264: Chapter 264 Abyss Bone Demon Bloodline

They could feel that the thing sealed inside the blind box was awakening.

Or rather... it was being forcibly refined.

"Roar!"

A shrill roar echoed from within the blind box.

It was the struggling remnant Soul of the Alien Race General.

"Be quiet."

Lin Fan frowned, the golden light in his hands intensifying.

*Crack.*

A crack appeared on the surface of the blind box.

Then, the crack spread rapidly.

The entire blind box shattered like an eggshell.

No treasure appeared inside.

Instead, there was a mass of black, writhing energy.

Within the energy, the distorted face of the Alien Race General could be vaguely seen.

He was roaring, cursing, and begging for mercy.

But Lin Fan couldn't hear him.

Or rather, he didn't care.

"S-grade Materials: Abyss Bone Demon Bloodline, eighty-seven percent purity."

Lin Fan looked at the mass of energy and nodded with satisfaction.

"It can be used to refine S-grade battle armor, or the Bloodline can be extracted to create Breakthrough potions."

"Market price... 2.5 billion."

He paused and added.

"Of course, that's the price for raw Materials."

"If refined into a finished product, the price doubles."

"Boss, then this Bloodline..."

"Store it for now."

With a wave of his hand, Lin Fan stored the mass of black energy into the system space.

"When we return to the capital, I'll find a professional Artifact Refiner to handle it."

"Now..."

He looked toward the battlefield.

There, the pursuit was nearing its end.

Most of the aliens had been annihilated, with only a few escaping back to the rear.

Human soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, piling alien corpses into small mountains to be transported back to the base by the Logistics Department.

Smiles were plastered on everyone's faces.

It was the smile of victory.

And also... the smile of getting rich quick.

"Commander Chen is here," Old Drunkard suddenly said.

Lin Fan turned and saw Chen Feng walking over with a group of officers.

Chen Feng's expression was complex.

There was excitement, gratitude, and also... a hint of wariness.

"Minister Lin."

Chen Feng walked to the stall and gave a standard military salute.

The officers behind him saluted at the same time.

Their respectful attitude was a complete reversal from before.

"Commander Chen, is something the matter?"

Lin Fan remained seated, not standing up.

"I've come to thank you."

Chen Feng took a deep breath.

"In today's battle, the Seventh War Zone killed over ten thousand enemies, routed the alien vanguard, and reclaimed three lost positions."

"This is the greatest victory since the establishment of the Seventh War Zone."

"And all of this is because of your blind boxes."

He was telling the truth.

Without the blind boxes, the defensive line would have been breached long ago.

Those soldiers would have already become corpses.

"No need for thanks."

Lin Fan waved his hand.

"I'm just doing business."

"You spend money to buy blind boxes, I provide the goods—a fair trade."

Chen Feng gave a bitter smile.

Fair?

It was indeed fair.

But this trade had changed the destiny of the entire war zone.

"Minister Lin, on behalf of all the soldiers in the Seventh War Zone, I offer you my highest respects."

Chen Feng saluted again.

Then, he hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice.

"That... Alien Race General's blind box..."

"I opened it," Lin Fan said frankly.

"I got an S-grade Abyss Bone Demon Bloodline, market price 2.5 billion."

Chen Feng sucked in a breath of cold air.

2.5 billion.

That already exceeded the Seventh War Zone's entire annual military budget.

"How... do you plan to handle it?"

"Sell it for money, or refine it into equipment."

Lin Fan adjusted his glasses.

"Is Commander Chen interested?"

Chen Feng opened his mouth but eventually shook his head.

"The Seventh War Zone can't afford it."

"Then there's nothing for it."

Lin Fan shrugged.

Chen Feng was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said.

"Minister Lin, I want to discuss a long-term partnership with you."

"Oh?"

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of partnership?"

"Military supplies."

Chen Feng said seriously.

"The Seventh War Zone needs a stable supply of blind boxes, the more the better."

"In return, the war zone can give you priority pricing rights, as well as... priority purchasing rights for frontline resources."

Lin Fan smiled.

He had been waiting for these exact words.

"Commander Chen, do you know what this implies?"

"I know."

Chen Feng nodded.

"It means that half of the Seventh War Zone's logistical lifeline will be in your hands."

"Aren't you worried?"

"I am."

Chen Feng admitted frankly.

"But I'm more worried about the soldiers having no blind boxes and dying on the battlefield."

"Between two evils, I choose the lesser."

Lin Fan looked at Chen Feng for a long time.

Then, he stood up and extended his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Chen Feng shook his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

The agreement was reached.

No contract, no signatures.

But both knew that from today on, the Seventh War Zone and the Myriad Treasures Pavilion were tied together.

"By the way."

Lin Fan suddenly remembered something.

"Before that Alien Race General died, he seemed to say something."

Chen Feng was taken aback.

"What did he say?"

"I didn't hear clearly."

Lin Fan shook his head.

"It seemed like... a curse or something."

"Something about... a terrifying existence deep in the abyss being about to awaken."

Chen Feng's expression changed.

"Deep in the abyss..."

He murmured to himself, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

Lin Fan noticed his expression.

"Does Commander Chen know something?"

"I know a little."

Chen Feng took a deep breath.

"What the Seventh War Zone is facing is only the vanguard of the abyss."

"The true main force of the abyss is still behind them."

"And deep in the abyss... it is said that some ancient existences are slumbering."

"Every time they awaken, they bring... world-ending disasters."

Lin Fan adjusted his glasses.

"World-ending?"

"Yes."

Chen Feng nodded.

"The cataclysm three hundred years ago was caused by the awakening of an existence deep in the abyss."

"In that war, humanity almost went extinct."

Lin Fan fell silent.

He didn't expect such secrets to be behind it.

"That existence... is it still slumbering?"

"It should be."

Chen Feng said uncertainly.

"But if the Alien Race General's curse is true..."

He didn't finish.

But the meaning was obvious.

If the curse was true, then that terrifying existence might be about to awaken.

When that time came, the Seventh War Zone, and even all of humanity, would face an existential catastrophe.

"Interesting."

Lin Fan suddenly smiled.

Chen Feng was stunned.

"Minister Lin, you... aren't worried?"

"Worried about what?"

Lin Fan asked back.

"If that existence really awakens, making it into a blind box should sell for a lot of money, right?"

Chen Feng: "..."

He found he couldn't keep up with Lin Fan's train of thought.

A world-ending existence, in this person's eyes, was actually just a matter of... how much it was worth?

"Commander Chen, don't overthink it."

Lin Fan patted his shoulder.

"When the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up."

"What we need to do now is make money."

"As for that terrifying existence or whatever..."

He paused and adjusted his glasses.

"We'll deal with it when it wakes up."

"Maybe it wants to open a blind box too?"

Chen Feng was speechless.

He realized he was wrong.

Lin Fan wasn't a businessman.

He was a lunatic.

A lunatic who treated the entire world as a shelf of goods.