Reward

Wang Qianduo's bid of 150 gold this time didn't scare off the other parties. Instead, it piqued their curiosity.

They wanted to see just how much money Wang Qianduo had.

"170 gold," Sister Cat said, glancing at Wang Qianduo.

"200 gold," Wang Qianduo raised the price again without hesitation.

At this point, they stopped talking. If they raised the price any further, it would be detrimental to their goal of recruiting Wang Qianduo.

"So rich, can you tell us how much gold crystal you have left?" After everyone gave up on the auction and the equipment fell into Wang Qianduo's hands, Sister Cat asked.

Wang Qianduo glanced at the tens of thousands of gold crystals in his backpack and said softly, "Not much, not much!"

After these two pieces of equipment were secured, he didn't choose to bid on the weapon anymore, as the chainsaw was positioned as a long saber, conflicting with his Minghong Saber.

Besides, he still had to give face to both sides. Otherwise, keeping the item as a toy wouldn't be bad.

As for selling it, he hadn't considered that yet. He still had to run dungeons with both sides.

In the end, the saber was won by Sister Cat for 200 gold, and everyone's dungeon trip concluded perfectly.

"Let's go, back to turn in the quest!" Wang Qianduo said calmly after they exited the dungeon.

He was incredibly zen now. The biggest gain from this dungeon run was witnessing how the experts played the game.

Everyone said nothing. After all, Wang Qianduo had led this quest, so they naturally followed his arrangements.

Unknowingly, they had been grinding dungeons for a long time. The main issue was that the Hard and Abyss dungeons were too time-consuming.

It was already evening when they returned. This was the only time of day on the first planet of Starfield 5 when sunlight could penetrate the shrubbery blockade.

The golden sunset filtered through the trees, scattering on the ground like golden coins, beautiful yet deadly.

This was because the sunlight here, if it directly hit a person without the protection of a mech, would quickly take them away due to the intense radiation.

Although the Dark Forest planet was covered in trees, it was not a habitable planet.

"Brother Yang, is that him?"

Unbeknownst to Wang Qianduo and his group, shortly after they left the dungeon, they were being watched by a team. A voice came from a black mech holding an oversized mech sniper rifle.

A green mech behind the black mech stepped forward. "That's right. His mech skin is very distinctive. I was mistaken that day. But~"

"Then I'll make my move," the white mech said, about to pull the trigger.

But he was immediately stopped by the green mech, which pressed down on his gun barrel. "Are you crazy? Didn't you check his information?"

"Someone else? Who?"

"The number one commander of [Great Qin] and the vice-guild leader of [Sword and]. It seems this novice is not simple! What do you think the intentions are of the people from [Mountain Sea] revealing this information to Old Yang, who is so easily provoked?" a driver in a deep purple mech in the squad said calmly.

"What other intentions could they have? The capital factions led by Mountain Sea have wanted to interfere with professional clubs since this game rose to prominence. But they were blocked by us traditional major clubs. Although I don't think they'll be blocked forever, this is our chance to get rich. However, these people clearly don't want to pay too high a price, and the simplest way is to make us collapse from within. If I make a move today, I'll offend two major factions at once, and countless people will join in the fray. Heh heh~ Then..."

"Hiss~" Hearing the green mech driver's analysis, everyone in the squad gasped.

"These people are too terrifying. They know Brother Yang has a bad temper and that his monster was stolen. They could come up with such a terrifying scheme so quickly. They..."

"What else do you think they do in their spare time?"

"Are we still going to make a move?"

"Of course not. Actually, I wasn't exactly 'stolen' from. It's just that I wasn't strong enough to kill it myself. Even if this alt account didn't pick it up, someone else would have. Thinking about it now, what's there to be angry about? Let's go back!"

This person, called Brother Yang by his teammates, was the pilot of the Divine Apostle mech that Wang Qianduo had "picked up" that day. After speaking, he turned and left without any hesitation. However, his tightly clenched fists showed that his heart was not calm. Whether this unrest was directed at Wang Qianduo for stealing his monster or someone else, it was unknown.

Old Wang, on the other hand, had no idea he had narrowly escaped danger thanks to Miracle Sword and the others. However, he wasn't too worried about being killed, as most of the equipment he possessed, aside from the newly acquired blueprints and some money, was bound. He wouldn't suffer significant losses even if killed. But who would want to be killed for no reason? Right!

Home Planet Camp

Wang Qianduo and his group recalled their mechs and walked towards the command hall. General Huang was waiting for them there. As they recalled their mechs, the group revealed their in-game appearances. Miracle Sword and the other three were all handsome men and beautiful women.

Miracle Sword's style was mature and steady, Cloud Song's was more of a "puppy" type, and Boundless Sea and Bright Moon leaned towards ancient aesthetics. Sister Cat, on the other hand, had the demeanor of a cool, aloof older sister.

However, it was clear that their appearances had been professionally designed, and might differ somewhat from their real-life selves.

After all, in this game, there weren't many "good kids" like Wang Qian Duo who entered the game with their original appearances.

"You're back! Where's what I asked for?" As soon as Wang Qian Duo and the others arrived at the command hall, General Huang immediately walked up.

Upon seeing this, Miracle Sword and the others exchanged glances, appearing quite shocked.

They hadn't expected Wang Qian Duo to have already gained such favor with the camp's general. It seemed his success was more than just luck.

Of course, Wang Qian Duo wasn't just lucky; he was cheating!

Among the special bonuses of VIP 15 was one called "NPC Favorability +1000." This meant that when it came to increasing favorability with an NPC, he had already won at the starting line.

It was like being ahead by 50 meters in a 100-meter race.

"Here, these are the ores and hyena heads you requested."

Wang Qian Duo handed the two items directly to General Huang. The latter nodded and had the items taken away.

"You've done very well. Here are your rewards, take them!"

"Congratulations on completing the hidden quest [Zerg Shadow 1: Hyena Minkshen], completion rate 100%. Your Homeworld Base reputation has increased to Respected. You have obtained the title [Squad Leader]. You have gained 1000 experience points, 20 Gold Crystals, and the rare skill [Instant Slash]."

Instant Slash (Rare) (Universal)
LV1
Assault and approach the enemy at extreme speed, dealing 200% of attack power as physical damage.
Attack Range: 200
Casting Time: 0
MP Cost: 50
Cooldown: 30s
Proficiency: 0/300

Judging by the expressions of Miracle Sword and the others, the rewards for this hidden quest were indeed generous, especially the universal skill reward. Such skills were not simple.

"General, you've had another harvest this time!"

"Mm, follow me." While the others were tallying their gains, Wang Qian Duo and General Huang walked towards the back of the hall.

Seeing this, the four of Miracle Sword knew that Wang Qian Duo's follow-up quest had arrived.

Wang Qian Duo himself hadn't expected to be called out alone. It seemed this quest was indeed bound to him, and others couldn't snatch it away.

"What harvest?" General Huang asked calmly after they entered an empty office.

Wang Qian Duo said nothing and handed over the secret letter. He had already read it; it contained very little information.

"Stage one of the Zerg control plan has completely failed. Seven samples have escaped, and preparations for withdrawal are underway."

These few simple words allowed Wang Qian Duo to glimpse the immense information hidden within.

If the Zergs in this game were the same as the ones he knew, these people were clearly playing with fire.

"These people deserve to die! Can beings who don't know their place control a cosmic overlord-level race?"

As expected, General Huang was furious upon seeing the letter. Then, he said to Wang Qian Duo:

"Regarding the Zerg matter, your strength is not yet sufficient, so you don't need to investigate for now. The Black Shark pirates actually dared to try and control the Zergs; they cannot be allowed to continue. So, I'll give this mission to you. Come find me after you reach level 10. This mission might be difficult, so you can find some friends to help you."

"System Prompt: General Huang has issued you a hidden main quest, [Annihilate the Black Shark Pirate Leader]. Do you accept?"

"Accept!" Wang Qian Duo looked at his main quest, which was different from others, and chose to accept it.

A hidden main quest is still a main quest, right? It should be able to support him until level 10... probably...

Without quests, leveling up is truly agonizing.