A New Sea Monster

"Get some rest. I'll send Xiwo in to check on you," Su Ming said.

"Mm."

The hemostatic injection was remarkably effective. After examining Zijin, Xiwo confirmed that her condition was stable. As long as she didn't bleed again, she would need almost no further treatment.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief. "One more injection in twelve hours, and you should be fine."

As for the sea monster, the sonar had tracked it all the way down to the seabed. Continued monitoring had detected no signs of life, so its death was all but confirmed.

Xiwo reported the outcome through the rune communication tower, and the entire Federation erupted in celebration. They immediately dispatched an investigation vessel from the outskirts and requested that the tentacle samples be handed over.

After some discussion, Su Ming and Zijin decided to keep the most intact tentacle, hand the rest over to the Federation, and demand payment for the mission. Following negotiations, the Federation agreed to pay fifty thousand gold coins or equivalent supplies upfront, with the remaining fifty thousand to be paid once the sea monster's death was confirmed.

Zijin wanted to negotiate more favorable payment terms, but Su Ming said he was willing to accept the offer.

"These merchants are hard to deal with. When it's time to pay, they'll come up with all sorts of excuses to stall," Zijin warned.

"I'll soon have a piece of equipment that cures procrastination," Su Ming explained. "If they really dare to do that, we'll have a good reason to demand double."

Su Ming had arranged for Miao Xin to make the long journey from the west coast of the United States to the east coast precisely for this.

"You're that confident?" Zijin asked in surprise.

"There's an old saying back home: all fear comes