hsntnovel Chapter 39: The Terrifying Speed of Making Money - Part 1
Chapter 39: The Terrifying Speed of Making Money - Part 1
The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated when the six figures of the Thunder Blade Squad moved through the streets of the ruined city like ghosts.
Lin Yun followed in the middle of the group, his steps light and precise. After three days of adaptation, he had completely mastered the technique of moving silently through the city ruins—testing the ground with the balls of his feet before shifting his weight to ensure there were no loose stones or broken glass; leaning slightly forward with a low center of gravity, ready to deal with any unexpected situations. These details were all taught to him little by little by Liu Xu along the way.
"Stop." Lin Zheng suddenly raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
Everyone stopped immediately, took cover, and warily surveyed their surroundings. Shenyang quickly set up his sniper rifle, scanning the buildings ahead through the scope. Leng Bao's rifle was already drawn, its tip gleaming coldly in the morning light. Luo Fang also gripped her dagger, her entire being like a taut bow.
Lin Zheng crouched behind a collapsed wall, pointing ahead with his short knife. Lin Yun followed his gaze—about 150 meters away on the street, three enormous mutated creatures were searching for something.
Those were three steel-bristled boars, one of the most common types of mutated boar monsters. They stood a good 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, their bodies covered in coarse bristles that, through long-term mutation and evolution, had transformed into a hard, needle-like structure, difficult to pierce with ordinary swords. Two enormous tusks protruded from either side of their mouths, gleaming a stark white in the morning light—their most lethal weapons. The largest of them had a row of bony spikes along its back, the mark of a mid-level beast general—the Iron-Backed Porcupine, an evolved form of the steel-bristled boar.
"Two novice beast generals and one intermediate beast general." Lin Zheng's voice was low as he quickly made arrangements. "Leng Bao and Luo Fang, you two take care of the novice one on the left. The novice one on the right is for Lin Yun. The intermediate one in the middle will be handled by Liu Xu and me. Shenyang will provide fire support and be ready to provide backup at any time."
Lin Yun was slightly taken aback. This was the first time Lin Zheng had assigned him an independent task in actual combat.
"Is there a problem?" Lin Zheng glanced at him.
"No." Lin Yun gripped the Blood Shadow Battle Blade tightly, a surge of eager excitement rising within him. Three days of observation and learning had allowed him to clearly understand the Thunder Blade Squad's combat rhythm and teamwork. It was time to unleash his true strength—suppressed strength, of course.
"Let's do it."
As soon as Lin Zheng finished speaking, Shenyang's heavy sniper rifle emitted a deep roar.
"Bang!"
Gunshots echoed through the empty streets, but the target wasn't any of the steel-bristled boars, but rather an abandoned car beside them. The bullet struck the fuel tank, triggering a violent explosion. This was a common tactic used by the Thunder Blade Squad—first create chaos with explosions, disorienting the monsters, then pick them off one by one.
The three steel-bristled boars were startled by the explosion and instinctively scattered in different directions. The one on the left ran towards a pile of rubble, the one on the right rushed into an alley, and the largest one in the middle suddenly turned around, trying to find the attacker's location.
In the chaos, the Thunder Blade Squad's hunt began.
Leng Bao and Luo Fang moved like shadows, silently swooping down on the steel-bristled boar on the left. Leng Bao's spear thrust out from the side, precisely piercing the boar's throat, while Luo Fang's short knife simultaneously severed its hind leg tendons. The steel-bristled boar didn't even have time to scream before the two of them finished it off.
At the same time, Lin Yun also made a move.
Unlike Leng Bao and Luo Fang, he didn't choose to ambush them, but instead faced the steel-bristled boar charging into the alley head-on. This was his first time hunting a beast-general-level monster independently, and he needed to do it cleanly and efficiently, without revealing his full strength or letting his teammates down.
Seeing someone blocking its path, the steel-bristled boar roared angrily, lowered its head, and charged at Lin Yun with its two tusks like sharp blades. It was incredibly fast; the ground trembled slightly with every step it took.
Lin Yun did not retreat.
He dodged to the side, and in the instant the steel-bristled boar charged past him, the Blood Shadow Blade drew an arc, precisely striking the boar's hind leg. This was a technique Liu Xu had taught him—the weak points of boar-like monsters are their legs and abdomen; although their bristles are tough, the fur on the inside of their limbs is relatively thin.
"laugh--"
The sound of the blade slicing through flesh was clearly audible. The steel-bristled boar's hind legs were severed, its body lost its balance, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud. It struggled to stand up, but Lin Yun's second blade had already fallen, piercing its relatively weak side and penetrating its heart.
The steel-bristled boar twitched a few times and then stopped moving.
The whole process took less than ten seconds.
Lin Yun sheathed his sword and turned to look at his teammates. Leng Bao and Luo Fang had already taken care of their targets and were looking in his direction. Leng Bao nodded slightly in approval. Luo Fang gave him a thumbs up.
"Not bad." Liu Xu's voice came through the communication channel, carrying a hint of approval. "Clean and efficient, without any unnecessary movements."
Lin Zheng didn't speak, but Lin Yun noticed that the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
The iron-backed porcupine in the middle had already been dealt with by Lin Zheng and Liu Xu. Lin Zheng's short knife severed its head, while Liu Xu's sword pierced its heart. The two worked together with perfect coordination, as if they had practiced a thousand times. However, Lin Yun noticed that after Lin Zheng sheathed his knife, Liu Xu's gaze lingered on him for a moment, while Lin Zheng deliberately avoided her gaze.
"Clean up the battlefield." Lin Zheng's voice was as calm as ever.
Shenyang walked over carrying a sniper rifle and began to dispose of the monster's carcass with a smile. He skillfully used his knife to cut off the steel-bristled boar's tusks and bone spurs from its back, which were raw materials for making weapons and armor.
"A low-level Beast General's Steel-Bristled Boar, with its tusks and bone spikes, can probably sell for five or six million," Shenyang explained to Lin Yun while working. "An intermediate-level Beast General's Iron-Backed Porcupine is more expensive; the materials for this set are at least twenty million. Adding the hides and bones, the material cost for all three is about forty million."
Lin Yun nodded and memorized this information.
"Your swordsmanship is solid." Liu Xu walked to Lin Yun's side, her tone scrutinizing, "but there's still room for improvement. That last strike, if it had landed on his knee joint, would have saved half the effort. Against boar-like monsters, attacking the joints is more effective than attacking the muscles."
Lin Yun listened attentively, memorizing every word Liu Xu said.
"And another thing," Liu Xu pointed to his hand holding the knife, "your wrist is too tight. While this gives you more power, it sacrifices flexibility. In the wilderness, flexibility is often more important than strength. Try to relax a bit, let the knife become an extension of your arm, not just a tool in your hand."
Lin Yun tried to relax his wrist and indeed felt that he had more control over the knife.
"Thank you, Sister Liu."
Liu Xu waved her hand, turned around and walked back to the group.
"Keep moving forward." Lin Zheng, leaning on his cane, had already walked ahead.
Over the next two days, the Thunder Blade Squad launched a highly efficient hunt in the core area of City 013. Lin Yun, in turn, gradually transformed from an observer into a true participant in this hunt.
On the afternoon of the first day, they found a herd of split-horned bulls near an abandoned gas station.
This is one of the most common types of mutated bovine monsters, about the size of a small elephant, with twisted, massive horns on its head. Their attack method is simple and brutal—they lower their heads and ram their enemies with their horns. Although extremely powerful, they are not fast or agile in turning.
"Six of them, all of them are novice beast generals." Lin Zheng observed for a while and made a judgment. "Lin Yun, you are in charge of one. The rest of you are each in charge of one. Whoever takes care of the one they are dealing with first can take care of the last one."
"clear."
The battle erupted in an instant.
Lin Yun chose a medium-sized Rifthorn Bull and charged straight at it. Upon seeing him, the Rifthorn Bull let out a low moo, lowered its head, pointed its massive horns at him, and charged at him like a runaway truck.
Lin Yun didn't take the blow head-on. He dodged to the side, simultaneously slashing with his battle blade, precisely striking the foreleg of the horned bull. The blade cut into flesh, the bull's foreleg buckled, and its body lurched forward. Lin Yun seized the opportunity to circle around to its side, plunging his blade into the gap between its ribs, piercing its heart.
The whole process took less than five seconds.
He looked up and saw that the other team members had also mostly taken care of their targets. Liu Xu's sword was the fastest; her horned bull didn't even have time to charge before it fell. Leng Bao and Luo Fang cooperated perfectly, taking out their respective targets almost simultaneously. Shen Yang's sniper rifle took out one, while Lin Zheng easily took out his.
"Not bad, you've gotten faster again." Shenyang walked over and patted Lin Yun on the shoulder.
Lin Yun smiled but didn't say anything. He could actually go even faster, but he needed to control the pace and not reveal too much.
The materials from the six Fissure-Horned Bulls were quickly processed. Shenyang calculated as he worked: "The horns of the Fissure-Horned Bulls are the most valuable; a pair of horns can sell for about three million. Adding the leather and bones, all six together will be worth around twenty million."
"It's much cheaper than wild boar," Lin Yun said.
"Of course," Shenyang laughed. "The tusks and bone spikes of boar-type monsters are excellent materials for making weapons, and their prices have always been high. The horns of boar-type monsters are also valuable, but they don't have as many uses. But every little bit counts, and 20 million is still money."
That evening, they settled in an abandoned residential building.
Lin Yun volunteered to take the first night shift. He sat on the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the sleeping, ruined city. The setting sun dyed the sky blood red, and the distant buildings looked like giant tombstones in the twilight.
"What are you thinking about?" Liu Xu's voice came from behind.
Lin Yun turned around and saw Liu Xu walking over with a cup of hot water. She sat down next to him and handed him the water.
"I was thinking about the captain." Lin Yun took the water, hesitated for a moment, and then said it.
Liu Xu was slightly taken aback: "What are you thinking about him for?"
"I miss his leg," Lin Yun said. "Brother Shen told me it was to save you."
Liu Xu remained silent for a long time. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her face, obscuring her expression, but Lin Yun could sense that her aura had become somewhat melancholic.
"He wasn't like this before." Liu Xu's voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself. "He used to laugh, he used to joke, he used to treat everyone to drinks after battles. He used to... look at me."
Lin Yun didn't speak, but listened quietly.
"Three years ago, during that mission, we encountered a Lord-level Ironclad Lizard King. That beast was far stronger than I expected. I thrust my sword at it, and it didn't even dodge, slapping me away with a single blow." Liu Xu's gaze fell on the distant horizon. "I thought I was going to die. Then he appeared, standing in front of me, fighting that beast tooth and nail with his sword."
Her voice trembled slightly: "The beast's claws pierced his leg, he pulled his leg out, and kept hacking. Blood kept flowing, and he kept hacking. In the end, the beast died, and his leg was gone too."
"He changed after that." Liu Xu lowered her head. "He stopped looking at me, stopped talking to me, and stopped being alone with me. I know what he was thinking—he felt he wasn't good enough for me, that he was a useless person, and that he couldn't be a burden to me."
"But he doesn't know..." Her voice trailed off, "Even though he's broken a leg, I still love him. No matter what he becomes, I'll still love him."
Lin Yun remained silent for a long time, then said softly, "Sister Liu, have you ever considered that the captain might not dislike you anymore, but rather like you too much?"
Liu Xu raised her head and looked at him.
"The more he likes you, the more he feels unworthy of you." Lin Yun carefully chose her words. "He feels you deserve someone better, not a cripple with a broken leg. His avoidance isn't because he doesn't care, but because he cares too much."
Liu Xu's eyes were slightly red.
"But..." She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
"Sister Liu, give him some time," Lin Yun said. "He'll come to his senses."
Liu Xu didn't answer, but simply stood up and dusted herself off. As she reached the top of the stairs, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at Lin Yun.
"Thank you, Lin Yun."
Then she disappeared into the shadows of the stairs.
Lin Yun sat on the rooftop, watching the last rays of the setting sun sink below the horizon, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
When it comes to matters of the heart, outsiders can never truly understand the feelings of those involved. But one thing he was certain of—the connection between Lin Zheng and Liu Xu had never been broken. It was just that both of them were too stubborn; one felt unworthy, and the other didn't know how to get closer.
He sighed and turned his gaze to the distant night sky.