After handing over the Enhanced Meat and Evolutionary Meat, Special-level Hunter Qin Lang returned to the president's office with the 100 kilograms of Level 14 Evolutionary Meat Paste.

Seeing this, Xu Wanshuang got up and walked to the side, opening an inconspicuous cabinet in the office.

It was a low-temperature preservation refrigerator that could effectively extend the advanced energy contained in the Evolutionary Meat.

At this moment, there were less than fifty kilograms left in reserve in the fridge, so the hundred kilograms of Evolutionary Meat obtained from this transaction were crucial for the few Special-level Hunters of the guild.

If you compare Late-stage Evolvers to an efficient war machine, then the Evolutionary Meat is the basic fuel for the machine's operation.

Without enough food, combat power would be greatly reduced.

Before closing the fridge, Xu Wanshuang took out five pieces of dried meat, each one kilogram, and handed four of them to Qin Lang:

"Take them to share, and eat your fill today."

Nowadays, with limited quantities, the guild's Special-level Hunters could only consume half a pound of Mid-term Evolutionary Meat daily, along with more than ten pounds of Early-stage Horse Meat, barely maintaining a Late-stage Evolution state.

Due to the different energy densities, though the Mid-term Evolutionary Meat contains energy only twice as much as the Early-stage under the same amount, the effects vary widely.

It's like the difference between a diluted toxin and a concentrated version, with their impacts being completely different.

Looking at the four kilograms of Mid-term Evolutionary Meat in his hands, Qin Lang slowly said:

"They haven't signed any agreement with any family, they don't belong to any of the three factions, they're Free Evolvers."

"Why not directly take action? That kid's vehicle has at least another hundred kilograms of..."

In the Five Major Villages under the Oasis, the rule forbidding killing was jointly established by the five villages.

But rules are always meant to bind those below, for the rule makers, following them is merely a formality, and often it's the breaking of the rules that gives them the greatest benefits.

So in Qin Lang's view, taking direct action is more convenient than wasting words.

But Xu Wanshuang considered more than just the guild's reputation; there were two other reasons.

She tore off a piece of meat and put it in her mouth, which was several degrees better in quality than those raised in Nongzhuang Village.

After confirming it was a wild Mid-term Rock-Horned Horse, Chairman Xu shook her head and took out background investigation information about Lin Feng's team:

"Although they're unrelated to Nongzhuang, Locomotive, and Dawn's three villages, someone has witnessed them entering and leaving Holy Spring Village multiple times, and Lin Feng also wears a Special-level Teaching Emblem."

Saying this, Xu Wanshuang pointed to the recent tasks completed by Lin Feng's team, the most significant of which was the Desert Wolf Pack hunting, with the Evolution Reward claimed by Chen Shanshan.

And the issuer of this task was Holy Spring Village:

"They have deep connections with Su An."

"Even though Holy Spring Village doesn't openly recruit Evolvers, Father Su An can still recruit Evolver teams to work for him personally."

"Under the Oasis, as the only Tier Two Evolver, Father Priest's words carry more weight than the attitudes of our Four Villages."

Xu Wanshuang then took out Chen Shanshan's personal information and the latest investigations about Lin Feng:

"Chen Shanshan's mentor back then was also a figure of influence, almost qualifying for Late Tier One, but unfortunately perished during a relic operation. As her successor, Chen Shanshan has substantial potential."

"As for Lin Feng, the gun on his waist has changed multiple times, initially suspected to be a Firearms Superpower Evolver, whose rise was swift and might be a Strong Person from the Old Earth Era overlooked by the Holy City."

"This could also explain how his team managed to hunt so many Rock-Horned Horses."

"As a Mutated Desolate Beast with specially evolved Defense Attributes, breaking through and killing a Rock-Horned Horse would require at least twenty-millimeter caliber shells, and not only are these heavy weapons expensive, they're also some of the most strictly controlled on the Wasteland."

"Lin Feng, with a Firearms Superpower, has actual combat power potentially surpassing yours and mine..."

"So the value of investment and cultivation far exceeds the short-term benefits of a hundred kilograms of Mid-term Evolutionary Meat."

"Go get them a Special-level Hunter License and in the future, focus on collecting information about Lin Feng's team. If we can develop a few One-star Hunters, we might have a chance to leave this backwater and move up a few ranks."

Qin Lang nodded, agreeing with the vice president's decision after understanding Lin Feng's team's background.

Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something:

"The cooperation with the Salvation Army has already been paid and sent to the warehouse, totaling ten portions of Clean Life Source Material, so we don't need to worry about any tasks for the next few months. However, Lord Bai seems to have a great interest in the Rock-Horned Horse industry."

Xu Wanshuang put down the piece of meat in her hands, her eyes narrowing slightly:

"We don't need to get involved in this matter. The water runs too deep in the Taishan Ruins, and as long as the president doesn't give orders, we just need to focus on our duties."

Qin Lang nodded thoughtfully, turned, and left.

On the other side, after receiving a huge sum of forty-one thousand points, Lin Feng and Chen Shanshan returned to the guild hall, sought out the clergy at the Holy Spring Village store, and showed the invoice signed by the Assistant Priest.

The latter then took Lin Feng to the counter to handle the exchange and transfer of six Points Cards.

All the money was deposited into a unified team account,

Totaling as high as forty-seven thousand points!

Chen Shanshan was excited, as this was a huge amount that in the past, could let all seven members of the team retire on the spot.

But the current circumstances didn't quite allow for that.

At the very least, the team had to help Father Su An resolve matters regarding the ruins before considering their future direction—whether to continue fighting on the frontline of the Wilderness or to retire in peace.

Or perhaps go to a big city to broaden their horizons.

At this moment, their Special-level Hunter Licenses hadn't been issued yet, so they couldn't legally and compliantly enjoy special privileges. Thus, Lin Feng took Chen Shanshan to the second-floor shop to purchase some basic equipment.

For example, firearm weapons.

The low-quality AK I saw last time is still hanging on the weapon wall.

Lin Feng asked the shopkeeper to bring it over and took a look:

"Replica AK Rifle lv7, White Quality"

"Basic Attributes: Damage 35, Effective Range 800 meters; Remaining Ammunition 0/30; Durability 6/10; can consume one Life Value point for upgrade."

"Extra Attributes: Full-Power Ammo (Damage +5), Automatic Mode (Fire Rate 20/s)"

As a replica of the classic AK, this weapon has many flaws, including but not limited to severe wear, low durability, affecting shooting accuracy, and prone to jamming.

One cannot expect a small manual workshop to produce any premium weapons.

Though worn, its damage is high; using full-power ammo, it can reach a damage of 40, enough to easily severely injure or directly kill Late-stage Enhanced People.

Rifle bullets cost one point for five rounds, and the store also recycles shell casings, though it's of no use to Lin Feng.

Upgraded hot weapons can have bullet recovery and space magazine attributes, so aside from durability wear, there's basically no need to worry about anything else.

Compared to the low-quality firearms in the store, it's almost perfect.

The team now needs at least three rifles as the main offensive weapons, equipped for Ah Lian, Ah Ming, and Liu Mingfei.

As for Ding Yi and Liu Qian, they are mainly responsible for logistical management and might just need a pistol for self-defense.

What really troubles Lin Feng, however, is Chen Shanshan. The shotgun's 40 damage no longer satisfies the requirements of current evolutionary combat and is now more or less redundant.

If not for concerns over the disclosure of upgrade traces, Lin Feng would have pawned them to exchange for two AKs.

Lin Feng put down the AK and asked the girl beside him:

"What weapon do you want? Ordinary firearms seem unsuitable for close combat."

Chen Shanshan, still immersed in the joy of sudden wealth, shook her head after snapping out of it when Lin Feng asked about equipment:

"These are all medium to long-range weapons, and they would also expose our whereabouts, completely incompatible with my superpower…"

"That single-shot shotgun from before was quite good, is there any with greater power?"

The two looked at the shopkeeper, who helplessly introduced:

"There are no standard shotguns, but there are short shotguns."

"Weapons with large calibers, especially those like firearms, are all banned. Since their destructive power is too great, they can inflict significant damage to villages and oases, so if you want to buy them, you can only check in the big city ahead."

Lin Feng frowned slightly and then asked:

"Do you have gunpowder or explosives?"

Firearms are just the ultimate way humans utilize gunpowder, undoubtedly effective for killing, but with limited actual destructive power.

If the Lin Feng squad could have a few packs of explosives in this hunting operation, and bury them in advance in the riverbed as landmines, they could seriously injure the hooves and abdomen of not only mid-stage male Desert Wolves but also leader-level Rock-Horned Horses, thereby making it possible to challenge and kill them.

The bullet power is limited against highly evolved Desolate Beasts, so direct use of explosives is necessary.

Moreover, this relic exploration operation also needs high-energy explosives to clear paths through rocks or drive away some unknown mutated creatures, in response to certain inexplicable phenomena.

After learning about the curse of the Scorching Sun Forbidden Area, Lin Feng was extremely wary of those eerie presences.

Having explosives at hand is undoubtedly the best sense of security.

Unfortunately, upon hearing Lin Feng's question, the shopkeeper shook his head once again, and pulled out a prohibition list:

"Ordinary black gunpowder used to be available, but ever since an idiot privately turned it into crude explosives intending to blow up the Oasis, gunpowder purchases have been restricted, and even Evolvers need to register and purchase according to task points."

"As for high-performance explosives, I have lived in Oasis Town for three or four decades and have never seen them once. The petroleum industry is almost extinct now, with related sectors nearly at zero."

"But some Evolvers with awakened special superpowers can enhance the power of ammunition or homemade explosives by means of pressure attachment, though this ability is relatively rare."

With this, worried that successive disappointments might affect the consumption mood of the two wealthy patrons, the shopkeeper whispered an introduction:

"The sizable heavy weapons you two just wanted are actually among the Guild's task rewards. Last year, it was delivered by the Pilgrimage Convoy from the superior Guild of the big city, and I personally inspected it."

"You can find the introduction on the right side of the task points board."

"It has a nice name, called Demon-Extinguishing Holy Flame. It's said to have been the weapon of a Church Combat Priest, blessed by a Bishop."

"It has been modified from a large-caliber shotgun, capable of firing two, 35mm mini-cannon shells simultaneously, with damage sufficient to penetrate a 30mm ordinary steel plate, or the thick outer armor of an Early Tier One Rock-Horned Horse."

"But the drawbacks are also obvious, as a dual-firing large-caliber weapon, its effective range is only about a hundred meters, and reloading takes more than five or six seconds."

"Basically, it's a one-time-use weapon, with almost no chance for a second shot in real combat."

"Although the Demon-Extinguishing Holy Flame is a banned weapon, through task points, you can earn the purchase qualification. As mid-stage Evolvers, if you complete some bounties diligently, it won't be long before you have the qualification to purchase it."

At this point, the shopkeeper switched topics, starting to promote the store's products:

"So to complete tasks well and quickly, a good set of equipment is indispensable. Here I not only have AKs with power damage second only to cannon rounds, but also various grades of battle armor."

"The light battle armor the lady bought last time is presumably no longer suitable for mid-stage combat. The store has also launched a trade-in activity, where you can use old armor as a deduction and pay the difference to exchange for a brand new set of medium-steel battle armor!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng and Chen Shanshan looked at each other.

Their attention shifted from the Demon-Extinguishing Holy Flame back to the firearms and battle armors they plan to purchase.

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