Mech's Afterglow

With a large sum of money in hand, Xu Jiang began selecting gifts in the black market.

The reward for this mission was 120 Exotic Crystals, which were quite valuable.

Yong'an City's surface currency was credit points, but those were officially recognized. They weren't the currency recognized by the black market.

After all, few people who frequented the black market bothered to show respect to the mayor. Compared to credit points, which were just numbers, Exotic Crystals, capable of being used as an energy source, were clearly more accepted.

Therefore, for this mission, Ying Xiaoxiao had specifically requested payment in Exotic Crystals. Each one was worth nearly 20,000 credit points. This gift was absolutely extravagant.

Of course, Xu Jiang politely demurred, suggesting they split the money among the five of them. After all, they had risked their lives for it, and it wouldn't be right for one person to hog it all.

But they refused! They insisted on giving it to him.

With no other choice, Xu Jiang tearfully accepted the money and happily went on a shopping spree.

There were too many goods in the black market. After browsing for half an hour, he had only visited a few shops. If he wanted to see everything, he probably wouldn't be able to finish choosing even by dawn. He'd have to listen to everyone's suggestions.

Sha Tu's suggestion was quite practical: "Why don't you buy this sniper rifle? It's a Level 10 purple item, and your level is almost there."

"No, my talent is very special. I only choose weapons based on fate."

Ying Xiaoxiao's suggestion was more long-term: "Why don't you buy a house in the city center? Property prices there hold their value, so it would be an investment."

"Team Leader, you really know how to manage finances. I still want to spend money to improve my combat power."

Baozi's suggestion was more direct: "I see those ladies over there waving at you. How about we..."

"Team Leader, Baozi is trying to get me to go to the red-light district."

"No, Team Leader, hear me out! Those ladies made the first move, I... Ah! Don't draw your weapon!"

As for Xiao Zhen, she was happily eating ice cream with her phantom, so she probably couldn't offer any good advice.

Having money but nowhere to spend it was truly agonizing.

As he was struggling with the decision, Qianji spoke up.

"General, I've found a very suitable Powered Mech ahead. May I acquire it?"

Qianji's request didn't surprise Xu Jiang.

After all, in the upgrade materials list, only [Powered Mech] and [Mana Alloy] were still missing.

[Mana Alloy] was simple; you could buy it with money. But mechs were harder to choose.

Either their stats were too poor to meet the purple-tier standard, or they were extremely expensive.

Qianji had picked this one, so Xu Jiang wondered about its price and decided to go take a look.

Following Qianji's guidance, Xu Jiang arrived at a stall.

Although the stall was set up in a dingy corner, quite a few people were gathered around it.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Xu Jiang saw an old man wearing a black cloak, his body extremely emaciated.

He only had one item for sale: a Level 20 orange-tier Powered Mech displayed in front of him.

Excluding green-tier sets, the quality of other individual equipment was divided into: white, blue, purple, pink, and orange.

This orange quality was undoubtedly the strongest among Level 20 mechs. They were usually collected by major factions as strategic resources for cultivating core members.

Xu Jiang hadn't expected to find one here, let alone have Qianji take a liking to it.

A mech of orange quality must be outrageously expensive. The money he had should...

"What!! Only 100 Exotic Crystals!" Xu Jiang exclaimed, surprised. Had he stumbled upon a bargain?

Even though it was a Level 20 Powered Mech, considered beginner equipment, it shouldn't cost only 100 Exotic Crystals.

At this price, he couldn't even buy a pink-tier item, let alone an orange one.

As Xu Jiang marveled, Sha Tu patted his shoulder and whispered a warning in his ear, "Don't buy it. You can't use this mech."

Xu Jiang was taken aback and retorted, "Can't use it? Why?"

"Look at its durability. It's gone. This mech is completely scrapped."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiang quickly checked the mech's performance.

Its shield, amplification, and power core were all at extremely high levels. The only thing that rendered the entire mech like scrap iron was its durability.

[Durability: 1/1]

"How is that possible! How long has this mech been used!" Xu Jiang was also a bit exasperated.

No wonder these people were gathered around, marveling at it, but no one was buying.

Every piece of equipment had its own durability, but low-tier equipment rarely garnered attention.

The reason was simple: low-tier equipment was quickly phased out, and its durability was more than enough.

Even if it broke, it could be repaired by someone, although the maximum durability would drop slightly.

But this set before him had its maximum durability reduced to 1. This must have been passed down through generations! The mech's surface must have been polished smooth.

A buyer beside him started haggling, "10 Exotic Crystals. I'll buy it to display as decoration. Are you selling?"

The mech had only 1 point of durability left; it would fall apart after ten minutes on the battlefield. It was already good that someone was willing to pay for it.

But the old man still squatted there, looking down at the armor, not saying a word, clearly unwilling to haggle.

The passerby let out a cold snort, uttered a mocking remark, and left, flicking his sleeves.

Xu Jiang also fell into thought and began a private conversation with Qianji.

'This Powered Mech, are you sure it can be used? It has no durability left.'

"It can. All I need are the circuit templates for the powered armor. My final form is still the Liquid Mech, and its durability won't affect my body's reconstruction."

'That sounds very professional. You handle it. As long as you're sure buying this will benefit you.'

"Yes, General. This set of mechs is very suitable for me. It contains a special skill that will greatly benefit my advancement."

With the final confirmation, Xu Jiang no longer hesitated.

His foundation was his mech. Allowing his mech to evolve perfectly was more precious than any wealth.

"I'll buy this set of mechs," Xu Jiang suddenly announced, surprising everyone.

Sha Tu quickly advised, "Don't be impulsive. The durability limit of this mech can no longer be restored. You buying it is just throwing money away."

"Don't worry, I have my own plans. I have a way to use it."

As if hearing Xu Jiang's whisper, the old man looked up for the first time. A flicker of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes.

But the old man still didn't say another word. He took Xu Jiang's crystal bag, patted the mech one last time as if saying goodbye, stood up, and ambled away from the black market.

The transaction was complete, and cold laughter came from the surrounding crowd, who thought Xu Jiang was a fool for spending 100 Exotic Crystals on junk.

Fortunately, Ying Xiaoxiao and the others trusted Xu Jiang.

As Xiao Zhen explained, "You're a living person, not an idiot, so you wouldn't do something foolish."

Although the reasoning was a bit strange, it was a matter even a child understood, so everyone didn't need to overthink it and just waited for Xu Jiang's good news.

Xu Jiang, satisfied, handed the remaining 20 Exotic Crystals to Ying Xiaoxiao.

"These can be used as activity funds for Team 17."

"Okay, but are all the materials you need prepared?"

"No, there's still one more. But that thing is quite expensive, and these aren't enough. Besides, a rather unconventional old man wants to take me as his disciple. It wouldn't be right not to let him spend some money."