Chapter 107: The Stone Annihilation Alliance (Part One and Two)
The Stone Extermination Alliance? The Wanderers’ Alliance? Su Jingxing pondered thoughtfully.
He was familiar with the Wanderers’ Alliance—almost every city in every country had one.
But the Stone Extermination Alliance—that name sounded fierce and commanding.
Exterminating the world...
Wait a moment!
Suddenly, a spark lit up in Su Jingxing’s mind. He stared intently at the words “Stone Extermination Alliance,” repeating them over and over.
“Stone Extermination? Stone Extermination? Stone Extermination! Could it be...?”
A suspicion formed in his heart. Initially, he had no intention of responding or even keeping the chat window open, but now he hesitated and instead typed quickly.
“Stone Extermination? You mean to eliminate the Stone family?”
Beep beep~
The reply came swiftly.
“Yes! Every member of our Stone Extermination Alliance has family who suffered under the Stone family’s oppression; some are even the only survivors!”
“We know that individually, none of us can challenge the Stone family. That’s why we united to form an alliance. The mission of the Stone Extermination Alliance is to destroy the Stone family!”
“Great one, you must have a grudge against the Stone family too, right? O(∩_∩)O”
A grudge against the Stone family? If forced to say, he did have one. But more than that, Su Jingxing was curious about this Stone Extermination Alliance’s very existence.
There were actually people secretly banded together aiming to annihilate the Stone family.
Regardless of whether they could succeed, their courage was commendable.
Taking down the Stone family with just one or two people was nearly impossible.
Even if a third-rank powerhouse arrived, they couldn’t guarantee no Stone family member would escape.
The Stone family was a centuries-old martial arts clan with numerous direct and collateral descendants. Their stronghold was in Qinghe City, but their members operated in various satellite towns, other cities, and even the provincial capital.
To “exterminate” the Stone family effectively would mean eliminating the main members—at best, wiping out the local Stone family members in Qinghe City.
Those scattered elsewhere were mostly disregarded.
Did this Stone Extermination Alliance have substantial power?
Even wiping out the Stone family members in Qinghe City was no small feat.
Bearing this in mind, Su Jingxing typed back.
“Do you have many people?”
Beep beep~
“We do have quite a few, but not many martial artists. By the way, Great One, were you the one who saved those over a hundred girls the Stone family abducted?”
Beep beep~
“I mean, did you personally rescue them? -_-||”
Beep beep~
“Sorry, sorry, I’m not doubting you, Great One, just curious if the fourth-rank powerhouse who broke into the Stone family’s secret base and rescued Han Min and the others is the same person as you.”
Beep beep~
“Wuwu, did I offend you? Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m just bad with words and blurted it out.”
Beep beep~
“Wuwu, if you’re upset, blame me but not our alliance. We’re all miserable people, driven to this alliance by the Stone family’s persecution, with nowhere else to turn, so we cling to each other...”
No more replies?
Su Jingxing was engrossed, but suddenly the conversation stopped.
Was the connection lost? Was the other party called away? Or did they panic after revealing too much and flee?
From the tone, the person contacting him seemed like a simple young girl.
Of course, it could also be a scruffy man.
Regardless, they were definitely from the Stone Extermination Alliance.
Many people, few martial artists.
From those few words, it was clear the alliance might have some influence, but their strength was probably average.
Having many ordinary people was fine for dealing with common foes, but to eliminate the Stone family? That was wishful thinking.
Beep beep~
Another prompt sounded.
“Greetings, senior. We apologize for my little sister’s earlier impertinence. If possible, please provide an account number, and we will transfer you one billion Dayu coins. We know this sum is insignificant to you, Great One, but please accept it as a token of our gratitude.”
Oh? A different speaker?
Su Jingxing’s interest deepened. He read through the message, thought for a moment, and typed a reply.
...
At the other end of the line, in a spacious office with windows heavily curtained, a young girl with a round face and a watermelon-style haircut sat wailing miserably in her chair.
“Wuwu~ What do I do? Why can’t I keep my mouth shut? I say everything I shouldn’t, and now it’s all over!”
“Enough,” said a woman beside her. She had long hair tied into a ponytail, fair skin, a heroic bearing, and an oval face. She comforted her patiently, “What’s done is done. Regretting it won’t help. Now we must figure out how to make amends.”
“Wuwu~ Sister Qian, do you think Great One will forgive me?”
“If he truly is the fourth-rank expert who single-handedly stormed the Stone family’s secret base on Turtleback Mountain, slew all the guards, and rescued Han Min and the others, then he wouldn’t be so petty as to blame you over a few careless words.”
From the corner of the office, a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor and a striking scar on the right side of his face spoke in a deep voice.
“Yes, with that gentleman’s character, how could he be so small-minded?”
A young man with messy hair rubbed his hands excitedly. “That guy is amazing! Not only handsome but cool too! He single-handedly destroyed one of the Stone family’s secret bases. We never even dared to dream of such a thing, but he did it alone. So cool!”
“Yeah, our alliance has been around for nearly five years, but we’ve only managed small-scale skirmishes—mostly just annoying the Stone family in business,” said a woman nearby with white hair, youthful features, and a wearied expression.
“That’s not because we’re useless, Yage,” said a man with a beard, speaking seriously. “Who here doesn’t know how strong the Stone family is? Apart from the Li family in Qinghe City, who dare claim superiority over them? No one.”
“We agreed from the start—no pointless sacrifices. Our strategy has always been to strike through business. As long as we have money, what does it matter that we lack martial artists? We can hire assassins to give the Stone family trouble!”
“Right. We don’t expect to cripple the Stone family all at once. As long as some of us survive, keep making money, and keep hiring assassins, the Stone family will never have peace!”
“That’s true, but the problem is, hiring assassins costs an astronomical amount. Without at least ten billion Dayu coins, which assassin group would dare take the contract?”
“I’m afraid that before we earn enough, the Stone family will discover us and wipe us out. Last time, Xiaobing acted rashly, sought revenge on Shi Yankang, and nearly exposed our whereabouts. The Stone family sent people to our door.”
“Sorry,” Xiaobing said softly, head bowed.
“Xiaobing, I’m not blaming you. I just want to use this as an example to explain the situation: relying on earning ten billion to hire assassins to eliminate the Stone family is not the way!” The man’s tone was grave.
Silence engulfed the large office.
Indeed, they had long recognized this problem.
But there was no alternative. Without money to hire assassins, confronting the Stone family directly was suicide—one dead after another, pointless losses.
Such tragedies had occurred several times since the Stone Extermination Alliance was founded.
Hence, they agreed to avoid direct conflict and only strike indirectly.
The best method was to hire assassins.
Assassins only cared about money.
If the pay was high enough, they would dare to target even the Li family, the top martial arts clan in Qinghe City, let alone the Stone family.
The problem was, the Stone family wasn’t ordinary. As a centuries-old martial arts clan, hiring assassins to deal with them demanded an exorbitant fee.
At least ten billion Dayu coins!
Dayu coins were the currency of the Yu Kingdom on Earthstar, one of the safest countries, giving them strong purchasing power.
Ten billion Dayu coins—even for the Li family’s enterprises—would take two or three years to generate that profit.
For the Stone Extermination Alliance to raise that sum, it would take decades—something they could endure, but the Stone family already knew of their existence and sought to eradicate them.
Could they really hold out that long?
No one in the office dared guarantee it.
Thus, there was nothing left but profound helplessness.
The Stone family’s vast power was both overwhelming and despair-inducing.
“Ding-ling~”
The computer’s notification rang.
The round-faced girl immediately leaned in, and the fair-faced woman showed signs of tension.
“No need.”
“A minor offense, not worth mentioning.”
“Hahaha, great one is truly great! I knew you wouldn’t blame me!” The round-faced girl cheered, clapping her hands and spinning around in the empty space.
“Phew~” The fair-faced woman exhaled deeply and then lightly tapped the round-faced girl’s shoulder with a mock scolding, “You still say that. Remember from now on, don’t blurt everything out.”
“Hehe, Sister Qian, don’t worry. I promise, I’ll ask you first before I say anything from now on!” The round-faced girl clung to her shoulder, trying to please her.
“Tch, how many times have you said that?” The messy-haired young man rolled his eyes, then turned to the fair-faced woman with excitement. “Qianqian, why don’t you ask this computer great one if he’s the fourth-rank powerhouse who destroyed the Stone family’s secret base?”
“No way,” the bearded man said irritably. “Xiaoyue, can you stop stirring trouble? How can you ask that casually?”
“I’m just curious.” The young man smiled sheepishly. “If they’re the same person, that would be even cooler—both a fourth-rank martial artist and a computer genius. If such an expert joins us, we’d have hope for revenge without waiting decades!”
After speaking, he glanced around the office and whistled, “Hey, don’t tell me none of you have thought about this!”
“Cough cough~”
“I haven’t, don’t say such things.”
“Yeah, when have I ever said anything like that?”
“...”
The others shook their heads, protesting their innocence.
“Come on,” the young man sneered at them, “is lying to yourselves fun? I wondered why the mood was weird these days. Turns out you’ve been plotting to attract this fourth-rank powerhouse to join us! Haha, you’re brave to think that, but I’m braver. I don’t just want him to join—I want to apprentice under him!”
“Tch~”
The previously timid group now burst into laughter and shot disdainful looks at the young man.
Apprentice? Ridiculous!
Dream on. No, not even in dreams!
“Everyone, stop. The great one has replied again.” The round-faced girl suddenly exclaimed.
“Dare to go all out?” She read the message word by word, puzzled. “What does that mean?”
The fair-faced woman was also baffled and typed back, “Could you clarify what you mean?”
...
“Of course, it means exterminating the Stone family!”
Su Jingxing replied, “You all have grudges against the Stone family, right? Do you dare risk your lives for revenge? Go all out!”
Beep beep~
“Great one, do you have a good plan?”
Still not getting it?
Su Jingxing smirked and typed, “I ask again: do you dare sacrifice yourselves to eliminate the Stone family?”
“Dare!”
That settled it.
Su Jingxing chuckled softly and continued, “Good. I have a plan that will cause heavy casualties to the Stone family and sever their roots. But it’s extremely risky—you could die at any moment.”
Beep beep~
“Senior, please speak freely. Since the alliance’s founding, everyone has been prepared to sacrifice. We just want to avoid pointless losses. If this can eliminate the Stone family, we’re willing to die.”
Resolute!
Su Jingxing smiled, about to reply, when suddenly dozens of webpages popped up on his screen, each forcibly displaying posts with eye-catching headlines:
“Jin Mushen’s treasure lies buried beneath the tidal flats along the Tianshui River!”
“The unknown treasure of Qinghe City!”
“Shocking news: a century-old treasure discovered beneath Qinghe City!”
“Explosive news! A century-old treasure unveiled—everyone rush to collect your fortune!”
...
Each headline was more tempting than the last, compelling readers to click eagerly.
Su Jingxing abandoned the conversation with the Stone Extermination Alliance for the moment and scrolled through the posts quickly.
He discovered that a notorious corrupt official named Jin Mushen had hidden a tomb beneath the tidal flats on the southern bank of the Tianshui River in the southern district.
Within the tomb were countless treasures plundered during his lifetime.
Martial arts manuals, money, weapons, jewels, elixirs...
All sorts of riches, everything imaginable.
Most importantly, the posts included photos as proof.
The images showed several people picking up precious antiques from the tidal flats—one even found a treasured weapon!
Though the weapon had a chip, a treasure was still a treasure, worth over a million.
Additionally, the posts detailed Jin Mushen’s life.
This man had been a high-ranking official in Changyang Prefecture over two centuries ago, notoriously greedy.
He amassed countless treasures before mysteriously disappearing after death.
Through clues and images, the posts clearly indicated that Jin Mushen’s treasure was buried under the tidal flats along the southern bank of the Tianshui River!
“A corrupt official’s treasure? Nonsense. It’s obviously a distraction to divert public attention!”