Wu Heng memorized the information on the two stalls. Both said they would be online at midnight, which was the case for most stalls.
When he returned to the Silver Scale Armor stall, the same Green Scale man was online again.
"This is the list of items I need." Wu Heng handed the stall owner a printed sheet of paper.
The paper itself came from the manual the stall owner had given him last time. He had simply printed red text onto it.
The stall owner picked up the list and glanced over it. He'd gotten used to running a stall over the past few days and had served quite a few customers, but the items on this list were still a bit outrageous.
"That's a lot. You can't take all of that into a story world, can you?"
The silver-armored stall owner hesitated. This guy wanted so many things—was he planning to carry out a terrorist attack in the real world?
The list read: two pairs of Eagle Claw Gauntlets, two Morning Star Maces with chains. Those were reasonable.
But the rest included two Thunder Gatlings and 20,000 rounds of ammunition; two AL19 Light Machine Guns and 6,000 rounds; 100 grenades; 20 bulletproof vests; 50 camouflage tactical uniforms; 10 drones and 100 drone-dropped bombs; a small disassemblable helicopter; and a rocket launcher.
The list filled an entire page.
"Are you selling or not?"
Wu Heng didn't bother explaining. He simply asked. If this stall owner wouldn't sell to him, there were other stalls that would.
"Selling!" the stall owner replied without hesitation.
The real world had its own forces to protect it. Even if these weapons were used in a terrorist attack, it wouldn't amount to much. He might as well earn the survival points first.
Then he remembered what the organization had told him to do. He glanced at Wu Heng, who was wearing a doctor's costume and a mask. Though his appearance was concealed, he still had the distinct, familiar air of someone from Deep Blue Star. Still, it could also be a deliberate disguise.
Anyone willing to spend this many survival points on supplies had definitely taken part in a story.
The stall owner thought it over, then said, "My codename is Green Scale, and I'm with the Exquisite Association. We have three Tower Masters. People from Deep Blue Star are welcome to join us. If you're considering joining a faction, you might want to give us some thought."
"Okay, I'll consider it."
Wu Heng could tell the other man had figured out he was from Deep Blue Star, so he didn't deny it. Sometimes a man's sixth sense was pretty accurate.
"Good. You've got quite a few items on your list, so I'll need around 642 survival points. Are you sure you need all of this?"
"Actually, you could be more economical. Modern firepower is only useful in some of the early worlds. The supernatural and the mysterious are the right path. You'll understand that later."
"There are things I can't say much about, but don't go down the wrong path. In the future, only strengthening yourself will keep you alive."
Green Scale hesitated, then decided to offer a word of caution.
"Understood. Thanks for the advice. I know what I'm doing."
Wu Heng understood what Green Scale meant. He just wasn't short on survival points, and the space inside his Life Box was enormous.
He could get firepower in the story worlds, but bringing it out would still cost him a transfer fee. Keeping a little on hand made him feel safer.
"Fine. There's a lot to prepare, so it'll take me some time. Come to my private room to trade in half an hour. I'll give you temporary access. It'll keep things confidential for you, too."
Green Scale saw that Wu Heng seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Since they weren't close, there was no point in saying too much, so he stopped trying to talk him out of it.
Private rooms opened with survival points were absolutely safe, Lighthouse-certified. The main plaza wasn't. Wu Heng knew that, so he nodded in agreement.
He continued around the plaza, but didn't find anything else he needed. Then he returned to his bedroom in the real world and considered his plans.
At some point, he went to the Lighthouse and picked up the items from his trade with Green Scale.
At midnight, he returned to the Lighthouse. The two stall owners he'd messaged through their stall signs came online right on time, and Wu Heng bought the two items he wanted.
One was a small glass vial about the length of his index finger, half-filled with thick black blood.
The other was a two-inch-long candle, no thicker than a pair of chopsticks, with a yellowish, pus-like color and the stench of a corpse.
Wu Heng entered his private room in the Lighthouse and opened the small glass vial. The thick black blood seemed to stir at being disturbed, and its color began to change.
He tried to absorb it with Siphon. The black blood vanished, and a faint surge of energy flowed into the heart inside his Life Box.
Witches were beings who wielded evil arts through power passed down from generation to generation.
Wu Heng felt his mind grow a little clearer and sharper. The perception he'd gained from absorbing the Son of God's blood seemed to have been injected with a stimulant.
His perception, which couldn't leave his body, began to grow stronger and more flexible. He could now direct it freely to observe everything within a foot of himself.
In a martial arts film, this would already count as the mind's eye.
Wu Heng checked his belongings once more to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, then focused his thoughts and activated the Tower Mark.
"Enter the story world early."
[Identity information locked. Lighthouse number: SL914] [Anchored world: Tomie] [Transfer countdown: 5 seconds.] [4 seconds!] [3 seconds!]
As the void shifted around him, Wu Heng passed through a barrier and appeared high in the air. Below him lay rows of low-rise guesthouses, while crowds of people brushed past one another like ants, constantly bowing their heads.
Wu Heng took in the information transmitted by the Tower Mark.
World: Tomie [Survival mission: Survive for 20 days (Mission reward: 500 survival points.)] [Story mission 1: Kill Tomie (Mission reward: 3,000 survival points)] [Number of entrants: 1] [Arrival countdown: 10 minutes (Enter immediately)]
"Enter immediately," Wu Heng chose.
*
"You've got to be kidding me. That's hilarious!"
A young man's surprised laughter rang in Wu Heng's ears.
He opened his eyes and found himself in the passenger seat of an ordinary gray car.
The driver was a young man in a blue shirt, black baseball cap, and sunglasses. He was the one who'd just spoken.
"Yeah, that's just the kind of person he is!"
A girl in the back seat, with her hair tied in a bun and a slightly chubby, rather pretty face, laughed as she replied.
"Exactly! You said it!" the young man echoed with a nod.
Wu Heng looked around. Rows of trees lined both sides of the car as it drove along a shady road. The area seemed deserted.
The girl leaned forward and asked, "Shinsuke, are we there yet?"
"Almost!"
"Hurry up! How much longer?" the girl whined in a coquettish voice.
"How much longer?"
She propped her face on one hand and stared out at the trees, repeating herself.
"Shoko, are you really that impatient?" Shinsuke chuckled.
The car continued slowly onward as the sky gradually turned gray and darker. Night was almost upon them.
"Come on, can't you go any faster?" Shoko pouted, clasping her hands together beneath her chin.
"Where are we going?"
Wu Heng felt like the Lighthouse had stuffed a pile of crap into his head this time.
The few memories he'd inherited from the young man he'd possessed were enough to make him feel sick just thinking about them. They were seriously revolting.
On top of that, his host had been drunk earlier. His good friend Shinsuke had dragged him into the car while he was unconscious.
Now that Wu Heng had woken up, he didn't even know where they were going.
"We're here! Ta-da!"
Before Wu Heng could ask anything else, the car pulled over beside the road.
Shinsuke spread his arms and pointed out the window at an old house, as if presenting a prized treasure.
Before you continue