212: Settlement Rewards

Near a certain bay in Liaobei Province.

A lonely and quiet cabin stood by the sea.

The moonlight was hazy, gently covering the cabin's wooden roof like a thin veil.

The cabin's exterior walls were slightly mottled by age and weather, and the wooden structure showed varying textures in the night.

Soft, warm yellow light emanated from the windows, spilling onto the beach through the gaps in the curtains, forming warm halos of light.

The sea breeze blew, causing the shell wind chimes hanging by the window to make crisp, pleasant tinkling sounds.

However, amidst the sound of the wind chimes, there were also footsteps.

A dark figure slowly walked towards the small wooden cabin.

He was a man with a fierce face covered in tattoos.

All the hair on the rest of his head was shaved, except for a small braid at the back of his head.

His scalp was covered with black tattoos of unknown meaning, making him look intimidating.

Creak.

The man pushed open the door of the small wooden cabin.

A gust of sea breeze rushed in, startling another man wearing an eye patch inside the room.

He immediately stood up, respectfully stood by the table, bowed his head slightly, and spoke with reverence and humility: “Nine Lives Raven, you’ve arrived.”

Nine Lives Raven nodded slightly, sat on the chair, and propped his legs on the table, his face hidden from the light.

This single action filled the small wooden cabin with an invisible pressure.

That inexplicable sense of oppression made the man with the eye patch's legs feel weak, almost causing him to lose his balance.

Nine Lives Raven’s voice drifted from the darkness, speaking very fluent Mandarin.

For the Eight Great Killers, mastering languages was a necessary skill.

It could be said that they could travel to any corner of the world without communication problems.

“Third Master, I remember… the Headhunter Tribe has no trash.”

Third Master swallowed, nodding noncommittally.

The only criterion for joining the Headhunter Tribe was killing.

And killing was a simple yet extremely complex matter.

There were simply too many things to test.

It could be said that every Martial Artist recognized by the Headhunter Tribe was an elite among Martial Artists.

“Yes, the Headhunter Tribe has no trash.”

Third Master's tone grew heavier as he repeated.

“Then why did Shepherd die?” Nine Lives Raven’s tone was light.

Third Master wiped the sweat from his forehead: “That question is hard to explain; I haven't been in contact with him.”

“Alright, that's not your fault.” Nine Lives Raven tapped his finger on the table and continued: “Then why did your subordinate, Stone Heart, also die?”

“This, this was an accident.”

Third Master quickly explained: “Wu Jue hired Stone Heart to do something, but he failed.”

“Shen Bei, right?”

“Yes. And four Martial Artists undergoing assessment were also killed by that guy.”

Nine Lives Raven was silent for a moment: “Show me Shen Bei’s information.”

Third Master quickly pulled out a file bag.

Nine Lives Raven opened it and looked.

Inside was information Third Master had secretly collected.

Of course, it was all superficial information.

Things like Martial Artist grades and attribute data were impossible for Third Master to collect, even if he tried his hardest.

“A student from Lingnan City Martial Arts University… Shepherd, Stone Heart…”

Nine Lives Raven lit the file bag on fire and burned it.

Nine Lives Raven had a bit of a headache.

Of course, it wasn't a mere Shen Bei causing him a headache.

Shen Bei wasn't worthy.

In fact, Nine Lives Raven didn't even spare him a glance.

In his eyes, Shen Bei belonged to the weakest of the weakest of the weak.

Like an ant.

What gave Nine Lives Raven a headache was that the map of the Sea of Hopelessness reported by the China branch had completely lost its clues with the deaths of Shepherd and the others!

It was important to know that the Apocalypse Cult controlled its own Permanent Dungeon.

This was one of the reasons the Headhunter Tribe was quite envious.

Another important reason was to find the location of the Apocalypse Cult’s Holy Object, the "Turbellaria".

As sworn enemies, the Headhunter Tribe had always wanted to destroy the "Turbellaria" and smash the Apocalypse Cult’s Foundation.

The Headhunter Tribe had also tried to find the Sea of Hopelessness from other Dungeon entrances.

But a huge mountain range lay across the Earth Cave World, and forcing a passage through it would present enormous difficulties.

China had finally managed to send out news of a secret passage that could bypass the mountain and reach the Sea of Hopelessness.

This truly excited Nine Lives Raven.

The result…

It was gone!

“I can’t come for nothing.”

Nine Lives Raven stood up: “Perhaps Shen Bei knows something.”

Upon hearing this, Third Master was startled and quickly said: “You can't go!”

“Why?”

“Shen Bei is currently in Changtu County, where a Permanent Dungeon is about to open, and many Martial Artists are gathered there; the whole city is full of Martial Artists! The country always maintains a high-pressure stance against the Headhunter Tribe; ants can bite an elephant to death!”

Nine Lives Raven frowned.

A city full of Martial Artists…

He stroked his chin and nodded: “Understood.”

“Don’t worry, Shen Bei won't be long before he goes to the provincial capital for school, and then I will personally take action!”

“Good.”

After speaking, Nine Lives Raven pushed open the door and vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

However, what Third Master didn't know was.

The moment Nine Lives Raven disappeared, all the tattoos on his body receded.

He reached up and grabbed his head, tearing off his facial skin and scalp.

Like a human skin mask.

Nine Lives Raven stuffed the human skin into his pocket and walked north at an unhurried pace.

…

In another villa.

Inside the secret room.

Wu Jue inserted a USB drive into the computer.

A jumble of garbled code appeared on the screen.

It was as if a large amount of data was building a top-secret channel.

After a while.

The garbled code disappeared.

A chat window popped up.

The video started.

Oleg’s face appeared on the computer.

He held a cigar in one hand, crossed his legs, and sat on a red sofa.

“Respected Bishop Oleg, hello.”

Wu Jue, in front of the computer, made an Apocalypse Cult gesture as a greeting.

Oleg got straight to the point, asking: “Is there any news about my weapon?”

“I am very sorry.”

Wu Jue’s face was dimly lit in front of the computer as he continued: “I hired one person from the Headhunter Tribe, but he failed.”

“You can't even handle such a small matter.”

Oleg took a puff of his cigar, blew smoke onto the screen, then his head passed through the screen, slowly moving towards the camera.

This scene gave Wu Jue the illusion that Oleg was about to penetrate the computer screen and appear in the secret room.

“Actually, our loss is the greatest.” Oleg’s eyes, full of pressure, filled the entire screen: “I once pursued Shen Bei along the coastline, but he completely disappeared, and he is still alive.”

“This all indicates that Shen Bei knows a secret passage to the Sea of Hopelessness.”

“He will certainly share this secret with China, and where Shen Bei can go, China can naturally go too, and they will send people to advance.”

“The great Tianqi Divine Sect does not fear China’s Martial Artists, but if the Headhunter Tribe finds the location of the "Turbellaria", it will ultimately be a big problem.”

Wu Jue’s eyes were downcast, and after a long while, he said: “So, Shen Bei is not important, we need to pay attention to the movements of the Headhunter Tribe.”

“That's one way to look at it.”

Oleg withdrew his body, leaned back on the sofa again, and continued lazily: “Presumably, the Headhunter Tribe cannot obtain the map from within China, so they can only target Shen Bei.”

“It is said that Nine Lives Raven once appeared in Southeast Asia, killed a presidential candidate of a certain country, and then disappeared again.”

Wu Jue snorted: “They are truly a group of people without ideals.”

“The Headhunter Tribe is the cancer of this world.” Oleg said with some disdain: “They do things for money, without distinguishing between right and wrong.”

“Then where is Nine Lives Raven now?”

“Estimated to be in China.”

Wu Jue was startled: “That’s unlikely; China isn’t that easy to enter.”

Oleg looked at the camera: “You never know how Heaven-Defying the methods of high-level Martial Artists are.”

“If Nine Lives Raven can’t enter China, then how did the Headhunter Tribe establish itself in China?”

“Or rather, how did our Tianqi Divine Sect spread in China?”

“Don’t use your mindset to speculate on the strength of the Eight Great Killers or the Twelve Bishops.”

Wu Jue took a deep breath and nodded.

“The matter of retrieving my weapon must be done, and the monitoring of the Headhunter Tribe’s movements must also be arranged quickly.”

Oleg finally said: “If necessary, I will personally go to China.”

Wu Jue’s expression immediately became excited: “I look forward to you bringing the High Priest’s teachings, so that we believers can bathe in Holy Light.”

…

Changtu County.

Shen Bei woke up in his old, dilapidated home.

Shen Bei had slept exceptionally soundly these past few days.

“Home, though broken, brings peace of mind.”

Shen Bei stretched lazily.

Since his Transmigration, this small house had accompanied Shen Bei through countless days and nights.

Even the luxurious villa at Lingnan City Martial Arts University couldn't provide this feeling of home.

The feeling of home is essentially a place where one can achieve Fusion and feel completely relaxed.

Apparently, aside from the basement, Shen Bei wasn't too fond of the other parts of the villa dormitory.

He got up.

He stood by the window, brushing his teeth.

Because the Permanent Dungeon was about to open soon.

This led to a large influx of Martial Artists.

Changtu County, this county seat, was experiencing an unprecedented bustle.

Even Shen Bei's own residential area had many Martial Artists renting houses to live in.

These Martial Artists were roughly divided into two groups.

One group consisted of Martial Artists who were coordinated and managed by Liaobei Province, coming to participate in the Dungeon defense battle.

These Martial Artists stayed in hotels, inns, or properties managed by the government.

The other group consisted of independent Martial Artists, usually resellers or purchasing agents for some company or corporation.

Although the opening of the Permanent Dungeon was a bloody battle.

The Vicious Beasts that were killed also had considerable research value.

Especially Vicious Beasts not yet recorded, which were highly sought after.

If something was researched from them, they would strike it rich.

Therefore, these Martial Artists were waving money, coming to snatch up resources.

Shen Bei had just finished brushing his teeth.

The daily settlement panel popped up in the corner of his eye.

【Daily Settlement Rewards are as follows:】

【Completed Training Reserve Team mission: Gained Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1, Physique +1, Gained Money +1000.】

【Completed Bounty: Hundred-Person Homicide Case: Gained Strength +3, Agility +3, Spirit +3, Physique +3, Gained Money +1 million. Swimming speed +50%.】

Tsk tsk…

Shen Bei clicked his tongue.

The training team missions these past few days were very stable, with +1 to all four attributes daily, and nothing else.

And his salary was 1000 yuan a day.

Shen Bei had once protested that this was demeaning his worth and demanded more money.

But County Magistrate Shi Yong did not approve, saying that the national regulations stipulated that amount of money, and if he had any opinions, he could take it up with the Martial Arts Management Bureau.

What a load of crap.

Given that there were other rewards, Shen Bei couldn't be bothered to argue.

As for the Hundred-Person Homicide Case, Shen Bei had also urged Gu Changfeng and Director Zheng for several days before it was finally implemented.

He despised their work efficiency.

Just then.

The door was knocked.

No.

It should have been kicked.

Dong dong dong…

A cloud of dust fell from the door as it shook.

Shen Bei: ???

Who is it?

Do you have no manners?

Are you looking for death?

Shen Bei hadn't even opened the door.

A shout came from outside the door:

“Open the door! I know you’re home, you have the guts to trick us, do you have the guts to open the door?!”

Shen Bei: …