Encouraging Murder

The day after saving someone's life.

Xu Feng had thought today would end like any ordinary day.

He hadn't expected anything surprising to happen on his way home from work that afternoon.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

Xu Feng opened the door and was surprised to see two base warriors standing outside.

"Hello, Mr. Xu. We're from the Martial Investigation Bureau. These are the spoils you won last night.

According to Martial Alliance law, those two Eagle Alliance warriors were criminals.

After you killed them, all the valuables they had on them became your spoils.

What you do with them now is entirely up to you."

"Huh? There's a law like that?"

"That's right. Also, to reward you for your gallant act, the official base administration at Sky Moon Martial University will give you 100,000 Great Xia Currency and a Gallantry Medal.

The cash reward will arrive in your account within 24 hours. Please keep an eye out for it.

As for the firearm that warrior had, we'll keep it in storage for you.

If you need to use it, you can apply to claim it at the Martial Investigation Bureau.

However, you'll have to undergo an assessment, register, and apply for a firearms license. The whole process is rather complicated."

"Oh? Thank you so much!"

"We should be the ones thanking you."

Xu Feng stood there stunned for a long while before finally seeing the staff out.

Looking at the large pile of things in front of him, he could hardly believe it was real.

Didn't the Martial Alliance's laws basically encourage "murder"?

After staring blankly for a while,

Xu Feng swallowed and began going through everything carefully.

He hadn't expected the two warriors to have so much equipment on them.

First, there was a basic C-Class Combat Suit made by the Eagle Alliance.

It included a combat vest, arm guards, combat trousers, and combat boots.

Next was a hand shield made of B-Grade Alloy.

There was also a standard Battle Sword made of C-Grade Alloy and two Series 6 communicators.

There was another basic combat vest as well.

The moment he saw the Combat Suit and shield, Xu Feng felt the two warriors had died a pointless death.

With equipment like that, they would have had decent protection on the Otherworld Battlefield.

But what had happened to them? They'd died to his ambush.

Since both men had been shot in the head, the Combat Suits and shield—far more effective than a bulletproof vest—had never had a chance to do their job.

That served as a major wake-up call for Xu Feng: he shouldn't put too much faith in the "sense of security" certain equipment provided.

If he hadn't taken out their firearms first, then attacked their weak points—their necks and heads—

and had instead chosen to attack their bodies, the Combat Suits would likely have absorbed most of the damage.

Then things wouldn't have turned out as they had.

Too many factors determined life or death in a fight.

Timing, methods, weapons and equipment, state of mind, and luck could all decide who lived or died in an instant.

So he had to be cautious, more cautious, and even more cautious.

Xu Feng was also glad that his strongest technique was his Grandmaster-level Flying Blade.

It had given him the chance to strike first and stay well hidden.

If he'd lacked any one of those advantages, the outcome of the fight might have been different.

"These things have to be worth at least a hundred thousand, right?"

Xu Feng had no idea how much a Combat Suit cost, so he could only guess that a set would run at least fifty or sixty thousand.

The two Series 6 communicators alone had to be worth at least eight thousand.

As for the hand shield made of B-Grade Alloy, though it was quite small, it couldn't possibly have been cheap.

He felt like he was dreaming.

"These things belonged to dead men. I'd better sell them all. I'd feel uneasy wearing them."

He was tempted by the Combat Suit, but Xu Feng still felt it would be best to get rid of it.

He could always buy a new one later.

But Xu Feng had still underestimated the value of a Combat Suit.

It wasn't until he picked up Xiao Dan that evening and headed straight to a secondhand equipment shop in the Trading Zone that he was stunned by its price.

"Compared to weapons, Combat Suits that offer protection are expensive.

A brand-new C-Class Combat Suit costs at least 200,000.

A secondhand one goes for around 60 percent of that, depending on how intact it is."

The shopkeeper smiled at Xu Feng.

"Are you looking to buy one? I have two ready to go."

He looked at Xu Feng expectantly.

But Xu Feng's heart was pounding. He waved his hands and smiled. "Not right now, thanks."

Then he turned and left.

Seeing that Xu Feng was tempted, the shopkeeper hurried after him. "Hey, hey, are you sure you don't want to think it over? Combat Suits have been in high demand lately.

If you don't move fast, they might not be this cheap in a couple of days!"

"Why?" Xu Feng asked, surprised.

The shopkeeper patiently explained. "Well, it's all because of those Eagle Alliance warriors. There've been three small-scale clashes in the Trading Zone over the past two days.

I heard there was a fight to the death in the Shanty Town yesterday, and two Black warriors died. Everyone's been talking about it.

No one knows which badass did it, but supposedly those two were official warriors, junior fighters.

Think about it: with a Combat Suit, your safety goes way up.

If you're attacked, you'll have the advantage from the start. So, are they in demand or not?"

Xu Feng ventured, "So Combat Suit prices will go up in a couple of days?"

"Definitely!" the shopkeeper answered without a second thought.

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

"Hey—" Watching Xu Feng leave without looking back, the shopkeeper sighed. "Damn broke-ass."

Once outside the shop, Xu Feng took a deep breath, a flash of delight in his eyes.

This was turning into a windfall!

Even at the secondhand rate of 60 percent, each one would be worth 120,000!

At 120,000 apiece, plus the two weapons, wouldn't the money he had be pushing 300,000?!

But he'd changed his mind.

He couldn't sell the complete Combat Suit. It'd be too much of a loss.

He decided to keep it and wear it himself.

As for everything else, he could sell it all.

It wouldn't be worth as much as the complete Combat Suit, but it should still bring in at least a hundred thousand.

Add the official reward of 100,000, and he'd have a fortune of 200,000!

"Gulp."

After swallowing, Xu Feng took Xiao Dan by the hand 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, nutritional supplements, Mutated Creature meat, and even some "snacks" from Earth.

He spent nearly a thousand before carrying the bags home.

"Dad, is today a holiday?"

Xiao Dan asked excitedly, though she was confused.

"No. Dad's just happy today," Xu Feng said with a grin.

"Oh, Dad, Teacher Lu didn't seem very happy today."

Xiao Dan suddenly added.

"What happened? Is her family pressuring her to get married?" Xu Feng joked curiously.

That woman was high-ranking, influential, and had no shortage of money. What could she have to worry about?

Other than pressure to get married, Xu Feng couldn't think of what might trouble a single woman of her age.

"I don't know." Xiao Dan shook her head with an air of wisdom beyond her years. "But Teacher secretly cried. She was muttering to herself, saying things like, 'So you're forcing me, are you? Then don't blame me.' I'm a little worried."

Xu Feng rubbed her head. "Someone as capable as Teacher Lu will find a way to solve it. You don't need to worry."

"Mm-hm, I thought so too. Dad, I want ice cream tonight."

Xiao Dan had only stayed serious for a few sentences before revealing what she really wanted.

Xu Feng laughed. "Sure. You can have three bites tonight."

"Yay!" Xiao Dan immediately forgot about what she'd been worried about.

That wasn't the only thing that surprised Xu Feng.

When father and daughter returned home, chatting and laughing the whole way,

they found Liu Yu standing outside with a bag of fruit, chatting idly with their neighbor, Fatty.

Liu Yu was wearing a light-colored floral dress today, and her whole demeanor had a fresh, youthful air.

When she saw Xu Feng coming, Liu Yu said goodbye to Fatty with a smile, then walked toward Xu Feng.

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

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

"You've gotten heavier again, little girl!"

"Sister Liu Yu!" Xiao Dan happily wrapped her arms around her and winked at Xu Feng.

Xu Feng smiled helplessly, then nodded at Fatty, Wang Long. "Have you eaten, Xiao Wang? If not, come in and have something."

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

Xu Feng nodded. "See you around."

Then he opened the door and went inside.

Once all three had entered, Wang Long looked toward Xu Feng's home and sighed. "Old Xu is blessed. Some people really have all the luck."

Then he pulled a long face. "I wonder when some girl will throw herself into my arms.

I ought to be more appealing than a forty-year-old uncle, shouldn't I?"

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

Of course, she hadn't made a big deal of it or said anything strange.

She'd simply insisted on helping Xu Feng cook, made the bed and tidied the house, then bathed the little girl and dried her hair.

Looking at the spotless room, Xu Feng could tell that the way the young woman felt about him had changed somewhat.

But he wasn't in the right frame of mind for that at the moment, so he didn't say anything.

After the three of them had a simple meal, Xu Feng took the initiative and offered to walk Liu Yu home.

"It's so late. You don't have to. After what happened last night, things should be safe for the next few days."

Liu Yu shook her head, trying to sound strong.

She didn't want to use this sort of thing to win anyone's sympathy.

But Xu Feng was insistent. "Come on. We can walk off dinner, and it's on my way."

"Th-then, all right." Liu Yu smiled faintly and lowered her head in agreement.

"Carry me, Sister!" Xiao Dan laughed as she climbed up Liu Yu's body and hugged her neck.

Liu Yu scooped her up and looked at Xu Feng. "Is that okay?"

"Let's go." Xu Feng nodded and headed out first.

After they'd walked for a while, the streets were indeed much quieter tonight.

A gentle breeze blew, making them feel rather relaxed.

Xu Feng kept a wary eye on their surroundings as he said to Liu Yu, "I only saved you last night because I happened to be there, so don't feel obligated."

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

"Good. I was worried you might do something rash."

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 stay this peaceful, that would be nice.

Unfortunately, this world was too dangerous to let anyone enjoy peace for long.

None of them noticed.

Somewhere around the street corner,

Lu Fei stood in the shadows with a bottle of liquor in her hand.

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

She sighed softly and turned to leave.