"You've made such a substantial gain; I suppose I ought to collect my share, yes?"
Rice nodded and gestured to a soldier. The soldier, carrying a bag filled with magical crystals, reluctantly approached and handed the bag to Rice.
With a hearty laugh, Rice pulled a few F-grade magical crystals from the bag. "Here you go, Captain Vic—take these and treat your men to some drinks!"
Captain Vic accepted the pale blue F-grade magical crystals with a chuckle. "Rice, as generous as ever! Well, we're off now. Should you ever engage in such a large-scale operation again, make sure to notify me—we'll come to assist!"
"You're infuriating, Captain Vic! I won't see you out!" Rice said politely, watching Vic climb into the off-road vehicle before it turned and sped away.
Rice turned to his soldiers and muttered, "D*mn it, the more I look at that b*st*rd, the more he disgusts me. He's just like a slick, conniving woman!"
From a distance, Xiao Feng and White observed the entire scene.
Xiao Feng's voice was cold as he spoke, "The world's all the same—crooked and corrupt! Why should we give up the magical crystals we've worked so hard to obtain?"
"Who's to say? They rule the world," White replied casually. "If you don't want to hand them over, the only option is…"
"Is what?" Xiao Feng asked, his brow furrowing.
"Overthrow their rule!" White added, almost in passing.
Xiao Feng, however, listened intently. "Overthrowing their rule? Maybe that's not such a bad idea after all…"
The mercenaries quickly finished clearing the battlefield. Rice approached Xiao Feng and, pulling a few F-grade crystals from his bag, said, "Kid, these are yours!"
Xiao Feng, without hesitation, handed them over to Old White. "Sell these and use the money to get Alice treated!"
Old White nodded. "Didn't expect to gather so many magical crystals so quickly!"
"We'll gather even more in the future!" Xiao Feng responded, still holding his "Predator" cleaver. He resumed his search among the fallen wolves, suddenly recalling that he hadn't yet seen the corpse of the head wolf, the one with the white fur on its chest.
Rice, puzzled, approached Xiao Feng. "What are you looking for?"
"The head wolf! It should be stronger than these F-grade magical beasts—likely an E-grade beast. Imagine how valuable an E-grade crystal would be!"
"The head wolf?" Rice was equally confused as he surveyed the wolf corpses. He ordered his soldiers to continue searching.
Half an hour passed, and the bodies of all the wolves were thoroughly checked, but the head wolf was nowhere to be found.
"It's getting dark, and staying here is dangerous. Let's return to camp," one soldier advised Rice.
Rice nodded in agreement. "Right, let's head back!"
Xiao Feng and Old White found themselves once again at the elderly merchant's stall, where Xiao Feng tossed the bag of magical crystals onto the table. "How much can you offer for these?"
The old man, puffing on his cigarette, smiled. "You two must have great luck—already a fresh haul so soon?" As he spoke, he opened the bag, revealing the F-grade crystals. His expression suddenly froze. "Where did you get so many F-grade crystals?"
"Just acquired them," Xiao Feng replied casually.
"Ah? That group of magical beasts in the east of the city—you were the ones who took them down?" The old man was surprisingly well-informed.
"No, it was with the X Mercenary Corps. See what you can offer. If the price isn't right, we have other buyers!"
"No, no! I'll make you an offer now!" The old man hastily assessed the crystals. "Seven F-grade crystals—each one worth ten thousand Alliance Coins, so a total of seventy thousand. How does that sound, young man?"
"Seventy thousand is too little. Glass would offer a better price!" Xiao Feng spoke with a hint of cunning, dropping Glass's name.
The old man frowned. He knew that Glass was a significant figure in the black market, always getting his hands on powerful weapons. Without connections, one couldn't acquire such weapons. He gritted his teeth and replied, "Twelve thousand per crystal. From now on, whatever you have, I'll take it all!"
Xiao Feng looked at Old White and chuckled. "Twelve thousand per crystal, Uncle White."
Old White nodded. "Let's sell them."
"Alright, we'll sell them to you—but we want cash!"
"I'll get the money right away. Wait here," the old man said, hobbling off to fetch the payment.
Nearby, the other merchants couldn't help but watch. A young man and an elderly man had just unloaded seven F-grade crystals in one go—quite a rare sight in the black market. Even among free hunters capable of slaying F-grade beasts, few could afford to bring so many crystals to market.
In the crowd, a few pairs of eyes followed them with interest.
Xiao Feng and Old White, absorbed in the joy of their earnings, paid no attention to the people around them. The two of them continued their conversation, delighting in their good fortune.
"Uncle, if we keep going like this, we'll be able to get Alice's eyes treated soon enough!"
"Mm, very soon."
"Then we'll take her hunting with us."
"That might not be a good idea. She's a girl."
"Trust me, Uncle. Alice has abilities you can't even begin to imagine!" Xiao Feng said, his tone calm.
Old White furrowed his brow. While Alice's extraordinary abilities were a source of joy, they also raised concerns. Anyone with such powers would be subject to the Alliance's control. If not, they would have to live like him, constantly evading the Alliance's pursuit.
The old man quickly returned with a bag of Alliance coins. After handing the money to Xiao Feng, he began eagerly caressing the blue crystal-like F-grade magical crystals.
He hadn't noticed that as the elderly man and the young one walked by, three figures quietly followed in their wake.
Xiao Feng approached Glass, the arms dealer. "Give me some sniper rifle ammunition."
"Oh? So it's you guys! You ran out of ammo already? Looks like you've made quite a bit again, huh?"
"Not much—just a small haul. I need two hundred rounds of Red Ghost ammo."
"My god, what on earth do you need so many rounds for?" Glass asked, startled. He wasn't worried about Xiao Feng's ability to pay, but rather curious about why Xiao Feng had used so many sniper rounds so quickly.
Nevertheless, Glass handed over four boxes of ammo. Xiao Feng stuffed them into a bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and chuckled. "I'm about to do something big!"
Old White, smoking his cigarette, watched Xiao Feng with a mixture of astonishment and concern. He couldn't understand why the young man's courage and abilities seemed to grow more formidable by the day.
After paying Glass, Xiao Feng turned to Old White and said, "Uncle, go buy a few bottles of wine. Use the rest of the money to take Alice to the doctor tomorrow!"
Old White nodded, but then asked with a serious expression, "Kid, tell me, what do you plan to do with all that ammunition?"
Xiao Feng smiled faintly. "I'm going to gather enough money for Alice's eye treatment in one go."