Chapter 81: Debt of Gratitude
With only 18,250 Paradise Coins remaining, Su Xiao's plan to visit the training grounds was scrapped. He decided to stay in the Trade Square and began crafting intermediate alchemy bombs for sale.
Five hours later, Su Xiao's storage space held four bottles of [Premium Alchemy Elixir], his Paradise Coins had dwindled to 1,200, and his mana was completely depleted.
[Hunter's stay time in Reincarnation Paradise has reached the limit.]
[Returning to the Real World shortly. Please remember the regulations of Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Under no circumstances may any information about Reincarnation Paradise be disclosed in the Real World. Violations will result in a warning; if the warning is ignored, execution will be enforced.]
…
[Teleportation begins. Location: Real World.]
Rubbing the back of his head, Su Xiao sat on the living room sofa, now inside the seaside villa.
Bubu Wang dashed out the door, likely heading to the beach to catch crabs. That goofball loved swimming in the sea or fishing for fish.
Given Bubu Wang's abilities, the chances of encountering danger in the Real World were slim. There were no other contractors nearby—at least, Su Xiao hadn't sensed any contractor activity in the vicinity.
Leaning back on the sofa, Su Xiao's tense nerves gradually relaxed.
No enemies, no imminent threats. The Real World had become Su Xiao's best place to unwind.
Becoming stronger required a balance of tension and relaxation. Constantly keeping his nerves taut would eventually lead to problems—like his earlier reckless act of storming the police station, which was a very rash move.
Buzz, buzz.
The phone on the coffee table vibrated. Someone was contacting Su Xiao, which surprised him. Few people could reach this number.
Picking up the phone, Su Xiao frowned. The caller ID showed Wei Dong—one of the Scavengers, those contractors serving the nation.
Answering the call, Su Xiao didn't speak first.
"Mr. Su?"
Wei Dong's voice came through, tinged with fatigue.
"It's me."
Su Xiao had already guessed the gist. They had signed a contract before, and the Scavengers wouldn't contact him without reason.
The Scavengers had once helped Su Xiao arrange a chartered flight abroad—that was a personal favor. Now, Wei Dong was calling it in.
"How have you been?"
It seemed everyone liked to start with small talk.
"No need for pleasantries, Team Leader Wei. Just get to the point. Transactions are better when they're straightforward."
Wei Dong coughed dryly on the other end. His assistant, standing nearby, looked displeased. Usually, when they contacted contractors, the response was polite.
The assistant's lips moved as if to speak, but Wei Dong shot him a cold glance, and the assistant immediately swallowed his words.
"Here's the situation. Recently, some 'outsiders' have been causing trouble. We've lost a lot of people. Those guys are hard to track, and we can't use large-scale lethal thermal weapons in the city. More importantly, they're second-rank."
The term "outsiders" was the Scavengers' code for foreign contractors.
A contractor crossing borders was a sensitive matter. A foreign contractor was like a ticking time bomb. The Scavengers weren't incapable of dealing with this group, but Wei Dong's region lacked strong contractors. If he had to request reinforcements for such a minor issue, his position as team leader would be jeopardized—especially with the upcoming re-election.
"Second-rank."
"I know this is a tough request…"
"Have you fought them?"
"Yes. There are three of them."
Wei Dong gritted his teeth. His most trusted subordinate had died.
"Send me photos of the battle scene."
At Su Xiao's request, dozens of photos arrived. They showed a collapsed, abandoned factory engulfed in roaring flames.
Su Xiao was assessing the enemy's strength. He owed Wei Dong a favor, but that favor wasn't worth facing an unbeatable opponent.
"Time, location. Preferably, bring me their clothing or personal belongings."
"You'll do it?"
"Mm. Just this once. You helped me before, now I'm helping you. Fair."
The deal was struck, and the call ended. Wei Dong let out a long sigh of relief.
"Team Leader, who was that?"
The assistant looked at Wei Dong with confusion.
"Those foreign bastards are too arrogant. So I found a killing god to teach them some manners."
Wei Dong's smile was cold. He recalled the scene of Su Xiao drawing his blade at the train station. Those three outsiders were in for a world of pain.
…
Debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay. After finishing this task for the Scavengers, Su Xiao wanted as little to do with them as possible.
Su Xiao had no interest in power. He was obsessed with becoming stronger—for no reason other than the pure satisfaction and joy it brought. No further explanation was needed.
Before hanging up, Wei Dong gave Su Xiao an email address and a contact number.
Pulling out his laptop, Su Xiao logged into the email and began reviewing the files.
The three contractors were from different countries. Their purpose for entering the country was unclear, but one thing was certain: they were arrogant and unruly.
On their first day, they checked into a five-star hotel. Local Scavengers confronted them—after all, this kind of "illegal entry" was unwelcome, especially since they were suspected of carrying weapons.
That night, the three didn't clash with the Scavengers. They signed an agreement to leave the country within five days and promised not to leave the city during that time.
Unfortunately, one of them couldn't control his urges. He dragged a young female hotel attendant into his room. What happened next didn't need explaining.
In his mind, it was the attendant's fault for being too attractive, and it was a trivial matter. The Scavengers wouldn't turn on them over something so minor.
Absurd? In the worldview of certain countries, it was indeed the case.
What they didn't expect was that the Scavengers came knocking immediately. The conversation grew heated, and a fight broke out.
The contractors who usually maintained order in various regions were all first-rank. Facing three second-rank opponents, the outcome was predictable.
Now, Wei Dong was in a tough spot. If he requested reinforcements from headquarters, dozens of second-rank contractors could be dispatched without issue. But he couldn't.
After reviewing the files, Su Xiao packed a simple bag, grabbed some cash, and left his residence.
…
A day later, in a neighboring city.
Inside a residential building, a temporary Scavenger outpost, an elderly gatekeeper was assigned to receive Su Xiao. Who would have guessed that this wrinkled, gentle old man was a contractor?
"Mr. Su, here are the leads we've gathered."
The old man handed Su Xiao a document bag. Inside were several files and a torn piece of cloth.
The files detailed the identities of the three "outsiders." All three had committed crimes in their home countries before fleeing abroad. They had formed a mercenary-like organization, taking on "dirty jobs" that ordinary people couldn't handle, amassing wealth and resources.
Contractors generally weren't short on money, but these three were exceptions. They would do almost anything for cash.
Su Xiao set down the files, pondering their motives.
He wasn't trying to investigate them thoroughly—he just wanted to avoid getting entangled in some larger incident.
Finish them off quickly, then return to the seaside villa. Keep a low profile for now.
Taking out the torn cloth from the bag, it was a fragment of one outsider's clothing. With this, things became much simpler.
Su Xiao placed the cloth in front of Bubu Wang. The dog sniffed it and then dashed out.
Two hours later, Bubu Wang returned, having locked onto the outsiders' scent.
It was noon, not the right time for action. He didn't want to attract too much attention.
…
Night, 1:00 AM.
Su Xiao donned a black outfit and slung a blade bag over his shoulder, containing a sharp weapon—Tang Hong.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Su Xiao followed Bubu Wang at a brisk pace.
An hour later, they arrived at a villa district on the city's edge.
PS: (Working hard to fix my sleep schedule. I updated early today, right? I'll try to keep it up. Asking for monthly votes~)