On the highway back to Yunhai.
Since Yan Feifan's car was covered in blood and grime inside, Lu Ding and Yan Feifan rode in Wen Yuquan's car, while Yin Feng and Shi Yinghe were in another car.
Along the way.
Yin Feng's car drove ahead, with Wen Yuquan following behind.
Leaning against the leather seat and enjoying the comfort, Lu Ding asked, "Wen Yuquan, this car's pretty roomy. The interior looks nice, and the exterior looks cool too. How much did it cost?"
"Just over three hundred thousand."
"Over three hundred thousand!!? This is a G-Wagon, and all this is real leather. Only three hundred thousand? Mine cost over six hundred thousand."
Yan Feifan spoke from the back seat, sounding somewhat surprised.
"It's different when we buy one. Besides, mine didn't come through the proper channels. I bought a collateral car. Yunhai was the capital of three dynasties, so there are plenty of rich people. Collateral cars, court-auction cars, illegally imported cars from overseas-there are countless ones, all sorts of good stuff. And they're cheap. There's no need to buy through any official channels."
"Get a plate through the bureau afterward, and all the paperwork's taken care of."
That certainly was a novel angle: spending the least money to get the most done.
Yan Feifan leaned forward and asked, "Brother Quan, didn't you run into any repossession crews?"
Collateral cars were good in every way except one: repossession crews could easily come to take them back. With hundreds of GPS trackers, there was no guarding against them all.
At the mention of this, Wen Yuquan could barely suppress his smile.
He nodded. "I did. I'd parked by the roadside, and when I came back out, the car was gone."
"But less than half a day later, the owner of the collateral car dealership brought it back to me, exactly as it was. He even filled the tank and washed it."
"Why?" Yan Feifan didn't quite understand.
"Lift up the back seat and you'll see."
Lu Ding turned to look as well. Yan Feifan shifted to one side, and the back seat really could be lifted. Once he opened it, an exquisite sniper rifle and several handguns lay quietly inside.
Lu Ding laughed at the sight too.
The owner of that collateral car dealership had probably gone numb when he took the car back and saw those things.
Bureau 749 investigators were allowed to carry guns.
But guns weren't all that useful to qi refiners.
Yan Feifan stroked the sniper rifle.
"Brother Quan, what do you keep this thing for?"
Wen Yuquan said casually, "Sometimes missions take us into the mountains and places like that. There's not much to do up there, so I shoot birds and stuff for fun. It's like a big toy. Like it? You can have it. I'll fill out a requisition when I get back and pick up another one. We've got plenty of guns at the bureau anyway. They're just gathering dust."
This was one of the perks of being a full-fledged investigator.
"No, no, that's all right." Although Yan Feifan refused out loud, he couldn't hide the fondness in his eyes. What guy didn't like guns? Still, he wasn't planning to accept Wen Yuquan's gift. Instead, he wanted to wait until he became a full-fledged investigator himself, then fill out a requisition and get one to play with.
"Lu Ding, are you thinking of buying a car? I can introduce you to a place-the collateral car dealership where I bought this one. They've got plenty of nice cars, and they're cheap."
"Sure, but you'll have to wait until I've sold the Wind-Calming Pearl."
Lu Ding felt it was time he got himself a car. It really was inconvenient without one. As for a license, he knew how to drive anyway, so he could just get one when the time came.
"You're selling the Wind-Calming Pearl?"
Wen Yuquan asked in some surprise. After all, it was a magical artifact. He really hadn't expected Lu Ding to be planning to sell it.
"It's not much use in my hands. Better to sell it for money. I just don't know how much it'll fetch."
Lu Ding really had no idea how much the Wind-Calming Pearl was worth. Like a maiden stepping into a bridal sedan chair, this was his first time-he'd never sold anything like it before.
"You can't put a fixed price on something like that. Trading it for money alone would be selling it too cheaply. You could trade it for some cultivation resources, with some pocket money on the side. That would probably still be several million, maybe ten million." Wen Yuquan was tempted, but he couldn't afford it, and he had no intention of ripping Lu Ding off.
That price sent a stir of excitement through Lu Ding.
He'd never seen so much money in his life.
At that thought, Lu Ding turned around. "Feifan, what do you think of this car?"
"It's great. Looks cool, gives you face when you drive it out, and it's tough. We're always going back and forth on missions, so this is the kind we need. Sports cars look good, but they're no use."
"All right, then. Once I've sold the Wind-Calming Pearl, I'll get you one. We'll ditch your old one."
At Lu Ding's words, Yan Feifan instantly sat up straight. "Really, Brother Lu!!?"
It wasn't that Yan Feifan couldn't afford several hundred thousand or even a million, but it was different if Lu Ding gave it to him.
"Of course. Once the money comes in, we'll upgrade. Both of us!"
"Thanks, Brother Lu!!"
Yan Feifan spoke happily.
Wen Yuquan's expression changed as he drove. "Looks like someone doesn't want us getting back so smoothly."
The smile faded from Lu Ding's face. Looking behind them through the side mirror, he saw a convoy of black cars catching up, taking positions on either side of their two cars to box them in.
He turned to look at the black sedan driving alongside them.
A man wearing a smiling pig mask turned his head, raised his hand in the shape of a gun, and held it against his temple.
Laughter came from beneath the mask, unrestrained and brazen.
The corners of Lu Ding's mouth spread upward.
Beside him, Wen Yuquan said, "They even dare to block Bureau 749's cars. They've had enough of living. There are too many cars on the highway. How about we take the next exit and have some fun with them?"
The moment he finished speaking, Lu Ding raised his hand and sent a slash cutting outward.
The black sedan beside them instantly split in two and burst into roaring flames.
Lu Ding pulled open the door. "Why wait until we're off the highway? Let's get back quickly. I've still got the Wind-Calming Pearl to sell."
Then he leaped out, his body drifting through the air with the breeze before landing steadily on the roof of a black sedan.
The Heavenly Principle Sect members were stunned!
"Fuck, is this guy really a Bureau 749 investigator? He actually dares to attack in front of all these people."
The reason they'd dared to intercept Lu Ding's group on the highway was that they thought Bureau 749's people surely wouldn't dare to fight there. After all, there were so many people around. Once they left the highway, their own men would be waiting up ahead.
With their advantage in numbers, no matter how ruthless Bureau 749's investigators were, they'd have to obediently get down!
Instead, Lu Ding had thrown reason aside and attacked outright, shattering their ambush plan.
This move truly caught them by surprise.
Seeing that Lu Ding had already gone out, Wen Yuquan shouted, "Feifan, come drive. I'm going out to help Lu Ding!"
Wen Yuquan had regretted not getting to see much of what Lu Ding could do earlier. Now that he had a chance to fight alongside him, he certainly wouldn't pass it up.
"Go ahead, Brother Quan. Leave the car to me!"
Yan Feifan crawled through the gap between the front seats and took the wheel.
Wen Yuquan opened the door, flipped up onto the roof, and stood.
He saw Lu Ding sweep his hand atop the black sedan. Its roof instantly split apart, and the car went out of control, severed limbs swaying and scattering from inside. Lu Ding grabbed a survivor, jumped back onto the G-Wagon's roof, and tore off his mask.
Beneath it was an unfamiliar face wearing a panicked expression.
"Talk. Who sent you to stop us?"
"You took... took our stuff. You'd better return it, or else..."
Before the man could finish, his head burst apart, spraying red and white everywhere.
"If you don't want to talk, don't."
Lu Ding couldn't be bothered to listen to his threats. There was nothing of substance in them; they were purely a waste of time.
Besides, once those words came out, even thinking with his toes would tell him they were from the Heavenly Principle Sect. After all, he'd only taken the Heavenly Principle Sect's Wind-Calming Pearl.
Wen Yuquan finally got a true taste of Lu Ding's decisive, ruthless approach to killing.
He knew today's affair wouldn't end easily. Immediately, he took out his phone. "I'll call the cleanup crew over. Be careful."