Chapter 47: Distributing Profits, Progressing Together!
After Han Yuesu left, Geng Xiao began assigning tasks.
Ling Xiao and Meng Huai stood up and accepted the mission.
"Remember, do not alert the enemy."
"Understood!"
"Xiaoyuan, your main responsibility is to screen through the Demon Hunter Association's database to filter out more useful information."
"Got it!" Gu Xiaoyuan patted her chest and said.
Yu Le and Su Rui exchanged glances and asked, "What about us?"
"The two of you need to focus on improving your cultivation realms and combat capabilities. Once we obtain precise intelligence, regardless of who is backing the Black Bear Society, our primary mission is to rescue the abducted children, including Yu Le's daughter!"
"An uphill battle is inevitable. If you want to save people, you must first have the ability to protect yourselves!"
"Gu Xiaoyuan has already tallied the spoils from our previous battle, and now I will distribute them."
Geng Xiao started handing out the payouts. Why did so many people aspire to become demon hunters? Aside from the respectable social status it afforded, whether it was completing hunter missions or harvesting magic cores from slain fierce beasts, it provided a generous material foundation.
During the battle at the gas plant against the bristle-demon rat swarm, the Blazing Sky Squad participated as reinforcements and thus had not officially accepted any hunter commissions, yet their harvest was by no means small.
While Geng Xiao was taking the two of them to Jinzhai, Gu Xiaoyuan had already organized all the spoils.
The battle yielded a total of 103 bristle-demon rats ranging from the third to the ninth rank of the Boulder Realm, along with one single-bone bristle-demon rat, one double-bone golden bristle-demon rat, and one five-bone fire-bristle-demon rat.
Except for the fire-bristle-demon rat carcass that Fang Wensheng had taken away to submit his mission, all other bristle-demon rat corpses, whether complete or mutilated, had been packed and processed.
The value of both spirit beasts and fierce beasts primarily lay in their spirit cores or magic cores. While individual carcasses were not particularly valuable, their massive quantity made up for it!
The final fish Yu Le caught during his binding task—a third-rank spirit fish, the Red-Tailed Phoenix Carp—had its carcass alone sold for eighteen thousand.
Bristle-demon rats were not as rare as the Red-Tailed Phoenix Carp, and their market price for the same third rank of the Boulder Realm was relatively lower.
According to market rates, when selling spirit or fierce beast carcasses in bulk, the price ratio between the core and the carcass was nine to one.
Much like the Red-Tailed Phoenix Carp Yu Le had previously sold, if the spirit core had been present, it could have fetched one hundred eighty to ninety thousand; with only the carcass, it was worth a mere eighteen thousand.
The bundled price for a first-rank Boulder Realm beast carcass and core was under ten thousand.
The bundled price for a second-rank started around ten thousand, with a ceiling of fifty thousand!
The bundled price for a third-rank started around one hundred thousand, with a ceiling of two hundred thousand!
From the fourth rank onwards, starting with a ceiling of four hundred thousand, prices scaled up to a maximum of nine hundred thousand for the ninth rank of the Boulder Realm.
Barring exceptionally rare peak Boulder Realm beasts, very few fetched a price as high as one million.
Once reaching the Tempered Bone Realm, the prices of spirit and fierce beasts skyrocketed, and due to various species differences, it was difficult to pin down an exact maximum.
However, the baseline was certain: even a first-rank Tempered Bone Realm beast sold in bulk had a minimum value of one million. By extension, the most ordinary nine-bone beasts were priced near ten million.
Thus, when Geng Xiao previously sold the five-bone fire-bristle-demon rat to Fang Wensheng for the astronomical price of one hundred million, one could only imagine how ruthless he had been.
Calculated based on the five million baseline for bulk five-bone fierce beasts, bristle-demon rats were not considered rare, and with a core-to-carcass ratio of nine to one, the carcass Fang Wensheng obtained was worth at most seven or eighty thousand.
At one hundred million, the value of the fire-bristle-demon rat carcass itself accounted for the absolute smallest fraction.
For Fang Wensheng, ultimately accepting this astronomical price of one hundred million came down to three factors.
First, the hunter mission he had accepted was an official government-issued points commission; the bounty money was secondary, while squad contribution points were primary.
Second, he needed this five-bone fierce beast to secure his status as a Mysterious-rank Five-Star Demon Hunter.
Third, his scheme had backfired, and instead of taking advantage of others, incriminating evidence had been captured by Ling Xiao. Although he failed to buy back the footage, Geng Xiao guaranteed that the video would not be leaked until Fang Wensheng stopped making trouble—essentially serving as hush money.
Returning to the Blazing Sky Squad's earnings this time:
One hundred and three Boulder Realm bristle-demon rats plus two Tempered Bone Realm bristle-demon rat carcasses yielded a total of over 5.5 million. Since some of the carcasses were too mangled, the average price fetched was less than fifty thousand per head!
As for the magic cores...
"These are one hundred and three Boulder Realm magic cores. Little Yu, they are all yours."
Yu Le's throat bobbed. Prior to this, he had never imagined he would one day acquire such a massive fortune.
Gu Xiaoyuan had calculated that the total value of these one hundred and three Boulder Realm magic cores exceeded fifty million!
Originally, this constituted the bulk of the battle's earnings, but now it was entirely given to Yu Le.
The distribution method for the squad's earnings this time had already been agreed upon while Yu Le was unconscious, unanimously passing that Yu Le would take a full sixty percent!
Including the one hundred million extorted from Fang Wensheng, the Blazing Sky Squad's total earnings, including the beast carcasses and the two Tempered Bone Realm magic cores, exceeded 160 million!
Fortune favors the bold. Given the Blazing Sky Squad's normal strength, facing a swarm of over a hundred bristle-demon rats, even if they successfully wiped them out in the end, squad members likely would have suffered casualties. This operation was undoubtedly fortunate.
Yet this stroke of luck was human-made, and Yu Le was that lucky star.
Normally, when a hunter squad distributed earnings after completing a mission, a portion would first be deducted as squad operating funds. These funds were used to purchase weapons and equipment, such as the Blazing Sky transport vehicle, the Black Hawk supercar, and drones.
The deduction ratio generally depended on the squad's operational costs and reference to members' opinions regarding the ratio of individual effort to income, functioning much like public funds.
While Yu Le was unconscious, Geng Xiao had stated that all earnings this time would be directly invested into personal growth, with no deductions made by the squad.
"Aside from these magic cores, there are forty million on this card. Take it and keep it safe. Now that you've reached the ninth rank of the Boulder Realm, you should consolidate your foundation. Forty million is enough to buy a very good Tempered Bone Realm cultivation technique, along with what you'll need for your cultivation over quite a long period!"
Geng Xiao handed the pre-allocated card directly to Yu Le.
According to sixty percent of the total earnings, Yu Le was owed over ninety million this time. The 103 magic cores totaled over fifty million in value, and the remainder was naturally paid out in cash.
Yet how could Yu Le have the face to accept it? Just as he started to wave his hands in refusal, Geng Xiao forcefully shoved the card into his embrace.
"Take it. The Blazing Sky Squad needs a strong Yu Le. Besides, if we are to rescue those children, regardless of who stands behind them, the Black Bear Society is an adversary we must face. Without sufficient strength, how can you protect your own child?"
Hearing this, tears welled up in Yu Le's eyes. He gripped the bank card tightly and said, "Captain Geng, I will definitely not let you down."
Geng Xiao smiled and patted his shoulder, "Call me Captain during operations. Privately, I still prefer you guys treating me like an older brother."
Addressing superiors by their title during work was standard practice in hunter squads. Beyond respect, it ensured that someone could make decisive executive decisions on the battlefield, a role naturally held by the squad's captain and vice-captain.
As for how they interacted in private, it depended entirely on the atmosphere and team culture of each individual hunter squad.
Yu Le wiped the corners of his eyes and said earnestly, "Understood, Boss!"
Beside them, Su Rui was also beaming with satisfaction. Yu Le claimed sixty percent of the earnings, but Su Rui had also performed heroically in this battle, securing the largest harvest of his life.
A full eight million!
While it did not even amount to a tenth of Yu Le's share, compared to his past days of idling away time in the Su family, these eight million were undoubtedly the greatest affirmation of his worth.
"Everyone's harvest this time is fantastic. Aside from our heroic combat, we also have Fang Wensheng to thank," Geng Xiao said seriously.
Out of the 160 million in total earnings, a full one hundred million had been generously contributed by that sucker, Fang Wensheng.
Fang Wensheng truly was an honest man after all!
However, if Fang Wensheng's scheme of using one fierce beast to destroy another had succeeded, or if he had managed to wipe out the Blazing Sky Squad in the end, his own gains would have been maximized.
One could only say that this time, the Goddess of Fortune stood on the side of the Blazing Sky Squad!
"But this is merely the interest. That one hundred million is what Fang Wensheng deserved to pay. The grudges between our Blazing Sky Squad and his Swift Thunder Squad are far from settled. Once the truth is fully brought to light, I will have my revenge my own way, and when that time comes..."
Yu Le and Su Rui quickly stood up, declaring, "We advance and retreat together, to exact a bloody vengeance!"
Regardless of whether their former teammate Mu Chu—whom the two had never met but only heard about—had died because of the Swift Thunder Squad, just based on this recent battle at the gas plant, the actions of the Swift Thunder Squad were enough to make one's teeth itch with hatred.
Relying on the Demon Hunter Association's sanctions was never as satisfying as slaying one's enemies with one's own hands.
"Good, let's work hard together!" Geng Xiao took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.
Everyone began to busy themselves with their respective tasks. Having obtained a lead on finding Yu An'an, Yu Le did not rush for instant success, choosing instead to return to his room.
The night was already deep, yet Yu Le, despite a day of exhaustion, felt not a shred of drowsiness.
Placing the pile of magic cores on the table, Yu Le's eyes burned with fervor as he muttered, "I finally have the materials to exchange for bait. Let me see what kind of surprises a Yellow-rank fishing ground can bring me!"