"Everyone, please excuse the humble surroundings."
As captain, Gao Feng naturally stepped forward, his voice steady.
"The materials are all here. Most are Beast General Level, and a small portion are scraps from a Horde Leader Level Iron-Armored Dragon."
"Take a look and make your offers."
"You all know the rules. The highest bidder wins, and we only accept Huaxia Currency."
As soon as Gao Feng finished, the merchants crowded around and began examining and appraising the materials.
They occasionally spoke in low voices or used portable instruments to test them.
The living room filled with the sounds of bargaining.
Just as Gao Feng had expected, in a place like the Supply Base,
the merchants generally offered a little less than the squad could get by returning to the Base City and selling through the HR Alliance Mall or the dojo's internal channels.
After all, they bore the costs of transportation, risk, and immediate payment.
But the Fire Hammer Squad had brought back a large quantity of high-quality materials this time.
In particular, there were materials from a Horde Leader Level Iron-Armored Dragon, even if they were only scraps.
That alone was enough to draw interest.
Competition among several major merchants was fierce, and the price was quickly driven into a reasonable range.
In the end, the Beast General Level materials and some of the Iron-Armored Dragon materials
were divided among several well-funded merchants who had made relatively fair offers.
The transaction went quickly; both sides were old hands.
Looking at the figures credited to their accounts,
Wei Tie, Wei Qing, and Chen Gu were all smiles.
In the end, only Luo Feng's spoils remained.
The materials Luo Feng had were simply too valuable.
Even those merchants lacked the authority to purchase them.
And so, after a major merchant from the HR Alliance made a phone call,
about half an hour later, an elderly man with graying hair
hurried into the small building,
accompanied by two imposing, composed bodyguards who were clearly High-Tier Warlords.
The moment he entered, his gaze fell directly on the items before Luo Feng.
In particular, the longsword and combat suit.
He said little. After obtaining Luo Feng's consent,
he used a detector to carefully examine the longsword and combat suit.
As the examination progressed, his expression grew increasingly grave, and amazement flashed through his eyes from time to time.
The old man took out his phone and made a call,
seemingly discussing something.
At last, he named a figure.
"For all of these items, including the dragon egg, the sword, the combat suit, and these core Iron-Armored Dragon materials,
"we at the HR Alliance Mall are willing to offer thirty-eight billion in Huaxia Currency."
Thirty-eight billion!
When the figure was announced, even Gao Feng, who had already steeled himself, couldn't help twitching an eyelid.
Chen Gu sucked in a sharp breath, while Wei Tie and Wei Qing also widened their eyes.
It was an astronomical sum!
Many veteran War General Level fighters might have total assets of only a few billion.
Luo Feng's haul from this single trip had surpassed what the vast majority of War General Level fighters accumulated in a lifetime!
Waves surged in Luo Feng's heart, but he quickly calmed down.
The price was probably fair.
It might even be slightly above market value.
The other side had clearly taken notice of his potential and wanted to befriend him or establish contact.
He glanced at Gao Feng, who nodded slightly, signaling him to decide for himself.
"Agreed."
Luo Feng didn't hesitate long and accepted decisively.
He urgently needed funds to buy the Water of Life, so the money had come at just the right time.
The transaction was completed quickly.
When he saw the dazzlingly long string of digits in his personal account,
even Luo Feng, strong-willed as he was, felt dazed for a moment.
Including his share from the earlier sale of the Beast General Level materials,
his fortune had now surpassed forty billion in Huaxia Currency!
He had truly struck it rich in one swoop!
After seeing off the thoroughly satisfied old man and his companions and closing the front door,
only the members of the Fire Hammer Squad remained in the living room.
Everyone looked at Luo Feng with somewhat complicated expressions.
There was envy and happiness, but more than anything, they felt genuine joy for him.
"Forty billion!"
Chen Gu murmured, patting Luo Feng on the shoulder.
"Luo Feng, you kid have really soared into the sky in a single bound!"
"Haha, our squad got to share in the glory too!"
Wei Tie said with a laugh.
Just as the living room was brimming with the joy of their harvest,
and everyone was excitedly marveling at Luo Feng's good fortune,
a clear notification chime from a Communication Watch suddenly rang out.
The sound came from Luo Feng's wrist.
The lively atmosphere fell quiet.
Everyone's eyes turned to Luo Feng as one.
Then, almost instinctively, they looked at the communicator on his wrist, where an incoming call was flashing.
The screen displayed a name they all knew.
Zhuge Tao, the supervisor of the Dojo of Limits in Jiangnan Base City.
The smile on Gao Feng's face faded somewhat, and Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing also stopped chatting and laughing.
They exchanged a glance.
Luo Feng's opportunity had arrived!
Luo Feng looked down at the caller ID, his heart stirring slightly.
He looked up and met his teammates' knowing gazes, mixed with complicated feelings and encouragement.
Gao Feng gave him a slight nod.
Some roads were destined to be walked alone.
And some opportunities and choices could only be seized by the person involved.
The members of the Fire Hammer Squad all understood that, after this battle,
Luo Feng's future was no longer entirely on the same track as theirs.
His path was destined to be broader.
"I'll take this call."
Luo Feng said this to his teammates, then turned and stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor.
There was a relatively quiet little room upstairs with good soundproofing.
It was usually used for impromptu meetings.
Luo Feng walked in and closed the door behind him, shutting out the sounds from downstairs.
He pressed the answer button on his communicator.
"Supervisor Zhuge."
Luo Feng's voice was calm.
"Luo Feng!"
Zhuge Tao's voice came through the receiver, as steady as ever.
But listening closely, there seemed to be a trace of barely perceptible eagerness and relief beyond what was usual.
"I hear your squad just returned from City 003 with quite a haul."
"News travels fast over here at the Supply Base."
Luo Feng wasn't surprised that Zhuge Tao had found out so quickly. The Dojo of Limits' intelligence network wasn't just for show.
"We did have some gains. We were pretty lucky," he replied briefly.
"Haha, luck is part of one's strength too."
Zhuge Tao chuckled, then his tone turned formal.
"Luo Feng, I called to inform you of something extremely important, and to congratulate you!"
Luo Feng's attention sharpened.
"Please, go ahead, Supervisor."
"This concerns what happened after your last fighter assessment."
"After all your information from that time was reported to headquarters, it drew considerable attention from the higher-ups!"
"After evaluation and discussion, headquarters has decided to give you an extraordinarily precious opportunity!"
He paused, seemingly to let Luo Feng absorb the information.
Or perhaps to emphasize what he was about to say.
"A spot in the Elite Training Camp!"
"The Elite Training Camp?"
Luo Feng was somewhat unfamiliar with the term.
"Yes! It seems you don't know much about it yet, so I'll give you a brief introduction."
Zhuge Tao had clearly come prepared and explained at a steady pace.