Where's my golden core? Did you think I removed a kidney stone?

Chapter 55 Bounty!

Deep in the city, inside a small bar.

The storefront is small, the signboard is worn and faded, and the neon lights flicker as if they are about to go out at any moment. Old Cantonese songs are playing inside, and the smell of alcohol, barbecue skewers, and a bit of damp wood are mixed together, making one's eyelids feel heavy.

A few young people were sitting in one of the innermost booths.

They were all young, around twenty years old. Some wore loose hoodies like college students, some wore old jackets, and one had a wristband wrapped around his hand, drinking silently with his head down. If you only looked at them, they were no different from ordinary young people in the city.

However, upon closer inspection, one will notice that some people have exceptionally bright eyes, but the tendons and bones on the back of their hands have an abnormal tension.

This group of people are all quite different.

After a few rounds of drinks, a young man with a buzz cut suddenly lowered his voice and said:

Have you ever heard of the Xuanjing Society?

The booth fell silent for a moment.

"The Xuanjing Society?"

"without."

"What the hell, a gang?"

The young man with the buzz cut shook his head, looking somewhat mysterious, and put down his wine glass.

"It's not a gang, or rather, it's more than just a gang; it's an extraordinary organization, but it's not honest, and now it's being watched by many people."

He glanced around and saw that everyone at the other tables in the tavern was drinking their own beverages, so he lowered his voice even further.

"It is said that many of the recent missing persons in Jiangcheng are related to them, and the missing persons seem to have the same characteristic."

"What features?" someone couldn't help but ask.

The crew-cut youth licked his lips and said, word by word:

"External evolution".

The people at the table looked at each other, clearly still somewhat bewildered.

The young man with the buzz cut sighed and had no choice but to continue explaining:

"I only learned a little bit about it in the last couple of days through special channels."

"After that fog, more and more people have evolved, and now in some small circles of evolvers, some people have started to rate these mutations."

"The most common type, like us, is those whose physical abilities are slightly enhanced, who are stronger and have faster reflexes. There's not much to say about this type; to put it bluntly, they've just been swept up by spiritual energy and belong to the lowest level."

"The next floor is a little different."

"Some people's bones, muscles, and nerves resonate with certain laws of nature, evolving and developing their own 'techniques.' This evolution manifests in their bones and meridians, in their outward appearance, hence they are called those who rely on outward appearances."

He paused here, his tone becoming even lower.

"However, there is another name for it."

"Disabled person".

"Crippled?" Someone nearby couldn't help but frown. "Why does this name sound so strange? Evolution is clearly a good thing, yet its appearance is described as crippled."

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on either." The crew-cut youth waved his hand. "These are all hearsay, and they may not all be accurate, but the general direction is probably right. Anyway, the Xuanjing Society has become famous recently because they seem to be specifically targeting this kind of person."

"What are they after?"

"Who knows?" The crew-cut young man smiled wryly. "That's all we know right now."

The booth was quiet for a while.

Some people were drinking with their heads down, while others were frowning and deep in thought; none of them looked too good.

"Let's wait until Brother Chen arrives before we talk about it," the person who hadn't spoken until now suddenly said. "Wasn't this game organized by him? I heard Brother Ye will be coming too."

The wind chimes at the tavern entrance rang as soon as the words were spoken.

A young man pushed open the door and walked in.

He was very young, probably in his early twenties at most. He was wearing a clean white T-shirt and a thin jacket. He was slender with handsome features, but he exuded an undeniable sharpness. As soon as he entered, the people in the booth immediately fell silent and even straightened their posture unconsciously.

Su Chen has arrived.

Despite being the youngest person there, the atmosphere at the table naturally quieted down the moment he sat down.

Someone poured him a glass of wine.

Su Chen didn't drink. He simply glanced at everyone, and after understanding their conversation, calmly spoke:

"The Xuanjing Society has indeed been causing more and more trouble lately, and the military has already taken action."

In short, everyone's attention was focused on him.

"What do you mean?"

Su Chen said coldly, clearly having no goodwill towards these Xuanjing Society members: "They offended the wrong people. Now the military has begun to infiltrate Jiangcheng. They haven't completely exposed it openly yet, but they've already issued warrants for the arrest of Xuanjing Society members throughout the city."

"A bounty of 200,000 yuan is offered for ordinary believers."

"White-robed Cultists, 500,000 bounty offered."

As soon as these two numbers were announced, someone at the table gasped in shock.

"Two hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand?"

"It's strange. I feel like these bounties are quite a lot, but at the same time, they seem a bit too little. It's really contradictory."

Some people shook their heads with a wry smile:

"The Xuanjing Society members are all ruthless and vicious. Who would dare to really mess with them? This price seems more like a joke to me."

"There really is."

Ye Zixiao had arrived at some point. He stood to the side, still a little chilly. He walked straight to the booth, sat down, picked up the wine on the table, and gulped down half a glass. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he slowly exhaled.

"Brother Ye!"

Ye Zixiao put down his wine glass, stared at the table, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice:

"In Jiangcheng, there are still many super beings that we cannot comprehend at all. The military's offer of a bounty this time is probably intended to encourage those super beings to take action. After all, the military is currently engaged in a battle of wits with the Xuanjing Society in the provincial capital. However, money should not be a problem for beings of that level. If a big shot really takes the corpse of the Xuanjing Society there, the military will probably offer other benefits that we do not know about."

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table froze, their eyes all turning to Ye Zixiao.

"I saw it with my own eyes today."

Ye Zixiao then recounted the entire incident that had occurred on the street.

Everyone was immediately shocked, including Su Chen. After hesitating for a moment, Su Chen said quietly, "I think we're already making good progress. There's actually someone like that in Jiangcheng. But after all, an outsider sees things more clearly. Perhaps that person isn't as strong as we thought."

"But it's still incredibly impressive!"

"Yes, I still hope to come into contact with more 'extraordinary' people, so that I can obtain more information, yes."

The group immediately began a heated discussion, but they soon realized that after Su Chen finished speaking, he stopped participating in the discussion. He remained calm, sipping his wine as if he were thinking about something else.

Ye Zixiao suddenly seemed to realize something, and his gaze sharpened.

"Ah Chen, you wouldn't... really want to make a move against Xuanjing Society, would you?"

All eyes immediately turned to Su Chen.

Su Chen was silent for a few seconds, tapped his fingertips lightly on the rim of his wine glass twice, and then spoke:

"My brother is also in Jiangcheng. Although he is very hardworking and excellent, I can tell that he is very tired from working alone in Jiangcheng. If he can get the bounty, at least he can relax a bit."

Everyone at the table could tell that Su Chen was serious.

"Isn't your brother in the hospital?" someone asked in a low voice. "I remember you said that your brother used to have excellent grades."

"Yes." Su Chen nodded, "But right now I'm just a resident trainee."

After he finished speaking, someone at the table gave a wry smile.

"I understand, sigh."

"In today's society, do people really think that good grades will get them ahead? Sigh, all those college leaders and local bigwigs are just born that way."

"But Brother Chen, don't be impulsive. I heard those guys are ruthless and dangerous."

Su Chen's eyes flickered, as if he had already made a decision.

"We'll see."