Third-Tier Breakthrough (Regular Update)

"Ding Han, you're back?!"

Old Ma smiled and looked at us, a group of people who looked travel-worn.

"Um."

Ruolin stepped forward and said, "Don't go yet. Let's process the spoils and replenish our ammunition. We need to do our third-tier breakthrough mission soon!"

"You're already level 30! Congratulations!"

On this trip, Cai Cai, Ruolin, and I all reached level 30, while Kou Mei is still a little short, but it won't be long; she can easily reach that level by taking on a daily quest.

"Come with me, everyone!"

Old Ma led us into the trading hall and we sat down on a sofa.

"I'll go first."

Cai Cai, Ruolin, and the others took out items they didn't need, had them appraised, and made the transactions. Although there were some minor disagreements, Old Ma was easy to talk to and ultimately gave them all a price that met their expectations.

Finally, it was my turn. I bought a Tier 1 blue Wind Whisperer and a Tier 2 blue 99R Handgun. The two weapons together sold for 110,000, which is a low price for blue weapons.

However, there's no way around it. The blue Wind Whisperer is Tier 1, with relatively weak firepower. As for the 99R Handgun, although the blue Tier 2 is currently the mainstream grade for top-tier players, pistols themselves have limited uses. They have weak firepower and small magazines, and can only be used as a second choice after the primary weapon's ammo is depleted when enemies get close. Therefore, their prices are generally not high. Not to mention the blue ones, even the purple pistols are not expensive.

As for me, I don't need a pistol at all. If it really comes down to a situation where I have to shoot a pistol, I'd rather just draw my sword.

However, with the Star Coins dropped by Lei Yan, my reserves have reached a total of 170,000, which is enough to replenish my ammunition.

"Ding Han, how much supplies do you need this time?"

Old Ma looked at me intently. If nothing unexpected happened, I should be one of his biggest clients, maybe even the biggest. Therefore, he was quite looking forward to the deal with me.

"Old Ma..."

I pondered for a moment, "Let's start with 4,000 rounds of Roarer ammo, and then for Hellfire Explosive Gun... 10,000 Armor-piercing Rounds, 2,000 Thermobaric Round, 1,000 molten metal rounds, and 2,000 fragmentation rounds. You do the math, can you give me a discount?"

"Let me calculate..."

Old Ma pulled out his calculator, typed away rapidly, and then looked up, saying, "It'll be 162,000 in total. But since you're buying so much at once, I do have the authority to give you a discount. How about I round it down to 162,000?"

"Aren't you being a bit self-deceptive by rounding down the price? I'm a big client like you..."

I glared at him, then pulled out 10,000 Star Coins from my storage space and slammed them on the table, saying, "Don't bother rounding it down. How about this, I'll add another 10,000 Star Coins, and you give me a Medical Box, okay?"

"Holy crap..."

Old Ma almost jumped up. "My God, how can you ask someone to deliver Medical Box?! Do you know how expensive Medical Box are? You might not even be able to buy one for 40,000 yuan these days!"

"Aren't we old friends?"

I glared at him. "Old Ma, put your hand on your conscience and tell me, ever since Creek City, have I ever looked for someone else or compared prices in the Player Black Market? I always just went straight to you, Old Ma. Why? Because the first time I went to the black market with Ruolin, I decided you were the right person and considered you a friend. And you, you really treat me like a regular customer, not a friend?"

"Damn it... friend..."

Old Ma was a little flustered.

Zhang Ruolin and Kou Mei were covering their mouths and chuckling to themselves.

Fatty and Cai Cai squinted, intently studying communication skills with the "NPC".

"Ding Han..."

Old Ma pondered for a moment, gradually regaining his composure, and said, "Since you consider me Old Ma friend, I'll be frank. Medical Box are truly rare and expensive; there are only a handful on the black market in the entire Huaining City. But since you consider me an Old Ma and have already gone this far, it would be really unfair of Old Ma not to offer something in return. I can give you this Medical Box, but this is a one-time exception. It's too expensive, currently 40,000 each. I really can't afford to give it away. Otherwise, the Player Black Market report at the end of the month won't look good, and if the higher-ups blame me, I might end up homeless."

"OK!"

I nodded. "I'll definitely buy it with my own money next time. This time it's just because I'm poor."

"You'll have money next time?"

"Of course, there will definitely be money next time!"

"Damn it..."

Old Ma was disgruntled, but in the end he obediently went to prepare the ammunition.

At this point, my Dimensional Storage Space is well-stocked with ammunition. I have a whopping 18,000 bullets for the Roarer, and as for the bullets for the Explosive Gun, I have 10,000 Armor-piercing Round, which I use the most, and 2,000 rounds for the other three types. This ammunition reserve is more than enough to handle the upcoming Tier 3 breakthrough mission.

OK!

The group left the Player Black Market and entered the ancient city.

"Shall we grab a bite to eat together?"

Ruolin asked, "After we finish eating, shall we each go and complete our breakthrough missions?"

"OK!"

I nodded. "I've already spent all my money. Who's brave enough to step forward?"

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Cai Cai readily replied, "I still have plenty of money left over, I'll pay this time!"

Ruolin laughed and said, "That's right. Ding Han had the highest output throughout, but also suffered the most losses. It makes sense that he's the poorest. We can take turns eating, it's a small matter."

She was right. I expended the most energy on this hunting trip, fighting with Explosive Gun almost the entire time. Each bullet costs 10 Star Coins, which is something most people simply can't afford!

So, Cai Cai led everyone into a dry pot restaurant. The group of people ate like they were starving ghosts, the five of them eating three servings of dry pot and finishing a whole rice cooker of rice, leaving the hardworking female waitress dumbfounded.

After eating and drinking my fill, I went outside, patted my stomach, and let out a burp.

"Alright, everyone get ready."

I looked at the fat man. "The second-tier breakthrough mission isn't too difficult. Are you confident you can handle it?"

"Um."

The fat man nodded. "If I can't even handle this kind of task, I might as well quit and stay in the city to work like a beast of burden."

"You're so perceptive, Fatty. I especially admire your honesty," Cai Cai chimed in, playing the straight man.

Hahaha~~~

I smiled slightly and immediately leveled up to level 30 in a flash, then confirmed the activation of the breakthrough quest!

"Ding-dong!"

[You have officially started the quest "Bug Nest Crisis" (Tier 3 Breakthrough Quest)! Quest details: Enter the breakthrough quest map, complete the NPC's instructions, quest reward: Tier 3 job advancement!]

"Whoosh!"

A blue Teleportation Gate will appear on the minimap. You must enter and complete the mission within a certain time; otherwise, the breakthrough mission cannot be reactivated within 72 hours!

"So, how far is your Teleportation Gate?" Ruolin asked.

"Not far."

Cai Cai pointed ahead and said, "Mine is over there."

"Can't see? How close is it?"

"Look."

With one step, Cai Cai vanished into thin air.

"Holy crap, he's really close..."

Ruolin was speechless, then looked at me. "And you?"

"It's across the street, about 500 meters away."

"Okay, I need to take a taxi there."

Ruolin went to hail a taxi, and Kou Mei hitched a ride home with her.

"Fatty, what about you?" I asked.

Let me see.

The fat man pondered for a moment, then said, "Mine is quite far too, I'll go get a taxi."

"Be careful. If you really can't beat them, you can give up. There's a 'give up' button on the mission interface. Go in, figure it out first, and then you can start."

OK!

He hailed a taxi and left.

I turned and walked into an alley. After passing through the commercial street in front of me, I saw a group of elderly men and women doing square dancing on the community basketball court. As for my Teleportation Gate, it just so happened to spawn right next to the speakers!

"Young man!"

An older woman looked at me with hostility. "You're here to play basketball too, trying to take over our territory?"

"Ah?"

After letting out an "Ah," I suddenly felt relieved. "No, no, I don't like playing basketball."

"Oh, that's good."

The old men's gazes softened and became friendly.

"Holy crap!"

I pointed into the distance and shouted, "Look over there! A few basketball players are coming this way!"

Instantly, a group of elderly men and women glared at them with fierce eyes!

"Whoosh!"

I stepped gracefully into the Teleportation Gate and disappeared into the music of square dancing.

The moment I stepped into the Teleportation Gate, I slapped my thigh. It seemed unnecessary to go through all that trouble. Couldn't I just activate Bio-Optical Invisibility in the darkness some distance away and rush into the Teleportation Gate?

Break through the mission map.

The scene before me was dimly lit; it was the entrance to an insect hive. Beside the entrance stood a Crimson Dragon Country warrior, carrying a flamethrower. He was extremely handsome, with striking features and a sharp, piercing gaze. Upon seeing me, he frowned and said, "Young man, you've finally arrived!"

Yes, this kind of dialogue is more like what an NPC should say, it's just right!

"Yes, sir!"

I stepped forward and said, "Please issue the order!"

"Good!"

He pointed to the insect hive and said, "This insect hive suddenly appeared in an inland city of my Crimson Dragon Country. We sent an elite warrior into the hive, but he never returned. He was a super soldier with mutated genes. Currently, the instruments show that his vital signs have disappeared. I think he has died for his country. Therefore, I hope you can enter the hive, eliminate the insects, and bring back his gene seed."

"Ding-dong!"

[Please enter the insect hive, kill all the insects, and retrieve the super soldier's gene seed!]

I took a deep breath, clutched the Explosive Gun, and entered the insect hive.

The moment I stepped into the insect nest, a damp, fishy smell hit me. Sure enough, the environment in which the insects live is something humans really can't adapt to, and I immediately felt like vomiting.

Inside the insect nest, countless cysts shimmered with light, like stars in the sky.

The outer perimeter was filled with level 30 Nest Bug, while inside, some Tier 2 elite Zerg units appeared. The entire Zerg hive wasn't very large, but it was still a considerable amount of work for a single player.

I frowned and thought for a moment. Oh well, I'll just use the bombs. Although the bullets are expensive, they deal area-of-effect damage, so they're actually more cost-effective for killing monsters!

"Clang~~~"

With a surge of elemental power, he activated the Annihilation Rock Armor and charged into the swarm of insects with Explosive Gun in the next instant!