Chapter 249: Zhou Rui

“What a hassle!” Yang Bo looked at the two creatures in the cage, an Invisible Mouse and a Sand Rat. Despite one being male and the other female, they showed no signs of interacting.

“Could it be they’re not in the breeding season?” Yang Bo muttered to himself as he observed the uninterested creatures.

“Forget it for now, let’s just leave them together.” Sometimes, it’s hard to predict how animals behave.

In his past life, Yang Bo’s hometown had a family that brought home a beautiful corgi during New Year’s. Oddly, the corgi was infatuated with the ugliest mutt in the village—grey, scruffy, and with curly fur, unlike the shiny yellow or black coats of other mutts.

The corgi ended up mating with the mutt and gave birth to a litter of mixed-colored short-legged puppies, infuriating its owners.

What seems beautiful to humans isn’t necessarily the same for animals.

Leaving the mice to bond, Yang Bo decided to check how the cleanup outside was coming along.

The hurricane had passed, leaving behind piles of debris.

From inside the house, you could see over a dozen automated robots cleaning the large yard.

Even the outer walls of Yang Bo’s house were being washed by the robots.

Looking out to the beach, Yang Bo could see heaps of debris—mostly seaweed, dead animals, and some injured but still living marine creatures.

“Cleaning bills won’t be cheap this year.” The hurricane lasted for a week, but according to the forecast, another one would hit five days later.

Letting the robots handle the cleanup, Yang Bo got in his flying car to go grocery shopping. Although he could order online, Yang Bo preferred to pick things out in person.

Food had become quite affordable for Yang Bo, but many good items were sold in limited quantities, like those delicious mushrooms that weren’t in season.

Arriving at the supermarket, Yang Bo got out of the car, and it automatically parked itself.

“Mr. Yang Bo.” Just then, someone called his name.

He turned to see a woman dressed in professional attire—a white blouse, black knee-length skirt. She had a sleek ponytail, exuding a fresh, elegant look.

Yang Bo nearly spat out his drink. The woman had a tall, slender figure, fair skin, and an air of classical beauty reminiscent of Lin Qingxia. Yet, Yang Bo recognized her—this was the president of the Bounty Hunter Guild.

Thinking of the bald guy, Yang Bo felt a little weird. Though the bald look was fake, it left a strange impression.

“And you are?” Yang Bo was confused. Why was she here in person? Was it about the Longevity Energy Stone?

“I’m from the Bounty Hunter Guild. I wanted to discuss something with you, Mr. Yang Bo,” she said calmly, her dark eyes fixed on him.

“May I invite you to the teahouse next door for a drink?” the woman suggested.

“Thank you,” Yang Bo answered, deciding to see what she was up to.

After entering the teahouse, the two sat down and ordered tea. It was made from plants that grew in the desert, with needle-like leaves that released a fragrance when brewed. The taste varied depending on one’s body’s pH balance.

Since the plant grew naturally, the tea was quite expensive, as only a limited amount could be harvested each year.

“Mr. Yang Bo, you’re extremely talented. I’ve heard about your achievements. Have you ever considered joining the Bounty Hunter Guild?” She spoke as soon as the glass door of their private room closed.

“Sorry, I’m not interested.” Yang Bo bluntly replied.

The woman seemed a little surprised yet remained calm. “Why not?” she asked.

“I don’t like how you’re talking down to me.” Yang Bo’s answer caught her off guard.

“From the moment we met, you knew my name, but I don’t know yours since you didn’t introduce yourself. It feels condescending.”

“And based on your conversation skills, I gather that you don’t do this often. In your line of work, the first step should always be an introduction. Perhaps this is because you hold a high position in the Guild, and it shows.” Yang Bo knew none of this naturally, but it wasn’t hard to find fault when you knew someone’s identity.

The woman paused, then replied with a smile, “You’re right, I don’t usually handle these things personally. Normally, others aren’t worthy of my level. Allow me to start over—my name is Zhou Rui.”

“As for my position in the Guild, I can’t disclose that right now. However, our Guild can offer Mr. Yang Bo many conveniences,” Zhou Rui added.

“But your Guild is illegal. I’m a law-abiding citizen,” Yang Bo replied before taking a sip of his tea.

Zhou Rui calmly explained: “Illegal only in the Alliance. In two other nations, we are perfectly legal. That’s why we can offer services beyond the scope of the Alliance.”

“And if you join a Sect, our Guild will provide even more benefits. You could access advanced warplane schematics or the most cutting-edge warship designs.”

“As for things like armor, you won’t even need to mention it. Plus, because we’re off the books, everything’s cheaper—we’re talking private transactions without any tax going to the Alliance.”

While listening, Yang Bo mulled over her words. Was the Guild President herself extending this offer because she had recognized his talent?

“Also, in the Sects, resources are allocated based on contribution. If you want better technology, you have to earn it through service. It’s not about utilizing credit points.”

“Competition in the Sects is intense, and yes, they offer exclusive goods and techniques. But to obtain the best, you need to contribute, and that contribution isn’t measured in credits, which are the least valuable.” Zhou Rui continued to explain.

“In our Guild, you can earn points that can be exchanged for things credits could never buy,” she concluded.

Yang Bo believed this was reasonable. The Sects would need to profit to sustain themselves. And that profit? It had to come from disciples and their contributions.

Sure, a Sect’s resources were probably exclusive, making acquiring their techniques difficult. Contributions wouldn’t come cheap.

Zhou Rui watched Yang Bo closely. The reason she had personally extended this invitation was because Yang Bo wasn’t just talented—he was lucky.

When she returned home two days ago, Zhou Rui had recounted everything that happened to her father.

Her father had said only one thing: ‘Sometimes, luck is more frightening than talent. And in this case, he has both to an extreme degree.’

What followed was a detailed analysis from her father.

If it hadn’t been for Yang Bo during their recent operation, many would have been in real danger. Despite seeming insignificant, Yang Bo had not only quickly learned how to unlock the Restraint Collar, but had also uncovered several Longevity Energy Stones from a massive ore vein.

These Life Energy Stones represented a fortune that most people could chase for their entire lives and never achieve.

Luck like that is priceless, especially in the Bounty Hunter Guild, where it often plays a decisive role in missions.

Recruiting Yang Bo would be more worthwhile than even a top-tier powerhouse. Powerhouses always have powerful backgrounds.

Yang Bo was at a critical point for the Guild to get its foot in the door. Earning his favor now could make him an invaluable asset.

“Mr. Yang Bo, feel free to browse what our Guild offers for points.” With this in mind, Zhou Rui handed a tablet to Yang Bo.

Yang Bo wasn’t surprised by the tablet. It was just a storage device, disconnected from the net, built with strong shielding, and thus was bulkier than most devices.

Yang Bo took the tablet and scrolled through items listed along with their point values.

Ranked first was the title of Earl in the Azure Blue Empire, priced at 50 billion points. Upon closer inspection, Yang Bo noticed the title came with land on a habitable planet in the northern hemisphere.

The planet was about the size of Earth, but the climate remained frigid everywhere except a small part near the equator.

Not only that, but there were tax arrears owed to the Azure Blue Empire—roughly 12 billion credits in unpaid taxes.

“Who would be dumb enough to take this deal?” Yang Bo remarked upon reading the numerous conditions attached to the title.

The Earl’s lands required maintaining a minimum population; failure to meet that would result in losing the title.

Moreover, taxes couldn’t be missed annually.

And when the Earl died, to inherit the title, heirs would have to fork over 45% in estate taxes. To top it off, heirs wishing to keep the title would have to pay an additional 20% in taxes.

Failure to pay the extra 20% would result in the title being downgraded.

Second on the list: a Mining Planet. This planet contained significant rare energy metals, but with eight times gravity, it had deterred many mining companies.

Ten-year mining rights were priced at 30 billion points. Mining companies didn’t bother because the equipment needed to deal with eight times gravity required specialized crafting, and energy consumption was hundreds of times higher than that on a regular mineral planet. Even though the planet boasted large quantities of energy metals, the exact amount remained unclear.

In other words, the investment would be enormous. Customizing mining and exploration equipment would cost a fortune.

There were indeed many goodies in the Bounty Hunter Guild—from various types of armor to energy stones and advanced equipment.

Surprisingly, they even dealt in the slave trade, selling a variety of individuals who were officially registered as slaves within the Azure Blue Empire.

The priciest was 12 billion points for the son of a Duke. The Duke possessed advanced-level Gene Evolution abilities.

In other words, he would be purchased for breeding. The issue was that even human genes weren’t guaranteed to pass down perfectly.

Worse, this Duke had subordinates who had become rebels. Whoever purchased him would likely attract unwanted attention from these rebels.

There were also princesses for sale, all individuals who had been demoted to slavery for violating the Empire’s laws for reasons unknown.

“Sorry, but I’m perfectly content with my life right now. Since you seem aware of my talent, you must know I’ve recently made a considerable fortune. Why wouldn’t I just enjoy my life?” After a glance, Yang Bo spoke up.

Although there were tempting deals in the Guild—like a state-of-the-art electronic jamming system capable of disrupting 99.99% of electronic devices—the steep 900 million-point price tag kept Yang Bo from fully committing.

Zhou Rui wasn’t expecting his response. She had thought the items would move him.

“In that case, may I at least have your contact details in case you need to reach out?” Zhou Rui decided to bide her time.

“Of course, and thank you for the tea,” Yang Bo said before they exchanged email addresses. He finished his tea in one gulp and left the teahouse.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhou Rui sighed. “These types of citizens are the hardest to handle. Having spent their entire lives under the control of intelligent systems, they can’t think much for themselves.”

After leaving the teahouse, Yang Bo arranged to meet the Fat Boss.

They met at a local restaurant, where the Fat Boss was already waiting.

“Why did you want to see me so urgently?” The Fat Boss was curious about Yang Bo’s rush.

“Boss, a Bounty Hunter Guild member just invited me to join the Guild,” Yang Bo revealed, playing innocent to construct a dependency with the Fat Boss.

“Did you agree?” The Fat Boss wasn’t surprised. He simply asked.

“No, I don’t know what to do.” Yang Bo shook his head, feigning helplessness and looking as if he relied entirely on the Fat Boss.

“The Thief Sect is probably tied to the Bounty Hunter Guild. You will have to join eventually. But since they made the move, you can negotiate terms.”

“The Bounty Hunter Guild is powerful and one of the oldest social organizations still around. Even before the rise of the interstellar era, the Guild held considerable influence. And they have a lot of good stuff.”

“You can bargain for a discount when redeeming items with points. Normally, you could get 10% off. And don’t take on mandatory missions—only accept missions when you want to.”

“Typically, those joining the Bounty Hunter Guild have a minimum mission quota per year, but that’s negotiable too. I’m also planning to join,” the Fat Boss said, preparing a fallback in case things went south.

“In the future, if anything happens, having a Guild identity grants you residency rights in the other two nations. They recognize Guild members.” It was another unfamiliar fact the Fat Boss shared.

“Really?” Yang Bo was surprised.

“Absolutely. I don’t know the full story, but for some reason, the Guild is illegal in the Alliance but not elsewhere. There must be something fishy going on.”

“Just tell them what I said—negotiate those terms, and if they agree, then join.”

“But it’s still an illegal organization. What happens if the Alliance catches wind?”

“Just deny everything. If the Alliance could ever get their hands on the Guild’s member list, the Guild wouldn’t have lasted this long. There’s a reason it’s still around.”

“Besides, we won’t be taking on illegal tasks. There are plenty of legitimate missions, including pharmaceutical ones.”

Yang Bo sipped his drink before suggesting, “Boss, would you help me with the negotiations?”

“Of course, no problem. I just ordered another batch of Gene Serum materials. They should arrive in a few days.” The Fat Boss wasn’t surprised by Yang Bo’s attitude. After all, he used to be just an ordinary citizen.

“Thanks, Boss!”

“I should be thanking you! You helped me recover the money that was stolen and made me a nice profit. Now with this cash, I can recruit more people.”

“By the way, I’ve got information on two girls from my family. Let me know what you think.” The Fat Boss was trying every angle to win Yang Bo over.

“I just sent their profiles to your email. They’re from my family—trustworthy, no need to worry.” The Fat Boss reassured him.

“I’ll take my time looking through it,” Yang Bo replied, not particularly caring but keeping a serious expression.

Afterward, the Fat Boss treated him to a meal as well.

Before leaving, Yang Bo handed Zhou Rui’s contact information to the Fat Boss.

He returned home with groceries, and the energy disruption equipment he’d ordered was close to arriving.

Once the Fat Boss had Zhou Rui’s contact info, he returned to his company to handle a few matters. Having made some money recently, he hired a new wave of employees.

The Fat Boss’s confidence came from the gene injections Yang Bo had made. Even low-level gene injections were hard to come by for most people, as the government severely limited their supply.

Selling gene injections privately carried severe penalties in the Alliance.

“Time to contact someone at the Bounty Hunter Guild,” the Fat Boss thought as he glanced at Zhou Rui’s contact details before sending an email that afternoon.

Yang Bo, meanwhile, moved a large box into the Underground Bunker. He pulled out a spherical device, roughly the size of a soccer ball, mounted on a base.

This was an advanced energy jamming device, known as an energy disruption jammer, specifically designed for civilian use. Military versions were available on the black market, but their authenticity was questionable.

“Let’s start with the civilian version first.” Yang Bo felt there was still plenty of room for growth in his Optical Ability. This was just the beginning. Given that modern society revolved around electro-optics, he didn’t need to understand everything—just copying and refining was enough.