50: Is the Lower Town Guild going to monopolize the market?

Strengthening complete.

There wasn't anything new on the fourth floor either.

Lin Fei and his group even saw people coming down the stairs from the fifth floor.

These people weren't necessarily stronger than them; they just had better luck, as they were able to complete each trial mission in just a few hours.

Plus, they didn't choose the most difficult trials.

Everyone prepared to leave the Node Tower, feeling satisfied.

However, as soon as they walked out, the scene outside took everyone by surprise.

The Node Tower plaza, a place where players originally moved about freely.

It was now tightly surrounded by a group of people wearing matching black combat uniforms and looking quite unfriendly.

A makeshift cordon had been set up around the perimeter, and several players who looked quite capable stood holding weapons, coldly watching everyone who came out of the tower.

In the center of the plaza, a burly man, extremely massive and even taller than the Chainsaw Butcher, stood on a temporarily erected high platform.

He was shirtless, his bronze skin covered in ferocious, wild tattoos.

He carried a giant axe flickering with purple light on his shoulder.

The name above his head, "Black Hand · Zhang Bin Lv10 (Berserker)", was exceptionally striking.

Players could freely choose whether or not to display their personal information.

Clearly, this person's choice was to display it for everyone to see.

"Everyone, listen the fuck up!"

Zhang Bin held a large megaphone, his voice booming and resonating across the plaza like a thunderclap.

"From today on, this Node Tower in the Lower District of New Jeju will be jointly taken over by our three major guilds: Black Hand, Blood Flag, and the Crusaders!"

His gaze swept across the crowd.

"If you want to enter the Node Tower for trials in the future, you can!"

"But you must first join any one of the branches under our three major guilds!"

"And, every time a trial is completed, thirty percent of the killing coins you earn will be handed over to the guild as tax!"

As his voice fell, the crowd was instantly in an uproar.

"What? On what grounds?!"

"The Node Tower is a public resource; by what right do you monopolize it?"

"We risk our lives, and you want to take thirty percent in tax? This is robbery!"

A lean man couldn't help but raise his fist in protest, calling on the people at the scene to resist together.

"What you are doing doesn't follow the rules! The Node Tower belongs to everyone!"

"Rules?" Zhang Bin let out a sneer and slammed his giant axe onto the ground!

Boom!

The hard ground was smashed into a shallow pit, with cracks spreading out.

An overbearing Aura instantly erupted.

"Here, my rules are the rules!" Zhang Bin sneered. "You dare to defy me? Fine!"

"Then let's see whose fist is harder!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two members of Black Hand immediately dashed over.

Their longswords slashed out.

Within a few moves, they knocked that person down.

Then, they dragged him onto the high platform as if they were picking up a chick.

"Killing the chicken to scare the monkey, huh?" Lin Fei stood at the back of the crowd, watching this scene.

History always repeats itself, no matter the era or the world.

Among the first batch of people to gain power.

There will always be those who think about establishing a monopoly and extracting benefits from the vast group of the weak.

"Boss, these bastards are too arrogant!" Xu Zhengyang cursed in a low voice.

"Don't be impulsive." Lin Fei patted him. "Let's go home and eat first."

Lin Fei noticed that there were several black Maybachs around the plaza, and the people sitting inside were clearly officials from Blue Flag Country.

Blue Flag Country had garrison troops in Luo Country.

There might be Blue Flag Country's interference behind this matter.

He didn't want to expose his strength with great fanfare in front of Blue Flag Country for the time being.

That would invite targeting and was not a wise move.

Furthermore, Lin Fei still needed to find his sisters one by one; it was best to keep a low profile.

However, low profile or not, the leaders of these three guilds, including the Blue Flag Country foreigners plotting behind the scenes, were already on Lin Fei's assassination list.

When a dark and windy night came, he would just take them out.

Lin Mengzi also said, "Making a fortune in silence is the true path."

Subsequently, Lin Fei took Lin Mengzi and Xu Zhengyang and quietly passed through the edge of the crowd.

Without attracting any attention, they left the plaza, went to the parking lot, and retrieved their car.

Xu Zhengyang was responsible for driving; he turned the key, and the engine started.

Then they merged into the traffic in the parking lot and drove toward the orphanage.

...

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the quiet orphanage building, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.

When Lin Fei and his group returned to the orphanage, Xu Sanduo and Li Shun were busy helping Aunt Chen in the kitchen.

"Boss! Sister-in-law! Brother Yang! You're back!" Xu Sanduo said excitedly.

This trial was very fast; only a few hours had passed.

"Brother Yang, how was the harvest?" Li Shun also put down his work and asked curiously.

"Hehe, I really struck it rich this time!" Xu Zhengyang smiled triumphantly, then moved his mind and focused his spirit.

A flickering purple light text appeared above his head.

"Look at what this is!"

"Wow! Purple-grade! Gunfire Master class!" Xu Sanduo's eyes went straight.

Li Shun saw the words clearly and was so envious that drool was almost flowing out. "Brother Yang, you changed classes?"

"And it's a purple super-rare class?!"

"Of course!" Xu Zhengyang's chin was almost raised to the sky. "From now on, I am a walking arsenal!"

"Whoever dares to mess with us, I'll just blast the hell out of them!"

"Too awesome! Brother Yang!"

"What's the third floor of the trial like? Is it still the Free City?"

"No, this time it was a zombie world, a bit like 'Assault Fire' or 'Resident Evil'."

"Holy crap! Zombies!"

"Hehe, I didn't really help much; of course, it was all thanks to Boss and Sister-in-law."

Xu Sanduo and Li Shun surrounded Xu Zhengyang, incredibly envious.

Lin Fei and Lin Mengzi looked at each other and smiled, then walked into the house.

Aunt Chen was just coming out of the kitchen carrying a large steaming basin of braised pork, and when she saw them, a loving smile appeared on her face.

"Feifei, Little Zi, you're back. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

"Aunt Chen." Lin Mengzi stepped forward to help. "It smells so good!"

"It's all things you love to eat." Aunt Chen smiled. "I knew you were going on adventures, which must be hard work, so you need to nourish yourselves properly."

The dinner was exceptionally sumptuous, with the braised pork stewed until soft, sticky, and flavorful, along with fragrant potato stewed beef, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, golden egg pancakes, and a large pot of rich chicken soup.

The children sat around together, with laughter and joy continuing unabated.

Just as everyone was eating happily, the sound of a car engine came from outside the courtyard.

A somewhat old black sedan stopped at the gate.

The car door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a washed-out suit and black-rimmed glasses stepped out.

"It's Uncle Li!" Little Stone, with sharp eyes, shouted.

"Lawyer Li!" Aunt Chen also stood up, somewhat surprised. "Please come in quickly. We're just eating; would you like to join us for a bite?"

The person who arrived was Li Wuxuan, who had given up wealth and status to become a human rights lawyer speaking up for the people at the bottom.

He had taken on several cases and won them beautifully and resoundingly!

He was a fairly well-known defense attorney throughout Luo Country.

Although his life had become tight, he had always kept in touch with the orphanage and often sent things over.

"No, Sister Chen, I've already eaten." Li Wuxuan waved his hand, his gaze falling on Lin Fei. "Lin Fei, I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

Lin Fei put down his bowl and chopsticks and nodded.