Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 492 Profiteers
"Damn it, this kid's acting up again." Xiao Siyuan slapped his forehead.

“A psychiatric consultation is urgently needed; you need to take it seriously.” Li Zheng lowered his head, unable to bear looking at him.

"Um... Xiaoya said she wants to go fishing. Brothers and sisters, I'll be going now. Thank you for your hospitality, Captain!" Lin Longxuan hurriedly pulled up the bewildered Su Xiaoya and turned to leave.

"I'll go find something to do too. If you run into any trouble, just let me know." Zhan Zhouzhou stood up and gracefully left.

Xiao Siyuan looked around and saw that only he, Lin Fengjiao, Li Zheng, and Lu Li, who was having an attack, were left. He immediately said, "Then... let's go too, since we're all full anyway."

As he spoke, he stood up.

"Mmm," Lin Fengjiao responded softly, following Xiao Siyuan.

Looking at the dinner party venue where he was now the only one left with Lu Li, Li Zheng remained silent for a moment before saying, "Damn it! You all ran off so fast, couldn't you help clean this place up?"

He squatted down and tidied up the messy tablecloth and plates, throwing them into the capsule for the housekeeping robot to handle. Then, Li Zheng went to find Miriel and cut in line again, ordering ten different dishes.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived alone at the Lava Mountains, crossed the Kunlun cordon, and found Li Chun and the others who were staying there.

Land from?

Let's stay where we are and wait for him to come to his senses...

"Brother Li Zheng, what brings you here?" Li Chun exclaimed with delight upon seeing Li Zheng arrive.

“They’re having a get-together at the Endless Ocean, we can’t just forget about you guys, can we?” Li Zheng brought out a plate of exquisite dishes and invited with a smile, “Come on over, everyone, food is the most important thing for people, let’s eat first!”

As for Miriel, Li Zheng instructed her to be flexible and adaptable, as he couldn't stay there as a translator indefinitely.

"Yay! Long live the commander!" Wang Erzhu cheered, throwing down his fishing rod and running over, swallowing his saliva as he looked at the fragrant dish.

"Everyone sit down!"

Li Zheng waved his hand, took out the cleaned tablecloth, and pulled the group of people to sit down.

Miriel's cooking skills improved rapidly, and she brought out ten plates of dishes in the style of Northeast China. The rich aroma spread instantly, causing the nearby players to swallow hard.

Everyone who looked over here had green eyes.

I'm so jealous!

Some people angrily denounced the end users: "This is outrageous! It's too much! Why can they get their hands on kitchen equipment blueprints while we're still eating barbecue?"

Someone else replied, "Who said we can't get the blueprints? Isn't this barbecue grill a kitchen appliance?"

"A barbecue grill is nothing! I can grill meat with just two steel wires, why would I need this thing?" the man retorted.

"Damn it!"

Someone shouted, "Before, there were food stalls everywhere, but I was too lazy to go there. I liked to go to barbecue stalls for late-night snacks. Now, I'm so tired of all kinds of barbecue that I'm turning green. I just want to try some Chinese food, even if it's just fried rice!"

The speaker may have said it without thinking, but the listener took it to heart. Li Zheng's heart stirred slightly, and a strange smile appeared on his lips.

"You guys eat first, I have something to do."

After reminding Li Chun and the others to be careful, Li Zheng returned to the Endless Ocean and asked Miriel for ten dishes.

Li Zheng thought for a moment, then divided the ten plates into fifty portions before arriving at the Lava Mountain Range with satisfaction.

Standing at the entrance, Li Zheng, completely disregarding his status as the commander of the First Legion, pulled out a plate of pre-packaged food and shouted like a street vendor selling goods: "Come on, take a look! A delicious seafood feast! Not 998, not even 98! Just one special catch and you can take one home! Everyone come and buy!"

This shout almost caused a stir among the nearby players, making them want to stay in Bengbu.

The soldiers on guard duty in Kunlun looked at each other in disbelief. "You're Li Zheng!"
The leader of the top-ranked Qidian Legion!

Standing here like a street vendor, hawking his wares?

Is this reasonable? Is this reasonable? Is this reasonable?
"Damn, that's amazing! I could never learn that move in three lifetimes!"

"Heh...hehe...I'm totally dumbfounded that the number one person in the Matrix would stoop so low as to sell his wares."

"Um...I'm blind. May I ask which market was that vendor selling goods just now?"

"Holy crap~ What shocked me the most was Li Zheng's repackaging operation just now, it was simply amazing! He sold one portion as five, directly quadrupling his profits!"

"Is this the mindset of a shrewd businessman? I love it!"

"No wonder I can't get rich, now I know the secret is right here!"

"I learned it, I learned it!"

Li Zheng's actions have once again sparked widespread discussion. It can be said that he has mastered the tricks of live streaming, and any casual move he makes generates the most comments.

Ironically, many people actually fall for this tactic. Upon hearing the hawking, some hesitated for a moment before getting up to inquire.

"Boss, you can exchange any special catch for one, right?"

A boy who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old swallowed hard and asked.

In Bai Xiaosheng's live stream, a barrage of comments shouted: "Young man, don't buy it! This swindler is only selling you one-fifth of the dish! Don't be fooled!!"

"Of course, any special type of catch can be exchanged for a delicious dish here." Li Zheng emphasized the word "dish" and continued, "Look at this garlic mussel. It's made with the finest butter and carefully cultivated pure green garlic, and prepared by a star chef. And look at the sauce on top, made with 'Linqing Basil,' a bronze-grade ingredient. The garlic aroma is rich, and the milky fragrance and the unique aroma of basil blend perfectly. It's a flavor explosion! You won't regret buying it!"

The live chat was flooded with comments like, "Holy crap~ I could count the mussels on my knees, and they actually have the nerve to sell them?"

This statement resulted in widespread dissatisfaction.

"What? To be honest, this serving of mussels only has eight pieces, but compared to other Western restaurants, it's practically a steal, okay?"

"I still remember the first time I went to a Spanish restaurant and ordered mussels. When they came out, there were only three in a small bowl... It was so ridiculous!"

"But putting it another way, Li Zheng's act of dividing the forty mussels that were supposed to come out of one pot into five portions is still too cunning, and he should still be criticized!"

"Yes! Resisting unscrupulous merchants starts with me; it's everyone's responsibility!"

……

The boy hesitated for a moment, then went back and took out a flat, bright red fish from the fish basket: "Is this okay?"

Lava Halibut

1 level

Special fish
Value: 20 event points
Effect: Temporarily and slightly enhances fire-type gene abilities upon consumption. Duration: 30 seconds (Multiple consumption does not stack the effects; it only extends the duration.)
Note: This food is adapted to high-temperature environments, extremely difficult to cook, non-toxic, harmless, and parasite-free, and can be eaten raw.

The lava flounder is not very big. After removing the bones, internal organs, head and other inedible parts, you'd be lucky to get fifty grams of fish meat.

Li Zheng glanced at it and decisively said, "Okay!"

"Really?"

The boy was pleasantly surprised. He had been worried that Li Zheng wouldn't accept just one level-one fish, but he hadn't expected him to agree.

After the joyous transaction, the boy pried open a mussel, carefully pinched up the plump, bluish-white flesh inside, and put it into his mouth.

With a gentle tap of the teeth, the meat breaks open, instantly filling the mouth with the rich sauce and seafood aroma.

The rich aroma of butter, the fresh fragrance of basil, the pure yet mild garlic flavor of cultivated garlic, and the original flavor of high-quality mussels from the terminal product combine to create a multi-layered and distinct taste experience, offering a different experience with each chew.

A tear welled up in the boy's eye. His trembling hand picked up another mussel, savoring every drop of broth.

"It's so delicious! So delicious I could cry! Waaah~" The boy's reaction was the best advertisement, instantly dispelling the concerns of the players who were still hesitating. They all grabbed a low-level special catch and rushed to Li Zheng, surrounding him.

"Hey boss! Give me one!"

"Boss, boss, I want two servings!"

"Don't push, I'll take them all... Holy crap? Who the hell kicked me?"

"We're targeting you! Everyone else buys one or two portions, but you're trying to buy them all! Brothers and sisters, let's get him!"

"Yes! Let's get him!"

"Holy crap, no... I was wrong!"

The minor chaos couldn't stop others from successfully making the transaction. After getting their hands on a piece, they couldn't wait to taste it, and their reactions were exactly the same as the first boy's.

"Holy shit! This is so fucking delicious!"

"It's been almost a month, and I've finally had some food other than grilled meat and sashimi! Waaah... I almost forgot that there was such delicious food in this world!"

"Damn it, stop hitting me! If you keep hitting me, someone else will steal my stuff!" the beaten guy wailed. "Damn it! Ma'am, you're over forty, right? How could you be so heartless as to steal peaches from such a young girl like me? Don't pull! Don't pull! It's going to break..."

These people almost all traded their own catch with Li Zheng in private. Some of them were a little selfish and ate all the fish by themselves, their eyes gleaming as they wanted to buy another serving.

Some 'selflessly' took the items back to share with their legion members, and then brought even more people into the buying frenzy.

Soon, the cordon around Kunlun was not broken by the people grabbing territory, but was instead torn apart by the people buying up the food.

Fifty servings of food were sold out instantly. Li Zheng counted them and found that he had inexplicably received two extra Grade 1 fish. He wondered which two unlucky people had paid the money but didn't receive their goods.

The scene was so chaotic that Li Zheng was squeezed in the middle and couldn't move.

Fortunately, he had the foresight to stand at the portal entrance, where he could simply turn around and leave.

He immediately shouted, "That's all! It's all sold out! Everyone, go home!"

However, he couldn't control the excited crowd on his own, and had no choice but to sheepishly crawl back into the portal.

He ran away, and the players who came to trade with their fish let out a wail, calling out for him to come back.

After waiting for five minutes and seeing that Li Zheng had not appeared, the group reluctantly returned to their previous fishing spot.

After the crowd dispersed, Kunlun reorganized the cordon and saw a guy lying at the entrance covered in footprints, his face showing signs of being worse than dead.

"That's terrible. I didn't even get to buy a single dish, and I got beaten up too. What was the point?"

A warrior from Kunlun sighed deeply.

"Is it... really that delicious? Why are people going crazy for it?"

Some people were terrified.

It's worth noting that previous legions had launched attacks on their perimeter, but they hadn't been this frenzied and had been easily repelled.

Those watching the live broadcast were stunned.

"Isn't that too exaggerated?"

"Can anyone tell me what just happened?"

"Don't ask, the answer is I can't figure it out either!"

"To?"

"No way, I don't believe the food Li Zheng brought out is that delicious! Can the streamer ask Li Zheng for a dish to try and give us his opinion?"

"Yes, yes, yes, such a great opportunity, Shufen, hurry up and go get some free food and drinks!"

"Just say you're there to expose counterfeits and reveal the true face of this unscrupulous businessman!"

Seeing the 'outraged' comments on the screen, Zhou Shufen swallowed hard and declared righteously, "Brothers, it's our duty to uphold the integrity of live streaming! Today, I, Zhou Shufen, will use my last interview privilege to verify for you whether the dishes Li Zheng brought out are really as amazing as they seem!"

"But I have nothing to trade with them, brothers, give me some support!"

The audience understood the obvious hint and generously donated money to the screen.

……

"I miscalculated. I didn't expect such a simple dish to cause such a sensation."

Back in the endless ocean, Li Zheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart aching: "My fifty plates!"

All the tableware was made by Li Zheng using iron ingots. One iron ingot mixed with a little manganese steel can make ten ordinary plates. They are rust-proof, non-stick to oil, and can be cleaned with just a rinse of water.

Fifty plates, plus some locally sourced ingredients, yielded fifty-two fish with special effects.

Li Zheng took stock again and found that in addition to the twenty-eight lava flounders, there were also ten deep red mud wolves, ten hot fire octopuses, and four rock fire crabs.

The Crimson Mud Fierce has a chance to raise the fire-type gene ability of those below the silver level by one grade, making it quite valuable.

However, there is also a chance that the consumer will suffer from 'fire poisoning' and experience the pain of being burned by fire.

Getting rid of the 'fire poison' is also simple; except for certain special fish, it can also be done by 'dying'.

The Hot Octopus is not large, only the size of an adult's fist, but it has the same effect as the level 4 fish that Li Zheng caught, which can accelerate the recovery of genetic force.

Rockfire Crab is relatively rare and can raise the gene abilities of Fire and Earth types below Silver level by one rank.

If a player possesses both fire and earth elemental abilities of the same rank (not exceeding silver level), there is a very small chance that they will be fused into a new fire and earth elemental ability.

There are also side effects, in addition to 'fire poison', there is also a 'petrification' effect.

It slowly transforms the consumer's body into stone, forcing them to 'die' once after they are completely petrified.

Premature death can wash away this negative status.

Of the four special catches, two are relatively dangerous. If you eat them rashly, the success rate is entirely up to fate.

Those who are not lucky dare not eat indiscriminately.

After weighing the options for a moment, Li Zheng decided to hand all these things over to Fengshan.

That guy has a special physique; perhaps distributing the goods through him could increase the success rate.

"Idol! I'm back again!"

Just then, Zhou Shufen reappeared beside Li Zheng, shouting and bluntly declaring, "This time we're not doing an interview, we're just here for a free meal!"

Li Zheng: "...?"

This was the first time he had ever seen someone say the words "freeloading" so confidently.

However, Zhou Shufen arrived at the perfect time; he had just been trying to lure a streamer over by talking to himself.

She really walked right into a trap.

(End of this chapter)