After storing Zou Zhengze's corpse and the black umbrella containing Chai Cuiqiao into his inventory, Li Ang scanned the scene. He was looking for any clues that could be traced back to him. Once he confirmed none were left, he dashed out of the shantytown at a frenetic pace. He quickly stripped off his Night Clothes, revealing the white T-shirt and black shorts he wore underneath.
He put on a helmet, pulled down the visor, and shouldered his backpack. Then, he hopped on his bicycle, stuck a reflective sticker on the left handlebar, and slowly rode out from the shadows behind the shantytown.
After passing through an area with no surveillance, Li Ang rode openly on the street, appearing like an ordinary cycling enthusiast.
Quite a few vehicles were parked along the roadside. Many car owners had gotten out, holding their phones and filming in the direction of the shantytown—the dark clouds, thunder, and occasional sounds of collapsing buildings were quite attention-grabbing.
Li Ang followed suit, stopping his bicycle to look curiously towards the shantytown, though his gaze continued to sweep his surroundings.
A triangular paper airplane flew over. It was made of ordinary A4 paper, crudely folded and not at all exquisite.
No one present noticed the paper airplane. Li Ang glanced at it from the corner of his eye. He saw it flying towards the shantytown in a remarkably stable trajectory, a flight path that defied aerodynamics. Speeding at least seventy miles per hour...
Li Ang averted his gaze. Seconds later, a fleet of pitch-black police armored vehicles sped through the night. Their thick, off-road, run-flat tires crushed puddles by the roadside, splashing reflections of moonlight everywhere.
These armored vehicles stood three meters tall. They were equipped with anti-riot launchers, camera surveillance and image transmission systems, and powerful lighting systems, allowing them to effectively defend against small arms fire. They also had multiple firing ports, ensuring personnel inside could return fire.
Motorcade escorts led the way in front of and behind the armored vehicles. Even three armed helicopters, equipped with massive searchlights, flew overhead.
Such a display of force, akin to a wartime deployment, was rare in Yin City. The murmuring car owners, their faces filled with shock and apprehension, hurriedly put away their phones and drove off in the direction opposite the shantytown.
Li Ang blended into the flow of traffic. Not far ahead, he saw a police checkpoint set up on the road. Officers were inspecting passing vehicles, checking the identities of those inside, and confiscating phones to check for any recorded videos.
Such a quick response...
Li Ang lowered his visor and silently tilted his bicycle's handlebars, turning onto the slope leading to the riverside path. He crouched in the bushes on the bank, stowed the bicycle in an inventory slot, took off his helmet, and put on earphones. Disguised as a night jogger, he began to jog slowly along the pebble path by the river.
After avoiding the police checkpoint, Li Ang carefully wove through surveillance blind spots and made his way back to his apartment complex. He retrieved his bicycle, parked it, then climbed the wall to the rooftop terrace and slipped into his apartment through a window.
After checking that the front door hadn't been knocked on, the door handle hadn't been turned, and the windows hadn't been opened, Li Ang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He put away the phone he had left near the door, changed into pajamas, and lay back down on his bed.
Minutes later, there was a knock on his security door. Opening it, Li Ang saw two young police officers standing outside.
"Officers, is something the matter?" Li Ang asked, wearing blue pajamas and yawning as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Um... nothing," the officers said. "You can go back to sleep."
The security door closed. Li Ang lay back in bed, his mind still pondering.
The Special Affairs Bureau's response actually hadn't been slow. Within five minutes of the call, they had dispatched armored vehicles, helicopters, and the officially-backed player represented by the paper airplane, all according to an emergency plan.
Presumably, the Special Affairs Bureau had rapid response teams stationed in various districts for quick deployment. However, when facing transcendent beings with high mobility and destructive power, this response speed still seemed somewhat sluggish. Officially-backed players were, after all, a minority. Once distributed across major cities, their numbers were quickly thinned out.
This was one of the reasons the Special Affairs Bureau continuously promoted recruitment on player forums.
Li Ang closed his eyes, feigning sleep, and mentally tallied the rewards from this mission.
[Mission Reward 1: Additional 200 Experience Points]
[Overall Player Performance: S+, Game Coin and Experience Point rewards increased to 160%]
The 200 Experience Points from killing Zou Zhengze, plus the additional 200, multiplied by the 160% performance coefficient, totaled 640 Experience Points.
Before this mission, Li Ang's Experience Bar was Lv4 (392/400). After completing this task, he shot up to Lv6, with his Experience Bar now at 132/600.
Although the System didn't provide Zou Zhengze's specific level, Li Ang roughly estimated he was probably a bit stronger than Xing Hechou from the Lonely Mountain Cold Temple mission, and roughly on par with the Mountain Demon.
Defeating a Mountain Demon required the combined effort of several players. In contrast, Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao—one human, one ghost—had taken down Zou Zhengze by themselves. The Ripple Breathing Method, which was especially effective against corrupting Yin energy, had played a significant role in this.
If I had followed the normal routine for clearing this stage, Li Ang thought, I might have just stood by, watching Zou Zhengze devour the souls of the shantytown residents. I would have waited for the officially-backed players from the Special Affairs Bureau to arrive, then assisted from the sidelines, snagging an assist to complete the mission.
But that way, my rating would inevitably drop. I'd also lose a large chunk of Experience Points because the officially-backed players would have shared the 'battle honors'.
Is the System encouraging players to kill each other...?
Li Ang scratched his head. He confirmed the level-up but didn't rush to allocate his attribute points.
[Mission Reward 2: 400 Game Coins]
These 400 Game Coins, multiplied by the 160% mission evaluation coefficient, amounted to 640.
Li Ang had previously saved up 2,020 Game Coins. With this additional 640, bringing his total to 2,660, he could now start eyeing the lowest-tier items on the System store's shelves.
On the player forums, there were dedicated posts for black market exchanges. Most transactions involved buying equipment and items with Game Coins, though some players traded items for items. There were even 'whales'—extremely wealthy players—dropping millions of RMB to acquire suitable skills.
How can you get stronger if you don't spend money? Better sign up for that Heart's Delight membership first!
While the black market exchanges on the forum thrived, items of Rare Level or higher, though priced, were seldom actually available. Some of the more coveted and powerful gear and tools were still exclusively sold on the System store's shelves.
After all, it was still the early gold rush phase of this 'killing field' game. Major organizations were doing everything in their power to scoop up the best items. If a player group happened to find powerful items and put them up for sale, wealthy and influential organizations would immediately snatch them up, willing to spend a fortune.
Most of what trickled down to the open market were substandard or defective goods.
Li Ang even suspected that many of the 'whales' on the forums—those loudly advertising high-price buyouts for equipment, items, and skill cards—were a mixed bag. Half were likely sellers in disguise, trying to hype the market and find unwitting buyers. The other half were probably Vests, or fronts, for the Special Affairs Bureau and other official organizations.
[Mission Reward 3: Random Quality Random Item x1]
Unlike previous missions, this reward was an item of random quality. As long as it wasn't [Broken] or [Common] quality, it would be a net gain.
The System was showing rare benevolence. It was time to open the box. This is it, Li Ang thought, the moment to test if I have the luck of an emperor or a peasant!
Li Ang took a deep breath and commanded, "Open!"
A flash of light, and a Metal Stick, as thick as a bowl's mouth and with its tip studded with golden stars, appeared before him.
[Name: Steel Stick]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Common]
[Attack Power: Medium]
[Special Effect: Extremely Durable]
[Equipment Requirement: Strength Attribute ≥ 8]
[Remarks: This stick, once belonging to a distinguished pastry chef, was used to make the world's number one golden-ratio siu mai.]
Li Ang was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but think with exasperation: Why is it called 'Steel Stick'? Is it trying to mimic the 'Steel Qin'? And this stick—once belonging to some blond-haired, scarred-faced, perpetually shirtless pastry chef—is clearly a rolling pin! Is it really okay to use kitchenware as a blood-stained weapon?
Grumbling aside, this bowl-thick Steel Stick was quite decent. Although its material was only [Common] quality, the System had labeled it 'Extremely Durable.' Surely, it couldn't be worse than ordinary steel available on the market.
Paired with his Silver Wave Sprint, this substantial rolling pin could indeed be considered a potent weapon for slaying enemies... probably.