Chapter 111: The New Bow

Chapter 111: The New Bow

Ji Xinghuo and his companions returned to the bounty office to collect their rewards and points.

The staff immediately updated the scoreboards. Ji Xinghuo, Jing Ji, and Yuan Chongzhen's monthly points had reached 4,318, tying them for the top three spots.

Alyckx had scored 4,260 points, a personal record, but it was only enough for fourth place.

"A new record!"

"A record that stood for over two decades has finally been broken, and by four people at the same time! What a rare occurrence!"

The bounty hunters were full of admiration.

The staff of the bounty office brought over a table and placed it under the scoreboard. They then displayed the head of the legendary Great Kun person on the table, alongside a small mountain of one hundred million cash. Ji Xinghuo and the others stood behind the table as journalists and social media influencers snapped photos.

After the photo session, Alyckx immediately announced that he had lost the bet to Jing Ji and would uphold his promise to leave Central Fort immediately.

From that day on, as long as Jing Ji remained in Central Fort, he would not return.

Jing Ji accepted the victory calmly, downplaying the impact of the bet. It hadn't been a significant event to begin with, and fortunately, after the defeat of the legendary powerhouse, no one paid much attention to the outcome of the bet.

The four bounty hunters parted ways after leaving the bounty office.

Ji Xinghuo returned to his room at the inn, freshened up, had a meal, and rested for the night.

The next day.

The first day of Night Moon and the first day of the cold season, Ji Xinghuo woke up early and met with Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen. Alyckx had already left.

Led by Director Li, the three of them met again with General Wang Zhengwu at the summit of Central Fort, which served as the fortress command center. The officials held a small-scale award ceremony for the trio. In front of a crowd of officers, Ji Xinghuo and his companions were invited on stage, where General Wang Zhengwu personally presented them with second-class hero medals.

The second-class hero medal far outweighed the third-class one in terms of prestige and value.

The difficulty in obtaining the two medals differed by a factor of at least ten.

Jing Ji, who had been at Central Fort for many years, hunting down over ten thousand members of the Beiluosimen tribe and accumulating over twenty thousand points, had only received the second-class hero medal that day.

Recipients of this medal enjoyed various privileges and benefits in all the countries of Earth.

In the Asia-Pacific Commune, the monthly subsidy increased to 50,000 Asia-Pacific Dollars, along with free access to various official facilities and institutions. They were also eligible to attend a series of official events, ceremonies, and public functions, among other perks. One could truly enjoy a lifetime of recognition and honors.

Both Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen were thrilled to receive their medals.

Over a century had passed since the implementation of the bounty hunter point system, and fewer than a hundred people had earned a second-class hero medal through hunting down enemies.

Ji Xinghuo, however, felt less affected, as he had only been there for less than two months.

After the award ceremony, General Wang Zhengwu took his leave.

Director Li escorted the three of them to a reception room, his face wreathed in smiles. "Everyone, please take a look at this month's purchase list."

He handed over three copies of the list.

Ji Xinghuo skimmed through it, his eyes lighting up.

Most of the items on the list were similar to the previous month's, but the differences were significant. There were over ten superpower two-star weapons and equipment, sourced from various places: some manufactured by humans, some taken as spoils of war, and some traded from star sector nations.

There were also some precious cultivation aids and potions.

What caught Ji Xinghuo's attention the most were two items: a bow and an expansion curiosity!

The bow was named "Invisible Sting," a superpower two-star weapon crafted by the Asia-Pacific Commune military's weapons research institute. It was extremely rare, with only five ever produced, and none sold externally. The owners of these bows were all military archers, so there was no market price for reference.

On the list, the Invisible Sting was priced at 30 million Asia-Pacific Dollars, with a 20% discount, bringing the price down to 24 million.

"This price is definitely a bargain!"

Ji Xinghuo studied the bow's data, thinking that buying it would be a great deal.

The draw weight of the Invisible Sting was 270 kilograms (600 pounds), half again more than the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow. Its effective lethal range was 420 meters, and its arrow speed reached 350 meters per second!

Just these basic performance parameters far exceeded those of common superpower two-star bows on the market.

Moreover, the Invisible Sting had an additional effect, which was also its only function: it could consume starlight to shoot invisible arrows!

Arrows that couldn't be seen!

Ji Xinghuo hadn't had the chance to test the bow himself, but just reading the description set his heart racing.

The Invisible Sting was definitely close to, if not a superpower three-star weapon.

He calmed himself and turned his attention to the other item he desired—the Amber Cat's Eye.

This was an expansion curiosity formed in the crust of the star sector, with an unknown origin. It was usually found alongside superconductor ores and was extremely rare. For those below the fourth tier, the Amber Cat's Eye provided an additional chance to fuse with a foreign species, limited to once per person.

The Amber Cat's Eye was typically monopolized by large mining corporations, with only a small number available for sale on Earth.

Ji Xinghuo recalled its selling price to be around 2.8 million Asia-Pacific Dollars, similar to Ren Jie's Clear Sky Fruit. However, like the fruit, it was difficult to acquire without the right connections, even with money.

On this list, the Amber Cat's Eye was priced at only 2.5 million, significantly cheaper than the market price.

With the discount, it would cost just 20 million!

"The military is quite generous," Ji Xinghuo thought, finally feeling that his life-risking battle against the legendary enemy the day before had been worth it.

He glanced at Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen, seeing that they, too, were excited by the treasures on the list.

"Director Li," Ji Xinghuo asked, "can I purchase one additional item from the list? I'm willing to pay the original price without any discount."

He wanted both the Invisible Sting and the Amber Cat's Eye.

Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat.

From Director Li's words, he deduced that General Wang Zhengwu seemed to have a special interest in him.

"That's wonderful!" Ji Xinghuo pretended not to notice and showed his delight.

At this moment, Jing Ji also asked, "I also want to buy one more item. Director Li, would that be possible?"

"Of course, that's not a problem." Director Li readily nodded. "All three of you can enjoy additional discounted purchases."

However, Ji Xinghuo noticed a slight difference in his expression.

It seemed that Director Li was only truly concerned about him, and Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen were just an afterthought to avoid any perceived favoritism. But the director didn't completely hide this fact; instead, he seemed to intentionally hint at it, hoping that Ji Xinghuo would understand.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at Jing Ji's copy of the list and noticed that it was different from his. Jing Ji's list did not include the Invisible Sting.

This bow had been specially prepared for him!

"Interesting," Ji Xinghuo thought.

This arrangement was rather subtle, and combined with Director Li's words, he could guess that it was General Wang Zhengwu who was behind this.

"Could he have seen through something?" Ji Xinghuo wondered.

He recalled that during the award ceremony earlier, General Wang Zhengwu hadn't shown any signs of special treatment; everything had seemed normal.

This was probably just a casual gesture on the general's part, both to encourage a talented junior and to establish a connection.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't quite figure it out, but he didn't reject the kind offer.

"I want to purchase these two items."

The Invisible Sting cost 24 million, and the Amber Cat's Eye was 20 million, plus the 5 million cash reward for being the top scorer of the month, bringing the total to 39 million.

With the bounty he had accumulated from hunting enemies this month, which amounted to over 90 million, as well as the compensation he received from Ren Jie for the Toad Spirit Egg, Ji Xinghuo was able to afford this without any difficulty.

It didn't take long for him to receive the two items.

The Invisible Sting came in a bow case, and Ji Xinghuo eagerly opened it to reveal a black compound bow.

Its shape resembled that of a conventional compound bow, with a black body and limbs, sharp and clean edge lines, and a substantial weight of about 18 kilograms. The bowstring was made of a twisted metal wire, incredibly durable. However, at first glance, the bow didn't stand out, resembling many common compound bows.

The style of the Invisible Sting was in stark contrast to that of the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow.

One was simple and understated, while the other was flashy and attention-grabbing.

Ji Xinghuo wasn't picky about such things; he only cared about the bow's power. He tested the bowstring, and as expected, it felt much heavier than the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow.

As he pulled the bowstring, the pulleys turned, the limbs contracted, and he felt a substantial counterforce in his hand.

A bow with such a high draw weight would easily sever the fingers of an ordinary person.

For Ji Xinghuo, however, it was just right.

At the same time, he noticed something intriguing as he gripped the bow handle. The handle generated suction, and when he infused it with his stellar power, the light around the arrow rest distorted, and the arrow placed on it immediately became optically invisible, almost completely transparent, leaving only a very faint shadow.

This was before he even released the arrow. Once the arrow was shot and flying at high speed, even an alien with hawk-like vision would struggle to see it.

"What a bow!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed as he released the bowstring, and the arrow became visible again.

Jing Ji, standing beside him, shook his head. He knew Ji Xinghuo's archery skills well, and with this bow, he would be even more formidable.

Combined with the Silent Arrows and the Stealth Ring, anyone who caught Ji Xinghuo's attention would be taken out without even knowing what hit them.

Yuan Chongzhen looked on with envy.

He smiled and said, "If I had known earlier, I would have chosen the Ranger template as well. It would have been so much easier to take down enemies without having to engage in close-quarters combat."

"If you had chosen the Ranger path, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today," Jing Ji teased.

"I guess you're right..." Yuan Chongzhen admitted.

He had only spoken in jest, and there were so many Rangers on Earth. Like Ji Xinghuo, who was exceptionally talented in archery, he had only seen one. If it had been any other Ranger, they might not have been able to shoot with precision, and they probably wouldn't even have been able to draw the bowstring of the Invisible Sting, let alone unleash its full power.

Ji Xinghuo was very pleased with his choices and carefully put away the bow. He then picked up the Amber Cat's Eye.

Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen also purchased the items they had their eyes on and soon received them. The three of them left the summit area together.

On their way back, Jing Ji said, "I'm heading back to Earth to recover from my injuries. I won't be coming to the Star Realm for at least a year."

He was still very weak and unable to fight.

"What about you two?" Jing Ji asked.

"I'm returning to Sword Valley Fortress to continue hunting enemies," Yuan Chongzhen replied.

They both looked at Ji Xinghuo, who answered, "I'll go back to Olympia first to rest for a few days. After that, I'll probably go hunting again, but not as frequently as last month. I plan to visit various fortresses along the Star Realm's defensive line, and I might even drop by Sword Valley Fortress."

Yuan Chongzhen's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "That's great! Be sure to look for me when you get there!"

"Sure," Ji Xinghuo nodded.

The three of them parted ways at the Level 1 urban area, with Yuan Chongzhen boarding a airship to Sword Valley Fortress and Ji Xinghuo and Jing Ji taking the train back to Olympia.

Ji Xinghuo saw Jing Ji off at the stargate and then returned to the villa on Qinghao Street.

The villa was empty, but it was well-maintained. Jiang Nana would return to Earth every ten days to clean the place.

Ji Xinghuo looked around the familiar living room, feeling cheerful. He released Qinghong and let it roam freely.

He sat down on the sofa and opened the Stellar Vision interface.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end