Chapter 356: Chapter 356
Little Black shouted to Jing Shu and her group, "They said they’ve received a notification from the Black Market! The previous intelligence was inaccurate, and the mission difficulty here has been readjusted upwards to B-rank. They’re taking over, so we don’t need to concern ourselves with it anymore. They also said the higher-ups are requesting these unknown creatures be captured alive and brought back to the Black Market for research!"
Jing Shu flicked her knife, shaking off the green blood, and asked with a smile, "Oh, so these people are here to reap the rewards?"
Their timing is impeccable.
Monkey, who had just crawled onto the ground gasping for breath, blood still streaming from his possibly crippled shoulder, grimaced. If the mission was taken over, who would compensate him for the injuries he’d sustained today?
Tan Ke swung his iron ball, continuously smashing deep pits into the ground. Although he couldn’t crush these decaying creatures, an intimidating presence was essential. "Tell them there’s no need. We’ve already completed the mission. We’ve killed everyone, dealt with these creatures, and even reclaimed the Diamond Mine rights. Otherwise, don’t blame us for getting rough."
As Tan Ke spoke, Lingling covertly fired a shot, and both sides immediately drew their weapons.
Only then did the arriving team of nearly twenty people see the mountain-high pile of corpses in the swamp. The bottom layer consisted of neatly arranged limbs, while three enormous, ferocious heads sat at the very top.
It was an indescribable and somewhat horrifying sight. Weren’t these beasts supposed to be incredibly formidable according to the intel? It doesn’t seem that way.
Little Black soon returned from negotiating and said, "They say they’ll give us the 2,000 Black Market Coins as originally planned, which is enough for us to become Official Mercenaries. They’ll handle the rest. They also said these creatures aren’t worth anything dead but won’t argue with us about it. For now, they’ll only take these creatures to report mission completion. They don’t want any of the other spoils of war."
They had a total of 18 people, comprising three full squads. Excluding the three Jing Shu had dissected and one she’d blown up with a Hand Grenade, there were still three combat-capable Undead monsters left—exactly one for each of their squads.
Jing Shu observed their weapons: bulletproof vests, armor, the G36 and FAMAS rifles favored by mercenaries, as well as FAL light machine guns and AK47s for suppressive fire. This comprehensive arsenal indicated they were professional mercenaries who, before the apocalypse, had made their living killing for employers worldwide.
They were professionals. It wasn’t that Jing Shu had no confidence in a direct confrontation, but the risk was high. She had to remember the purpose of their trip to the United States: to make a fortune, not to get themselves killed.
Little Black, still being held by them, continued, "This is their commission letter; it’s a direct appointment from the higher-ups."
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes and said to Tan Ke, "How about we leave this place to them for now? We can go collect the loot at the Diamond Mine first."
Tan Ke frowned. "Have faith in our strength. Even professional mercenaries from before the apocalypse are no match for us. Don’t forget Snake Spirit; he could incapacitate these men in three seconds..."
"I know. But if even you couldn’t handle these creatures, what makes you think they can? Besides, they didn’t bring Hand Grenades, armor-piercing rounds, rocket launchers, or anything like that. A direct confrontation with *them* wouldn’t be good for our reputation. We’re better off waiting to pick up the pieces later." Jing Shu realized she’d inadvertently praised herself and felt a little embarrassed.
Tan Ke’s face turned red. An A-rank elite from Huaxia, and he’d been bested by these things in such a place! "Alright, let’s leave this to them for now. Let’s go."
Somehow, everyone was starting to find Jing Shu’s words remarkably reasonable, perhaps influenced by the utterly ruthless way she had dispatched those creatures just moments before.
Little Black exhaled as he finished negotiating, and the other mercenaries also let out a collective sigh of relief. From the looks of the scene, this team was formidable. Although we have ways to suppress them, we must remember that mercenaries are primarily motivated by money.
Monkey’s shoulder had nearly been bitten off. Jing Shu had just applied a Hemostatic Pill, valued at 100 Contribution, and said the wound would need stitches back at base. However, it wasn’t a major issue—it would surely heal in ten to fifteen days and wouldn’t affect his duties as a Scout.
"Thank you for saving Ah Huang earlier," Monkey said.
Jing Shu had imagined the Diamond Mine was a place where one could casually pick up large Diamonds or pan for smaller ones in piles of sand. So, while Tan Ke and Snake Spirit were gathering the loot, Jing Shu headed for the Diamond Mine.
Unfortunately, the Diamond Mine was different from what she’d imagined. The Diamonds were embedded in the walls; some were not visible, and others she couldn’t pry out.
Jing Shu touched them one by one. Even the faintest light revealed an unusual brilliance from within. Although Diamonds traditionally have few industrial applications apart from commercial uses, often to entice women, I really like them.
Closing her eyes, Jing Shu used the absolute control over matter that her Magic Cube Space granted her. She specifically selected Diamonds about the size of a fingernail, prying all the visible large ones into her space. In no time, she had collected all the large Diamonds in sight. Seeing that Tan Ke and the others still hadn’t arrived, Jing Shu, out of boredom, started collecting the smaller ones as well.
It seems I’ve discovered a new function of the Magic Cube Space, Jing Shu thought.
"Women all seem to like these things, eh?" Snake Spirit flicked his tongue, a smirk on his lips. Aunt Jing is beautiful, though she dresses strangely. I didn’t expect her to like Diamonds too.
Jing Shu was startled. How embarrassing, being caught in such an engrossed posture over the ore!
To cover her embarrassment, Jing Shu chuckled. "It’s the apocalypse now. Apart from being used for industrial drill bits, Diamonds don’t seem to have any other use, do they? Why are so many factions fighting over them?"
Snake Spirit spoke, flicking his tongue, "Currently, Huaxia and the United States are the most advanced in Artificial Sun technology. Both have progressed to developing a conductive method. Diamonds are indispensable as heat conductors for the Artificial Sun. With oil extraction becoming increasingly difficult, discovering New Energy and the components for it is crucial. In the future, Diamonds will be a vital strategic resource."
Jing Shu said, "Oh." I remember now. In my previous life, there were a few years when massive amounts of Diamonds and gold were acquired by the state. At the time, they said it was for strategic reserves. So it was actually about New Energy all along.
Wait, I should stock up on more too! While they were talking, Jing Shu swiftly collected all the Diamonds she could reach into her space. If Tan Ke hadn’t announced that they had finished collecting the loot and that everything on their end was settled, she wouldn’t have wanted to leave. She loved things like Diamonds—highly valuable yet taking up no space. What a pity.
Snake Spirit and the others had also wanted to use some machinery to mine Diamonds, but since none of them knew how to operate it, they gave up. In the end, Jing Shu managed to grab another large handful before reluctantly following Tan Ke back to the canyon.
Meanwhile, the situation back in the canyon was dire. The monsters that Jing Shu had so easily dismembered had become seemingly invincible Undead Devils in the hands of the three new teams. No matter how much they shot at them, lured them, or even used iron chains to restrain them, nothing worked. Even the large amounts of anesthetic they brought had no effect!