The Third joined in to smooth things over. “That’s right. Good friends say things like that all the time. It’s one way of proving how close you are.”
Ingrid snorted. “I may not understand the common expressions in your country, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I’ll believe you only if you call Invincible Black Whirlwind a piece of trash to his face.”
Threeking turned around eagerly, only to meet the amused gaze of Invincible Black Whirlwind. His enthusiasm vanished at once. Cursing someone was easy, but if it meant getting beaten up afterward, that would be a joke.
Qi Xu felt more or less recovered, so he raised his head halfway and called toward the sky, “Continue the broadcast. Cut the pointless nonsense I don’t want to hear and get straight to the important part.”
Bad Ball answered obsequiously, “Of course. Whatever you say.”
The Third’s eyes widened like copper bells. He couldn’t believe that Bad Ball, who had always been so arrogant and overbearing, could actually be this humble and agreeable.
[The broadcast continues. The detailed points are as follows.]
[First place: Huaguo Team. Total points: 226,000
(Successfully participated in killing eight players from other countries, earning 8,000 points; successfully killed Cat-Snake Monster, the Hall Master of the RD nation’s Assassins’ Hall, earning 100,000 points; five members successfully survived for seventy-two hours, earning 5,000 points. All point rewards have been doubled.)
Second place: RD Team. Total points: 16,000
(Successfully participated in killing five players from other countries, earning 5,000 points; participated in killing Cat-Snake Monster, the Hall Master of the RD nation’s Assassins’ Hall, earning 10,000 points; one member successfully survived for seventy-two hours, earning 1,000 points.)]
Qi Xu’s eyes widened. He immediately opened his profile to check his total points. He had expected killing Cat-Snake Monster to earn them a lot, but he hadn’t imagined it would be this much.
Compared to this, the rewards from the gathering of the elite weren’t bad at all!
“Awesome.”
“Absolutely amazing! I knew following Boss Whirlwind would guarantee us a share of the spoils!” Endless Longevity rubbed his hands together like a fly. He wondered how much everyone would get. Hopefully, it would be enough to buy a Guild Card!
The national guild rankings had already been released. At present, each country had only one guild. Becoming the second-ranked guild in Huaguo didn’t sound too bad.
At the very least, he would rank above Cheese Foam! When he got back, he could show off to her.
Qi Xu first glanced through the points exchange list before beginning to distribute the points among everyone.
He kept 100,000 points for himself, then divided another 30,000 points among the other four people, giving each of them an equal share.
This time, no one had dragged the team down. Endless Longevity and Wang Buyu, in particular, had worked perfectly together. Without the two of them, there was no way they could have taken down Cat-Snake Monster.
So Qi Xu took the remaining 6,000 points and gave an additional 3,000 to each of them.
The troublesome part was that Silent Darling and Troublesome Shadowkiller were still unconscious. Shadowkill’s injuries were nothing but external wounds, but Wang Buyu’s condition looked much worse.
“When will those two wake up?”
Qi Xu was asking Bad Ball.
“They can wake up right now. I can give you three Ability User Injury Recovery Cards. Aside from the two unconscious players, your mental strength is also severely depleted, so use one on yourself.
“You’re number one on the all-server rankings, and you’ve also successfully helped me save face this time. Consider these a small token of my appreciation. It’s nothing at all, so please accept them.”
Bad Ball’s attitude had undergone a complete transformation compared to before.
Qi Xu adapted to it very well. I deserve this. Since he’s giving them to me, why should I be polite and refuse? How could someone capable of becoming a professional freeloader ever feel embarrassed?
His head was throbbing badly, as if thousands upon thousands of rubber bands had been tied around it. So after receiving the three cards, Qi Xu used one immediately.
All those rubber bands seemed to be snipped apart with a sharp snap. At last, he could breathe deeply again!
Qi Xu crouched down and used another card on Wang Buyu. The colorless face regained its healthy flush, and Wang Buyu woke up within seconds.
As for the last card, Qi Xu was reluctant to use it on Shadowkill.
His injuries were entirely self-inflicted. If he had spoken a little more politely, Snake wouldn’t have beaten him like a Japanese soldier...
So Qi Xu simply asked Endless Longevity, “I’ve never figured out why you keep coughing up blood. Would this card be useful to you? If it would, you should use it. Giving it to Shadowkill would just be a waste.”
Endless Longevity hesitated for a moment instead of answering right away. Then he quickly realized that his hesitation might be disrupting the team’s harmony, so he hurriedly looked up at Ingrid.
I hesitated because I was wary of her, not you, Boss!
Ingrid still found Endless Longevity unpleasant to look at. With only this many points, he could exchange for what he needed in just a few moves. She glanced at Invincible Black Whirlwind. “I’ll remember the four times I owe you for working together. Aside from that, take these as well.”
During the point settlement phase, their backpacks could be used normally again.
Ingrid wasn’t stingy. She directly handed over 50,000 Vehicle Upgrade Cards and 100,000 Survival Coins. After all, he had saved her life. If she offered too little, it wouldn’t be repaying a favor—it would simply be insulting.
“Look at you, being so polite. I thought that after killing Cat-Snake Monster together, we counted as friends.” Qi Xu neither said he would accept nor refused outright, merely making a polite show of pushing the offer away.
Ingrid’s attitude was firm. She was determined to give him the items.
Qi Xu accepted only the 50,000 Vehicle Upgrade Cards. “I’ll pass on the Survival Coins. They’re basically money, and I don’t like taking money from friends. I’ll accept the Vehicle Upgrade Cards, though. After all, I still want to become the next number one player in the nation.”
Only then did Ingrid agree. She nodded. “I wish you success!”
“Bye-bye, my friend. I wish you success too!”
Qi Xu grinned as he bid his friend farewell, his mood exceptionally bright.
Only then did Endless Longevity come over and say, “Boss, you should keep this card for yourself. I can’t use it. I’m a special case. Before becoming an Ability User, I acquired a special class. Coughing up blood makes me stronger.
“When I first entered the Color Secret Realm, I also awakened a skill related to coughing up blood, so... if I stop coughing up blood, I’ll turn into a rookie again. But don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll live a long life!”
Endless Longevity’s situation was more or less what Qi Xu had guessed, so he didn’t try to persuade him further. He took two Ability User Injury Treatment Cards from his backpack and tossed them to Shadowkill. After seeing that most of the wounds on Shadowkill’s body had healed, he left him alone.
Threeking was the first to finish exchanging for everything he wanted. Just as he was preparing to leave the Treasure Map Secret Realm, Qi Xu stopped him.
The Third froze slightly. Bad Ball was watching them, after all. It wouldn’t be appropriate to say goodbye in an overly familiar manner.
Qi Xu didn’t beat around the bush. He asked frankly, “The Third, how about coming to District 88 and working with me?”
...........
