The task is complete.
Everyone, finally hearing the System notification, felt a wave of relief wash over them. They exchanged glances and couldn't help but show sincere smiles. Even Liu Wu Dai, who was usually expressionless, cracked a slight smile.
This was a scripted mission with a five-person difficulty rating. It was already good enough to barely complete it, much less ensure that not a single person died.
"We finally snatched a life back from the hands of the System," Xing Hechou said with a wry smile. "I owe you all a lot this time."
Wanli Fengdao shook his head and replied, "You are too modest, Old Brother Xing. If it wasn't for your quick decision-making and immediate action just now, I would probably have made a huge mistake."
What Wanli Fengdao was referring to was Xing Hechou's act of throwing the Bronze Halberd to save Hong Niang during the banquet—the System's mission only required everyone to survive for seven days and did not stipulate that the team had to kill the Mountain Demon.
Had Xing Hechou not taken action to save someone, Wanli Fengdao might have hesitated out of self-preservation and watched an innocent person die.
For ten years this blade was honed, its frosty edge never tested. Today, I present it to you all. Who among you suffers injustice? Finally selected by the battleground game, granted a chance to break free from the bonds of a desperate and dull reality, to possess a second life... if one were to still hesitate and be timorous, what kind of Swordsman would that make one? Of what use would talk of chivalry be?
"...Actually, I didn't think too much at that moment; it was just professional habit," Xing Hechou said. Seeing the sincere gratitude in Wanli Fengdao's eyes, he fell silent for a moment before speaking frankly, "As you all have guessed, I belong to the field operations of the Security Department Special Affairs Administration. Indeed, I am an official."
"Since the battleground game restarted seven months ago, the government has poured in a massive amount of human, material, and financial resources. It has identified the analysis, decryption, and utilization of the battleground game as one of the most important strategic orientations for the entire national machinery for the foreseeable future."
"And as the frontline department responding to the battleground game, the Special Affairs Bureau bears the brunt of this responsibility. Our work is not only for the safety of people's lives in the real world. It is also for the rise and fall of the nation, the competition for global dominance, and even the survival of the human species."
"As a player myself, I can understand the joy and fear that come with possessing supernatural abilities. There's the delight at the transformation of a mundane life, and then there's the fear of an uncertain future—the fear akin to that of the proverbial common man whose only crime is possessing a treasure."
"But I hope you can have a little more trust in our official departments."
With that, Xing Hechou sent friend request links to the others and pulled out a few small, steel business cards, handing them to the others.
There was nothing on the card except a phone number and a website address.
"This is the contact information for the Special Affairs Bureau. Whether you want to join the Special Affairs Bureau, inquire about the ins and outs of the battleground game, or learn about some disaster secrets, you can contact us anytime."
Xing Hechou made his appeal with utmost sincerity, "Please believe that a powerful motherland is always our strongest backing."
Wanli Fengdao silently picked up the steel card, then, belatedly glancing around, he frowned and asked, "Eh? Where's Xiao Li?"
"I'm right here!"
Li Ang crawled out of Necromancer Wang Guan's sedan chair, looking regretful, and said, "Didn't Wang Guan get the method of alchemy and the true teachings of the Taoist Door from a Necromancer named Chi Duzi? I just thought of searching for the Secret Manual, but unfortunately, I didn't find anything."
It was regrettable but understandable. Wang Guan was not the kind of monster who would carelessly take Taoist scriptures around, and the System wouldn't provide too many loopholes to exploit. High rewards come with high risk.
Li Ang, unhappy about missing out on a prize, hurried to the corpse of the Mountain Demon and, brandishing his Battle Axe, shouted, "Teleportation time waits for no one! We'd better carve up the Mountain Demon quickly. The flesh of supernatural lifeforms can also be sold for money!"
Li Ang, with his rigorous scientific training, had long been trying various methods to test the System's shop. The bodies of supernatural lifeforms had to be put into the inventory before they could be sold to the System's shop for Game Currency. However, if a corpse was too large, it couldn't be considered a single item and packed into an inventory slot. It had to be dismembered into parts, like limbs and a torso—much like the components of a Dark Mage—before it could be placed into the inventory.
In the eyes of Xing Hechou and others, Li Ang, covered in blood and with a frenzied look on his face as he skillfully dissected the body with his Spider Claw, resembled a pathological serial killer from movies and TV shows.
Xing Hechou coughed. "Brother Li... truly generous. If you don't mind, let me do it. I can move faster."
"Sure."
Li Ang nodded, stepped back, and watched as Xing Hechou took out something like a purple-red balloon from his inventory. Xing Hechou blew into it a few times to inflate it, then tossed it onto the Mountain Demon's gigantic corpse.
BANG—
The balloon exploded on cue, and the purple-red film tightly covered the Mountain Demon's corpse, continuously shrinking and tightening, eventually condensing the mountainous Mountain Demon into the size of a small van.
It was a pity that the Mountain Demon's relatively slender legs had already been blasted to pieces during the bombardment by the Conscienceless Cannon. With flesh torn from the bones, they were too fragmented to be worth anything. Hence, Xing Hechou didn't collect them with the purple-red film; the skeletal legs were merely placed in a corner of the courtyard.
"The body parts of supernatural beings only fetch a low price in the System's shop," Xing Hechou began, glancing at everyone and smiling. "If you trust me, I will have the Academy assess the value of the Mountain Demon's corpse after the mission. Then, I'll convert that value into Game Currency or real-world currency and distribute it evenly among us."
"Based on past experience, the body of such a Monster Beast, when divided by five, would net each person 300 Game Currency points, or 3 million RMB."
"Game Currency can be transferred directly between game friends. Paying in cash is a bit more troublesome; Special Affairs Bureau staff will place parcels packed with cash at a designated location for you to collect yourselves. I guarantee with my reputation that the entire process will be free of surveillance and arrests. The Special Affairs Bureau has always maintained a lenient and welcoming policy towards lawful and good players."
How much??
Li Ang, who was used to being broke, took a sharp intake of breath and didn't quite catch what Xing Hechou said next.
Even though he had long guessed that supernatural beings were of great value to the authorities—after all, banknotes could be printed anytime, while supernatural samples weren't found just anywhere—
But when Li Ang heard a sum involving 'millions,' he couldn't help but feel excited.
Three million, three million! How many tutoring sessions would he have to give the neighbor's bratty kid to earn that back?
With so much money, he could afford to buy two bowls of cold noodles per meal: one to eat and one to pour out...
The thought struck Li Ang like a bolt from the blue. Suddenly rich, his heart swelled with excitement. Then he remembered the many Monster Beasts in the courtyard that Chai Cuiqiao, the Fierce Ghost, had devoured completely.
So many corpses... how much money could they have sold for? Never mind, don't overthink it.
His heart aching, Li Ang fought back tears, watching as Xing Hechou and the others discussed how to divide the Purple-gold Buddha Bowl left by the Mountain Demon, and the Vajra Devil Subduing Pestle that was missing a piece.
Among the two pieces of equipment, the Purple-gold Buddha Bowl—which could gather Spiritual Energy and facilitate spiritual cultivation—was undoubtedly of higher value. After some discussion, Xing Hechou, on behalf of the Special Affairs Bureau, bought the Purple-gold Buddha Bowl for 400 Game Currency points from each of them. He also bought the Vajra Devil Subduing Pestle for 200 Game Currency points from each.