts, as these were fraught with hidden dangers they preferred to avoid.

Mercenaries were different—they were desperados, and the larger groups especially loved participating in wars, as those meant huge profits and culled the weak, leaving only the elite who survived.

Under the rules set by the Four Empires, the universe was relatively stable—apart from the occasional civil war, most civilizations were engaged in peaceful exchange and competition, meaning wartime contracts were rare.

As Han Feng scrolled, he suddenly spotted a task perfect for them: the destination was the capital of the Longteng Republic, posted by a small interstellar transport company—Swift Route Logistics.

This company specialized in bulk raw material shipments. With its rigorous security system, it had recently been acquired by Starlight Bank, which now employed it to transport money and valuables between space stations.

Due to company safety regulations, the size of the escort team was determined by the ship’s class and the value of the cargo.

Being a small operation, they had no security force of their own, so they posted escort missions to hire bounty hunters or mercenaries to ensure safe transport.

Swift Route Logistics usually worked with a regular hunter team, but that team had recently been hit by pirates during a mission and lost several members. They were short exactly two people for the current escort job, and the requirements were strict: both had to be hunter team members above Grade E, with a fee of six hundred thousand star credits.

The fee wasn’t high—larger teams weren’t interested, and smaller teams lacked manpower. The trip from here to the capital was lengthy, making it unlikely that any group could spare two Grade E or higher superhumans for this escort. As a result, the mission had been posted for four days with no takers—making it ideal for Han Feng’s team, since there were just two of them.