Chapter 00084: Solo Raid on the Beast King Assembly
# Solo Raid on the Beast King Assembly
Chapter 84
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 84: Solo Raid on the Beast King Assembly
"Wait, how do you know where the Beast King Assembly's lair is?" Ding Huan asked with a puzzled expression.
Fei Tongtong looked equally confused.
"The Beast King Mutant Materials Company? Everyone in Puhai knows where it is. It's in the Yinhe Building, which is also the headquarters of the Beast King Group."
"No need to go to their headquarters. Just take me directly to the largest acquisition store of the Beast King Mutant Materials," Ding Huan said decisively.
He was certain that he wouldn’t be able to meet Nian Jinqing, the Beast King, at the headquarters.
Based on what Fei Tongtong had told him on the way, Nian Jinqing was a self-made man with no solid backing.
Such a person would undoubtedly be cautious and wouldn’t act as arrogantly as the Gene Alliance.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long, let alone grown his power.
From the fact that Nian Jinqing had dared to snatch the Haiyun Mutant Materials' demon core and kidnap Mu Tingyun, Ding Huan was even more convinced of the kind of person Nian Jinqing was.
The world was in chaos right now, and Nian Jinqing had chosen this moment to make his move.
No one would pay much attention to him.
With all the major organizations busy with their own problems, who would deliberately go against a powerful figure like Nian Jinqing? Besides, there weren’t many who could stand up to him.
Given Nian Jinqing’s cautious nature, as soon as Ding Huan stepped into the Yinhe Building, Nian Jinqing would be informed.
Even someone like Qiao Jiansha, who had encountered Ding Huan before, had called back to inquire about him.
Nian Jinqing, as a major player, would surely know about Ding Huan’s past—how he had wiped out the Gene Alliance headquarters.
Once he knew, he wouldn’t confront Ding Huan head-on.
It wasn’t a matter of fear, but caution.
Ding Huan had once been just as cautious.
If he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have survived long enough for the Dujia family to come after him—he would have been taken out by someone else long before.
"Ah, that’s the Tongmao Mall. The largest counter at the entrance on the first floor is the Beast King Mutant Materials store," Fei Tongtong said, feeling a bit disappointed when she heard that Ding Huan wasn’t going directly to the Yinhe Building to demand her husband’s release.
She was worried about her husband, Zhao Quan.
If he was still alive, he was likely being held in the Yinhe Building.
Despite her disappointment, she quickly told Ding Huan about the flagship store.
Fei Tongtong drove them to the entrance of the Tongmao Mall.
"Wait in the car. I’ll handle this. Lao Liu, you stay here too. When I call, come over," Ding Huan instructed as he put on a mask and a pair of sunglasses, still carrying his large bag.
"Alright," Fei Tongtong replied.
She wanted to follow Ding Huan, but she knew she wouldn’t be of much help.
She had done all she could.
The Tongmao Mall was famous in Puhai.
Even though people were anxious and uncertain about the future, business at the mall was still decent.
Most shops in the mall were open, but there was one that was completely enclosed, with doors and several rooms inside.
Its size was more than ten times that of the other shops.
This was the Beast King Mutant Materials store.
Ding Huan stood outside the glass doors of the Beast King Mutant Materials store.
There were quite a few people coming and going.
In this era of mutant beasts, what was the fastest way to make money? Selling mutant beast materials, of course.
Despite Nian Jinqing’s underhanded methods, his legitimate business was run properly, with prices higher than his competitors.
Only when he saw something valuable and the price exceeded his expectations would he resort to underhanded tactics to seize it.
"What are you selling?" a shop assistant asked as Ding Huan, wearing sunglasses and a mask and carrying a large bag, entered the store.
"Do you buy demon cores?" Ding Huan asked, holding a plastic bag.
"Demon core?" The assistant was visibly startled and repeated the words unconsciously.
As an employee of a mutant materials store, he wasn’t ignorant.
A demon core could only come from a level three mutant beast at the very least.
And even among level three beasts, only one or two out of ten would produce a demon core.
How difficult was it to kill a level three beast, let alone find one with a demon core?
"Yes, a demon core," Ding Huan said casually, tossing the plastic bag onto the counter.
The assistant opened the bag and, upon seeing the demon core with its white surface streaked with gray lines, his face flushed with excitement.
If he could secure this demon core, his status would skyrocket, and the benefits he would receive would be immense.
He tried to sound casual as he asked, "We do buy them. How much are you asking for?"
Though his tone was casual, he didn’t hand the bag back to Ding Huan.
He was certain this wasn’t a level three demon core.
He had seen level three cores before, and this one seemed to be of a higher grade.
As a gene-enhanced individual who had undergone gene therapy, he was sensitive to the aura of demon cores.
Ding Huan casually grabbed the bag back.
The assistant instinctively reached for it but quickly realized it wasn’t his to take yet.
"I don’t know the price. This is the first time I’ve encountered a demon core of this level," Ding Huan said offhandedly.
The assistant wasn’t entirely sure what Ding Huan meant, but from the way Ding Huan treated the demon core, he guessed that Ding Huan didn’t value it highly.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it in a simple plastic bag.
As for Ding Huan saying it was his first time encountering a demon core, the assistant didn’t doubt it.
Even he, as a mutant materials collector, had only seen a demon core once before.
Demon cores weren’t sold on the market, so there was no established price.
"The demon core you have isn’t pure. It has some gray streaks, which significantly lowers its value," the assistant said, now fully composed, his tone returning to its earlier casualness.
"I’ll offer this much," the assistant said, holding up one finger.
"Alright, I agree," Ding Huan said without hesitation.
The assistant was ecstatic.
He hadn’t expected to encounter such a fool.
That one finger could mean a million or ten million.
Since Ding Huan had agreed, he wasn’t going to be polite.
As for what Ding Huan thought the price was, well, this was the Beast King Materials store.
Once the price was agreed upon, the rest was up to him.
"To be honest, ten thousand for this impure demon core is already a small profit for our store. Let me take it for further appraisal. Don’t worry, this is a price we both agreed on, and we won’t go back on it. It’s a shame, though. If this demon core didn’t have those gray streaks, it would be worth much more," the assistant said with a hint of regret, pulling out a pen to write up the purchase order.
Ding Huan chuckled and didn’t hand over the demon core.
Instead, he said, "I meant a hundred million. You’re offering ten thousand? Do you really think I’d sell this demon core for ten thousand?"
The assistant’s face darkened, and he put down the pen.
"We agreed on a price. Are you trying to back out now?"
If this had been half a year ago, he wouldn’t have dared to act this way.
But now, the Beast King Assembly’s influence in Puhai was nearly absolute.
Most importantly, his superior had explicitly told him that if a demon core ever appeared, he must secure it at all costs.
If he couldn’t, he was to contact higher-ups immediately.
Other items were one thing, but if he could deliver this demon core to the Beast King Assembly, he wouldn’t remain a mere shop assistant.
He might even get the chance to undergo another round of gene therapy with a better serum.
"In our store, no one backs out after agreeing on a price," the assistant said as he pulled out his phone and made a call.
Ding Huan didn’t move.
If only a few security guards showed up, he’d be disappointed.
For ordinary items, that might be the case.
But for something like this, the Beast King Group, as a major corporation, wouldn’t resort to such lowly tactics.
When the store manager heard from the assistant that a demon core, possibly from a level four mutant beast, had appeared in the store, he nearly dropped the phone.
He knew very well what Nian Jinqing, the leader of the Beast King Assembly, had said during their meetings: if a demon core appeared, they were to secure it at all costs and bring it back to the Beast King Group.
Now, not only had a demon core appeared, but it was likely from a level four beast.
This was an opportunity they couldn’t miss.
The manager immediately called the assistant, instructing him to keep the customer there at all costs.
He then reported the situation directly to Nian Jinqing.
Nian Jinqing had just finished his cultivation session and was feeling excited.
With a bit more time, he was sure he could break through from the Houtian realm to the Xiantian realm.
He had a level three demon core, after all.
Others might not know the true value of a demon core, but he did.
He had obtained a cultivation manual that clearly stated that by refining a demon core with certain spiritual herbs, a cultivator could achieve a major breakthrough in their realm.
Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that the demon core mentioned in the manual was entirely different from the one he had.
What he had was merely a demon nucleus.
A hundred demon nuclei couldn’t compare to a single true demon core.
Just then, his phone rang.
Nian Jinqing rushed to the phone and picked it up.
This was his private cultivation space, unknown to anyone.
Unless it was something extremely important, no one would call him here.
"Chairman, a demon core has appeared at the Tongmao Mall store. According to the assistant, it’s likely a level four demon core…" The voice on the other end belonged to Wang Qi, the manager in charge of all the Beast King Group stores in Puhai.
"What?" Even Nian Jinqing, usually calm, was shocked by this news.
He had gone through great lengths to obtain a level three demon core not long ago.
And now, a level four demon core had appeared? It seemed the heavens were favoring him.
"Secure it immediately," Nian Jinqing said without hesitation.
"He’s asking for a hundred million…" Wang Qi said.
Nian Jinqing frowned slightly.
He knew that if it was truly a level four demon core, a hundred million wasn’t an unreasonable price.
But in these chaotic times, how could the Beast King Assembly spend a hundred million on a demon core, no matter how essential it was?
"How was the demon core obtained?" Nian Jinqing asked immediately.
"Apparently, it was taken from a mutant beast that was injured by artillery fire. It seems to be a stroke of luck. The person who brought it is young, likely a member of a mutant beast hunting team. He’s wearing a mask and sunglasses, probably trying to avoid being recognized…" Wang Qi reported everything he knew about Ding Huan without holding back.
(End of Chapter)