197: Chapter 198 Forty Thousand Battle Merits

Of the two monsters fleeing in different directions, one resembled a dinosaur, but its back was covered in hideous bone spikes;

The other was like a lizard magnified a hundred times, with thick limbs, running as fast as flight.

Their survival instinct had overwhelmed everything else.

However, in Song Yang's eyes, such struggling was meaningless.

His figure traced a nearly right-angled trajectory in mid-air; before the sonic boom cloud could dissipate, he had already caught up with the bone-spiked behemoth.

Without any wasted movement, Song Yang dived down from high altitude.

The hard bone spikes and carapace were as fragile as paper before that seemingly ordinary broadsword.

From head to tail, the bone-spiked behemoth was precisely split in two along its central axis; scalding organs and blood splattered everywhere as the two halves of the carcass continued to hurtle forward dozens of meters due to inertia, plowing two deep furrows into the sandy ground.

Song Yang's figure didn't pause for a moment; his body rose again, his gaze locking onto the last fleeing lizard behemoth.

That behemoth sensed its companion's death, and fear caused it to burst forth with unprecedented speed, but it was all in vain.

Song Yang caught up and leaped onto its head.

The lizard behemoth didn't even have time to react.

The broadsword pierced straight through its crown, penetrating the entire skull with the tip emerging from the lower jaw, pinning it firmly to the ground!

The massive body twitched violently a few times and soon fell silent.

All eight King-level Monsters had been slain!

Song Yang then extended his palm and made a grasping motion toward the massive corpses.

Whether it was the decapitated pterosaur, the dismembered giant ape, or the eight massive monster carcasses, all vanished into thin air under an invisible force, collected into his system space.

The flesh and blood of these King-level Monsters were the best nourishment for the blood vine's evolution.

...

In the distance, on the upper floor of a half-collapsed office building.

Several figures were staring intently at the battle; they were exceptionally tense as they watched Song Yang pin the last monster to the ground.

“Fuck... it's... over?”

A brawny man with a face full of scars swallowed hard.

Their squad of over a dozen people had used all their heavy firepower to contend with a single King-level Monster for a long time, sacrificing three brothers just to barely hold it back.

In the end, from the moment that young man appeared until it was over, how long did it take?

Five minutes? Or maybe three?

The King-level Monster they couldn't kill even by risking their lives was like a lamb to the slaughter before that man.

This kind of power gap was no longer something that numbers or equipment could bridge.

It was a crushing defeat on the level of life itself!

...

The battle ended, and upon returning to the Overground City, the plaza was packed with a dense crowd.

Leading them was that white-haired elderly man in military uniform.

“Mr. Song Yang, thank you for your hard work.”

The old man spoke first, a heartfelt smile on his face, devoid of any hypocritical pleasantries, showing only the purest respect for the strong.

“Bring the items up!” The old man waved his hand behind him.

Immediately, four strong Evolvers worked together to carry up a massive metal crate.

The crate was placed on the ground with a muffled thud; just from the sound, one could tell its weight was staggering.

“As agreed, these are the battle merit for slaying the King-level Monsters.”

The old man signaled his subordinates to open the crate.

Click.

The moment the lid opened, a brilliant radiance burst forth, casting a strange glow on everyone's faces.

Inside the crate, packed to the brim, were neatly arranged energy crystals!

Each one was crystal clear, as if light were flowing inside, emitting energy fluctuations that made hearts race.

A full two hundred of them!

A collective gasp rose from the crowd as countless greedy, envious, and jealous gazes were fixed on that crate of energy crystals.

This wealth was enough to allow any ordinary person's strength to take a qualitative leap.

“Eight King-level Monsters, none escaped. According to the battle merit regulations, slaying one King-level Monster earns five thousand battle merit.”

“Mr. Song Yang, you have earned a total of forty thousand battle merit this time!”

Whispers and exclamations rose and fell.

The old man was very satisfied with the surrounding reaction; he looked at Song Yang with an even broader smile.

“With forty thousand battle merit, you can freely exchange them for any mysterious object on the list.”

“The list has already been synced to your personal terminal.” The old man made a gesture of invitation.

Song Yang raised his wrist; the previous list mostly consisted of standard equipment, high-energy food, and some common strengthening potions, which were of little consequence to him.

But now, with the injection of forty thousand battle merit, the entire list interface refreshed.

Rows of gray entries now all lit up with golden light, unlocking a brand-new exchange tier.

【Heart of the Deep Sea】: After consumption, gills will grow on both sides of the cheeks, allowing for free breathing underwater.

【Ankylosaur Hide】: A combat suit made from the hide of an Iron Ankylosaur, impervious to blades and bullets...

Each item was enough for a top-tier Evolver squad to risk their lives.

In a corner of the crowd, a refined-looking middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses pushed up his frames and whispered to his companion:

“Do you see? The purchasing power of forty thousand battle merit... this isn't just about increasing strength anymore; this is buying 'authority'.

Any single item is enough for him to build an invincible force.”

Beside him, a woman with a bandaged arm had eyes full of resentment and indignation.

“Why? Our squad lost five people and had eight injured just to hold the West Gate, yet the battle merit we received aren't even a fraction of his! This is unfair!”

“Fairness?”

A man who looked like a captain with a missing arm nearby sneered, “If you think it's unfair, go up there right now and snatch that crate from his hands. If you have the ability to slaughter your way through a beast tide alone, then these forty thousand battle merit will be yours.

In this world, whoever has the bigger fist is the definition of fairness!”

The woman's face turned red with frustration, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Their discussion didn't reach Song Yang's ears at all.

His attention was firmly captured by an entry at the very bottom of the list.

It was an icon of a flower, emerald green all over, its form extremely similar to the several mysterious flowers he had obtained before.

【bursting flower】

【Category】: Special mysterious object

【Effect】: Contains extremely unstable natural energy, capable of triggering violent explosions with immense power.

【Trait】: After exploding, the flower's core will re-condense and restore itself after one hour.

【Exchange Price】: Thirty thousand battle merit.

Song Yang's eyes narrowed.

Immense power was secondary; the most crucial part was the "restorable" trait.

This wasn't a one-time consumable at all, but a bomb that could be used infinitely!

Moreover, he already had five mysterious flowers with different attributes in his hands; if he added this green flower representing "bursting"...

He had a faint premonition that collecting all these flowers might lead to some kind of astonishing qualitative change.

Without the slightest hesitation.

“Exchange for the bursting flower.”

The military old man didn't ask further; he just gave Song Yang a deep look and then nodded to the adjutant behind him.

Soon, another small combination box was solemnly brought forward.

The old man opened it personally; a translucent green flower, seemingly carved from the purest emerald, lay quietly on a velvet cushion.

Song Yang reached out and took the bursting flower into his hand.

As the flower touched his hand, a surge of violent energy was instantly transmitted, as if he were holding a heart that could explode at any moment.

“All the remaining battle merit, exchange them all for azure water,” Song Yang continued.