251: Chapter 251 Departure to the Front Lines

The evening breeze from the Beijing University clock tower carried a hint of early autumn chill.

Lin Fan watched the constantly flashing red alert on his system panel, his palm slowly tightening around the hilt of his demon slaying saber.

An S+ grade high-energy reaction meant that a terrifying entity, far beyond a normal beast tide, was approaching.

Zhang Hao, still clutching his half-finished can of happy water, blinked in confusion as he looked at Lin Fan's suddenly extremely serious profile.

"Brother Fan, why is your expression like you just saw someone steal your blind box?"

Lin Fan took a deep breath, quickly digesting the system panel notification in his mind.

He turned around, looking at the group of companions who had grown up around him, and a familiar Shrewd Merchant smirk suddenly curled the corners of his mouth.

"Fatty, your perspective is still too small."

"What are out-of-print figures worth? What I see is a mountain of gold waving at us."

Su Qingxue slightly furrowed her beautiful brows. She knew Lin Fan too well; whenever he wore that expression, it meant someone or some monster was about to have terrible luck.

"You just said you wanted to go to the front lines to restock. What exactly do you mean?"

Lin Fan pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, the lenses refracting a sharp light in the setting sun.

"Just a moment ago, I received extremely reliable internal intelligence."

"At the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield, Seventh War Zone defensive line, an S+ grade high-energy reaction has appeared. It is suspected that a spatial passage is undergoing large-scale expansion."

Upon hearing the words "Seventh War Zone," Mo Yu, who had been standing silently on the side, suddenly changed expression.

He stepped forward quickly, his cold voice carrying a rare hint of gravity.

"Are you sure it's the Seventh War Zone? Intelligence from there is classified as top secret by the military; even I only know a little bit about it."

Lin Fan shrugged, not explaining the source of his intelligence.

"My intelligence channel is absolutely reliable. You just need to tell me what the situation is like over there."

Mo Yu took a deep breath and looked toward the distant north, as if he could pierce through mountains and rivers to see that land soaked in blood.

"The Seventh War Zone is the very forefront of the Huaxia defense line, and it is also the most dangerous place with the highest mortality rate among all war zones."

"It is not just a normal defensive position, but a meat grinder that never stops."

"The troops stationed there do not face scattered exotic beasts, but truly organized regular armies of alien races."

Zhang Hao gasped, the can of happy water in his hand becoming deformed from his grip.

"Regular alien armies? Then why are we going there to join in? Isn't that just going to throw our lives away?"

Lin Fan backhanded a slap onto the back of Zhang Hao's head, producing a crisp sound.

"Throw your life away, my foot! Do you think my rank seven Grandmaster cultivation was given away for free?"

"Don't you understand that fortune favors the bold?"

"The more dangerous the place, the higher the quality of the raw materials. That's all cold hard cash and top-tier blind boxes!"

Hearing the words "blind box," Chu Yaoyao's eyes immediately lit up like two little stars, and she excitedly raised her hand.

"Brother Lin Fan, I want to go too! My Wind Spirit talent is really strong now; I guarantee I can help you grab the most loot!"

Lin Fan looked at this energetic, violent loli and shook his head with a smile.

"No, this time you and Qing Xue must stay in the capital."

Chu Yaoyao immediately deflated like a punctured ball, pouting aggrievedly.

Su Qingxue, however, was very calm. She keenly grasped the main point in Lin Fan's words.

"Are you worried that since the Zhao Family was just destroyed, the situation in the capital is still unstable, and someone needs to hold down the fort at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion?"

Lin Fan snapped his fingers and gave Su Qingxue an appreciative look.

"Qing Xue, you understand me best."

"Although the Zhao Family is gone, those noble families who are jealous of our industry haven't all died out yet."

"The Myriad Treasures Pavilion is like a huge piece of fat right now; who knows how many eyes are watching in the dark."

Lin Fan walked up to Su Qingxue, his tone becoming serious.

"Qing Xue, I trust your talent in business."

"From today on, you are the acting CEO of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, fully responsible for the integration and daily operations of all industries in the capital."

"Yaoyao is responsible for assisting you. If anyone dares to cause trouble at this time, use Wind Blades to break their legs directly."

Su Qingxue met Lin Fan's gaze, without any refusal, and just nodded solemnly.

"Go with peace of mind. I will guard the base camp in the capital for you."

"Even if a powerful family on the level of the Qin Family dares to reach out, I will dare to freeze their claws into ice shards."

At this moment, the aura Su Qingxue exuded was no longer that of a cold school beauty, but the aura of a queen truly in charge of a business empire.

Lin Fan smiled with satisfaction, then turned to look at Zhang Hao.

"Fatty, you're coming with me."

"By the way, notify Hou San and the others. Have the entire Villain Squad assemble, bring the best equipment, and prepare to depart."

One hour later, at the underground hangar of the South Suburb Strategic Resources Department base.

A heavy transport plane, painted entirely black and bearing the military's special clearance mark, had already started its engines, the huge roar echoing in the underground space.

Hou San, Iron Ox, Old Drunkard, Doctor, and Yellow Great Immortal—these five "villains" that Lin Fan had unearthed from the recruitment market—were already standing at the boarding gate, fully armed.

Hou San's waist was hung with various types of storage bags, his pair of shifty eyes darting around, looking exceptionally excited.

"Boss, what exactly is the plan for this trip to the Seventh War Zone?"

Lin Fan wore a special dark gold combat suit, carrying that iconic demon slaying saber on his back, and strode in front of everyone.

He looked around at this private armed force he had built with his own hands, his expression serious and solemn.

"Brothers, ever since the Myriad Treasures Pavilion gained a foothold in the capital, haven't our days been a bit too comfortable lately?"

Iron Ox scratched his head honestly, a dull voice sounding from his rock-like chest.

"The treatment provided by the boss is too good. I've gained five pounds just from eating meat these past few days."

Lin Fan's mouth twitched, and he immediately put on an expression of deep distress.

"That is exactly the problem!"

"Born in sorrow, die in happiness!"

"To prevent everyone from losing their fighting will, I specifically applied to the military for this special company team-building activity."

Old Drunkard took a swig of strong liquor, a glimmer of sharpness flashing in his murky eyes.

"Team building in a pile of dead bodies like the Seventh War Zone? Boss, I could hear your abacus clicking from eight hundred miles away."

Lin Fan pushed up his glasses without blushing and waved his hand righteously.

"This isn't an abacus; this is overseas market expansion!"

"The Seventh War Zone has the richest resources of alien races. Every monster there is the core raw material for our Myriad Treasures Pavilion's future products."

"Our goal this time is very simple: to restock, to restock like crazy!"

"As long as it can breathe and has value, pack it all into blind boxes and bring it back for me!"

Zhang Hao listened, his blood boiling, and he slapped his thigh hard.

"Brother Fan is right! Turn all those alien races into blind boxes and make a fortune!"

Under the brainwashing of Lin Fan's highly inflammatory "Shrewd Merchant" theory, the Villain Squad's initial trace of apprehension about the Seventh War Zone instantly vanished, replaced by an extreme fanaticism for wealth and resources.

"Board the plane!"

Following Lin Fan's order, everyone quickly filed in.

The heavy cabin door slowly closed, cutting off all sounds from the outside world.

The military transport plane accelerated on the runway, then suddenly soared into the air, like a black steel giant bird, tearing through the night sky of the capital and speeding toward the distant northern defense line.