Chapter 50 - What's More Important Money or Me

(Please Follow and Vote for Monthly Ticket) 50: Chapter 38: What’s More Important, Money or Me?

(Please Follow and Vote for Monthly Ticket) Reconciliation?

You’re joking, right?

Hearing this, Xu Shu, who was already in the throes of Killing Heart Burning, almost burst into laughter from the absurdity.

After such a prolonged battle, where brains were nearly bashed out, now that it’s your turn to die, you talk about negotiating?

Do you think this is some kind of child’s play?

And Lu Bingwei, looking at Xu Shu’s overly young face, saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.

He stretched his lips into an ugly grin and said:

“Bro, you’re very young, a real genius, I can tell!

You will definitely become a strong fighter!

“But in this world, talent alone isn’t enough, you need money, lots and lots of money!

“If you spare me, all my money, all the wealth I’ve amassed, my connections, even my wife and my daughter, I can give them all to you!

“And my Curse Artifact Floating Cannon, it’s of Superior quality, a rare and valuable item, I can teach you how to contain it, how to use it!

“You’ve won already, you’ve completely crushed me underfoot, you don’t need to kill me, you deserve more spoils of war, really!

“Please, trust me, my life is in your hands, I absolutely wouldn’t dare to deceive you.

“All I ask is that you don’t kill me, you can make me your slave just like this, even a crippled wretch with broken limbs is fine.

“I just want to stay alive, that’s all I want!”

Lu Bingwei spat blood, but he felt his brain was more lucid than ever before.

He didn’t know if this was a natural trait of his Curse Seal profession, but at moments of critical danger, he always felt more clear-headed.

(Note 1)

Like right now.

Under normal circumstances, it would be time for him to face death.

But, there was no need!

Absolutely no need!

Death is the most worthless thing.

Killing me, you only get a corpse, and some biological materials from this place, that’s all trash!

My body included, it’s trash!

But allowing me to live, you can get much more!

I still have value!

Lu Bingwei felt it.

Today, although he had failed, there was no need for death!

“Bro, believe me, sparing my miserable life is quite valuable to you!”

Lu Bingwei looked at Xu Shu, the flames of hope burning in his eyes.

“…” Xu Shu also looked at the Lu Bingwei under his feet.

The guy had somehow become earnest and profound, and his words were sincere.

Even if you were to calm down and seriously think about it, it seemed he actually had a point.

What was the use of killing him?

His money wouldn’t hang on his corpse.

And all Lu Bingwei wanted was to survive a bit longer.

He didn’t want to die, so he would definitely try to fabricate lies, hide things, use them as bait.

But precisely because he didn’t want to die, he would also have to offer up real value!

“Hey.”

Xu Shu suddenly chuckled, sighing as he said: “Come to think of it, you’re right.”

At that, Lu Bingwei’s face bloomed into a smile: “Bro, I knew it, you’re a smart man, you wouldn’t do something irrational over such a little grudge…”

“But, I refuse.”

As Xu Shu said this, he lifted his foot, inhaled, and gathered strength!

Huh?

Lu Bingwei’s expression froze.

You’re kidding, right?

But the next moment, he saw the brimming, furious intent to kill in Xu Shu’s eyes.

The sun, just right behind Xu Shu’s head, cast a halo around him, making him appear like an enraged Vajra!

I’m gonna die, he’s really gonna kill me…

Lu Bingwei couldn’t help screaming in horror:

“No!

Wait!

I know many secrets!

I can tell you all of them!

I really can help you!

This hidden knowledge can save you lots of detours!

“I’ve sacrificed so much to become a Transcendent, I’ve suffered so much, I can’t die, I just can’t!

“Please, just give me a——Thud!

Crack!”

Lu Bingwei’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

With that kick, the blood sprayed into the air, the head was smashed to pieces!

Silence fell upon the world.

Looking at the grisly mixture of brain matter and skull fragments at his feet, Xu Shu’s eyes showed neither sorrow nor joy.

He waited for the dust to settle.

As the crimson sun fully rose in the east, letting the chilly morning breeze blow over him, Xu Shu finally cracked a smile, murmuring to himself:

“You made a damn good point, I almost changed my mind!

“Money, knowledge, and that Curse Tool you mentioned, all those things are indeed quite important to me.

“But the six souls who didn’t even know their own names told me—

“Without you, it’s very important to them!”

With one stomp, his opponent’s head was smashed to a pulp, and naturally, they were dead beyond dead.

Xu Shu retracted his leg, pulling his foot out from amidst the scattered bones and flesh, and vigorously wiped it clean using the other’s torn clothes.

He didn’t relax just because he had killed a strong enemy; instead, he remained vigilant of his surroundings.

The most powerful enemy might be dead, and he had ascertained that the so-called gunner didn’t exist.

That blue artillery had also been the doing of this sniper.

But to say it was safe?

Far from it.

This was the Wasteland!

The noise from the battle was so loud that other monsters probably heard it and might be attracted to this location.

Should he be entangled by some high-level monster, it would be a cry for help that neither heaven nor earth would answer.

At this moment, under the half-collapsed buildings around him, who knew if monsters were lurking, eyeing him greedily.

“First, I’ll hide in the prison for the night, wait for the Tai Chu Scroll to refresh tomorrow, then decide whether to head straight to the shelter or observe the situation.”

Xu Shu made a quick decision in his mind, undeterred by filth, and swiftly stripped the corpse bare.

He saw a watch with a hidden luminescence and knew that it must be his Promotion Drive.

Xu Shu didn’t hesitate, directly taking the other’s Promotion Drive.

The moment he took it, he saw a golden light, like liquid, flowing from the watch, penetrating his flesh and into his underwear—oh, not that, it went into his own Promotion Drive.

“What is this?”

Xu Shu was initially startled, hurriedly checking his trousers to find his private parts were fine and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he quickly accessed the Promotion Network and saw a few new messages on the screen:

[You have defeated/killed another registered Transcendent.

You may freely choose whether to upload your battle achievements to the Promotion Network.

Note: Superior battle achievements may earn you a spot on the Power Rankings, and ranked individuals may receive rewards according to their position.]

[You have picked up another Transcendent’s Promotion Drive.

The identity information scan of the other party is complete: Lu Bingwei (Tyrant Spear), Second Order Sentinel.]

[Notice: It has been detected that this identity is wanted for a bounty by the Astronomy Association (Class II authority organization).

The arrest warrant has been authorized by Lie Zhenzi, approved, and forwarded to you—]

[The other party’s message reads: “Fugitive Lu Bingwei, wanted by the Alliance for heinous crimes.

Whoever kills this miscreant may go to any secure Astronomy Association outpost with his Promotion Drive and collect the reward.

Thank you for your contribution to human society’s public safety.”]

Xu Shu was slightly taken aback.

There’s a ranking list for killing?

Does it feel like this Promotion Network is encouraging us to kill each other?

Isn’t that wrong?

Wasn’t it said that every Transcendent in the apocalypse is a treasure to humanity?

“Oh, wait, it’s not necessary to kill them, achievements can probably be gained just by defeating them.

This sort of honor ranking could get everyone rolling up their sleeves and striving harder to level up.

I almost forgot!

“So his name is Lu Bingwei, an official fugitive, Astronomy Association, second-level authority?

I wonder what that authority includes…

“Tyrant Spear is his nickname…

Wait, holy shit, is it him?!”

Xu Shu slapped his forehead and then suddenly remembered—he had seen this guy’s posts online before!

At that time, he claimed to be hunting monsters in the nearby area.

Xu Shu had thought he was a decent person and had intended to seek his help, only to give up because he couldn’t speak due to not being level 12.

Little did he expect, the person who had hidden his real name to clear out the monsters for his deceased brother’s final resting place was the same person as the sniper who had killed so many on his side!

“Alright, alright, playing it this way, huh?

It’s been a bait post all along?”

Xu Shu muttered a curse.

But it wasn’t wise to linger, and he didn’t have the time to continue disparaging the corpse.

So, he gathered the items from the body, rummaged through the tent, and to his benefit found three Erosion Crystals.

Although they were all white in quality, they contained a lot of white fluff inside, and their levels appeared to be around eight or nine.

Xu Shu didn’t count them precisely, he simply tore a piece of the tent fabric to use as wrapping to bundle them up.

There was also a small medical pack, filled with many unfamiliar medicines, which was of course a must-take;

Additionally, there was that huge sniper rifle.

As hefty as it was, it wasn’t a problem for Xu Shu, who decided to drag it away too.

“It could be used by Gu Pan, she…

hmm, if she had such a rifle in hand, it would indeed be quite helpful to me.

But this still needs further consideration.”

Xu Shu mused.

After the last round of simulated future foresight, Gu Pan was trustworthy enough, but back then it was a life-or-death situation.

Now that the danger had passed, the circumstances were different, and he could not generalize the situation.

That matter could wait for another day.

As for other belongings, such as rations and water bottles, Xu Shu disregarded them.

However, he did find an ID card with the name Wu Wukai on it.

Presumably, it was an alias of Lu Bingwei who, with a bounty from the Astronomy Association, couldn’t possibly show his true face.

This identity must have been fake as well.

The ID card had an address, inside a secure area in this district.

After some thought, Xu Shu pocketed the ID card, guessing he might track down the man’s money following this lead.

A Second-order Transcendent was worth a lot.

Regrettably, Xu Shu hadn’t found the “Curse Tool” that supposedly emitted laser cannon blasts that Lu Bingwei mentioned.

Xu Shu waited a bit, but nothing appeared.

No help for it; time to head back!

He climbed to the next floor, then rushed down the stairs to the ground level.

It was relatively safe, as he had cleared the area himself, having killed three Beautiful Snakes earlier.

But just a few hundred meters to the north lay an unknown tunnel, teeming with who knows how many monsters.

Yet, in this situation, Xu Shu didn’t immediately leave; instead, he dived into the rubble of twisted steel and shattered concrete, frantically searching here and there like a whirlwind.

About ten minutes later, he emerged with a perplexed look on his face.

“Damn it, where the hell did my Primordial Spirit go?”

“I definitely saw it fall in here…”

“It was just here a moment ago!”