Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 544 Sky-high price reward
"So what do you think is a good amount for the compensation?"

“Although many experts aren’t really interested in money, most hunters risk their lives in the no-man’s-land for those material possessions…and using money as payment is the most convenient, since for you right now, money is just a number,” Zhulong said.

"Alright... Let's do it this way: the total bounty is 5 billion, distributed according to contribution during the mission. In addition, each victim will receive an extra 1 million in compensation. The entire mission will be monitored by the mainframe. I think there shouldn't be any uneven distribution, right?"

"How much?" Although Zhulong had just said that money was just a number to Sun Hang, he was still taken aback when he heard the bounty amount Sun Hang quoted. "Are you sure it's... fifty billion?"

"Shouldn't Tian Shu Tower be able to come up with the money?"

"We can afford it... but that will put a lot of strain on the budgets for other projects this year, and the Federal Parliament will also get involved in the investigation... In short, a whole host of problems await us..."

"It's them, not us. Anyway, they can't trace it back to me," Sun Hang said nonchalantly. "I just wanted to see if the saying 'quantitative change leads to qualitative change' could still be applied to money."

Zhulong: “…”

"Let me add one more thing: the person who contributed the most, I can grant them one not-too-outrageous request in my personal capacity. However, the final interpretation of this request rests with me; consider it a little bonus," Sun Hang added.
……

One minute after the task was posted.

"Currently, 167 people have accepted the mission. All the remaining survivors who participated in the treasure hunt in Nanhua Town have accepted it. In addition, several teams are on their way from Longcheng and Yumen," the mastermind said. "Besides, in major inland cities such as Chunming City, Shencheng, and Chang'an City, there is a phenomenon of hunters rushing to buy plane and train tickets to Longcheng. It is expected that in two to three days, the number of people accepting the mission will exceed four figures."

Because Sun Hang restricted the mission to hunters from Yumen and Longcheng, hunters from other regions would have to travel to Longcheng to accept the mission. It's easy to imagine how many hunters and mercenaries would flock to this fortified city in the near future, tempted by this astronomical bounty.

"Is this the power of money...?" Upon hearing this news, Zhulong couldn't help but sigh.

"A communication request has been received from Nagano Soya," the mainframe's voice sounded again.

Sun Hang: "Connected."

"Did you encounter that giant cordyceps monster in Nanhua Town?" Nagano Soya asked bluntly.

"Yes."

"Then...did you see that thing?"

“Although this answer may disappoint you, I still have to tell you that your father’s obsession was just a hallucination,” Sun Hang said. “A hallucination generated in his mind by a strange object.”

Nagano Soya was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Thank you, but I'm not disappointed... It's just that a knot in my heart that has been tied up for many years has been untied, and I feel a little empty inside."

"So, are you planning to return to Yumen now, or..."

“I will lead the remaining convoy to Nanhua Town,” Nagano Soya said. “Giant monsters of this size are the most suitable opponents for ‘White Tiger’.” After he finished speaking, a series of static noises came through the communication channel. Sun Hang was not sure whether the signal was interfered with or whether Nagano Soya had deliberately cut off the communication.

“He has no intention of going back.” Zhulong sighed. “The pilots of the Four Divine Beasts are all expendable… For him, burning himself out on the battlefield might be more meaningful than dying in bed with tubes all over his body.”

……

Meanwhile, 75 kilometers away from Nanhua Town.

After nearly half an hour of speeding across the wilderness, the convoy led by Nagano Soya finally had to stop.

Because the giants in Giant Hill were disturbed, the caravan had no choice but to take a longer route—but a longer route did not mean safety, especially a remote one, which was fraught with unpredictable dangers.

Giant's Hill is dangerous, but with enough caution, it's a safe passage... This is the experience of countless hunters who have used this route.

Although every year some reckless people awaken the giants and perish at Giant's Hill, the preferred route given by any guide to traverse this area is still through Giant's Hill.

The reason is simple: the other routes are more dangerous than Giant's Hill.

Especially when one's own strength is not very strong—according to big data, Giant Hill has a more than 90% chance of being able to pass safely, while for other routes, the probability of an ordinary hunter being able to pass through successfully is less than 60%.

In those areas inhabited by terrifying creatures, no matter how cautious one is, the moment they step into them, the creatures will detect the intruder's presence... Unlike giants, they don't remain like statues slumbering in the sand when undisturbed. To cross their territory, battle is almost inevitable.

"Check the tires, fuel tank, and ammunition!" a veteran hunter shouted from the car window to the others. "The flesh-eating ants are in our territory ahead. These deadly insects can eat rubber and metal just as fast as they can eat your flesh. Make sure they don't crawl onto the tires or the chassis! If you have flamethrowers, take them out. They're the best thing to do against the flesh-eating ants!"

"Who would bring a flamethrower for a mission like this..." a mercenary said with a bitter face. "If I had known we were going through the territory of the flesh-eating ants, I wouldn't have taken this mission."

“If we don’t have a flamethrower, we’ll make one ourselves!” another mercenary said. He pulled out the fuel tank from the back of the vehicle, took out several empty mineral water bottles, and poured gasoline into them.

"What are you doing? Molotov cocktails?" the mercenary who had spoken earlier asked, puzzled. "A few Molotov cocktails like that probably won't be enough, will they?"

"Didn't you make a makeshift water gun out of drinks when you were a kid?" The mercenary looked at his colleague with an expression as if he were an idiot, and then said, "Watch closely, I'll demonstrate once."

After saying that, he screwed on the cap of the mineral water bottle, then pulled out a dagger and quickly poked more than a dozen small holes in the cap with the tip of the dagger.

Then, he squeezed the bottle, and the gasoline inside sprayed out from the dozen or so small holes, just like a small showerhead.

“Take a lighter, tap it under the bottle opening, and this thing becomes a homemade flamethrower,” the mercenary said. “The only downside is that gasoline doesn’t adhere as well as those specialized incendiary agents… but it should be enough to deal with ants.”

(End of this chapter)