Chapter 92: Point Merchant

Before dawn, Ji Xinghuo rushed back to the city gate outside Midpoint Fortress.

Many bounty hunters had already returned, all waiting for dawn to enter the city.

Ji Xinghuo noticed that most came back empty-handed.

Even the most experienced bounty hunters don’t always find suitable targets. Sometimes they stalk for days, observing in secret, meticulously planning, yet end up with nothing, risking even their lives.

Some bounty hunters bore injuries yet couldn’t hide the joy on their faces, clearly having succeeded.

Suddenly, someone approached.

The person, face masked revealing only their eyes, asked in a hushed tone, “Brother, got any goods?”

Ji Xinghuo hesitated before responding, “Two tail tips.”

“Selling them?” the person immediately asked, sounding desperate, “I can offer double the bounty price!”

Ji Xinghuo quickly understood the intention.

This person aimed to buy trophies from other bounty hunters at high prices, exchanging them at the bounty office for hero points.

Those involved were typically privileged individuals lacking strength, unwilling to risk their lives against the North Luo Master Clan, yet vain enough to buy hero points to boast back on Earth.

Usually, such actions involved rich heirs, creating a demand leading to a gray market.

Officially, such private trade of trophies was prohibited.

Regulations stipulate that selling trophies and volunteering information about such sales could earn an informant a bounty equal to the sale price and double the points.

Buyers exposed through such revelations would see their bounties reclaimed, their hunter licenses revoked, and their points reset to zero.

However, such incidents were rampant.

Real wealthy buyers never acted personally but employed intermediaries to make purchases while concealing their identities and making several hand-offs.

Bounty hunters deeply despised this practice.

Yet, facing the temptation of doubled or higher income, some bounty hunters still sold their trophies in private. To them, hero points were insignificant, neither ranking high nor affecting their standing significantly.

Powerful bounty hunters, valuing their points, naturally refused to sell.

Hence, point merchants like the one confronting Ji Xinghuo typically targeted less known hunters.

“Not selling.”

Ji Xinghuo shook his head immediately.

“I’ll offer three times the price,” the person continued to raise the offer, clearly not short of money.

Recognizing he wasn’t a real buyer or hunter but just a point merchant, Ji Xinghuo disregarded him.

Seeing Ji Xinghuo unmoved, the individual had no choice but to leave.

It was still dark as he mingled in the returning crowd, Ji Xinghuo watched coldly as the person made contact with a few hunters and managed to strike a deal.

There were several point merchants like him.

They likely mixed into the outgoing crowd at dusk, didn’t hunt but hid somewhere, returning just before dawn.

Most bounty hunters rejected their offers.

Some irate hunters explicitly cursed: “Get lost!”

“Stay away from me.”

“Back off! You coward!”

Each rejection left the masked point merchant with no option but to flee meekly.

Ji Xinghuo shook his head and ceased to pay attention.

Soon, dawn broke, and as the steam engine worked, the massive city gates slowly rose. The bounty hunters passed through security, checking they weren’t enemy mimics, before being allowed in. Midpoint Fortress had six gates, but only three opened regularly for hunter access.

The hunters’ first task upon entering the city was to submit their trophies and claim their bounty and points.

Those without trophies naturally didn’t bother.

Ji Xinghuo noticed that only about a third of the hunters, like himself, headed to the second-level city area’s bounty office.

Everyone seemed cheerful, evidently in good spirits.

“Brother Shi, seeing you so happy, you must have had a good haul last night?” one hunter remarked.

“Not that much,” the addressed hunter replied modestly, “just three tentacles. Lucky encounter.”

“Including the Golaucrok species, that’s a hundred thousand in earnings, right? Impressive!”

“Haha, not bad,” he responded proudly and retorted, “How about you?”

“Average, just two scalps and four or five tail tips.”

The hunter’s smile stiffened, and after a few seconds, he cursed: “You damn show-off…”

“Haha, yes!”

Ji Xinghuo also laughed out, drawing both men’s attention.

The hunter known as Brother Shi sized up Ji Xinghuo, curious, “I’ve not seen you before, brother.”

“I just arrived at Midpoint Fortress,” replied Ji Xinghuo as they walked.

“Looks like you had a good night too?”

“Hmm,” Ji Xinghuo nodded, “Not bad.”

Seeing Ji Xinghuo wasn’t keen on elaborating, Brother Shi didn’t pursue further.

Partly because it was impolite to pry among strangers;

And since Ji Xinghuo was new, having any haul was impressive, yet unlikely to be substantial.

When they first arrived, survival was a struggle, barely earning a couple of tail tips. It was only after multiple life-and-death situations and gains in strength that their hauls gradually increased.

They soon reached the bounty office.

Yesterday, when Ji Xinghuo came to apply for his license, the hall was nearly empty, but today, it buzzed with activity. Hundreds of hunters, familiar with one another, greeted and discussed last night’s events while queuing to collect their bounties.

Ji Xinghuo queued alone.

Suddenly, a conversation caught his ear.

“Last night, there was a commotion near Watchtower 135. From a distance, I saw a Legendary Da Guan leading a large group searching, several patrols deployed,” a hunter mentioned, visibly shaken, “Luckily, I reacted quickly and slipped away.”

“I noticed too, but wasn’t sure what it was about,” another confirmed.

“Same at Camp East 13,” another hunter chimed in, “I had just figured out their sentry and was about to move when they were suddenly called away. I followed quietly and overheard their orders—it seems an entire patrol was taken out…”

“No wonder the patrols seemed denser last night.”

“I was ambushing at Highlands 40 and saw several patrols passing more frequently than usual, but come nightfall, they all vanished.”

“This is definitely not normal, something serious must have happened.”

The hunters heatedly discussed, corroborating stories, quickly piecing together almost the entire truth.

“Could someone really have taken out a patrol?”

“Seems likely.”

“And probably not just one—likely three or more,” an experienced hunter analyzed, “North Luo Master Clan wouldn’t alter their defense plans lightly. With a Legendary Da Guan involved, there must have been unexpected casualties.”

The hunters looked at each other, some shaking their heads, “Whoever it was, they’ve got guts, taking on a patrol.”

“Talent emboldens the brave,” someone quipped.

Laughing, another added, “Taking out an entire patrol and escaping before reinforcements could arrive that’s at least a superhuman, and definitely one from the higher rungs of the Heavenly Ladder.”

“How do you know it was one person? Could’ve been a team!”

“True…”

A hunter summed up, “Last night’s raid caught the North Luo Master Clan off guard, yielding the biggest gains. Future attacks on patrols won’t be as easy; the enemy will surely set traps. If that hunter dares to strike again, it’ll be dangerous.”

All nodded in agreement.

The North Luo Master Clan isn’t composed of brainless monsters but is replete with powerful members, assuredly devising countermeasures against bounty hunters.

Incidents like this had happened before; you either back off, or you get killed.

Ji Xinghuo listened silently the entire time.

These seasoned hunters’ words were insightful, offering useful tidbits that could help him.

The queue moved swiftly as one by one, hunters submitted their trophies and received their bounties.

Most received bounties in tens of thousands, with few exceeding a hundred thousand.

However, the bounty was only part of the earnings; hunting North Luo Master Clan members and xenospecies, along with enemy weapons and gear, constituted substantial income.

The highest earner, ranking seventh in this month’s bounty list, was a hunter known as SuperShadowBlade. He submitted nearly two dozen trophies, earning close to a million in bounties.

It was finally Ji Xinghuo’s turn.

He pulled a heavy bag from his backpack, droplets of blood leaking from it. The staff’s facial expressions shifted subtly as they received it.

The hunters behind him also shifted their gaze, eyes filled with skepticism.

“That many?”

The staff emptied the bag, and instantly, hundreds of bloody body parts covered most of the countertop.

“Damn!”

“Really that many!”

“Sss…”

All present hunters widened their eyes, some gasping, shocked by the sheer number of trophies.

Not only were there many trophies, but the quality was also high.

Nearly twenty scalpels from Da Guans dominated the display, along with several plant cores from Tendrils representing a significant proportion.

Seeing the unfamiliar Ji Xinghuo, the initial reaction among the hunters was that he must have bought the trophies.

But on closer inspection, it seemed improbable.

Willing sellers among the hunters were few, and gathering so many would require days to accumulate before buying at a high price, yet the organs on the countertop were evidently freshly severed.

Plus, submitting such high-profile trophies for such a high price would surely invite investigation.

Those rich enough to buy points typically submitted a few trophies per day, only daring to do so when the bounty office was less crowded.

Ji Xinghuo’s actions didn’t match those of the wealthy.

“I get it!”

A hunter suddenly exclaimed, looking at Ji Xinghuo with intense interest, “Brother, it was you who took out several patrols last night, wasn’t it?”