Black Spider? He was a minor boss-level figure.
By rights, a mission like this should have been rated D-rank, with a normal reward of at least 30,000 experience.
Galaxy's mission system was extremely detailed. Even when a player party accepted the same mission, each member's objectives differed slightly, with different rewards based on their level and role.
Some commercial players disliked fighting monsters and specialized in crafting and logistics. When they joined a party and accepted a mission, their difficulty and rewards were reduced. For a monster-hunting mission, combat players who charged into the fray and bore the greatest responsibility received the highest rewards, followed by healers and support players. Logistics players who tagged along for experience received the least, reducing the number of wealthy players who paid studios to carry them through experience farming.
Han Xiao had loathed this system in his previous life. It had left his power-leveling business painfully quiet, while his most popular service had been helping people get revenge. As a result, he had honed his PK skills to perfection.
Han Xiao was in the same situation now. His reward had obviously been reduced because he was serving as backup for this operation and wouldn't have to fight Black Spider himself. Mission rewards were directly tied to difficulty.
"Sigh, it's a bit less, but at least it's better than no experience."
Han Xiao could only console himself with that thought. At least he had gained another source of experience.
From what he knew of Black Spider, this mission was a free 5,000 experience. Li Yalin's secret operations squad could defeat Black Spider with their eyes closed. What concerned him was the special reward.
He didn't need to think much to know what the hidden requirement was: capture Black Spider, just as Lin Yao had said.
Black Spider's esper ability was extremely troublesome, and capturing him was ten times harder than defeating him. No one yet knew that Black Spider was an esper; his ability wouldn't be revealed until after the open beta. Han Xiao, however, knew the fatal weakness of Black Spider's ability.
The system was an inanimate thing. It could only judge the gap between the two sides based on their status panels, and it judged his chances of meeting the hidden requirement to be slim.
If the squad followed his instructions, he was eighty percent confident they could capture Black Spider.
Feels like it's worth a try, Han Xiao thought.
Li Yalin still couldn't stop thinking about the Light Power Arm. "How much would it cost to order one? And how long would it take?"
"Twenty thousand for one Light Power Arm, with ten thousand upfront. You provide the materials, and I'll make it for you. You can pick it up in two days."
Li Yalin's face fell. That was almost as much as his monthly salary, but she still decided to buy one. The operation was that night, so there definitely wasn't enough time. Unwilling to give up, she asked, "Do you have any other machines? Ones that are ready to go?"
Han Xiao thought for a moment. He didn't want to reveal his high-combustion bullets yet, so he took out the Folding War Blade instead. Its ten-centimeter black metal hilt drew all three of their gazes.
"What's that for?" Li Yalin asked in confusion.
Han Xiao smiled faintly, pressed his finger against the tiny mechanism on the hilt, and gave it a sharp flick. Segments of the blade snapped out of the hilt one after another, instantly forming a black alloy saber nearly seventy centimeters long, its edge razor-sharp.
"This is called the Folding War Blade."
Li Yalin's eyes lit up. She had chosen a collapsible baton as her weapon for its portability, but the Folding War Blade was even better. It was not only easier to conceal, but also more powerful. She reached out to touch the Folding War Blade, but Han Xiao moved it away.
"One thousand each."
Han Xiao chuckled. A Folding War Blade only cost around three hundred to make. He was being generous enough by not asking for two thousand.
"You miser! You moneygrubber!" Li Yalin huffed, took out her wallet, and handed him a thousand. Only then did Han Xiao give her the Folding War Blade and explain in detail how to use it. Li Yalin immediately began playing with it, unable to put it down.
Lambert suddenly said, "I'd like to order ten. Could you make them about thirty centimeters long?"
Business was coming to him already! Delighted, Han Xiao nodded. "No problem."
"I'd like to have them before tonight's operation."
"Sure, as long as the materials are available."
The Folding War Blade's initial shaping and grinding could be done in batches with a stamping lathe, making the process highly efficient.
Lin Yao hesitated. "I'd like to buy one for self-defense too."
Han Xiao was a little surprised. The Folding War Blade was beginner equipment, yet it was so popular with agents?
What he didn't know was that, because the Research and Development Department had been useless for years, the Thirteenth Bureau's agents were practically starving for new equipment. Although the folding saber's technology was simple, portable, concealable equipment was often the only kind that could suit an agent's complicated missions.
Agents usually used daggers as their melee weapons. Just imagine: if you ran into agents from another faction and the enemy pulled out a dagger a little over ten centimeters long, while you pulled out a saber nearly a meter long, yours would be much longer and you'd immediately have the upper hand in presence. It was the same principle as men comparing lengths in the bathroom.
Lambert and Lin Yao supplied all the materials. Han Xiao borrowed a private workshop from the Logistics Department. Its equipment was highly advanced, greatly reducing the time needed to make the Folding War Blades. Before the operation that night, Han Xiao had successfully produced all eleven custom Folding War Blades in a batch.
He pocketed 11,000 Aquamarine dollars, having contributed only his technical expertise. He also gained quite a bit of crafting experience, around 8,000 experience points. It was a modest profit.
This made him even more certain that private orders from Thirteenth Bureau agents represented a potentially enormous market.
Li Yalin and the other two took their equipment and set off to pursue Black Spider. Han Xiao stayed in the Secret Operations Department to handle logistical command and organize the mission details sent by the Intelligence Department.
His three teammates' pinhole cameras and miniature headsets were linked to the three computer screens in front of Han Xiao, with video and audio synchronized. Han Xiao could see what Li Yalin and the other two saw. His job was to monitor developments at all times and provide warnings and instructions, effectively acting as their commander.
Of course, Han Xiao was a newcomer. Although Li Yalin and the other two said nothing, they naturally wouldn't trust his judgment completely. The mission wasn't very difficult and was only meant to help the team get used to working together, which was why Han Xiao had been made commander. But getting them to follow his orders without question was impossible. All three were experienced agents with judgment of their own, and Han Xiao's instructions would serve as reference at most.
Han Xiao was quite calm. Even setting aside his experience commanding fifty-person raid parties in dungeons, his information advantage alone was enough to make him fit for the job.
Black Spider was an Esper Class superhuman and extremely troublesome. Players had ranked him among the "hardest bosses to kill on Planet Aquamarine in version 1.0."
At night, the stars twinkled.
The slums were located in the Eighth District. Unlike the bustling city districts, the area was dilapidated. The houses had no roofs, only awnings made from scrap metal and canvas. They were packed tightly together, leaving the streets and alleys narrow and cramped. All sorts of wet, patched clothes hung from balconies, and garbage lay all over the streets, with no one to clean it up. Large numbers of drug dealers, prostitutes, thugs, and vagrants lived here. It was a haven for filth and crime, with poor public safety. Intelligence Department reports indicated that Black Spider was hiding here.
Li Yalin and the other two were fully armed. Although Lin Yao was a hacker, she had also received firearms training and had some combat ability.
The three moved silently through streets and alleys full of filthy water. The streetlights flickered constantly from unstable voltage, creating an eerie atmosphere. Not a soul was on the streets.