Chapter 50: Another Fraudulent Gang

Ye Mi didn’t say another word. She took the crystal and walked over to the machine to verify the concentration of the energy within it. The machine buzzed, its sound swallowed by the surrounding din. A few seconds later, the result flashed on the screen: 50% purity.

“Tsk, trying to trick me, huh?” The vendor cocked his legs up, looking smug. “Two hundred thousand. Take it or leave it.”

Ye Mi remained silent, but her gaze turned cold.

She knew full well the true purity of her crystal. Given its origins, there was no way it was only sixty percent.

She fixed the vendor with an icy stare. “You tampered with the machine.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but every adventurer passing by heard her clearly. Some had already stopped in front of the stall, watching the scene unfold.

The vendor’s expression shifted, but he quickly forced a sneer. “Watch what you say. If you think my offer’s too low, just say so. Don’t slander me for no reason.”

He could see it plainly—this woman was just a D-rank ability user. How could she possibly get her hands on such a high-purity energy crystal?

Ye Mi had no intention of arguing further. Impatience flickered across her face as she turned to leave, but the vendor’s voice suddenly rose, venomous and shrill. “Hey, little D-rank girl, stop right there! You’d better explain yourself! The camp’s rules are clear—malicious fraud is handled by the Grey Fox Gang! Slandering me without proof, are you trying to ruin my reputation?”

Ye Mi paused mid-step.

She hadn’t expected someone to be so eager to court disaster.

She turned her head slightly, glancing at him with icy contempt. “You’re the one faking things, and you have the nerve to play the victim?”

The vendor’s face darkened, but he soon forced another sneer. “You claim my machine’s faulty—where’s your evidence? If you throw accusations around without proof, how am I supposed to do business?”

Evidence?

Ye Mi sneered inwardly. Wasn’t it right here?

She said nothing, simply raising her hand to press the [Report] button in her ticket data.

Before long, as the vendor clamored for an apology, the sound of synchronized footsteps approached from the distance.

In less than half a minute, a squad of fully armed Grey Fox Gang guards swept in, encircling them. The captain at their head cast a sharp gaze over the two. “Who filed the report? What’s going on?”

Ye Mi raised her hand, pointing at the vendor. “He tampered with the testing machine to deliberately lower the purity of the energy crystal. That’s malicious fraud, isn’t it?”

The vendor’s face was now ashen, and seeing Ye Mi’s calm demeanor, suspicion gnawed at him.

Could she really be that foolish? Didn’t she know that a false report would get her expelled? Or was there something about that crystal…

Impossible!

He leapt up, shouting, “Nonsense! She’s just a D-rank—how could she have the real thing? She’s just here to cause trouble!”

The captain frowned, clearly accustomed to such disputes. He raised a hand to silence them, then said simply, “It’s easy. The Grey Fox Gang has its own testing equipment. We’ll know who’s lying in a moment.”

He turned to the vendor. “If it’s true, you’re expelled.”

Then, he turned to Ye Mi. “If it’s false, you’re expelled.”

Ye Mi nodded without hesitation. “Agreed.”

Her decisiveness drained the color from the vendor’s face. Even if he’d been slow before, he now realized Ye Mi’s confidence must mean she had proof. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he stammered, “W-wait, there must be some misunderstanding…”

But the guards gave him no chance. One of them stepped forward. “Hand over the crystal.”

Ye Mi handed over the energy crystal. The guard brought out a device about the size of his arm, similar in structure to the vendor’s machine, though Ye Mi couldn’t make out the details.

The guard pressed the start button.

A few seconds later, the screen lit up: 87% purity, standard confirmed.

“Heh.”

The captain gave a cold snort, fixing the vendor with a sharp glare. “Malicious fraud—what do you have to say for yourself?”

The swindler’s legs buckled, nearly sending him to his knees. His voice trembled. “I—I, the machine isn’t mine! I was just following orders to make the transaction… I didn’t know…”

Ye Mi and the others stared at him in surprise.

He didn’t know his machine was rigged? So, this was a whole scam ring?

The captain clearly pieced it together as quickly as Ye Mi did.

“Scalpers and scams at the gate, scam rings inside the camp—so much for the legendary safety of the human camp,” Ye Mi said with a faint, sardonic smile, glancing at the Grey Fox captain.

These were all traps she’d nearly fallen into herself.

“That’s right! I’ve been scammed more than once, paid a hefty price—what exactly is the Grey Fox Gang doing about it?” someone muttered in the crowd, sparking a wave of chatter as people began discussing the problems they’d faced.

The captain’s expression darkened further. He shot a piercing glare at Ye Mi, then barked, “Enough! The human camp guarantees your safety—if you’re not satisfied, you’re free to leave!”

Ye Mi said nothing, but others in the crowd spoke up, dissatisfied with his attitude. “We paid for our tickets—the camp should protect us, shouldn’t it?”

“That’s right! Acting like some overlord—who does he think he is?”

“Freedom’s Land? More like a miniature OC Corporation.”

One stone stirred a thousand ripples—the commotion grew louder and louder.

“Looks like the human camp’s been sitting on quite the pile of grievances,” Ye Mi murmured, arching an eyebrow at the scene.

She and the captain stood close enough that, even with her voice lowered, he caught her words.

He gave her a long, inscrutable look, then turned to the vendor and barked, “Take him away!”

With a wave of his hand, two guards seized the vendor and dragged him toward the camp’s perimeter.

The onlookers, having witnessed the outcome, erupted in boos, some even whistling gleefully.

Ye Mi withdrew her gaze, hefted the crystal in her hand, and, seeing the crowd, raised her voice, “OC crystal, 87% purity—I have five more, fifty thousand credits each. Interested?”

In truth, she had a full sixty high-purity OC Corporation energy crystals on her, worth at least thirty million credits.

Not to mention the nine gene enhancement shots she’d looted from the OC Corporation—she could probably buy the entire human camp with them.

But she was well aware that wealth should not be flaunted.

A few high-purity crystals occasionally appearing on the market was nothing unusual.

The crowd immediately grew restless, but before anyone could speak, the captain—his tall, straight figure moving at the front—suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Ye Mi caught his movement and hesitated.

Was it not allowed to use their testing machine as free advertising?