Chapter 34: Mounts and Greed

Outside the Carrefour supermarket.

The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle folded its wings and landed silently atop a four-story building, its sharp, sapphire-blue eyes seemingly peering through the thick white mist into the supermarket.

Sensing that the commotion inside had suddenly ceased, a flicker of doubt and caution crossed its eyes. It scanned its surroundings repeatedly, fearful of a sneak attack. In the sky, it was an unrivaled hegemon; even an Iron-Armored Dragon would have to tread carefully before it. Yet, on the ground, the eagle knew its limits—if the Iron-Armored Dragon managed to close the distance, it would certainly be defeated.

A mile away, in a residential building, Wang Tong, dressed in a green combat suit, crouched behind a window with a furrowed brow. He had narrowly avoided being spotted by the eagle.

"Could that Iron-Armored Dragon be fighting this Black-Crowned Golden Eagle? No, that’s not right." Though he had only caught a brief glimpse, Wang Tong was certain he had seen no signs of combat on the eagle. It seemed the eagle, like himself, had been drawn by the noise of the dragon's battle.

"But why has it suddenly gone quiet in the supermarket? Has the dragon finally finished off its opponent?" Wang Tong wondered. Had the dragon won, or the other party?

"I'll wait and see. There might still be a chance to scavenge," Wang Tong thought, his eyes glinting as he watched the eagle standing motionless like a sculpture on a nearby rooftop. A peak-condition aerial hegemon and a victor from a finished battle—a conflict between the two might just be inevitable.

***

"About a mile to the north, on a building, that flying monster is standing perfectly still, meow."

"A mile or so to the east, that human is hiding in a low building, meow."

At the supermarket entrance, Luo Feng listened to the transmission from Nengliangduo. He glanced toward the north and east, but the dense fog obscured his vision; he could see no more than a hundred meters ahead. He contemplated slipping away now—after all, his mission was complete.

[New Mission: Capture the 'Black-Crowned Golden Eagle' alive!]
[Reward: Black-Crowned Golden Eagle mount, 5,000 points]

Luo Feng’s mouth hung open. Seeing the new mission and the rewards, his thought of leaving vanished instantly. "Well, I guess I have no choice." He stared intently at the reward bar. Whether it was the five thousand points or the eagle mount, both were incredibly tempting. It was rare for 'Bai' to state the rewards in advance.

Within his inner space, Baichen looked at Luo Feng, who was stirred into action by the rewards, and smiled faintly. He had two reasons for issuing this mission: First, the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle was magnificent, and he wanted to keep it as a collection. Second, Baichen knew Luo Feng was harboring resentment over the Xu Xin incident and wanted to slap the Xu family in the face. What better way to do that than with a handsome, powerful, and practical eagle mount? It would be far more flashy and arrogant than arriving in a King-level fighter jet.

Suddenly, a piercing, metal-rending shriek erupted from the northwest. Wang Tong, hiding in the low building, felt a chill; he could swear he heard a hint of fear in the eagle's cry.

What was happening? Wang Tong rushed to the window, but could only see clouds of dust and the faint silhouette of the eagle thrashing violently on the ground, as if locked in a desperate struggle.

Driven by curiosity, Wang Tong crept toward the source of the noise. Upon arriving, he saw the eagle's opponent: a young man in a black combat suit whom he had never seen before. The youth held a battle blade in one hand and a shield in the other, while telekinetically controlling three flying daggers to relentlessly assault the eagle.

"A spirit reader? And at least at the high-level Warlord stage!" Wang Tong was shocked. If the Iron-Armored Dragon hadn't appeared, could it have been slaughtered by this mysterious powerhouse? It was highly likely. If so, this youth's strength was terrifying.

Before his eyes, the eagle, its wings crippled and unable to fly, struggled feebly against the barrage of flying daggers until it collapsed, dying and helpless. Wang Tong nodded in admiration—only a spirit reader could pull off such a feat. A martial artist like himself would have been detected by the eagle’s keen senses long before he could launch a sneak attack.

However, the youth appeared heavily injured after two consecutive battles, panting hard with blood on his lips, looking exhausted—as if he lacked the strength even to finish the bird off. Wang Tong’s eyes fell on the youth's equipment: a high-tier combat suit, blade, and shield, all pristine despite the fighting, along with the daggers that could pierce the eagle’s armor.

SS-grade gear! As a spirit reader, he was clearly wealthy. Wang Tong quickly calculated the value—the gear, the two high-level lord-class monsters—it was a fortune of nearly 87 billion Chinese Yuan. Greed took hold of him.

"Damn it, I'm doing this!" Wang Tong's eyes turned bloodshot. He was no stranger to dirty work; in the chaotic days of the Great Nirvana, he had killed many for profit. With a sinister smile, he crept behind the exhausted youth.

Three hundred meters! Two hundred! One hundred! Fifty!

"Die, kid!" Wang Tong broke the sound barrier, his blade descending with a lethal intent.

*Splat.*

Wang Tong froze, his eyes glazing over as he reached for his forehead, feeling the slick warmth of blood. Luo Feng, who had been facing away, turned around. He looked at Wang Tong—whose skull and half his brain had been sliced away—with a complex expression and sighed.

"Why do you have to be like this?"

Luo Feng’s eyes held a trace of pity. With Nengliangduo reporting every movement, Wang Tong’s "sneak attack" had been as transparent as a clown’s act. He had used only three daggers against the eagle, keeping the fourth in reserve specifically for such "unknown dangers."