Rare Items on the 200th Floor

Section 22: Rare Items on the 200th Floor

Before long, the lead guard came trotting back with paper and a pen.

He stood to one side, watching Wang Wen write down the intelligence in detail, his eyes darting about.

When Wang Wen finished writing,

the lead guard took the paper back and read it over several times. A hint of greed flickered in his eyes.

Rare items from the World Tower's 200th floor—whether he kept that kind of intelligence for himself or sold it, it would be worth a considerable fortune.

What's more, the item in the report, the Earth-Shaking Talisman, came in a batch of fifty!

But reason told him he couldn't keep this under wraps. If he pocketed any or reported fewer than there were, getting fired would be the best-case scenario.

The Guard Department had been bullied by the Group's Tower Climbers for far too long. They desperately needed items from the World Tower.

Not to start a war.

Just to give themselves a little more confidence.

Like certain weapons: you might not need to use them, but you had to have them.

Wang Wen tapped the iron door to remind the lead guard. "I gave you the intelligence. If you won't let me out, you should at least buy me a meal, right?"

The lead guard put away the paper, glanced at Wang Wen behind the iron door, and sneered. "A meal? Did you kill them?"

Hearing the same question again, Wang Wen's expression turned cold. He stepped away from the iron door and backed up a couple of paces, quietly watching the man outside.

"Still won't talk?" The lead guard laughed smugly. "Then wait until you've thought it through. Hahaha!"

He deliberately patted the pocket holding the paper through the door, then laughed and left.

Wang Wen narrowed his eyes and watched him calmly.

Only after the man disappeared from sight

did his gaze gradually turn cold. He gave a silent chuckle, then returned to the corner and sat down to rest.

"You didn't take your last chance. You deserve to die."

Inside the chief's office.

"Sir, this is the intelligence the suspect handed over." The lead guard put the paper on the desk and dutifully explained, "The Earth-Shaking Talisman is a rare item from the World Tower's 200th floor. His parents left it to him for self-defense, and it's also why he could take on fifteen people alone."

The chief went over the paper again and again, his eyes gleaming. "Fifty Earth-Shaking Talismans? Why would he hand over intelligence this valuable?"

"He was probably too hungry to take it any longer." The lead guard twisted his mouth into a grin. "Since yesterday, he's only had a few sips of water. He just asked me to bring him food."

"Don't overstep." The chief pointed at him. "He's a student at The Academy, after all. Making too much of a fuss would look bad. We're just doing our jobs. There's no shady business going on."

"Understood!" The lead guard hesitated, then glanced at the paper with the intelligence and ventured, "Sir, who should we send to retrieve these items?"

He remembered clearly that when Wang Wen had first mentioned the intelligence, he'd said there were "around fifty" talismans.

If he'd said around fifty, then there were bound to be more or fewer.

A rare item from the 200th floor—just one of these treasures would fetch an extremely high price on the market.

At least enough to buy a hundred hotpot meals.

The chief looked up at him and said thoughtfully, "That's actually what's been bothering me. The department only has so many people who can reach the 200th floor, and most of them serve under Vice Chief Jiang. As chief, I'd have to ask him to lend me people just to run an errand. That wouldn't look good."

The lead guard stood at attention and saluted. "I'm willing to take this burden off your shoulders, Chief."

The chief eyed him suspiciously. "Captain Chen, can you reach the 200th floor?"

"I don't have that kind of ability," the lead guard said with an ingratiating smile. "But I know someone who can."

"Someone from outside?" The chief hesitated. "Can he be trusted?"

"Absolutely!" The lead guard thumped his chest. "He's my brother in life and death!"

"Oh?" The chief raised his brows. He knew exactly what the other man was after. The number he'd just mentioned was already vague, leaving plenty of room to maneuver.

But he also knew that if you wanted people to risk their lives for you, you had to give them something in return. Expecting them to do it for nothing was nonsense.

After a moment's thought, the chief nodded. "Since Captain Chen is confident, I'll leave this to you. The suspect wasn't very specific about the number of Earth-Shaking Talismans. So, I say if you can bring forty-five—no, forty-six—back to the department, that'll earn you a great merit. I'll personally go to headquarters and put in a word for you!"

The lead guard was overjoyed.

He hurriedly saluted and accepted the assignment. After recording the details of the intelligence on his phone, he took off out of the Guard Department to find his brother in life and death.

As far as he was concerned,

he'd never imagined things would go so smoothly!

The chief had clearly seen through his intentions, but not only had he refrained from blaming him, he'd even gone along with it and let him retrieve the items.

It was like money falling from the sky!

Bringing back just forty-six would earn him merit. That meant he could probably pocket three or four Earth-Shaking Talismans worth tens of thousands of Points apiece!

World Tower items were never hard to sell.

At the Grand Plaza or on the black market, he could easily trade them for over a hundred thousand Points.

Over a hundred thousand Points!

His wife was always nagging him that after all these years he was still just a squad leader, and that with his meager monthly salary, they'd never be able to afford a house.

Now, screw that—he didn't have to worry anymore!

As soon as the Points were in hand, he'd go house-hunting!

A down payment of over a hundred thousand would be enough for a nice home with convenient transport!

At last, he could stand tall and be a man!

The lead guard happily got in touch with his brother in life and death, who was drinking himself into a stupor at a bar.

When they met, he saw that even though it was broad daylight, his pal was already drunk out of his mind, his words jumbled.

The lead guard frowned and asked how he'd gotten so drunk.

His brother in life and death raised a bottle to his lips and gulped down a mouthful, then laughed bitterly through the foam. "I've been in the Tower for three weeks straight. I busted my ass and climbed to the 189th floor three times, and all I made was twenty thousand. I'm not going in again during the last week of this month, no matter what! Drinking's way more fun than climbing the Tower. Good thing you're here, brother. Let's drink together! My treat!"

The lead guard figured he wouldn't be returning to the Guard Department today anyway, so he sat down, grabbed a beer, and took a sip with him. Then he asked, puzzled, "Can't you reach the 200th floor? I handled your registration myself. Why did you only make it to 189?"

"What the hell would you guards know!" His brother in life and death cursed drunkenly. Seeing the lead guard's expression darken, he laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Kidding. I mean, you high-flying specialists don't make a living climbing the Tower, so you wouldn't understand that your limit floor and your regular floor are two different things."

As he spoke, he picked up his bottle and gestured at a few people in the bar. "Look at those guys. They're all capable of reaching the 200th floor, but none of them goes. Why? It's a lot of effort for nothing!"

He pointed at himself. "Take me, for example. I can reach the 200th floor, right? But I have to risk my life to do it! Go for it every week? What kind of life would that be? A guy's got to make a living, big brother!"

As he spoke,

he tipped his head back and took a long swig of liquor.

The thick liquor dribbled from the corner of his mouth, soaking his collar, which was already drenched. He looked even drunker.

The lead guard frowned, fighting through the stinging smell of alcohol as he leaned closer and spoke softly. "I've got a job. We need someone to reach the 200th floor and retrieve a batch of items. I have all the steps worked out. Are you in?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" His brother in life and death cursed drunkenly. "I'm not going into the Tower this week! I won't go in no matter what! Are you deaf?"

The lead guard said coldly, "Earth-Shaking Talismans worth thirty thousand Points. If you bring them back, I'll give you one. Are you in?"

His brother in life and death instantly sobered up. He set down his bottle, straightened his collar, and pulled the lead guard over to an empty corner of the bar. "Brother! You remembered me when a deal this good came along. Tell me, what exactly do I have to do?"