895 points?

Yuri’s expression changed. He looked up at the mustachioed man and asked, “Which squad are you with?”

“No harm in telling you — the leaderboard will update the record anyway.” The mustache man spoke unhurriedly. “We’re the Alarm the People Squad. Nickname~ the Alarming Squad.”

“Oh! Aren’t you that guy they call Nick?” A’Da had already heard of him, and shot back without any hesitation. “See it to believe it — I’ve heard for a while that the main attacker of Alarm the People is called Nick, scandalous enough to alarm the whole damn people!”

Laughter immediately rippled through the train car.

Nick’s gaze darkened, his expression souring.

One of his companions chimed in, “Just a bunch of small fry — only good for running their mouths.”

A’Da said, “Excuse me~ The small fry you’re referring to are currently sitting in first place on both the monthly squad leaderboard and the rookie ranking — where do you lot rank? If you’re doing worse than ‘small fry,’ what does that make you? Shrimp? River clams? Muddy slop? Speaking of muddy slop, that smell coming off you lot isn’t exactly ordinary, is it!”

The person being insulted immediately went rigid, fists clenching with a grinding crack, and several other squad members’ expressions turned equally indignant.

But they couldn’t make a move — because according to the world’s rules, the subway was an absolute safe zone. Anyone who resorted to violence would be subjected to a high-voltage electric shock penalty!

After all, this was an extremely violent world, and everyone carried varying amounts of explosives and weapons on their person. If a conflict broke out, the consequences would be unthinkable — hence the strict regulations.

A’Da, fully aware the other side couldn’t strike, continued to swagger on without a care: “Getting this pleased with yourselves over one high score — were your lives really that miserable before? Of course they were — the top spots on the board have been held by us for days now, and you’ve finally managed to snag first place on one dungeon. Of course you need to enjoy your moment in the sun! I get it! I completely understand! Savor it while you can~ A score like this, our squad will surpass with ease. Today was just a warm-up — next time, you won’t be so lucky!”

Nick fixed him with a cold stare. “Surpass with ease? Heh… kid, watch what you say — your tongue might just cramp up from all the big talk. From what I know, your squad has been grinding dungeons these last few days but hasn’t broken a single record.”

A’Da didn’t so much as twitch in irritation, and replied with a grin, “True — we haven’t broken one record. But the scores we’ve posted on every dungeon we’ve cleared seem to be doing better than your squad’s, yeah~”

Nick’s lip twitched. “Leveraging the rookie bonus buff — what’s there to show off about?”

“Says the team that also has a rookie.” A’Da tipped his chin toward the other side of the car. “See, isn’t that your squad’s rookie over there? Quite the color in his face — is he hurt? Dear, dear, what a rough time you’ve had.”

The rookie being called out turned his head away uncomfortably. His shoulder wound, hastily dressed, was still steadily seeping bright red through the bandaging. He did look noticeably more battered than the other squad members.

The subway continued on. A’Da kept running his mouth without a trace of concern:

“A rookie injured that badly — he probably won’t be able to enter a dungeon for a while, will he? Oh, what a dilemma. If the Captain wants to keep pushing for new records, will he swap in a new member? Kick out the one who’s lost his usefulness and bring in a fresh rookie to keep mining that rookie buff for more records… That’s something you’ll need to start thinking about when you get back, isn’t it? Rookie, this is life~ Life — you have to face its cruelty with courage~”

“Hey!” The big man beside Nick could no longer contain himself. “Are you ever going to stop?! Do you think provoking us is going to work?!”

“No, I won’t stop~” A’Da stated this with complete confidence. “I’m going to keep talking until the subway pulls into the station. What about it? Can’t stand the sight of me? Then do something about it! I, Augusto A’Da Clorier, am ready and willing anytime!”

“You—!…” The big man’s entire face twisted in fury, and he moved to step forward, but Nick grabbed him.

“Enough.” Nick swept a cold look at A’Da. “If it comes to a fight, there’ll be opportunities for that later.”

—