The Price

According to the established procedure, the shuttle began to bombard the ground with high-energy rays, using the location where the advance team's last signal disappeared as the coordinate. This bombarded the glacial sand and rocks into atoms. It can be understood as a pile driver smashing the ground, but the laser beam frequency is so high that it appears to the naked eye as a bright red light, as if it is burning the ground all the way.

This step went quite smoothly, taking little time, and there were no wild animals around to disturb them. However, due to the collapse caused by the previous nuclear explosion, all the signal amplification equipment set up by the advance team was damaged, and Li Fan could not determine the specific situation below.

Who knew if a single man-portable nuclear bomb could take down that lump of flesh? So, just to be on the safe side, Li Fan brought back the drone swarm, turned on the powerful searchlights for optical detection, and sent them densely packed into the tunnel.

They took a shortcut by cutting straight through the ground, and the drone swarm quickly transmitted back images.

One piece of good news, a whole bunch of bad news.

The good news is that the large white mass of flesh has been destroyed by the nuclear explosion.

The bad news is that quite a few of the little white lumps are still left.

Perhaps due to the complex underground terrain, which absorbed the high temperatures and shockwaves caused by the nuclear explosion, the surrounding small clumps of flesh were not completely evaporated. The drone swarm's cameras captured many puddles of milky white colloid that had been burned, resembling fluid-soaked rotten flesh, and were slowly wriggling and coalescing together, seemingly poised to quickly coalesce into new large clumps of flesh.

Moreover, the nuclear explosion and laser bombardment just now did not seem to completely destroy the 'target'. Although the drones could not get close due to the strong radiation, the thermal imaging camera could still capture an area with abnormal temperature directly below where the large fleshy mass had been.

The surrounding areas bombarded and irradiated have been scorched into lava flows by the high temperatures, but the radiation in that area is far lower than the environment. It is unknown whether there are some defensive measures or if it is made of special resistant materials. In any case, it is highly likely that the 'target' has been found.

"Target signal detected. Retrieval process initiated..."

Holy crap? It's started operating automatically?

Li Fan tried it out and found that the high-energy rays used for excavation had been automatically locked by the system. The shuttle was descending through the passage and clearing obstacles around the 'target' with small lasers. The ship also seemed to be specially equipped with some kind of anti-gravity traction system, which could directly absorb the 'target' into the cabin.

Ugh, how could we possibly let the company handle the recycling!

Li Fan tried to manually operate the shuttle to pull it up or overload the engine to crash it, but he failed. It seemed that the system had pre-set the operating procedures after the 'target' was detected. A series of 'confidential' warnings flashed on the surrounding virtual screens. Even the optical signals had been modified, and the clone's operating permissions had been completely bypassed.

Okay, then we'll have to shoot it down physically.

So Li Fan rushed out through the ventilation system, revealing his half-human, half-tiger form on the shuttle's outer shell. He bared his claws and began tearing and flailing his hands, haphazardly dismantling various metal components and pipes. In addition to destroying the engine and weapon systems, he also wanted to completely destroy the communication and data systems. Fortunately, the ship's crew had engineers specifically responsible for repairing these critical devices, so Li Fan knew the locations of all the black boxes and data containers clearly. He quickly dismantled the shuttle, which then spun and plummeted to the ground.

Li Fan estimated that even military equipment wouldn't be too difficult to dismantle a ship by hand. After all, these shuttles and cruisers weren't designed for close combat, and considering the cost, they couldn't be armed without any flaws. As long as one could get close to the hull, even Nascent Soul Stage level Body Refinement cultivator should be able to destroy them.

The drones weren't a big problem either. Li Fan, whipping up a whirlwind, flew and leaped, smashing the machines to pieces with ease. It seemed the civilization on the other side of the system was excessively strict in its defenses against artificial intelligence. Without command from the main control room or permission from the soldiers, these drones completely lost their functionality and wouldn't launch any autonomous attacks.

On the contrary, those cloned bio-soldiers can be used as expendable substitutes for humans in various ways. Moreover, once they receive an order, even if they are in a state of near-death collapse, they can carry it out without the slightest hesitation. What's more, their cost-effectiveness is off the charts. Wearing armor, they are like Martial God; cloning a large number of them and getting close is like a nuclear explosion. Who can withstand that? I don't know how to deal with them...

Li Fan was at a loss, so he could only deal with the immediate issues one by one. He first disposed of the equipment of the surrounding companies, then scooped out the meat paste that hadn't yet coalesced into a ball and ate it all. Finally, he flew to the bottom of the mine to personally confirm the true identity of the 'target'.

The 'target' is easy to find. After all, it can attract Non-Thing demons and withstand nuclear bombs. It's the kind of thing that you can tell at a glance, 'Ah, this is it.'

The problem is, at first glance, Li Fan really couldn't tell what it was...

How to describe it...? It has a semi-circular lid, and looks like a pot...

Yeah, the kind of dark, black iron wok you use for stir-frying...

What the hell? Why would they steal this thing? To cook with it?

Li Fan landed by the pot, stood there for a while to make sure he didn't feel anything unusual, and then tried touching it with his hand.

It's cold.

It's so cold, can you believe it...?

The pot wasn't heavy at all; he picked it up easily. He had thought it was some kind of large piece of equipment that required such a large fuss to move using a shuttle...

He knocked twice, trying to activate it with his evil energy, but the black pot didn't react at all. Of course, the Storage Jade couldn't hold it either.

They've even used nuclear weapons, are they really looking for something like this? Surprisingly, it's actually quite simple...

Li Fan pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. However, seeing that it was almost dawn, he set up his Qingxu Yuanshen to control his clone, who carried the pot and flew out of the mine to activate the Sun Sword Array. He then immediately left his body, intending to return to his main body and contact the system to ask about the origin of the pot.

So Li Fan closed his eyes and then opened them again.

I found myself sitting in the main cabin of the shuttle.

Varied...

Li Fan looked at his hands and realized that they were not the eagle claws of Tai Su's clone, but the hands of Qingxu's primordial spirit.

Qiongqi's Nascent Soul Stage Moon Worship, has entered my dream! It's still disguised as Qingxu Second Yuanshen!

No, saying Moon Worship isn't accurate. A system pulled him into a virtual network communication channel. Of course, this desktop skin isn't part of his mood system...

"Beep... beep... beep..."

The communicator suddenly rang, and the red light flashed. According to what Li Fan had learned from the clone communications soldier, this meant someone was trying to contact them.

The company came to my door directly...

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, erased the image of the Qiongqi Nascent Soul Stage hidden beneath the Qingxu Mask, then walked to the communicator and connected the microphone. The message tone stopped.

"..."

"..."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Li Fan extended his sharp fingertip and scraped it across the metal control panel in front of the communication panel with a "squeak--".

"Stop! Are you a child?!"

A woman's furious scream came through the microphone, in the exact same voice as the clone.

Name your price!

Is that woman across from me the company's apostle...?

Li Fan squinted at the microphone, but then realized he was looking in the wrong place. So he turned his neck and stuck his head, which was wearing a mask, onto the ceiling, staring at the flashing surveillance camera.

"..."

The other person didn't speak, but their breathing was heavy and their heartbeat was rapid. It sounded like... their physical condition was very poor; they hadn't cultivated their body, at most at the level of Fake Nascent Soul —the kind you could kill with a single finger...

"... You, do you understand?! You understand, right?! Do you even have any intelligence?! You damned monster!"

... Your intelligence isn't much higher, is it? You actually think he's a monster... Oh, a monster...

Li Fan recalled a look that had once caused him immense psychological trauma, so he decided to tease it. He stared intently at the camera, stretched his neck out, and spun it around several times, revealing a gaping maw full of fangs in his throat. He gave the camera a Wangshu- esque smile and spoke in the exact same voice as the other person.

"Do you understand? You understand, right? Do you have intelligence? Yes, you do!"

A rapid breathing sound came from the other end of the microphone, like his back teeth were chattering... Seriously? You have a cruiser, and you're afraid of aliens?

Suddenly, with a "ding," the image of the pot was projected onto the control panel.

The woman opposite him suddenly took a deep breath, her heartbeat steadied, and her voice became calm.

"Ugh... Listen to this disgusting rubbish. Hand over my stuff, or I'll wipe you out."

Did he regain his rationality after taking the drug...?

Li Fan pulled his neck back and said in the clone's voice, "Name your price."

"Ha! Fine! Is sparing your life enough?"

Li Fan tilted his head. "Not enough?"

"Are you looking for death! You beast..."

Before the woman could explode, there was a knock on the cabin door.

The microphone abruptly stopped, and the projector on the control panel instantly went out, but the camera continued to flash and did not leave.

Li Fan thought for a moment, then tapped the control panel twice to open the hatch.

On the other side of the door stood an octopus.

Yes, there was one. He had a human body, dressed in a black tuxedo similar to a suit, with white gloves and black leather shoes. His neck and above looked as if he had been swallowed whole by an octopus. He had a brownish-red octopus head, with moving tentacles and curly whiskers.

Although the appearance was quite strange at first glance, Li Fan could tell from the fluctuations in his soul that this was merely a virtual world appearance, and his true form was probably just a weak human, not some great being.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency Demon Lord. I am a sergeant from the Outer Realms Legion. Please allow me to join this bidding process."

Li Fan smiled at him and stepped aside to let the Octopus-headed Sergeant in.

Name your price.

"Hey--! You filthy cockroaches! You scum thieves! Are you looking for death?! Show yourselves in my territory! Are you looking for death?! Huh--!"

A woman's scream came through the microphone.

Of course, no one paid any attention to her. Li Fan raised his hand and conjured the shape of a 'pot'.

The octopus-headed figure nodded politely and said, "This is indeed it. Your Majesty, I have some cooperation with the Ten Absolutes God Sect of this realm, and many Dharma Kings are my friends. Your Highness is about to break through to the Divine Transformation stage, isn't you? If you wish to find a safe place to cultivate, our sect is willing to provide full assistance! If Your Majesty is interested in joining our sect, the position of Dharma Protector Elder is vacant! As for all sacrifices and offerings, please feel free to ask, and we will not hesitate!"

Li Fan smiled and leaned closer to the octopus head, sniffing it. "You are... the Calculator?"

The octopus-headed man pressed his right hand to his heart, bowed slightly, and said, "I dare not, I am but a beginner in arithmetic, a humble mortal hiding in my shell."

Li Fan smiled and nodded.

Are they really mortals who remain unfazed by demons and corporations...? They've got guts...

But this guy just mentioned 'shell'... he must have used some kind of Ghostshell electronic warfare equipment, a hacker who infiltrates communication channels, right? Maybe he's a clone too...

The woman on the other end of the microphone screamed.

"Hey... hey! Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Is this all you want? Wealth and glory? You really just want this price? Fine, fine! I also have a partnership with the Immortal Palace! What kind of protector? I'll appoint you as an official! A marquis? No, no! A Grand Pillar of State! A Duke! How about a Duke! You can choose any of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers!"

You need allies, don't you? You need protection, don't you? I'll give you that! You've seen my strength, haven't you? My side is the real power! Their legion is nothing but cockroaches in a garbage dump!"

They actually revealed their true colors... What exactly is this pot...?

The octopus-headed creature keenly sensed Li Fan's hesitation and chuckled, "Your Excellency, the lady in the company is right. We are indeed cockroaches, but at least we are a free group of cockroaches."

But that lady, haha, I heard she's gotten herself into huge trouble and will soon be under performance review from above. In the worst-case scenario, I'm afraid she might even be fired..."

"Aaaaaah--! No--! You scum--! You scum, you scum, you scum! You're all the ones who ruined me! You framed me! I'll haunt you even as a ghost! You scum!"

Li Fan was truly startled by the woman who suddenly started screaming hysterically on the other end of the microphone.

Holy crap? This doesn't seem to be acting? How come... getting fired is that scary? It is scary, but it doesn't have to be this bad...

The octopus-headed creature even spoke with a hint of pity, "Your Excellency, you must carefully choose your allegiance when entering the human world. As you can see, the pressure there is immense, and the competition is fierce. You probably won't be able to adapt."

"Why don't you join our legion, leave that big trouble to me, and become a free and unrestrained demon god? Wouldn't it be great to do whatever you want?"

A frantic scream erupted from the other end of the microphone, "No--! No no no no! Wait, wait! Legion! Legion! Let's talk! Give me this monster! Give it to me, damn it! All these years I haven't wiped you all out, have I?! Name your price! Do you want weapons? Do you want technology? Do you want money? Name your price!"

The octopus-headed man turned his head left and right, looking around the cabin. "I wouldn't even look at such outdated civilian equipment. You must have been doing this on your own, secretly manufacturing it here, right?"

Haha, you're trying to compete for the monster, but you can't even access the company's assets? Looks like most of your privileges have been blocked by the system. They must be quite dissatisfied with your performance over there...

"However, it seems you came prepared, hiding it from the system? Or did you originally intend to keep this monster a secret? What, are you only now trying to bribe your way out? Heh, do you think the company's manager will let you off so easily? You know the company's ways better than I do, don't you?"

"Waaaaah... Help, help me... Waaaaah... Help me..."

Is this for real...? He actually cried... Could it be that this guy at the company is just a low-level employee or something?

The octopus-headed creature, seemingly unfazed, chased after its tentacles. "Oh, esteemed Demon Lord, please don't be offended. The monster I was referring to wasn't you."

Li Fan pointed suspiciously at the pot in his hand, "A monster?"

The octopus-headed man explained leisurely, "Yes, it's a pretty straightforward term. Monsters, those that can be taken directly through the 'door' back to our world, are all 'monsters'."

Li Fan asked curiously, "Is it valuable?"

The octopus-headed creature nodded. "Where we're from, it's priceless."

The one who just led you through the door... a 'monster'...?

Doesn't he have quite a lot?