I Have a Dream

"All right, all right. What are you getting so worked up for? Don't interrupt my business, or I'll add you to my customer blacklist!"

Seeing the tension rise, Li Si, who was all about making peace and making money, had no choice but to step in and smooth things over. He pulled the battle suit he'd prepared for Li Ritian out of his bag. "This is yours. Since you're my first special customer, I'm throwing in a pair of matching weapons for free!"

"You're throwing in weapons too?"

At that, Li Ritian's face lit up with delight, and he forgot all about picking a fight.

But the moment he turned and saw the suit in Li Si's hands, his smile vanished. His face looked as if he'd swallowed a turd.

Green. Green everywhere.

A green bodysuit, green leather pants, a green full-head mask, green gloves, a green telescopic stun baton...

"Boss... why is it all green?"

Li Ritian's face stiffened. He managed to force out a smile, his voice trembling.

"What's wrong with green? Does it have some special meaning?"

Li Si looked bewildered and utterly innocent, though he was secretly laughing to himself.

That'll teach you to give me the nickname Grassland Hero. Now you can bear that heavy title yourself.

"There is... Boss, can you change it? Just the color would be fine..."

Li Ritian's face flushed red. He had a stampede of mythical beasts racing through his mind, but couldn't say a word.

After all, there was no taboo about green hats or forgiving shades in America. And it wasn't even certain that people in China in this game had that saying.

"Of course not!"

Li Si refused with righteous indignation, sending Li Ritian's heart plummeting. "I poured my heart and soul into designing this battle suit. Green represents life and hope, and it's also the perfect color for camouflage in the wilderness."

"Then can I buy another suit?" Li Ritian asked.

"No!"

Li Si put on a stern expression and shook his head firmly. But then he beckoned for Li Ritian to come closer, whispered a few words in his ear, and glanced at the female player named Ye Xi.

"Really?"

Li Si must have said something, because Li Ritian's eyes immediately lit up. He cast a guilty glance at Ye Xi.

"Of course. Just take it easy, and make sure you don't get caught."

Li Si patted Li Ritian on the shoulder with a satisfied smile, as if he were a promising pupil.

"Don't worry, hehe, don't worry. Boss, you really know how to do business. If you get any new stuff next time, I'll definitely come back!"

Li Ritian grinned lewdly. He no longer cared whether the suit was green or not. Clutching it, he scampered off with Ye Xi, claiming they were going to test it out.

"Maybe we should start calling him the Green Hat Warrior. Hahaha!"

"Pfft—hahahaha!"

As soon as Li Ritian left, the players who'd been holding back their laughter clutched their stomachs and cracked up, nearly laughing themselves breathless.

Li Si, meanwhile, made a cross over his chest and gazed up at the ceiling at a mournful forty-five-degree angle. "I really am as generous as ever. I've given away another girl... Ahem, a girl. May God bless Hao Bruce."

"Boss, how did you get him to accept that green outfit? That was incredible!"

After the laughter died down, one of the players gave Li Si a thumbs-up.

Li Si only smiled enigmatically and said nothing, then went back to business.

The reason Li Ritian had been so excited to accept the green—hat suit was simple: Li Si had merely told him that it was a matching couple's set with female player Ye Xi's suit.

He'd also added a couple of little features to the two suits. Nothing high-tech, just a simple tactile simulation system. But the controls for this system were installed in the other person's suit.

When the two wearers were within range of each other, the suits would connect wirelessly. Data would be transmitted to the other suit, making it simulate the wearer's sensations. It was perfect for pulling off certain lewd acts.

There was no need to worry about the equipment attribute panel, either. Aside from the basic stats, everything else in the equipment display—such as its name—could be customized by the maker. Even some of the attributes could be concealed.

Back before his rebirth, the story of Li Ritian pursuing Ye Xi had caused quite a stir for a while. Li Si knew all about it. It just wouldn't be like him not to take advantage of the situation.

Of course, Li Si wasn't actually being so kind as to let Li Ritian enjoy a romantic fling.

Ye Xi was an attractive player with a great figure, but there was just one thing: Ye Xi's gender... ahem... was still up for debate. After all, technology on Earth was quite advanced these days.

"Thunder King Battle Suit! Anyone else want one? Limited quantity, so buy now!"

After thoroughly fleecing Li Ritian, Li Si was clearly in a very good mood. Even his sales pitch sounded cheerful.

His cries drew the players' attention back to the battle suits. A few more pooled their money and reluctantly bought one.

Counting the few already sold, they'd sold eight or nine suits today. But compared to the nearly forty he'd brought along, that was a mere drop in the bucket.

There was no doubt that his fundraising drive had crashed and burned. He'd thought of everything, but failed to account for human nature. He was still a little green when it came to business.

A few more minutes passed, but the players who were watching still made no move.

Although Li Si knew that the money he'd raised was already more than enough to pay the balance for the Transformer parts, he still couldn't help feeling dissatisfied. After all, before he'd arrived, he'd already regarded the one or two thousand dollars in each player's pocket as his own.

After painstakingly racking his brains and studying the success stories of countless pioneers from generations past, he finally had an epiphany.

"I'm sorry!"

"I want to apologize to everyone here!"

Li Si spoke with heartfelt sincerity, breaking the silence around him.

"???"

"What's going on?"

"Did this NPC realize he was charging too much and decide to lower the price?"

"Great! I was just a little short. If he knocks off two thousand, I'll be able to afford one!"

At Li Si's sudden apology, the players first looked utterly bewildered, then gradually began to brighten with excitement.

"I repent for being so obsessed with money earlier..."

Li Si's words only made the players more excited.

"Just now, I remembered my dream. I remembered why I first chose to become a scientist."

"I... have a dream!"