The camp erupted.

The Motor Battalion mobilized to transport the Golden Jiao's carcass. Shen Cong had already cut free the two horn-like Activity cores and slung them across his back. Each one stood about as tall as a person, but weighed surprisingly little.

Good material like this, Shen Cong kept for himself. He didn't share.

He felt entirely at peace with this. For one thing, his contribution was decisive — without him, a wounded Golden Jiao would still have torn half the camp apart. For another, he was leaving the entire carcass to the garrison. Fair division of labor: whoever killed it took the Activity cores, whoever crippled it took the body.

Zhu Li, climbing down from a vehicle, watched Shen Cong efficiently bundle up the cores and hoist them onto his back. His mouth twitched.

He'd stood by and watched Shen Cong walk away with all four of the Violent Ape King's tusks too. Asking for them back had never been a real option.

Neither Zhao Weiliang nor Zhu Li raised the subject. The distribution principle was tacitly accepted.

Zhao Weiliang stood before the Golden Jiao's barely-breathing body and looked at Shen Cong with genuine warmth. "Comrade Hu Ge has distinguished himself today. The award ceremony for the tournament didn't happen, but make no mistake — you have earned the title of Edge of Evolution."

Shen Cong didn't react to the praise. He swept a cold glance across the iron people and their vehicles assembling to process the carcass, and suppressed the urge that rose in him — the pull toward consuming what was there. It ran stronger in him than in any other iron person he'd encountered.

"I broke the Golden Jiao's three-inch point. It's not dead yet — be careful. Nothing else for me here. I'm heading back."

Zhao Weiliang, familiar with his temperament, responded immediately. "No rush, Xiao Hu — ride with me, I'll take you back. Commander Zhu, handle the harvesting."

Shen Cong didn't object. He got into the three-wheeled vehicle.

Every truck in the camp, aside from iron people's bonded vehicles, had been used…