Player Trading Market (Part 1)

"I will be with you throughout the tour. Where I go, you follow. That is the basic rule. As long as you remember that, everything will be fine..."

After Gwen finished her introduction, her tone gradually turned serious. Halfway through, she glanced at the poor guy downstairs who was being dragged away by security for impersonating Peter Parker, and added, "I don't think I need to tell you what happens if you forget that. Let's go!"

"So cool, total queen vibes!"

Li Si secretly gave a thumbs-up from the side, mouthing the words.

Gwen shot him a glare, then turned and led the group of interns toward the genetics laboratory.

At this moment, Peter Parker, who had been timidly following at the back of the crowd, spotted Li Si. He looked pleasantly surprised and wanted to say hello, but the "Hey" died in his throat. Feeling guilty, he squeezed further into the crowd.

Li Si naturally wouldn't expose Peter Parker at a time like this. He merely glanced at him before catching up to Gwen and entering the Trans-Species Genetics Department, where he sat at his desk, leisurely waiting for the show to begin.

Actually, there wasn't much to see.

It was just Dr. Curt Connors, who had rarely taken the time to come out over the past week or two, briefly introducing his current research projects and ambitions to the dozen or so new interns.

Then came the Q&A session. However, because Li Si had previously complained that the laboratory was filled with answers everywhere, the opportunity for Peter Parker to show off was cruelly snatched away; Dr. Curt Connors simply nodded and ignored him.

But this was a good thing for Peter Parker, at least sparing him the crisis of having his identity exposed.

It was just that because he had stood out earlier, he had startled Gwen. After comparing him against the list, the smile on her face had frozen, and she didn't recover until Dr. Curt Connors left.

"I'll handle it, you continue the tour!"

Li Si stopped Gwen, who was about to question Peter Parker, and pointed toward the interns gathered around the holographic projection.

"Fine, just remember to keep him out of trouble, or I'll be the one in deep trouble."

Gwen rubbed her temples in frustration and led the interns off to visit the Bio-Reactor Room.

"Hi... Li!"

Peter Parker waved his hand with an awkward smile.

"Peter, how did you sneak in here? The security at Osir Tower isn't exactly friendly..."

Li Si put on a pained and helpless expression as he walked over.

"Uh... if I said I love science and wanted to take a look, would you believe me?"

Peter Parker said sheepishly.

"Guess whether I believe you!"

Li Si remained expressionless.

"Alright, I guess you wouldn't."

Peter Parker sighed, clutching his forehead. "Li, I'm just taking a quick look and then I'll leave. I won't cause you any trouble, I promise!"

"Fine, but don't go wandering around. If you enter a classified department, you'll be held legally responsible. I don't want the next time I see you to be in a police holding cell."

"OK, I promise."

Peter Parker let out a sigh of relief and nodded quickly, preparing to leave.

Li Si, who was just going through the motions, naturally didn't say anything more. He watched him leave, watched him bump into the Black agent hired by Norman Osborn and discover the research files on the genetically modified spiders, and watched him tail the agent toward the Green Goblin Bio-Web Production Room.

"Sigh, looks like I'll have to ask for leave from class next week..."

With a sigh, Li Si didn't follow him further, instead returning to his desk to continue coding.

What is meant to come will come eventually. The next time he saw Peter Parker, he might just have to call him the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man of New York.

Sunday was a busy day.

In order to rush the completion of the Transformer control program, Li Si had even pushed company matters to the side.

In any case, relying on a promotion to fulfill the requirements for the Scientist Template was no longer possible. The Spider-Man plot was nearly half a month ahead of his expectations; in a few days, Dr. Curt Connors would turn into the real Lizard.

By then, Dr. Curt Connors would be fired by Norman Osborn, and the entire experimental project would be scrapped. Whether he had a job or not no longer mattered.

Li Si had already requested three days off from school and had also notified Max to take leave from the company, preparing himself for a grueling, non-stop work session.

But before that, he still had to harvest some funds from the players; after all, the final payments for the incoming parts were still unaccounted for.

After work, he grabbed his prepared large tool bag and hurried out of the company.

Osir Tower underground parking lot.

"Come take a look! Professional document forgery, indistinguishable from the real thing!"

"All kinds of firearms on clearance! Pistols, shotguns, we have it all!"

"We handle gun licenses! Issued in three days, best prices!"

"Selling template clues! Thirteen common templates, four blue templates, all selling at dirt-cheap prices!"

In the noisy, enclosed environment, various hawking cries echoed, leaving Li Si with a face full of black lines.

"Why are there so many people?"

He was almost stunned the moment he stepped off the stairs.

Although he had anticipated that quite a few players would gather here, this was simply too many people.

The entire underground parking lot had transformed into a trading market for players, bearing no resemblance to the desolation of his last visit.

The place was clamorous with voices, filled with stalls of all sizes, and the sounds of haggling were incessant.

There were no fewer than a hundred players setting up stalls, but even more were weaving between them; everywhere he looked, it was a sea of green, just like a vast grassland.

However, the crowd was a good thing for him. With the mindset that making money was the priority, he didn't bother browsing the other players' stalls and instead found a spot in a corner to set up his own.

The two-piece set of crudely crafted Thunder King Battle Suit was laid out piece by piece, yet it failed to attract anyone's attention. After all, there were simply too many players setting up stalls around him; people were arriving and packing up to leave at every moment, and a week's time had made everyone accustomed to the scene.

But how did that saying go again?

Gold will always shine, and a crane will always stand out in a flock of chickens.

In that vast ocean of green caps, the empty space atop Li Si's head was undoubtedly eye-catching, and the items displayed on his stall were vastly different from the common firearms and such surrounding him, quickly drawing the gaze of several players.