Luo Feng rested for a moment.
He took food and water from his backpack and quickly replenished his strength.
Once his breathing had steadied a little, he felt intensely excited.
Luo Feng first walked over to the Iron-Armored Dragon's headless corpse.
This Lord-level Monster was covered in treasures.
Suppressing his exhaustion, Luo Feng began dismantling it with the long sword in his hand.
The sword was extraordinarily sharp and resilient, though cutting through the Iron-Armored Dragon's tough scales was still strenuous.
But it was many times better than his Blood Shadow Battle Blade.
Luo Feng had a clear goal: take only the most valuable parts that were easiest to carry.
First came the toughest reverse scale over its heart, along with a small patch of the finest scales around it.
Next were its four thickest, sharpest foreclaws.
Especially the tips.
Finally, he pried open the Iron-Armored Dragon's enormous eye sockets.
He removed two fist-sized eyeballs, crystal clear like rubies.
As for the vast majority of its scales, its massive bones and its flesh...
Luo Feng felt a pang of regret.
That was all money!
If only he could carry it all away.
Unfortunately, he was alone, with one backpack and limited capacity.
"What a pity."
He shook his head and muttered under his breath.
Once he had finished with the Iron-Armored Dragon, Luo Feng turned his gaze to the center of the nest.
There lay the giant egg, giving off a soft glow.
He walked over and carefully reached out to touch its shell.
It was warm and smooth to the touch, not cold.
A clear, powerful pulse of life came from within, while an aura of pure, gentle energy lingered around it.
"A Horde Leader Level Iron-Armored Dragon egg, worth several billion."
Excitement flashed in Luo Feng's eyes.
He took off the jacket of his combat suit, already badly damaged and caked with blood.
He tore it into wide strips of cloth.
Carefully, he wrapped the dragon egg in several layers, making a makeshift sling.
Then he gently held it in his arms.
The egg was heavy, but Luo Feng's arms were strong enough that carrying it around was no great problem.
His backpack was already full of materials, so this was the only way he could carry the egg.
Holding the dragon egg, Luo Feng swept his gaze toward the edge of the nest.
He looked at the pile of top-grade equipment.
A combat suit was the first thing to catch Luo Feng's eye.
He had no idea what material the suit was made of.
Its texture was far superior to that of the standard-issue combat suit he wore.
Without hesitation, Luo Feng quickly changed into it.
The suit was extremely elastic, though its original owner might have been somewhat more heavily built than him.
It was a little loose on him, but it fit reasonably well in the important areas, and he could move without much trouble.
More importantly, as soon as he put it on, he felt a faintly cool aura envelop his body.
It clearly had good protective and regulating functions.
It was more than a grade above his old suit.
With that, he had finished looting.
Luo Feng looked around, making sure he had missed nothing valuable.
He shouldered the bulging backpack, stuffed full of Iron-Armored Dragon materials.
He held the dragon egg securely in his arms, wrapped in the torn cloth.
In his hand, he gripped the long sword that had saved his life, now covered in dragon blood.
His trip to City 003 had left him loaded with spoils, his gains far exceeding his expectations.
"Time to head back."
Luo Feng took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement and exhaustion.
His gaze grew sharp and alert again.
Crossing the perilous wilderness back to the Supply Base with such precious treasures...
Was a trial in itself, no less demanding than the battle he had just fought.
And so, Luo Feng held the dragon egg and carried the heavy backpack.
Gripping the long sword, its blood not yet dry, he stepped carefully out of the Carrefour supermarket.
The setting sun dyed the ruins dark gold, and the bloody smell filling the air had attracted flies and insects.
But the lingering pressure of the Lord-level Monster still kept ordinary monsters from approaching.
He watched his surroundings warily, extending his Spiritual Force to sense the area, taking every step with exceptional care.
He had only gone a few hundred meters and rounded the corner of a half-collapsed building.
Several familiar figures in the shadows ahead made him tense up at once, then relax.
"Captain? Why are you still here?"
Luo Feng looked at Gao Feng, Chen Gu, Wei Tie and Wei Qing, asking in surprise.
The four members of the Fire Hammer Squad all froze at the sight of the transformed Luo Feng.
Luo Feng had changed into an almost brand-new combat suit.
He held a round object wrapped in torn cloth in his arms, and his backpack bulged.
His long sword was covered in dark blood, and his whole body radiated a fierce aura after a grueling battle.
"Luo Feng! What happened to you?"
Gao Feng strode forward, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Luo Feng as the shock in his eyes grew.
Chen Gu pointed at the bundle in Luo Feng's arms.
"Damn! Don't tell me that's an egg you're holding?"
Wei Tie and Wei Qing were also visibly shocked, crowding around Luo Feng, wanting to touch it but not daring to.
Luo Feng felt warmth in his heart, but he was even more puzzled.
"Didn't you go back to the Supply Base?"
Faced with Luo Feng's question, Gao Feng took a deep breath and said slowly:
"After we parted ways with you, we got halfway there, but the more we thought about it, the more worried we became."
"You were here in City 003 training on your own. What if you ran into danger?"
"We talked it over and decided to stay on the outskirts for another two days, partly to wait for you."
At that, Gao Feng sized Luo Feng up with a wry smile.
"Now it looks like we were worried for nothing."
At that moment, Wei Tie pointed at the backpack, his voice trembling.
"Luo Feng! With all that gear, don't tell me you really killed a Lord Monster?"
Faced with his comrades' shocked gazes, Luo Feng smiled sheepishly.
"I got lucky. I did kill a Horde Leader Level Iron-Armored Dragon."
"I got everything I'm carrying at the Carrefour supermarket."
Hearing that, all the members of the Fire Hammer Squad gasped.
"That was an Iron-Armored Dragon! Plenty of High-level War Gods wouldn't be confident they could kill one alone! And you slaughtered it by yourself!"
"Attaboy! You really pulled it off! You've struck it rich this time!"
"Well done! But don't take a risk like that next time."
Luo Feng smiled at his teammates' congratulations.
"By the way, since you're here, the Iron-Armored Dragon's corpse is still inside."
"I only took the core materials. I can't carry the rest, so they're yours."
"There are more materials?"
Chen Gu's eyes lit up.
"All right! Come on, let's take a look."
Led by Luo Feng, the group returned to the supermarket.
The four members of the Fire Hammer Squad were profoundly shocked at the sight of the massive dragon corpse, its head severed from its body.
"So this is a Horde Leader Level Iron-Armored Dragon."
Gao Feng murmured, touching its cold scales.
"So hard. Luo Feng, how on earth did you cut it down?"
Wei Tie and Wei Qing looked at Luo Feng with admiration.
To face such a monster alone and defeat it in battle took more than strength.
It also took astonishing courage and wisdom.
Chen Gu carefully examined the wounds and the surroundings.
He gained a clearer understanding of how dangerous Luo Feng's battle had been.
"Well done. Now, let's squeeze every last bit of value out of this big fellow."
"All right."
Everyone immediately got to work.
They divided the tasks and worked together with great efficiency.
Luo Feng took off his backpack, carefully placed the dragon egg in a corner, and joined them.