I Can See Experience Points

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Where’s My Hammer?

Z County, at a crayfish stall on Food Street.

As night fell, the place began to bustle with activity.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that they’re all just street vendors. In reality, every single one of them was wealthy—definitely what you’d call middle class in this county.

A thousand yuan or so a night was perfectly normal.

Of course, it was all hard-earned money. They didn’t close up shop until after three in the morning, and after sleeping in till noon, it was time to get busy all over again.

The man with the ear stud, along with Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun, had grabbed a table early.

The three of them were drinking beer and peeling crayfish, chatting idly.

”Brother Peng, is X really that incredible? Did he literally hammer the mastermind to death?”

Although Zhao Lei’s face was still pale, he looked much better than he had at the abandoned factory.

The recovery abilities of the ’unusual’ were quite strong. As long as the injury wasn’t fatal, they were usually fine.

Plus, thanks to his steel-hardening ability, the shadow’s fatal strike had only caused him to lose a lot of blood.

As for Zhou Yun, aside from a lingering pain in the back of her head, she was fine.

The Kappas had only knocked her unconscious, not killed her.

”Yeah. I watched with my own two eyes as he threw his hammer and smashed that anomalous item to bits. And you know what an esper is like without their anomalous item. No different from a lamb to the slaughter.”

”I’ve already reported the incident, so the two of you are sure to get a commendation. As for X’s request for a reward, the higher-ups have given their answer. It’s just... the guy said he’d meet us tonight. Why isn’t he here yet?”

Although Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun were taken out right at the start, their courage was commendable.

After all, not many people are willing to risk their lives these days, especially for others.

That kind of quality, at least, was rare and valuable.

Meanwhile, He Xiaotian hadn’t driven to Food Street this time.

Instead, he had sped all the way here using Eight Steps Chasing Cicada.

He had to admit, for traveling in a straight line, this Qinggong technique was incredibly useful.

Especially with the boost it gave to his explosive power. A hundred-meter-dash champion would look ridiculous next to his terrifying speed.

He was like a black bolt of lightning, streaking through one street after another.

It was only when he reached Food Street that the area started to feel lively.

It was a stark contrast to the deserted streets he had just passed through.

He walked straight to the crayfish stall and spotted the man with the ear stud at a glance.

It couldn’t be helped. The man’s aura was something an ordinary person simply couldn’t match.

”So, how much of a reward does your boss plan on giving me?”

The three had just clinked their glasses and taken half a sip of beer when a cold voice sounded beside them.

A tall figure then sat down at their table.

The gold-foil ’X’ on his chest revealed his identity.

They didn’t know if it was just an illusion, but they all had the feeling that the mysterious X had gotten even taller.

Before, he was 185 cm at most.

Now, he was at least 190 cm, towering over everyone like a crane among chickens.

In truth, He Xiaotian had noticed he’d grown taller again after his Fire-refined Golden Body advanced to the ’Outstanding’ level.

But there was nothing to be done about it. Who was to blame that this Qi Gong was also a Horizontal Training art?

It provided an enormous boost to one’s physical constitution.

The formerly out-of-shape young man was now, without a doubt, a mountain of muscle.

If his old classmates saw him now, they probably wouldn’t even recognize him.

”After a decision from the higher-ups, for the civilian specialist X resolving the matter at Zhongcheng Slaughterhouse, as well as the missing persons case at the abandoned factory, you will be awarded five hundred thousand yuan,” the man with the ear stud said in a low, serious voice.

He Xiaotian didn’t answer. He just turned his head and looked around.

Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun were completely baffled.

They had no idea what he was up to.

”X, what are you doing?” the man with the ear stud asked directly.

”Nothing. I’m looking for my hammer. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring it with me.”

The three: ”...”

’If you’re not satisfied, just say so! We can negotiate.’

’Even if we can’t increase the amount ourselves, we can file a report!’

’Looking for a hammer, my ass!’

’You want to hammer the three of us to death or something?’

”Hey, come on, bro. Can I call you bro? Five hundred thousand is a lot! The three of us fought for our lives and all we got out of it was a twenty-thousand-yuan consolation prize.” The man with the ear stud was genuinely afraid. Unlike Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun, he hadn’t been unconscious; he had witnessed He Xiaotian’s terrifying power firsthand.

To sum it up in one word: brutal!

Forget about him using those two iron hammers that weighed over three hundred pounds each; even bare-handed, he could probably beat someone into a pulp with just a few punches and kicks.

”Did you resolve the Pig Grudge?”

The man with the ear stud grimaced and shook his head.

”Did you kill the shadow?”

Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun turned their heads away, feigning that they hadn’t heard a thing.

”Did you save the lives of over a hundred people?”

”...”

He Xiaotian spread his hands. ”So, that’s why you only get twenty thousand. But five hundred thousand? That’s nowhere near my worth.”

Hearing this, the three of them couldn’t help but roll their eyes.

’Does he think this is some ancient brothel picking its top courtesan?’

’Nowhere near his worth, my ass!’

”Besides, I’m moving soon. I plan on buying a villa. Five hundred thousand is just a drop in the bucket compared to the three hundred million I need.”

’Is a normal conversation even possible with this guy?’

If it weren’t for He Xiaotian’s sheer power, the three of them would have thrown down their glasses and bolted long ago.

”One million. Non-negotiable. I want it in cash. Tomorrow night, same place. And by the way, if you dare tell me you can’t get it, I’ll hammer you to death. Don’t try to bargain. I can even throw in two complete Kappa corpses for free.”

He Xiaotian had arrived quickly, but he left even faster.

Before the man with the ear stud could even get a word out, He Xiaotian turned and vanished into the bustling crowd.

”Brother Peng, how about we just skip town tonight?”

”Run? As long as that guy’s alive, we’re bound to run into him again. The only way out is if you die on the road before you see him next.”

This wasn’t his headache to deal with. If anyone should be worrying, it was the higher-ups.

Besides, given what He Xiaotian had accomplished, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d saved all of Z County.

If what the shadow had said was true—that if the plan had succeeded, the county’s three hundred thousand-plus residents would have all become puppets—the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Of course, the man with the ear stud didn’t entirely believe it. It was normal for a guy on the brink of death to spout some bullshit to try and save his own skin.

But saving over a hundred lives was a concrete achievement. No one could argue with that.

Asking for a million-yuan reward didn’t seem so excessive.

”Cut it out. The Operations Team’s budget is extremely tight. I heard the Director is already going crazy. Another five hundred thousand? Believe me, he’d dare to send me to ’cooperate’ with those lab freaks just to make some money,” Zhao Lei said, a flicker of terror in his eyes.

In the last six months, several departments had been established one after another to deal specifically with special incidents.

And among them, the Operations Team was the poorest of the poor—the kind that was so broke it was dropping crumbs.

To get funding and improve his team members’ benefits, their Director was practically turning into a ravenous wolf.

There were even a few times he’d coaxed some rookies fresh out of school into ”cooperating” with a certain lab to earn some quick cash.

This five hundred thousand must have been squeezed from between their teeth.

”Heh heh, *we* don’t have the money. But among the hundreds of people we rescued from that factory, there were quite a few wealthy ones. If you split five hundred thousand between them, it’s not that much.”