151: Chapter 151 Victory Celebration Banquet

Lin Fan sneered coldly.

"Jealous?"

"Then let them stay jealous."

"They might pop their eyeballs out from staring too hard."

Just then,

a discordant voice cut in.

"Pavilion Master Lin has quite the bold tone."

Lin Fan turned his head.

He saw a middle-aged officer wearing a Major General's dress uniform, holding a wine glass, walking over.

This man was slender with high cheekbones; a pair of triangular eyes held shrewdness and calculation.

Major General.

A department head of the General Logistics Department.

Also a trusted confidant of Vice Minister Wei.

Lin Fan did not stand up, merely raising his cup slightly.

"What advice does this officer have for me?"

Major General sat down opposite Lin Fan with a thin, insincere smile.

His gaze brazenly sized up Lin Fan.

"I wouldn't dare call it advice."

"Just as someone who's been around, I'd like to offer Pavilion Master Lin a word of caution."

"The tallest tree catches the wind."

"It's good for a young man to have talent, but if he's too arrogant, he's likely to stumble."

Lin Fan swirled his wine glass, watching the red liquid cling to the sides.

"Director Wang, I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

"I'm a timid person who avoids trouble, and my business dealings are fair to all."

"Where exactly am I being arrogant?"

"Let's speak plainly."

Wang Chong leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"The upper echelons are very interested in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's blind box technology."

"Especially Vice Minister Wei. He places great importance on technology that can enhance the military's combat effectiveness."

"Vice Minister Wei's intention is to hope for deeper cooperation between the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and the General Logistics Department."

"For instance... technology sharing."

The movement of Lin Fan's hand stopped.

He looked up at Wang Chong with a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Technology sharing?"

"Director Wang, are you suggesting I hand over the very tools of my trade?"

"This isn't cooperation."

"This is robbery."

Wang Chong's face darkened.

"Lin Fan, watch your words."

"This is for the greater good of the nation!"

"Moreover, Vice Minister Wei said you won't hand it over for nothing."

"The General Logistics Department will compensate you and guarantee your smooth career advancement within the military."

"Otherwise..."

Wang Chong paused, the threat in his eyes unconcealed.

"The Myriad Treasures Pavilion might encounter some... minor difficulties in areas like raw material procurement and logistics transportation in the future."

"After all, the military's approval processes can be quite complex."

The dagger was now unsheathed.

This was a naked threat.

Using power and influence to bully others.

If it were an ordinary, background-less genius facing such a behemoth, they'd likely be trembling with fear by now.

But who was Lin Fan?

He was the Shrewd Merchant who dared to do business with the God of Death.

"Difficulties?"

Lin Fan suddenly laughed.

He laughed brightly.

He set down his wine glass, leaned back, and rested against the sofa.

He looked at Wang Chong with the expression one reserves for a fool.

"Director Wang, have you forgotten something?"

"I am currently under the wing of chief instructor Lei Zhan."

"I am also someone valued by advisor General Ye Canglan."

"You want to move against me?"

"Ask Instructor Lei if he agrees."

"Ask Elder Ye if he agrees."

Wang Chong's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

He hadn't expected Lin Fan to be so unyielding, directly invoking the names of those two powerful figures.

"Lin Fan, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"Lei Zhan can protect you for a while, but not forever."

"In this patch of land called the capital, Vice Minister Wei's word sometimes carries more weight than Lei Zhan's."

"Is that so?"

Lin Fan stood up, looking down at Wang Chong from his superior position.

The aura about him suddenly changed.

No longer the smooth-talking merchant.

But a fierce tiger ready to devour its prey.

"Then go back and tell Vice Minister Wei."

"Want the technology?"

"Fine."

"Bring your life to exchange for it."

"The Myriad Treasures Pavilion's rule: no credit."

Having said that, Lin Fan didn't even glance at Wang Chong's livid face.

He turned directly and strode away.

"Qin Feng, let's go."

"The wine here has gone sour."

Qin Feng was momentarily stunned, then threw down the lobster leg in his hand.

He glared fiercely at Wang Chong.

"Hear that?"

"It's sour!"

Then he scurried after Lin Fan.

Wang Chong remained seated, his knuckles white where he gripped his wine glass.

"Fine."

"Very good."

"Lin Fan, since you're looking for death, don't blame me for being impolite."

He took out his communicator and dialed an encrypted number.

"Minister, he refused."

"His attitude was very arrogant."

"...Yes, I understand."

"Initiate Plan B."

After hanging up, Wang Chong watched Lin Fan's retreating back, a sinister, venomous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"A genius?"

"A dead genius is just a pile of rotten flesh."

Villa A-1.

This was the most top-tier residence in the Tianjiao Camp, usually reserved only for those at the chief instructor level.

Now, it was Lin Fan's private domain.

Lin Fan pushed open the door but did not turn on the lights.

Moonlight streamed in through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting the living room in a stark, pale glow.

The earlier noise and gaudy splendor seemed shut out by this door, belonging to another world.

The villa was terrifyingly quiet.

Only the faint hum of the central air conditioning system in operation.

Lin Fan walked over and sat down on the sofa.

The smile on his face vanished completely at this moment.

Replaced by an extreme coldness.

Like a block of ice that had never melted for millennia.

He took out the dark red Dragon Blood Pool token from his chest.

Placed it on the marble tabletop.

*Tap.*

The crisp sound of impact echoed in the empty living room.

Lin Fan extended a slender finger and gently traced the surface of the token.

His fingertip registered a warm, slippery sensation.

It didn't feel like metal.

More like a freshly skinned venomous snake.

Watching him from the darkness.

"Vice Minister Wei..."

Lin Fan murmured to himself.

In his mind, the image of that dignified, middle-aged man on the podium and the giant claw reaching out from the abyssal fissure in the Asura Battlefield slowly overlapped.

Along with the nauseating stench that had clung to Wang Chong just moments ago.

The clues connected at this moment, forming a complete logical chain.

There was a ghost in the upper echelons of the military.

And the rank of this ghost was high.

So high it could manipulate the Tianjiao Camp's rewards, could disguise an abyssal coordinate as a Dragon Blood Pool token and deliver it into his hands.

This was a certain-kill trap.

If he were a greedy, brainless hothead who took this token for the so-called "Dragon Blood Pool" baptism...

Then what awaited him would definitely not be a rebirth.

But becoming a sacrificial offering to the Abyssal Dragon God.

Devoured until not even bone fragments remained.

"Want to eat me?"

A flash of madness crossed Lin Fan's eyes.

His golden pupils shimmered in the darkness like two burning will-o'-the-wisps.

He had never been one to sit and wait for death.

Since the enemy had already placed a blade against his neck.

Then they couldn't blame him for flipping the table.

Lin Fan picked up his communicator.

He didn't contact Lei Zhan, nor did he contact General Ye Canglan.

This matter involved too much. If word got out, the other side might become desperate and even act directly within the Tianjiao Camp.

He needed a force completely his own, absolutely controllable.

His fingers danced rapidly across the screen, dialing Qin Feng's number.

"Hello? Brother Fan?"

Qin Feng's somewhat groggy voice came from the other end of the line; clearly, the guy had just fallen asleep.

"Stop sleeping."

Lin Fan's voice was low, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Pass the word down."

"Initiate the Bait Plan."

Qin Feng on the other end of the line instantly became alert.

"Bait Plan?"

"Brother Fan, you mean that..."

"Yes."

Lin Fan looked at the token on the table, a cruel curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Also, help me prepare the materials on a list."

"I'm going to concoct a very nourishing batch of blind boxes."

"Remember, be quick."

"And keep it confidential. Besides you, I don't want a third person to know."

Although Qin Feng didn't know exactly what Lin Fan intended to do, he heard the killing intent in Lin Fan's tone.

"Understood!"

"I'll go take care of it right away!"

"Oh, Brother Fan, the target this time is..."

Lin Fan was silent for two seconds.

"A Feast for Gluttons."

"Since they like sacrificial offerings so much..."

"Then I'll prepare a feast for them... one they'll never forget."

"I just wonder if their teeth are hard enough."

He hung up the call.

Lin Fan took the token back into his hand.

He squeezed it hard.

The token emitted a groan of protest under the pressure.

The bloody glow on its surface seemed to dim slightly.

He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking out at the pitch-black night.

The streetlights in the distance were dim and yellow, like tired eyes.

Lin Fan's figure merged with the darkness.

Only those golden eyes remained, frighteningly bright.

From this moment on, the roles of hunter and prey began to reverse.

Abyssal Dragon God?

Ghost within the military?

Whether man or ghost.

Once they entered his blind box.

They could only be defined by him.

"Come on then."

Lin Fan made an inviting gesture towards the void.

"Welcome to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

"This will be the worst deal you've ever made in your lives."