Chen Mo set down the empty instant noodle cup and leisurely wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
He looked up to meet everyone's gazes.
He forced a smile.
"Want to know why?"
"Because that donkey never intended to leave with that old bastard."
"Don't forget, I'm in the Beast Tamer Sequence, and Red Hare is my 'Contract Beast.'"
Chen Mo deliberately attributed everything to his fabricated Beast Tamer Sequence.
There wasn't a second Beast Tamer in the entire convoy anyway, so he could make up whatever he liked.
"What did you say?"
Su Qian froze for a moment, her full figure rising and falling gently as she looked at Chen Mo in confusion.
Big Niu's eyes bulged like a bull's balls.
"You mean... Red Hare... will come back on his own?"
Chen Mo took the pale gold energy core out of his jacket and rubbed it in his hand.
"Not just come back."
He slowly put the core away.
"He'll come back with everything in the old man's bag."
I wonder how Red Hare's doing. He should be just about done by now.
Everyone exchanged looks, their eyes full of shock!
Then they slowly turned to Lin Lu.
Lin Lu spread his hands and shrugged.
"Don't look at me. I don't know anything."
"I just thought, since one of our Starfire Council members finally wanted to do something, shouldn't we give him our unconditional support for once?"
Everyone thought, Like hell we believe you!
Then Old Yang raised the crucial question. "How were you sure Red Hare could beat that old man?"
"If Red Hare can't make it back, won't you lose everything?"
At that, Chen Mo broke into a cold sweat himself.
By his original reckoning, the old man shouldn't try to kill Red Hare.
Chen Mo glanced at their puzzled faces and slowly explained his thinking.
"He definitely can't beat him. But all he needs to do is run."
"Think about it. To that old man, he's the priceless 'divine steed Red Hare.'
"A companion for his future travels, someone to shoot the shit with."
"Would he really be willing to kill Red Hare outright?"
"It's like how you wouldn't smash your brand-new car with a hammer."
"All Red Hare needs is an opening, a chance to get away."
"As for exactly how he'll escape..."
"That's a little secret between me and my good old 'Red Hare.'"
Xiao Ya hugged her Barbie Doll and looked up at Chen Mo.
"But isn't that tricking that old grandpa? Isn't that... kind of wrong?"
Chen Mo patted Xiao Ya's head, making her twin ponytails sway.
"When a scholar does it, how can you call it stealing? It's pilfering."
"Don't you want to ride Red Hare anymore, Xiao Ya?"
Xiao Ya's cheeks flushed. Looking a little embarrassed, she mumbled softly.
"Then... then he should come back. He's all fluffy and so much fun."
They chatted a little longer, all thoroughly impressed by Chen Mo's shamelessness.
As Lin Lu continued solemnly proclaiming that this was "for the great advancement of a community with a shared future for humanity,"
everyone scoffed and went back to their vehicles.
Chen Mo turned toward the Dump Truck and whistled.
"Li Xia, bring the truck over."
The Dump Truck slowly pulled up beside Chen Mo.
Chen Mo glanced at the Lion-Headed Vengeful Soul bound in chains.
It was still growling under its breath, struggling to lunge at him, but the chains restrained it, hauling it back after every few movements.
"Is it time to feed you?"
"I wonder if this will work."
Chen Mo took out an Old World magazine he'd just asked Old Yang for.
He tore out a few pages, roughly folded them into ingot shapes, and tossed them into the campfire before him.
The ingots turned into wisps of smoke that slowly drifted into the Vengeful Soul's mouth.
Eat up, eat up. This is probably your last meal.
Chen Mo dusted off his hands, turned, and climbed into the Dump Truck.
He reclined the seat and slowly lay back.
These days are exhausting.
The weather seemed to have cooled a little, too.
Chen Mo thought again of the golden energy core in his pocket.
He slowly took it out and held it before his eyes to examine it.
Should I use it to upgrade the Surgical Knife?
Or risk absorbing it directly?
No.
It's too risky.
Better wait until Red Hare gets back.
Chen Mo tucked the core back into his pocket and closed his eyes.
He had only dozed for a moment when the driver's door was yanked open.
Li Xia had been humming an old-era love song through the speakers. She shuddered in fright, and her singing stopped abruptly.
Chen Mo's eyes snapped open, and his silver Surgical Knife thrust straight to the side.
The donkey's raspy voice came from beside him.
"All right, all right, put that thing away. Trying to murder your own dad?"
The black-and-white donkey with flashy pink accents scrambled into the passenger seat.
"Fuck! Your dad's exhausted!"
"Is that old bastard part dog? He chased me for more than ten kilometers!"
Chen Mo put away the Surgical Knife and looked at the panting donkey.
"All done? He didn't follow you back, did he?"
The donkey brushed the mud spots off his trousers, gasping for breath.
"I should've lost him. He should be getting intimate with a third-tier specter right about now."
"A whole month's worth of my black mud. It breaks my fucking heart."
Red Hare took a couple more breaths, then returned to his usual obnoxious expression, his hind legs restlessly kicking the dashboard.
"Little Xia-Xia, did you miss me?"
Li Xia's timid voice answered, "Y-yes, Lord Donkey."
"Heh heh."
"Kid, your dad's back! Split the loot! Hurry up and split the loot!"
The man and donkey sneaked into the truck bed.
Chen Mo sat on a box of instant noodles and watched the donkey impatiently open Old Zhang's black cloth bundle.
A pair of bloodstained trousers...
Chen Mo was speechless. You even stripped his trousers off?
The black hooded cloak Old Zhang had been wearing...
A few dented cans...
And two filthy comic books with seductive women drawn on their covers.
That's it?
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes and quietly stared at the donkey.
Under his gaze, Red Hare grew guilty and twitched his ears awkwardly, but still insisted,
"What are you looking at? That's all there is. That old bastard's dirt-poor."
Chen Mo stared hard at Red Hare, as if he might turn him into donkey-meat sandwiches at any second.
Seeing how guilty the donkey looked, he grabbed an ear and whispered beside it.
"You little shit. Keeping it all for yourself, huh?"
"Would I even lie to you? I treat you like a brother, and you treat me like an idiot?"
"Get moving. Hand it over!"
Red Hare gave a few dry laughs.
He reluctantly jumped down from the truck and ran to a nearby patch of grass.
He returned to the truck carrying another bundle made from clothing in his mouth.
Squatting in the truck bed, Red Hare slowly untied the clothing, still making excuses.
"I was worried the others might be around, so I hid it away specially."
Inside the cloth bundle were the Hairy Savage's finger bones and hand they had traded to Old Zhang earlier, along with the black canine skull.
There was also the syringe filled with pale blue liquid.
The "Impersonator" serum.
Good stuff that could conceal a living person's presence.
Chen Mo picked up the syringe and waved it before his eyes.
You stripped Old Zhang's trousers off, and this is all you got?
Chen Mo looked at Red Hare as though he wanted to devour him, then spoke unhurriedly.
"That's all?"
The donkey bared his teeth and thumped his chest, looking pained.
"There's really nothing else! I swear on my great name, Red Hare!"
"That old bastard was crafty! He had a ring on his hand! A fucking Storage Ring!"
"There's probably loads of good stuff in there! Fuck me, what a loss! I lost hundreds of millions!"
Still putting on an act, huh?
Chen Mo put away the Surgical Knife and patted the donkey's back.
"It's all right, brother. What matters is that you made it back safe."
While comforting Red Hare, he circled around behind him.
A sly gleam of triumph flashed in Red Hare's eyes.
Now!
Chen Mo suddenly locked his arm tightly around Red Hare's neck.
He held the Surgical Knife in front of Red Hare's underpants.
"Awooo-"
"W-what else have you got? Hand... hand all the good stuff over!"
"Cough, cough! Nothing... there's really nothing else!"
"Bullshit! You think I didn't see that look in your eyes?"
The man and donkey wrestled in the truck bed, sending everything into chaos.
"You're murdering your own dad!!! If I'd known, I'd have shot you onto the wall!"
"Fine, fine, I'll get it! Your dad gives up!"
Before you continue