Chapter 36: Safety First (Special thanks to our Silver Patron, Xiao Han of Yuequan Bay!)

"How could this happen?"

Lu Xiaobei stared at the blood on my clothes, tears streaming down her face in fright.

"I'm fine."

I frowned, maintaining my composure. "I ran into some robbers in an alley earlier and got stabbed twice. Luckily, neither wound is critical. I guess we'll have to skip the skewers tonight. Help me get to the hospital so I can get these superficial wounds bandaged."

"Okay!"

Without a hint of hesitation regarding the blood on my clothes, Lu Xiaobei braced my arm over her shoulder and struggled to help me toward the hospital.

The hospital was only a few hundred meters away.

It turned out to be a minor injury. After a quick glance, the emergency room surgeon said, "It's a laceration, thankfully not deep. Young man, how did you get these?"

"Ran into some thugs during a robbery. Got slashed a few times when I tried to fight back."

"Nothing to worry about. Just get it disinfected and bandaged."

"Alright, thank you, doctor."

After that, I sat quietly, letting the nurse disinfect, apply medicine, and bandage the wounds on my chest and arm, while Lu Xiaobei kept watch by my side, her eyes still brimming with tears.

...

It was past one in the morning when we were finally finished.

She insisted on taking me back to my place before calling a taxi to leave.

Milo hadn't finished his shift yet, so I lay on my bed and checked my character status.

[Minor Injury]: Status duration countdown 11:33:24.

After treatment, the duration for a minor injury is 12 hours. It’s fortunate that my body in combat form is durable; otherwise, after that psychic attack from the Nightingale, I’d have been riddled with holes, and the doctor at the hospital wouldn't have diagnosed it as a mere superficial wound.

Still, I’d best not leave the house for the next 12 hours; this is a dangerous period.

At this moment, I finally remembered the Boss Ability Crystal dropped by the Nightingale, so I took it out and opened it.

"Crackle!"

The animation for opening the ability crystal was spectacular, accompanied by golden lightning. In an instant, the crystal shattered into countless cracks. The unboxing was a success. Looking at the dazzling text, my heart was in my throat. Something I’d risked my life for surely couldn't be bad, right?

[Congratulations! Your "Boss Ability Crystal" has been successfully opened. Obtained item: "Roarer MP25 Submachine Gun" (Quality: Blue)!]

...

Blue?

A submachine gun?!

In an instant, my head buzzed, and I was overcome with ecstasy. That female agent from the Dark Tide really was honorable, traveling thousands of miles just to deliver a blue gun!

With a "clatter," the blue submachine gun dropped into my interdimensional storage space. I hurriedly retrieved it. The gun glowed with a faint blue light. As my eyes lingered on the frame for a few seconds, lines of text and data drifted out, making my heart race uncontrollably!

[Roarer MP25 Submachine Gun] (Quality: Blue)
Tier: Tier 2
Base Stats: Firepower 180-200, Rate of Fire 800 rounds/minute, Magazine Capacity 50 rounds, Effective Range 120 meters
Strength: +20
Weight: 3.3KG
Blessing: Continuous Fire. During continuous fire, attack damage is increased by 20%.

...

Invincible!

Not only is this gun blue, but it’s actually a Tier 2 weapon!

The stats of a Tier 2 weapon are significantly higher than those of a Tier 1 weapon!

Previously, the Tier 1 green Roarer I used had a pathetic firepower of only 55-70, with a maximum of 350 damage for a five-round burst. This new weapon has a firepower of 180-200, meaning a single magazine's five-burst cycle can deal up to a thousand damage!

This also means that if I use this gun with my Level 10 Advanced Shooting skill, clearing the 50-round magazine in a few seconds could theoretically deal a maximum of 10,000 damage. With the 20% bonus from the Continuous Fire blessing, the output could reach nearly 12,000!

Terrifying. If it were a low-armor boss, a full-magazine onslaught would likely be too much for it to handle!

More importantly, the increased firepower means each bullet deals more damage, making the money I spend on ammunition feel more worthwhile, and my leveling efficiency will see a monumental shift!

In short, with this Roarer in hand, my overall combat power has been completely reborn!

"Click!"

I equipped it, swapping out the previous green Roarer.

Looking at the green Roarer now, I felt a slight sense of disdain.

...

I lay in bed and began to rest.

I picked up my phone and sent a "1" to Zhang Ruolin.

"I'm here."

She replied instantly, sending a photo showing the ambiance of a music bar. In her arms was a woman—it was Ling Baiwei.

"Damn, living the life..."

I sent a doge emoji: "Sister Ruolin, your life is my dream!"

"Oh, give it a rest!"

Zhang Ruolin replied, "Sending me a message in the middle of the night—must be something important, right? You wouldn't message me otherwise."

"Indeed, there is something."

I replied, "Not long ago, I completed a mission and got a blue submachine gun. So, the green Roarer I was using is now obsolete. The firepower is 55-70 and it adds 5 Strength. I wanted to ask if you need it. If you do, I'll sell it to you first instead of going to the black market."

"Need it? Of course I need it!"

Zhang Ruolin said, "I'm still using a white-tier submachine gun. Keep that gun for me."

"Sure. What kind of price can you offer?"

"For a green Roarer, the current market price is about 15,000 Star Coins. But given our relationship, and the fact that I'm a bit tight on cash lately, I can offer 10,000. See if that's acceptable?"

"What's not to accept? It's a deal."

"Great!"

Zhang Ruolin laughed, "Then we'll trade... wait, no, don't wait for another day. I want it now, to avoid any complications. Send me your address. After I finish my drink and drop off Xiaobai, I'll come find you. We'll trade on the spot."

"Alright."

I sent her my detailed address.

...

After that, I slept until about three in the morning, waking up from hunger.

"Clatter~~"

Just as I stepped out of my room, the living room door opened, and Milo walked in, looking exhausted. He glanced at me: "How come you're still awake?"

"Woke up hungry."

"Want me to cook you some noodles?"

"Forget it, I'll eat in the morning."

"Fair enough."

He looked weary: "Sang all night, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed."

"Go ahead, sleep."

I nodded.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, I saw Ruolin standing outside, dressed to the nines in a tight-fitting skirt and a coat, looking extremely feminine.

"Come into my room for the trade."

"OK!"

She had been drinking quite a bit; her pretty face was slightly flushed, and she gave an OK gesture.

Once inside the room, I switched to combat form and tossed the green submachine gun to her.

"Hahahaha, I finally have a green main-hand weapon!"

She looked smug: "Not bad, not bad~"

As she said this, she pulled a stack of cash from her interdimensional storage space and handed it to me: "Ten thousand, not a penny less. Still, thank you. Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible to get a submachine gun of this quality on the player market."

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it."

I took the money, already considering when to go to the black market to buy ammunition next.

"Wait?"

Zhang Ruolin finally noticed the bandage on my arm and the minor injury icon above my head. She couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Are you badly hurt?"

"I wasn't careful with my health management during a mission and triggered a minor injury."

I said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, it's already over. Don't worry."

"You must be careful."

She frowned slightly: "Ding Han, to me and Xiaobai, you're actually a pillar of support in this world. You must not let anything happen to you, understand?"

"Don't worry, I'll be careful from now on!"

"Mm~~"

Just then, Milo knocked on the door: "Ding Han, come out and talk for a sec."

"Yeah."

I opened the door a crack, only to see Milo looking at me with a mischievous grin. "So, you've finally come around and learned to bring a girl home. But don't mess with her. Take this. Remember that line from 'The Wandering Earth': 'Roads are many, safety is the first. Improper driving leads to tears for your loved ones!'"

As he spoke, he shoved something into my hand.

"Damn you..."

I looked down; it was a Durex condom.

"Get lost!"

I shoved it back into his hand: "She's just a normal female friend, not what you're thinking. Go to sleep and stop meddling!"

"Don't listen to the old man, just wait."

Milo picked at his nose: "I'll just wait for the kid to call me Uncle Milo."

"Get out of here!"

"Look, you're getting agitated again!"

He laughed loudly and returned to his room, and I closed the door.

"Who was that?"

Zhang Ruolin asked with a smile.

"Roommate."

I smiled: "Anyway, the trade is done. Be safe on your way back."

"Don't worry, I'm an 18th-level Super Warrior. Ordinary people can't do anything to me."

She left happily.

After closing the door, I lay down again and fell into a deep sleep; the minor injury status really didn't feel great.

...

The next morning.

Just as I finished washing up, I received a message from Lu Xiaobei: "I'm downstairs. Picking you up for breakfast. Get ready and come down quickly."

"Huh?"

I was slightly stunned: "The boss is coming to pick me up for work personally? What kind of treatment is this... are you driving a Mercedes?"

"Drive your head."

She replied speechlessly: "Go to the balcony and look."

I walked onto the balcony and saw Lu Xiaobei, dressed elegantly and looking incredibly beautiful, sitting on an electric scooter that looked entirely out of place with her appearance.

"Haven't you eaten yet either?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

Lu Xiaobei nodded with a smile: "Come down quickly, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Coming right now."

"Okay~~"

Downstairs, with the 23-year-old beautiful boss on her electric scooter, we wobbled along the edge of the ancient city toward Feiyang Internet Cafe, then stopped at a breakfast stall across from it. We ordered two servings of breakfast and started enjoying the warm morning sun.

"Is your wound feeling better? Does it still hurt?"

She held a steamed bun in both hands, looking at me with a smile.

In the morning light, I felt a bit dazed. At this moment, it seemed as if Lu Xiaobei herself was glowing.