Rena stared at him for a few seconds, her heart unsettled.
In her eyes, what Qin Feng was doing was no different from an old man toying with a child.
Ge Xiaolun and the others had only recently awakened their genes. Even with the resources the Super God Academy had been feeding them during this time, their strength had barely crossed the threshold of a second generation super soldier.
Although their growth was already quite fast, they were still nowhere near ready to fight someone of Qin Feng's caliber.
"This goddess doesn't want to guess."
Rena simply laid her cards on the table. "Tell me what you're after. What exactly do you want?"
"Heh, it's simple. Don't they just want to test their strength? That's easy enough. I can have someone fight them."
"But in return, you'll have to pay me a thousand bottles of Gene Serum."
"A thousand bottles of Gene Serum?!!"
At those words, Rena's eyes instantly widened, and her voice rose several notches.
"Are you kidding me? That stuff is incredibly scarce! What do you take this goddess for? Some rich beauty?"
Even when she had advanced to a third generation divine body back then, she had used only a hundred bottles of Gene Serum.
Even on Lieyang Star, it was a strategic resource. Every bottle was immensely precious.
And now Qin Feng had the nerve to demand a thousand bottles?
Did he really think she was a golden money toad that could spit out that kind of fortune just by opening her mouth?
"Aren't you?"
Qin Feng blinked, looking utterly innocent. "As the Lieyang Main God, surely you can produce a mere thousand bottles of Gene Serum? Or could it be..."
He deliberately drew out his words, a trace of inscrutable teasing entering his smile. "You don't have the final say in Lieyang?"
"Who says I don't?"
At that, Rena instantly straightened her back.
Those words had struck a sore spot in her dignity as the Lieyang Main God, but her bravado collapsed after only two seconds.
"But then again, Ge Xiaolun and the others aren't from Lieyang. Why should I fork over the resources? If you want payment, go ask Du Kao!"
"Or perhaps..."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Cheng Yaowen among the group.
Cheng Yaowen had been standing silently to the side all along. Now that both of them were looking at him, he had no choice but to take half a step forward.
"A thousand bottles of Gene Serum is far too much. General Dukao and the others can't produce that either. Besides, this sparring match is between you and Liu Chuang. If you want payment, ask him."
Liu Chuang immediately took offense and shouted, "Hey, Yao Wen, what's that supposed to mean? We're comrades, at least. Do you really have to draw such a clear line?"
Cheng Yaowen remained silent, his eyes lowered toward the ground, neither answering nor arguing.
He had known Liu Chuang for barely a month, but the feud between Deno Star and Nox had lasted over ten thousand years.
If circumstances had not forced his hand, he would never have wanted someone like Liu Chuang as a comrade.
And now, just because of Liu Chuang's personal grudge, they wanted to take resources that should have belonged to him and use them to pay the other side for sparring?
Dream on!
Just as the situation began sliding out of control, a figure strode over from the base's main building.
Lian Feng wore a white research uniform. Her expression was grim, with a shadow hanging over her brow.
She had come on Du Kao's orders to keep an eye on Qin Feng.
But the scene of Qin Feng making trouble that she had anticipated never materialized. Instead, their own side was on the verge of having problems.
Left with no choice, she could only step out of the shadows.
"What is all this bickering? Have you no discipline?"
Lian Feng walked up to them and glanced at Cheng Yaowen.
"You're all comrades in the same trench. How can you let a few resources damage your bonds?"
Cheng Yaowen remained silent, as impassive as a stone statue.
His silence was itself a statement.
Whatever's between you and Liu Chuang, leave me out of it.
Lian Feng's temple throbbed twice as she rapidly weighed things up.
She could see that Cheng Yaowen had drawn a clear dividing line between Deno Star and Nox.
If they failed to come up with a solution acceptable to everyone today, this incident could very well become the first crack within the Super Soldier Company.
Then their own people would be splitting apart before the Taotie even attacked.
That was neither what Du Kao wanted to see nor a consequence she could bear.
She sighed helplessly and finally turned her gaze to Qin Feng's face, softening her voice. "Mr. Qin, can't we talk this through properly? Must you handle it as a transaction?"
Qin Feng turned his head toward her, his smile perfectly harmless.
"Miss Lian Feng, aren't I talking this through properly? They want a fight, and I'm providing a sparring partner. It's only fair that I get a little compensation, isn't it?"
"Or do you think having my people spar with them isn't worth that price?"
The corner of Lian Feng's mouth twitched.
Of course she knew Qin Feng was using this as a pretext to push his demands.
But that hothead Liu Chuang had already talked them into this position. If she refused outright, it would make the Super God Academy look stingy.
Besides, if Qin Feng really was willing to have that dark-red warrior fight, it would indeed be a rare opportunity for Ge Xiaolun and the others to gain practical combat experience.
It was just that the price was far too steep.
A thousand bottles of Gene Serum?
They simply did not have that much on hand.
Even if they did, she could not possibly hand it over to Qin Feng.
That was their strategic reserve. Without Du Kao's approval, she had no authority to decide.
Lian Feng fell silent for a few seconds, then said solemnly, "Mr. Qin, I can authorize one set of Dark Alloy Armor as payment. What do you think?"
Qin Feng raised his eyebrows, and the curve of his lips deepened.
"One set? Miss Lian Feng, you're far too stingy. At least a hundred sets."
"A hundred sets?!!"
Lian Feng's voice rose half a pitch, and the irritation she had finally suppressed surged back up.
"Mr. Qin, you're asking too much. You may not know this, but Dark Alloy Armor is extremely difficult to manufacture. The entire Super God Academy produces only one set a month. We do still have some in stock, but that's all in preparation for the coming Taotie invasion."
"I'm sure you understand that when both sides are roughly equal in strength, wars come down to resources. Offering even one set is already a considerable show of sincerity!"
"All right, then. Ten sets, and not one less!"
Qin Feng feigned regret.
Of course he knew Lian Feng could not possibly produce a hundred sets.
He had named that price purely to secure more benefits.
It was just like the broken-window effect.
Sometimes, when you wanted to open a window, others might not agree. But when you wanted to smash down the wall, they would certainly agree to let you open the window.
By first asking for a hundred sets and then lowering it to ten, the difference made it seem as though Lian Feng had gotten a bargain.
In reality, however, his goal had been ten sets from the start.
Lian Feng stared at him for three seconds, her lips pressed into a thin line.
She quickly calculated their stock in her head. Parting with ten sets of Dark Alloy Armor would hurt, but she could grit her teeth and manage it.
After all, that stock had been prepared for the Super Soldier Company in the first place, and practical combat experience was what Ge Xiaolun and the others lacked most right now.
Although the deal was a loss, it was not entirely unacceptable.
Before you continue