300 Million

After returning to Base City, Lin Fan first went back to the villa district to rest. Then he slung his bulging backpack over his shoulder and headed to the HR Alliance Mall.

As soon as Lin Fan entered the lobby, a pretty attendant in uniform hurried over to greet him.

She had seen all kinds of people, but when her gaze met Lin Fan's eyes, black as ink, her heart still gave an involuntary shiver.

Lin Fan looked young, but she could clearly sense the bone-deep, chilling aura of killing that radiated from him.

It was the kind of presence possessed only by those who had truly struggled on the brink of life and death.

It couldn't be faked. It had been forged in the blood of countless monsters.

The attendant's smile immediately grew more respectful, and she bowed a little lower.

"Sir, how may I help you?"

Seeing how different the receptionist's attitude was from the last time he'd visited, Lin Fan couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

So this is what strength can do.

"I'm here to sell some things. Bring your manager over. Tell him it's a big deal."

Lin Fan spoke calmly.

The attendant didn't dare delay. She immediately made a quiet report through her earpiece.

Lin Fan didn't have to wait long. The attendant soon stepped aside and gestured for him to follow, leading him to a private elevator nearby.

The elevator rose and finally stopped on the thirty-second floor.

"Sir, this floor is reserved for our VIP acquisitions. Manager Wang is already waiting for you. I'll take my leave now."

"Mm."

The attendant bowed and watched Lin Fan step out of the elevator.

As the doors slid shut behind him, Lin Fan looked around.

There were several long corridors on this floor, lined with doors. Two guards stood in front of each one.

When they saw Lin Fan arrive, one of the guards came forward and led him into the nearest room.

The room was spacious and bright, and the air was filled with the scent of expensive incense.

A middle-aged man with a large belly and sharp eyes sat behind an appraisal desk, looking relaxed.

He glanced at Lin Fan and spoke in a flat tone.

"You're just a kid. All right, let's see what you've brought to sell that made you insist on seeing me."

Lin Fan didn't mind Manager Wang's tone. He walked up to the appraisal desk and took the items out of his bag one by one, setting them down.

Manager Wang lightly tapped his fingers against the redwood desktop, watching Lin Fan unpack with little interest.

"Hmm, materials from dozens of Beast Soldier-level monsters... They're all very cleanly processed. Nice work. They're probably worth three to five million Huaxia Currency."

Manager Wang took a sip of tea, turning the cup lightly in his hand.

These few items weren't even worth getting him out of his comfortable office chair.

"Kid, if that's all you've got, I wouldn't call it a big deal."

Lin Fan said nothing. He simply took half a step back, leaving plenty of room.

Then, with a flick of his hand, he dumped the processed carcass of a high-level Beast General, the Bloodthirsty Tank, onto the spacious VIP room floor.

Thud!

The heavy impact made the floor tremble slightly, sending ripples through the tea in front of Manager Wang.

A thick, unmistakable aura of a high-level monster instantly filled the room, overwhelming the delicate scent of incense.

The carcass's black shell gleamed with a cold, eerie light beneath the lamps, and its ferocious mouthparts remained frozen in a death roar.

Fortunately, the VIP acquisition room had a reinforced alloy floor, with a shock-absorbing platform embedded beneath it specifically for appraising large quantities of materials on-site.

Otherwise, the impact might have punched straight through the floor.

"A high-level Beast General carcass?"

Manager Wang's eyes widened. He nearly dropped his teacup, and didn't even notice the few drops of scalding tea that splashed onto the back of his hand.

He quickly set the cup down with a sharp clink.

High-level Beast Generals weren't rare, but intact carcasses were. That meant every part could be sold for top price.

Monsters of this level usually took a fierce battle to kill, and their carcasses were often left in pieces.

To preserve one so completely meant the killer either had overwhelming strength or possessed exceptionally precise killing skills.

Manager Wang dropped his earlier nonchalance. He hurried around the desk and crouched to examine the carcass closely.

"Excellent... What a find. The only fatal wound is to the head. It was killed by a blade—clean and precise..."

Manager Wang murmured to himself, unable to hide the shock and excitement in his eyes.

As an experienced materials appraiser, he knew exactly how valuable this carcass was—and what it implied about the person who had brought it in.

This unassuming student might very well be a spirit reader!

The thought made a bead of cold sweat trickle down Manager Wang's forehead.

"Don't rush. There's more."

Lin Fan's calm voice behind him suddenly broke through his thoughts.

Lin Fan set down his backpack and slowly unzipped it. A faint, milky scent drifted out.

Three gray-skinned pups, just waking from their faint, were revealed inside, whimpering softly.

They huddled together, their bodies trembling slightly with fear of the unfamiliar surroundings.

But their distinctive, fine scales and the small bumps on their foreheads made Manager Wang draw in a sharp breath.

"Th-this... These are Iron-Bristled Demon Badger cubs? Three of them?!"

Manager Wang jumped to his feet and excitedly called out to the guards outside.

Just minutes later, two guards hurried in with a transparent containment case.

It came fully equipped with restraints along the edges and ports for anesthetic.

Manager Wang handled the cubs as gently as if they were priceless treasures. He carefully moved them into the case, then took out a precision instrument and quickly scanned them through the transparent walls.

The readings raced across the instrument's screen before finally settling on a set of green values.

His voice trembled with excitement.

"That's right! Their vital signs are stable. They haven't been weaned, and they have tremendous potential! My goodness, these are the finest of all defensive monsters!"

If the carcass had merely surprised him, the three cubs sent him into a frenzy.

Newborn monster cubs like these were priceless on the black market.

They meant not only a huge commission, but also that his performance rating within the Alliance would shoot straight to the top.

After a tense and thorough appraisal, Manager Wang wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. His bloodshot eyes, bright with excitement, turned to Lin Fan, and even his voice trembled.

"Kid... No, please forgive my slip of the tongue."

Manager Wang swallowed hard. His back snapped straight, and his expression grew more respectful than ever.

"Esteemed sir!"

"After calculating the value, I can say that what you've brought us is truly exceptional!"

"First, the dozens of Beast Soldier-level materials. Their rank isn't high, but there's a large quantity, and they're in excellent condition. We'll buy them as a lot for five million."

"Next, the high-level Beast General carcass. Its bones and hide are almost completely undamaged, making it highly sought after on the black market. We value it at eighteen million."

At this, Manager Wang drew a deep breath and pointed a trembling finger at the three specially made temperature-controlled cases.

"But those aren't the main event! The three cubs are!"

"Rare offspring of heavily armored defensive monsters! If they're raised properly, they could become three Lord-level Monsters capable of holding their own against an army! And you managed to capture the whole litter. A complete group of cubs like this is beyond price!"

"We're offering you our highest premium for the three cubs: 280 million!"

"Sir, the total for this transaction comes to 303 million Huaxia Currency!"

Watching Manager Wang's attitude turn around completely, Lin Fan couldn't help finding it funny.

It seemed people who made it into leadership weren't fools. Manager Wang hadn't tried to rip him off just because he looked young, and the offer of over 300 million Huaxia Currency was about what Lin Fan had estimated.

Under Manager Wang's anxious gaze, Lin Fan nodded.

"Fine."