Pursuit!

This communicator appeared to have been specially encrypted; its signal could penetrate most interference zones in the Wilderness.

He quickly tapped a few controls. The communicator's screen lit up, displaying a call interface on an encrypted channel. Soon, a blurry voice, clearly processed through electronic synthesis, sounded out:

"Night Owl? Any news?"

"Mr. Chen," Night Owl said in a low voice, getting straight to the point.

"We found the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group's camp. They were wiped out, including their leader Zhou Tianlang, Second Realm Ninth Level. Judging from the traces at the scene, Lin Ming did it alone. His methods were clean and decisive, and his strength far exceeded the intelligence you provided."

The other end of the communicator fell silent for several seconds. Clearly, the news had caught them off guard as well.

"What do you mean?" the synthesized voice asked again, devoid of emotion.

"The target's danger assessment needs to be raised," Night Owl said slowly.

"He wiped out the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group alone and killed Zhou Tianlang head-on. His true combat strength is at least close to the Third Realm, and he may even possess powerful martial skills or a special talent. The original twenty-million bounty... isn't enough."

"How much do you want?" the synthesized voice asked directly.

A sharp glint flashed in Night Owl's eyes as he named a figure. "Fifty million. Alive or dead, either is acceptable. But the risks we have to take are worth that price."

He believed that since the Chen Household had been willing to put up twenty million for a "Tier Two Third Level" nobody, their intent to kill Lin Ming had to run deep.

Now that they had discovered the target was far stronger than expected, raising the price to ensure success was inevitable.

However, the reply from the communicator exceeded Night Owl's expectations.

"One hundred million." The synthesized voice rang out coldly, without any bargaining.

"Target: Lin Ming. Dead or alive. Bring back the body or conclusive proof of the kill, and the bounty will be one hundred million Federation credits. The condition is that your Shadow Squad must complete this independently, and the information must remain confidential for now. If another force, especially the authorities or Peak Martial Arts Hall, gets to him first, the bounty will be void."

One hundred million!

Night Owl, Ghost Bat, and Wild Bull's pupils all contracted at once, and their breathing quickened slightly.

Even for top bounty hunters like them, who had spent years in the gray underworld and seen enormous bounties before, one hundred million Federation credits was enough to drive them wild with desire!

It was enough for them to wash their hands of this life, buy mansions in the inner city, and live above everyone else!

The Chen Household... they were truly going all out! It also proved just how deeply they feared Lin Ming and how desperately they wanted him dead!

What exactly had this kid done to make a family with a Fifth Tier powerhouse spare no expense?

"Deal!"

Night Owl agreed without the slightest hesitation, his voice deep. A bounty of one hundred million was enough to make them take any risk! "We'll lock onto the target and complete the hunt as quickly as possible. I hope Mr. Chen has the funds ready."

"Money isn't a problem. I'll wait for your good news." With that, the synthesized voice cut off the call.

Night Owl put away the communicator, his eyes burning with greed and killing intent. One hundred million! Right here in this Wilderness!

"Boss, we've struck it rich!" Wild Bull rubbed his fan-sized hands together and grinned, exposing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Ghost Bat licked his lips as well, his gaze sinister. "One hundred million... enough for us to live it up for years. But the Chen Household agreed so readily. That kid might have other secrets on him. We should take him alive and give him a proper 'interrogation.'"

"Don't get careless." Night Owl suppressed his excitement and regained his composure.

"A one-hundred-million bounty means the target is extremely dangerous. It also means... once the news fully leaks, more people will come swarming in at the scent of blood. We have to end this quickly!"

He looked at Ghost Bat. "Ghost Bat, it's up to you. Track them!"

Ghost Bat nodded, walked to the center of the camp, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

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He possessed the C-rank talent Spirit Scent. Not only could he distinguish extremely subtle smells, but through lingering scent traces, he could vaguely sense the direction a target had gone, their speed, and even their emotional state.

The air was thick with blood, gunpowder, dust, and the complex odors of corpses before decay. Ghost Bat's nostrils fluttered slightly as he focused intensely, filtering out useless information.

Very quickly, he caught two distinct, fresh scents belonging to living people.

One was sharp and cold, carrying faint traces of blood and gunpowder, along with a... savage aura that made one's soul tremble. This had to be the target, Lin Ming.

The other was elegant, carrying a faint scholarly air and a subtle, strange fragrance, along with lingering emotions of fear and panic.

This should be Xia He, the female researcher mentioned in the intelligence report who had been with Lin Ming.

The two scents were intertwined. The direction they had left the camp in... was northeast.

"Northeast. They left roughly two hours and forty minutes ago. They were moving fast, but with that female researcher in tow, they couldn't have been going that fast."

Ghost Bat opened his eyes, a ghostly gleam flickering in his narrow pupils.

"Lin Ming's scent is unusual. It carries a... powerful sense of oppression. He doesn't smell like an ordinary Tier Two martial artist. The female researcher's scent contains a faint, strange fluctuation of life energy. That should be the Water of Life."

"Water of Life?" Night Owl raised an eyebrow. Naturally, he had heard of this rumored miraculous substance.

"Looks like we're getting a bonus with our purchase. Move! Catch up to them!"

The three no longer lingered. Their bodies turned into three blurred afterimages, racing toward the northeastern Wilderness at speeds far beyond ordinary off-road vehicles!

They had to claim the one-hundred-million bounty and the possible extra "gift" before anyone else could react!

Less than half an hour after Night Owl's squad departed.

Vrooom!

The deep roar of engines drew closer. Three silver-white hovercars with sleek lines and no markings silently glided into the blood-soaked camp.

Once the vehicles came to a stop, their doors opened, and seven or eight men stepped out. They wore uniform white research coats beneath bulletproof vests, their expressions cold and their eyes sharp.

They moved with crisp efficiency, spreading out as soon as they got out and taking advantageous positions while vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

At the head of the group was a stern middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his hair combed impeccably neat. He glanced at the devastation and corpses littering the ground, frowned deeply, and hurried over to Zhou Tianlang's body to inspect it.

"Dead. One shot, clean and precise." The middle-aged man stood, adjusted his glasses, and spoke with icy eyes behind the lenses.

"The Gray Wolf Mercenary Group has been wiped out. The target... escaped."

"Director Wang, there are strong residual energy traces and a heavy smell of blood at the scene. Not much time has passed. Also, others were here. Their presence was powerful, at least Third Tier, and they left not long ago," reported a team member holding some kind of energy detection device.

"Bounty hunters, or... another faction?" another team member asked quietly.

"Whoever they are, we must find Xia He before they do!"

Director Wang's tone was firm and final, filled with unquestionable killing intent.

"The Water of Life samples and data must not fall into outsiders' hands! Especially not Peak Martial Arts Hall's or the military's! That would completely destroy the balance!"

He looked toward the northeast, the same direction Ghost Bat had tracked, his eyes dark and sinister.

"That traitor Xia He fled with the highest-level secrets and brought all this trouble with her... She must be cleaned up!"

"Notify the Cleanup Team. The target's location is preliminarily confirmed to be northeast. Request aerial reconnaissance support. We pursue!"

"Yes!"

The team in white research coats swiftly boarded the vehicles. The silver-white hovercars emitted a deep hum, rose from the ground, and then shot northeast as three streaks of silver light at astonishing speed.

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