Chapter 13: Scheming in the Dark
Chapter 13: Scheming in the Dark
"Second brother, fourth brother?"
The burly man's eyes turned red, and the long sword in his hand let out a dragon's roar, flashing a few inches of sword aura in the darkness as he slashed horizontally!
Puff!
The long sword left a long gash on the wild boar demon beast, a fatal injury for a human but insignificant to this boar demon, only serving to further enrage it.
Huff, huff!
It raised its hooves high and stamped down fiercely!
Boom!
The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
A circle of yellowish light appeared and quickly spread in all directions.
The third brother was engulfed by the light, and a few earthen spears appeared, impaling him to the ground.
"Third brother?!"
The burly man knew he was in trouble and without hesitation, he took out a bright yellow talisman from a beast hide pouch on his chest and tore it open carefully.
Clang!
A circle of golden light appeared around him, faintly forming the shape of a golden bell.
The earthen spears landed on the golden bell, creating a dull sound.
After activating this hard-to-come-by 'Golden Bell Shield Talisman', the burly man wasted no time and turned to flee!
In the darkness, a golden light fled desperately, with a massive shadow of blood-red fangs chasing after it, standing out starkly.
After the two had left, the sound of a propeller spinning suddenly came from the air.
A small, black drone descended, its mechanical claw reaching out to pick up some small objects on the ground before disappearing into the night.
...
Temporary Camp:
"Sword aura? That person's strength is indeed of the natural treasure level, and on top of that, he also has talismans? What is this, cultivation? Immortality?"
Fang Xing looked at the surveillance footage, his face filled with shock, and then he looked up at the sky.
"It's here."
He maneuvered the drone to land and reached out to take the items it had grabbed.
"As expected of an interstellar-age drone, not only is it cheap, but its endurance and payload capacity are also greatly enhanced..."
With a sigh, Fang Xing put on rubber gloves and began sorting through the items.
The most eye-catching items were, of course, the 'Vermillion Dragon Grass'! After all, these people had lost their lives for it, so it must be something valuable.
"Hmm, there are quite a few extraordinary species around here, and it seems that there are some peculiar herbs near their nests..."
Fang Xing examined the Vermillion Dragon Grass and stroked his chin, suddenly thinking of a way to make money.
He could use drones to collect various rare herbs!
There were many benefits to this approach, the first being that it was very covert!
To many beasts, a drone was an inanimate object and thus hard to detect.
Additionally, with their flight capability and agility, they could stealthily collect herbs with a high success rate!
Of course, if they were seen by a demon beast, they would surely be destroyed.
But this also brought another advantage— affordability!
Even if a drone was discovered and destroyed by a demon beast, the loss would be minimal.
In Maple Leaf City, these drones were almost like children's toys and were very inexpensive.
"Go big or go home."
Fang Xing sighed and looked at the other items.
There wasn't much else, just a black dagger that shone with a chilling light, indicating its exceptional sharpness.
There was also a small pouch.
The pouch seemed to be made from tanned beast hide and was a dull gray color, unremarkable at first glance.
When he opened the pouch, he found three strange stones and four tiny, rice-grain-sized crystals.
"This pouch was tied tightly, indicating that the original owner was afraid of accidentally losing these grains of sand..."
Fang Xing placed one of the crystals in front of him and examined it carefully. He found that the crystal was transparent like jade, with a wisp of fog inside.
Additionally, bathed in external light, it seemed to be enveloped in a layer of illusory and colorful glow.
"One look and you know it's a good thing."
He casually put the items away and looked at a large map on the electronic screen.
After these few days of exploration, Fang Xing had a general understanding of the surrounding area.
"There are many extraordinary species, many fierce beasts... it's a dangerous place."
"Adding the route these four people took, the direction of human gatherings should be to the east?"
"I'll buy a few more toy models when I get back and explore the east..."
With a thought, Fang Xing set the drone to auto-cruise and sent it flying again.
Then, he silently counted three seconds in his mind, and a silver-white radiance appeared before him.
The radiance grew brighter, engulfing him entirely.
When he came to his senses again, he was standing in his bedroom.
"Confirmed: I can now freely travel to other worlds with a three-second delay and no additional cost..."
"As for the location of the crossing, it seems to be based on my current position?"
"Finally, I can bring items and even small animals from this world to other worlds, and vice versa..."
Fang Xing looked at his palm, where the small pouch lay quietly.
"It's a good thing, but I dare not take it out for appraisal, let alone sell it..."
"Even the supplies I bought before were a bit strange. If I start buying in bulk next..."
Although the Federation valued privacy and citizens were free to purchase whatever they wanted as long as it wasn't on the prohibited list, Fang Xing had a habit of being cautious.
"Maybe I should focus on outdoor activities and create a persona as an outdoor survival enthusiast?"
"Now, the problem isn't too big since I'm only buying and not selling..."
Fang Xing confirmed one thing again, or rather, a guideline for future actions - items from other worlds must never be sold using his current public identity!
"Looks like... I can't avoid the black market after all."
Fang Xing sighed.
...
Oak Park.
The verdant vegetation stretched as far as the eye could see, with lush green lawns and colorful flowers in the flower beds along the edges.
Under the dim light of the evening, the paths made of colorful pebbles were sparsely populated. At intervals, there were long benches shaped like various small animals.
With its serene environment and beautiful scenery, it had always been a favorite spot for young couples in Maple Leaf City.
Liu Wei, holding a bouquet of flowers, was anxiously waiting when he suddenly heard a soft and gentle voice behind him, "Aw, I'm here..."
"Lotus... Lian Yi."
Liu Wei seemed startled, and then seemed to want to hide the flowers behind him, but he also felt that it was like stealing a bell to cover a thief, which made him feel awkward.
"Why did you call me here?" Bai Lianyi was not wearing her usual practice suit but had changed into a pure white dress, making her look even more delicate.
"I... I..."
Liu Wei seemed to have prepared himself and finally spoke, "I've thought about it carefully, and it's not that I like Ouyang Qianqian, but..."
There was a mixture of mirth and melancholy in Bai Lianyi's eyes as she shook her finger, stopping Liu Wei from continuing, "It's not going to work..."
"Why? Because of what happened at the Glorious Jiang Mansion? I know, I know everything, I'm not a fool... It's just that I don't mind..."
Liu Wei's face turned red, and even the pimples on his face seemed to be trembling.
"What's there to mind? I just dated a rich boyfriend..." Bai Lianyi answered calmly, "I'm not a fool either, and I won't believe those nasty things said by other girls."
Liu Wei was left speechless.
Indeed, this was the situation he had investigated.
Bai Lianyi wasn't as bad as those girls had portrayed her, but there were some other issues.
For example, her rich boyfriend was quite older...
'It seems that in the minds of Caucasians, having a sugar daddy isn't a big deal, especially if it's for the sake of education, and it even gives a sense of motivation...'
A strange thought arose in Liu Wei's mind, and he assured her, "I swear, I'll treat you well, and I'll get into college, I..."
As he spoke, he suddenly paused, as the young man truly had nothing to offer but his future and hopes.
But all of that was not as important as the present!
This was the bitter green first love of a young man!
"Well..."
Bai Lianyi twisted her fingers, "I'll cheer you on, and Ah Xing..."
"Ah Xing?"
Liu Wei felt a strange sensation, "Why did you mention him?"
"Because..." There seemed to be a gleam in the girl's eyes, "Ah Xing is so amazing. He has cultivated the Great Dragon Pile to the second stage, and he has a high chance of getting into college in the future."
"I..."
Liu Wei suddenly fell silent, feeling like a loser.
Compared to the present, he couldn't match that person.
And compared to the future, he couldn't compete with Ah Xing either.
Even though he didn't mind and even admired the girl in front of him, wanting to give her a sense of security, why did things turn out this way?
His heart turned to ashes, and he didn't know what he said as he stumbled away.
...
The night wind was chilly, and everything was quiet.
There was a clicking sound from the surveillance camera above the park lamp, as if it had short-circuited.
A black shadow suddenly appeared behind Bai Lianyi, having seemingly been observing everything silently.
"Good. I've successfully stirred up his dissatisfaction... Now that you're here to offer him a deal with Fang Xing as a comparison, he'll definitely accept your investment."
Bai Lianyi's voice was cold, like an alpine snow lotus.
"Yes, this way, we'll have one more companion among us. I believe that after witnessing the greatness, he'll definitely agree."
The black shadow's voice was deep and sonorous, "But compared to him, I have higher hopes for his classmate."
Bai Lianyi's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Xia Long seems to be more concerned about Fang Xing, and recently, the latter has been keeping a low profile and hasn't been working either. I've tried to bait him through Liu Wei a few times, but he hasn't taken the bait. It's strange, could he have been scared off by the previous messenger's arrival?"
"That's not impossible... The spiritual impact brought by the messenger can subtly and thoroughly change a person."
The black shadow paused for a moment before replying, "If that's the case, then it's useless, and he has no value... The talented individuals we need must at least be able to pass the college entrance exam to have a chance of becoming part of the federal elite in the future!"
"But this kind of thing may require a long, long wait..."
Bai Lianyi sighed.
Nowadays, the average lifespan of the federal citizens was very long, especially for those in the upper echelons.
Martial arts was just the cheapest way to evolve, but even after reaching the Fourth Realm, it could greatly extend one's lifespan.
Self-evolution, gene surgery, drugs, and abilities... All sorts of life-prolonging methods made the ruling period of the federal upper echelons extremely long.
"Hehe... For those great existences, time is completely meaningless!"
The black shadow's voice gradually deepened and eventually disappeared...
(End of Chapter)
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