F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

Thirteen hours later.

Chen Yifan threw the last [Corrupted Crystal Core] into his backpack and exhaled a long breath.

He had cleaned the passageway spotless.

Aside from a lingering smell of blood in the air, there was a pile of monster corpses.

His storage space was almost completely filled with various F-grade to C-grade materials.

Although the value of a single item is not high, the sheer quantity makes up for it.

This wave of sales should easily net them at least tens of thousands.

Most importantly, through these dozen or so hours of intense dismemberment and fighting.

He was impressed by the properties of the newly acquired [Darkfang].

And its own surging power has been completely newly understood.

He is stronger now than he was thirteen hours ago.

"How much longer?" Mu Wanqing's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of anxiety that she herself didn't even realize.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Thirteen hours had passed since she sent out her distress signal.

The support team should arrive by now at the latest.

But even now, there is still no movement outside.

This gave her a sense of foreboding.

"Soon."

Chen Yifan glanced at the talent panel.

The cooldown for [Steal Everything] is down to its last few minutes.

He stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and turned his gaze back to the huge cave.

The eerie, fleshy giant tree continued to pulsate slowly, seemingly oblivious to everything that was happening at the entrance.

Mu Wanqing followed his gaze, gritted her teeth, and finally couldn't help but reveal her true colors.

"Chen Yifan, let's make a deal."

"Oh?"

Chen Yifan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.

"My support team will be here soon."

Mu Wanqing spoke very quickly, her eyes flashing with shrewdness.

"They should all have reached level 25, barring any unforeseen circumstances!"

"As long as we work together from the inside and outside, taking down this tree spirit and the [Heart of Corruption] will be no problem at all!"

She threw out her bet, then stared intently at Chen Yifan, trying to see a hint of emotion on his face.

"When the time comes, the [Heart of Corruption] is mine, and everything that this treant drops is yours. You have no objections to this distribution plan, right?"

In her view, this was the biggest concession she could make.

Trading all the loot from a King-level boss for a strategic resource that is crucial to you is a fair deal.

However, Chen Yifan was stunned after hearing this...

Is this the final showdown?

This woman... why doesn't she play by the rules?

His original plan was to wait for the enemy's "reinforcements" to arrive, and then stealthily hide himself.

Given Mu Wanqing's greed for the [Heart of Corruption], if she can't find it for a long time, she will definitely not be able to resist making the first move.

Then, he would sneak back unnoticed, staging a perfect "the oriole unaware of the mantis behind" scenario.

But now...

The plan needs to be changed.

"Do you have reinforcements?"

There's no other way but to pretend to be confused now.

He immediately put on a complex expression that was a mixture of shock and ecstasy.

"Big sister, you had a backup plan? Why didn't you say so sooner!"

He slapped his thigh, looking just like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the city and heard that there was such a good thing as a "free lunch".

Mu Wanqing was taken aback by his exaggerated acting, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

This guy's acting is so fake.

Do you agree or disagree?

She didn't bother with unnecessary words, and her voice turned cold.

"Agreed! Of course I agree!"

Chen Yifan rubbed his hands together, looking like a money-grubber.

"But... big sister, isn't this distribution plan a bit... unfair?"

Mu Wanqing's brows furrowed instantly.

"How is it unfair? The drops from a King-level BOSS are of immeasurable value."

"Whether it's a skill book or a piece of equipment, its value is immeasurable."

"I only want that one core item; the rest are all yours. You still think it's unfair?"

She felt her blood pressure rising again.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

Chen Yifan quickly waved his hand, a fawning smile on his face.

"What I mean is, you see, when the fight breaks out later, I'll definitely be at the forefront, which will be both dangerous and arduous."

"You guys have more people, so you can just use your skills from the back. I... I put in the work, risked my life, and all I get is an uncertain 'drop'? What if it doesn't drop anything at all?"

"you……"

Mu Wanqing was so angry she wanted to laugh.

You little thief...

To be at the very front?

That's hilarious.

She had never seen anyone so shameless, someone who so brazenly wore the word "greed" on their face.

"So what do you want?"

She wanted to see just how shameless this man could be.

"How about this!"

Chen Yifan leaned closer, lowered his voice, and gave him an expression that said, "I'm thinking of you."

"The Corrupted Heart is still yours, and all the boss's loot is mine. But you have to give me some extra compensation for my trouble, emotional distress, and lost wages."

He counted on his fingers, doing the math in a very serious manner:

"Look, I used to be able to earn ten or twenty thousand a day just by gathering materials here. Now, because I'm helping you fight the boss, I can't even gather materials anymore, and I'm living in constant fear..."

"How about... you give me a fixed price, two million, how about that?"

Mu Wanqing was completely dumbfounded by his shamelessness.

She stared blankly at Chen Yifan, at his face filled with "sincerity" and "desire".

She'll provide manpower to help him defeat the boss.

She suffered equipment losses.

She took the BOSS's core loot.

But all the other drops went to Chen Yifan.

In the end, she still had to pay him two million dollars as a "hardship fee"?

What kind of robber logic is this!

She took a deep breath and practically forced out the words through clenched teeth:

"You might as well just rob someone!"

"Robbing is wrong, it's illegal."

Chen Yifan looked completely innocent.

"This is a fair trade, a mutually agreeable transaction. Besides, two million is just a drop in the ocean for someone as important as you."

"Look at your old compass. If it didn't work, you just replaced it with a better one without even blinking. What does that show? It shows you're not short of money!"

"For me, two million is enough to buy my sister tons of nutritional supplements, and it's enough to save my mom's life-saving money for several months!"

His tone suddenly became somewhat desolate, as if he were talking to himself.

Mu Wanqing's heart stirred for no apparent reason.

She looked at Chen Yifan's profile, hidden under his hood.

Suddenly, he remembered that in the illusion, he had slapped himself without hesitation in order to wake himself from his despair.

Back then, the coldness and determination in his eyes were completely different from the petty, pedantic man he is now.

Which one is the real him?

Perhaps... they are all of those things.

For that so-called "money," he can become a villain and stop at nothing.

For some reason, the anger in her heart quietly dissipated a little.

"Five hundred thousand."

She spoke coldly.

"This is my bottom line. And it must be after the matter is settled."

"make a deal!"

Chen Yifan's face instantly lit up with a smile.

The speed at which they change their expressions is astounding.

This reassured Mu Wanqing once again that she must have been imagining things.

At the same time, he thought to himself:

Oh no, the quote was too high.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, boss!"

Chen Yifan extended his hand.

Mu Wanqing glanced at him disdainfully, not touching his hand, but instead turning her gaze to the depths of the passageway.

"They... seem to have arrived."

The voice just fell.

At the other end of the cave, the sound of footsteps approached from afar.

Immediately afterwards, five figures dressed in identical black combat uniforms stepped out.

The leader was an arrogant-looking young man.

He didn't even glance at the giant tree that exuded a terrifying aura; his gaze immediately locked onto Mu Wanqing at the entrance of the passageway.

"Mu Wanqing, your efficiency is as low as ever."

The young man's voice was filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.

"Even a Bronze Dungeon Recycling Quest takes this long. You're really starting to impress me more and more."

Mu Wanqing's face instantly darkened.

Unexpectedly, he was the first one to arrive!

"Wei Ze, I don't need you to teach me how to do things."

"Yeah?"

The young man named Wei Ze sneered and glanced at Mu Wanqing.

Finally, it landed on Chen Yifan, who was standing next to her.

That look was like looking at a fly that was in the way.

"This is the local guide you found? Mu Wanqing, your taste is just as terrible as your efficiency."

The four teammates behind him let out a suppressed chuckle.

Chen Yifan stood there, motionless, as if he hadn't heard any insults.

He simply raised his eyes and looked at Mu Wanqing with a gaze that held a hint of doubt and innocence.

No?

Sister, is this the partner you were talking about?

They don't look like they're here to help; they look more like sworn enemies.

And in that very instant.

A notification sound, audible only to him, quietly rang in his mind.

[The talent skill 'Steal All Things' has reached its cooldown.]

A cold, unnoticed smile curled at the corner of Chen Yifan's lips.

His gaze passed through Mu Wanqing and landed on the arrogant and domineering Wei Ze.

Just in time.

[Secret Investigation]!