Player Trading Market (Part 2)

"Huh, why isn't there a green glow over this guy's head?"

A bizarre duo, one tall and one short, both skin and bones, arrived at Li Si's stall. The tall one stared at Li Si with a look of pure curiosity, as if he were observing a rare animal.

"Are you stupid? The ones without a green glow are NPCs!"

The short player jumped up and slapped the back of the tall one's head, then pushed impatiently against his leg, saying, "Move, move, move! What's so great about a pile of rags? We came here to buy guns for a big job."

"But... brother, didn't you say we took a plane here specifically to find an NPC?" the tall player asked, scratching his head in hesitation.

"Find my ass... wait, what did you just say?"

The short one jumped up to slap the tall one's head again, but froze mid-landing.

"Find an NPC!"

The tall player stiffened his neck and closed his eyes, bracing himself for another blow.

However, the expected slap never landed.

The short one clapped his hands together in a sudden flash of realization and excitement, saying, "Right, an NPC! Why did I come here to find an NPC again?"

"I heard you say you wanted to buy some kind of clothes, the Thunder... something suit?"

The tall player looked troubled, scratching his head as he tried his best to recall.

"..."

Li Si watched these two clowns in speechless silence. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he couldn't help but interject: "It's the Thunder King Battle Suit!"

"That's it! The Thunder King Battle Suit! Brother, how did you know?"

The short one shouted in delight, nearly jumping three feet into the air.

"...Brother, that's enough. Are you two doing a comedy routine or what?"

Li Si's smile stiffened, his mind flooded with so many retorts he didn't know where to begin. Where did this pair of weirdos come from? Their parents must have had a truly difficult time raising them.

"Where? Where is it? Where's the Thunder King Battle Suit?"

"Holy crap, an NPC! It must be him, the hidden merchant who appeared at Osir Tower!"

"Boss, I want to buy a suit! I don't care what the price is, I'll take it!"

Though the short player was small, his voice was anything but. His shout attracted quite a bit of attention, and like a viral infection, the entire underground parking garage began to boil over.

Countless players charged toward Li Si's stall, surrounding him in a tight, shoving mass. The sheer intensity of them waving cash with flushed faces nearly intimidated him.

"Quiet! The suit is twenty-five thousand, the gloves are one thousand. Cash on delivery, card payments accepted. Anyone who hasn't paid, put the items down right now!"

Having seen his fair share of big scenes, Li Si quickly composed himself. He pulled a card reader from his pocket, slammed it onto the ground, and roared. The sheer volume of his voice actually suppressed the clamor of the surrounding players.

The noisy surroundings fell silent. Whether they were shocked by Li Si's roar or terrified by the price, the atmosphere in the underground parking garage cooled in an instant.

"If you aren't buying, move aside! I'm buying!"

Just as the atmosphere hit freezing point, a fierce-looking white man shoved through the crowd, pushed his way to the front, and threw a stack of cash onto the stall.

"I'm buying one too!"

"Boss, I'll take a set."

"I don't want the gloves, just give me a suit."

With the burly white man leading the way, several more players stepped forward. Between cash and card payments, he quickly sold a few more sets.

But that was where it ended.

Players didn't have much starting capital, and they still had to spend on food, clothing, housing, and transportation. They might have had over ten thousand dollars, but to pull out twenty-five thousand required pooling their resources.

And when it came to pooling money, who would contribute for whom became a problem. After all, everyone wanted the equipment, and even if they could borrow, it was hard to ask.

"Move, move!"

Just then, someone else squeezed into the corner where Li Si was located, and the voice sounded very familiar.

"Boss, where's my stuff? Hurry up and take it out so I can see if it looks cool."

Li Ritian used his broad frame to shove the people in front of the stall to the sides, followed by the short-haired female player named Ye Xi from last time.

"Heh, don't worry, it's all ready."

Li Si chuckled as he moved his large tool bag to his side. He pulled out a set of clothes folded into a perfect square and beckoned to Ye Xi, who was behind Li Ritian: "Come, this is yours."

"Mine?"

Seeing Li Si beckon, Ye Xi poked her head out from behind Li Ritian and looked at the battle suit in Li Si's hands.

It was a full set: a dark purple leather jacket with black accents for the top, purple elastic fiber athletic pants for the bottom, and in addition, a black cape and a black eye mask. It looked like something out of a costume party.

"Wow! That's so cool!"

Ye Xi ran over in pleasant surprise, happily taking the battle suit and hugging it to her chest.

However, the players who had just bought the suits felt a sourness in their hearts. They looked at the ragged, tattered clothes in their own hands, then at the cool, stylish leather suit in Ye Xi's, and their mental state instantly collapsed.

"Damn, Boss, this is gender discrimination! You can't treat us differently just because she's a girl."

"Exactly, why is her battle suit like that, while ours are just a few rags and some wires? I don't accept this."

"I demand a refund!"

Several people began to clamor one after another.

However, before Li Si could say a word, Li Ritian waved his hands impatiently, as if shooing away flies:

"Get lost, get lost, a bunch of broke losers. My little sister spent two thousand game coins to modify this. If you have the ability, pay to modify yours; if you don't, stop yapping here."

"Damn, who the hell do you think you are... Hao Bruce? Holy crap, this guy is Hao Bruce, beat him up!"

Playing games was meant for relaxation, so the players had no reservations, snapping back immediately. After retorting, they saw Li Ritian's name, erupted with profanity, and prepared to strike.

"Try laying a finger on me!"

Li Ritian glared at the surrounding players without a hint of fear, pointing at them arrogantly: "Let me tell you, this place has been booked by me. Whoever makes a move can forget about ever coming back in."

Following his words, a group of people emerged from the crowd of players and stood behind him to confront the others. Looking at the identical black suits worn by those players, the implication was self-evident.

Now, no one dared to make a move. The leading freelance players raised their hands, stuck in an awkward stalemate, unsure whether to fight or back down.