Chapter 196 - 186: Repaying the Interest

Chapter 196: Chapter 186: Repaying the Interest

None of these men had any serious issues. The effects of the drug had long since worn off; they were just weak from extreme hunger.

Once they had food and water, they instantly felt their strength return.

Combined with the Crystal Coins their boss’s wife had given them to absorb, it would only be a matter of a day or two before they returned to peak physical condition.

Tang Mo assessed everyone’s condition and got a good sense of the situation.

Qin Ling was in the best shape of them all, so Tang Mo pressed a fist-sized High-level Crystal Stone into his hand.

"Hurry up and recover. Otherwise, the next time someone tries to take advantage of you, you won’t even have the strength to fight back."

Tang Mo said with a serious expression.

Qin Ling pursed his lips, not daring to speak. ’Looks like Tang Mo was already here when Lea came in,’ he thought. ’She heard everything.’

The room was already cramped, and with so many people in it, the thick stench of jealousy was so strong that no one dared to even breathe too loudly for fear of angering their boss’s wife.

Are you kidding? Who would dare provoke the boss’s wife right now? You could provoke the boss himself, but never her.

The boss’s wife was their savior, their sugar mama.

’Can’t mess with her, definitely can’t mess with her.’

"Momo, Xiao Shiqi is weak. Could you go help him?"

Qin Ling had been keeping a close eye on every one of his men, so he was naturally aware of Xiao Shiqi’s condition.

He was so weak that food and water alone probably wouldn’t be enough for him to recover quickly.

"Got it."

Tang Mo agreed and went to treat Xiao Shiqi.

Xiao Shiqi was Number Two’s actual younger brother, so in his weakened state, he was leaning against him for support.

Tang Mo quickly used her spiritual power to help Xiao Shiqi recover. It wasn’t a major issue; the boy’s constitution just wasn’t as good as the others’.

Number Two watched the boss’s wife do all this, but he didn’t offer a solemn word of thanks like he did last time.

Her kindness toward him was a debt he could never fully repay. In Number Two’s heart, the gratitude he felt toward the boss’s wife now surpassed even what he felt for the boss.

For the boss, he would diligently handle every team matter and share his burdens.

But for the boss’s wife, he would give even more—his very life, if necessary—to repay this debt.

These were things that went far beyond mere words.

"All of you focus on recovering. Rest well. We’ll stay here for one more day, and then we’ll figure out our next move."

Seeing that everyone’s spirits had improved considerably, Tang Mo gave her instructions.

"I feel like I’m bursting with energy! I could go out and take them all down right now, no problem!"

"Yeah! After all these days, this is the first time I feel like I’m back in the game."

"Sigh, if only we could get our weapons back. We had so many guns, bullets, and knives. With that gear, the few of us could clean this whole place out."

They had been on a mission, so of course they’d brought plenty of gear. Now, who knew where it had all ended up. It was a damn shame.

The words were spoken casually, but they sparked an idea in the listener.

’Weapons? Those are pretty important.’

’And even if they weren’t, I can’t just leave them for these people.’

’Tang Mo remembered they were about to go to war with the Xing Clan. If this tribe got their hands on those weapons, their strength would increase immensely. That wouldn’t be fair at all.’

By now, Tang Mo’s loyalty was entirely with Da Hua, Xiao Hua, and their family.

These savages were no good. The moment she thought of that woman trying to force Qin Ling to submit—basically forcing a good man into ’prostitution’—Tang Mo seethed with anger. She automatically sided with Da Mao’s camp and now considered these savages her enemies as well.

"You all continue to rest. I’m going out to take care of something."

The night was long, and Tang Mo still had much to do.

"I’ll go with you."

Qin Ling grabbed Tang Mo’s arm. He knew her well enough to guess what she was about to do.

"You’re still weak. Wait for me here," Tang Mo said, grasping his hand.

’Are you kidding me? Who brings their man along to deal with a romantic rival? That would be so embarrassing.’

She slipped out through the small hole again, covered the entrance with weeds, and headed straight for the largest hut.

The wooden hut was several times larger than the others. It was obviously the chief’s residence; you didn’t even need to ask.

Furthermore, unlike the other dwellings, a faint light was leaking from it.

It was the only place in the entire settlement emitting light.

Once she was there, Tang Mo extended her spiritual power, carefully surveying the area.

She quickly got the lay of the land. The hut consisted of three adjoining rooms. A middle-aged couple was in one of them; the room was pitch-black, so they were likely already asleep.

The middle room was lit. The woman who had designs on Qin Ling was sitting in a chair, fiddling with something.

The slightly smaller room at the end was a storeroom.

It was filled with all sorts of things, and right in the center were all the supplies and weapons that Qin Ling’s group had brought with them.

’First things first,’ Tang Mo thought. ’I’ll get their stuff back and worry about the rest later.’

She entered the storeroom using the same method as before. Besides the modern-looking gear from Qin Ling’s group, the rest of the items were treasures taken from mutant beasts and some plants she couldn’t identify, which were probably Innate Treasures.

There were also several small jars filled with a powdered substance, identical to the rosemary Abu had given her.

’So it’s true,’ she thought. ’This rosemary really is the tribe’s most important treasure. Otherwise, they wouldn’t store it so carefully in here.’

This obviously wasn’t the time to study the contents of the storeroom. Without a second look, Tang Mo swept everything into her Space.

’I’ll consider this the interest for now.’

Looking at the now-empty storeroom, Tang Mo felt a flicker of satisfaction.

’But this is far from enough.’

Tang Mo slipped out quietly and crept toward the middle room.

Lea’s room wasn’t locked, so Tang Mo prepared to push the door open and walk right in.

As she reached the door, however, she heard the person inside muttering to herself. She paused, wanting to hear what the woman was saying.

Inside the room, Lea was carefully examining her face in a mirror-like piece of stone.

The room was lit by a single stalk of grass, soaked in some kind of plant extract and set alight.

The light was already incredibly faint, and combined with the stone’s blurry surface, it cast a distorted reflection of Lea’s face.

But the woman in the chair seemed quite pleased, not finding anything amiss.

"With a face this beautiful, how could he not like me? Is he just pretending to be reserved? Or is he playing hard to get?"

The woman muttered to herself, the narcissistic expression on her face almost making Tang Mo gag.

Objectively speaking, Lea wasn’t ugly by the standards of the savages. That, combined with her father being the chief, had given her an inflated sense of self-worth since childhood.