Returning to the Base City to Split the Money

Ning Ze looked slightly awkward.

"There are a bit too many monster materials, so they have trouble moving around. We'll head back tonight and let them rest for the day," Ning Ze explained solemnly.

He was telling the complete truth. They were all materials from Warlord-class monsters. Even after removing the heads, tails, organs, and meat and keeping only the hides and claws, they were still far too heavy. Each person was carrying 4,000 kilograms, more than half of Yang Chao and the others' strength limit.

Loaded down with those monster materials, the Warfire Squad could not even run. They could not just leave so many materials lying around, either. Even while processing them, someone had to stay behind and watch over them.

Over the past half month, day and night had passed in succession. Aside from sleeping three hours a day, Ning Ze had never stopped hunting. Zuo Xingyuan and the others had been hauling materials while running after him. Even construction workers had never been worked this hard.

More importantly, they had been chased by a Lord-class monster again last night. With Ning Ze covering them, there had not been much danger, but the sustained high-intensity fighting had left everyone utterly exhausted.

Today was a day of rest. That night, they would have to carry nearly thirty tons of materials back. The three-hundred-kilometer journey was destined to take a long time, so preserving their strength was essential. Zuo Xingyuan and the others were all resting, and only Ning Ze could not sit still.

"What do you think of what I said? How about I give you one hundred million worth of materials? Including the F-grade monster materials, that's equivalent to two Advanced Beast Generals. You won't have followed me around for nothing today."

Ning Ze looked at the members of the warrior squad. They all turned their gazes toward the honest-looking middle-aged man.

At last, the honest-looking middle-aged warrior asked tentatively, "That works?"

"It works, right? Come on, let's exchange warrior ID numbers." Ning Ze began operating his Communication Watch.

The honest-looking warrior was forced to add him as a friend, his eyes still somewhat dazed.

"Done. Chen Zhen, Exploding Bear Squad. You know my name. Go process the materials. Start with the Beast Warlord-class monster materials. Once I finish killing the next batch, I'll call you. If anything unexpected happens, send me a message."

With that, Ning Ze flashed away and charged toward the southeast.

Chen Zhen's eyes were still unfocused. He muttered, "Were we just hired? One hundred million a day? There's actually a deal this good?"

"We heard it too. It should be right." One warrior's expression was somewhat subdued.

"Boss, should we hurry and process those materials? He kills too fast. If we can't keep up with him, he'll come looking for us!"

The warrior who spoke looked panicked. Having seen Ning Ze fight, he knew Ning Ze killed monsters with absurd ease. Killing them would not be difficult for him either. The first time they had heard of Ning Ze, he had been chasing down warriors, and he was called the Gale Sword. That title did not sound like it belonged to a good man. Naturally, they were wary and afraid.

Chen Zhen shuddered and quickly said, "Let's go! Process them first. Worst case, we'll hand over our own materials to him later."

"Our materials?" A skinny warrior opened his shriveled backpack and gave a bitter smile. "He probably wouldn't even want them."

"Let's go. Time to work!"

The day passed quickly.

Near evening, Ning Ze returned to the apartment where the Warfire Squad was hiding.

As soon as he entered, he said nothing and tossed four warrior backpacks onto the floor.

Thud.

At the dull sound, Zuo Xingyuan swallowed the greeting that had been on the tip of his tongue. Looking at the bulging warrior backpacks, his face went blank. "Where did those come from?"

Ning Ze smiled slightly. "I ran into the Exploding Bear Squad when I went out this morning."

"They tried to rob you of your materials, so you killed them all?" Zuo Xingyuan looked mournful. Another squad of victims. Why did they have to think about robbery? Did they dare rob Ning Ze?

Ma Yu said heavily, "I've heard of that squad. They're formidable people from Kyoto Base City. Their captain, Chen Zhen, has a very violent temper, and his heavy sword is unstoppable. But they probably do not have much of a background. If they dared rob your materials, killing them would be no big deal."

Ning Ze's mouth twitched slightly. "Who said I killed them? That guy..." He recalled the burly man waving his hands before his chest, and he smiled again. "He's actually not bad. I hired his squad to help me process materials today, so they weren't working for nothing."

The Warfire Squad members all wore strange expressions. Xu Liang did not know whether to laugh or cry. Turning his head, he theatrically called out, "Materials, oh materials, you really make me love and hate you!"

Ning Ze was speechless and ignored him. "Are you all ready? We'll set off now and leave City No. 003 before dark. We should be back at the Base City by tomorrow morning."

Zuo Xingyuan's expression turned solemn. He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Stop standing around. Put on your packs. Let's go."

Ning Ze looked around the room and asked in surprise, "Where are our materials?"

Zuo Xingyuan was the first to head outside. Without looking back, he said, "Next door."

Ning Ze followed him out and arrived at the neighboring door.

Zuo Xingyuan kicked aside the large stone blocking the entrance. The door collapsed under the pressure, and with a bang, five bulging bags of materials rolled out.

Ning Ze glanced inside. The entire room was packed full. "I'll carry more."

"No one gets off easy. Get moving. Tie your own pile together first. It should be easier to carry that way."

After packing up that evening, the Warfire Squad set off under cover of night.

They walked and rested along the way, and at last, by the following dawn, they saw the outline of the city.

"Ah, I can't go on." Xu Liang wailed and dropped onto the grass. The mountain-like backpack on his back pressed him straight down, leaving only his head exposed.

After jogging three hundred kilometers with three thousand kilograms on his back for more than eleven hours, Xu Liang felt as though his calves had turned to jelly.

"Kid, go call the soldiers and have them drive over!"

Zuo Xingyuan stretched out his leg and nudged the materials beside Xu Liang. Laughing as he scolded him, he said, "Stop clowning around. It's only two kilometers more. Once we get into the city, we'll take a car straight to Limitless Headquarters."

Xu Liang gritted his teeth and stood up helplessly. The small mountain on his back swayed slightly, and he staggered two steps before steadying himself.

From afar, the warriors in the city saw several small mountains moving in their direction.

Once the Warfire Squad approached, some warriors who loved excitement came over.

"Savage Blade, what are you carrying?"

"It definitely can't be materials. Otherwise, how could there be so much? Those G- and H-grade monster materials aren't worth much."

Zuo Xingyuan sighed. "Stop messing around. Let us into the city."

The other members of the Warfire Squad remained silent as well. They were tired—too tired. True exhaustion meant being too tired to even speak, without even the strength to show off.

Those warriors did not dare block them. They merely watched the Warfire Squad enter the city with strange looks in their eyes, most of them examining Ning Ze from head to toe. He carried the most warrior backpacks, their inner layers stacked one upon another. There had to be at least thirteen or fourteen of them.

They called for two trucks at the supply station.

The group took an extended vehicle toward Limitless Martial Arts School Headquarters.

"Ah! This feels so good. I don't want to move." Xu Liang sprawled across his seat, completely relaxing.

Yang Chao smiled broadly. "Taking off that burden really does make the whole body feel lighter."

Shortly after they left the supply station, a soldier took out a communicator and began sending a message.

Inside the extended Cadillac.

Zuo Xingyuan turned and asked seriously, "Xiao Ze, how do you plan to sell the materials this time? Sell them all to the Limitless Martial Arts School?"

The moment he said that, the car fell silent.

This was the first time they had discussed selling the materials. Rather than how to sell them, it was more about how to divide them.

Yang Chao and the others looked over as well. They had killed so many monsters, all Beast Warlord-class monsters. There were even more than last time, and their value was beyond calculation.

Ning Ze had fought amid the siege of countless monsters. They had merely cleaned up the materials afterward.

They understood that this time, they definitely could not follow the old rules. You earned according to how much work you put in, and they could not even take twenty percent.

Still, they were not disappointed. With so many materials, even a casual share would leave each of them with hundreds of millions. Even if they were paid according to the Exploding Bear Squad's terms—one hundred million per day—they would earn 1.5 billion over fifteen days, or three hundred million each. That was already a huge profit!

Hearing them discuss the distribution, Ning Ze fell briefly silent.

Over fifteen days, he had killed a terrifying number of Beast Warlord-class monsters. Naturally, it had not all gone smoothly.

He had been chased twice by Intermediate Lords. Only because his Movement Technique had reached the Perfect Level, and because he had gained some understanding of the wind that let him reduce resistance and explosively increase his speed, had he been able to escape.

There were also five Beginner Lord monsters that were too massive. Even if he could injure them, he could not strike their vital points and kill them. Two monsters could burrow underground, so he could not catch them at all. One Lord-class monster could fly, leaving Ning Ze helpless. Another seven were Lords in the Huangpu River, and as long as they did not come ashore, there was nothing he could do.

For half a month, he had faced danger every day. To divide twenty percent among the others according to the rules made him feel somewhat uncomfortable as well.

After some thought, while the Warfire Squad members waited, Ning Ze slowly spoke. "I plan to sell twenty billion worth of materials to the Limitless Martial Arts School. I'll lose ten billion Huaxia Coin, but my Contribution Points will reach ten million. Once I reach four-star contribution status, Secret Manuals and equipment will be discounted."

Zuo Xingyuan and the others showed understanding. They had already thought of that.

"I killed two Lord monsters this time. One of them, the Black Scaled Armored Crocodile, I want to give to my father."

Ning Ze looked serious. He had spent half a day grinding that monster to death, and he felt greatly accomplished. He believed Ning Hua would definitely be proud when he saw it.

"As for the other one, I'll give it to you uncles. I'm going to join the Elite Training Camp, also known as the War God Reserve Team. If I sell it and my combat strength gets certified, then I won't be able to go."

Xu Liang was instantly overjoyed. The other monster was the Three-headed King Cobra, which was relatively valuable even among Beginner Lords. Even if it could not sell for three billion, it could still fetch 2.5 billion Huaxia Coin. That meant each of them could receive five hundred million! It was equivalent to nearly ten years of hunting in the Wilderness Area!

Yang Chao tightly gripped the heavy machine gun in his hands. This time, they had truly exhausted everything they had, risking their lives to swagger through City No. 003. Carrying the materials back alone had nearly cost them half their lives. A reward of five hundred million for one trip was worth it!

Zhang Chen said nothing. He had always been quiet and liked thinking on his own. Yet his eyes were filled with delight. They no longer had much potential. Their strength was close to that of Warlords, but they were still short of truly becoming Warlords. In this lifetime, they would probably earn seven or eight hundred million at most, and even that would require several more years of killing monsters.

Who in the Wilderness Area could claim they would live forever? Now, with five hundred million in one go, their savings would surpass one billion! Unless something major happened, they would not need much money for the rest of their lives.

Zuo Xingyuan opened his mouth but could not say anything. His savings were somewhat greater. After becoming a Warlord, he had always taken the largest share from each hunt. All told, he had accumulated around one billion. Five hundred million was certainly not a small amount, and he could not bring himself to say he did not want it.

Ma Yu had no intention of speaking. He valued loyalty the most. Back when Ning Hua was injured, they were still Warriors. In order to help his brothers establish themselves in the Wilderness Area, he had raised 360 million to buy Gene Optimization Fluid from the Limitless Martial Arts School. His strength rose to the Beginner Warlord level, allowing them to gain a foothold in the Wilderness Area.

He desperately trained his Movement Technique to the Micro-level, making the Warfire Squad increasingly famous. After earning money for only two years, Zuo Xingyuan's strength improved as well. Ma Yu gave up the captain's position, and his rate of earning money slowed greatly. His current savings were probably only a little more than Xu Liang and Zhang Chen's.

Five hundred million—if Ning Ze gave it to him, he would dare accept it. Ma Yu was the least concerned about money in the entire squad.

Suddenly, Ning Ze grinned. He glanced at the partition in front of the car, then looked around at everyone. "Because of me, I'm afraid you uncles won't be able to stay in the Wilderness Area anymore. You may even need to be more careful at home."

"Setting aside what I just said, I'll give everyone a little less this time. How about everyone gets another ten percent? I'll be going to the Elite Training Camp later, and I'll definitely need money too."

"I had to fight with my hands tied this time, so I'm planning to replace my Combat Suit. Even at half price, an S-class Combat Suit costs six billion, while an SS-class Combat Suit costs sixty billion. I plan to buy an SS-class core combat vest, which makes it thirty-three billion. With the rest of the money, I plan to buy Secret Manuals. The Gale Sword Master alone costs fifteen billion."

Everyone was dumbstruck. He was giving them far too much.

The monsters killed on the first day had been worth quite a lot. Those Death Demon Jackals alone were worth 5.8 billion, and that day and a half had probably brought in eight billion.

With Ning Ze's method of killing, as they traveled downstream along the Huangpu River and even passed through the Core Area, he could kill no fewer than five billion worth of Beast Warlord-class monsters each day. Over fifteen days, that would be seventy-five billion.

Even if thirty billion worth of materials could only be sold to the Limitless Martial Arts School for twenty billion, there would still be sixty-five billion left. Adding the 5.8 billion from the Death Demon Jackals made 70.8 billion. Ten percent was seven billion!

Not only was he giving them a Lord-class monster, he was also giving them seven billion Huaxia Coin? Added together, that was nearly ten billion!

Two billion each!

Even Zuo Xingyuan held his breath. He felt the same shock Yang Chao and the others had felt earlier.

Two billion—his entire net worth was not even two billion. He had only been earning money as a Warlord for five years, leaving him with a net worth of just over one billion.

This was twice what he had earned in five years!

Xu Liang was even more dazed. This was four times his entire net worth!

He had earned it all in one trip! He had truly never seen so much money in his life!

Even Ma Yu drew a deep breath. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Xiao Ze, you don't need to give us so much. This is almost twenty percent." It was not easy for him to say that. Even if he did not care much about money, there were still his other brothers.

Zuo Xingyuan calmed down as well. "You're about to go to the Elite Training Camp. You need money, while we'd just be sitting on it. That's not how things should be done."

Xu Liang recovered too and hurriedly said, "We'll keep that Lord monster too. Just give us one or two billion, that's enough. Ten percent is too much. As long as we don't go outside, we don't need to spend money."

"If we're short on money, we can ask. If you want to pay us, just give us some compensation for our hard work. Even the Exploding Bear Squad's kind of pay would make us secretly happy," Zhang Chen said calmly.

Yang Chao laughed and scolded, "That's right. Why are you giving us so much money? If I need your help in the future, will I still be able to ask? Are you planning to shut your Uncle Yang out?"

Zuo Xingyuan and the others took turns lecturing him.

Ning Ze did not know whether to laugh or cry. Looking wronged, he said, "That's not what I meant. I was only calculating that I had enough for myself. You're overthinking it."

"Fine, I won't give you that much. After we sell everything, how about five hundred million red packets for each of you? That shouldn't be too much, right?"

Going premium tomorrow.