Claw Crane Machine

"Lin Shen, I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me? Calling you Little Fifth Master is only out of respect for your Third Master and Fourth Master. Do you really think you're some kind of master?" Seeing that Lin Shen ignored him, Qi Tianfu said angrily.

"Today, I really am the master. Exchange all of it for Claw Crane Coins." Lin Shen took out a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and slapped it onto the counter.

"You think this little bit of money makes you a master? Who are you looking down on? I'm not doing business with you. Get the hell out." Qi Tianfu froze at first, then snorted coldly after recovering.

"Do you not want to do business, or are you afraid I'll discover that your claw crane machines are rigged?" Lin Shen asked without changing expression.

"Who are you saying rigs their claw crane machines? My machines have tight claws, and the Gene Mutation Eggs are high quality. What the hell do you know?" Qi Tianfu flew into a rage at those words.

Their sharp exchange had long drawn the attention of the customers in the store. Naturally, Qi Tianfu could not take that blame, especially since Lin Shen really was falsely accusing him.

"If there's nothing fishy, what are you afraid of? Exchange the coins, then." Lin Shen pressed down on the money with three fingers and pushed it toward Qi Tianfu.

"Fine. If you want to catch, I'll let you catch to your heart's content." Qi Tianfu glared fiercely at Lin Shen, snatched up the money, then took out a box of Claw Crane Coins and shoved it heavily in front of him.

Taking the coins, Lin Shen said nothing and walked straight to the claw crane machine containing the Fire Seed Gene Mutation Egg.

There happened to be no one in front of that machine at the moment. Lin Shen inserted the coins and began operating the joystick.

"Boss, that brat Lin Shen is way too arrogant. Should we loosen the claw and let him learn how cruel the world can be?" A clerk walked over to Qi Tianfu and lowered his voice.

"We can't loosen it. I know that dog bastard better than anyone. He looks like a harmless, sunny young man, but he's sly as a dog. He definitely came here with no good intentions." Qi Tianfu felt he had seen through Lin Shen completely and snorted. "The moment he came in, he deliberately provoked me. If I loosen the claw and all these customers see him spend so much money without catching so much as a hair, then add that dog bastard barking nonsense, it'll definitely hurt our business. Trying to play these petty tricks in front of me? Useless. Let him catch however he likes. How many can he possibly catch? It'll even advertise for us."

"As expected of you, Boss." The clerk said with a face full of admiration.

"Cut the flattery. Keep watch here." Qi Tianfu laughed as he scolded him, then came out from behind the counter and stood behind Lin Shen to watch him catch eggs.

Lin Shen knew Qi Tianfu had come over, but he did not turn around to look at him. He simply continued catching eggs.

It had to be said that the quality of the Gene Mutation Eggs in Qi Tianfu's claw crane machine really was better than those in his own store. There were eight Gene Mutation Eggs in this machine, and while they were all Steel Gene Mutation Eggs, Steel Gene Mutation Eggs came in superior and inferior grades as well.

Strength, speed, hardness, and toughness were important indicators for measuring Gene Mutation Creatures. Although Steel Creatures could have values as high as ten, the overwhelming majority could not reach ten. Reaching eight or nine was already quite good and could be considered a minor treasure.

Most of the Gene Mutation Eggs used in Lin Shen's store were creatures like Iron Horned Beasts. An adult Iron Horned Beast could reach around eight in speed and seven in strength, but its hardness was only a little over five, while its toughness, even at its highest, was only a little over six. Among Steel Creatures, such stats could only be considered lower-middle tier.

The Gene Mutation Eggs in this claw crane machine belonged to Hundred Refined Steel Armor Beasts. Their speed was somewhat weaker, at only a little over five, but their strength and hardness were both above eight, with some even reaching nine. Their toughness was also above seven. Their combat power far surpassed that of Iron Horned Beasts.

An adult Hundred Refined Steel Armor Beast was as large as an elephant, yet weighed far more. It could serve as both a mount and a battle pet, and it was extremely effective at transporting large machinery and supplies. It was a highly practical pet.

In fact, many bases used materials from Hundred Refinements Steel Beasts during construction. Their value was far higher than that of Iron Horned Beasts.

Different claw crane machines required different numbers of Claw Crane Coins. This machine containing Hundred Refinements Steel Beast Gene Mutation Eggs required four coins for one try, equivalent to forty yuan per grab. It was considered one of the more expensive machines in Qi Tianfu's store.

Lin Shen inserted coins and tried several times. Every time, after a Gene Mutation Egg was lifted, it would fall when the claw moved toward the chute. He caught five times in a row without gaining anything.

"Xiao Wuzi, your luck isn't looking so good," Qi Tianfu teased from the side.

"Only incapable people need to rely on luck." Without looking at Qi Tianfu, Lin Shen inserted another four coins and started the claw crane machine.

"Tch. If not luck, then what do you rely on? The Jade Emperor's blessing?" Qi Tianfu curled his lip.

"Skill." As Lin Shen spoke, he repeatedly shook the joystick.

At Blackbird Base, Lin Shen had been the first person to open an Egg Catching Store. Before him, barely anyone in Blackbird Base had played with these things. Qi Tianfu had only opened his store by following the trend and had never played before. In terms of understanding claw crane machines, Qi Tianfu was far inferior.

After five tests, Lin Shen had already figured out what setting this claw crane machine was on.

Indeed, the claw here was tighter than the ones in Lin Shen's store. For ordinary people, it was still very difficult to catch anything. Based on the set probability, they could probably catch one Gene Mutation Egg every twenty tries.

But that was only the probability for ordinary people. The reason Lin Shen had loosened his claws so much, to the point where they often could not even lift a Gene Mutation Egg, was not to guard against ordinary customers, but against claw crane experts.

Before opening his store, Lin Shen had researched these machines for a while and watched quite a few videos of claw crane experts. He knew this was not something that relied purely on luck. With claws at this tightness, experts could catch Gene Mutation Eggs far too easily.

While Lin Shen himself could not be considered an exceptionally formidable expert, he had been playing these machines before opening his store. He had opened the store because he enjoyed playing, so he naturally had some skill.

As the joystick moved, the claw inside the machine began swaying in a regular rhythm. At that moment, the claw was positioned above the chute, with the chute directly beneath it. It was not lined up with any Gene Mutation Egg.

When the claw swung to a certain angle, Lin Shen suddenly pressed the grab button. The claw descended at a slant and caught a Gene Mutation Egg beside it.

The Gene Mutation Egg was lifted. When it reached the top, it fell before the claw had even started moving.

But the claw's original position had been directly above the chute. The falling Gene Mutation Egg dropped straight into the chute and rolled out.

"Fling Claw!" Qi Tianfu's expression changed slightly.

He had opened his store by following Lin Shen's lead, purely to squeeze Lin Shen out. He had no real interest in catching eggs himself. Still, he knew a little about techniques like Fling Claw. He just had not expected Lin Shen to know it too.

"You can catch eggs like that?" A young man playing at a nearby machine widened his eyes and could not help crying out.

Lin Shen pocketed the Gene Mutation Egg he had caught, then turned to Qi Tianfu with a smile. "Xiao Fuzi, I opened an Egg Catching Store because I like playing this. You, on the other hand, have no interest in any of it. You rely on luck to catch eggs, while I rely on skill."

After saying that, Lin Shen inserted another four coins and continued catching.

It was the same operation again. As the claw swayed in a regular rhythm, it descended at a slant once more and grabbed a Gene Mutation Egg.

The same scene, the familiar image—the Gene Mutation Egg fell into the chute again.

With claws at this tightness, Lin Shen found it no challenge at all. While he could not guarantee success every time, he could still manage a success rate of five or six out of ten.

Before long, Lin Shen had caught four Gene Mutation Eggs. Nearly every customer in the store had been drawn over to watch.

Each time Lin Shen caught a Gene Mutation Egg, the crowd watching would erupt in startled cries.

"So this is how you can play claw crane?"

"I used to play it all for nothing. So this is how you catch eggs?"

"..."

Qi Tianfu's face was as black as if someone had splashed ink all over it. He ground his teeth but could not utter a single word in rebuttal.