I Have 10 Equipment Slots-Chapter 164 - 115: Breakthrough on the Spot, Another Promotion
At that moment, two squads of several dozen Demon Suppression Guards had surrounded Tang Qihu, led by Hundred Households Zhou Meng.
Leaning against the nearby walls were seven injured Demon Suppression Guards, while two more lay motionless on the ground.
Tang Qihu hadn’t left either. Seated atop his great white tiger, he spoke lazily, "Hand over the item, and I’ll leave. Otherwise, none of you are going anywhere."
"Ridiculous!"
Zhou Meng shot back coldly, "My men discovered this Marvel first, and we were the first to get our hands on it. Why should we just hand it over because you demand it?"
"Aren’t you, Tang Qihu, always so high and mighty, looking down on everyone else? Have you no shame, stooping to robbery now?"
"Shut up!"
Tang Qihu’s expression turned cold, his gaze darkening. "Zhou Meng, is it? You think you alone can stop me?"
"What about me?"
SWOOSH~ 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Gu Zheng dropped from the sky amidst a powerful gust of wind, landing on the ground to Zhou Meng’s right.
"And me."
WHOOSH!
Qin Si sprinted across the rooftops and leaped down, landing three paces to Zhou Meng’s left.
"Haha, how could I miss out on something like this?" Cheng Zong laughed heartily as he skimmed across the ground, rushing over from the end of the street.
Gushuncheng was right beside him. As he came to a halt, his aura, far from diminishing, surged upward as he fixed his icy gaze on Tang Qihu.
"And with me here, that ought to be enough, shouldn’t it?"
"..." Tang Qihu fell silent.
The great white tiger beneath him let out a low growl, its eyes filled with both fury and deep wariness.
"Hmph!"
Without another word, Tang Qihu glanced at Gu Zheng, Zhou Meng, and Cheng Zong in turn, then patted his white tiger’s back. The beast leaped into the air, landing backward on a rooftop.
Despite its massive size, it moved nimbly across the rooftops and quickly disappeared.
"These noble youths are so arrogant. They don’t even see other people as human," Gushuncheng muttered, slowly retracting his powerful aura.
"Thank you, sirs!"
A sturdily built, dark-skinned young man—a Demon Suppression Guard Small Banner—walked forward holding a Copper Rod. He faced Gu Zheng’s group and bowed with respectful gratitude.
Then, holding the Copper Rod with both hands, he explained, "The item that young man on the tiger wants is this Copper Rod. It’s a Marvel I discovered in a blacksmith’s shop. It can release shockwaves that are powerful enough to shatter..."
"That’s enough."
Gu Zheng raised a hand, cutting him off. "Since you’re the one who found it, it’s yours. As long as you know what it can do, that’s all that matters. You don’t need to tell us."
"Exactly."
Cheng Zong chimed in. "In our Demon Slayer Bureau, personal spoils belong to the individual. Of course, you can also turn it in to exchange it for merits."
Hearing this, Gu Zheng glanced at Cheng Zong.
The old man smiled and gave Gu Zheng a wink.
Suggesting he turn it in for merits was a kindness.
After all, a Marvel that could catch the eye of someone like Tang Qihu was bound to be extraordinary.
Right now, as fellow Demon Suppression Guards and colleagues from the same Bureau, they had to present a united front when dealing with outsiders—especially against noble youths.
But whether the young man could safely hold onto the Copper Rod afterward was another question entirely.
When one’s strength was low, possessing a treasure that was both conspicuous and widely known was a dangerous proposition. Turning it in to the Demon Slayer Bureau for merits was an excellent way out.
Once he had the merits, he could exchange them for other resources and use them in private, where no one would be the wiser.
"Thank you, sir!"
The young Small Banner naturally understood Cheng Zong’s warning. "I’ll exchange it for merits as soon as I get back to headquarters," he said gratefully.
"Good."
Cheng Zong nodded and gave the young Small Banner an appreciative look. He then changed the subject, turning to Gu Zheng. "Gu, do you know who destroyed the Rule Array Hub?"
"Me."
"You neither, huh?" Cheng Zong nodded in understanding and lamented, "The Rule Array Hub was discovered so quickly this time. I wonder what realm the Demon Fiend guarding it was at. There wasn’t any commotion when it was killed, it seems."
"Ahem."
Gushuncheng coughed to get his attention. "Cheng, what Ping’an meant was that *he* was the one who destroyed the Rule Array Hub."
"I heard him, Gu... wait, what did you say!?"
Cheng Zong’s eyes flew wide as he stared at Gushuncheng, his face a mask of astonishment.
"Don’t look at me, look at Ping’an."
Gushuncheng spread his hands. "The one who destroyed the Rule Array Hub was Ping’an..."
WHOOSH!
Cheng Zong whipped his head around, his dumbfounded gaze locking onto Gu Zheng. "Was... was it really you, Gu? You destroyed it?"
"It was me," Gu Zheng said quietly. "Destroying the Rule Array Hub was a complete accident. It was inside the stomach of a Rank-Two Demon Fiend. When I killed the Demon Fiend, I ended up destroying the Rule Array Hub along with it."
"This..."
Cheng Zong was stunned speechless.
Gushuncheng’s jaw went slightly slack.
Zhou Meng stood frozen, at a loss for words.
Qin Si was much the same, her face a picture of astonishment.
This was no act on her part. After separating from Gu Zheng, she had rushed straight back to the surface. If she hadn’t, she never would have escaped the underground caverns in time.
She truly had no idea what had happened to Gu Zheng after they split up.
The entire group fell silent.
The other Demon Suppression Guards nearby who overheard were all shocked and bewildered.
’The Rule Array Hub was in the stomach of a Rank-Two Demon Fiend?’
’Gu Zheng killed the Demon Fiend and just happened to destroy the Rule Array Hub in the process?’
’Did it have to be so dramatic?’
Zhang Sanshi’s voice suddenly cut through the silence.
He ran toward them, his face etched with anxiety. "Cheng! Gu brothers! Have you seen His Highness?"
"No," Gushuncheng replied, turning his head. "Zhang, weren’t you with His Highness?"
"No!"
Zhang Sanshi said frantically, "His Highness isn’t still underground, is he? Dammit, I wonder what bastard destroyed the Rule Array Hub! Did they have to be so eager..."
"Watch your mouth!"
Qin Si cut him off with a cold shout. "Is destroying the Rule Array Hub wrong now? Or have you forgotten the entire reason Grand General Xie sent us into this city?"
