After much persuasion and relentless pestering, Lu Xiaobei finally agreed to lend me the money. She had originally tried to lend me less, but she hadn't expected that I had already checked the internet café's backend card recharge and spending records. There was a full 20,125 yuan in revenue. If I borrowed 20,000, she would still have 125 left to buy herself a boxed meal.
At four in the afternoon, I got off work on time and headed straight for the Old City District.
Whoosh!
As I passed through an alley in the old city, a blur suddenly flashed past ahead of me, making me doubt my own eyes. It seemed to be a person, and she looked a little like Lu Xiaobei carrying something in her arms!
Right afterward, two city inspectors came chasing after her. They were already panting after only a few steps.
"Forget it, forget it."
One of the inspectors panted heavily. "Chasing her a couple of steps is enough. Captain Wang said that girl's a little mentally unstable, so don't bother arguing with her."
"What a pity..."
The other inspector said regretfully, "Such a pretty girl, and her brain's actually messed up."
"Exactly, exactly..."
As I brushed past them, I nearly laughed out loud. It looked like Lu Xiaobei had really made a name for herself among the city inspectors. One wrong move and she had become an outlaw beyond the law in the Old City District's urban management scene!
So, avoiding the area where Lu Xiaobei might be setting up a stall, I passed directly through several sparsely populated alleys and eventually arrived at the Player Black Market.
"Brother, identification!"
The two burly men were still guarding the alley. Although they already knew me, they still had to follow procedure. After I briefly revealed my health bar, one of them smiled. "So it's Shadow Chaser! Please come in, please come in~~~"
"Thanks, brothers!"
I pulled out a pack of Liqun cigarettes, handed each of them one, and then left.
The black market was bustling with people. There really were quite a few players who had spawned in Creek City. I didn't waste any time and headed straight for the trading hall, where I spotted a man with a horse-like face.
"Old Ma!"
"Huh?!"
Old Ma was yanked over by me, his face full of panic. "Holy crap, who are you..."
"I came here with Zhang Ruolin and Ling Baiwei. You forgot?"
"Oh... Ding Han!"
He immediately broke into a broad smile. "Here to replenish your ammunition?"
"Mm!"
I nodded. "Let's go. We'll talk in detail in the inner hall!"
"Sure, come on, come on!"
The two of us slung our arms around each other's shoulders and headed for the trading area.
After sitting down, Old Ma asked, "What kind of bullets do you want?"
"Roarer 9mm rounds. I want to buy a lot."
"How much is a lot?"
"Nine thousand rounds. Do you have them?"
"We actually do!"
Old Ma said in a low voice, "You're buying so many bullets for the Region Task after midnight tonight, right?"
"What else would it be for?"
"Haha, I knew it. A lot of people have already come to buy ammunition today. Good thing we have plenty of stock here, or we'd probably be sold out by now."
I took out the 20,000 Lu Xiaobei had lent me, then pulled another 7,000 from my own little stash. At that point, I only had 200 left for meals, but for the reward for first place in the Region Task, I was going all in!
My goal had never been the top ten. I was aiming straight for first place. The reward for first was definitely extraordinary, perhaps the kind of reward that, once missed, would never come around again!
"Old Ma."
Placing the money in front of him, I said solemnly, "I'm buying 9,000 rounds in one go and haven't bargained down a single cent. Wouldn't you say I count as a major customer?"
"Not the biggest, but you certainly count as a major customer." Old Ma savored the deeper meaning in my words, narrowed his eyes, and smiled. "What are you after, kid?"
"Throw in a few freebies? Like two Explosive Grenades?"
"Are you crazy? Grenades aren't something you can just give away!"
Old Ma looked speechless. "If you asked for something else, I might be able to give you a little within the limits of my authority. But grenades really can't be given away, not even one."
"Fine, then."
I nodded. "Then give me some empty Roarer magazines. I want ten."
"Ten empty magazines?!"
Old Ma froze. "That's too many, brother. This isn't a freebie anymore. You're practically asking for wholesale magazines."
"They're just magazines. They aren't expensive. With your status in the black market, Old Ma, isn't this a piece of cake?"
He rubbed his nose and hesitated for a moment. "Fine, ten it is. I'll give them to you with the rest. I'll go get the goods."
"Mm!"
Not long afterward, Old Ma returned with two assistants carrying the ammunition. There were 9,000 rounds, neatly arranged, along with ten brand-new Roarer magazines. That gave me a total of fifteen magazines. Fully loaded, that meant I had 750 rounds ready for immediate use. Combined with the Blue Roarer's firepower, it was more than enough to handle ordinary skirmishes!
"Old Ma."
I gave him another long look. "Does our black market really have Explosive Grenades?"
"Of course..."
He smiled faintly. "Forget Explosive Grenades. Even if you want RPGs or modified blue fire Gatlings, I have them here. The prices are just too high. I'm afraid you can't afford them."
"Forget the RPGs. I can't afford those. How much are Explosive Grenades?"
"3,000 each."
"Holy crap..."
I stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned. They were actually that expensive. No wonder Zhang Ruolin had been so heartbroken when I used up three of her grenades!
A 3,000-yuan grenade—was that something a worker earning 2,000 a month could afford?
Forget it. I'd just look for an opportunity later to steal grenades from the Dark Tide Vanguard...
After leaving the black market, I bought a fish and some lettuce stems, green beans, and other vegetables while passing the market. Back at my place, I cooked a few dishes, then had a bottle of beer with Milo.
"Luo'er, I'm going to catch up on some sleep later, so don't practice singing."
"Oh?"
Milo looked surprised. "Catching up on sleep at this hour isn't like you. What are you planning to do?"
"Did you really shut off the player system completely?"
I said helplessly, "A Region Task is refreshing in Creek City after midnight tonight. From midnight tonight to midnight tomorrow, the player who kills the most enemies within those twenty-four hours will receive a huge prize. So I'm planning to compete for first place."
"Alright, then I hope you get first place!"
"Oh, right. Lend me 1,000."
"???"
Milo looked astonished. "How did you end up this pathetic? Didn't you say you had quite a bit of hidden cash before? Now you don't even have 1,000 left?"
"Sigh..."
I let out a sigh. "I bought 9,000 rounds at the Player Black Market in one go and spent 27,000. Of that, 20,000 was borrowed from Lu Xiaobei. Do you think people like us, who risk our lives leveling up, have it easy?"
"Holy crap..."
Milo said in shock, "Lu Xiaobei really treats you well. She lent you 20,000 just like that? Did you write her an IOU?"
"What IOU?"
"Damn it..."
Milo picked up his wallet, pulled out ten hundred-yuan bills, and tossed them to me. "What do you need this 1,000 for? Don't tell me that after finishing the task at midnight tomorrow, you're planning to find a girl to blow off some steam while you're all fired up?"
"You're so shallow."
I felt a little embarrassed. "I've already spent all my money. I forgot it costs 1,000 to teleport to the mission location. It really proves that even the wisest person can make a mistake."
"Shameless."
Milo took a gulp of beer and said, "I really have shut down the player system. It feels meaningless. Right now, I just want to live in this world like an ordinary person and work hard for my musical dream."
"That works too."
I glanced at him. "Once you become the king of music, and I become a true powerhouse on the other side of this world, if you ever run into trouble, don't worry. You'll have me, your brother, backing you up!"
"For those words, bottoms up!"
He directly opened a bottle of Heineken and chugged it in one go.
"Damn..."
I took a deep breath. I had no choice but to admire that kind of drinking capacity.
After dinner, Milo went to the bar early to practice singing so he wouldn't disturb my rest. I set my alarm clock, fully charged my phone, and then drifted off into a heavy sleep.
I had no idea how long I slept in that blissful haze before my phone alarm finally rang.
"Baby Tummy Thunder, tummy baby thunder, thunder baby hits tummy, hit-hit baby thunder..."
The ringtone was incredibly invigorating. I woke up instantly and quickly turned off the alarm.
It was 11:30 p.m. There was more than enough time to get to the black market's Phase Teleportation Array.
When I passed downstairs, I even splurged on a roast chicken, several flatbreads, and a few bottles of mineral water. After all, I would be out for twenty-four hours. I had no intention of fighting Dark Tide Vanguard members while Baby Tummy Thunder was rumbling...
Not long afterward, I arrived at the black market.
By then, a large number of players had already begun teleporting to West Wind Forest. After paying 1,000 Star Coins, I too stepped into the Teleportation Array. With a whoosh, I experienced the dizzying sensation of teleportation once more. A few seconds later, I emerged from another Teleportation Array, and before me lay the vast, dark expanse of West Wind Forest.
Not far away, players had gathered together. Each had already revealed their health bar. The highest level among them was level 20, but none had advanced yet. The advancement difficulty was probably too great.
Not wanting to interact with them, I immediately activated the skill Bio-Optical Invisibility. My cells instantly buzzed all over, and a kind of optical energy wrapped around my entire body, putting me into a twelve-second invisible state.
I immediately sprinted away, vanishing from everyone's view and entering the boundless West Wind Forest.
Ding!
A message arrived from Zhang Ruolin: "Xiao Bai, Axe, and I have entered West Wind Forest. What about you?"
"I'm in too. Keep each other informed. If anyone gets into trouble, we need to support one another."
"Mm!"
Not long afterward, a golden boundary appeared ahead. Players couldn't enter it, probably because the Region Task had not begun yet. So I held my Blue Roarer and hid within the forest, waiting quietly.
Ten minutes later, a ding-dong sounded by my ear.
[Please note, Regional Mission: The Undercurrent's Gaze officially begins! Beware the forces of the Dark Tide. They are far more terrifying than we imagined!]
I wasn't overly hasty. Instead, I switched to the Wind Whisperer and carefully surveyed the area using its night-vision aiming system. Only after confirming there were no enemies did I carry my gun deeper into the forest.
Several minutes later, lights flashed in the sky. Several large transport planes swept low overhead, and then, through my scope, I could see figures descending from the sky one after another. The Dark Tide Vanguard had begun their airborne drop!
Just then, the western sky suddenly lit up. Fireballs rapidly tore through the darkness overhead, heading toward the Northern Frontier area of West Wind Forest where players had gathered.
Holy crap...
I stared wide-eyed. Was the first wave really a long-range artillery bombardment?!
Before you continue