After coming out of the Rift, news of Wang Jianguo's death spread quickly.
The instructors and military personnel went into the side passage to retrieve the body and examine the scene. Their conclusion was exactly as Lin Feng had described.
Three Venom-Sting Lizards, bite marks, venom-spike wounds, and a severed heart meridian. Death by those injuries.
The students from Ping'an Martial High reacted in different ways when they heard the news.
Some fell silent.
Some breathed a sigh of relief.
Not one person cried.
Wang Jianguo's compensation was handled through military channels.
Lin Feng processed the transfer paperwork in his capacity as a Sergeant Major.
Once the 150,000 yuan compensation was deposited, it should have been transferred to Wang Jianguo's family according to procedure.
But Lin Feng added a note to the transfer form: "Upon verification, the deceased embezzled student subsidies while alive. This compensation is being withheld to cover the related losses."
When Zhang Qian received the document, his lips trembled for a long time.
"Sergeant Major Lin, this... is this allowed?"
"Whether it's allowed or not, ask Commander Li."
Zhang Qian took the document around to him. Li Zhenguo glanced at it, then signed with a flourish.
"Someone who stole students' money didn't deserve a better end. Consider this money recovered through an internal account."
150,000 yuan, secured.
Add the 50,000 yuan found on Wang Jianguo, and that made 200,000.
200,000.
Every last cent of the original subsidy money.
Lin Feng transferred it to Xiao Yu.
After all, an older brother was as good as a father. Now that he had money, he couldn't let his family go without.
He left her a single message: Don't scrimp. Your brother has plenty of money.
With that matter settled, Lin Feng returned to his tent and poured out all the Magic Cores he'd accumulated recently.
A small mountain piled up on the bed.
F-Rank, E-Rank, D-Rank—over a hundred cores of all sizes and colors, dazzling to the eye.
The most valuable were the three C-Rank Magic Cores.
He'd dug them out of the Lava Lion King, the Iron-Feather Violent Eagle, and the Two-Headed Earth-Splitting Python on the day of the Beast Tide. Each was worth close to a million.
Then there were the dozens of D-Rank Magic Cores and over a hundred E-Rank ones he'd collected by clearing Rifts over and over...
Conservatively, this pile was worth five million.
"Time to cash in."
Lin Feng considered his options.
The Black Market offered higher prices, but it was a mixed bag, and his current rank as a Sergeant Major made it inconvenient to deal there.
The military paid less, but it was safe and convenient—and there was another perk.
The Military Magic Core Contribution Leaderboard.
Lin Feng had heard about it by chance from Zhang Qian.
It was an internal points system used by the Northern Territory military.
Whenever a soldier turned in Magic Cores, the system automatically recorded their number and rank, converted them into contribution points, and assigned them a place on the leaderboard.
The higher their ranking, the better the benefits they received.
The top 100 could get priority access to the military's advanced training facilities and Elixir vault.
The top 50 could apply to inherit Martial Master-level military Martial Techniques.
The top 10 received a recommendation letter from the Provincial Martial Arts Association—a future without limits.
Lin Feng hadn't paid attention to the leaderboard before, mainly because he'd been busy killing monsters and fighting. He hadn't had time for any of that.
But now that he'd piled up so many Magic Cores, he might as well sell them all in one go and see where he landed.
He packed the cores into three large sacks, slung them over his shoulders, and headed for the military supply depot.
A dozen or so people were lined up at the depot window, all soldiers there to turn in Magic Cores.
Some held two or three, others five or six. They waited in line for inspection.
Lin Feng set all three sacks down on the counter with a thud.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The counter shook twice.
The quartermaster in charge of inspection looked up.
"Inspection." Lin Feng handed over his Sergeant Major badge.
The quartermaster opened the first sack.
A pile of E-Rank Magic Cores spilled out, all different sizes and shimmering in the light.
He counted them.
"117 E-Rank Magic Cores."
He opened the second sack.
D-Rank Magic Cores.
The quartermaster's hand paused. He looked up at Lin Feng, then lowered his head and continued counting.
"43 D-Rank Magic Cores."
He opened the third sack.
Three fist-sized cores radiated intense energy.
The quartermaster's hands began to shake.
"C-Rank... three C-Rank Magic Cores."
When he pushed the inspection form over, his fingers were trembling.
"Sergeant Major Lin, please confirm the total. 117 E-Rank, 43 D-Rank, and three C-Rank."
Lin Feng scanned it and signed.
"What's the total contribution value?"
The quartermaster tapped away on a calculator for a while.
"Each E-Rank is worth 50 contribution points, for a total of 5,850. Each D-Rank is worth 500, for a total of 21,500. Each C-Rank is worth 5,000, for a total of 15,000."
"Total contribution: 42,350."
The quartermaster swallowed.
"Sergeant Major Lin, the contribution value you've turned in this time..."
He brought up the leaderboard.
The leaderboard was connected across the entire Northern Territory. Soldiers from all six defense lines shared one list.
The moment Lin Feng's 42,350 contribution points were entered into the system—
The leaderboard shifted.
Someone who'd been ranked 93rd was pushed down.
Lin Feng's name appeared in 93rd place.
The quartermaster's eyes widened.
"93rd!"
The soldiers lined up at the counter crowded around.
"What rank?"
"Ninety-third! Top 100 in the entire Northern Territory!"
"Damn! He turned in that much all at once?"
The leaderboard updated in real time, and the screens around Base Camp displayed it simultaneously.
In less than five minutes, the news had spread across the entire Sixth Defense Line.
"Lin Feng? That new Sergeant Major?"
"The guy who held the front line by himself on the day of the Beast Tide?"
"Top 100? He's only been here a few days!"
Zhang Qian came running over, gasping for breath.
"Sergeant Major Lin! You made the leaderboard! Top 100 in the entire Northern Territory!"
"Mm."
"Do you know who's ranked above you? They're all veteran Martial Ancestors at the very least! Some have guarded the Northern Territory for ten or twenty years! You've been here less than half a month, and you've already muscled your way onto the list!"
"Mm."
"Can't you get a little excited?"
"Will getting excited make them give me more money?"
Zhang Qian was speechless.
Lin Feng tucked away the receipt for the military's purchase payment.
The Magic Cores had been worth a little over five million. The military had bought them at 80% of their value, leaving him with four million.
For a poor eighteen-year-old, that was a number he wouldn't have dared to imagine half a month ago.
But Lin Feng couldn't be bothered to think about money anymore.
Martial Path Points were the real hard currency.
He was about to return to his tent to rest when Zhang Qian came running over again.
"Sergeant Major Lin! Someone's looking for you outside the defense line!"
"Who?"
"He says he's an old friend of yours from the Seventh Defense Line. He rushed all the way here from there."
Lin Feng stopped in his tracks.
"Let him in."
Five minutes later, a battered figure rushed into Base Camp.
Wang Tie.
His Combat Suit was caked with dirt, and a raw, unscabbed gash marked his left cheek. He was panting from the run.
The moment he saw Lin Feng, Wang Tie blurted out,
"Lin Feng! Li Ming's missing!"
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