Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 16 Rules of the Wilderness

This was the first time Ning Ze had faced such a situation. The prey his team had chosen was also someone else's target!

He turned to look at Yang Chao, who slightly raised his head toward Zuo Xingyuan, as if to say, "It depends on the captain's opinion!"

Xu Liang and Zhang Chen also looked at Zuo Xingyuan with grim expressions.

Ma Yu lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps he would follow whatever decision they made.

finally.

Zuo Xingyuan turned his gaze to Ning Ze.

That look in his eyes made Ning Ze feel a special kind of pressure.

"Xiao Ze, you and Lao Yang change positions and aim at the battlefield. The rest of you, follow me and sneak over quietly."

"We can't just let our prey be stolen for nothing. There's no such thing as that. We might reluctantly agree to cooperate, since it's normal for martial artists to team up to kill monsters. But if they dare to steal it by force, our Warfire Squad isn't going to take it lying down!"

Zuo Xingyuan issued commands one by one, his expression quite domineering.

"No objections!"

"That's what we'll do!"

"good!"

Ning Ze understood immediately upon hearing this: encountering other martial arts teams in the wilderness, especially under these circumstances, meant that meeting them meant becoming enemies!

Even if you don't treat others as enemies, they will treat you as an enemy.

With profits at stake, a mishap could easily lead to a bloodbath. Without proper precautions, you're vulnerable to malicious intent!

Given this situation, how could he possibly back down?

Ning Ze's face was as cold as ice as he firmly said, "I'm going too! There's no point in me staying by Uncle Yang's side."

The others remained silent. Zuo Xingyuan's eyes flashed with a fierce light. After a three-second stare and seeing that Ning Ze didn't back down, a smile appeared on his lips, and he said loudly, "Alright!"

"Your strength has improved a lot, so if you want to go, let's go together! Anyway, we'll have to face these things sooner or later."

"The opponents appearing in this city shouldn't be too strong, but we can't be careless."

"Let's begin! Let's go!"

At a command.

Yang Chao led the way downstairs, leaving behind the words, "I'm heading southeast. Watch out for snipers from other high ground!"

Zuo Xingyuan waved his hand and went downstairs from the other side, while reminding, "When the battle starts, Xiaoze, remember to change your form irregularly."

"We need to make two random maneuvers per second, shifting at least one body length away. As long as we move, the chances of the enemy shooting will be greatly reduced."

"He only has one chance; if the shot misses, the sniper will be exposed."

"There probably won't be a fight this time, but we need to be prepared for battle!"

……

Ning Ze followed carefully behind, learning survival skills in the wild and diligently familiarizing himself with the rules of this wilderness area.

Before long, they arrived near where the Black Tide Bull had died.

Countless black tide bulls galloped through the streets, the earth seemed to tremble, and their roars revealed the monsters' anger; they seemed to be searching for an enemy to kill their leader.

In the second-floor shop where the Warfire Squad was hiding, dust settled as Zuo Xingyuan and Ma Chao kept an eye on the monster horde in the distance.

Ning Ze crouched behind the windowsill, his eyes sharply searching for the enemy. His face and combat uniform were covered in yellowish-white dust, which blended him perfectly into the environment.

The atmosphere gradually became tense.

On the second floor of another building on a different street, there was a four-person squad of lurkers.

"Boss, Xuanzi hasn't found any trace of the enemy," a burly man said, his gaze fixed on the center of the room.

There, a tall, thin middle-aged man stood motionless, occasionally raising his hand to look at the communicator, but there was no response.

"This should be an experienced team. Tell Xuanzi to stay hidden and not to make any rash moves."

"Those who dare to hunt these Black Tide Bulls are not weak to begin with. This time, I'm afraid they'll have to share half of the spoils."

"Yes, boss. I'll tell them right away."

Just then, a fierce-looking man on the windowsill said with dissatisfaction, "Boss, we searched for three days before finding a high-level beast general-level monster, and it's a Black Tide Savage Bull, which is quite valuable. If we sell it, we can get at least 8000 million Chinese yuan. Are we just going to give it away like this?"

The tall, thin leader had a somewhat gloomy look in his eyes. He raised his hand again to look at his communicator and said, "Check where they came from. As long as we're careful, the sniper is no threat."

"But if they are too strong, then we can only split the spoils with them. We can't let our brothers perish here."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

It's good to be able to make money, but you still need to be alive to enjoy it.

When the strengths are roughly equal, the only option is for both sides to back down.

The burly man with a fierce face, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent, taunted, "Those who can get here can't be that strong. As long as you're careful, I can hold off a low-level warrior. Maybe there's even a warrior-level expert in their squad. Then, boss, dealing with a high-level warrior will be a piece of cake!"

The leader didn't say much, just nodded and looked out the window, observing the monster's movements, occasionally raising his hand to glance at his communication watch.

On the other side, in the shops on the second floor.

There was a slight silence here.

After a while, Zuo Xingyuan said, "I'll go out first."

Ning Ze's pupils contracted, but he remained silent and continued listening.

"The trajectory of the bullet's shockwave was clear. My strength is that of an intermediate-level warrior. As long as I observe carefully, that sniper rifle poses no threat to me at all."

"After I go out, I'll adjust my position and turn on the signal source. They'll come out as long as they haven't left. If the other side shows up, it means there's a possibility of cooperation. Everyone, come out one by one."

"If the other side doesn't react within two minutes of my appearance, I will shut down my signal source and lie in wait to engage in battle."

"Old Ma, you'll be in charge here after I leave."

"Okay!" Ma Yu nodded emphatically.

Zuo Xingyuan smiled faintly at Ning Ze, then turned and walked away with an air of nonchalance. His back view was arrogant and unrestrained, and the huge broadsword he carried exuded a domineering aura.

Ning Ze tightened his grip on the light sword, his blood surging and his heart filled with the desire to fight.

The room became quiet again.

Outside the room, Zuo Xingyuan transformed into a fighting machine, frantically hacking and slashing through the Black Tide Bull herd. His intermediate-level warrior strength made him invincible among the monsters, and each strike easily took the life of a monster.

Time passed by, and Ma Yu would occasionally glance at his communication watch.

When the left-hand source signal was turned on for about two minutes, two more red dots appeared in addition to the green dot representing the left-hand source signal.

Ma Yu smiled slightly and said, "The captain has sent a signal. The cooperation is on. Although half of the profits will be split, at least there won't be any danger."

"Old Xu, Old Zhang, you two get out of here."

"good!"

Xu Liang and Zhang Chen responded and went out to support Zuo Xingyuan.

The atmosphere eased considerably when the other party expressed a willingness to cooperate.

Soon, two more red signal sources appeared in the communication watch.

Ma Yu said in a deep voice, "Let's go, let's go out together. Their artillerymen shouldn't show up. Better safe than sorry, and don't forget to take cover without warning. Although even if they were to snipe, there's a high chance they wouldn't aim at you, we should still be vigilant just in case."

"good!"

Ning Ze responded and silently followed behind.

In a brief moment, the two martial arts teams engaged in a silent exchange.

Upon arriving at the battlefield, Ning Ze followed Ma Yu, continuously killing the surrounding Black Tide Bulls, while the captains of both teams had already begun dealing with the two Beast General-level monsters.

Originally, a single team of warriors would have been enough to hunt down this group of Black Tide Bulls. Now that two teams were attacking at the same time, although the gunners were no longer able to pick off the target, it wasn't too difficult.

Almost simultaneously, the two beast-general level monsters were killed, and the once-charging Black Tide Bull, now leaderless, began to flee in a frenzy.

Seeing the monster trying to escape from his side, Ning Ze's eyes flashed like lightning. He thrust out his sword as lightly as a dragonfly skimming the water, only three inches from the monster's eyes before withdrawing it in an instant. The Black Tide Bull's limbs went limp, and it fell forward to the ground due to inertia.

"Clap clap clap!"

A crisp clapping sound rang out.

Ning Ze turned his head and saw a tall, thin martial artist looking at him with a smile on his lips.

"Barbarian Blade, who's this kid? Is he one of your new recruits?"

"Flying Eagle, stop talking nonsense! You've got a sharp eye, you stole our prey! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Yours? Bullshit! We've been watching this stupid ox for three days before it finally fell asleep," the fierce-looking martial artist cursed.

Zuo Xingyuan's face turned cold, and he sneered, "No manners! Who do you think you are? Do you even have a place to speak here? What, does your Blood Eagle Squad want to mess with us? You've got some nerve!"

The fierce-looking martial artist instantly flew into a rage. Just as he was about to say something about being called Flying Eagle, the tall, thin martial artist waved his hand to stop the person behind him from speaking.

He spoke with a gloomy look in his eyes: "Barbarian Blade, watch your mouth!"

"Now that we've given the signal to let everyone come out, let's follow the rules. This high-level beast general-level Black Tide Bull will be split in half, and whoever kills the rest keeps it."

Zuo Xingyuan muttered, "Damn it, we've given away half for nothing. We've lost face in front of Ze." He replied loudly, "Fine, let's do it the way we're supposed to. If Lao Yang hadn't been busy and couldn't come this time, I would have insisted on giving you half, considering it a bargain."

Flying Eagle narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on Ning Ze for a moment, then he raised his arm and waved his hand behind him.

"Dealing with one's prey."

The other two began processing their prey, while only the fierce-looking martial artist stood to the side, his eyes flashing with cold light, as if asking, "Is this all we're going to do?" He had been scolded!

Flying Eagle frowned and gave a warning look, which made the fierce-looking martial artist give up and lower his head to deal with his prey.

Ma Yu also dragged Ning Ze along to deal with the monster.

Only the two captains stood facing each other at a safe distance, neither of them speaking, their eyes warily fixed on the other side, while simultaneously being alert to any sniper attacks from their surroundings.

Twenty minutes later, the group of warriors finished collecting the spoils.

Flying Eagle spoke again, "The high-level Beast General-grade Black Tide Savage Bull is worth 8000 million Chinese Yuan. I need the materials, and I'll transfer 4000 million to you afterward, how about that?"

Zuo Xingyuan snorted and said disdainfully, "You say 8000 million and it's 8000 million? Material prices are basically transparent now. The lowest bid is 8000 million, and that's for a monster that has just entered the advanced beast general level."

"Judging by its size, this one isn't just a newly advanced beast general. It'd fetch at least 9000 million if sold to the underground alliance. Are you trying to play tricks on me? Put it on my tab for 4500 million Chinese yuan. You can handle the materials from this monster."

Both of them are recording the conversation. Martial artists value their reputation, and once they've agreed on something, they won't go back on their word and refuse to pay.

Flying Eagle pondered for a moment, then readily agreed, "Alright, wait for us to finish dealing with this before you leave!"

"I wouldn't stoop to such a sneak attack, so do as you please." Zuo Xingyuan's expression was full of disdain.

Five minutes later, the materials were finally processed, and the two teams silently withdrew towards their respective gunners.

Once the two sides were out of sight, the martial artist, who was seething with anger, finally spoke up.

"Boss, their artilleryman isn't here, why are we putting up with them?"

Flying Eagle scoffed and said, "He's lying to us. A Black Tide Bull at the high-level Beast General level? I don't believe that besides Fire Rain Yang Chao, who else in their team can wield a gun!"

"This guy's nickname is Barbarian Blade, but he's just as cunning as that Golden Fire Bear. They're very shrewd; they deliberately lured us into making a move."

"There are five of them and four of us. Ma Yu, nicknamed Youren, is a veteran warrior with superhuman agility, even though he's been taking gene-enhancing drugs. His strength is only slightly inferior to Mandao."

"Plus that new member, he's at least a high-level warrior. Judging from how easily he moves, he's quite capable."

"Once a fight breaks out, even a simple match will leave us with financial losses and apologies. That would be a huge loss for us."

"Damn it!" The warrior, his face contorted with rage, was quite annoyed. "We had such a good prey, and now we've split it in half. Otherwise, this harvest would have been half of our total!"

Eagle grinned maliciously and said, "Who said the prey was divided in half? Isn't the prey still in our hands?"

Upon hearing this, the burly martial artist in the group couldn't help but speak up: "Boss, we can't renege on this. They definitely recorded it. If we really embarrass the Thunder Martial Arts Academy, it's not something that can be forgiven with tens of millions."

"Who said I'm going to renege on my debt?" Flying Eagle retorted, then added ominously, "What if they can't get back?"

The fierce-looking martial artist was overjoyed. He excitedly asked, "Boss? Shall we make our move?"

"Make a move? Dazhuang, use your brain. Even if we can ambush one of the Barbarian Blades, there's still a Ghost Blade. We don't have much of an advantage."

Flying Eagle's voice was a bit like "I'm hopeless." This kind of teammate is brave and willing to fight, and is obedient, but he's a bit too straightforward and has a bad temper.

Dazhuang scratched his head sheepishly and asked, "Then what do we do?"

Flying Eagle chuckled, "Why should we lift a finger?" He analyzed with a shrewd glint in his eyes, "A typical martial arts team consists of five people."

"According to the rules of our martial arts, the one who contributes the most gets the lion's share, which is 60%, while the other team members get 40%, making it 10% each. Unless it's a team with a good relationship, this has always been the rule, with few exceptions."

"Since there are such rules, there must be a reason for them. Whether it's the psychological balance in distributing money, the allocation of team members' responsibilities and tasks, or the principle of getting what you put in, it's a reasonable standard."

"I'm sure Yang Chao from Huoyu is there! That means something unexpected happened in their team, and now there are six of them."

"Then this newcomer must be a trusted acquaintance. Although his face is covered in dust and his age is hard to tell, his hairstyle suggests he is relatively young."

"Trustworthy and young. Coincidentally, I received a message from the martial arts school a couple of days ago saying that Jin Huoxiong's son fought someone at the school and defeated a genius martial artist with an S-level contract. So there's no need to explain the newcomer's identity. He's definitely not on a training mission assigned by the martial arts school. They wouldn't neglect the old captain's son to train someone else."

"We'll be angry if our prey is stolen, but I believe some people will be so scared they can't sleep if they hear that Golden Fire Bear's son has surpassed a genius martial artist with an S-class contract."

"As long as this message is spread, someone will come and deal with them. Not only will we be able to get our prey back, but we might also earn a good reward."

"Boss, I'll listen to you! As long as I can get revenge!" Da Zhuang grinned sheepishly, then turned his head, his eyes filled with cruelty.

Flying Eagle turned to look at the other two.

They exchanged a glance and quickly asked, "Boss, what do you suggest?"

"Boss, you're in charge!"

Flying Eagle grinned smugly and said, "Let's find a quiet place to make a call and wait to collect the money. What do you all think?"

(End of this chapter)