manynovel Page 209
Page 209
Deputy Chief Qian summoned the peculiar little boat, which followed closely behind.
The strange mirror-like body of water behind them was quickly thrown far away.
Only after they were more than ten kilometers away from Jingpo Lake and confirmed that there were no more signs of abnormal energy tracking behind them did the group's extremely tense nerves finally relax slightly, and their speed slowed down accordingly.
They returned to the mountains along the way.
Only when they stepped onto the solid ground of the mountain did everyone slowly breathe a sigh of relief.
They found a cave as a temporary resting place.
The cave was not a large space, and everyone was crammed together, their spirits low.
But looking at each other's bulging bags, shimmering with various colors, their eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Let's take stock of the spoils; it's time to distribute the supplies," Han Ning reminded them.
The group hurriedly opened their bags, and instantly, the not-so-spacious cave was illuminated by strange lights of various colors, with dense energy fluctuations intertwined.
The harvest this time was far more abundant than we had imagined.
The most numerous were those monster crystals that emitted a pure glow.
They were haphazardly piled into several huge, animal-hide bags with some kind of capacity-enhancing function.
Tiehu's men were the weakest among them and could only be responsible for taking inventory.
They quickly tallied the exact number of monster crystals.
"We've calculated it. There are a total of 2321 monster crystals, all of which are of the Great Black Stone grade or higher. Among them, there are 2000 Great Black Stone grade crystals, 290 crystals that are close to the Black Iron grade, and 31 Black Iron grade crystals."
"Hiss..." The others had different expressions when they heard his report, but without exception, they all showed a look of longing.
The most unsettling thing was the indigo jewel that had been taken from the altar.
Even though its surface is covered with cracks, it still exudes a soul-shaking aura, and together with the little merman nobles inside, it should be the most precious gain of this trip.
It was placed in the very center.
Next are various rare materials.
Herbs, equipment, murloc heritage, potions, and ores can not only directly enhance the combat power of Blackrock-level and Greater Blackrock-level awakened individuals, but are also very useful for the overall construction and development of the settlement area, including ordinary people.
For a moment, only heavy breathing could be heard inside the cave.
Han Ning gazed at the indigo pearl and said, "I want 60% of these supplies, including this pearl and the little guy inside."
Upon hearing this, the previously relaxed atmosphere inside the cave suddenly tightened.
Deputy Leader Qian was discussing something with his companion when he heard this, he paused, looked up, and frowned slightly:
“Chief Han, this is not the distribution method we agreed on before. It was agreed before the exploration that our highland outpost would get 6%.”
He emphasized the word "agreement".
Han Ning smiled:
"An agreement? Deputy Chief Qian, why don't you do the math? From clearing out the water monsters blocking the way to dealing with the statue and the energy whale in the temple, who ultimately withstood most of the attacks?"
“Without me and my partners standing at the forefront and enduring the fiercest impact, you wouldn’t even have had the chance to touch the treasure, let alone come out alive to share the spoils. The previous agreement is obviously invalid. Now it’s based on the actual effort you put in. I want 60%, no less.”
His tone was harsh, a far cry from his previous gentleness.
Just kidding, he, Xuebing, and two companions almost lost their lives. After going through life and death together, would he not take a big bite of the cake instead of doing charity?
Deputy Leader Qian's expression changed slightly, and he remained silent for a few seconds.
Liang Shu and Wang Jianshe, who were beside him, also stopped what they were doing and formed a tacit understanding in their positions.
Feilong's lips moved as if he wanted to say something to ease the tension, but in the end he didn't speak, only nervously watching both sides.
"Chief Han's contributions are indeed enormous, a fact that our highland outpost acknowledges."
Deputy Leader Qian spoke slowly, trying to soften his tone; the oppressive aura Han Ning had previously exerted on them was still too strong.
"But prior agreements cannot be completely disregarded."
“How about this? You take 40%, we take 40%, and the remaining 20% goes to Tiehu’s brothers. After all, it was Tiehu who initially provided the clues to the ruins, and Li Qingshui also contributed a lot. Without him, we wouldn’t even be able to get in the door.”
This plan clearly aims to reduce the share of the weakest member, Tiehu, to the minimum, in an attempt to win over Han Ning and share the majority of the profits.
Han Ning shook his head immediately, without even considering it further: "No way."
Deputy Chief Qian's face finally darkened, and his voice turned cold:
“Chief Han, having too big an appetite is not necessarily a good thing. I know you and your partners are powerful, but our Highland Outpost is not a pushover.”
He stared coldly at Han Ning and said, word by word:
“You should know that we are only deputy leaders. Above us is a leader. If Leader Gu were here, the situation today might be different.”
Chapter 244 Suffering from anger
The words carried a clear threat, and the atmosphere in the cave instantly tensed up, like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, needing only a spark.
"Ahem, you are all partners who have been through life and death together, calm down, calm down."
Just then, Feilong quickly smoothed things over:
"Chief Han, you have made great contributions to this exploration. We, the Iron Tigers, are willing to give you another 10% share, so you can take 50%. How about 50%? Let's all compromise."
He attempted to quell the dispute and maintain a fragile balance by sacrificing his already limited interests.
Han Ning shook his head again, not even glancing at Feilong, but calmly staring at Deputy Leader Qian, repeating, "I said, 60%."
Feilong's expression froze, and he awkwardly didn't know what to say next.
The air inside the cave seemed to freeze, with only the faint sound of water gently lapping against the rock walls remaining.
Deputy Chief Qian narrowed his eyes, and the energy in his tattered silver armor began to flow again, emitting a low hum.
Liang Shu quietly adjusted her center of gravity and gripped the spear in her hand tightly.
Wang Jianshe took half a step back, his spiritual power subtly spreading out.
"Ah."
A soft, cold laugh came from the other side.
A dark blue flame ignited in Yu Na's eyes.
Almost simultaneously, Zhao Kai took a step forward.
Thump! The ground trembled slightly.
His already imposing body swelled even more, his entire body covered in a metallic sheen of iron gray, his muscles bulging beneath his skin, and it seemed as if scorching, high-pressure steam was about to burst forth from the cracks.
He casually slammed the enormous battle axe to the ground.
"Woo~"
Xuebing lowered his body slightly, his eyes fixed on the three people in front of him.
If they make the slightest move, they will surely be met with a thunderous strike!
Han Ning remained silent, still staring at Deputy Leader Qian without backing down.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Deputy Leader Qian's forehead, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
The pressure emanating from Han Ning and his group was very strong.
Han Ning, in particular, simply stood there, as if he were an ordinary person facing a fierce tiger.
His gaze swept back and forth among the group, and finally, as if all his strength had been drained, he clenched his back teeth in extreme resentment and squeezed out a single word:
"can."
As soon as those two words were uttered, the tense atmosphere in the cave quietly dissipated.
Feilong tried to smooth things over again: "Alright, alright, now that the distribution ratio has been set, let's hurry up and count and distribute them. We shouldn't stay here any longer."
Without any hesitation, Han Ning first took the indigo pearl, whose surface was covered with cracks and whose interior housed a strange, fat-headed fishman, into his pocket.
Next up are monster crystals.
2321 crystals were quickly sorted.
Han Ning's side took 1392 of them, including 19 of the 31 black iron-grade crystals and 174 of the 290 crystals that were close to black iron grade, taking their respective shares proportionally.
Of the remaining crystals, the Highland Outpost took about 30%, while the Iron Tiger Gathering Area received only 10%.
Various rare materials, merfolk equipment, shell books containing knowledge, exotic potions, and ores are also roughly divided according to this proportion.
Han Ning prioritized items with strong energy fluctuations, whose uses were unclear but were obviously extraordinary, as well as most of the shell books that recorded the merfolk runes and energy usage methods.
Throughout the distribution process, Deputy Leader Qian, Liang Shu, and Wang Jianshe all wore gloomy faces and remained almost silent, mechanically collecting the supplies assigned to them and stuffing them into their peculiar kayak-sized bags and backpacks.
As soon as the supplies were distributed, Deputy Leader Qian immediately stood up, without even a word of politeness, and turned to walk out of the cave.
Liang Shu and Wang Jianshe followed closely behind.
Just as he was about to step out of the cave, Deputy Chief Qian stopped, turned his head, and uttered a sarcastic remark:
"Chief Han, excellent methods, excellent appetite. Chief Gu will definitely know about today's events, and I believe... he will be very interested in you."
Before he could finish speaking and before Han Ning could respond, Deputy Leader Qian and his two companions vanished from the cave in a flash.
Feilong looked in the direction where the people from the highland outpost had disappeared, a wry smile appearing on his face, his attitude quite sincere:
"Chief Han, we owe you a lot this time."
He patted the bulging package that Chen Hu was carrying beside him.
"These resources are enough to greatly enhance the strength of our settlement. If you ever need Tiehu's help in the future, just let us know."
Although the share was less than expected, the number of treasures collected on this trip was large, exceeding Feilong and the others' expectations.
Han Ning had a fairly good impression of Feilong, and nodded slightly upon hearing this: "Chief Feilong, you're too kind. It's just a collaboration."
"Then we'll take our leave. We need to get back and deal with the wounded and these supplies as soon as possible."
Feilong bowed respectfully, said no more, and gestured for Chen Hu to help the still somewhat weak Li Qingshui up. The three of them then quickly left the cave.
In the blink of an eye, only Han Ning, Yu Na, Zhao Kai, and Xue Bing, who was lying on the ground resting, remained in the noisy cave.
Only after confirming that everyone was far away did the iron-gray metallic sheen around Zhao Kai slowly fade, restoring him to his normal human form. He let out a long sigh, placed his giant axe on the ground, grinned widely, and sincerely praised: