Chapter 175: Took a Loss

When Shen Ya saw Zhao Kuo and the others appear here, his heart sank completely—clearly, the Heaven Blade squad had been directly eliminated.

All his planning had been utterly ruined.

So Shen Ya could only let out a long sigh, slumping against the tree trunk, and said, "Li Luo, you've won."

Li Luo paid no attention to his dejection, instead waving toward Zhao Kuo and the others.

"Boss Li, you've wrapped things up over here?" Zhao Kuo and the others hurried forward, their eyes flicking between Shen Ya's defeated, lifeless expression and the chaos around them—they understood the outcome here was settled.

And what was shocking was that this strongest Gold Radiance squad, fully manned, had been wiped out entirely by Li Luo and Bai Bai Mengmeng alone.

How utterly ferocious.

Zong Fu and the others looked at Li Luo with deep admiration.

Li Luo smiled at them and said, "Looks like you've handled your side too."

Zhao Kuo's expression turned ashamed. "Boss Li, I'm sorry—this time it was my fault. I nearly got you into danger."

If Li Luo hadn't arranged backup measures, Xu Ge's betrayal would have capsized them—and possibly dragged Li Luo's squad down with them.

Li Luo waved his hand with a laugh. "Why say that? If you hadn't warned me, I might've been ambushed by them."

Had he not known beforehand of the Governor's squad's malice, he might not have prepared at all—then they'd have faced the combined force of the Governor's squad and the Heaven Blade squad. Though Li Luo didn't think the enemy could truly swallow them, it would've still caught them off guard.

Li Luo disliked that feeling of being caught unprepared—he preferred knowing everything in advance and being fully ready.

As Li Luo spoke with Zhao Kuo, movement stirred in the tree shadows behind them, and more figures emerged—among them, the first was Ye Hua.

"Stone Kid," Li Luo waved at him.

Ye Hua's face darkened. "Don't call me Stone Kid!"

"Thanks a lot, Stone Kid," Li Luo grinned brightly.

Previously, he and Ye Hua had clashed before becoming allies; afterward, Li Luo had spared their squad and even granted them points, with one condition: Ye Hua must watch for his signal and try to gather several Gold Radiance squads as backup.

At the time, he'd merely been preparing for contingencies—he never imagined Xu Ge's squad would be planted by the enemy. He simply felt it was too easy for rumors of the enemy's intent to spread and reach Zhao Kuo and the others, suggesting hidden preparations might still exist.

Judging by the outcome, Li Luo's response this time was flawless.

Faced with Li Luo's persistent stubbornness, Ye Hua could only sigh helplessly and waved his hand. "I'm too lazy to argue with you. Since things are settled here, I think you should settle accounts."

He pointed to the four Gold Radiance squads behind him—they'd earlier blocked the three squads the Governor's squad had hidden here.

"I already got paid, but I promised them: if they just showed up, each squad gets one Golden Badge."

Hearing this, Li Luo's lip twitched involuntarily—damn you, Stone Kid, I asked you to find help, but you're charging this much? One Golden Badge per squad? Four squads mean four badges—that's four hundred points!

This price was undeniably exorbitant.

"Hey, you're not gonna back out on your word, are you..."

Ye Hua glared at Li Luo. "Yeah, it's expensive, but what can I do? Other squads heard we were taking on the Governor's squad and refused to get involved—they're still the #1 Gold Radiance squad, after all."

Li Luo sighed helplessly, pulled four Golden Badges from his pocket, and tossed them over. Though it stung, he couldn't possibly reneg on his word—they'd come to help him, after all.

Ye Hua caught the badges and distributed them to the four squads, then said, "Get out fast—watch out, he might get bitter and rob you all."

The four Gold Radiance squads all left satisfied, smiling at Li Luo: "Boss Li, next time you've got something like this, remember to call us!"

Then they departed, arms slung over each other's shoulders.

Li Luo watched their retreating figures and sighed sadly—he'd fought so hard, only to nearly end up working for someone else.

Four hundred points.

"Well, I'm off then," Ye Hua waved, sensing Li Luo's gaze was odd—was this guy seriously planning to rob him?

He quickly turned and fled.

Li Luo watched his back, smirked wryly, then called out, "Thanks. If you need anything, come find me—but remember, I charge too."

"Can't afford it, can't afford it!" Ye Hua called back from afar, then vanished quickly.

After watching Ye Hua and the others leave, Li Luo turned, expressionless, toward Shen Ya, yanked the Golden Badge from his chest, emptied all the Golden Badges from his pockets, and took one-fifth as spoils.

But even so, he'd only gained three hundred points or so.

Damn it, still a loss.

Li Luo felt annoyed.

"Boss Li, we harvested the Heaven Blade squad and Xu Ge's group—we got over four hundred points. Let us give you some backup," Zhao Kuo said, feeling guilty.

Li Luo shot him a look and ignored him entirely—Zhao Kuo's squad was only mid-tier among Gold Radiance squads; earning points was hard for them. These points were likely their absolute limit.

He'd never let Zhao Kuo give up points.

Seeing this, Shen Ya couldn't help but chuckle. "Looks like your points still don't cover what you paid out."

Li Luo spoke slowly. "You're calculating wrong. I targeted you only to clear away annoying little pests before facing Wang Wang Hejiu's squad."

"Once we deal with the Gold Gate squad, won't points be easy to get?"

Shen Ya sneered. "Trying to take down the Gold Gate squad? Who ends up swallowing whom isn't certain at all."

"Li Luo, I'll be waiting for your 'good news.'"

Li Luo stretched lazily and nodded. "Who wins or loses doesn't concern you anymore. Your ranking battle ends here."

Shen Ya's face was grim—he was clearly displeased. With their squad's strength, had they not met Li Luo's group, they'd have gone much further and earned far more points.

Li Luo looked up at the sun, slowly sinking westward. When it fully disappeared, this monthly exam would end.

Xin Fu and Bai Bai Mengmeng appeared behind Li Luo at that moment.

He glanced at them and smiled.

"The trash has finally been cleared out..."

"I think it's time for the main course."

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