Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 18 The Black Market (Thanks to the patron who's been craving candy lately!)
Ten p.m.

I sat in front of an empty machine waiting for my shift to be taken over; currently, the network administrator machine is still operated by Sakura.

"Wow~~"

Accompanied by the sound of wind, a figure entered from outside.

Lu Xiaobei, this street urchin, left the internet cafe in the morning and has finally returned now.

She was still dressed the same way, wearing a striped sweater and a brown skirt, with her long hair flowing, looking like a beautiful tourist in an ancient city, untouched by worldly affairs.

"Ding Han, come here."

She was sitting at the bar and gestured for me to come over.

Then, she took a men's jacket out of the bag and said, "I bought it based on your height. Try it on. It's the latest men's jacket from Medesbon, with a fleece lining. You can wear it in autumn and winter."

"Yo?"

Yingzi tilted her head and glanced at him, then laughed, "President Lu, you really dote on Ding Han, don't you? Why haven't I seen you buy Zhao Yihang any autumn clothes?"

As she spoke, she gave me a meaningful look: "Ding Han, Xiao Bei has been quite good to you, huh..."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Lu Xiaobei's face flushed slightly as he said, "The internet cafe has expanded and business is booming. Ding Han has given me a lot of advice, and as the boss, I naturally have to reward him for his contributions. This is me appreciating him and making good use of his talents, you know?"

I really needed a coat, so I didn't hesitate to try it on, and it fit perfectly.

"thank you boss!"

"Why are you so polite?"

Lu Xiaobei stood up, patted me on the shoulder, and said, "Work hard! When the internet cafe business gets better and better, I'll give everyone a share of the profits at the end of the year!"

"is not it?"

Sakurako smiled with delight.

"We'll see."

Lu Xiaobei yawned and went upstairs to sleep.

……

The replacement was completed at midnight.

After the VIP area was added, the overnight business improved significantly. Nearly twenty people were online at night, and even though the overnight price for the VIP area was as high as 8 yuan, it was still packed with people.

Those young men and women from the "Funeral Love Family" are incredibly immature and childish. I've even heard them say things like, "Give up, Mr. Leng, I'm a VIP, you can't afford to be near me."

Late at night, all the customers who had logged on were in their seats, and I lay in my network administrator's chair, ready to think about running a dungeon.

Entering the star map consumes 1% of your experience points.

"Player Zhu Ying is asking for help. Does anyone nearby know anything about player Zhui Guang? If so, please call Zhu Ying. Thank you so much, brothers and sisters!"

"Oh, so it's the Shadow Chaser, ranked 12th on the regional leaderboard!"

A girl named "What are you eating? Give me a bite too!" chimed in, "Rare guest! Rare guest! We rarely see you around~~~"

"Ahem, I'm rather reserved and profound."

I chuckled and said, "Hey beautiful lady, do you know where the spotlight is?"

"I do not know……"

"When you have free time, please inquire about it for me. If you have any information, please call me. I will reward you handsomely!"

"Okay, brother, don't worry!"

After that, a few more people came up to talk to him, but they didn't get any useful information.

After closing the Star Chart, I picked up my phone and sent a message to Zhang Ruolin: "Ruolin, are you asleep? I need a batch of 9mm bullets, but I don't have any cash. I'd like to trade a Green Howler for them. Do you know any ways to do that?"

"I'm not asleep yet. The night is long and I'm so lonely."

Zhang Ruolin replied instantly: "How many bullets do you need?"

"The more the better. A thousand rounds might not be enough, and a single Howler rifle has more than a thousand bullets."

"Ah."

Zhang Ruolin said, "How about we meet at the coffee shop at nine o'clock tomorrow morning?"

"can."

After we made the agreement, I put down my phone and resumed my long night shift.

……

The next morning, after handing over my shift, I hurriedly ate breakfast and then went to Shangdao Coffee.

At 9:00 sharp, Ruolin arrived on time.

Today she wore a black wool coat, but underneath she wore a striking sweater and pencil skirt. Combined with her delicate and bright looks and short hair, she was indeed very attractive. Although her looks were slightly inferior to Lu Xiaobei's, she was much more feminine.

The two drank coffee for a while before getting straight to the point.

How many bullets do you need?

"More than three thousand rounds."

"so much?"

Zhang Ruolin was surprised: "I don't have that much stock here. If it really doesn't work, I'll go to the black market with you?"

"black market?"

I frowned; this was the first time I'd heard this term in the Star Abyss world.

"Ah."

Zhang Ruolin lowered her voice and said, "The players have their own trading channels, which are in a small alley in the old city. I know a lot of people there. Will you go with me?"

"Row!"

The two hit it off immediately, finished their coffee in one gulp, and then headed to the black market side by side.

……

The black market is located in an extremely narrow alley in the old city. After passing through the alley, you will see two burly men blocking your way with ill intentions.

"Identity?" one of them asked coldly.

"One of our own."

Ruolin instantly switches to her battle form, her health bar and ID flashing above her head.

"And you?" the burly man asked, looking at me.

I followed suit, instantly switching to my combat form and showing my health bar. "OK."

One of the burly men laughed and said, "Please come in."

Ahead was a large courtyard, with people coming and going, most likely players. Ruolin led me to a doorway where a bald player was sitting, gnawing on a spicy rabbit head.

"Buy weapons?" he asked, looking up.

"Strictly speaking, it's not buying, it's exchanging."

After I sat down, I said, "I have a green MP25 and I'd like to trade it for a batch of 9mm bullets."

"Let's inspect the goods first."

"OK!"

I immediately reached into my extradimensional storage space and grabbed a bunch of Howler components, then quickly assembled them into a brand new submachine gun.

"Bro, your basic shooting skill level is pretty high..."

The bald player squinted: "Most players don't have that level of proficiency in disassembling and assembling guns."

"Fortunately."

I nodded and smiled: "Brother, let's check out the goods."

"Row."

He caught the submachine gun, quickly pulled the bolt and aimed, then glanced at the magazine and nodded repeatedly: "This is really good stuff, brother, how many bullets are you planning to trade this gun for?"

"Seven shots."

"Too much..."

He frowned: "I can only give you three thousand rounds at most."

"make a deal."

I was also very agreeable. There's no need to fuss over such things. After all, it was my first time trading on the black market, and I have a long road ahead of me.

"readily!"

The bald man smiled and nodded, then carried boxes containing bullets out of the interdimensional storage space. Each metal box contained ten paper packets, and each paper packet contained one hundred bullets. There were three metal boxes in total.

After accepting the bullets, I didn't say much and left the black market with Ruolin.

"Where did this black market come from?"

With many questions in my mind, I couldn't help but ask, "Where did these military supplies come from?"

"I do not know."

Ruolin said, "According to my speculation, there must be some important figures above the players. Otherwise, it would be impossible for such supplies from the military to appear in the hands of the players in batches. I even think that our group of players descended into the Star Abyss World because we were controlled or used by someone. No one knows the specifics so far."

"Where are the people in the black market?"

"They don't know either. It's said that they all followed the instructions of some NPCs, which is why they set up this black market to provide players with all kinds of weapons and supplies."

"These NPCs are probably not simple..."

Who knows~~~

Ruolin looked at the ancient city scenery in front of her and smiled, "It's still early, why don't you come with me to stroll around the ancient city?"

"what?"

I looked a little tired: "Actually, I want to sleep."

"what the hell……"

She blushed slightly and said, "We've only known each other for a short time, and you're already taking me to a hotel? That's not a good idea. We should take things step by step. At least take me out for a meal and a movie, right?"

I said blankly, "Sister Ruolin, please be gentle. I was just really tired from working the night shift last night. I was genuinely just sleeping, not what you're thinking."

Zhang Ruolin chuckled: "You really can't take a joke."

"Hehe, I'm an honest man!"

I laughed and took a few more steps forward, but suddenly felt as if someone was watching me and Zhang Ruolin, and a chill ran down my spine for no reason.

So, he turned around and glanced behind him.

Suddenly, the light in the alleyway distorted, turning into countless particles before quickly dispersing and returning to its original state. In that instant, a figure vanished into the granular curtain of light!
It's the Shadow Assassin's stealth skill, Shadow Veil!

In the blink of an eye, I saw an ID left behind in the wind.

[Mid Lane Killer] (Shadow Assassin - Tier 1)
……

"They are the men of Ragnarok."

Zhang Ruolin frowned and lowered her voice, saying, "What's the meaning of One-Sword-to-Soul's subordinate following us?"

"do not know."

I turned around and smiled at the air, saying, "Friend, we're all players, so let's talk things out?"

The alley was quiet and still, save for the gentle breeze.

It seems they have no intention of engaging in dialogue with us.

……

After leaving the old town, Zhang Ruolin got into a taxi and left. I, on the other hand, perked up and decided to finish the dungeon during the day to avoid any unforeseen problems.

"Shh!"

After using the dungeon crystal, a bell rang in my ears.

[Please note that the dungeon portal has appeared on the map. Please enter within the time limit, otherwise your dungeon challenge opportunity will be forfeited!]

Opening the map, sure enough, there was a flashing light just two streets away.

This is my first time using dungeon crystals to conquer a dungeon, and it's also my first time doing this. I'm a little excited, so I started walking towards the target marked on the map.

In the old city, the gate of a dilapidated courtyard shimmered with a deep blue light, like a portal from a movie.

Judging from the expressions of the nearby residents, they couldn't see the portal; only I, the one who opened the instance, could. So I stepped forward and entered the instance in one stride!

[Please note that you have unlocked the dungeon "Red Sand Raid" (Rare ★★)!]

[You have entered the map: Desert Caravan Ruins!]

[Objective: Eliminate the defector sergeant major and retrieve the STC fragments!]

[Warning: Beware of sandstorms! Beware of sandstorms!]

……

With a relaxed body, he stepped into the dungeon map. Before him lay a desolate desert, and ahead lay the ruins of a caravan. Camels with stiff necks and fierce eyes suddenly turned around and stared straight at him!
Mutant Camel, Level 15 Elite Monster!
(End of this chapter)