Wang Tie gulped down two big cups of water before he finally caught his breath.
Lin Feng pulled him into the tent and had Zhang Qian stand guard outside, keeping anyone from approaching.
"Talk. What happened?"
Wang Tie wiped his mouth and sat on the camp bed, his voice heavy.
"Li Ming's family owes a sum of money. You know about that, right? Loan sharks. His family forced him to come to the Northern Territory and risk his life in the first place."
Lin Feng nodded. He had heard about it on his first day in the Northern Territory.
"After you left a while back, the Seventh Defense Line was peaceful for some time. That kid Li Ming really applied himself. He used the combat techniques you taught him to hunt monsters in the Rift, stockpiled quite a few Magic Cores, and even broke through to Martial Disciple Rank 5."
Wang Tie paused.
"But the loan sharks his family owed have let the principal and interest snowball to eight hundred thousand."
"Eight hundred thousand?" Lin Feng frowned.
"Yeah. The interest keeps compounding, and the debt just keeps growing. The debt collectors tracked him down to the Northern Territory and cornered him right outside the Base Camp."
Wang Tie clenched his fists until his knuckles creaked.
"Four Martial Artists. The strongest is Martial Artist Rank 6. They camp outside the Base Camp every day, and the moment Li Ming comes out, they surround him."
"What about Chen Lie?"
"Instructor Chen said it was a private debt dispute, so the military couldn't get directly involved. He drove those guys out of the Base Camp, but they're squatting outside and refusing to leave. The military doesn't control the area beyond the Base Camp."
Lin Feng leaned against the head of the bed, tapping his knee with his fingers.
"And then?"
"To pay back the debt, Li Ming threw himself into the Rift like a madman. He'd go into one during the day, then another at night. He even gave up sleeping."
Wang Tie gritted his teeth.
"Three days ago, he entered an E-Rank Rift. He still hasn't come out."
The tent fell silent for a few seconds.
"Three days?"
"Three days." Wang Tie's voice was hoarse. "The Exotic Beasts in an E-Rank Rift respawn every seven days. The beasts inside had already respawned once when he went in. He's only Martial Disciple Rank 5. Going in there was a death sentence."
Lin Feng fell silent.
A Martial Disciple Rank 5 entering an E-Rank Rift really did have nine chances of dying for every one chance of survival.
But Li Ming wasn't reckless. He'd just been driven to desperation.
"Do you know who he owes the money to?"
Wang Tie hesitated.
"I looked into it."
He took a crumpled photocopy of the IOU from his pocket and handed it to Lin Feng.
Four characters were written at the top of the IOU.
Zhao Clan Bank.
Lin Feng stared at the characters.
Zhao.
The Zhao Family again.
"Zhao Clan Bank is owned by the Zhao Family of Qing Prefecture. They specialize in loan sharking, and they've got branches in several counties around the Northern Territory." Wang Tie lowered his voice. "When Li Ming's family borrowed the money, they didn't know the Zhao Family was behind it. By the time they found out, they couldn't pay it back."
Lin Feng set the IOU on the bed and stood up, pacing a few steps.
He thought about Li Ming.
On his first day in the Northern Territory, Li Ming had huddled in the back row of the vehicle, his pants soaked with urine.
On the night of the Beast Tide, Li Ming had trembled in a corner, unable to hold his knife steady.
But later, he had stepped forward.
"I want to go too."
"I don't want people bullying me anymore."
When Li Ming said those two things, there had been a stubborn gleam in his eyes.
That stubbornness was a lot like Lin Feng's own, back when he'd first started out.
Besides, Li Ming had helped him.
At the Seventh Defense Line, Li Ming had helped them keep watch and stand guard. He had never asked for a single coin more than his share.
When they entered Rifts, Li Ming might have been weak, but he had never let them down.
To be honest, Lin Feng wasn't some great philanthropist.
He hadn't planned to get involved in this kind of trouble.
An eight-hundred-thousand debt to loan sharks was a problem for Li Ming's family.
Everyone in the Northern Territory had their own hardships and their own messes. There was no way he could solve them all.
But the Zhao Family...
He'd already crossed paths with that name twice.
The first time was Zhao Tianxiong, a Deputy Commander who had sold off military supplies. Lin Feng had slit his throat with one stroke.
The second time was Zhao Yuan and Uncle Fu. The Zhao Family's direct-line young master and his Psychic Master bodyguard had died in the Rift.
The Second Elder of the Zhao Family, Zhao Kun, had brought people to investigate, only to be driven away by Li Zhenguo.
And now it was the Zhao Family again.
"Wang Tie."
"Yeah?"
"Where's the Rift Li Ming entered?"
Wang Tie's head snapped up.
"Twelve kilometers northwest of the Seventh Defense Line. Its designation is E17."
Lin Feng picked up Mountain Splitter.
"Let's go get him."
Wang Tie jumped to his feet.
"I knew you'd get involved!"
"Don't get excited yet." Lin Feng pushed open the tent flap. "Let's get him out first."
He stepped outside and ran into Zhang Qian.
"Sergeant Major Lin, are you heading out?"
"I'm going to the Seventh Defense Line."
"Huh? You just got back..."
"Tell Commander Li I'm taking care of some personal business."
Zhang Qian opened his mouth, then swallowed the words he was about to say.
He was used to it by now.
Lin Feng and Wang Tie left the Base Camp and headed toward the Seventh Defense Line.
On the way, Lin Feng asked him a question.
"Are those Martial Artists collecting the debt still outside the Base Camp?"
"Two left. The other two are still there, refusing to budge. They said if Li Ming doesn't pay up, they'll hound him to the end."
"The debt's at eight hundred thousand, and the interest is still piling up?"
"Yeah. Twenty percent a month."
Lin Feng did the math.
At twenty percent a month, the yearly interest came to 240 percent.
In a year, eight hundred thousand would become 1.92 million.
This wasn't lending. It was bloodsucking.
"When we get there, go find Chen Lie first and explain the situation. I'll handle the two debt collectors."
Wang Tie nodded, quickening his pace.
The two of them reached the Seventh Defense Line in less than an hour.
At the entrance to the Base Camp, two middle-aged men were squatting by the wall, playing cards.
One was Martial Artist Rank 4, the other Martial Artist Rank 3.
When they saw Wang Tie return, one of them looked up, a blade of grass between his teeth. He asked with casual indifference,
"Well, back again? Your buddy still hasn't crawled out of the Rift. Want us to burn some paper money for him?"
The other man burst out laughing.
Wang Tie clenched his fists, but Lin Feng pressed a hand to his shoulder.
"Go find Chen Lie first."
Wang Tie glanced at Lin Feng, nodded, and hurried into the Base Camp.
Lin Feng walked up to the two debt collectors.
"You're here to collect what Li Ming owes?"
The man with the blade of grass in his mouth looked him up and down.
"Who are you?"
"His friend."
"His friend?" The man sneered. "He's got plenty of friends, and not one of them has paid a cent for him. You here to plead his case too?"
"I'm not pleading."
Lin Feng crouched down to meet their eyes.
"I've got a question for you."
"Is the owner of your Zhao Clan Bank the Zhao Family of Qing Prefecture?"
The man with the blade of grass froze for a moment, then puffed out his chest.
"Yeah, it's Zhao Family property. So what? You hear the Zhao Family's name and think you should know your place?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"The Zhao Family, huh."
He stood up.
"Perfect."
Before you continue