Chapter 129 - 86: America

Chapter 129: Chapter 86: America

Just as Lin Yi finished placing his order and was waiting for the drone delivery.

RING RING RING!!!

The crisp ring of his communicator suddenly shattered the room’s silence.

Lin Yi glanced at the caller ID. It was Luo Qian.

"Hello?"

He answered.

"Lin! Did you get the money? How’s that for a haul?"

Luo Qian’s booming voice came through the receiver, full of cheerful energy.

"Got it. Thanks, man."

A slight smile touched Lin Yi’s lips.

Such friendship was especially precious in the Martial Arts World, where resources were king.

Luo Qian’s connections had certainly saved him a ton of trouble.

"Hah! Come on! We’re friends. No need for thanks between us!"

Luo Qian boomed, not minding at all:

"It was nothing! Next time you have any dirty work, just give me a call! Anyway, on to the real news. School starts tomorrow, and I just caught wind of two major things. The entire upper crust of Yang City is in an uproar!"

"Oh?"

Lin Yi’s interest was piqued.

Anything Luo Qian would describe as an "uproar" was definitely no small matter.

"I’m listening."

"First, monster Heart Cores have been officially classified as controlled items!"

Luo Qian lowered his voice, a hint of frustration in his tone.

"You know that sweet Energy Pistol you lent me? I was thinking of getting some monster cores to make a few Energy Boxes for fun, but guess what? The government issued a strict ban. The things are now under tight control!"

"Controlled?"

Lin Yi frowned slightly.

"How can they control them? When the Red Moon appears, monsters born from the bloody rain are everywhere. Civilian Martial Artists hunt them down and end up with tons of Heart Cores. Completely banning private trade seems way too difficult, doesn’t it?"

"Tell me about it!"

Luo Qian’s voice was full of bitterness.

"From what the government is saying, you can use the cores yourself or sell them to the officials, but private sales are strictly forbidden! Violators will be heavily fined! Isn’t that just pointless busywork? When the Red Moon comes, monster Heart Cores are a dime a dozen. Who’s going to stop people from trading them on the sly? How much manpower and resources will it take to enforce this? It’s a thankless task!"

"That is strange,"

Lin Yi mused.

"Didn’t I give you ten fully-loaded Energy Boxes? You can use those for now."

"They’re gone!"

Luo Qian declared matter-of-factly.

Then he added with a sheepish chuckle:

"Target practice uses them up, you know? The feel of it, the recoil... tsk, tsk. Once you start, you just can’t stop..."

Lin Yi was speechless.

’Unbelievable!’

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

’This guy, Luo Qian, really lived up to his reputation as Yang City’s most famous rich kid!’

’A million Huaxia Coins... How many years could an ordinary family live on that?’

’And for him, it was all gone in a few days, just like that.’

’He remembered when he’d gotten his Energy Gun through special approval from the Public Security Bureau.’

’For an entire month,’

’he hadn’t been willing to fire a single test shot, terrified of wasting it.’

’The contrast was just staggering!’

Luo Qian changed the subject.

His tone turning conspiratorial:

"Lin, do you think... this has something to do with the Star Gate that just appeared?"

"The timing is too much of a coincidence!"

"The Star Gate barely shows up, and monster Heart Cores are immediately put under lock and key!"

"I’ve been thinking... what if... what if these monster Heart Cores are unique to Blue Star? What if the Otherworlds don’t have them at all?"

"And what if this stuff is a critical strategic resource or cultivation treasure for the Alien Races?"

"So the government is afraid the Heart Cores will flow into the Otherworld in large quantities through civilian channels, arming our enemies?"

"At the same time, by hoarding the Heart Cores, they’re planning on doing some large-scale trading with the Alien Races to get things we desperately need?"

"That’s a definite possibility."

A glint flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes.

Luo Qian’s theory was bold,

but it wasn’t without logic.

He continued, speaking quickly,

"The Star Gate is open, the Otherworld is here, and everything is an unknown. The government definitely has more information than we do."

"It’s too early to draw conclusions, but either way, we can’t go wrong by killing more monsters and hoarding more Heart Cores the next time the Red Moon appears. Even if we can’t sell them privately, they’ll be a solid asset whether we use them ourselves or just save them."

"Makes sense! You’re the clear-headed one." Luo Qian was convinced. "We’ll hoard them, then. No harm in it."

"And the second thing?" Lin Yi pressed.

Luo Qian’s voice immediately turned giddy:

"Wang Yiming... is back from Demon City!"

"Wang Yiming?"

The name sounded familiar to Lin Yi.

In a flash,

he suddenly remembered.

He exclaimed in surprise,

"The prodigy, Wang Yiming? What’s he doing back here?"

A few years ago, the name Wang Yiming had been the pride of all of Yang City, a genius who captured everyone’s attention.

It had now been a full four years since any student from Yang City had managed to get into one of the top ten universities!

And Wang Yiming was the super-genius who, four years ago, had broken that dry spell, getting into Demon City Martial Arts University with scores that stunned the entire city!

Come to think of it,

that legendary upperclassman had also graduated from Yang City No. 1 High School.

He was Lin Yi’s senior in the truest sense.

"I heard the school specially invited him back to give a speech at tomorrow’s opening ceremony, to get all us seniors fired up."

Luo Qian paused.

His voice dropped even lower.

Full of gossip:

"But... the rumor in my dad’s circle is that Wang Yiming... got into some serious trouble over in Demon City! Apparently, it was a huge mess. He’s come back completely disgraced, looking for help!"

"Got into trouble?" Lin Yi was startled.

’A student at Demon City Martial Arts University, a senior on the verge of graduation, no less. What kind of trouble could an elite like that get into?’

’And what help could Yang City No. 1 High School, or even Yang City itself, possibly offer?’

"He’s a top student at Demon City Martial Arts University. What could a small place like ours do to help?"