Chapter 68

Benjamin took a deep breath and calmed himself, his hand resting on his wrist where a small white snake was coiled, ready to strike.

"Are you from Tortoise City?" he asked again.

"You got it, but Ryan and I don't exactly see eye to eye," Margaret replied, making up a story on the spot. She quickly changed the subject, pointing to the large package on her back. "I've got stuff here that's way cheaper than what Tortoise City trades with you. Wanna take a look?"

Benjamin, still cautious, put away the snake and frowned at the package. "How do I know you're not just making this up?"

"No deal, no problem," Margaret said, turning to leave. As she took her first step, she added with a smile, "Everyone else has traded with me except you."

Intrigued, Benjamin called out, "Wait, I didn't say I wouldn't buy. What's your price?" With his back to Margaret, no one noticed the small snake slithering towards the door.

The snake soon crawled into someone's room, causing the person to run out in a panic. Selena and Ellie, who had been waiting nearby, saw the whole thing.

"Should we take him out?" Ellie whispered.

"Let's see what he's up to first. If he's getting help, then we'll deal with him," Selena replied calmly.

They followed the person and saw him crouch outside Benjamin's window, eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

Leaning against the window, Benjamin asked, "Are you sure everyone has bought your stolen goods?" He was already treating Margaret like a thief. He made a subtle gesture towards the window, only noticeable to those outside.

The eavesdropper got the message and cautiously left the window, running outside.

Ellie, confused, asked Selena, "Is he getting help now?"

"No, he's gathering info," Selena replied.

They followed him until he ran out of Benjamin's yard, unnoticed by the guards. They decided to stay at Benjamin's house.

Meanwhile, inside, Margaret was quoting prices. "One cabbage seedling, ten low-grade intermediate beast crystals. That's two crystals cheaper than the usual price. As for the Elf Tea, it's almost gone. If you want the rest, it's 100 low-grade beast crystals."

Benjamin was taken aback. "Let me think about it."

"Sure," Margaret said, knowing he had sent someone to verify her claims. She wasn't in a hurry; she just needed to complete the deal before any major disturbances occurred.

"Miss, why don't you have a drink first? I'd like to see what you've got," Benjamin suggested.

Margaret spread out the large package on the table, revealing boxes wrapped in wood, all filled with valuable items.

Benjamin's eyes widened, his doubts fading. He no longer questioned the origin of the goods.

"Sir, have you made up your mind? Don't waste my time. These hot items will sell out fast elsewhere, and in bulk," Margaret said in a low voice.

Benjamin stayed calm. "Is that so? What did others buy?"

"Each guest traded for at least a hundred seedlings, and the most was two hundred," Margaret replied with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Benjamin frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure rising within him. The others didn't even inform him; they traded seedlings behind his back, and he was left out until now, only to discover this thief.

"How many seedlings are in this package?" Benjamin asked.

"There are three hundred left," Margaret replied calmly, as if everything was under control.

At this moment, Benjamin felt a surge of excitement, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. "Alright, I'll take them. I'll also take all the remaining Elf Tea."

"Your will, sir, that's no problem," Margaret nodded slightly and casually took out a small box. The Elf Tea was stored separately, with at least thirty pieces in the box.

Benjamin carefully picked up each seedling one by one, examining the roots and stems very slowly. His expression gradually relaxed, and he finally nodded, "These seedlings are good, all of them are good quality."

Margaret knew Benjamin was deliberately delaying time, but she wasn't in a hurry. These goods were all taken from the warehouse, so they naturally had very good quality.

"As for Elf Tea, you can try it. It will definitely amaze you," Margaret said, promoting it further to avoid revealing her identity.

Margaret handed the box to Benjamin, who took out a tea leaf without hesitation, put it in his mouth, and chewed lightly. Instantly, he showed a hint of surprise. "It's truly remarkable!" Benjamin couldn't help but praise, and his greed was still present. "This tea is surprisingly good."

Seeing Benjamin's reaction, Margaret smirked inwardly. Benjamin was even better at acting than her! At the banquet in Tortoise City yesterday, it seemed that Elf Tea was served. How could Benjamin not know the effects of this tea?

Margaret put away the box, pretending to have a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. "Do you find the price suitable?"

"It's suitable!" Benjamin took a deep breath and waved to his men, ordering, "Bring the beast crystals."

Soon, a large bag of beast crystals was brought up, almost filling the table. Obviously, some low-grade crystals were not enough, so they were supplemented with high-grade beast crystals.

The henchman who brought the crystals whispered something in Benjamin's ear. Benjamin immediately smiled, "Pleasure doing business with you, you've done a good deed."

Margaret guessed that the henchman was the one gathering information. She didn't expose this fact and just focused on the crystals.

"Then it's a deal." Margaret quickly checked the quantity, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "The transaction is complete. Sir, I won't disturb your rest any longer." Margaret packed up the package and left quickly.

Benjamin tightly held the wooden box in his hand, not stopping Margaret. He seemed pleased to see a thief in Tortoise City.

Just as the female thief had left, there was a sudden sound of footsteps behind Benjamin.

"Who's there?" Benjamin spun around, spotting a girl in scale armor slowly approaching the door, her cold eyes locked on him. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice dropping and his brows knitting together.

The girl spoke calmly, "A traitor stole our things and dared to trade them to you!"

A look of shock flashed in Benjamin's eyes. He took a few steps back, gripping the wooden box tightly, feeling uneasy. He hadn't expected to get caught up in this kind of mess. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is my home, get out!" he roared.

The girl wasn't fazed by his anger. "I am a secret police officer of Mr. Steele, investigating the theft of seedlings from the plantation."

"Just you?" Benjamin's tone was hostile. He didn't believe this seemingly weak girl posed any threat.

"Of course I'm not alone." The girl glanced coldly at him. "Do you want to fight?"

Suddenly, another figure appeared, a girl in dark armor with a cold smile on her face.

"You..." Benjamin clutched the wooden box tighter, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Though the two girls didn't seem strong, something told him this wasn't a simple situation.

"These stolen goods don't belong to you, Mr. White," the girl said coldly, her words carrying a threat.

Benjamin's expression turned grim. "You want to take back the items? Unless you buy them back with beast crystals, these things belong to me now!" he responded coldly. "And the person you mentioned just left, you should go after her..."

The girl smiled slightly and said to her companion, "Let's go, the traitor is no longer here." Then she turned to Benjamin, "Mr. White, this is my warning to you. If you anger our mayor, you will feel terror."

The two girls walked out side by side, the oppressive atmosphere lingering like a dark cloud.

Benjamin stood there, expressionless, pondering the girl's words. Was she threatening him? How coincidental that someone showed up right after the transaction. 'Could it be that these people were prepared in advance? Is there a conspiracy here?' he wondered. "I need to discuss this with the other leaders..." he muttered to himself, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Outside, Margaret walked ahead, a slight smile on her face. Selena and Ellie followed behind, whispering about what had just happened.

"Is the mission completed?" Selena asked quietly.

Margaret nodded, a faint smile on her face. "It's done. Now, we just have to wait for the conclusion of that plan."

Selena was puzzled. "What exactly is Mr. Steele planning? Why did he only ask us to intimidate Mr. White? Shouldn't we retrieve the stolen goods?"

Margaret smiled mysteriously. "You don't know either? Hasn't Mr. Steele told you?"

Selena shook her head.

Margaret's smile widened. "It seems your relationship with Mr. Steele is quite ordinary. What a pity."

"What are you trying to say?" Ellie couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, the real show is just beginning tonight. By the way, Mr. Steele doesn't like thin and weak women," Margaret said, deliberately emphasizing her ample chest.

The three beautiful women ran all the way back to Tortoise City.

At this moment, I stood on the city wall, waiting for the three to return. Behind me stood Grace and Sophia.

"Good job," I said calmly.

"Mr. Steele, what exactly is the big move you mentioned? Please tell me!" Ellie ran over, blinking her eyes, looking like she was waiting for me to reveal the mystery.

I kept the truth about the so-called "big move" from everyone. As for the reason, I felt that this way added more mystery and highlighted my imposing image. However, I didn't know that the other beautiful ladies were about to be tortured by this question.

Margaret and Selena also came over, scanning the surroundings. Selena asked in confusion, "Mr. Steele, what's the next task? I'm looking forward to the 'big move' you mentioned."

I waved my hand with a smile, gesturing for everyone to stand behind me. "Later, you will witness a miracle." I took the crystals handed to me by Margaret and walked to the edge of the city wall.

In fact, the so-called 'big move' was to evolve Jack, upgrade Jack to a level 7 beast. And to intimidate the people of Wasteland City, attract everyone's attention. Also, Catherine's people could withdraw.

Margaret and the others stood obediently behind me, looking at me with anticipation. They knew that I might be about to make a big move.

"Is Mr. Steele going to use superpowers?" Ellie asked. There was nothing around that could cause a big move, like explosives or giant rocks, so the only possibility was that Ryan was going to use superpowers.

Among these people, only Selena vaguely guessed what was about to happen. "Yes, that's quite a big move," she said softly.

"What?" Ellie looked at Selena. 

At this moment, I instructed the beautiful ladies, "You all need to hold on."

"Okay," they responded, holding onto the city wall.

I looked towards Wasteland City, placed my hand on the ground, and transmitted my thoughts, 'Evolve the tortoise to level 7!'

'Evolve from level 6 to level 7, deduct one million evolution points. Level 7 tortoise evolution successful. Begin copying and enhancing attributes, start upgrading superpowers... 'Earth Rock · Thousand Tons Shaping' evolved into 'Earth Rock · Ten Thousand Tons Shaping'.'

In my mind, there were sounds of heavy hammers striking steel. Following that, changes began to happen in my body!

I felt my muscles being torn and regenerated, an unbearable pain. Almost every bone in my body made a cracking sound, as if a hammer was pounding on my bones.

Margaret saw my body trembling, the terrifying energy fluctuations emanating from me, and the cold sweat on my forehead. "Mr. Steele is getting stronger again!" she exclaimed.

The girls seemed to notice my situation, each of them looking very serious.

Suddenly, I roared, and waves of air rolled, blowing sand and stones all over the city wall.

"Danger! Stand behind me quickly!" Margaret shouted to everyone, frowning. At the same time, a strong aura emanated from her, resisting the air waves.

Margaret released a powerful energy, forming a wall of air in front of everyone. As soon as the air wall was erected, there was a deafening rumble from the ground!