Swallowed Star

by Alexander Buchanez

  And he soon discovered how crazy the entire world was going over this bounty.

  The night was even colder than the day.

  Luo Feng was curled up in a corner, but his heart was a bit cold. Ever since he started suspecting captain Gao Feng and Wei Qing, Luo Feng's entire attitude started changing..... in the past, he was extremely cheerful and straightforward, just like a regular fighter. He was able to fight in front of the face of death with the other brothers in his squad. He was easily able to treat others as his good brothers.

  But now..........

  "Are they thinking of me as a brother, or are they planning on turning me in for the huge sum of money? Maybe the lack of evidence is the only thing keeping them from doing that" Luo Feng's gaze was cold.

  "What am I thinking!"

  "I'm randomly suspecting them" Luo Feng shook his head. He finally realized how his attitude couldn't help but to change under the gigantic bounty of 100 billion..... He can't be sure that the others won't be affected by 100 billion, since, after all, this is 100 billion. This is what caused him to change! Even though Luo Feng knows he shouldn't be so suspicious, he can't help himself! One of Venina��Paulinus' goal was already reached..... Luo Feng started spiraling down under all the pressure brought by the 100 billion bounty.

  "Nevermind, I'm not going to think about this anymore"

  Luo Feng immediately lowered his head and looked at his tactical communications watch. He then lightly pressed the button and started reading through all the different types of messages on the tactical communications watch's screen. Suddenly, he flipped through the phone book and was calmed by one of the names that appeared........ within these names was the good friend that always played with him, 'Wei Wen'.

  "I wonder how Wen is doing " Luo Feng couldn't help but to let out a smile as he thought about the things he did with Wei Wen back in the days.

  There were quite a few of his high school friends within these names.

  There were also some friends in the Dojo of Limits.

  The names of his parents and his brother were here too.

  "Dad, mom, brother" Luo Feng's gaze was soft, "No matter what, you guys won' be in trouble! I'll definitely overcome this problem"

  SuddenlyһһLuo Feng's gaze landed upon a nameһһ Xu Xin! They exchanged phone numbers back when they chatted in the HR alliance's market. However, he never called her after all this time.

  "Dial Xu Xin's number" said Luo Feng.

  For some reason, he started to get nervous after dialing the number...... maybe his identity as the murderer will be revealed one day. When that happens, the Xu family definitely won't allow Xu Xin to have any contact with him.

  "Hello" Xu Xin's voice carried from the tactical communications watch, "Is this Luo Feng?"

  "Yep, it's me" Luo Feng's heart warmed.

  "How rare, a big time fighter like you thought of calling me" mockingly laughed Xu Xin, "What, returned to the headquarter city?"

  "I'm in the wilderness and it's night time and I'm bored, so....." after Luo Feng said this, he suddenly felt a bit awkward.

  Bored during the night?

  How come this sounds like he's trying to get a hooker; finding women when he's bored during the night.

  "*Cough*" Xu Xin coughed a bit, "I never knew even you were so 'playful'"

  "'Playful'? Uh...... how's college for you right now. As someone who never went to college, I'm quite curious"

  Luo Feng immediately changed the topic and the two continued to chat like this. Maybe because it's the first time they chatted over phone, or maybe because they're both bored in the quiet night, so they chatted for a long time.

  Only until he hung up did Luo Feng realize..... this phone call lasted for 1.5 hours.

  "I never knew that chatting over the phone could last for 1.5 hours" Luo Feng's heart was filled with happiness. Indeed, chatting with your crush for 1.5 hours over the phone can make one really happy.

  All the fear previously brought by the 100 billion bounty and all the negative emotions were.....

  Completely swept away! The previously nervous, panicking person changed back to the little boy in love..... this change in attitude washed Luo Feng's spirit.

  Luo Feng steadily started to calm down.

  This was a peacefulness he never felt before, a peacefulness brought by a gigantic change in attitude. Well indeed, how many normal people go through such huge changes in attitude?

  His heart was peaceful and still like water! "This feeling feels so great" Luo Feng really enjoyed this feeling that he never had before. And at this time, he had an urgeһһ the urge to practice his blade technique! Hu! He pulled out the shadow blade from the sheathe on his back.

  In this deep, cold night, while countless people were stunned over the astronomical bounty, Luo Feng was swinging his blade and practicing his��Nine Stage Thunder Blade�� in the room of an abandoned building in the wilderness' #003 city with unforeseen peacefulness. Each swing of the blade gave him comfort he never felt before.

  One swing... two swings...

  Luo Feng's spiritual force naturally spread out, and the slight movements the swings imposed onto the surrounding area were clearly checked by the spiritual force.

  The cold light, like snow, slowly floated around the room.

  -

  Back from Europe! Next

  Chapter will either come out today or tomorrow (probably tomorrow). After that,

  Chapters will be every other day. I thought I could release one a day but I'm unexpectedly busy..... or maybe I could release double

  Chapters every so often, but we'll have to see how things turn out.

  Chapter 95: Thunder Blade: Third Stage

  After going through a gigantic change in emotion, his current state of mind was crystal clear, for now at least.

  Without a second thought, his entire body and mind was focused on his blade.

  "Hm?" after practicing for a bit, Luo Feng frowned and thought to himself as he tested some swings. After that, he would then again return to practicing, pause and think for a bit, and then practice again.....

  The overall feeling of this was like Luo Feng's experience of solving math problems while he was still enrolled in school.

  To solve a really difficult math problem, you would have to try several different ways. With the information you know, you would continuously fix up your attempts..... until you solve it. The big math problems on the high school tests are super difficult. Sometimes, you can't solve them by just putting in one or two hours.

  And now, Luo Feng studied his blade technique like he was solving a math problem! However, unlike usual, Luo Feng's current state of mind caused his brain to work much faster than before and allowed him to clearly control even the most obscure parts of his body.

  One night of hard work. The morning of the second day was still filled with hard work.

  In the afternoon of the second day, Luo Feng was deep in thought as he was holding his ghost blade and sitting on the balcony. He continued to sit there for three hours.

  Luo Feng continued to study his blade technique and, as a result, forgot to eat, forgot all about the astronomical bounty, and forgot about all of his suspicions.

  Late into the night of the second day, Luo Feng continued to swing his blade in the dark living room on the 8th floor of this residential building! The blade's cold light completely chilled one's heart.

  Hu! Who knows how many times he has swung his blade by now, but this time, just a slight movement of the ghost blade caused a silver flash to brighten up the entire living room. There was a slight, odd vibration hidden in that light. Like a flash of lightning, the surrounding air caused a shockwave similar to a sonic boom with a "PUPU~" sound.

  "Hm?" Luo Feng's eyes widened in astonishment.

  "It worked?"

  "I actually completed it! I finally finished the the third stage of the��Nine Stage Thunder Blade��!" Luo Feng couldn't help but to let out a shout of excitement and happ
iness.

  The third stage of the thunder blade! Completed not too long after the announcement of the astronomical bounty.

  "Each stage of the��Nine Stage Thunder Blade��gets harder and harder, and I just successfully completed the second stage not too long ago. Who would've thought that I could finish the third stage so soon!" Luo Feng let out a smile, "Indeed, I'll have to thank Li Wei's parents". If Li Wei's mother, Venina��Paulinus, knew that this happened, she'll probably spit out blood from anger.

  The��Nine Stage Thunder Blade��gets progressively harder! The only person able to complete all nine stages on this earth is 'Thunder God' alone.

  This ultimate technique is extremely messed up.

  The third stage is your strength multiplied by 28! Luo Feng's current fitness level places him at the advanced warrior level. Multiply that by 28, and his attack power rivals an intermediate level warlord's! 28! Keep in mind that one level only differs by around a multiple of two.

  "My one blade, along with four exertions of force, rivals an intermediate warlord. If my spiritual force assists my ghost blade and adds a fifth or sixth force exertion..... my blade might rival an advanced level warlord!" Luo Feng clearly understood the power of his spiritual force. If you combine the spiritual force with your attacks, its power will stand out even more.

  Surprise! An unexpected surprise brought about by the astronomical bounty! The astronomical bounty indeed put Luo Feng under huge stress. Some people could even collapse under this pressure. But some people would work even harder under this stress and improve at an astounding rate.

  And Luo Feng received improvement! "I have to thank Li Wei's parents" Luo Feng's face was full of happiness, "That 'astronomical bounty' indeed spawned fear in the bottom of my heart and made me feel like anyone could betray me. Thankfully, I became happy after chatting with Xu Xin..... this gigantic change made me extraordinarily calm"

  His heart was still like water, in other words, not even the tiniest bit of distractions existed! This extreme level of calmness is very difficult to maintain over long periods of time.

  Usually, an ordinary person could occasionally enter this state when his life is in danger or during an emergency. During that time, their skill will explode pass their usual limits! For example, Luo Feng, who was absolutely calm and had no hesitations at all, managed to escape from being surrounded by hundreds of commander level monsters at the family mart super market in just a short 12 seconds.

  However, that state can usually be maintained for just one or two minutes.

  However, with this gigantic change in attitude, he managed to stay in that state for over 20 hours! In these 20 hours of blade training, he managed to complete the third stage of the��Nine Stage Thunder Blade��! At the end, it was because of his intense joy that caused him escape the state he was in.

  "The astronomical bounty..... sure did affect me. According to the history books, most of the falls of any ancient emperor were caused by their suspicions of their ministers; their suspicions made them ill and therefore led to their death" Luo Feng's mental state also went up by another level.

  The astronomical bounty also has very little effect on him now.

  "The captain and the others have no evidence. Without any evidence, naturally, they won't be able to receive the bounty. If they can't receive the bounty, then why would they report anything?" Luo Feng's ears slightly moved, and then he rushed towards the balcony and looked below. Below this residential apartment were dozens of monsters gathering towards the building.

  Luo Feng froze, and then laughed: "Looks like my howl from completing the third stage attracted quite a bit of monsters"

  "Right now, it's time for me to return to the headquarter city!" After Luo Feng picked up his bag, blade, and shield, he directly jumped off the balcony of the 8th floor with a lightning-like leap and fell onto the roof of a three story apartment building nearby. After that, he disappeared with a shake of his body.

  ���

  The train station.

  The train station is always the most crowded place, crowded to the point where it's absurd. The endless chattering spread around the area. A long train slowly entered the train station and, as the ear-piercing brakes of the train came from the tracks, the doors of the train opened. The large amount of passengers, like sardines stuffed in a can, came out.

  "The headquarter city, now this is home" Luo Feng walked out of the train's doors and smiled as he looked around.

  "I'm back!"

  After riding on the private car of the Dojo of Limits, Luo Feng returned to the Ming-Yue sector after the sun has set.

  "This small sector is still the same as always, quiet as usual" through the window, Luo Feng saw the large amounts of residents chatting and relaxing in the small sector.

  "Beep!" the car stopped in front of the Limit Hall.

  Luo Feng opened the door of the car and walked out. A large group of people could be seen standing in front of the entrance of the Limit Hall: there were quite a bit of fighters with their families, and even some of the people from the fire hammer squad. Of course, his brother and parents were here too.

  "Feng" Luo Hong Guo and Gong Xin Lan couldn't help but to yell.

  "Bro" Luo Hua's face was full of happiness.

  "Papa Feng"

  "Captain Crazy"

  Quite a few fighters also yelled passionately.

  "Captain, you guys are here too?" Luo Feng laughed and said with a tone of surprisement. Captain Gao Feng, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing also laughed as Gao Feng said: "Didn't you tell us you'll be returning these two days. We need to deal with the monster materials we have anyway. Furthermore, we haven't seen old Zhang for a while, so us brothers can meet up and have a chat"

  Luo Feng smiled as he nodded: "Captain, I'll chat with you guys later tonight, I'm gonna go back first"

  "Alright" Gao Feng smiled as he nodded and watched Luo Feng leave. He thought to himself in his heart: "Hm? Looking at Luo Feng's face and attitude, it seems like he's quite happy and relaxed and is under absolutely no pressure at all. The culprit might actually not be him". Even Gao Feng himself didn't know what his own thoughts were now.

  He couldn't help but to want to investigate and find out whether or not Luo Feng was the culprit, since the attraction of 100 billion was just too great. He didn't want Luo Feng to be the culprit so his heart could be at ease. How many people on this earth can be not only absolutely worry-free, but also happy under the pressure of the astronomical bounty? At least, it'll be difficult for a young man who hasn't even reached the age of 20 to do such a thing.

  Gao Feng shook his head, "Whatever, I'm not going to think about this anymore". Gao Feng had to admit, even he was a bit thrown off by the large sum of money.

  "Let's go, us brothers will have a drink" shouted Gao Feng.

  "Go"

  "Haha, let's go together"

  The members of the fire hammer squad, including handicapped Zhang Ke, walked into the Limit Hall. Only Luo Feng was in his home.

  ���

  The second floor of Luo Feng's home.

  After he returned home, Luo Feng placed the bag containing the valuable blade, battle uniform, and dragon egg into his own personal safe in his room. Actually, even if he placed it on the floor, nobody would steal it. This is the fighter sector of the Dojo of Limits; nobody would dare to come here to steal things.

  "Without a doubt, Li Wei's parents have the right to find the fighters in an area. With the number of fighters gathered at the edge of #003 city, they probably searched over thousands of fighters. Since I'm just one of them, the chances of me being suspected are low"

  "Li Wei's parents are already suspecting spirit readers, so they might look into the profiles and bank accounts of fighters they suspect"

  "Because of that, from now on!"

  "I can't deposit large amounts of money into the bank account that's under my real name. I should put the money into an account that doesn't require a name". As of now, ma
ny banks on earth support 'nameless accounts'. These accounts don't care about the person's identity: you just have to set some passwords and then you're set!

  "One, large amounts of money can't go into my real bank account"

  "Two, until the right time, my identity as a spirit reader can't be revealed"

  "Three, I can't tell anybody the fact that I killed Li Wei"

  "Four, I also can't tell anybody about the dragon egg and the wargod battle gear, including my family" Luo Feng was clear, that even the tiniest action could ruin everything. So, before he has enough strength to go against the Vulture, Scorpion couple in the open, he definitely can't reveal anything! For a warlord level fighter, having hundreds of millions to even around a billion isn't too over the top.

  But if their bank account has over tens of billions, how could Vulture, 'Li Yao', and Scorpion, 'Venina��Paulinus', not get suspicious? Keep in mind that the HR alliance controls over half of the world's economy. Many large banks are under the flag of the HR alliance: with their authority, they can easily find out Luo Feng's wealth through their global banking network.

  Only a nameless account is the safest.

  If even the bank itself doesn't know who owns the account, then don't even talk about investigating.

  "For me right now, the most important thing is strength! So I better go and buy some more advanced��Nine Stage Thunder Blade�� stages" Luo Feng slightly nodded. At this time, his cell phone started ringing.

  "Hello, Luo Feng, are you ready yet?"

  "I'm ready, I'm coming now" said Luo Feng as he laughed.

  "We're at the bar at the Limit Hall, come here"

  After hanging up, Luo Feng headed towards the Limit Hall inside the small sector.

  Chapter 96: Purchasing the Instruction Manuals

  In the bar on the first floor of the Limit Hall were around ten fighters chatting with each other. And the people around one of the tables were precisely the members of the fire hammer squad. Soon enough, Luo Feng started walking towards them.