Chapter Thirty: Three-Star Combat Death Warrior, Intermediate Hunter!

"Y-yes, that’s right, the Marauder killed him. The one lying on the ground did it."

The dual-wielding man immediately caught on. "We don't know anything else."

He had no desire to provoke Su Cheng. Even though the man was only a novice hunter, the strength he had displayed was comparable to that of a veteran hunter! If Su Cheng hadn't been part of this bounty mission, they certainly wouldn't have lost only three people. He and the cannon-wielder would likely not have survived either—only Remy and Rebecca would have had a chance. The difficulty of this bounty was far too high. The Tank Marauder at the beginning had nearly wiped them all out, and while the two Heavy Marauders that followed were easier to handle, the incredibly fast Rift-Tooth sneak attack had been something they couldn't possibly counter.

The cannon-wielder nodded frantically. "I... I'm the same. I just got here, I didn't see anything."

The Scrapyard had no explicit rules against hunters killing one another, so the hunter cards recorded no penalties. Such rules were supposedly established by the strongest hunters to ensure unity, but this was the Abandoned Old World—there were no rules here! Strength was the only thing that mattered.

Remy paid no attention to Chen Ze’s death. She crossed her arms, pushing her ample chest forward to even more striking effect. She kicked the corpse of the Rift-Tooth. "'X'?"

Su Cheng looked at her. "You know this letter?"

Remy arched an eyebrow and smiled seductively. "Of course. Do you want to know?"

Su Cheng shook his head. "I know about them. I assumed you didn't."

Remy chuckled. "No, you don't. Otherwise, you wouldn't have suddenly run off for no reason. Do you want me to tell you?" She leaned in close to Su Cheng, breathing softly, "If you want to know, come find me at Black Market No. 520. Remember, you must come alone."

The warm, moist air tickled Su Cheng's ear, and he shifted slightly away. He felt a bit helpless; he really didn't want to talk to smart people, especially smart women. If only everyone were as dim-witted as Black Bull.

The others pretended not to see. Although they envied Su Cheng his good fortune, they knew it was earned through raw strength. On the roof of the supermarket, at the top of the water tower, Rebecca watched the intimate scene between Su Cheng and Remy, then silently put away her gun and left.

"Hello, we are from the Wasteland Arena."

Just then, three people dressed in white combat uniforms ascended to the seventh floor. "Do not move any of the corpses here, including those of your fellow hunters. You may leave now."

The leader was a middle-aged man with a thick beard and a buzz cut. To his right was a pink-haired loli, and to his left stood a sturdy young man. Su Cheng looked at Zhu Shan'er with some surprise; he hadn't expected her to become an official member of the Wasteland Arena in just two or three days.

"Let's go." Remy took the lead. Although they were initially told only the Marauders' corpses were off-limits, the client had the right to change the rules.

As Su Cheng passed by Zhu Shan'er, she hesitated for a moment, then looked back at his receding figure with a puzzled expression.

The cannon-wielder muttered in surprise from behind, "They actually sent three Three-Star Combat Dead-Men here."

Su Cheng frowned. Aside from investigating the letter tattoo and reading the maintenance manuals his father left behind, he hadn't watched many fighting tournaments, so he wasn't familiar with their ranks.

Remy noticed his confusion and smiled faintly. "They have three blood-red roses embroidered on their chests, which marks them as Three-Star Combat Dead-Men. The highest rank is five stars, and the top of them all is the King of Combat. The name might sound crude, but it represents the king of all combatants—the strongest Dead-Man there is!"

The dual-wielder chimed in, "That's right! The King of Combat earns the right to go to Future City. There is only one King per season! They all climb to the top by stepping over the corpses of other combatants, which is why they're called 'Dead-Men.' A Three-Star Combat Dead-Man is already an elite; their strength is comparable to that of a veteran hunter!"

Su Cheng nodded. Viewed in that light, the combatants were generally much stronger than the hunters. It was no wonder the tournament drew the attention and participation of Future City! That Zhu Shan'er had become a Three-Star Combat Dead-Man so quickly must be due to the power of her military-grade implants. As long as you are strong enough, you can immediately transcend levels and social classes. At any time, strength is the only thing that grants a voice.

The cannon-wielder continued, "There's only one month left until this year's final King of Combat Tournament. I'm so excited! We S-rank hunters have a chance to go to Future City, but the King of Combat is guaranteed entry. Even though the words are only slightly different, the gap is massive!"

Go to Future City? S-rank hunter. King of Combat. Was there truly such a path to ascend to the heavens? Perhaps...

The group walked out of the supermarket, where HPC guards had already entered to begin the cleanup.

*WHOOSH!*

Suddenly, a roaring sound erupted from above! Su Cheng looked up to see a large aircraft emblazoned with 'G.K.' descending from the sky, landing directly on the roof of the supermarket. Two spider-like robots from the Scrapyard emerged, followed by a person clad in full combat armor!

"Those are the Scrapyard's Overseer robots and Judges. Holy crap, what is going on?" The cannon-wielder was shocked. "The recruiters have already settled the bounty, and the Arena has taken over the stronghold. Why is the Scrapyard still sending people?"

The dual-wielder said dismissively, "Who cares? We've got our rewards. We can just go collect them in a bit."

The cannon-wielder nodded and looked at the group. "Pleasure working with you. We were really lucky this time. I'm going to claim my reward now." The difficulty of this bounty had far exceeded his expectations; he was just glad to be alive.

"I'll join you. Hitching a ride." The dual-wielder followed him.

"You obtained the highest weight of the points distribution, you know. Even if you add all of us together, we don't have as much as you, a novice hunter." Remy didn't seem surprised by the Scrapyard's arrival. She smiled at Su Cheng. "Remember to come find me."

With that, she walked toward the Roaring EVO supercar parked on the side of the road. The super-fuel engine of the New Industrial Age emitted a deep, powerful roar, kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped away.

Su Cheng pressed on his right eye for a moment. The split-second of blindness during the fight had taught him that he couldn't use his ability too many times in a row. Once the soreness eased, he took out his hunter card and pulled up the bounty details.

'Completed: Purge 2BSB Administrative District Bounty. Your points weight share: 53%. Total points obtained: 159!'

He had accounted for more than half the weight on his own! And there had been two veteran hunters in the team! Su Cheng thought for a moment and figured out the distribution scheme. The Tank Marauder and the Heavy Mechanical Marauder must have accounted for 20% weight each, totaling 60%. The Rift-Tooth likely accounted for at least 30%, and the remaining common Marauders accounted for 10%. He had killed the Tank and the Rift-Tooth, securing at least 50% of the weight, with the rest coming from the common Marauders he had slain. Based on this, the others had barely received any points at all. Only Remy and Rebecca had each killed one powerful Marauder.

He opened his personal information:

'Hunter Codename: Shadow
Hunter Level: Intermediate
Points: 189
Information Access: Intermediate
Purchase Access: Intermediate
Points for Level Up: 500
Veteran Hunter Assessment: Not Attempted'

Two days, and he was already an Intermediate Hunter!