paranoianovel Chapter 97 Forced Buying and Selling
Chapter 97 Forced Buying and Selling
When Huo Nan heard the number "2490", he was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. His laughter echoed across the empty Gobi Desert, carrying a peculiar kind of hearty joy.
"2490? Hahaha! You're honest! You've got guts! Much better than those who hide their true intentions and brag!"
His reaction surprised many people.
Lin Li couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, ignoring him and looking at Xu Si with less scrutiny and more genuine appreciation.
"Rankings are just numbers; survival is what matters."
"Well said!" Fire Man slapped his thigh, and the scorching heat emanating from his body subsided somewhat.
"I love your straightforwardness! That car of yours just now...did it just 'eat' that crocodile? That's ruthless!"
These words surprised the other members of the Xinhuo team. This was the first time they had heard of such a thing. The little girl timidly moved a little further away from Xu Si's vehicle.
Fu Xiaojian stepped forward at the opportune moment and continued the conversation: "Team Leader Lin, since we share the same goal and have met here, it's quite a coincidence. We can discuss the specific details of the cooperation later. I wonder what your team's plans are next? Will you continue to rest, or...?"
Lin Li's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Although those sand crocodiles have retreated, they are very likely to come back again. This Gobi Desert is their lair. We were also entangled with them and had no choice but to stop and fight back."
"Furthermore, our Flame Chariot is quite special; it requires Fire Man to provide its energy. He expended a lot of energy just now, and we need to rest and wait for him to recover. If you'd like, we can rest here together and look out for each other."
A brief look of unease crossed Fireman's face. He was indeed outwardly strong but inwardly weak; otherwise, how could he remain so calm with so many people around? He would definitely be as arrogant as could be.
Fu Xiaojian frowned; this was not a place to linger.
The "Flame Chariots" are tough and can withstand the attacks of those "Shark Crocodiles," while their convoy might be torn to shreds.
"Jiao Jiao," Fu Xiaojian said decisively.
"Hey, here!" Jiao Jiao, who was peeking out from beside Xu Si's car, was taken aback when she was called out.
"Give him a 'Recovery'!"
"Huh? Oh!" Jiao Jiao realized what was happening and quickly ran to Huo Nan.
She was a little intimidated by the red-haired, grumpy guy, but she still mustered up her courage and reached out her little hand.
A milky-white halo lit up at her fingertips, more solid than usual—she instinctively mobilized more power in the face of a Sequence 2 superhuman.
She didn't resist this kind of thing; the more she used it, the more she received in return, and she was overjoyed.
"Hey, what are you doing? Don't think I won't hit you just because you're a little girl!" However, the fire man was quite resistant.
"Hmph, you dare hit me? Brother Dao will chop you so badly your own sister won't recognize you!" Although she was scared, the little girl was definitely not intimidated.
"Don't move." Lin Li pressed down on her younger brother's shoulder, looking curiously at the halo in Jiao Jiao's hand.
"Healing abilities?"
Warm white light fell on the Fire Man.
Fireman froze for a moment, then his eyes widened slightly.
He felt a gentle yet resilient energy surge into his body, quickly soothing the aches and pains caused by over-stimulating the flames, and even easing his mental fatigue.
What surprised him even more was that this energy seemed to resonate subtly with his own flame sequence, not only restoring him to his original state but also making his control over the flames more agile.
"Huh?" The fiery aura emanating from the Fire Man subsided at a visible speed, and he moved his arm in surprise.
"You've got something, little girl!"
Jiao Jiao breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of smugness appearing on her face: "Of course! But please pay, it's a strange item dropped! Thank you."
The Fire Man, whose temper had just calmed down, almost visibly went berserk again.
"You...you...you swindler!"
This is clearly a forced sale! You want money for treatment? Why didn't you say so earlier?
The little girl turned to look at her aunt, her eyes seemingly asking if she was going to grow too tall.
Su Su looked away as if the two were strangers.
This was the little girl's first time treating a stranger, so she hadn't quite figured out the price yet, but since she'd already said it, she couldn't take it back.
"At worst, I'll give you another 'recovery' treatment, no bargaining!" the little girl insisted.
She's still carrying Brother Dao's debts!
These words made Fire Man ponder for once; the little girl's "Recovery" had restored about a quarter of his superhuman energy.
If another shot were fired, it would be enough to power the "Flame Chariot" and even be enough to deal with some emergencies.
He then looked at the young woman beside him with embarrassment, a rare hint of shyness on his face, like a teenager asking his parents for living expenses.
The fire man's unusually coy demeanor eased the atmosphere considerably.
Lin Li rolled her eyes at her younger brother, both amused and annoyed, but her hand had already reached into the leather pouch at her waist. She pulled out a crystal about the size of a fist, completely red, with what looked like flowing lava inside, and casually tossed it to Jiao Jiao.
"Next, little sister. 'Lava Fire Crystal,' which was mysteriously dropped by a fire-breathing lizard. Consider it my brother's medical fee."
"Sister is so straightforward! I'll also give you a 'Purification' attack."
Jiao Jiao hurriedly caught it; it was warm to the touch, even a little hot.
Her eyes lit up. Although she didn't know exactly what it was for, its appearance and feel made it clear that it was no ordinary product!
She immediately stuffed it into her pocket like a precious treasure, and didn't forget to make a face at the fire man, but the spellcasting was quite efficient.
Fireman snorted and turned his head away, but it was clear that as he recovered, his aggressive aura returned somewhat. However, the look in his eyes when he looked at Jiao Jiao was less irritable and more surprised.
Lin Li, who had been 'purified', was overjoyed, and her gaze toward Jiao Jiao changed completely.
It felt just like getting a deep treatment at a beauty salon!
Not only did I feel refreshed, but the accumulated odors, dust, and even dry skin on my body also turned rosy.
She had just thought the little girl was asking for too much, but out of consideration for her younger brother and the racing team, she had no choice but to accept it.
Now I actually think it's incredibly good value for money.
Even the way she looked at Xu Si no longer seemed appealing; at this moment, Jiao Jiao was like a priceless treasure.
"What about you guys? Want to join in?" Jiao Jiao volunteered to Zhuang Guodong and Xiao Zhi behind Huo Nan.
The group retreated as if avoiding a snake or scorpion; they couldn't afford it.
"Let's leave this area first. Those sand crocodiles could return at any time, and our convoy's defenses are insufficient to handle a swarm attack," Fu Xiaojian said in a deep voice.
Lin Li nodded, her smile fading. "That makes sense. Our 'Flame Chariot' can hold its own, but getting entangled with it is troublesome. Now that this young lady has helped Fire Man recover, how about we set off now?"
Fu Xiaojian looked at Xu Si and the other team members, and seeing that no one objected, he replied, "Okay, you go first, and we'll follow closely behind."
"Okay!" Lin Li laughed, turning around and waving to signal her team members to return to the "Flame Chariot".
The little girl didn't get into the car immediately. Instead, she stared at Xu Si for a few seconds before suddenly asking, "Brother Dao? Your car... can it really 'eat' weird things?"
Xu Sixing's eyes flickered slightly, and he calmly said, "I'm starving, I'll eat anything."
"Tch! Who are you trying to scare? Here you go! You only need two more!" The little girl didn't hesitate at all and threw the strange item she had just obtained to Xu Si.
This scene made everyone in the Xinhuo team think of something.
Could it be...?