Chapter 44

Lu Jing, with Jiang Fansen and Lou Wanqing, three women, jumped onto the driver's seat of the freight truck.

As for Huang Qiti, Wu Li and the others, they were naturally assigned to the cargo compartment loaded with demon beast materials.

Wu Li and Shi Xiu didn't say much; they had already been scared stiff by the cannon‑dragon lizard that Lu Jing had carried back.

They had no choice but to climb into the compartment honestly; Huang Qiti had a few complaints but didn't say much more.

As soon as they entered the compartment, they saw the outermost side stacked with shadow wolf corpses—more than twenty of them.

"Captain, these are shadow wolves—when did that kid hunt them?"

Guan Yulan was somewhat surprised; she couldn't believe anyone could hunt a wolf pack single‑handedly.

Wu Li didn't speak; instead, he called the Dan Medicine company's representative and arranged to meet at the entrance of the Huangshen Forest.

Only now did he understand why Lu Jing wanted to talk personally with the Dan Medicine people.

It turned out he had leftover materials, so naturally there was no need to pay the penalty.

But whether the mission reward could be obtained was uncertain.

Thanks to Wu Li's prior contact, the Dan Medicine people were already waiting at the entrance.

As soon as the truck pulled away, they saw a truck bearing the Dan Medicine logo parked outside.

Seeing Lu Jing and the others get out of the truck, a middle‑aged man in a black suit jumped out of the truck.

"Are you Captain Wu Li?" the suit‑clad man approached Lu Jing, greeted him, and said, "Please hand over the mission materials; we're in a bit of a hurry."

Lu Jing glanced at the dejected Wu Li at the back, smiled, and said, "I'm not Wu Li; that person over there is."

The man in the suit blinked, somewhat puzzled.

He had posted the mission on the alliance platform; he only knew that a group called the Xuanwu Hunting Team had taken it, and he had never met Wu Li in person, so he didn't recognize Wu Li.

Seeing Lu Jing standing at the front, he assumed Lu Jing was the captain of the Xuanwu Hunting Team.

The man in the suit frowned strangely and asked, "Your hunting team's lineup is odd—do you really need so many people? And why is the captain a teenager who looks only seventeen or eighteen?"

At that moment, Wu Li and Shi Xiu, who had been dazed in the back, suddenly realized: "Yeah, we seem to have overestimated Lu Jing."

Lu Jing is just a student coming here for training—how could he have the strength to kill a cannon‑dragon lizard?

Who said the cannon‑dragon lizard he was carrying on his shoulder was the one he killed?

Guan Yulan, who had been at the rear of the team, tugged Wu Li's sleeve and whispered, "Captain, if Lu Jing really had that kind of strength, why would he join our Xuanwu Hunting Team?"

Wu Li and Shi Xiu's eyes flickered, "What do you mean?"

"Because his strength is simply inadequate; this cannon‑dragon lizard's young was eaten, so we fought it for half a day, already a life‑or‑death situation, yet when we fled it didn't chase us—what do you think the reason is?"

Shi Xiu's eyes lit up; he picked up the thread and continued, "Are you saying the cannon‑dragon lizard was likely already injured, or encountered a stronger demon beast while pursuing us, and then died on the road?"

Wu Li nodded; this explanation made sense: "The fact is probably just that—Lu Jing got lucky and picked up the cannon‑dragon lizard's corpse on the way back; that should have been our spoil!"

"And the shadow wolves were probably also taken down by the combined effort of these few people; Lu Jing's personal ability is nothing special!"

He glanced at Lu Jing chatting with the suit‑clad man up front, his courage instantly surged, he stepped forward and positioned himself between Lu Jing and the man.

"Hello, I'm Wu Li, captain of the Xuanwu Hunting Team—just tell me what you need."

After saying that, he gave Lu Jing a provocative look.

"Kid, I don't care how you killed the shadow wolves, but since the mission is done, there's no need to mention the penalty any further."

"As for the mission reward, it totals three million; adding the money from the cannon‑dragon lizard and some other demon beast materials brings it to roughly five million."

Wu Li began to calculate, even including that cannon‑dragon lizard, and he also took over Liu Kuanglong's share.

"You kid also count as having rendered service, so this time I'll be generous and agree to split the mission reward with you—how does that sound?"

After speaking, he couldn't help but grin widely—this haul was huge, earning five million on this trip, something he'd never had before.

Beside him, Guan Yulan was overjoyed—she hadn't expected to avoid the penalty and also receive a generous reward.

Only Shi Xiu's expression was awkward; he regretted not taking action in the Huangshen Forest, and now it's too late to act.

Outside there are enforcement squads; at most they can beat someone half to death, but killing is illegal.

"Cough cough..."

On the other side, Huang Qiti and the others watching the spectacle forced back their laughter and let out a dry cough.

They had thought Wu Li and the others had chickened out, missing a good show, but instead their courage grew after coming out.

Zhang Meng's face turned red as he held his breath, then gave Wu Li a thumbs‑up and said, "No wonder you're the Xuanwu Hunting Team—your shell is tough, though I don't know if you can actually take a hit."

Jiang Fansen, who hadn't spoken much the whole time, also wore a strange expression—it seemed these people were threatening Lu Jing?

She recalled the lake monster that Lu Jing had blasted with a hammer, and involuntarily looked at Wu Li and the others with sympathy.

Jiang Fansen walked up to Lu Jing, patted his shoulder, and said, "Lu Jing, go easy later—outside, minor scuffles won't be stopped, but if someone gets killed it'll still be a hassle, so take it easy."

Lu Jing's face remained calm, though he felt a twinge of regret inside.

He regretted not having shown his full strength from the start, which had led to this situation.

But he hadn't deliberately kept a low profile; when he joined the Xuanwu Hunting Team, he had clearly told them he was a Second‑Realm Martial Artist.

But nobody believed him.

Even if he carried the cannon‑dragon lizard back, he could only cow these people for a moment—did he really have to establish authority with his fists right away?

How would that be any different from what Wu Li and the others do—bullying the weak and fearing the strong?

Lu Jing thought a lot, and finally let go.

People naturally have the seven emotions and six desires, joy anger sorrow pleasure, good and evil distinctions; wicked people should be dealt with by wicked means—why worry too much?

After letting go, Lu Jing's mood instantly improved, and a smile once again appeared on his face.

Seeing Lu Jing suddenly smile, Wu Li frowned slightly and said, "Kid, what are you laughing at, got an opinion? No matter how you obtained those shadow wolves, as my team member you must follow my arrangements!"

Lu Jing laughed and said, "I have a small opinion—I don't know whether I should bring it up."

Wu Li blinked slightly and asked, "What opinion?"