The Big Boss's Gift

Su Haoming's eyes went wide, and he stared in utter bewilderment at the sleek silver pistol in his hand.

But after all, he was a transmigrator with a golden finger; with the Chat Group as a precedent, he quickly accepted reality, and an indescribable surge of ecstasy welled up inside him.

[Lin Yu: @Su Haoming, found it?]

[Su Haoming: Found it!]

[Su Haoming: [Excited emoji]]

[Su Haoming: Big Boss, you're... I don't even know what to say!]

[Lin Yu: Don't get excited yet. Check if the crystal on the grip is glowing.]

Su Haoming was taken aback for a moment, then quickly looked down at the gun in his hand. Sure enough, he spotted a dim red crystal on the handle.

[Su Haoming: It's not glowing.]

[Lin Yu: Is that so? What a shame.]

[Lin Yu: That crystal is a Magic Crystal, and it's the energy source for this gun. According to my original design, when you pull the trigger, it would enchant the bullets and fire a total of twelve different template-based flame spells.]

[Lin Yu: But unfortunately, you probably won't be able to use those functions...]

[Su Haoming: Huh??]

[Lin Yu: According to the Magic Density Flow Theory, in an unconstrained environment, high-density magic will flow toward low-density areas. The external manifestation of this process is a spontaneously blooming magical radiance.]

[Lin Yu: The fact that the crystal you saw isn't glowing means the magic density in your world is too low. By the time you found it, the magic had already dissipated at an extremely fast rate.]

[Su Haoming: So that's how it is...]

[Yun Ye: Wait, a gun?!!]

[Yun Ye: Brother Lin gave you a gun?!]

[Fan Xian: Same question!]

[Su Haoming: Yeah, it's definitely a pistol. Judging by the design, it looks like a classic M1911.]

[Fan Xian & Yun Ye: ...]

[Lin Yu: Don't be surprised. It's just a simple material-shaping spell. If you know the relevant theory, it's not hard to make.]

[Lin Yu: @Su Haoming As for you, don't worry too much. I already accounted for the magic dissipation.]

[Lin Yu: Aside from the Magic Crystal used for power, this gun is structurally identical to a normal pistol. Even without magic, it can still be used normally.]

Seeing this message, Su Haoming finally let out a sigh of relief.

[Su Haoming: [Long exhale]]

[Su Haoming: Then I'm relieved!]

[Su Haoming: Big Boss, I'm going to find my cousin first. I'll report back later!]

In the guest room, Su Haoming pressed the magazine release button and stared at the gleaming yellow bullets inside the magazine, a faint, unreadable smile spreading across his face.

After transmigrating to this world for twenty years, his golden finger was finally starting to show its power!

Although the Chang'an Ghost Market was crawling with all sorts of shady characters and sounded like a Great Tang urban legend, in truth, not everyone who came and went was a vicious criminal. During the day, there were also legitimate merchants and young wastrels from Chang'an County, drawn by the Ghost Market's unique rare goods or simply seeking a thrill, who ventured in to take a look.

So finding out the entrance to the Ghost Market wasn't hard for Su Haoming.

But barging into the Ghost Market alone—that took some guts!

Fortunately, armed with a weapon, Su Haoming's courage had swelled to unprecedented heights.

Even when he encountered many thugs wielding blades and looking utterly ferocious at the Ghost Market's entrance, he didn't show the slightest hint of fear.

This contrast, so at odds with his scholarly image, surprised the Ghost Market regulars. They eyed him suspiciously, unable to figure out what he was really capable of.

Passing through a winding, descending secret tunnel, Su Haoming finally reached the real Ghost Market.

It was located underground, utterly sunless. Even if the sun blazed outside, the Ghost Market remained as dim as night.

The vast, open underground world was shrouded in gloom, with only the lanterns hanging from the various stalls along the street barely casting a warm yellow glow over the bustling thoroughfare.

On the street, all kinds of oddly dressed characters came and went.

The goods sold along the roadside weren't just ordinary merchandise—there were also things that would never appear in the East or West Markets.

For example, the small stall covered with a white cloth to Su Haoming's left was piled high with finger-bone bracelets.

The pale bone strands were stacked together, faintly emitting a bloody smell that hadn't been fully cleaned off, making Su Haoming, who had heard plenty of strange tales, suspect their origin.

"Want to buy?"

The stall owner, his face wrapped in black cloth, stared straight at Su Haoming.

Su Haoming's heart tightened, but he kept his composure, shook his head calmly, and walked on with his hands behind his back.

He had already asked Lin Yu in the group and knew that the dwelling of that Yin Shirou had a white banner standing in front of the door, reading "Omnipotent Yin Shirou."

With such an arrogant and eye-catching sign, even though it was his first time at the Ghost Market, he wasn't afraid of not finding it.

Su Haoming thought so at first, until he passed through the long street at the entrance and found two forks suddenly before him.

...Damn, what now?

Su Haoming stared at the diverging paths with a headache.

Just as he was hesitating over which way to go, a sudden commotion and uproar erupted from the street on the right.

Without a moment's hesitation, Su Haoming reached into his bosom, pulled out his pistol, and warily looked toward the source of the disturbance.

A group of ragged Ghost Market vagrants were shoving through the crowd, shouting in terror:

"Tiger!"

"There's a tiger!"

What?!

The crowd instantly erupted into chaos.

As if to echo their cries, the next moment, the faint roar of a tiger came from the right street.

Hearing that imposing roar, the already panicked crowd grew even more frantic. Pedestrians turned and fled in terror, surging madly toward the fork where Su Haoming stood.

Startled, Su Haoming quickly dodged to the left, avoiding the onrushing tide of people.

...A tiger?

He turned his gaze toward the direction of the roar.

He finally figured out where his cousin and the others were!

The terrified crowd jostled past him. Frowning, Su Haoming pulled a prepared silk scarf from his bosom, covered his mouth, and struggled against the flow, pushing rightward.

After a difficult trek, the crowd ahead finally thinned out.

Su Haoming let out a long breath, tightened his grip on the gun, and sprinted toward the source of the tiger's roar.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion with the white banner at its gate, the cousin Su Haoming was so anxious about, along with Uncle Qian, seemed to have fallen into a trap—suspended high in the air by a thick rope net.

Beneath the net, four Black-Clad Men holding sabers and an old man draped in a cloak stood there, staring in shock and uncertainty at the main door ahead.

Though these four wore Night Clothes and looked highly suspicious, the weapons in their hands clearly marked them as Jinwu Guards—standard-issue Tang sabers of elite quality.

Without a doubt, these four were Lu Lingfeng and his Jinwu Guards, also here in the Ghost Market to investigate the case.

But unlike the usual arrogant Jinwu Guards, they had lost all their street-patrolling swagger. All four stared ahead with disbelief, a hint of fear flickering in their eyes.

Following their gaze, a large cat draped in a gaudy brocade robe had just crossed the threshold.

Yellow-and-black stripes, a tail thick as a steel whip, whiskers like steel needles, and a blood-red maw large enough to swallow a human head—all proclaimed its identity:

A massive tiger over four meters in length!

"—It's a tiger!!"

"How could there be a tiger in the Ghost Market?!"

"And such a huge one at that!"

Seeing the snarling behemoth before them, the Jinwu Guard brothers couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

Even the ever-arrogant Lu Lingfeng felt fear rise in his heart. For the first time in his life, the right hand gripping his Tang saber began to tremble.

"ROAR!"

The next second, the Variegated Giant Tiger, having crossed the threshold, let out a thunderous roar. Its four broad paws slammed into the ground, and it charged with gaping jaws straight at Lu Lingfeng and the others.