Volume Two: Setting Out on the Journey Chapter 18: You Win

"Wang Jue, you earned the most this time."

Su Yu, standing beside him, couldn't help but shout, "You definitely have to treat us later!"

"Exactly, you must treat us! We’re going to bleed you dry, you rich man," added the sisters, Jiang Yunyan and Jiang Yunxin.

One had to realize that even in their most profitable outings, they usually only earned forty or fifty million each. Yet, in his very first hunt with them, Wang Jue had made nearly seventy million! If they didn't make him treat them to a feast, they felt they would be doing themselves a disservice.

Wang Jue chuckled, "Heh, sure, I'll treat you. I wouldn't dare not to."

"Hahaha..."

Shen Feng and the others all laughed along. They weren't jealous, at most just a little envious. They all knew clearly that the real big haul was that piece of star bone! If everything went according to plan, everyone would walk away with at least two hundred million each.

"Let's put the treat aside for now," Shen Feng said with a smile. "Let's wait until we've sold the star bone first. We can buy some healing medicine while we're at it, and then go back to our rooms to recover from our injuries after the meal."

In his view, the star bone was not only highly valuable but also a "hot potato" that was best handled as soon as possible.

Shen Feng then placed a call on his wristwatch: "Old Hong? Yes, it's me. Of course, I've got something good for you, why else would I call? It’s definitely a high-value item worth hundreds of millions. Alright, no problem."

After ending the call, Shen Feng looked at the others with a smile, "I've already spoken with Old Hong. Let's head upstairs now."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Su Yu said, unable to hide his eagerness.

"Let's go, then," Wang Jue and the others agreed.

...

The group left the room and headed straight to the elevator in the lobby that led to the second floor.

*Ding!*

The elevator doors opened, and the group stepped inside. The elevator ascended rapidly. It didn't stop in between, and in less than three seconds, another *ding* signaled their arrival at the second floor.

Stepping out, they entered an enormous lounge, which alone spanned nearly five or six hundred square meters. Several people were already sitting on the long sofas lining the walls, waiting their turn. They looked on in astonishment as this group bypassed the queue and headed directly toward Manager Hong’s office.

Soon, the group entered the office. Wang Jue glanced around, noticing the crystal-clear decor. The floor was made of crystal, and beneath it, one could see streams flowing and fish swimming. Standing on the crystal, he could see many fish beneath his feet.

"Tsk..." Wang Jue clicked his tongue quietly, "So extravagant!"

"Shen Feng, it looks like you guys made a killing this time." An elderly man with a round face rose from his seat and walked over with a cheerful smile. "Come, have a seat over here."

The group sat facing each other on the sofas in the office.

"Tell me, what kind of goods do you have this time?" the round-faced old man asked with a smile. "Bring it out so I can take a look and give you an estimate."

"Heh, since you want to see it, I'll give you a real eye-opener," Shen Feng chuckled. "You’ve received many warrior squads, but I’m not bragging—this item is something you rarely get to see."

With that, Shen Feng nodded at Wang Jue. "Wang Jue, take it out."

"Oh?" Manager Hong was surprised, his eyes brightening. "This is interesting."

Wang Jue smiled at Manager Hong, placed his backpack on the floor, and pulled out the most precious item: the star bone.

"A star bone!" Manager Hong couldn't help but stand up, exclaiming, "Impressive, Shen Feng! This is quite a haul. I’ve been in this position for a long time, and I can count the number of times I’ve seen a star bone on one hand."

"Wait for me a moment." Manager Hong ran to his desk, grabbed a scanner from the bookshelf behind it, and hurried back. "Little brother, hand the star bone to me, quick."

Manager Hong urged Wang Jue with a smile while activating the device. A split second later, a red beam of light shone from the top of the instrument. Wang Jue looked at Shen Feng, and after receiving a nod, he handed the star bone to the manager.

"Wait, the texture—it’s definitely a star bone!" Manager Hong’s eyes gleamed. He placed the bone under the red light and watched as streams of data appeared on the device's small screen. He stared at the data with a serious expression, inputting information via a virtual keyboard.

A moment later, Manager Hong said in surprise, "It was obtained from a Level 3 Star Beast? And it’s a chest bone, which is quite valuable!"

"Star bones come in five types: skull, chest, spine, wrist, and leg. The skull is undoubtedly the most valuable, followed by the chest, while the spine, wrist, and leg bones are worth roughly the same." Manager Hong sighed with emotion, "I have to say, your luck is truly incredible. You just happened to kill a Level 3 Star Beast and got a star bone. As far as I know, the odds of a star bone appearing are extremely low. Many Yellow Star and Green Star rank warriors have hunted countless Level 4 and 5 beasts without ever seeing one."

"Alright, I'll take this star bone. Now, let's talk price. Make your offer!"

The members of the Hurricane Squad looked at each other, and Shen Feng gave Wang Jue a signal. Wang Jue understood instantly and, without hesitation, asked with a smile, "Manager Hong, what price do you think is appropriate?"

He had no idea what the exact market price was, so to avoid letting Manager Hong see through him, Wang Jue tossed the ball back to maintain the initiative.

"Hiss..." Manager Hong took a deep breath and blurted out, "How about eight hundred million?"

Even for him, a deal of this size was rare.

Upon hearing the price, Wang Jue, Shen Feng, and the others exchanged glances. Before coming here, they had discussed the price and had their own expectations. A normal star bone usually went for no less than one billion, especially a chest bone, which was second only to the skull. Nine hundred million clearly wouldn't satisfy them.

"Old Hong, that price is too low," Shen Feng said with a frown. "I remember the last star bone sold at auction was a wrist bone, and it went for one billion. This is a chest bone; surely it should be worth 1.2 or 1.3 billion?"

"Shen Feng, don't joke with me. Even if your chest bone is valuable, it can't reach that price," Manager Hong said with a wry smile. "Honestly, you know that auction items always carry a premium. The person who bought that wrist bone last time happened to be in urgent need of one, which drove the price to a billion."

"A normal wrist bone is worth at most six or seven hundred million, and a chest bone generally goes for eight to nine hundred million. The skull is the most valuable and usually fetches over a billion."

"Besides, star bones are only useful to physical-cultivation warriors. For those of us who don't train that way, they're essentially useless. You know as well as I do that among our human powerhouses, only a few follow the path of physical cultivation, and most of them have already collected the five main star bones or don't need a chest bone."

Wang Jue smiled inwardly. In truth, they had agreed beforehand that if they could sell it for one billion, that would be acceptable. Shen Feng’s current stance was just to intimidate Manager Hong.

"It seems Manager Hong can't afford this price," Shen Feng stood up abruptly and said to his team, "Let's go."

Wang Jue immediately picked up the chest bone from the table.

"Uh..." Manager Hong was taken aback by Shen Feng’s unpredictable behavior. He hesitated, frowned, and said, "Eight hundred and fifty million. That's my limit."

"Let's go." Gao Feng didn't say a word and walked toward the exit.

"Shen Feng, eight hundred and fifty million is already a great deal!" Manager Hong was frustrated. Seeing the team opening the door to leave, he shouted, "Wait! You win! Come back, I'll take it for one billion!"

Success!

Standing at the doorway, Shen Feng, Wang Jue, Su Yu, and the others exchanged smiles. They knew full well that there were over a dozen managers responsible for purchasing beast materials at the Adventurer Headquarters, and they operated under a "last-place elimination" system. If someone’s performance was the worst for the year, they would be stripped of their management status.

With new talent always waiting to replace them, the managers were under immense pressure. To keep their jobs, they had to do everything possible to secure materials from the warriors.

Seeing that their goal was achieved, the group turned back and returned to the office.

"We’ve known each other for so long, and you’re still so ruthless," Manager Hong said while processing the transfer paperwork. "Now that managers in every district—and even the warriors themselves—are all competing to buy beast materials, the market has become so transparent that our profit margins are getting thinner. Seeing you guys make a billion in one go, I’m tempted to go out into the wilderness to hunt star beasts myself. Unfortunately, I’ve been too busy with administrative work for years, and my cultivation hasn't improved; if anything, it’s regressed. I’d probably only be able to handle a Level 3 beast now, definitely not a Level 4."

"Come on, Old Hong, you've been doing this for so many years, your personal assets are probably no less than what we earned today," Shen Feng laughed.

Manager Hong smiled slightly, "Just luck. Occasional big deals let me earn a little commission."

"A little?" Shen Feng retorted. "Don't treat us like fools. You’ll make at least an eight-figure profit on this deal."

"Not that much," Manager Hong shook his head. "Anyway, it's done. One billion credits have been transferred to your squad's account."

As soon as he finished speaking, *buzz, buzz, buzz*—both team leader Shen Feng and deputy leader Su Yu received notifications on their communication watches that one billion credits had been added to their account.

"Hahaha, Old Hong, you're straightforward!" Shen Feng laughed heartily.

"Just remember me favorably. If you have any more big deals in the future, be sure to look after me," Manager Hong said with a smile. "The pressure on us managers is huge these days. If I could make it to the manager-in-chief level, I’d have it much easier."

"Sure," Shen Feng nodded. "But star bones are something you can only happen upon by chance; we never know when we’ll get another. We were in a rush to return after getting this one, so we didn't hunt many other materials. Otherwise, at our usual pace, we could earn two or three hundred million more."

"No problem," Manager Hong waved his hand. "I understand the concept of small gains adding up. As long as you come to me first, regardless of the amount of materials, I’ll be deeply grateful."

"Haha, no problem."

"So, is that a deal?"

"Rest assured, my word is my bond!"