"First, since you're hiring us, we naturally expect compensation. Normally, I should ask for resources as payment, but we've only brought seven or eight vehicles this time, and our team isn't large. Even if you give us more resources, we wouldn't be able to take them all.
More importantly, you've been hunting for resources in Jiang City this time, and I can assure you, you won't win this bet. So, half of those resources are already ours by right.
As for the other half, you wouldn't use those as payment anyway. Instead, why not give us that stone you're carrying as compensation?"
Cheng Mingxu was genuinely surprised by Xu Nuo's request. What shocked him even more was how Xu Nuo knew about the energy stone he had and its value. It was only recently that they in Base S learned about the existence of energy stones.
Energy stones could rapidly enhance the abilities of those with matching attributes, much faster than absorbing zombie cores. In fact, his father, who appeared to be a third-tier ice ability user, was actually fourth-tier, thanks to absorbing an energy stone of the same attribute. This is why his father's confidants and sons knew the value of energy stones and actively sought them out.
However, to prevent others from getting interested and gaining an advantage, they kept this information under wraps as much as possible. Unfortunately, this time, the stone he found was wood-attribute, not very beneficial for his lightning abilities, but he still thought it was better to keep it close.
He didn't expect Xu Nuo to be aware of energy stones, and he certainly didn't believe Xu Nuo was unaware of the stone's value when proposing it as payment. Remembering the pressure Xu Nuo exerted before, clearly indicating a fourth-tier ability, he suspected Xu Nuo might have absorbed energy from an energy stone before, which explained his rapid rise to fourth-tier and his sensitivity to the stone he carried.
He had heard from hunters that Jiang City was special, which led him to suspect the presence of an energy stone. In fact, they had arrived in Jiang City a day before Park Su. They hadn't moved in because they were checking if the stone existed and where it was located. When they went to spy on Park Su and Xu Nuo, it was also to probe their intentions. If they were after the energy stone, Cheng Mingxu had considered taking drastic measures against them, but Xu Nuo had quickly overpowered him.
When Park Su proposed the bet and gave them the part with the energy stone, he thought Park Su was unaware of the stone. The bet seemed advantageous, so he agreed. Now, it appeared they had been outsmarted, serving as the vanguard, getting injured for the stone, only for Xu Nuo to swoop in like the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
This realization darkened his expression, "You really know how to demand a lot. If that's your condition, I certainly won't agree."
"You should know very well that we got this injury because of this stone. Now, if we give it to you, wouldn't we have been injured for nothing, letting you take advantage? Or was this your plan from the beginning?"
Xu Nuo looked at him dismissively, "You're overthinking it. Not everyone is as well-informed as you, Young Master Cheng.
But you should consider this: if we leave, and you're besieged by zombies for a day or two, I could easily come back and take that stone from you. So why be so stubborn?"
Hearing Xu Nuo speak this way, Cheng Mingxu's face grew even darker, and his tone was no longer as gentle as before; it now carried a hint of threat, "Using such methods to take this energy stone from me, aren't you afraid I'll retaliate? Don't think you can rest easy just because you leave Base S; I can still pay a high price to have you hunted down."
Xu Nuo was completely unbothered by his threats. Meanwhile, Park Su, standing behind him, guessed it was an energy stone when he heard the word 'stone' and used his psychic energy to probe Cheng Mingxu for the stone. He discovered it was not only an energy stone but also a wood-attribute one, no wonder Xu Nuo was so insistent on getting it. He hadn't expected to see a second wood-attribute energy stone so soon after his rebirth.
This made him extremely eager; if he could get it, he could reach the fourth tier in a short time, far surpassing other ability users. However, he also felt a bit regretful for so easily giving the part with the wood-attribute energy stone to Cheng Mingxu's side. Now they had to negotiate for it, and there was no guarantee Cheng Mingxu would agree, especially since they couldn't confront him head-on. How frustrating! If he and Xu Nuo had discovered this stone themselves, what business would it be of Cheng Mingxu's?
It felt like he had handed a treasure to his enemy, his heart ached.
Since Cheng Mingxu had mentioned 'energy stone', it meant he knew its value, making it even harder to take the stone from him. As Park Su was pondering this, he heard Xu Nuo coldly respond to Cheng Mingxu's threats, "Since I want to take something so valuable from you, where do you get the confidence to escape from me, to have the life to go back and pay for my assassination?"
Almost immediately after saying this, Cheng Mingxu felt an overwhelming killing intent from Xu Nuo, unlike the pressure he felt last time; this time, it felt like he was on the edge of death. Last time, though terrifying, he could still resist, but now, with Xu Nuo's intent to kill, his hands shook, unable to muster any resistance. It felt like Xu Nuo could kill him as easily as squashing an ant.
This sensation was something he'd never felt even with his father; Xu Nuo was clearly more formidable. What level was his ability?
Despite this, he was unwilling to hand over what he had paid a great cost for, so he stiffened his neck and said, "Do you think you can get away unscathed by killing me?
There are no secrets in this world; my father will eventually know why I died. Even though he has three children, he won't forget to avenge me. Even if you can escape, are you sure those low-tier ability users who came with you today can? Are you willing to sacrifice their lives for one energy stone? They trust you a lot, you know."
Xu Nuo scoffed, "I do have a responsibility to protect them, but only for this team-up. I am their leader after all.
But after this team-up, I won't have much to do with them. If you take your anger out on them, why should that be my fault?"
Cheng Mingxu didn't back down because of Xu Nuo's retort; instead, he pointed out two others, "Fine, you don't care about those low-tier ability users. What about Ge Qing and Lu Shang? I see you have a special relationship with them. You wouldn't abandon them, would you?"
Xu Nuo's expression didn't change as he answered, "Looks like you've done quite the investigation on us. But since you know we have a special relationship with them, how do you know they won't leave Base S with us?"
Cheng Mingxu's face darkened further, and he gave a cold laugh, "Seems like we can't reach an agreement. If I'm going to die here anyway, then I'd rather destroy the energy stone myself than let you have it." With that, he gripped the energy stone tightly, looking ready to crush it at any moment.
Park Su quickly stepped forward, "Wait! There's no need to do that!"
As soon as he spoke, Cheng Mingxu's gaze shifted back to him. Park Su, looking at the energy stone in Cheng Mingxu's hand, said, "That's a wood-attribute energy stone, right?"
Cheng Mingxu nodded, and Park Su continued, "He wants this energy stone for me since I'm a wood-type ability user.
I do really want that wood-attribute energy stone, knowing how rare and precious these things are, especially one matching my attribute.
But even so, I don't want to cause trouble over this stone. We can find another stone, but there's only one Xu Nuo for me.
However, as Xu Nuo said, if we decided to kill you and wipe out your team, it wouldn't be as hard as you think. Do you really need to risk your and your team's lives over this stone?
I know you're thinking that I set up that bet intentionally to make you take the risk while we reap the benefits here. But I assure you, I genuinely didn't know about the energy stone, let alone it being wood-attribute, before this. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have given you that territory!
Now that the stone is in your hands, it's up to you to decide. I've been looking for a wood-attribute energy stone because it's said that stones of the same attribute can purify an ability user's powers, making them superior among peers of the same level.
You could let a wood-type ability user from your team absorb 70% of the stone's energy, leaving 30% for me as compensation. That way, when I reach the peak of third-tier, I could use this wood energy to break through directly to mid-fourth tier while purifying my wood abilities. What do you think?"
Cheng Mingxu, naturally wanting to keep the stone, asked, "If you only need 30%, why don't you absorb that first? Letting me find just any wood-type ability user in my team now would be giving them an advantage, wouldn't it?"
Park Su smiled and replied, "Do you think any ability user could have the willpower to only absorb 30% of an energy stone's energy after getting one of the same attribute?
By the time I finished using it, the stone would likely be reduced to ashes, or out of greed, I might just follow Xu Nuo's advice and kill you, leading to a whole lot of trouble.
However, your subordinates are different; they have you to keep them in check. They wouldn't dare kill you, nor would they be so bold as to drain the stone completely, right?"
"As for whether it's random or not, that's up to your judgment. I think the people you bring out and place in your team are those you relatively trust.
And since they can gain such benefits from the energy stone, they'll probably be grateful to you and follow you loyally for life.
You're not a wood-type ability user, so this stone isn't of much use to you. You'd have to give it away eventually, either to your father or to someone else, benefiting another force. Why not use it to strengthen your own capabilities?
More importantly, if you die here, wouldn't that just benefit others? As you said, your father has more than just you as a son."