Black Market (Thanks to the Alliance Leader Who Recently Wanted Candy!)

10:00 p.m.

I sat in front of an idle computer, waiting to take over the shift. Sakura was still operating the administrator's computer.

"Whoosh~~"

Along with the sound of wind, a figure entered from outside.

Lu Xiaobei, that little street rat, had left the internet café in the morning and had finally returned only now.

She was still dressed the same way: a striped sweater on top, a coffee-colored skirt below, her long hair flowing around her. She looked like a beautiful tourist from the Old City District, untouched by worldly concerns.

"Ding Han, come here."

She sat behind the bar counter and gestured for me to go over.

Then, she pulled out a men's coat from a bag. "I bought it roughly according to your height. Try it on. It's the latest men's model from Metersbonwe, with a fleece lining. You can wear it in both autumn and winter."

"Oh?"

Sakura tilted her head for a look and smiled. "Boss Lu, you really spoil Ding Han, huh? Why haven't I seen you buy autumn clothes for Zhao Yihang?"

As she spoke, she gave me a meaningful glance. "Ding Han, Xiao Bei treats you pretty well..."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Lu Xiaobei's cheeks reddened slightly. "The internet café is expanding, business is booming, and Ding Han has given me plenty of advice. As the owner, of course I reward merit. I appreciate his talent and know how to put people to good use, understand?"

I really did need a coat, so I didn't stand on ceremony. I put it on and tried it; it fit perfectly.

"Thank you, Boss!"

"Why be so polite?"

Lu Xiaobei stood up and patted my shoulder. "Work hard. Once the internet café's business gets even better, I'll give everyone a dividend at the end of the year!"

"Really?"

Sakura smiled in delight.

"Just wait and see."

Lu Xiaobei yawned and went upstairs to sleep.

At midnight, the shift change was complete.

After adding the VIP section, overnight business had improved considerably. There were nearly twenty people online that night, and even though the VIP section charged as much as eight yuan for an overnight session, it was still packed.

Those boys and girls from the Funeral Love Family were absurdly melodramatic. I even heard someone say, "Give up, Young Master Leng. I'm a girl who uses VIP computers. You're not good enough for me."

Late at night, all the customers had settled in at their computers. I lay in the administrator's throne, thinking it was time to consider running an instance.

I entered the star map and spent 1% Experience Points.

"Player Shadow Chaser is asking for help. Does any brother nearby know where player Chasing Light is? If so, please contact Shadow Chaser. Thank you, brothers and sisters. Thank you, thank you!"

"Oh, so it's the great Shadow Chaser, ranked twelfth on the regional leaderboard!"

A girl named "What Are You Eating Let Me Have a Bite Too" chimed in. "A rare guest, a rare guest. You hardly ever show yourself~~~"

"Ahem, I'm rather reserved and profound."

I laughed. "Miss, do you know Chasing Light's whereabouts?"

"I don't..."

"Then please help me ask around when you have time. If you get any news, contact me. I'll definitely reward you generously!"

"Okay, big brother. Don't worry!"

After that, several more people came over to chat, but none of them had any useful information.

After closing the star map, I picked up my phone and sent Zhang Ruolin a message. "Sister Ruolin, are you asleep? I need a batch of 9mm bullets, but I don't have cash. I want to trade a Green Roarer for them. Do you have any connections?"

"I'm not asleep. The night is long, and I'm terribly lonely."

Zhang Ruolin replied instantly. "How many bullets do you need?"

"The more the better. A thousand rounds might not even be enough, and one Roarer is worth more than a thousand bullets."

"Mm."

Zhang Ruolin said, "How about we meet at the coffee shop tomorrow morning at nine and talk?"

"Sure."

After settling it, I put down my phone and resumed the long night shift.

The next morning, after handing over my shift, I hurriedly ate breakfast and headed to Island Coffee.

At exactly nine, Ruolin arrived on time.

She wore a black woolen coat today, but underneath it was a striking sweater bodycon dress. Combined with her exquisite, bright features and short hair, she was undeniably lethal. Her looks were slightly inferior to Lu Xiaobei's, but in terms of feminine charm, she far surpassed her.

After drinking coffee for a while, we got straight to the point.

"About how many bullets do you need?"

"More than three thousand rounds."

"That many?"

Zhang Ruolin looked surprised. "I don't have that much stock here. If it comes down to it, should I accompany you to the black market?"

"The black market?"

I frowned. It was my first time hearing that term in Star Abyss World.

"Mm."

Zhang Ruolin lowered her voice. "Players have their own trading channels. It's in an alley in the Old City District. I know the people there well. Shall I take you?"

"Sure!"

We hit it off immediately, downed our coffees in one gulp, and headed for the black market side by side.

The black market was located in an extremely narrow alley in the Old City District. After passing through the alley, we saw two burly men blocking the way with ill intent.

"Identification?" one of them asked coldly.

"One of us."

Ruolin instantly switched into Combat Form. The health bar and ID above her head flashed and vanished.

"And you?" The burly man looked at me.

I did the same, instantly switching into Combat Form and flashing my health bar.

"Ok."

One of the burly men smiled. "Please come in."

Ahead was a large courtyard, with people coming and going inside. Most of them were probably players. Ruolin led me to the front of a storefront, where a bald player sat gnawing on a spicy rabbit head.

"Buying weapons?" he asked, looking up.

"Strictly speaking, not buying. Trading."

After sitting down, I said, "I have a green MP25 and want to trade it here for a batch of 9mm bullets."

"Let me see the goods first."

"Ok!"

I immediately reached into the Dimensional Storage Space and grabbed a pile of Roarer components. Then, with a series of swift motions, I assembled the parts into a brand-new Submachine Gun.

"Brother, your Basic Shooting skill level isn't low..."

The bald player narrowed his eyes. "Ordinary players don't have such high proficiency in disassembling and assembling firearms."

"It's alright."

I nodded and smiled. "Brother, inspect the goods."

"Sure."

He took the Submachine Gun, quickly pulled the bolt and aimed, then checked the magazine. He nodded repeatedly. "The goods are genuinely excellent. Brother, how many bullets do you want to trade this gun for?"

"Four thousand rounds."

"That's too many..."

He frowned. "At most, I can give you three thousand."

"Deal."

I was straightforward as well. There was no need to haggle over this sort of thing. After all, it was my first time trading at the black market. There was still a long road ahead.

"Straightforward!"

The bald man smiled and nodded. Then, he began moving boxes of bullets out of his Dimensional Storage Space. Each iron box contained ten paper packets, and each packet held one hundred bullets. There were three iron boxes in total.

After accepting the bullets, I didn't say much and left the black market with Ruolin.

"How did this black market come about?"

With many doubts in my heart, I couldn't help asking, "And where did all these weapons and supplies come from?"

"I don't know."

Ruolin said, "Based on my guess, there should be powerful figures above the players. Otherwise, it would be impossible for supplies from the military to appear in players' hands in such quantities. I even think that our arrival in Star Abyss World may itself have been controlled by someone—or perhaps we're being used. No one knows the exact situation yet."

"What about the people in the black market?"

"They don't know either. Apparently, they all followed arrangements made by certain NPCs, which was why they established this black market to provide players with weapons and supplies."

"Those NPCs probably aren't simple..."

"Who knows~~~"

Ruolin looked at the Old City District scenery ahead and smiled. "It's still early. Want to walk around the old city with me?"

"Huh?"

A trace of weariness showed on my face. "Actually, I want to sleep."

"What..."

A shy expression appeared on her face. "How long have we known each other, and you already want to take me to a hotel? That's not good. We should take things step by step. At least treat me to a meal and a movie first, right?"

My expression went blank. "Sister Ruolin, please rein it in. I was just on the night shift yesterday and I'm really tired. I mean actual sleep, not that kind of sleep."

Zhang Ruolin burst out laughing. "You really can't take a joke at all."

"Hehe, I'm an honest man!"

I laughed. But after taking a few more steps, I suddenly felt as if someone was watching Zhang Ruolin and me. An inexplicable chill crept down my back.

So I turned around and looked behind me.

The light in the alley suddenly warped, turning into countless grains before rapidly scattering and returning to normal. In that instant, a figure vanished within the grainy curtain of light!

It was the Shadow Assassin's stealth skill, Shadow Veil!

In the blink of an eye, I saw an ID lingering in the wind.

[Mid Lane Killing God] (Shadow Assassin · Tier One)

"They're from Ragnarok."

Zhang Ruolin frowned and lowered her voice. "One Blade Into Soul's subordinate. Why is he following us?"

"I don't know."

I turned around directly and smiled at the empty air. "Friend, we're both players. If you have something to say, come out and say it."

The alley was deathly silent, with only a breeze passing through.

It seemed the other party had no intention of speaking with us.

After leaving the Old City District, Zhang Ruolin got into a taxi and left. I pulled myself together and decided to clear this instance during the daytime, lest trouble arise from delay.

"Whoosh!"

After using the Instance Crystal, a ringtone immediately sounded in my ears.

[Please note: The instance Teleportation Gate has appeared on the map. Enter within the time limit, or this instance challenge opportunity will be voided!]

I opened the map, and sure enough, a flashing light was located two streets away.

This was my first time using an Instance Crystal to tackle an instance. It was my first time ever, and excitement rose in my heart as I started walking toward the marked destination on the map.

In the Old City District, the gate of a dilapidated courtyard flickered with deep-blue light, like a Teleportation Gate in a movie.

Judging from the expressions of the nearby residents, they couldn't see this Teleportation Gate. Only I, The Initiator, could see it. So I stepped forward and entered the instance in a single stride!

[Please note: You have activated the instance Red Sand Plunder (Rare ★★)!]

[You have entered the map: Desert Caravan Ruins!]

[Objective: Eliminate the Deserter Sergeant and recover the STC Fragment!]

[Hint: Beware of sandstorms! Beware of sandstorms!]

My body loosened as I stepped into the instance map. Before one's eyes was a desolate desert, and ahead lay the wreckage of a caravan. Camels with their necks stiffly raised and fierce glints in their eyes suddenly turned around and stared straight at me!

Mutated Camels, Level 15 elite monsters!