Chapter 317: A Tiger Blocks the Way

Chapter 317: Tiger Blocks the Road

Allocation of Quotas.

Li Jun frowned, chewing carefully over the meaning behind those four words.

“All equipment of the Imperial Guards is decided by the Ministry of War, then directly manufactured and distributed by the Ministry of Works. The standard embroidered spring sabers, flying fish robes, the ever‑changing book finger rings, and ordinary firearms we use most often are all part of the regular allotment. When damage occurs, a simple report upward suffices to receive replacements.”

“But for special gear, you need a quota from the Ministry of Works to apply for purchase; having treasure alone is not enough.”

Xie Bi’an tapped the armrest, “Just like the ‘Wuzui’ we’re riding now, you must pay the cost in treasure and also expend the corresponding quota from the Ministry of Works to acquire it. Otherwise, putting this vehicle on the market would fetch less than four or five million treasures, and it would never sell.”

“The special embroidered spring saber you wield, Jun, is the same. But for personal weapons like this, the applicant’s martial points and quota are exchanged with the Ministry of Works.”

“So, Little White, does that mean the Ministry of Works quota is just money to be turned over? The profit here is several times that!”

Fan Wujiao, rarely clever, saw the trick at a glance.

“So some households take this as a way to make money, and it’s a channel tacitly approved by the entire empire, not monitored by the Da Ming Law.”

Xie Bi’an sneered, “Of course, the Da Ming Law now lacks strong monitoring power; even the Ministry of Works has become a hen laying golden eggs for each major enterprise.”

“Does the Thousand Household Office not know that people below them use quotas to purchase equipment and resell for profit?”

“Of course they know, but the Thousand Household Office has no recourse.”

Xie Bi’an sighed helplessly, “The higher‑ups know the Ministry of Works quota is a coveted delicacy. Yet from another angle, the higher the household’s merit, the stronger the resistance forces in its jurisdiction, and naturally the more equipment support is needed. The Thousand Household Office, to be prudent, can only divide the annual quota according to this rule.”

“But with Old Ghost’s temperament and your abilities, even if we don’t win the top spot in Quanshan City, can we even get into the third tier?”

Li Jun was puzzled; given his understanding of the Ghost King, he could not stand by while these benefits fell to others each year.

Even if the Quanshan City Imperial Guards don’t need so many special high‑grade gear, the demand for treasure is huge, after all the household’s pension rules are in place.

It’s not because Old Ghost is too stubborn, refusing anyone to roam his turf.

Fan Wujiao took over the conversation, lowered the car window, gripped the wheel with one hand, and with the other reached out to grab the swirling snow.

From what I know, other households kill a bit of those violent groups and bandit warriors, sometimes letting a few leaders escape even when they could have taken them all, to let the flow continue, fatten them, then kill.

Some even dare to let the great rebel army grow followers in the jurisdiction, waiting until they commit a massive crime, then capture them all at once.

Snow fell into Fan Wujiao’s cold palm, accumulating until it was a sheet of white in an instant.

“But Old Ghost is different; when he meets one, he uproots it entirely. Even if he accidentally lets a small role slip away, he brings people a thousand miles away to recapture and crush them one by one.”

Fan Wujiao sighed, “These years, the fish in our jurisdiction are dwindling, yet the debts we carry grow heavier.”

“When a family in the sacrifice robe wants to join the military order, he gives them a ninth‑grade mechanical body. When someone wants to join the Confucian order, he pays for a sixth‑art chip. To practice the Dao, he buys a talisman. To study Buddhism, he buys a ticket back home to help the unruly offspring correct their thoughts.”

He clenched his fingers, squeezed the snow into a ball, and tossed it away.

“So our Quanshan City Hundred Household Office is trapped in a vicious cycle: the more we struggle, the poorer we become. Meanwhile, those in the jurisdiction who live in constant fear are fattening themselves, each one eating a brain of fat.”

Li Jun heard this and fell silent.

Raising a tiger is a problem, letting bandits thrive is a problem, yet it is praised as the best.

Acting as a fisher on a dry lake, protecting a region, yet becoming a lower stream.

The world is absurd, no different.

Li Jun exhaled deeply, looked up at the car roof, “Cutting off people’s financial lifelines is like killing parents.”

Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiao in front sat silent.

“But what is our household’s specialty?”

In this regard, Fan Wujiao and Li Jun were in perfect sync.

His eyes lit up, he laughed cruelly, speaking in a Sichuan accent, “Of course, it’s to kill these turtle sons!”

“That’s right.”

Li Jun wore a cold smile, “In this review meeting, I’ll see who dares to jump out.”

“Jun, we’re all colleagues, we can’t kill,” Xie Bi’an laughed as well.

Just as his words fell, a blinding beam of light lit up the snowfield outside the road guardrail.

The stark white glare illuminated the faces of everyone in the two Wuzui, revealing them clearly.

No one trembled; their brows were cold and murderous.

Boom!

The roadside guardrail was smashed, and four modified war vehicles roared onto the road, turning heads, spinning tails, hugging the Wuzui, and racing side by side.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The engines roared, intertwining, the glaring gunfire exploded in the howling snow of the dark night.

Fan Wujiao’s head felt like struck by a heavy hammer, he turned inward, half his face’s synthetic flesh scorched, the remaining blue electric arc dancing on the exposed mechanical bones.

“Missing weapons? Women’s little play? Little White, lie down!”

Fan Wujiao roared, lifted a “Baiwei” shotgun with his left hand, the muzzle directly thrust into the opponent’s car.

“Let you see what smoke is the true manly temperament!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ferocious hot metal bullets streamed inside the narrow carriage, striking countless fleeting sparks!

Dong!

The enemy who withstood the “Baiwei” shot did not lose combat power; he countered with a punch, bending the massive muzzle.

“Dammit, still a bunch of hard guys!”

Fan Wujiao cursed, his face aching, grabbed the embroidered spring saber, stabbed straight at the car door!

Buzz!

The blade cut straight through the handle, piercing the opponent’s car door.

Buzz!

The Wuzui suddenly accelerated, pulling the blade forward, running wildly.

In a shrill sting, the vehicle on the left side was split open a huge gash, its tires and all were wrecked, tilting out of the road.

On the other side, Li Jun’s actions were even more ferocious.

He pulled a door down as a shield, braced against a volley of shots, then thrust himself, pulling the enemy driver out, stuffing him into the car.

Such ferocious speed, even a Type Eight mechanical body could only be crushed into scrap.

Li Jun casually tossed the broken corpse, grabbed the car’s upper edge, turned to look behind.

He saw the paint skin caring for Chen Qisheng in the rear car, now with a detached face, gripping the wheel.

And the Horse King also extended his body outside the car, holding the “Zhao Dan” and spraying inch‑long angry flames!

“Jun, someone’s blocking the road ahead!”

“Accelerate, collide straight through!” Li Jun’s voice crackled with fury.

Fan Wujiao shouted loudly, “I fear it won’t work; these bastards set up a counter‑charge array to block the horse!”

Li Jun turned abruptly, seeing that the snow‑covered road ahead was already blocked by a steel‑cast horse, completely shut out.

Stop! Kill!

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fan Wujiao slammed the brake to the floor; the tires tore against the pavement, producing a chorus of clattering sounds, while the acrid scent of scorched rubber pierced the icy air with a sharp sting.

The immense inertia hurled Li Jun's body outward; at the instant of impact, his frame stood tall and formidable, clad in black armor, one arm lifting a dreadfully long blade capable of cleaving a horse, its tip pointing forward!

Ink armor cloaked his form, the dragon and tiger coiled around his body!

Whoosh!

A terrifying black silhouette leapt down from the piled counter‑recoil formation, and upon landing, his feet sent a flurry of snowflakes into the air, while the ground cracked into a lattice of fine fissures.

The desolate world summer tiger donned heavy armor forged in imitation of Ming Guang's heavy plates, gripping in his right hand a tiger‑headed spear brimming with lethal aura.

With a single hand he thrust forward, delivering a gentle strike toward Li Jun!

Thank you, the alliance leader known as Red God of Fortune; I'll add more tomorrow!!