Xu Xin

"Why is Captain calling me now?" Outside, the biting wind howled, and snowflakes danced across the sky, but Luo Feng's mind raced with thoughts. Finally, he took a deep breath and softly said, "Call back!"Beep—beep—beep—"Hello, Luo Feng." Captain Gao Feng's voice came through."Captain, what's up?" Luo Feng said with a smile.Gao Feng's voice lowered. "You saw that sky-high bounty, right? A full 100 billion—it's enough to make countless warriors green with envy. It specifically states that the killer is likely a War God-tier warrior or a mental power user! You absolutely, absolutely must not reveal your identity as a mental power user, or you'll be in huge trouble... After all, our Fire Hammer Squad and the Tiger Fang Squad already had a grudge, and Pan Ya, the Tiger Fang Captain, was among the four who died. If your identity as a mental power user becomes public, it'll be easy for people to suspect you. Then, thousands upon thousands will be scrutinizing you. No matter how careful you are, accidents will happen.""I understand. But it wasn't me, so what do I have to fear? Still, Captain, this killer is truly formidable, to be able to kill those four before they could even relay the killer's identity to the couple. Impressive," Luo Feng couldn't help but praise."Indeed, very impressive," Gao Feng echoed.Luo Feng continued, "And Pan Ya's death is a great thing for us. Our Fire Hammer Squad won't have any more trouble from now on.""Mm, this situation works in our favor. I'm just reminding you now: be careful, be extremely careful! This matter is too far-reaching. I'll make sure to warn Chen Gu and the others later. Don't worry... if any of them dare to leak this information, I won't let them off the hook.""By the way, when are you coming back to the Base City? The monster materials we hunted are still stored there, waiting for you to decide how to deal with them."Luo Feng smiled faintly. "I originally planned to stay in the wilderness for a while longer, but since the Tiger Fang Captain is dead, I have nothing else to do. I'll be back in a couple of days.""Mm, see you then." Gao Feng's voice came from the communication watch."See you."Luo Feng hung up the phone, his expression immediately turning serious.The call seemed like the Captain genuinely cared and was reminding him. At first, hearing the Captain's words did warm his heart. But upon careful reflection, a thought emerged—the other four members of the Fire Hammer Squad would likely suspect him.However, none of them had conclusive evidence!What could they do to make Luo Feng trust them?"The best way for me to trust them would be if they didn't call me at all. No calls, no communication, naturally no concrete evidence," Luo Feng frowned. "But the Captain called me, seemingly out of concern and comfort... If I were less vigilant, coupled with the psychological pressure of 100 billion, I might have blurted it out in a moment of hot-headedness to someone who seemed to care."A shiver ran down Luo Feng's spine at the thought!Indeed, a young man under 20, having just killed a prominent figure and now facing a 'sky-high bounty,' would typically be extremely nervous. At such a time, the concern of deeply trusted seniors or elders could easily move the young man, making him hot-headed enough to reveal his secret!"Using various methods to interrogate would only make me wary.""But this kind of concern makes one drop their guard. If I were to reveal my secret, perhaps the Captain was recording my words," Luo Feng gasped, a cold sweat breaking out. "Combine that with my hunt for the Tiger Fang Squad, my identity as a mental power user, and the fact that Li Wei's parents confirmed I was one of the warriors relatively close to the scene.""Finally, add that recording."How could there be so many coincidences? So much evidence would almost certainly confirm the killer's identity.Luo Feng took a sharp breath... indeed, if he had admitted it himself, the trouble would have been immense.Fortunately, he had carried pressure since childhood, striving repeatedly to become a warrior. This prolonged pressure had forged his psychological resilience, making him far less fragile than an average youth under 20....Time ticked by, minute by minute. The snow fell heavier, blanketing the world in white, and the temperature plummeted to an astonishing degree. Soon, it was evening.Inside the grimy room.Luo Feng sat cross-legged. "Today, I received two calls! One from the Captain, one from Wei Qing. The Captain's words were entirely caring and cautionary... but Wei Qing's tone was one of surprise." Earlier that morning, Wei Qing's first words on the phone were—"Damn, Lunatic, the Captain told us all to be careful not to reveal your identity as a mental power user. You didn't kill those four, did you?"Both Wei Qing's call and the Captain's call made Luo Feng suspicious.Of course, it was merely suspicion!Perhaps the Captain truly only cared about him, and perhaps Wei Qing genuinely considered him a brother-in-arms, which was why he spoke so carelessly."People are the hardest to see through. After all, it's hard to truly know someone's heart.""And in the face of immense wealth, brothers turning against each other, spouses becoming enemies, fathers and sons disowning each other... I've seen too many such stories online! What's more, this time it's the colossal sum of 100 billion!" Luo Feng merely used his watch to browse some forum posts online.He discovered how insane the entire world had become in the face of this bounty....The night was colder than the day.Luo Feng huddled in a corner, his heart feeling somewhat cold. Ever since he began to suspect Captain Gao Feng and Wei Qing, Luo Feng's mindset had shifted... In the past, he was cheerful, just like any ordinary warrior, able to fight alongside his warrior squad brothers through life and death, feeling unburdened. He had long considered the others his good brothers.But now..."Do they see me as a brother, or do they want to trade me for a massive reward? Perhaps they just lack sufficient evidence, which is why they haven't acted yet," Luo Feng's eyes grew cold."What am I thinking?!""Always being so suspicious." Luo Feng shook his head. He finally realized that under the pressure of the 100 billion bounty, his mindset couldn't help but change... He wasn't sure if others would be unmoved by 100 billion, after all, it was 100 billion. So he constantly felt paranoid! Even though Luo Feng knew this paranoia was unhealthy, he couldn't control himself!Wenina Polenas's goal had been achieved... Luo Feng had unknowingly fallen into the various pressures brought by the 100 billion bounty."Stop thinking about it, stop overthinking."Luo Feng immediately looked down at his watch, gently clicking buttons, and began to view various messages on the communication watch screen. Suddenly, he scrolled to the phonebook, and the names there brought a sense of calm to Luo Feng's heart...Among these names was 'Wei Wen,' a good brother he had played with since childhood."I wonder how Ah Wen is doing now." Luo Feng couldn't help but smile, recalling some amusing anecdotes with Wei Wen from their younger days.The phonebook contained many names of high school classmates.There were also names of friends from the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo.And the names of his parents and younger brother."Mom and Dad, little brother." Luo Feng's gaze softened. "No matter what, you will all live well! I will definitely overcome this hurdle."Suddenly—Luo Feng's gaze landed on a name—Xu Xin!He had exchanged phone numbers with Xu Xin when they chatted at the HR Alliance Mall, but all this time, he had never proactively called her."Call Xu Xin," Luo Feng said.He didn't know why he was calling at this moment. Perhaps deep down, he was worried... that one day, if his identity as the killer was revealed, the Xu family would forbid Xu Xin from associating with him."Hello." Xu Xin's voice came from the communication watch. "Is that Luo Feng?""Yes, it's me." Luo Feng's heart warmed."It's rare for a great warrior like you to think of calling me," Xu Xin teased. "What, are you back in the Base City?""Still in the wilderness, just bored at night, so..." Luo Feng trailed off, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.Bored at night?It sounded like someone looking for a companion, bored at night and seeking company."Cough." Xu Xin coughed. "I didn't realize Luo Feng, you were so... H.""H? Uh... How are things at university for you? I've never been to university, so I'm curious," Luo Feng quickly changed the subject. And just like that... the two chatted on the phone. Perhaps because it was their first phone conversation, and it was late at night, they talked for a very long time.When he finally hung up, Luo Feng realized... the call had lasted an hour and a half."Is this what they call 'boiling phone porridge'? Indeed, after an hour and a half, the porridge would be well-cooked," Luo Feng thought, feeling delighted. Talking to the girl he secretly admired for an hour and a half for the first time certainly made him happy.The panic and paranoid negative emotions brought by the 100 billion bounty earlier...All swept away!...From the previous state of panic, paranoia, and dark emotions, he returned to the simple joy of a young man in love... This shift in mindset felt as if Luo Feng's entire being had been cleansed.Gradually, Luo Feng calmed down.It was an unprecedented tranquility, a transcendent peace after experiencing such emotional highs and lows. After all, how many ordinary people could endure such drastic emotional swings?His heart was calm, like still water!"This feeling is so comfortable." Luo Feng savored this unprecedented sense of inner peace. And at this moment, he felt an urge—an urge to practice his blade!Whoosh!He drew the Blood Shadow Battle Blade from his back.In this cold, late night, on this evening that astonished countless people due to the sky-high bounty, Luo Feng, alone in a desolate residential building in City No. 023 in the wilderness, began practicing the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade. With an unprecedented stillness of heart, like calm water, every swing of his blade felt incredibly smooth and satisfying.One strike, two strikes...Luo Feng's mental power naturally spread out, clearly detecting every subtle movement around him caused by each blade swing.Cold light, like snow, scattered within the room...