Buying the Casket, Returning the Pearl

Chapter 6: 006. Buying the Casket and Returning the Pearl

He deliberately choked the other party to enter combat status.

Upon hearing his words, the smuggler's subordinates all froze, their faces showing hesitation.

This way, he could see the opponent's panel data. — [Entering combat status, judging...]

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

[Name]: Pei Li [Total Level]: lv.1 Commoner [Health]: 50/50 (Healthy) [Attributes]: Strength—3 Agility—3 Constitution—4 Charm—2 Willpower—2 — She looked small and weak, and her attributes were indeed much lower than mine.

Seeing this, he immediately activated the Security Guard's job skill, Bullying the Weak.

[Bullying the Weak]: Use words and insults to bully, intimidate, and threaten others. Perform an attribute check. If your primary attribute is higher than the opponent's, the check succeeds.

Li Aoz's primary attribute was Charm, a high 13 points, so the check passed directly.

Although his Strength was only 4 points, he could still lift a small, weak woman off the ground.

The smuggler's pupils constricted. Recalling Li Aoz's pale skin, he immediately realized something and quickly put on a fawning smile:

"So you're from the Rebel Army, sir—a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! If you'd said so earlier, we who are just trying to make a living, even our rice bowls are provided by you rebels. I swear on my great-grandmother's name, we never intended to slight you."

Li Aoz glanced at the four middle-aged men and snorted. In reality, if it came down to a fight, his combat skills would be enough to deal with them.

But that would be too disadvantageous. If anyone reported him to Law Enforcement Division Four, he'd be apprehended before he even reached the border.

He could handle taking down one or two agents with his bare hands, but Li Aoz wasn't a Martial Artist. Moreover, law enforcement officers would definitely be armed. If a fight broke out, he'd be lucky to escape being shot on the spot.

He was more afraid of experiencing Law Enforcement Division Four's 'ultimate humiliation' — Li Aoz muttered.

He put on the act of being from the 'Rose Army,' a famous rebel guerrilla group on the Frostplate border. Combined with his naturally pale skin and fierce demeanor, and the unconventional destination for his illegal crossing, it was easy for them to believe him.

Li Aoz released his grip, and the smuggler Pei Li fell to the ground with a thud. She was still rubbing her sore backside and hadn't stood up yet when Li Aoz threw another two thousand credits at her.

"Don't say anything. I'm carrying sensitive information. Arrange for me to leave the city quickly. If anything happens to me, heh… Delina just led her troops north last month, so you better think carefully!"

The latter half of his sentence was a bluff. According to the timeline, Delina, the commander of the Rose Army's northern expedition, wouldn't head north to attack until next March. Radiant Light City wasn't even within the attack range.

This was a complete lie, but a lie told at a specific time, relayed by a specific person, could possess a certain degree of credibility.

The Rose Army had always had a public image of being 'unscrupulous,' 'ruthless,' and 'fanatically anti-Frostplate.' Its members were basically natives from the Outlands, also known as Stateless.

Unfortunately, the newcomer's skin had a tiny resemblance to the usual pale skin of the Stateless, who never saw the sun.

At this thought, the smuggler's heart sank halfway.

'Even if it's not true, I'll accept it. Better safe than sorry. If I really delay the Rose Army and provoke retaliation, they're much more ruthless than Law Enforcement Division Four... Besides, this man gave me extra money, which shows he's genuinely in a hurry and willing to pay to avoid trouble.'

With a combination of threats and incentives, the smuggler quickly nodded in agreement. Taking the money, she went inside with her subordinates to discuss the matter. They didn't dare to keep raising the price, only wanting to get rid of this jinx as soon as possible.

Li Aoz no longer made a sound. He closed his eyes, resting his mind while contemplating what to do after entering the Outlands.

For players, Frostplate was officially designated as one of the "least recommended countries for new players."

Besides Law Enforcement Division Four, gender discrimination, and the notorious Rose Army, Frostplate also had events that challenged the limits of human endurance, scarce resources, extremely poor game experience, and low-quality citizens.

As a proud citizen of the Red Arrow Empire, Li Aoz's knowledge of Frostplate came from both Baidu Encyclopedia and his female colleagues on live streaming platforms.

"The Four Nations of the Azure Continent each have their own merits. The Red Arrow Empire is autocratic and despotic, but with its monetary hegemony and powerful military, it has provided its people with a good life. Competition is fierce, but as long as you are willing to serve the Empire, you will be rewarded. Therefore, it is most suitable for competitive players with pure hearts."

"Heavenly Ring is more extreme, with a military dictatorship. Due to a lack of domestic resources, it constantly wages war to plunder the resources and lands of smaller nations. However, for most players, the plot is easy to understand. It's a place where anyone can easily integrate, gain experience, and grow."

"Righteous Dawn has good welfare, attracting investment and encouraging large corporations to invest and develop within the country. The social pace is slow, and the benefits are generous, making it very suitable for older players to retire. However, once war breaks out, the country completely lacks the ability to confront enemies head-on."

"Frostplate, although it's not good in any aspect, with its not-so-abundant resources and severe conflicts, it has one advantage for players that other countries do not possess."

Recalling that piece of information, Li Aoz's eyes lit up. He already had a plan in mind for how to eventually walk the Starcaller path.

Not long after, a truck carrying dangerous chemicals slowly drove out of Jianlin County. The driver, numbly smoking a cigarette, dared not light it, his hands resting on the steering wheel. The bustling county town reflected in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by lush forests and mountains of reinforced concrete. Large automated robots meticulously tilled the dense farmland, their every move effortless, embodying the harmony between machinery and nature, like a fierce tiger smelling a delicate rose.

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 further away from the county town, the sunlight gradually dimmed.

The driver suddenly shouted to the passenger seat, "Get out the cotton-padded jacket."

After a turn, the alluring green abruptly stopped. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and the black soil, originally rich in humus, seamlessly transitioned into desert.

Cold, sinister, desolate.

Vague outlines of a giant barrier could be seen falling from the sky. On the boundless desert expanse, an 80-meter-tall concrete wall stood tall, connecting with the semi-transparent barrier in the sky. Ferocious and brutal automated turrets aimed at both the inside and outside. Any movement would result in suspicious individuals attempting to cross the barbed wire and Dragon Tooth roadblocks being torn to shreds.

Beneath this colossal curtain-like high wall, a solitary checkpoint blocked the truck's path.

"Halt!"

The guard growled, walked forward with his rifle, and slammed the back of his mechanical prosthetic hand against the car window. Then, he opened his chrome palm, his artificial muscles and neural link functioning perfectly, allowing him to precisely rub his fingers together:

"Documents and money, or you'll be considered overweight."

The driver was prepared. He produced the prepared documents, 2000 credits in cash, and a pack of cigarettes, handing them respectfully to the guard.

Corruption at Frostplate's border checkpoints had always been blatant. Although most of these serving guards were male, they wouldn't show leniency to a long-haul driver who was also male.

The guard accepted the money, couldn't hide his delight upon seeing the cigarette pack, glanced at the documents, then tossed them back to the driver, asking nonchalantly, "What are you carrying?" The guard asked casually, operating his portable computer.

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

The driver explained cautiously.

"What's up, trying to build a bomb?" the guard asked, his eyes drooping.

"No, no, it's just a regular plasticizer," the driver quickly explained.

"Oh?" The guard raised an eyebrow, turning to look at the truck's tank. The subcutaneous life detection chip activated and circled the tank.

He looked the tank up and down. It was twelve meters long and three meters in diameter. The chip's calculation showed that if someone with an oxygen tank and protective suit snuck inside, it could hold at least 27 people at full capacity.

The life detection found no signals.

But for some reason, the guard felt something was off.

"Boss, this stuff is poisonous," the driver warned.

The guard glanced at the passenger, saw he was bundled tightly in his cotton-padded jacket, and casually asked:

"So cold?"

Before the passenger could speak, the driver cut in, "He's got kidney deficiency. He got drunk and went crazy before, and the female officers from Law Enforcement Division Four... well, they interrogated him privately for two days. He couldn't handle the cold by the time we reached the barrier."

"Is that so?" The guard understood and didn't doubt it.

After all, nothing those crazy women did was surprising. If it were any other reason, he might have been suspicious.

Seeing that the roadblock was still not being lifted, the driver felt confused and nervous.

"What exactly is the problem?"

Unexpectedly, the guard reached his prosthetic hand into the car again.

The implication was clear: pay up.

Just as the truck driver was about to have the passenger get more money out, he saw a QR code pop up on the back of the guard's hand.

"Use less cash, use mobile payments."

The guard whispered, "The Rose Army seems to have captured a printing factory. 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 paid the guard. The guard received the payment, waved his hand, and the high wall slowly distorted, revealing a deep cave.

The driver turned on his headlights and slowly drove in. After an unknown amount of time, a thick layer of frost coated the car windows on both sides. Dense fog locked in the space, and under the yellow light, the road ahead became slightly brighter.

After about twenty minutes, the driver suddenly stopped and turned to the man in the passenger seat. "We're here. Give me back my cotton-padded jacket."

"Seriously? You won't even lend out a jacket."

"Stop the nonsense. There's no sun in the Outland, can't you see it yourself?" the driver said irritably. "It's freezing to death here. I suggest you find a hole and bury yourself as soon as you get out, but don't rush towards any fire you see; they're probably sand bandits."

"Alright, alright."

Li Aoz rubbed his disguised face, took off the cotton-padded jacket, and picked up his luggage from the floor. He thought for a moment, then took out his own terminal from his pocket and handed it to the driver.

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

"Yours? What kind of junk terminal is that, only worth one pack!"

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