The Pit

Wang Qianduo had only recently entered the city when a mysterious person in black clothes furtively approached him and whispered, "Sir, need a ride?"

Wang Qianduo: "..."

What's with the act, driver? I thought you were selling bootleg DVDs!

He's just trying to get my attention!

"No, thanks!" Wang Qianduo refused and walked straight ahead.

"Sir, I'm a private driver with a reservation, but the client canceled at the last minute. Still, I'm already here, so I can't just drive back empty. How about this: if you ride with me, I'll give you half price. And I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the car." The man was persistent, as if he had set his sights on Wang Qianduo.

Wang Qianduo stopped. This person was acting strangely. For an NPC, he was talking too much. This meant...

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" Wang Qianduo asked the standard quest-acceptance line.

The driver: "..."

Does this guy have a screw loose?

"Uh, I need you to ride in my car, okay?" he tried asking.

"Then what are we waiting for, get in! I need to go to the mission hub in the city center."

Although NPCs called players "new recruits," that was usually when players couldn't access any military channels. The mission hub was the first place most players went upon arriving somewhere. The starting point for the "Black Shark Pirates' Secret Base" quest was there.

"Please, get in!" The driver led Wang Qianduo to a black car.

"Everyone else's car is red and white, why is yours black?" Wang Qianduo asked, looking at the car.

"This is a private car!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Wang Qianduo glanced at him and said nothing more, getting into the seemingly old car. And this is supposed to be satisfactory?

The driver immediately got in and started the engine. After driving for a while, he turned on the radio. Cars would never go out of style!

"This is News 7080, bringing you a brief report. Multiple cases of black car drivers robbing passengers have occurred in our city today..."

"Channel 3065... The robbed passenger described the black car driver's vehicle as a dilapidated black car..."

"Channel 3014... After investigation, the perpetrators of recent black car murder incidents are pirates from the Black Shark Pirate Group..."

"Channel 2333... Travel with caution, do not take black cars..."

"Damn it!" The driver switched through six channels, all reporting news about black car drivers robbing out-of-town passengers. He angrily slammed the radio, trying to turn it off, but this caused the already dilapidated radio to stop working completely. He looked at his radio with a pained expression, then back at Wang Qianduo, who was calmly resting with his eyes closed.

This stupid station. They don't report on the many officials who died in Fairy City recently, but they only focus on us? What the hell? How many people have they killed? It's really inconvenient now that their backing is gone! Fortunately, they pick their targets and only go after those who look like rich patrons with no connections. I wonder how long this media attention will last? Good thing this sheep is dumb and naive enough!

"Excuse me, driver, is this the right direction?"

Just as the driver was comforting himself, Wang Qianduo's question startled him so much he almost lost control of the steering wheel. Weren't you asleep?

"Yes, we're taking a shortcut. The main road is jammed."

"Oh! But why is it so desolate?"

"It's a shortcut! That's normal!"

"Okay!"

Wang Qianduo didn't press him too hard. They continued driving, and he was taken to an abandoned factory in the wilderness. Even in the prosperous Fairy City, such places still exist nearby.

"We're here! Get out!" As soon as they entered the abandoned factory, the driver's voice gained confidence.

"We're here? This isn't the mission hall!" Wang Qian Duo asked, though he already knew the answer.

His acting was terrible, failing to convey any tension, yet he felt quite pleased with himself.

"You've got guts, friend! Which gang are you with?" A voice cut through his act. Wang Qian Duo looked and saw a bald man with a shark tattoo on his head, leading a group towards him.

"Hmm~ Huá Róng Dào!"

The bald man: "...Why don't you say you're Guan Yu! Huá Róng Dào, for crying out loud!"

"You even know Lord Guan?"

"Of course! Don't all us guys in the underworld worship Lord Guan?"

"Bah... was I talking about that? Kid, be smart and hand over anything valuable on you, and I'll let you walk away with your... "

BANG!

As the bald man spoke, he lunged towards Wang Qian Duo. Before he could finish, a gunshot rang out.

He was sent flying, blood pooling around him. He wasn't going to make it.

Earlier, while in the car, Wang Qian Duo had asked Zero to investigate these people.

They were truly scum, involved in robbery, human trafficking, and murder – virtually every crime imaginable.

Why were their wanted posters plastered all over Fairy City? To distract from the massacre of city officials.

But why pick them specifically? Because their crimes were severe enough.

Furthermore, their actions were intricately linked to those who were massacred, sending a clear message from the remaining authorities.

Wang Qian Duo held up his Desert Eagle, his expression cold as he watched the scene. The game's realism hit him; it felt like he had just shot someone.

Yet, for some reason, Wang Qian Duo felt no discomfort.

He looked at the others. They were terrified by the sudden turn of events. When they saw Wang Qian Duo's gaze, their first instinct was to flee.

But how could anyone outrun bullets?

BANG! BANG! BANG! A series of shots, and only the driver who had brought Wang Qian Duo here remained.

Wang Qian Duo watched calmly as the driver reloaded his Desert Eagle. The driver didn't have a magic-powered mech, so Wang Qian Duo wasn't worried.

Only the bald leader had a mech, but he died too suddenly. The other subordinates didn't have mechs.

NPC natives were different from players. The proportion of those who awakened a magic-powered mech was about 1 in 1000.

Most didn't have mechs, which was why the low-level mobs in dungeons piloted artificial mechs.

The driver saw Wang Qian Duo reloading and knew this was his only chance. He charged at Wang Qian Duo with a ferocious expression.

But Wang Qian Duo kicked him away. When Zero's unit evolved, his body also underwent an epic-level enhancement, reaching almost the peak of human limits.

Otherwise, how could he have handled firing a handgun with such massive recoil as the Desert Eagle repeatedly?

"I'll give you a chance. Take me to the Black Shark pirates behind you, and I'll let you go!" Wang Qian Duo stood over the man he had subdued, a gun pointed at his head.

"Bro... spare me... spare me. The leader of the Black Shark pirates behind us... Shark-Faced Billy... you've already killed him!

We just followed him. I don't know if there's anyone else behind him!"

The driver was so terrified he wet himself. It seemed he was telling the truth. Wang Qian Duo hadn't expected his random shot to take down a mini-boss.

BANG!

Knowing the driver was useless, Wang Qian Duo shot him. Given their actions, these people deserved to die, and Wang Qian Duo had no intention of sparing them.

Why keep them around? For the New Year?

But after killing him and picking up a key dropped by the leader, Wang Qian Duo realized his mistake. He didn't know how to drive!

Out in the wilderness, getting back became a problem.

"Zero, can you drive?"

"Yes, but this car is too old. It doesn't have an intelligent driving system."

"Then what do we do?"

"I think you could try summoning your mech and waiting here!"

"That simple?"

Wang Qian Duo tried Zero's suggestion, and soon three mechs flew over.

After assessing the situation, he directly contacted someone to "escort" him back to the police station in the center of Fairy City.

Despite Wang Qian Duo's repeated insistence that it was self-defense and that the deceased were aggressive Black Shark pirates, the police still gave him a "gift."

Summoning a mech within the city was a serious crime.

"This is your great idea?" Wang Qian Duo sat in the police car, looking at the high-tech "gift" in his hands and said to Zero.

But Zero didn't reply. The handcuffs had a function to block mechs and backpacks. Zero was also locked inside.

"You tricked me!~"

T_T