Chapter 10: The Novice Grand Gift

Barrow was dead. Han Feng walked over to Barrow’s corpse and removed the portable light-brain from his wrist.

There were several security measures for a private portable light-brain: iris scan, facial recognition, fingerprint password, and alphanumeric password.

For convenience, Barrow had chosen a fingerprint password, which wasn’t particularly secure.

Aside from making a fingerprint mold using various methods to obtain someone’s fingerprint, the simplest way to unlock it, of course, was to use the owner’s finger.

Han Feng grabbed Barrow’s right hand and pressed his index finger to the unlock button.

Beep… Password incorrect. Please try again.

He tried the middle finger next.

The screen unlocked after a second.

Just how perverse was this person? Every time he opened his own light-brain, he must have flashed his middle finger to those around him—a clear sign of malicious intent toward the world.

Han Feng thought to himself, “Serves him right,” but wasted no time. He quickly accessed Barrow’s communication records. The top entry was someone named “Wang.”

Their exchange included a real-time location tag, and the location unmistakably matched Han Feng’s own residence.

He then opened the bank account interface. Balance: 0.

As expected, these cunning pirates all kept multiple safe havens.

Han Feng disabled the password on Barrow’s light-brain and slipped it into his pocket.

Next, he reached toward Barrow’s chest, then his thigh, then his buttocks…

Wait—what are you thinking?

Did you imagine some strange fetish? Why is your mind so filthy and depraved?

Han Feng was simply searching the pockets in those areas.

From Barrow’s chest—well, from the inside pocket of his jacket—he found ten thousand star coins in cash.

Bah, pauper!

He couldn’t be bothered to clean up the aftermath. This place was uninhabitable—the house was nearly destroyed, riddled with bullet holes, the roof blasted open by anti-ship laser cannons, and craters from mine explosions surrounded the property.

Leveling the land and repairing the house would cost a fortune. It was better to buy a new, cheap place elsewhere.

Yes, his first concern was cost.

A pity about the weapons and ammunition in the vault—most likely, he couldn’t take them.

Moreover, the location was exposed; who knew if more enemies would arrive?

Han Feng didn’t immediately go to the vault to retrieve Ye Tianyi. He had other matters to attend to.

He tossed his weapons aside and dropped onto a sofa with two broken legs. The sofa groaned beneath him but bravely held his weight.

He opened his own portable light-brain and logged into the ISC (Interstellar Security Council) bounty interface.

[Barrow, minor leader of the Archangel Group. Bounty: 6 million star coins. Danger level: E+. Status: Eliminated. Eliminator: Han Feng (Confidential, visible only to the eliminator).]

[Bounty in process…]

[Bounty payment complete.]

Barrow and Barry? Both had “Ba” in their names—were they brothers? The thought flashed through Han Feng’s mind. He shook his head. They were both dead anyway. If they really were brothers, at least they’d have company in the afterlife.

He checked his bank account. The seven, followed by four zeros, brought him a sense of comfort.

Seven million—that meant he could buy a newbie pack, and after that, he’d have enough left for a first ten-card draw.

That guaranteed two four-star cards!

And after the recent fierce battle, he’d gained a wealth of experience. His level had now reached ten.

As in all games, experience needed for leveling up is low in the early stages, but later upgrades come slower and slower.

Han Feng’s card tab had unlocked a second card slot.

This meant he could equip two cards at once. The newbie pack guaranteed one four-star card, and the first ten-card draw would net another four-star card—he could equip both at the same time.

The thought alone delighted him.

For the sake of a bright future, enduring hardship now was worthwhile.

So Han Feng didn’t hesitate; he poured all seven million star coins into the recharge, instantly transforming from a millionaire to a pauper.

His account balance dropped to zero and converted to seven thousand diamonds.

Each card draw cost one hundred diamonds. With six thousand spent on the newbie pack, he had a thousand left—just enough for the first ten-card draw.

“System, buy the newbie pack,” Han Feng rubbed his hands in excitement.

[Store activated (card system only). Newbie pack purchased. Open now?]

“Open!”

A dazzling golden light flashed!

[You have obtained the following items:]

[Hero shards: Sun Wukong (5-star) *15]

[Hero experience books *30]

[Item shards: Frostmourne (5-star) *2]

[Inheritance stones *3]

[Item shards: Iron Sword (1-star) *1]

[Blue Potion (small) *2]

[Hero card: Shadowfly (4-star)]

Sun Wukong?

The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, Protector of Horses?! Just how much of a knockoff was this card game in his previous life—Monkey King from Journey to the West was here!

Han Feng looked more carefully.

Oh, no, no.

It was Sun Wukong from Dragon Ball. In this high-martial world, Wukong would surely be incredibly powerful, but sadly, these were only shards.

To synthesize a five-star card required fifty shards.

Each card draw might yield a complete hero card, a complete item, hero shards, or item shards.

But with the bottomless card pool, no one knew how many hero characters and items there actually were—it was impossible to count.

The store was limited to the card system and unrelated to the skill tree panel.

The item list had ten products, refreshing could bring up hero shards, but only two at a time, and could be from one to five stars.

Refreshing the item list cost two hundred diamonds each time.

To gather thirty-five more Wukong shards from draws and store refreshes would take untold luck and perhaps countless favors—who knew how many times he’d have to help old ladies cross the street to accumulate that fortune?

Most importantly, how much would it cost?

“Hero experience books” were used to level up cards; a card’s level couldn’t exceed Han Feng’s own. Each hero card level-up boosted relevant attribute points, which were fully applied to Han Feng himself.

“Frostmourne” shards—though only two—made Han Feng’s spirits soar.

This was the wildly popular two-handed sword from World of Warcraft. Though players couldn’t obtain it, its fame remained unmatched. Frostmourne was the Lich King Arthas’s weapon, the emblematic sword of Death Knights—a legendary blade imbued with powerful evil and tragic sorrow.

“Inheritance stones” allowed hero card level inheritance. Whenever switching equipped cards, you could choose to inherit levels.

If a card was level fifty and the new card only level one, the difference in attribute bonuses was enormous, so inheritance was essential.

Inheritance was free before card level thirty; after that, inheritance stones were required.

“Iron Sword (1-star)” was useless, and only a shard—skip.

“Blue Potion (small)” was valuable, instantly restoring one hundred points of psionic energy.

And finally, a complete hero card—a purple four-star card: Shadowfly!