Player Trading Market (Part 1)

"I'll be with you throughout the tour. Wherever I go, you'll follow. That's the basic rule. As long as you remember that, everything will be fine..."

After Gwen finished introducing herself, her tone gradually turned serious. Halfway through, she glanced down at the poor guy being dragged out by security for having his identity taken over by Peter Parker. "I don't think I need to explain what happens if you forget that rule. Let's go!"

"Cool. Total queen energy!"

Li Si quietly gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed the words from the sidelines.

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

At that moment, Peter Parker, who had been trailing nervously at the back of the crowd, spotted Li Si. His face lit up, and he started to greet him, but he swallowed the "Hey" before it could leave his mouth and sheepishly squeezed farther into the crowd.

Li Si wasn't about to expose Peter Parker in front of everyone, either. He merely glanced at him, then caught up with Gwen and entered the Department of Cross-Species Genetics, settling down at his desk to leisurely watch the show.

There wasn't much to see, really.

Dr. Connors had finally managed to find some time in his busy schedule over the past week or two. He briefly introduced his current research project and ambitions to the dozen or so new interns.

Then came the questions and the race to answer them. But since Li Si had previously joked that the lab was full of answers, Peter Parker's chance to shine was cruelly snatched away. Dr. Connors merely nodded and ignored him.

Still, this was a good thing for Peter Parker. At least it spared him the risk of having his identity exposed.

But his earlier eagerness had startled Gwen. After she compared him with the list, her smile froze, and it stayed that way until Dr. Connors left.

"I'll handle this. You keep showing them around!"

Li Si stopped Gwen just as she was about to confront Peter Parker and pointed to the interns gathered around the holographic display.

"All right. Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble, or I'll be in for it."

Gwen massaged her aching forehead, then led the interns off to tour the Bio-Reactor Room.

"Hi... Li!"

Peter Parker gave an awkward smile and raised a hand.

"Peter, how did you get in here? Osborn's security guards aren't exactly friendly..."

Li Si walked over, putting on a helpless, exasperated expression.

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

Peter Parker said sheepishly.

"Take a guess."

Li Si's expression remained blank.

"Okay, I'm guessing you wouldn't believe me."

Peter Parker sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Li, I'm just going to look around, then I'll leave right away. I won't get you into trouble, I promise!"

"Fine, but don't go wandering into restricted areas. You could be held legally responsible if you do. I'd rather not see you in a holding cell the next time we meet."

"OK, I promise."

Peter Parker breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, ready to leave.

Since Li Si had only been going through the motions, he didn't say anything else. He watched Peter Parker leave, run into the Black representative Norman Osborn had hired, and discover the research files on genetically modified spiders. Then he watched Peter Parker follow the representative toward the Green Goblin Bio-Web Production Room.

"Looks like I'll have to skip class next week..."

With a sigh, Li Si didn't follow them. Instead, he returned to his desk and continued typing code.

What was coming was bound to happen. The next time he saw Peter Parker, perhaps he should call him New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Sunday was a busy day.

To finish the Transformer control program as quickly as possible, Li Si had even set aside the company's affairs.

There was no way he could meet the Scientist Template requirements by getting promoted now. The Spider-Man storyline had started nearly half a month earlier than he'd expected, and in a few days, Connors would become the real Lizard.

Once Connors was fired by Osborn, the entire research project would be abandoned. There would be little point in going to work.

Li Si had already asked the school for three days off. He'd also told Max to take time off from work, preparing for a grueling stretch of nonstop work.

But first, he needed to collect a round of funds from the players. He still had no money to pay the balance on the parts arriving soon.

After work, Li Si picked up the large tool bag he'd prepared and hurried out of the company.

The underground parking garage at Osir Tower.

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

"Firearms on sale! Pistols, hunting rifles, you name it!"

"Need a gun permit? We can get you one in three days, and at a great price!"

"Template leads for sale! Thirteen ordinary templates and four blue templates, all going for dirt cheap!"

The clamor of various sales pitches echoed through the enclosed space, leaving Li Si speechless.

"Why are there so many people?"

He had only just walked down the stairs, and he was already nearly dumbfounded.

He'd expected quite a few players to gather here, but this was way more than he'd imagined.

The entire underground parking garage had become a player trading market, nothing like the quiet place it had been last time.

It was packed with people, and stalls of all sizes had sprung up. The sounds of haggling were constant.

There were at least a hundred players running stalls, and even more weaving between them. Everywhere Li Si looked, he saw a sea of green, like a grassland.

But the crowd was a good thing for him. With making money as his priority, he didn't bother browsing the other players' stalls. He went straight to a spot in the corner and set up his own.

He laid out the two crude pieces of his Thunder King Battle Suit one by one, but they didn't attract anyone's attention. There were simply too many players running stalls nearby. People came and went constantly, packing up and leaving as they pleased. After a week, everyone had gotten used to the scene.

But what was that saying?

Gold always shines, and a crane always stands out among chickens.

In a vast sea of green hats, the bare patch on Li Si's head was undeniably eye-catching. And the items on his stall were unlike the ordinary guns and other goods around him. Before long, a few players had noticed them.