Chapter 42: Chapter 42 - 36: The Stoic Man

This isn’t enough?!

All the Beastmen present were dumbfounded, some even became so excited that their faces flushed, and tears fell.

This would at least be enough rations for them for seven days!

Finally, there’s hope!

Even Lu Xiao did not expect that Shen Tang would actually bring supplies over.

She was not just speaking empty words.

She truly intended and acted this way.

Among the crowd, some Beastmen fixed their gazes on the supplies, a glint of greed flickering in their eyes.

Lu Xiao’s expression turned cold, and he immediately released the powerful pressure of a Seventh Rank Peak Beastman, his sharp gray-blue eagle eyes swept over everyone with authority,

"These supplies are our assurance for leaving this place. As the captain, Vice Captain Lu and I will distribute the resources fairly. If I find anyone even thinking of taking these supplies..."

He immediately fired a shot at the open ground.

Bang!

The bullet struck a spot less than ten centimeters from the restless Tiger Beastman.

The Tiger Beastman’s face turned pale, and he swallowed, fear of death suppressing his greed.

The other Beastmen also quickly dispelled any inappropriate thoughts. Lu Xiao was, after all, a Seventh Rank Peak Beastman, and no one present could match him. Trying to mess with him would only lead to a death worse than those Mutant Species!

"Lu Qi, distribute half the supplies to the team members first, the other half will be reserved for emergencies."

"Yes, Captain Lu Xiao." A young Beastman with green hair stepped forward, sorted the supplies, and distributed them to the team members according to his instructions.

The Beastmen, both hungry and thirsty, couldn’t wait any longer. The moment the supplies were handed out, they pounced on them like ravenous tigers.

These high-energy compressed biscuits didn’t taste much better than nutrient liquid, but since they hadn’t tasted anything like gourmet food, it was already considered a treat for them.

A piece of these high-energy compressed biscuits was enough to meet the energy needs of a large adult Beastman for half a day.

"Lu Xiao, I have something I want to discuss with you alone." Shen Tang walked up to him and lowered her voice.

Lu Xiao looked down at Shen Tang, his brows slightly furrowed, and nodded calmly, "Come with me."

Shen Tang followed him to an abandoned workshop, which seemed to be the place where Lu Xiao had been resting these days. It was obviously cleaned up and looked relatively tidy.

Lu Xiao shut the door and locked it. The sound insulation of the walls was excellent, preventing anyone outside from hearing.

Inside the workshop, there was only a very small window, almost no sunlight penetrated through, leaving the room dimly lit.

The subtle shadow behind Lu Xiao stretched long, snaking to the wall.

His figure was already exceptionally tall and upright, with deep-set and cold features, prominent nose bridge, sharply defined jawline, exhibiting a mature manly charm. The scar on his left eyebrow added an indescribable unique quality to him, making him quite captivating.

With only the two of them in the room, Lu Xiao finally voiced his doubts, "How did you end up here? And with so many supplies?"

"Well... it’s a long story!"

"Then make it short, I have patience." Lu Xiao walked to her side looking down, his cold eyes scrutinizing, leaving any lie unable to escape.

Shen Tang instinctively felt nervous, but after thinking about it, there was nothing to hide, so she decided to tell him everything honestly, "... and that’s how I was framed by those two females. After waking up, I found myself abandoned in the wilderness. Later, I happened to run into you."

"And the supplies?"

"I am an Empire Princess, after all! How could I not have some private funds? Plus, I saved a portion of the wages you guys used to give me to purchase supplies, in case of an unexpected situation, so I’d at least have a way to save my life!"

Lu Xiao sneered, "Impressive that you even thought of that. I thought all your money went to the casinos for charity."

Shen Tang’s mouth twitched, not expecting this man, who usually showed no emotion, to have such a sharp tongue, and it was as if there was venom hidden beneath his words!

Afraid that Lu Xiao might catch onto something, she intentionally emulated her original self’s arrogant demeanor, becoming irritated and saying, "I’m bad, but not stupid. Of course, I need to keep some things to ensure my survival. If I didn’t have to rely on you all to get out of this place, I wouldn’t have been willing to part with these supplies!"

Hearing her words, Lu Xiao’s tightly furrowed brows slightly eased. In his belief, Shen Tang was a selfish and self-centered female, so why would she kindly give away the supplies? This explanation made him trust her more.

But regardless, Shen Tang’s gesture this time genuinely saved them when they were in desperate need.

Lu Xiao’s icy gaze fell on Shen Tang again, noticing the bruises and what looked like scratches from branches on her exposed skin. Whatever she had been through these days, it had made her skin become much smoother and fairer, where even slight injuries were noticeable.

She must have suffered a lot on her way here, yet she didn’t cry or make a scene like before, which made her appear much calmer and composed, leaving Lu Xiao somewhat surprised, and his eyes lingered on her for a few extra seconds.

[Beep! Congratulations, host! Lu Xiao affinity +20, please continue to make efforts!]

Hearing the sudden mechanical voice in her mind, Shen Tang looked at Lu Xiao in surprise. The man, feeling her gaze, immediately averted his eyes, his stern face remaining calm and unchanged.

Tsk.

Still playing cool, huh!

Shen Tang’s lips curled into a smile as she mysteriously said, "Actually, besides the supplies, I have something even better!"

With that, she took out all the Crystal Cores from her system backpack.

After using up the insecticide, she had collected more than three hundred Crystal Cores.

Crystal Cores can quickly replenish a Beastman’s superpowers, which could immediately restore the fighting strength of this team to its peak, supporting at least three days of bloodshed!

This time, even Lu Xiao’s icy face showed a crack as he stared into her eyes, his voice low and serious, "Where did you get all these Crystal Cores from?"

Shen Tang had been barely able to come up with an explanation for the supplies, but Crystal Cores were hard to acquire even with money, let alone presenting hundreds at once!

Not wanting Lu Xiao to doubt her intentions, Shen Tang decided to be upfront, "Everyone has their own secrets; don’t worry about it. You only need to know that I’m willing to let you use them."

"But the Crystal Cores are not free; I need you and your men to help me with something—retrieve the Energy Core hidden in the factory!"

Lu Xiao narrowed his deep eyes, giving her a meaningful look, "You even know about the Energy Core?"

Now he suspected that this woman didn’t just accidentally end up here, but had an ulterior motive to approach them!

Shen Tang’s mouth twitched, silently lamenting that this man’s military background had made him exceptionally sharp in observation!

Shen Tang pretended not to notice his suspicious gaze, straightforwardly saying, "I heard about the Energy Core from Xiao Jin and Shen Li. They said the City Lord personally led the team to the contaminated zone to obtain the Energy Core within the abandoned factory, which must be valuable! Of course, I wouldn’t come here for nothing; I have to get my hands on such a good thing!"

Hearing this, Lu Xiao understood that Xiao Jin had safely returned to the unit, which brought him some relief. He had long noticed the instability of his mental state, worried he might have an outburst on the way, but thankfully nothing had happened.

"We are also here to retrieve the Energy Core, but things aren’t that simple." Lu Xiao walked to the table and took out a decrypted research report.