103: Chapter 103 I heard you know me?
It wasn't until they heard these words.
That the five of them snapped out of it, looking at the magic beast's corpse at Aunt Mi Xue's feet with complex expressions.
Was this really that terrifying Metamorphic-tier Magic Beast?
Now that it was dead, it looked no different from a common grade magic beast.
Captain Jin Tu felt extremely uncomfortable.
Just as he was about to slip away quietly, Aunt Mi Xue's voice rang out.
"Thank you for saving us, Mr. Chen, and thank you for gifting us such a precious magic beast corpse."
"We haven't done anything to deserve this; we wouldn't dare accept such a generous gift."
"Aren't you an acquaintance of Captain Jin Tu from the Golden Tree Squad? Why give it to us?"
Aunt Mi Xue bowed respectfully and asked softly.
She felt this gift was far too valuable.
They were complete strangers, and she felt she didn't deserve it.
But to refuse directly might offend Mr. Chen and seem disrespectful.
Therefore...
She used Captain Jin Tu and the Golden Tree Squad as an excuse.
Lin Fan was momentarily stunned by Aunt Mi Xue's words.
Shouldn't one be profoundly grateful when receiving a free gift from a powerful figure?
Why was she asking this?
But in the next moment...
He looked at the curly-haired Captain Jin Tu, whose face looked like he had swallowed a fly, and a wicked grin spread beneath his mask.
Perfect, he'd take this opportunity.
To teach this scum, who had been using his name to swindle people everywhere, a proper lesson.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Fan slowly walked toward the five people.
Captain Jin Tu felt his world spin as he stumbled backward.
His reaction...
Was witnessed by the Tier 3 Mages from the other two squads. They exchanged a look, both sensing something was wrong.
Without waiting for Aunt Mi Xue to answer...
The two of them stepped forward and immediately blurted out what Captain Jin Tu had said earlier.
"He said he was very close to you and that you even agreed to join his squad."
"He also said he could help us establish a connection with you."
The two reported with sincere expressions.
Captain Jin Tu's face turned as pale as a ghost.
He glared intensely at the two of them.
You two bastards!
You were just desperately sucking up to me, and the moment you get a chance, you bite back!
Seeing Mr. Chen slowly turn his head, the white mask pointing directly at him, Captain Jin Tu trembled all over.
The image of Mr. Chen blasting the Lizardman with a barrage of Thunder Spears...
Was still lingering in his mind.
It was too terrifying!
He immediately lowered his head.
Staring fixedly at the ground, his legs wouldn't stop shaking.
"Oh? Captain Jin Tu, is it?"
"How come I don't remember meeting you? When did I ever agree to join your squad?"
Lin Fan walked toward Captain Jin Tu step by step.
The other two's eyes lit up.
So Captain Jin Tu had been lying to them all along; Mr. Chen didn't know this bastard at all!
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, I... I..."
Captain Jin Tu's lips quivered, his words were incoherent, and cold sweat poured down his face.
His gaze was like that of someone being watched by a demon; he only wanted to flee immediately.
The Tier 3 Mage in the Golden Tree Squad...
Watched all of this in silence, his expression unusually calm.
Lin Fan stopped in front of Captain Jin Tu.
Looking at this shivering, curly-haired man, he felt satisfied.
This was the point of creating the identity of "Mr. Chen"...
A mysterious powerhouse who made all top figures wary, yet afraid to provoke.
He was about to speak.
When a pungent odor suddenly wafted into his nostrils.
Lin Fan was slightly taken aback; he looked down at Captain Jin Tu's legs.
He saw a clear liquid.
Continuously dripping from his pant legs onto the ground.
Lin Fan: "..."
This guy actually pissed himself from fear?
It seemed he had overdone the scaring; what a pathetic coward.
Lin Fan shook his head and turned to leave.
Aunt Mi Xue and the others also noticed Captain Jin Tu's embarrassing state.
They all showed expressions of disdain, without a hint of sympathy.
He deserved it for using Mr. Chen's name to deceive people.
"I won't take back what I've given. These corpses are useless to me."
Lin Fan looked at Aunt Mi Xue, pulling her attention back.
Aunt Mi Xue was slightly stunned, then quickly thanked him.
At this point, refusing again would be ungrateful.
Lin Fan smiled under his mask.
He didn't feel any regret about giving away a Metamorphic-tier Magic Beast's corpse.
Aunt Mi Xue and the entire Wave Squad had been willing to sacrifice their lives to let him escape.
In Lin Fan's eyes, these corpses were not nearly enough to repay them.
But giving too much would instead arouse suspicion.
"Alright, gather your team and leave Stone Ghost Gorge immediately."
"Don't come back for a while; it's not safe here."
Lin Fan finished speaking and turned to leave.
He silently admired himself...
For talking nonsense with such a straight face.
What danger could there be in Stone Ghost Gorge?
The real reason was...
He was going to spend the next few days here grinding experience and creating spells, and he didn't want anyone to disturb him.
Seeing Mr. Chen about to leave, the captains of the other two squads...
Immediately rushed forward, wanting to say a few words, but found that Mr. Chen had already vanished.
It was as if he had evaporated into thin air.
The two sighed helplessly.
Then they looked at Aunt Mi Xue, their gazes becoming incredibly firm.
"Miss Mi Xue, you must be tired. Let us help you handle the corpses."
"Miss Mi Xue, we're all friends here. If the Wave Squad needs anything in the future, just give the word to my Iron Star Squad, and we'll do whatever it takes."
The two immediately began currying favor frantically, completely ignoring Captain Jin Tu, who was collapsed on the ground.
They weren't stupid.
Out of all the people present...
Mr. Chen had given all the benefits to Aunt Mi Xue, clearly showing that their relationship was anything but ordinary.
By sucking up to Aunt Mi Xue, they would have a chance to contact the real Mr. Chen in the future, rather than a fake like Captain Jin Tu.
Aunt Mi Xue: "..."
How could she not see through their intentions?
But even if she said...
That she didn't know Mr. Chen at all and that this was her first time meeting him, would anyone believe her?
And so...
Aunt Mi Xue chose to keep quiet and calmly accepted their flattery.
Who would refuse two Tier 3 Mages willing to risk their lives for free?
As for Captain Jin Tu, he was helped up by his team members and left the place dejectedly.
His face was ashen, his reputation utterly ruined.
Today's humiliation was enough to keep his head bowed for the rest of his life.
...
After leaving the battlefield, Lin Fan headed straight for the parking spot.
He retracted his mask and robe into the system, and with a burst of speed, he crossed several kilometers every second.
On the way, he glanced at the system panel.
Having killed seven magic beasts, his experience points had surged to 740 points.
The magic beasts provided 70 points, plus a 10-point reward from the Weekly Quest.
This amount of experience was enough for him to level up seven times in a row, but he didn't use it.
He wanted to save it first to create the spell he had planned.
"Fifty thousand experience points... if I used it all to level up, I could easily reach Sage-tier or even higher, reaching the peak of power directly."
Lin Fan muttered to himself.
In the past...
In his previous hunting grounds, trying to save up this much experience would have been as difficult as climbing to heaven, and he wouldn't have dared to go deep into the forest.
But now...
He had found a place packed with weak magic beasts; fifty thousand experience points was no longer out of reach.
At this moment, he was hesitating.
Whether to create the spell first or use all the experience to boost his strength.
If he went all out on leveling up...
He could easily stand at the peak of mages, invincible under the heavens.
But even so...
Could he really solve the disappearance cases?
Even if his Mage Perception reached its peak...
It would still have its limits.