Trade

[So damn cool!]

[That's my man!]

[Hey, hey, stop hitting on my boyfriend!]

[Is this what a pro looks like? Surviving against all odds!]

[When his position got exposed, I thought the streamer was done for. Never expected him to turn it around like that!]

[That mantis shrimp really screwed him over this time. Almost got its own master killed. Good thing the streamer pulled through at the end.]

[I guess it made up for its mistake, but if I were its master, I'd definitely have died.]

[With their ranged skills, Spiny Fish are basically newbie killers. Never thought the streamer would wipe out their whole nest!]

[Why didn't the Spiny Fish flee inside the Darkness Domain? I don't get that.]

[If you could figure that out, you'd be a pro too.]

The comments flooded in so densely that Xiao Hao's eyes blurred.

Ignoring the translucent comments, Xiao Hao checked his Spirit Pearl count.

1,560.

What a haul!

Xiao Hao vaguely remembered that every ten levels marked a major threshold for monsters.

Could he level both the Coral Shell Room and the mantis shrimp into the teens, then?

Xiao Hao had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple.

Once the mantis shrimp reached the same level bracket as Ghost, it would definitely be able to solo him!

But the comments had said Ghost was the newbie zone's big boss. How could he possibly be soloed?

Xiao Hao had a vague suspicion about that.

One very common restriction in games was a player level cap.

Perhaps this survival game had a similar restriction.

He just had to test it.

"With all these Spirit Pearls I've farmed, couldn't I jump straight into the teens?"

[Huh? Can Test Server players go past level 10 already?]

[You idiot. New players might not know, but how could you not know?!]

[Test Server version 1.0 has a player level cap of 10.]

[Yeah, every version of the game has a level cap.]

[Speaking of which, the closed beta should be ending soon, right?]

[It's almost over. Bet the streamer has no idea that updates come with a break, and he can return to the real world for a while.]

[The seven days are almost up. Tomorrow is day seven...]

Xiao Hao stared, dumbfounded.

He had only wanted to confirm his suspicion. He hadn't expected to draw out so much information!

Test Server?!

If there was a test server, that meant there was a live server!

And once the live server opened, huge numbers of new players would join the game!

Not only that, the game had multiple versions!

Even more unexpectedly, this survival game actually gave them time off!

There was so much information that Xiao Hao couldn't process it all at once.

Tomorrow was day seven.

After tomorrow, he would be able to return to the real world!

Fortunately, the final stage of his counterkill plan was set for the early hours of tomorrow morning. He still had time.

After clearing the mob packs and making his preparations, Xiao Hao returned to his room to wait quietly for Ghost.

Everything would come down to this.

Inside the Coral Shell Room, Xiao Hao found himself restless.

Waiting was torture.

After calming himself a little, Xiao Hao turned to the comments to ease his anxiety.

[What's our stweamer doing?]

[Why isn't he farming Spirit Pearls?]

[He just wiped out that school of Spiny Fish. He should have plenty of Spirit Pearls now.]

[If you've got nothing to do, how about a dance?]

[Pfft, hahaha! The streamer can't even see your comments.]

Xiao Hao certainly had no interest in dancing, so he pretended he couldn't see them.

The comments weren't discussing anything useful, so Xiao Hao switched to the marketplace interface.

Unfortunately, there were barely any genuinely good items, equipment, or cards.

Even when there were items available, they were mostly things too mediocre to use but too valuable to throw away.

When he entered the forum and his avatar lit up, the other players immediately noticed.

"Player 869 is here!"

"Boss, do you have any Blood Potions left?"

"Urgently need Soul-Replenishing Grass!"

Xiao Hao checked his Space Slots. He had opened plenty more treasure chests over the past few days and had been lucky enough to get two cards.

Magic Defense Card: When the Coral Shell Room comes under attack, grants immunity to energy attacks. (Duration: 3 hours)

Payback Card: When the Coral Shell Room comes under attack, returns twice the damage dealt by the enemy while still taking damage. (Uses: 1)

He had seven doses of Blood Potion and nine stalks of Soul-Replenishing Grass left.

"Player 869: I have both. Trade equipment or cards if you need them."

"Boss, what about items? Could you take a look at the items I listed on the marketplace?"

"Player 869: No mediocre items. They need to have special effects or provide an immediate combat boost."

Things like that were exceedingly rare.

Ghost had spent so long looting, yet he had only managed to collect this much.

Suddenly, a friend request popped up on the game panel.

Xiao Hao had filters enabled for friend requests. Only people who met certain requirements could successfully send one.

That meant the other player had equipment, items, or cards.

Xiao Hao accepted without hesitation.

"Boss, do you have any equipment or cards that can drive away wild monsters?"

Reading the message, Xiao Hao was utterly baffled.

He needed those himself. He couldn't even drive Ghost away, so how could he possibly have any?

The other player seemed to realize how unreasonable the question was and added, "Boss, please take a look at this card. If you have anything, please trade with me. A giant creature is heading toward my Coral Shell Room. I'm in serious danger!"

Xiao Hao clicked the card information they sent and found a card with fairly restrictive conditions.

It might have been of little use to anyone else, but to Xiao Hao, it was a rare treasure!

Curse-Kill Card: If an enemy unit attacking the Coral Shell Room has less than 30% health remaining, directly curses away 15% of the enemy's maximum health. (Uses: 1)

Normally, if a wild monster attacked a Coral Shell Room, someone strong enough to beat it wouldn't need the Curse-Kill Card. Someone too weak to beat it wouldn't be able to use the card at all.

But Xiao Hao's situation was different!

He couldn't beat Ghost, but he could use the Seahorse to slowly wear down his health.

If Ghost fled once his health dropped too low, Xiao Hao would have no way to stop him!

He only had one Silence Card, and he wasn't at all confident he could finish Ghost within three seconds. That was where the Curse-Kill Card would prove invaluable!

He had to get this card!

"Is the giant monster just passing by, or is it specifically coming for you?"

"I've never seen it before. It should just be passing by."

Xiao Hao thought it over. A large wild monster passing by would probably simply crush everything in its path, dealing physical damage.

On top of that, the currents stirred up by its passage might also carry an energy impact.

The Magic Defense Card wouldn't do the job, then. Only the Shield Card could provide complete protection.

If necessary, Xiao Hao could trade his Shield Card for it.

The other player was in dire straits, but Xiao Hao's situation wasn't looking good either.

He could replace the Shield Card's protection by pouring in Spirit Pearls, but nothing could replace the Curse-Kill Card.

Strictly speaking, the two weren't that far apart in value.

On the surface, however, the Shield Card looked far more valuable than the Curse-Kill Card.

The words "invincible defensive shield" alone made it worth a fortune.

Xiao Hao sent over the Shield Card's information. "I think you can tell that the Shield Card is worth more than the Curse-Kill Card."

"Boss, I only have one card. Here's a screenshot of my Space Slots. You can have anything you want! The Shield Card can save my life. Please help me!"

Xiao Hao enlarged the screenshot, only to find that the player had very little variety in supplies, and very little of each.

He had practically been opening treasure chests in bulk. What didn't he have?

He had enough materials to craft every blueprint in the Synthesis House once.

After some thought, Xiao Hao replied, "You don't have any supplies I need. I can trade you the Shield Card, but there's a condition."

The reply came instantly. "Tell me! I'll agree to any condition! I'll do anything!"

There's no need for that.

"If there's any duration left on the Shield Card after you use it, you have to return it to me."

"Huh? Oh, that's all? Okay, I'll put that in the trade conditions right away!"

Xiao Hao felt that the reply sounded a little disappointed, though he wasn't sure whether he was imagining it.

As soon as he received the message, he saw the newly listed card on the marketplace.

Xiao Hao never dragged things out. He didn't need flattery and had no intention of keeping the other player dangling, so he completed the trade immediately.

Perhaps because they had gotten what they wanted, the other player immediately let loose.

"Thank you, boss! Are you sure you don't need me to do anything else for you?"

As though that hadn't been clear enough, they added, "Anything at all!"

"Player 869: No."

"All right. It's here. If I survive, I'll return the card as agreed in the trade contract."

After reading the message, Xiao Hao started timing.

The Shield Card only had one minute of duration.

If the creature hadn't left within a minute, he probably wouldn't get the Shield Card back.

A full thirty seconds passed, with both sides burning with anxiety.

The other player was worried about staying alive, while Xiao Hao agonized over the Shield Card's dwindling duration.

At fifty seconds, Xiao Hao had basically given up hope. The other player might be about to die.

Just as he was about to close the game interface, a notification popped up telling him to claim incoming supplies.

It was the Shield Card.

Xiao Hao quickly opened it and discovered that the Shield Card had only three seconds of duration left.

"I'm sorry. It was just so huge, and it moved really slowly, so..."

Three seconds it is, then. Better than nothing.

"It's fine. This was a trade, after all."

Xiao Hao desperately needed this Curse-Kill Card. Getting three seconds of the Shield Card back still counted as a small bonus.

"Thank you so much, boss. All the ground around my Coral Shell Room has caved in, but the room is still completely intact. That card was really powerful. I feel like you got the short end of the deal. How about I warm your bed for you?"

The corner of Xiao Hao's mouth twitched.

The other player wanted to latch onto a powerful backer.

To secure that backing, they had thrown every shred of dignity out the window.

Players were identified only by their numbers. Not only was there no way to know whether someone was good-looking, there wasn't even any indication of gender. This player was really going all out to latch onto him.

Xiao Hao didn't reply, but the other player took his silence for hesitation.

"I'm really good-looking and easy to get along with. I'm caring, I've got plenty of stamina, and I can handle all the chores! Won't you consider it, boss?"

The corner of Xiao Hao's mouth twitched. "I'm a man."

I really don't care how much stamina you have.

"Perfect! I'm the prettiest girl in the sports department! I've got an amazing figure! I can be cool or sweet!"

Xiao Hao's heart gave an uncooperative little flutter.

He touched his chest. If his heart didn't move, he would be dead.

In that case, everything was fine. His heartbeat had nothing to do with the campus beauty.

Xiao Hao asked tentatively, "What if I were a woman?"

She fell silent for a few seconds.

"You're so cool, girl. I think I'm in love?"

Xiao Hao closed the chat window with a dark expression.

He should never have tried to test how low she would go.

He couldn't find the bottom.

It was too deep. He couldn't handle it.

Xiao Hao looked at his space slot. He had ten cards in total: a Slowdown Card, a Rebound Card, a Shield Card, a Double Card, a Maintenance Card, a Silence Card, a Calm Card, a Magic Defense Card, a Payback Card, and a Curse-Kill Card.

A few cards were almost out of time, but most still had their full duration remaining.

It was almost dark.

Xiao Hao's heart fluttered with anxiety.

He knew Ghost was about to arrive.

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