Chapter 170: Chapter 158: I Want More Than Just This
"Boss..." Feng Xiao looked toward Kuinan, who was sitting in his chair watching the fight. "Should we get it out of there?"
Kuinan raised a hand to stop him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the fox lying on the ground.
The crowd outside the cage watched as the towering Beastman, a giant of a Mixed Breed, raised his foot to stomp on the fox. One stomp, and it would surely be turned into a bloody pulp.
In the nick of time, the fox exploded into action—
THUD! With a muffled impact, the towering Beastman collapsed to the ground.
The fox, covered in blood and filth, stood upon his bloodstained chest and slowly rose.
For a moment, the crowd outside the cage was silent, then a frenzy of cheers and shouts erupted.
"Fox!"
"Fox!"
Feng Xiao glanced at the Detection Device in his hand. Seeing that the mutation value on it hadn’t fluctuated much, he said to Kuinan in high spirits, "Boss, this enhancement drug is really something. The fox didn’t lie to us this time."
"Seven of them," Wind Blade remarked from beside him, slightly amazed. "A drug this powerful, and the military actually banned it."
Before, when they’d thrown the fox into the Beast Fighting Cage, any random fighter could take it down. It was timid as hell. But this time, after the enhancement drug, its fighting spirit was off the charts and its strength had multiplied. It took down seven fighters in a row. Most importantly, the drug didn’t raise its mutation value by much.
CLAP—CLAP— Kuinan clapped his hands, smiling as he addressed Barto. "Not bad. But what I want is more than just this."
Barto gasped for breath, glaring daggers at him.
Kuinan lazily rose from his chair and walked to the edge of the cage. "I’ll trade the enhancement drug for the dog. And the mimic Mixed Breed you stole from me—you’re giving it back. Understand?"
As if he knew all along that Kuinan wouldn’t be satisfied, Barto staggered closer, grabbing the bars of the cage. He said, word by word, "A Firefly Heart Stone for her."
The corner of Kuinan’s mouth curved into a smirk. "You have a second one? Even if you do, I won’t trade. I only need one."
Barto said, "What if this one is a fake?"
Kuinan’s smile froze, his eyes turning dangerous. "You dare lie to me again?"
Barto replied, "Who do you think I am? Besides me, no one in all of Zone 19 can produce a second Firefly Heart Stone."
"If you don’t believe me, then eat it. See if it makes your wings and eyes grow back."
Kuinan stared at him for a moment, then wrenched the bars in front of him apart with his bare hands and seized him by the neck. "I see you’re tired of living."
Barto gave a mocking laugh, his voice hoarse. "The military is about to finish cleaning up the Mutant Species. They’ll be coming for you next. Let’s see where you can run with no wings."
"You’re scared too, aren’t you?" Barto said. "I have large quantities of the enhancement drug. I can help strengthen your forces. There are too many King Seeds this time, so the military will be stretched thin. With the enhancement drug and the Firefly Heart Stone, they’ll never be able to take you down."
Kuinan’s grip tightened, nearly choking the life out of Barto.
After a long moment, he threw Barto aside, sat back down in his chair, and took out the box Barto had given him, opening it.
Inside the box lay a thumb-sized, amber-like oval gemstone. The gem was a translucent blue, with a brilliant golden light flowing through its center.
Kuinan handed the box to Feng Xiao.
"Boss..." Feng Xiao said, confused.
Kuinan said, "Make it eat this."
Barto’s eyes flickered. He pushed himself up from the ground, baring his teeth at Kuinan.
Wind Blade turned his head. "Boss, if this one is the real one, and we feed it to the fox..."
Kuinan’s smile was chilling. "If it’s fake, I’ll make it find the real one. If it’s real... with its current mutation value, I’m curious to see if it can withstand the transformation. As for a second Firefly Heart Stone..."
Kuinan added in a low voice, "There are four King Seeds this time. Forget a second stone. I’ll even get my hands on a third."
Feng Xiao and Wind Blade exchanged a look. They understood: the Boss wanted the fox to test the Firefly Heart Stone’s effects. It was a King Seed Core, after all, with a high chance of causing mutation. The fox’s mutation value was already nearing seventy percent. If even it could withstand the process, then the Boss certainly could as well.
They walked over to Barto. One of them lifted it up while the other pried its mouth open and shoved the Firefly Heart Stone inside.
