Bounty, Assassination!

"Fine." Lin Ming nodded, sparing words like gold.

Xia He immediately beamed like a flower. "That's wonderful! Captain Zhou, please make arrangements. Prepare dinner for Mr. Lin Ming, and clear out a spare tent for him."

Seeing that his young lady insisted, Captain Zhou could only nod helplessly and order his men to do as she said, though the vigilance in his eyes did not lessen.

Before long, the mercenaries barely managed to right the overturned off-road vehicle, cleared out a relatively safe area, lit several larger bonfires, and began preparing dinner.

Some took out portable water purifiers and heating devices, while others carried sealed supply crates from the vehicles. Inside were neatly packaged military rations, canned food, and even fresh vegetables, fruit, and jerky!

In the Wilderness, this was practically extravagant luxury!

Lin Ming sat not far from Xia He, silently watching the mercenaries bustle about with practiced efficiency. Xia He, meanwhile, was quite talkative and seemed intensely curious about Lin Ming appearing alone in the Wilderness.

"Mr. Lin Ming, are you really alone? How long have you been in the Wilderness?"

"A few days."

"Wow, that's amazing! That Ironclad Rhino earlier was at Tier Two Peak. Even Captain Zhou had such a hard time fighting it. Weren't you... afraid?"

"It was alright."

"You're a martial artist, right? Your spear is beautiful. What grade is it?"

"Ordinary."

"Are you heading to a base city, or are you just... training in the Wilderness?"

"Just wandering around."

Lin Ming's answers were brief and cold, but Xia He did not seem to mind at all, continuing to question him with great interest. She appeared particularly interested in his silver-white spear, her gaze flicking toward it from time to time.

Captain Zhou and the other mercenaries ate silently nearby, but their ears were pricked as they listened to the conversation.

When they heard the name "Lin Ming," a young mercenary chewing jerky paused slightly, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.

"Lin Ming... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere..." he muttered under his breath.

"Fourth, what did you say?" the companion beside him asked.

"Nothing. The name just sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I heard it."

The mercenary called Fourth shook his head and continued eating, though his brows remained faintly furrowed.

Soon, a steaming dinner was delivered before Lin Ming. It was heated military self-warming rice, served with canned luncheon meat, vegetable soup, and several energy bars.

To Lin Ming, who had spent several days eating "Wilderness barbecue," it was a feast fit for emperors.

He thanked them, then stopped being polite and began eating quietly but quickly. His movements were not especially elegant, but they were steady, carrying a soldier's crisp efficiency.

In the deep-night Wilderness camp, the bonfire's glow danced in the eyes of the weary sentries, stretching the shadows of the abandoned buildings around them long and thin, like enormous beasts lying in wait.

Other than the soft crackling of the fires and the ceaseless, faint wind and beast roars in the distance, the camp was silent. Most people had wrapped themselves in sleeping bags and fallen into deep sleep after the day's battle and fright.

Lin Ming sat cross-legged inside the single-person tent Xia He had arranged for him, some distance away from the main camp.

He did not lie down. He merely closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, the Silver Frost Spear laid across his knees, its cold metallic touch keeping him absolutely awake.

The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art circulated slowly within him. Vast, heavy blood and vitality flowed like a great river, nourishing his limbs and bones while rapidly absorbing the energy provided by dinner.

The powerful recovery granted by the Indestructible Asura Body and his Immortal Foundation allowed him to remain in peak condition at all times in the Wilderness.

He split off a thread of attention to sense the movements around the camp. The woman named Xia He breathed evenly and deeply. She was already sound asleep.

Captain Zhou and several core members took turns keeping watch, their auras steady. Most of the other mercenaries were asleep as well, with only faint snores audible.

Everything seemed peaceful.

Yet Lin Ming faintly sensed something unusual in his heart. It was not an instinctive warning of danger, but rather... an indifferent understanding.

The Mutated Beasts in this area had been scared out of their wits by his near-slaughtering purge over the past few days, so it truly was safe for the time being. But that also meant that if he remained here, the efficiency of obtaining Kill Points would become extremely low.

He needed to go to more dangerous regions, where stronger Mutated Beasts could be found.

Following this mercenary group for a while and mooching off their supplies would not be a bad idea.

But that Xia He... Lin Ming recalled her behavior during the day. Warm, talkative, seemingly without a shred of scheming, even a little sweet and innocent.

But could a "researcher" guarded personally by an elite mercenary group like Gray Wolf while traveling to an unknown base city truly be so simple?

And those mercenaries—though they appeared well-trained, their protection of Xia He did not seem airtight either. When the Ironclad Rhino Chief charged during the day, their reactions had been slightly slow.

Forget it. Too lazy to dig deeper. Lin Ming quickly cast those thoughts aside. They had met by chance, and each took what they needed. He would leave first thing tomorrow morning and continue his own Wilderness hunting.

Just as Lin Ming thought the night would pass peacefully, a burst of deliberately hushed whispers drifted into his ears on the wind, their tones faintly distorted by excitement and greed.

The voices came from beside another, smaller bonfire dozens of meters away. Several mercenaries who should have been resting were gathered there.

"...Twenty million! Damn it, twenty million for taking him alive! Even if he's dead, it's still ten million! I've never seen that much money in my entire life!"

"Keep it down! Do you want to die? If the captain hears us..."

"So what if he hears? You think the captain isn't tempted? That's twenty million! Enough for us brothers to live carefree for the rest of our lives!"

"What did the intelligence say? That kid's named Lin Ming, eighteen years old. He used to be cannon fodder in the Blade Camp of the South River Defense Army. After killing the Chen Household's eldest young master, Chen Dabiao, he was put on a bounty by Chen Haidong... His strength is suspected to be around Tier Two Third Layer."

"Tier Two Third Layer? From what I saw during the day, his aura seemed pretty ordinary. He was covered in dirt and looked nothing like an expert."

"Bullshit! If he were really an expert, would he be reduced to such a miserable state alone? I say he stepped in dog shit and got lucky, using some dirty trick to kill Chen Dabiao before escaping!"

"Then why did that Ironclad Rhino run away today?"

"Who knows? Maybe that beast went crazy, or maybe our captain scared it off! What the hell could that have to do with that kid?"

"Let's do it! Damn it, wealth and honor are sought amid danger! There are over a dozen of us—can't we handle one brat at Tier Two Third Layer?"

"About the captain... I don't think he was very willing to make a move on that kid during the day."

"The captain cares about righteousness, but we need to eat too! Our wives and children at home are waiting for money! Fourth, doesn't your son's illness need a huge sum for treatment at the inner-city hospital?"

"...Let's do it!"

"That's right! Let's do it! We'll make our move in the second half of the night. Mix Drunken Dream Powder into his late-night snack, then add Bewitching Spirit Smoke. We'll make sure he sleeps like a dead pig!"

"Remember, take him alive! Twenty million! If he dies, he'll only be worth ten million!"

"Don't worry..."

The voices gradually faded, leaving behind only suppressed excitement and heavy breathing.