Buying the Casket and Returning the Pearl

Buying the Casket and Returning the Pearl

He deliberately gripped the other party by the throat, using it to enter combat mode.

Hearing his words, all the Snakehead's lackeys froze, hesitation showing on their faces.

This would allow him to see the other party's status panel. --Entering combat mode, determining...

Based on your level, you will see the following information about the enemy:

Name: Pei Li

Total Level: Lv. 1 Civilian

HP: 50/50 (Healthy)

Attributes: Strength--3

Dexterity--3

Constitution--4

Charisma--2

Willpower--2

She looked thin and small. Sure enough, her attributes were far lower than his.

Seeing this, he immediately activated the security guard class skill, Bullying the Weak.

Bullying the Weak: Bully, intimidate, and threaten others through verbal abuse and insults. Conduct an attribute check. If your Primary Attribute is higher than the opponent's, this check succeeds.

Li Aoz's Primary Attribute was Charisma, a full 13 points. The check passed immediately.

His strength was only 4, but he could still lift a small, skinny woman off the ground with one hand.

The Snakehead's pupils constricted. Connecting Li Aoz's pale skin with something else, she immediately realized what was going on and hurriedly forced a smile.

"So you're one of the Rebel Army's lords—no, it's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! You should've said so earlier. We're just people scraping together a living. Even our rice bowls were given to us by the Rebel Army. I swear on my great-grandmother's name that I never meant to slight you."

Li Aoz glanced at the four middle-aged men and snorted. If they really fought, his combat skills would be enough to deal with them.

But that would be far too costly. If someone tipped off Law Enforcement Division Four, he would be arrested before reaching the border.

He could handle one or two agents barehanded, but Li Aoz was not a Martial Artist. Besides, law enforcement officers would definitely be equipped with firearms. If they really fought, being shot dead on the spot would be the lucky outcome.

What he feared was experiencing Law Enforcement Division Four's "ultimate humiliation" instead, Li Aoz muttered.

He had invoked the name of Frostplate's famous border insurgent force, the Rose Army. Coupled with his naturally pale skin, a sufficiently vicious bearing, and his unconventional smuggling destination, it was easy for them to take him seriously.

Li Aoz released his grip, and the Snakehead, Pei Li, thudded to the ground. She rubbed her backside miserably. Before she could even get up, Li Aoz tossed her another two thousand.

"Keep quiet. I'm carrying classified information. Arrange for me to leave the city immediately. If anything happens to me, heh... Delina led her corps north just last month. You'd better think carefully!"

The latter half was something he had made up on the spot. According to the timeline, Delina, commander of the Rose Army's northern expedition, would not head north to attack until March next year. Radiant Light City was not even within the attack range.

It was a complete lie, but when a lie was delivered by the right person at the right time, it acquired a certain degree of credibility.

The Rose Army had always been known among the people as ruthless, unscrupulous, and fanatically anti-Frostplate. Its members were mostly native residents of the Outland—stateless people.

Unfortunately, this man's skin bore more than a slight resemblance to the sun-deprived pallor of the stateless.

At that thought, the Snakehead's heart went cold.

Even if it isn't real, I'll accept it. Better safe than sorry. If I really delay the Rose Army and bring their retaliation down on us, they're far more ruthless than Law Enforcement Division Four... Besides, this man paid extra. That proves he really is in a hurry and would rather spend money to avoid trouble.

After that combination of carrot and stick, the Snakehead hurriedly nodded in agreement. Taking the money, she went inside with several subordinates to discuss matters for a while. They no longer dared to raise the price and only wanted to send this plague god away as quickly as possible.

Li Aoz did not make another sound. He closed his eyes to rest while considering what he should do after entering the Outland.

For players, Frostplate was one of the countries officially labeled "least recommended for beginners."

Aside from infamous local specialties like Law Enforcement Division Four, Gender Discrimination, and the Rose Army, Frostplate had all manner of events that challenged the limits of human depravity, scarce resources, an utterly terrible game experience, and vile locals.

As a noble citizen of the Red Arrow Empire, Li Aoz's knowledge of Frostplate came either from Baidu Encyclopedia or from female coworkers on livestreaming platforms.

"The Four Nations each have their own strengths. Red Arrow is dictatorial and authoritarian, but its monetary hegemony and powerful military let its people live well. Competition is fierce, but as long as you are willing to serve the Empire, you will be rewarded. It is therefore best suited for players who are competitive and pure-hearted."

"Sky Ring is rather extreme. It is ruled by the military, and because it lacks domestic resources, it constantly wages foreign wars to plunder the resources and land of small, weak nations. But for most players, the storyline is easy to understand. Anyone can easily fit in and gain experience and growth there."

"Zhengxu had excellent benefits and attracted major corporations to invest and develop within the country. The pace of life was slow and the compensation was generous, making it ideal for older players looking to retire. But once war broke out, the country had no ability to face an enemy head-on."

"Frostplate may be rotten through and through, with mediocre resources and severe internal conflicts, but for players, it has one advantage that no other country possesses."

Recalling that information, Li Aoz's eyes lit up. He now had a plan in mind for how to embark on the path of a Starcaller in the future.

Not long afterward, a truck carrying hazardous chemicals slowly drove out of Jianlin County. The driver held an unlit cigarette in his mouth, too numb to light it, with both hands on the steering wheel. The bustling county town reflected in his eyes gradually faded away, replaced by lush forests and mountains. Massive automated robots carefully tended the dense farmland, their every movement effortlessly carrying enormous weight, perfectly displaying the harmony between machinery and nature.

Under the leadership of technology, everything was so beautiful.

The hemispherical barrier generator in the sky emitted sunlight at a fixed frequency. As the truck moved farther and farther from the county town, the sunlight gradually dimmed.

The driver suddenly shouted to the passenger seat, "Take out the padded coat."

After they rounded a bend, that alluring green abruptly vanished. Snowflakes began drifting from the sky, and the humus-rich Black Soil seamlessly gave way to desert.

Cold, gloomy, desolate.

A massive barrier could faintly be seen descending from the sky. At the edge of the endless desert stood an eighty-meter-high concrete wall, connecting to the translucent barrier overhead. Savage automated turrets were aimed both inward and outward, ready to tear into mincemeat any suspicious person attempting to cross the barbed wire and Dragon Tooth barricades.

Beneath that towering wall, like a colossal curtain, a lonely checkpoint blocked the truck's path.

"Stop!"

The guard growled as he approached with a rifle. He raised the back of his mechanical Prosthetic Hand and banged hard on the truck window, then spread his chrome palm. The artificial muscles and Neural Link were fully functional, allowing him to rub his fingers together with precision.

"Hand over your documents and money, or I'll count you as overweight."

The driver had come prepared. He took out the documents, 2,000 debits in cash, and a pack of cigarettes, then respectfully handed them to the guard.

Corruption at Frostplate's border outposts had always been blatant. Although most guards on duty were men, that did not mean they would go easy on male long-haul drivers.

The guard took the money. When he saw the cigarette pack, he could not suppress his delight. He glanced at the documents, tossed them back, and casually asked, "What are you carrying?" As he spoke, he operated his portable computer.

"Chemicals. Dibutyl phthalate. It's highly toxic and flammable."

The driver explained cautiously.

"What, making bombs?" The guard's eyelids drooped.

"No, no. It's just an ordinary plasticizer." The driver hurriedly clarified.

"Oh?" The guard raised a brow and turned to look at the truck's tank. The Life Detection Chip implanted beneath his skin activated, and he circled the tank once.

He looked the tank up and down. It was twelve meters long and three meters in diameter. The chip calculated that if people entered wearing oxygen tanks and protective suits, it could hold at least twenty-seven people at maximum capacity.

The life scan had detected no signals.

But for some reason, the guard found it strange.

"Officer, this stuff is poisonous," the driver reminded him.

The guard glanced at the passenger seat and saw the man bundled tightly in the padded coat. He asked casually, "That scared of the cold?"

Before the passenger could speak, the driver cut in. "His kidneys are weak. He got drunk before and caused a scene, then those female officers from Law Enforcement Division Four... well, privately interrogated him for two days. He can't endure the cold once we get near the barrier."

"I see." The guard understood and did not suspect anything.

After all, nothing those crazy bitches did would surprise anyone. If it had been any other reason, he would have been suspicious.

Seeing that the barrier had still not been lowered, the driver grew confused and nervous.

"What exactly is the problem?"

To his surprise, the guard extended that Prosthetic Hand into the truck again.

The implication was obvious: he needed more money.

The truck driver was about to tell the passenger to take out more cash when a QR code popped out from the back of the guard's hand.

"Use less cash. Pay digitally."

The guard lowered his voice. "The Rose Army seems to have captured a printing plant. A large amount of counterfeit money will be circulating soon, so cash isn't very safe."

The truck driver suddenly understood. He quickly took out his terminal and transferred the payment. After receiving it, the guard waved his hand. The high wall slowly twisted open, revealing a deep cavern.

The driver turned on the headlights and slowly drove inside. After an unknown amount of time, the side windows became coated in thick frost. Dense fog sealed off the space, and beneath the yellow light, the road ahead grew faintly brighter.

About half an hour later, the driver suddenly stopped and turned to the man in the passenger seat. "We're here. Give me back my padded coat."

"Really? You can't even bear to part with a padded coat?"

"Cut the crap. There's no sunlight in the Outland. Can't you see?" the driver said irritably. "People freeze to death here. I suggest finding a hole and burying yourself in it as soon as you get out. But don't rush toward any fire you see. It's probably sand bandits."

"Alright, alright."

Li Aoz rubbed his disguised face, took off the padded coat, and picked up his luggage from beneath his feet. After thinking for a moment, he took out his terminal from his pocket and handed it to the driver.

"Brother, can I trade this for a pack of cigarettes?"

"This thing? What kind of garbage terminal is that? It's only worth one pack!"

"No, no, you misunderstand. I only want the cigarette pack. You can keep the cigarettes."