However, Master Han never does business at a loss. His prices are very high, and most players cannot afford his equipment. He immediately thought of the weapon rental business, renting out his weapons to generate a steady stream of income and high volume with low profit margins.
However, Han Xiao quickly dismissed the idea.
"If players damage their weapons, I'll compensate them. And some players might even steal my equipment. The rental business isn't mature enough until I can guarantee the weapons will be returned in perfect condition," Han Xiao thought.
A barrage of gunfire erupted from the underground hideout in the western district, accompanied by muffled explosions that echoed through the ground. The ground trembled slightly, and dust swirled.
While players were hunting Shadow Predator Viper, the Dark Net community wasn't idle either. Based on the detector footage, they mapped out the underground lair and marked out the lair areas on the surface.
"Your Excellency, the Shadow Predator Viper's habits are somewhat like an ant colony. Their nests are intricate and can be roughly divided into two parts: the core area and the activity area. The activity area occupies 95% of the area, while the core area is still being searched for and its location has not yet been determined," Huang Yu said.
Han Xiao nodded. If his guess was correct, the Shadow Hunting Viper Beast King was indeed staying in the core area.
The Beastmaster is estimated to be between level 50 and 60, and should have a BOSS template. This is a significant difference in level. Even with sheer numbers, current players can't defeat him. He'll have to deal with him personally. Once he finds the core area, he'll prepare to make his move.
The lair is the home ground of the Shadow Predator Viper. On the first day, players advanced in a scattered manner, which was very slow. Most players were beaten to the point of questioning their existence. Facing high-level monsters for the first time, the young players' fragile minds were crushed.
Han Xiao didn't keep an eye on the West District; this was just a Sanctuary. He inspected the construction in the other areas, fulfilling his responsibilities as the person in charge, before returning to the workshop to continue manufacturing machinery.
The job change requirement is five pieces of purple equipment. Currently, the Composite Magnetic Chain Split Blade, Iron Fist - Mounted Heavy Mechanical Arm, and Small Maneuvering Device can reliably produce deep blue quality equipment. As long as you perform exceptionally well on one occasion, you can produce purple equipment.
Failed products (not even reaching purple rank) filled almost half the room.
Only someone as wealthy as Han Xiao would dare to spend money like this.
In the evening, a player finally came to visit.
Azure Sky arrived with a group of guild members, expressing their intention to purchase equipment.
At this time, the Sanctuary was home to a large number of players, almost resembling a main city. Players could be seen everywhere looking for groups to do quests, and many Mechanic Class players set up stalls to provide repair, manufacturing, and enhancement services. Maple Moon would sometimes go to set up a stall to pass the time.
These Mechanic Class players obtained blueprints for some low-end machines through knowledge synthesis, each with its own characteristics, among which gunpowder firearms were the most numerous.
The Mechanic Class players who set up stalls asked for very low prices, so most players who weren't very well-off were willing to patronize their business. However, Han Xiao disdained doing such low-level manual labor, as it was a waste of his time. He could earn hundreds of thousands per minute, taking the high-end route. His product quality far surpassed that of the players, and he also had various blueprints that the players didn't have.
No one can replace him, so there's no question of him stealing business.
"Want to buy equipment?" Han Xiao put down the parts he was holding.
The Azure Sky nodded hastily.
Sky Domain accepted the prize pool quest and has a good chance of achieving a high ranking, but other major guilds came to the Sanctuary a few days ago, all of whom are strong competitors. Therefore, Azure Sky wants to take a different approach and buy Black Phantom's equipment.
When the public beta first started, Azure Sky bought a Light Power Arm, and it remains his primary weapon to this day, so he has great confidence in Han Xiao's products.
Han Xiao pondered for a moment. To match the increasingly powerful players, he added some new machines. Master Han now had 230 million experience points on his panel, an astronomical number, so he was very confident. He spent some experience points to gamble and obtained many new blueprints, resulting in a rich inventory.
After thinking for a moment, he also put the Iron Fist - Mounted Heavy Mechanical Arm and the Small Maneuvering Device on the shop interface. He had accumulated a lot of failed blue-quality products of these two machines, which he didn't need, so he took the opportunity to get rid of them and make use of them.
He wouldn't sell the Composite Magnetic Chain Split Blade; it could barely be considered one of the early-game artifacts, and Han Xiao didn't want to sell it to players casually.
As soon as the store interface opened, the people in the Sky Domain gasped. The dazzling array of goods made their hearts pound, and everyone's eyes lit up.
"My god, the lowest grade is green, and there are even blue grades. I've never seen anything like it before."
I want them all!
Azure Sky stared intently at the heavy-duty robotic arm, his heart burning with excitement. This thing was stronger than the light-duty robotic arm and could greatly enhance his strength.
The price was a whopping 120,000!
"So expensive!" Azure Sky's face twitched. Although the guild had money, 120,000 was not a small amount. It could buy dozens of guns and several large boxes of ammunition.
After hesitating for a while, Azure Sky's expression hardened, and he decided to buy it, believing it would be great value for money!
The major guild has money; this time, they purchased equipment worth a total of Three Hundred Thousand and distributed it to their core raid group to farm the prize pool quests.
Han Xiao made money and also disposed of some unused machinery, making the deal very profitable for him.
He had set up security measures in these machines. Players who were only level 10 or 20 in the Mechanic Class could only dream of breaking through his security measures. It was impossible for them to leak the blueprints, so Han Xiao sold them with complete peace of mind.
Controlling the source of technology is tantamount to an industry monopoly, turning a company into an oligopoly, where there is only one and no other, thus generating the greatest profits.
Dudu--
No sooner had Azure Sky left than Frenzied Saber and his three companions returned, bringing with them a new discovery.
"We detected a very high radiation concentration, almost reaching the peak value of the measuring instrument." Maple Moon handed the instrument to Han Xiao.
Han Xiao was slightly startled. The radiation concentration in the nest was so high. Living in a high-concentration radiation area for a long time would cause organisms to mutate. It could be malignant or benign, depending on the species and its own habits. Strong animals have high resistance and are more likely to have benign mutations.
So, this Shadow Predator Viper pack must have some mutant forms similar to elite monsters, Han Xiao thought to himself.
"We also discovered the source of the radiation; it's these things."
Frenzied Saber took out a bag of blue crystals and spread them on the table. The inside of the crystals was filled with misty and ice-crack-like patterns, making them look very turbid. When the blue crystals were illuminated by the light, they emitted a hazy halo, which was somewhat beautiful and mesmerizing.
[Unknown Crystal: A crystalline substance of unknown formation, possessing a high concentration of radiation]
When the instrument was brought close to the crystal, the radiation level increased significantly, confirming that it was indeed a radiation source.
Han Xiao put on gloves, picked up a crystal the size of a finger and examined it carefully, then asked, "Where did you find it?"
"The walls deep within the lair," Hao Tian replied briefly.
Frenzied Saber added, "These crystals are embedded in the walls. We wouldn't have noticed them if we hadn't scraped away a layer of slime during the battle. Moreover, the deeper we went, the denser the crystals became, and there were also more monsters. We couldn't go any further, so we came back early."
The crystal itself had a temperature, making his fingers feel warm even through his gloves. This finally solved one of his questions: the Shadow Predator Viper, which preferred heat, had settled here because this crystal provided them with heat.
Han Xiao waved to Frenzied Saber.
Unsuspecting, Frenzied Saber approached, but Han Xiao suddenly made a startling move, pinching Frenzied Saber's cheek and stuffing the crystal into his mouth, then forcefully covering his mouth to prevent him from spitting it out.
"Swallow it."
"Ugh... ugh... ugh--" Frenzied Saber looked astonished and struggled with all his might, but he couldn't break free from Han Xiao's iron-like grip. He swallowed the crystal with a gulp, leaving the three people beside him dumbfounded.
"Any reaction?" Han Xiao stared intently at him.
Frenzied Saber let out a sigh, his face filled with resentment. He resignedly patted his chest and then glanced at the panel.
[You have ingested a highly concentrated radioactive crystal (unpurified). Your race is determined to be human, your endurance is below 50, and you have no related skills... You have entered a [Radiation Damage] state!]
Radiation Damage: Maximum health and stamina reduced to 33%, all attributes weakened by 50%, lasting for two hours. (Can be recovered earlier with relevant medications)
Frenzied Saber repeated the explanation truthfully: players who couldn't die were the best test subjects. Han Xiao gave Frenzied Saber a large experience bonus as a reward and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
Seeing the experience gained, Frenzied Saber's spirits lifted, and he felt instantly relieved, even savoring the feeling from before. Looking at the remaining crystals on the table, he secretly wondered, "Would eating them all give me more experience...? The taste is quite similar to candy beans."
Seeing Frenzied Saber's expression, Han Xiao knew what he was thinking. He couldn't help but laugh and put away the crystal, thus dispelling Frenzied Saber's idea.
He roughly understood the function of crystals: purifying these radiant crystals could condense them into crystalline solid-state energy, producing clean energy without pollution or additives.
Han Xiao started racing. There were many such crystals in the nest. He could use [Basic Refining] to purify them and turn them into energy reserves. Moreover, as long as he made an energy converter, these energy crystals could be adapted to various machines, making them quite valuable.
Crystalline energy is most commonly used in magical civilizations, and it occasionally appears in the technological realm. In more fashionable terms, this clean energy crystal can also be called "attributeless magic crystal," "magic stone," or "magic crystal." Magicians use magical techniques to extract crystal energy to replenish their own magic power or as casting materials, and its uses are diverse.
"The density of the crystals should be the indicator of the path to the core of the nest." Han Xiao had a sudden thought and immediately called Huang Yu over.
Upon hearing this, Huang Yu, based on the new clues, immediately marked an area on the drawn map of the lair.
"There's a 90% chance this is the core area," Huang Yu said confidently, pointing at the map.
"Very good."
Han Xiao nodded.
Let's get started!
In the middle of the night, players who don't need sleep are still fighting in the lair.
The prize pool missions incentivize players, and even without missions, ganging up on and killing Shadow Predator Viper can yield substantial experience points for players of higher levels.
In the current rankings, Sky Domain is prominently ranked first!
"Quickly! Three tanks hold the mob! Main tank, off-tank, retreat!"
"Pugilist Class quick close-range attacks!"
"Superpowered group, give it your all! Keep it up! If you're out of energy, go to the side and recover!"
"Mechanic Class, stay away and provide ranged attacks!"
"Those carrying the beast eggs, hurry up and get out of here, lest you get hit by the aftershocks."
The people of Sky Domain are ganging up on a Shadow Predator Viper, treating it like a boss. Azure Sky giving orders, shouting and yelling, and the fight is very intense. The core group works together seamlessly and methodically.
The slime in the lair slows down players. Although it's the Shadow Predator Viper's home turf, facing the Sky Domain core group, which has extensive experience fighting bosses, players are like fish caught in a net. No matter how much they struggle, they can't break through the encirclement, and their health steadily decreases.
"Execute threshold! Execute threshold! All damage!"
Various attacks rained down on the Shadow Predator Viper, cracking its carapace and splattering slime everywhere.
Azure Sky charged forward with great strides, his right upper body clad in a heavily armored mechanical arm several times thicker than his own, activating the arm's built-in skills.
The engine roared, and scorching steam spewed from the ventilation ducts. The steel fist, launched like a catapult, Heavy Strike the head of the Shadow Predator Viper. At the same time, Azure Sky let out a blood-pumping roar!
"Drink up, Powered Iron Fist!"