One hundred billion!

"Ruthless," Li Tian couldn't help but let out a long breath.

"Even I’m tempted," Wang Tong shook his head in awe. "No wonder. She is the Executive President of the HR Alliance’s China region, the biological sister of the patriarch of the Bolainas family, one of the Nine Great Families. Money is money." Across the globe, perhaps very few High-Tier War Gods possessed such immense wealth.

Yes, hunting and killing Monster Lords was profitable. But were the Monster Lords fools?

They possessed intelligence equivalent to normal humans. Once they sensed danger, once they sensed no possibility of victory, they would choose to flee! If a Monster Lord decided to run, it would surely command thousands upon thousands of monsters to obstruct the War Gods... Even if the obstruction wasn't insurmountable, it would certainly impede the War Gods' speed.

Therefore, hunting Monster Lords was extremely difficult! The more powerful they were, the greater the difficulty. Thus, the usual practice was: 'High-Tier War Gods hunt Mid-Tier Monster Lords,' 'Mid-Tier War Gods hunt Low-Tier Lords,' and 'Low-Tier War Gods hunt High-Tier War Generals.' This approach yielded higher efficiency.

For example, Wang Tong and Li Kan’s attempt to slay the 'Ironclad Dragon' ended in failure.

Moreover, the number of monsters was not infinite; the more powerful they were, the fewer in number! Like when Luo Feng and his Fire Hammer Squad hunted in that residential area, they managed to kill a large quantity of Beast General level monsters in half a month. However, later on, the difficulty in finding Beast General level monsters increased significantly... because the population of Beast Generals in that sector had thinned out. This wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that killing too many Beast Generals easily attracted the attention of their leaders, the 'Monster Lords.' Naturally, by the time the Lords were slain, human martial artists would have long since sensed the danger and fled for their lives. But all this proved one thing: making money from hunting monsters was hardly an easy feat. Most importantly... War Gods were massive spenders. Weapons, combat suits—every single item cost a fortune! The price of top-tier secret manuals was terrifyingly high! Many War Gods were even indebted to banks.

There was no helping it; War Gods had too many expenses.

For instance, if a High-Tier War God were to engage in a life-or-death struggle with a 'High-Tier Monster Lord,' the safest course of action would be to procure a set of 'Q-grade combat suits.' After all, Q-grade (Level-Q) suits could only withstand the bites of most Level-Q High-Tier Lords; they offered no hundred percent guarantee of protection.

Q-grade combat suits and Q-grade weapons—each costing a king’s ransom! Secret manuals of Level-Q, or even ultimate manuals like the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade—their prices were equally staggering! If one were to fully equip themselves with top-tier gear, how many 'Mid-Tier Monster Lords' would they need to slay? This was a feat most High-Tier War Gods couldn't achieve.

Not to mention that within the 'War God Temple,' there were various treasures possessing unique abilities, driving their prices sky-high.

It was not an exaggeration that many War Gods across the world were in debt to banks! Of course, there were a few exceptions who were naturally wealthy: those possessing unique abilities, like War God level 'Mentalist' martial artists, or War Gods with exceptionally powerful backgrounds! For example, the children of the world's strongest warrior, 'Hong,' they were wealthy simply because they had a father like him.

The HR Alliance was a coalition of the world's top super consortiums and super families, controlling over half of the global economy and permeating nearly every industry.

Their wealth was equally astounding.

Vinnina Bolainas, as the Executive President of the HR Alliance’s China region, a top executive of the HR Alliance, and the younger sister of the current patriarch of the Bolainas family—did her wealth even need explanation? Her fortune primarily stemmed from the HR Alliance and her family, not from hunting monsters. Even her husband, Li Yao, could not compare to her in wealth.

Jiangnan Base City, Apex Hall.

Zhuge Tao, clad in a black training uniform, sat cross-legged in the training room. As time passed, a sliver of early morning light gradually pierced through the window.

"Huu," Zhuge Tao opened his eyes.

"Activate," Zhuge Tao commanded. Immediately, a camera projected a brilliant beam of light, casting a massive screen image onto the wall. Zhuge Tao had a habit: every morning, he would watch the morning news on China Central Television to keep abreast of events unfolding across the land.

The anchor's voice echoed in the training room.

"What?" Zhuge Tao froze, staring blankly at the incident being reported on the morning news.

"One hundred billion?" Zhuge Tao blinked twice.

One hundred billion!!! Zhuge Tao shot to his feet, his heart rate involuntarily accelerating. This sum of wealth was too exaggerated; even he, one of the four titans of the Jiangnan Base City Apex Martial Arts Hall, couldn't help but feel shocked and moved.

"Vulture and Scorpion—it was that couple. That makes sense. No ordinary War God could produce one hundred billion!" Zhuge Tao shook his head in amazement. "And this morning news report is broadcast to the entire public across the nation. This means... this news isn't just for martial artists; ordinary people will know about it too. The HR Alliance’s influence is truly immense to be able to air this news on CCTV."

One hundred billion—Zhuge Tao was tempted too! Despite appearing to reward geniuses and skilled martial artists, in reality, most of the benefits he granted were through special privileges within his martial arts halls. He himself only needed to spend very little money.

"Access the Apex Home, War God level Martial Artist Forum." Zhuge Tao gave the order.

The screen instantly shifted, bringing up the War God level martial artist forum.

Technically, as a High-Tier War General, he shouldn't have the clearance. But due to his supervisory position, he did.

"Tsk tsk, the entire forum is certainly buzzing. It seems martial artists from South America, North America, Eurasia, and Africa are all in an uproar," Zhuge Tao chuckled. "However, this incident occurred in China. This colossal bounty will likely end up in the hands of a Chinese person."

"One hundred billion—it’s like tossing a fat sheep into a wolf pack."

Indeed, the entire world was boiling over this massive bounty. Even beings surpassing the War God level let out an expression of awe, and War God martial artists themselves were deeply moved... One could only imagine the shock among the general public! Ordinary citizens, still struggling to afford subsidized housing, considered one hundred million an astronomical figure, let alone one hundred billion.

Fervor! The entire world was in a frenzy! Almost every intelligence network was compelled to investigate the matter, to track down the individuals behind it! City No. 023 had once been a major city with millions of inhabitants. For the vast majority of martial artists, the danger level of City No. 023 was high, which paradoxically attracted a large number of martial artists to the location.

On the eighth floor of a twelve-story residential building in the western district of this ancient city.

"Whoosh~~~"

A fierce wind howled outside, snowflakes swirling down. The penetrating cold continuously rushed into the room, leaving the floor bone-chillingly icy. Luo Feng sat cross-legged on a tattered mat, gently polishing a throwing knife, while in his mind, an astonishing 'Heavenly Bounty' message he had received on his communication watch replayed.

"I didn't expect them to spend this much money to put a bounty on me. I’m almost tempted to turn myself in," Luo Feng lightly placed one throwing knife down and took out another to continue polishing. "One hundred billion! But Li Wei’s parents aren't fools. They won't just hand over the money based on some vague report from someone else. They’ll need solid proof."

Proof?

Luo Feng didn't believe anyone in this world possessed evidence of him killing Li Xu. To prevent satellite surveillance, right after killing Li Wei and the other three, he had instantly plunged into the wild grass.

"Unless I was incredibly unlucky, and someone was lurking right beside the highway at that exact moment, capturing footage of me acting and my face." Luo Feng felt this probability was no higher than finding a needle in the ocean. In truth, Luo Feng wasn't afraid of much else, except for one thing...

His Fire Hammer Squad teammates! "The bounty explicitly detailed the identities and strength levels of the other three deceased individuals besides Li Wei.

Furthermore, the bounty stated that the perpetrator was likely a martial artist with War God strength, or a Mentalist." Luo Feng’s expression darkened. "If Captain, Wei Tie, Wei Qing, and Brother Chen saw this, it would be very hard for them not to link it to me!"

Undoubtedly, the other four members of the Fire Hammer Squad would easily connect Luo Feng upon seeing this bounty. Firstly, Luo Feng had stayed behind in City No. 003 specifically to hunt down the Tiger Tooth Squad, and one of the four deceased was the Tiger Tooth Squad captain, 'Pan Ya.'

Secondly, the bounty stated the killer was a martial artist possessing War God strength or a Mentalist! Luo Feng was a Mentalist—a secret known only to the inner circle of the Fire Hammer Squad. Combining these two points, it was indeed easy to draw a conclusion.

And so it was. When this astronomical bounty was made public, the other four members of the Fire Hammer Squad were indeed filled with doubt and apprehension; they all suspected Luo Feng.

"Suspicion doesn't equal evidence!" Luo Feng shook his head.

The Fire Hammer Squad suspected Luo Feng.

And some War Gods might suspect any War God who held a grudge against the Vulture and Scorpion couple! In short, everything was based on speculation and hearsay.

Not a single person possessed irrefutable proof. "When Li Wei was in danger last time, his parents instantly tracked the locations of the two nearest War Gods and requested their assistance," Luo Feng frowned. "This means Li Xian’s parents possess a certain level of authority, capable of instantly pinpointing the locations of martial artists within a certain radius. If they can track War Gods, it must be even easier to track War Generals and Warriors."

In Luo Feng’s view...

Tracking a War God was significantly harder than tracking a War General or Warrior! "They will probably also find out that I was not far from that scene at the time."

Luo Feng knitted his brow.

This fact placed him at a disadvantage! Luo Feng didn't actually know that War Gods could track the locations of other War Gods by utilizing the War God Temple’s shared system. Most War Gods could not track the locations of War Generals or Warriors. However, Luo Feng had stumbled upon the truth: Li Xu’s parents had indeed managed to scan the locations of several hundred people nearby.

And Luo Feng was one of them! "I should be among the suspects, but because my strength is lower, the degree of suspicion directed at me will be very low," Luo Feng mused. "However, if Captain, Brother Tie, Brother Qing, or Brother Chen were to reveal that I stayed in City No. 003 to kill the Tiger Tooth Squad, or reveal my secret as a Mentalist... then, even without a hundred percent certainty, Li Wei’s parents would certainly brand me as the 'Primary Suspect.'"

Suddenly, Luo Feng felt a vibration on his wrist.

He looked down. The display on his communication watch read:

"A call from Captain Gao Feng?" Luo Feng's brow furrowed slightly.

:Chapter One Ends.