A Crowded Station

The train has arrived at the station.

The platform is still decorated with colorful lanterns for the Chinese New Year.

In just over ten days, Xue Ming once again escaped death, eliminating hundreds of high-value targets without serious injury.

In just half an hour, he caught up with Ms. A Ling and took a lot of lessons, learning many things that weren't written in the crew log.

The owner of the discoloring stone was not as Xue Ming imagined—

--These people are few in number, just as Xiao Qi said before, they are considered "rare people" even in the underworld. In terms of combat strength, the colorless people are either ridiculously strong or completely useless.

Master A Ling's Fool's Gold is not a true brilliance.

Ling Weng thought that this woman was too fickle and no stone would like her at all.

She was insatiable and wanted almost every kind of treasure.

She cannot control her facial expressions, but she can control her emotions. She is a terrifying yet admirable person, capable of using 66 percent of the Six-Color Shining Stone.

She doesn't have any protective charms, or rather, she can use any gemstone she happens to have.

It was all thanks to her soul power; it was this divine power that allowed her to discern the properties of the Radiant Stone, understand the preferences of the Life-Protecting Talisman, and ultimately utilize the power of the Radiant Stone.

Xue Ming understood something else from this information.

People change. As people grow emotionally, their logic and Jungian personality evolve, a proud teenager at seventeen or eighteen might initially acquire a red stone. However, when he reaches his thirties, matures, becomes more composed, and even cunning, this passenger might voluntarily change his jewelry because the red stone no longer responds to him or likes him anymore.

If one can control their emotions and use joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness as tools, then using multiple protective charms simultaneously is not impossible.

Regarding the comment about Ms. A Ling's waiter's outfit--

--This VIP is an attendant, and the Qingjin Wolf Mother's mate is her employer. She is also the white moonlight in 3301's heart.

When a waiter emerges from their cocoon and transforms, or gains the ability to explore unknown territories, they can also become a VIP. As for whether or not to keep the waiter's clothes, that is the VIP's prerogative.

Returning to the matter of the Radiant Stone, the ability to use multiple talismans simultaneously carries the risk of personality splitting. Leaving aside whether it's even possible, to acquire so many pieces of jewelry, Ms. A Ling must be an extremely capable money-maker.

In the underworld, trading posts also produce man-made pyroxene jewelry. These stones have similar effects to the treasures created by the Spirit Elder, but the craftsmen in the jewelry shops do not have the Spirit Elder's discerning eye to recognize people and cannot allocate stones according to the personality traits of the passengers.

When people buy other sapphires, they often have to consider the feelings of their existing talismans. If the two pieces of hardware are incompatible, then when faced with a life-or-death crisis, neither of the two sapphires will respond to the owner who is trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Therefore, buying pyroxene at a trade transit point can be considered a form of gambling.

It just so happens that Teacher A Ling's soul power can see through the properties of these radiant stones. With this ability alone, she could make a fortune.

Xue Ming thought again--

--I'm afraid the people in the underworld are all people who are not short of money.

Just setting up a small stall for pyroxene identification at the trade transit station would likely draw a line of passengers waiting to purchase identification services that stretches from the service station at the Rare People Mansion all the way to the ring road.

He understood immediately.

When I first met Ms. A Ling, she said, "Here's a number, go line up yourself"—this wasn't a joke, it was true.

Such talent can shine and be sought after in any industry, even in the perilous underground world.

There just wasn't enough time.

Xue Ming wanted to ask more, much more.

Ask him more about things he didn't know or couldn't have imagined, but then a cleaning attendant rushed into the VIP carriage with a vacuum cleaner.

The leader, Sister Yangchun, didn't have a friendly expression. She told the three of them to move aside and led two new interns to do cleaning work around the booth and tables and chairs.

Su Ling chatted with Xue Ming while lifting her leg, her attitude carefree and natural.

Xue Ming took notes while nodding thoughtfully, keeping track of the favors owed to him.

"This thing is called 'stone gall,' and it likes venomous people. It's also a type of black stone. If you want it to glow, you'd have to transform into the 'Master Broken Water Flow' and give everyone here a disdainful look. Or just think of Crow from Hong Kong movies, and it'll like you immediately."

Xue Ming: "Hmm"

Su Ling: "And this, I got this stick from the BOSS. Although it says that passengers can only use one stick in their lifetime, that's not actually the case. In the VIP group, it often auctions off some relics."

Xue Ming: "Is it a VIP's keepsake?"

Su Ling: "That's right. When you walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet eventually. Every year, a few unlucky people go missing in various places. If the stick dies before the person, nothing will be left behind—but if the person dies before the stick, they'll at least leave behind these belongings."

Xue Ming: "These VIPs are all dead?"

Su Ling: "Not necessarily. Most of them are out of contact. The fastest they've been out of contact have mysteriously reappeared from underground within half a month and returned to the station's system. Others have undergone a complete personality change after ten years or so, becoming special individuals who are a completely different kind of person."

Xue Ming: "Oh, so that's how Mr. Wen Bucai is."

Su Ling picked up a large spear from the display case; it was almost ten feet long.

"This stick is a good item I snagged from the BOSS's auction group last year. But unfortunately, its original owner didn't die."

Xue Ming: "Then what should we do?"

Su Ling: "He found me and demanded that I return his treasure—think about it carefully, how could I possibly return something I bought with real money? So I beat him up."

Xue Ming: "Doesn't the BOSS care about these things?"

Su Ling: "It shamelessly remade a gun for that guy, which counts as a weapon pool re-run."

Yang Chun interrupted the passengers' chatter, telling them to hurry up and get out of the VIP carriage so she could do the final cleanup.

So Su Ling pulled Xiao Qi along, and with her other hand she grabbed Xue Ming's arm, looking like she had two women on her arms, as they walked towards the other carriages.

She stepped off the metal plate and onto the solid bricks of the platform, tilting her head towards Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi immediately understood, took off the teacher's sunglasses, and saw a pair of bright, moon-like eyes that shone with a cleverness.

A Ling Xue Ming, "Young man, you've come to the Nine Realms to work for Ming De, and there's still a lot you need to learn. I don't have much time, so I'll stop here for today—but I see you've been writing and drawing in your diary, listing so many favors. How about you do me a favor?"

Xue Ming nodded. "Please give your orders."

"Wait for me a moment." A Ling quickly ran back to the window of the VIP carriage and reached into the display case to take out a few treasures.

In less than a minute, the eccentric and straightforward older sister returned carrying several props, as if she had gone to a junkyard to sell trash.

"These things are all broken. Please help me fix them."

Then came a loud crash, and clumps of rusty parts, dented iron helmets, and weapons with rotten blades crashed down in front of Xue Ming.

Xue Ming felt a little uncertain.

He immediately squatted down, rummaged through the scrap parts, and then asked a question.

"Teacher A Ling, I can't even tell the original form of these precious items anymore. Are you so confident in my craftsmanship?"

To be honest, he wasn't sure what to do.

These clothes, armor, firearms, and weapons are no longer considered Ukrainian; they could be sent to a museum as artifacts after a little dusting.

Without the original design drafts and photos for reference, trying to repair them is nothing short of a pipe dream.

"It's alright, take your time fixing it." Su Ling raised her hand and immediately pulled out a secondary profession attribute panel from next to Xue Ming's ear.

The gleaming gold frame displayed the profile details page.

Teacher A Ling and Xue Ming are showing the [Craftsman] section.

"Look, your secondary professions, ironwork and fabric crafting, are currently at a very high level, but..."

Between the two highlighted job titles in the craftsman section, there are two glowing threads linking [Archaeology] and [Weaponry].

"As long as you fix these things, no matter how much time it takes, just tinkering with them in your spare time will definitely help. Don't you like leveling up?"

Then Su Ling picked out the [Title] section from the messy character attribute panel.

She was like a magician wielding light, with warm, soft golden threads forming concrete titles.

"Look!"

Suddenly, those slender, delicate hands opened, like unfurling a banner scroll, and a long string of text appeared, all of which were Xue Ming's [title] tags and notes.

[Cold-Faced Demon Man]

Anyone who dares to show their scalp will die.

[Quick Gunner]

[Killing people while being afraid]

I can't fall asleep without killing at least three people every day.

[You're about to be sucked in!]

[Anonymous]

[Schwarzschild Radius Wanderer]

[The Ruthless Mother Hunter]

[The Craftsman School]

[Walking Aphrodisiac]

[Transform!]

[Extraordinary Surgeon]

Level up! Level up! Level up!

I will always love dump trucks.

[Qingqing the Zookeeper]

[Steel Artist]

Before the scroll was even finished, at the part about "[I will always love dump trucks]", Xue Ming immediately raised his hand and closed this strange and inexplicable thing.

"That's enough, that's sufficient."

Su Ling had no expression, because she couldn't make expressions; she just pursed her lips slightly and blew air, as if releasing some indescribable little emotion.

"Hiu!~ It's a deal then, you help me repair my equipment, and you can practice your skills while you're at it. I'll absolutely protect you from the wrath of Red Star Hill —how about it?"

Xiao Qi immediately raised her hand. "What about me? What about me? Teacher!"

Su Ling immediately raised her hands and placed them near Xiao Qi's head, as if to perform a spell.

Xiao Qi asked in confusion, "Teacher, what are you doing?"

Su Ling: "I tried to dispel the [Charm] on your head, but this spell is too strong. This debuff seems to be a buff for you. With [Love], your growth rate far exceeds my expectations. It's fucking bizarre that you've already emerged from the cocoon."

Xiao Qi pried open Master A Ling's hands. "Hahahahahahaha!"

Su Ling immediately said in a serious tone, "Okay, let's get back to business."

Xue Ming was about to take out his notebook, ready to continue recording the detailed content of the important matter.

Su Ling: "Farewell!"

After saying that, the Guling and Jingguai VIP took off running.

Immediately afterwards, Xue Ming felt a gust of wind behind him as countless people poured out of the underground passage of the platform.

Not only that, but the elevator access corridors of the Council of Five Kings, from the crew's lounge to the machine room, turned the originally sparsely populated platform into a crowded and chaotic mess.

People rushed toward the VIP area, and one could faintly hear frenzied shouts and strange RUARUA cries.

This is Xue Ming's blind spot in knowledge.

Yes, he doesn't understand.

Teacher A Ling climbed over the fence, ascended the rocky base of the railway, grabbed the projection screen, and climbed to the main floor of the Council of Five Kings. She then immediately slipped through the window.

She shouted loudly out the window, it was unclear whether she was shouting to the enthusiastic fans or to Jiang Xueming.

"See you at the next stop!"

People simply stood in front of the fence, gazing longingly at the scalding lava river.

Jiang Xueming felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time. He asked the flight attendant for a large tablecloth and used it to wrap up all the broken iron and tattered clothes on the ground, leaving no scraps behind. He tried to carry the large cloth bag, but it was a bit difficult.

When the meteor arrived, it was still wondering what was going on with the bustling platform, thinking it was a celebration of the Lantern Festival and wanting to join the festivities immediately.

Xue Ming shouted, "Let's go!"

Meteor immediately asked, "Where to?"

Xue Ming: "Go back to the coffee shop, back to the bar, back to our [JoeStar], put your things down, and then go see the BOSS."

The words had barely left his mouth--

--All the UI elements in Xue Ming's eyes disappeared.

He thought to himself that even Teacher A Ling's soul power had a range limit. Now that she had gone far away, the UI instructions in his eyes had disappeared.

Finally, a huge exclamation mark appeared in the UI notification bar, the text of which looked quite sarcastic.

[You're not qualified! You're not qualified! You've been removed from the team!]

Jason Megan and the waitress Katusha exchanged a few polite words with Jiang Xueming before returning to their guest room to rest.

Jiang Xueming didn't know how to thank this older brother who had worked silently behind the scenes.

During this trip to London, Jason had satellite maps online the entire time. His intelligence capabilities were extremely strong. He had prepared materials about the movement of people in Chaderton Fort and the basic situation of the various sects of the Blessed Holy Blood Church well in advance of Jiang Xueming's operation. This Roman man who was studying at the SAS had prepared the materials well in advance.

The final sniping segment also involved Mr. Jason instructing Katusha to set up defenses and intercept the enemy in the abandoned mine tunnels of Golden Township.

Some people may seem offline, but they've actually already finished their work.

"Actually, you don't need to be so polite with me. I hate the word 'thank you.' A lot of people like to use 'thank you' to pay others for their work." Jason stood in front of the guest room door, scratching his chin with a wandering gaze. "I'm just not willing to admit defeat. You'll definitely follow me to Red Star Hill, right? I just don't want to lose to you, Jiang Xueming."

Xue Ming didn't answer; he didn't know how to deal with such a stubborn person.

After thinking for a long time, he opened his arms and looked at the tall and strong Roman man.

Jason's expression immediately changed. "You want me to carry you?"

Xue Ming smiled, still silent. She gently shook her arm, the message clear: [Stop talking nonsense, I'll hug you, you hug me.]

That means, "[You've worked hard, I'm not saying anything more, just giving you a hug]".

Jason's expression became quite interesting. He first squinted in disgust, then went back to his room to shave his beard, changed into decent pajamas, and tidied up his appearance.

Finally, he hugged Xue Ming tightly, clenching his fists and gently tapping his best friend's vest.

They didn't speak, not a single word.

Then simply separate.

--Jiang Xueming then hugged Xiao Qi again, then let go, while also restraining the girl's hands and protecting his own bottom.

"Thanks for your hard work."

He hugged each of his friends one by one, even hugging the surprised Teacher San San.

Robert Tang Ning pointed to his nose, looking completely bewildered.

"Do I want a hug too?"

Xue Ming nodded vigorously. "Yes, I couldn't have survived without you."

This one sentence alone might explain a great deal.

While hugging Little Downing, Xue Ming could hear the boy's soft whispers.

"Mr. Xue Ming, can you be my teacher?"

"What does that mean? What kind of knowledge is being taught?"

"I want to be your student, Mr. Xue Ming. You seem so rational and strong. You're like fire to your friends, and like fire to your enemies. My Chinese isn't very good, so this is the best way to describe you."

Xue Ming released Tang Ning, pointed to the window in the guest room corridor, and pointed outside the window.

"Once my shop opens, you can learn anything you want."

Looking down at the star-colored sky outside the window...

--[JoeStar]'s workshop archway is not yet finished.

Inside a prefabricated house at the construction site, three old friends squatted in front of a large iron barrel.

Wen Bucai fiddled with the charcoal in the iron bucket, turned on the barbecue grill, and took charge of cooking.

Victor, looking disgusted, held his book and pen, ready to jot down his friends' deeds and tell new stories.

Jack kept crying, it was hard to tell if it was from the smoke or from genuine emotion.

However, his job was very simple; all he had to do was eat.

Wen Bucai said, "It's awkward to say anything at this time."

Victor replied, "Indeed, the food you made is like a lump of scalding mud, the charcoal has too much moisture, and the coal ash from the firewood will cause oral cancer. You're no different from a primitive man who eats raw meat and drinks blood."

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Bucai raised his knife, his magical power suddenly manifesting as he sliced off the meat, and forcefully shoved his culinary creation into Victor's mouth.

"But it's delicious." Victor immediately changed his tune. "Even this rough food tastes sweet in the face of death. How interesting! I'll remember this deliciousness born of fear."

Four bottles of Iron Knight whisky were placed on the small table.

Only Jack kept sobbing and crying.

He should have been the one who looked the youngest.

Currently, they appear to be between 33 and 48 years old.

"That's great! That's great!"

He kept nodding, opening his mouth to receive the slices of meat that Brother Wen Bucai brought him, but he could hardly utter a complete sentence. At the same time, he picked up his wine glass, Victor poured him a glass of cheap and delicious Iron Knight.

The boss sat in the stroller, holding a knife and fork, looking exactly like Jack.

It was drooling, and it was also shedding tears.

"That's great! That's great!"

Wen Bucai poured water into the iron bucket to extinguish the firewood and charcoal, and set up the barbecue grill on the table, signifying that the barbecue was finished and the work was done.

The scalding steam bursts out of the prefabricated house, making the temperature inside even higher and more intense.

The [JoeRank] crew raised their glasses in a toast, and then they saw the unpolished and slightly raw [JoeStar] sign outside the building.

Crossing the river of time, countless crowds have surged forth.

--We can still meet again.

I recommend a new book: <This Player Has Some Mercy, But Not Many>

It's really good, I watched it, it's really good.

It's an infinite flow

I grabbed the one that I was inhaling deeply.

Please cast your unwanted votes for him!