Encouraging Murder

The day after the act of gallantry.

Xu Feng had assumed the day would end in an ordinary fashion.

Yet, he did not expect that something unexpected would happen while he was heading home from work that afternoon.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

Xu Feng opened the door and looked in surprise at the two base martial artists standing outside.

"Hello, Mr. Xu. We are staff from the Martial Investigation Bureau. This is your loot from last night. According to the Martial Alliance laws, those two Eagle Alliance martial artists were criminals. After killing them, all their valuable personal belongings become your spoils of war. As for how to dispose of them later, that is entirely up to you."

"Huh? There's... there's such a rule?"

"That's correct. Additionally, to commend your act of gallantry, the Sky Moon Martial University base officials will award you 100,000 Great Xia Currency and a Gallantry Medal. The cash reward will be deposited within 24 hours; please keep an eye on your account. As for the firearms in those martial artists' possession, we will keep them in custody for you. If you need to use them, you may come to the Martial Investigation Bureau to apply for them. However, this requires an assessment, registration, and a gun license application; the entire process is quite cumbersome."

"Ah? Thank you so much!"

"It is we who should be thanking you."

Xu Feng stood stunned for quite a while before finally seeing the staff off.

Looking at the large bag of items laid out before him, he felt a sense of unreality.

Doesn't this Martial Alliance law essentially encourage "killing"?

After dazing for a moment, Xu Feng swallowed his saliva and began to carefully take inventory.

He hadn't expected these two martial artists to drop so much equipment.

First, there was a basic set of C-grade combat gear produced by the Eagle Alliance, including a combat vest, arm guards, combat pants, and combat boots.

Next was a hand shield forged from B-grade alloy.

In addition, there was a standard-issue C-grade alloy combat sword and two Series-6 communicators.

There was also another basic combat vest.

The moment he saw the combat gear and the shield, Xu Feng felt it was a waste for those two martial artists.

With this set of equipment, they possessed a decent level of protection even on the Otherworld Battlefield.

Yet, what happened to them? They died because of his sneak attack.

Because both men died from headshots, this combat gear and shield, which were far superior to bulletproof vests, never had the chance to serve their intended purpose.

This served as a major wake-up call for Xu Feng: do not place too much trust in the "sense of security" provided by certain equipment.

If he hadn't acted to knock away their firearms first and then struck directly at their necks and heads—their weak points—and had instead chosen to attack their bodies, he feared the combat gear would have negated most of the damage.

Then, the outcome would not have been what it was today.

There are too many factors that determine life and death in battle.

Timing, methods, weapons, equipment, mindset, and luck can all decide one's fate in an instant.

Therefore, he must remain cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.

Xu Feng was also somewhat grateful that his strongest skill was his Grandmaster-level Flying Blade.

This gave him the qualification to strike first and provided him with sufficient stealth.

If any of the aforementioned factors had been missing, the result of this battle could have changed.

"These items must be worth at least a hundred thousand or so, right?"

Xu Feng had no concept of the price of combat gear, so he could only guess that a set must cost at least fifty or sixty thousand.

The two Series-6 communicators alone were worth at least eight thousand.

As for that hand shield forged from B-grade alloy, although it was compact and exquisite, its price would certainly not be cheap.

He felt as if he were dreaming.

"These things belonged to dead men; it's best to dispose of them all together. Otherwise, I'd feel it's bad luck to wear them."

Although he felt a bit of envy toward the combat gear, Xu Feng still decided that selling them off was for the best.

Anyway, he could just buy new ones later.

However, Xu Feng had still underestimated the value of combat suits.

It wasn't until he picked up Xiao Dan in the evening and headed straight to the second-hand equipment shop in the Trading Zone that he was shocked by their prices.

"Compared to weapons, protective combat suits are very expensive. A brand-new C-grade combat suit costs at least 200,000. Second-hand ones are about sixty percent of that, depending on their condition."

The shop owner looked at Xu Feng with a smile.

"Do you want to buy a set? I have two in stock right now."

He looked at Xu Feng expectantly.

However, Xu Feng's heart hammered against his ribs. He waved his hands and said with a smile, "No plans for now, thanks."

He turned and walked away immediately.

The shop owner, sensing Xu Feng's interest, quickly called out, "Hey, hey, are you sure you won't reconsider? Combat suits are in high demand lately. If you don't act fast, the price probably won't be this low in a couple of days!"

"Why?" Xu Feng asked, surprised.

The shop owner explained patiently, "Heh, isn't it because of the Eagle Alliance martial artists? There have already been three small-scale conflicts in the Trading Zone over the last two days. I heard there was even a deathmatch in the Shanty Town yesterday; two black martial artists died. Everyone is talking about it. No one knows which powerhouse did it, but they say those two were official martial artists, junior warriors. Think about it—if you have a combat suit, your safety is greatly increased. If you get attacked, you're practically invincible from the start. Wouldn't you say they're in high demand?"

Xu Feng asked tentatively, "So, you're saying the price of combat suits will go up in a couple of days?"

"Definitely!" the shop owner replied without hesitation.

Xu Feng nodded and walked away quickly. "Thanks."

"Hey—" Watching Xu Feng leave without looking back, the shop owner sighed. "Damn cheapskate."

Stepping out of the shop, Xu Feng took a deep breath, a flash of wild joy in his eyes.

This was the start of a windfall!

Even with the second-hand discount, at sixty percent, that was still 120,000!

120,000 for one set, plus those two weapons—wouldn't the money in his hands be heading toward 300,000?!

However, he changed his mind.

That complete combat suit couldn't be sold; it would be too much of a loss. He decided to keep it for himself.

As for the rest of the items, they could all be sold. Although they weren't as valuable as a full combat suit, they would still fetch at least 100,000. Combined with the 100,000 reward from the authorities, that was a massive sum of 200,000!

Gulp.

Swallowing hard, Xu Feng grabbed Xiao Dan and went on a shopping spree in the Trading Zone.

He bought a pile of things he usually couldn't bear to spend money on: otherworldly spirit fruits, nutrient supplements, meat from mutated creatures, and even some "snacks" from Earth.

After spending nearly a thousand, he headed back, carrying bags in both hands.

"Dad, is today a holiday?"

Xiao Dan asked, tugging on Xu Feng's hand, confused but excited.

"No, Dad is just happy today," Xu Feng said with a chuckle.

"By the way, Dad, Teacher Lu seemed very unhappy today."

Xiao Dan suddenly said.

"What happened? Is her family forcing her to marry?" Xu Feng joked out of curiosity.

That woman had high status, strong influence, and plenty of money—what could possibly be bothering her? Aside from forced marriage, Xu Feng couldn't imagine what troubles a single aristocrat of her age could have.

"I don't know," Xiao Dan shook her head with a mature air. "But Teacher was crying secretly, and she kept muttering things like, 'So you're forcing me? Then don't blame me.' I'm a little worried."

Xu Feng ruffled her hair. "Teacher Lu is a very capable person; she'll find a way to solve it. You don't need to worry."

"Mm, that's what I thought too. So, Dad, I want to eat ice cream tonight."

Sure enough, Xiao Dan didn't stay serious for long before revealing her true motive.

Xu Feng laughed heartily. "Alright, you can have three bites tonight."

"Yay!" Xiao Dan immediately cast her previous worries to the back of her mind.

There was more than just this one thing that surprised Xu Feng.

When the father and daughter returned home, chatting and laughing all the way.

They discovered Liu Yu standing outside the door, holding a bag of fruit and chatting idly with their neighbor, Fatty.

Today, Liu Yu was wearing a pale white floral dress, her entire aura exuding a youthful and fresh vibe.

Seeing Xu Feng approach, Liu Yu smiled and greeted Fatty before walking toward Xu Feng.

"Brother Xu! Xiao Dan, you're back."

Liu Yu walked over with a smile, handed the fruit to Xu Feng, and then laughingly scooped Xiao Dan up from the ground.

"Little girl, why have you gotten heavier again!"

"Sister Liu Yu!" Xiao Dan hugged her happily and winked at Xu Feng.

Xu Feng smiled speechlessly, then nodded at Fatty Wang Long: "Have you eaten, Wang? If not, why don't you come inside and have a bite?"

Wang Long hurriedly waved his hands: "No, no, I have plans tonight. You guys go ahead."

Xu Feng nodded: "See you later, then."

He then opened the door and walked inside.

Once all three had entered the house, Wang Long looked at Xu Feng's home and sighed: "Old Xu's good fortune is truly enviable."

He then made a mournful face: "I wonder when a girl will ever throw herself into my arms.

I should be more popular than a forty-year-old uncle, right?"

Liu Yu had indeed come to thank Xu Feng for saving her life.

Of course, she wasn't overly formal, nor did she say anything strange.

She simply insisted on helping Xu Feng cook, tidying up the bedding and the house, and even bathed the little girl and dried her hair.

Looking at the refreshed room, Xu Feng could sense that the girl's attitude toward him had changed somewhat.

However, he didn't have those kinds of thoughts at the moment, so he didn't say much.

The three of them had a simple meal, and this time, Xu Feng took the initiative to offer to walk Liu Yu home.

"It's so late, maybe we should skip it? After what happened last night, there won't be any danger for the next few days."

Liu Yu shook her head and said firmly.

She didn't want to use such events to solicit sympathy.

Yet, Xu Feng was insistent: "Let's go. It'll be good to walk off the meal, and I'm heading that way anyway."

"Well, alright then." Liu Yu smiled slightly and lowered her head in agreement.

"Sister, carry me!" Xiao Dan giggled, wrapping her arms around Liu Yu's neck and climbing up.

Liu Yu scooped her up and looked at Xu Feng: "Is this okay?"

"Let's go." Xu Feng nodded and led the way out the door.

After walking for a while, the streets were indeed much more peaceful tonight.

The evening breeze blew gently, making one feel quite languid.

Xu Feng vigilantly observed his surroundings while saying to Liu Yu: "I saved you last night purely as a matter of convenience, so you don't need to feel any psychological burden."

"I know. I just wanted to do something to show my gratitude," Liu Yu whispered, holding Xiao Dan.

"That's good. I was really afraid you might do something irrational."

The three of them walked side by side along the path.

For the first time in a long while, Xu Feng felt a sense of peace.

If life could just remain this calm, that would be quite nice.

Unfortunately, the dangers of this world would not allow one to remain immersed in tranquility for long.

None of the three noticed.

Somewhere at the street corner.

Lu Fei stood in the shadows, holding a bottle of wine.

She watched the figures that looked like a "family of three" gradually fade into the distance.

She sighed softly, turned, and walked away.