Chapter 40: Lend Me Some Money (Thanks to Grand Patron Yuequanwan Xiaohan for the Silver Sponsorship!)

Page 1 of 3

The next day, I went to work as usual.

I spent the entire morning repeatedly assembling and disassembling the Internet café’s spare router, earning a vast amount of skill experience. Accompanied by the sounds of my skills leveling up, I finally raised every existing skill to Level 10. At this point, my attributes were probably enough for me to dominate Xicheng.

By noon, more and more people were logging on. Quite a few were ordering meals and milk tea as well, so I began to get busy. It was nearly twelve before I finally had a moment to breathe, and I glanced at my phone.

That was when I noticed that Lu Xiaobei had posted a photo on her social feed.

In the picture, she was still wearing that attractive knitted jacket, paired with a coffee-colored long skirt. Her long, fluffy hair and her whole demeanor radiated youth and freedom, making her look like an elf wandering through the old quarter.

Behind her stood a blue sign that read, “I’m Waiting for You in Xicheng,” which made her look even more like a tourist with nothing better to do.

I was speechless. She had probably gone out to set up her stall and earn some extra money again.

So I casually liked the post.

“Ding!”

Lu Xiaobei reacted with astonishing speed. Less than ten seconds after I clicked Like, she sent me a message:

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. I was a little busy just now.”

“Wait for me, then. There’s a garden under renovation over here in the old quarter, and they sell boxed lunches beside the construction site. I’ve eaten one before—they’re super delicious! I’ll buy two and bring them back for us.”

“Sounds good~~~”

Thus, I endured my growling stomach and waited for Lu Xiaobei to bring lunch.

Before long, Lu Xiaobei entered the Internet café in high spirits, carrying a bag stuffed with little trinkets in one hand and two boxed lunches in the other.

The boxed lunches really were delicious. There was something wonderfully simple and unpretentious about them.

I wolfed mine down, picked up a computer fan, and began repeatedly taking it apart and putting it back together. Lu Xiaobei couldn’t understand the principles behind the repairs, so she left dejectedly, probably to continue running her stall and making money.

It was exactly two in the afternoon when—

“Ding!”

A WeChat message arrived from Zhang Ruolin:

“Is it convenient to talk by voice?”

“Sure.”

Once the call connected, she got straight to the point.

“Ding Han, the player organization recently launched the Dark Web. It makes communication between players much more convenient. Have you heard about it?”

“The Dark Web?”

I was astonished. I knew nothing about it.

“Mm.” Zhang Ruolin continued, “The address changes every sixty seconds, but it’s relatively secure. Once players log in, no traces are left behind, and outsiders can’t find their IP addresses. If you’re interested, you can take a look.”

“Where can I find the address?”

“Open Star Chart, but don’t enter it. The address is displayed in the upper-right corner of Star Chart, and it changes every sixty seconds. Once you enter, register an account immediately, then bind it to your character.”

“All right.”

After ending the call, I immediately lay back in the Administrator’s Throne and narrowed my eyes as I opened Star Chart. Sure enough, an inconspicuous web address appeared in the upper-right corner. I quickly wrote it down and logged in on the administrator’s computer.

As expected, an incredibly ancient-looking page appeared before me. It resembled an old-fashioned social-networking page from a bygone era: a black starry background, blue lettering, and a ring of twinkling stars around the edges.

I clicked Register. My ID would be Shadowchaser, and my password would simply be 123456, in accordance with the principle of keeping things as simple as possible.

“Click!”

The instant I pressed the mouse button, I successfully entered the Dark Web.

In reality, it was simply a huge forum, filled with posts made by all kinds of players. A quick glance revealed every sort of content.

“Buying a green submachine gun. I don’t care about the model—Roarer, Hellfire, Cinder, Antelope, anything will do. I only require a maximum firepower rating above 65. Anyone with one for sale can contact me through Star Chart in Xicheng.”

“Recruiting for a team. Looking for a firepower specialist above Level 18 with Strength and Agility as their primary attributes. Must possess the skills Enhanced Aim and Weapon Charging. Generous compensation. Qualified players can contact us through Star Chart!”

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

“Looking for a girlfriend. Must be fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged!”

“Looking for a dining companion. Living alone in an unfamiliar city is so **lonely, and I don’t even have anyone to talk to!”

…

For now, there was very little useful information on the Dark Web, probably because it had only just been launched.

Even so, I still made a post:

“Player Shadowchaser is searching for ‘Chasing Light.’ Anyone with information about Chasing Light, please contact me. A generous reward is guaranteed!”

Unfortunately, my post was buried almost immediately after it was published. There were simply too many people searching for friends and relatives on the Dark Web, and posts like mine were the easiest to overlook.

I closed the Dark Web and ran a query.

Sure enough, my browsing records had been erased automatically. Whoever had created the Dark Web clearly knew what they were doing.

Work was terribly dull. Before I knew it, another day of being a wage slave had passed.

That evening, at the apartment—

Milo was still working at the bar. He usually finished around two in the morning, and if a customer invited him out for a late-night meal, he might return even later.

I couldn’t be bothered to worry about him. I spent the entire night taking apart and reassembling my blue Roarer countless times, earning a huge amount of experience. Afterward, I took a shower and went to bed.

Midnight.

The instant the clock passed twelve, two consecutive chimes rang beside my ear.

[The setting adjustment for “Headshot” has been completed! Details: When a player locks onto the weak point of a target’s head, headshot damage will be increased to three times normal damage. This effect can stack with critical hits!]

[The regional mission “Glimpse of the Dark Tide” is about to refresh! You have obtained the mission “Glimpse of the Dark Tide”! Mission details: The Dark Tide organization is on the verge of action. Its vanguard has appeared in Westwind Forest, fifty miles from Xicheng. The mission will officially begin in twenty-four hours. During the following twenty-four hours, the more Dark Tide units you eliminate, the more points you will earn. The ten highest-ranked players will receive extraordinarily generous rewards!]

…

I froze for a moment. Was this a system patch?

First, the change to the “Headshot” setting—or rather, the enhancement—certainly counted as a system patch. For me, however, it was unquestionably good news. After all, I possessed Advanced Shooting at Level 10, something no one else could currently match, and my shooting accuracy was extraordinarily high.

Furthermore, not long ago, Nightingale, the Dark Tide’s psionic officer, had traveled a thousand miles to deliver a weapon to me, giving me a blue Roarer. With my marksmanship, my chance of landing headshots at close range was extremely high. This change to the setting was absolutely wonderful news.

Second, a regional mission had appeared around Xicheng. Presumably, every player in Xicheng had received it.

The more Dark Tide units one eliminated within twenty-four hours, the richer the rewards. The mission had arrived at exactly the right time, but at the same time, it left me slightly worried. With the Dark Tide approaching Xicheng, were they planning to attack the city?

If so, a mere Xicheng, defended by Du Lin’s three-thousand-man Ashwinders battle group, would certainly be no match for the colossal Dark Tide. If things developed that way, the players in Xicheng might soon have to move to another city.

“Ding!”

A WeChat message arrived from Ruolin:

“Ding Han, did you see the regional mission? What do you think? Shall we form a party?”

I hesitated briefly.

Bringing Ruolin and Xiaobai along would certainly be fine, but it would inevitably slow my leveling progress. In truth, I preferred going alone. I especially enjoyed the feeling of venturing single-handedly into the lair of danger.

“I won’t form a party this time.” I sent her a pitiful-looking emoji. “Sister Ruolin, I want to level by myself and try to make a push. You know how difficult it is to gain levels after Level 20. I want to see whether I can reach first place on the Xicheng regional rankings!”

“All right!”

Zhang Ruolin sent a dog-head emoji.

“Then I wish you luck reaching first place! I’ll discuss it with Xiaobai and Axe. Perhaps the three of us will form a party and tackle the mission together.”

“Mm. Good luck to you all. If you run into trouble, call me anytime. As long as I’m in Westwind Forest, I’ll definitely come lend a hand!”

“With those words from you, nothing else matters.”

Zhang Ruolin sent a heart icon.

“I’m going back to my drinking.”

“You beautiful, wicked woman who’s intoxicated by luxury and pleasure!”

“Hahahahaha~~~”

…

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Late that night, I checked my strategic reserves.

The Whisperer had around eight hundred rounds left, while the Roarer had more than nine hundred. I had no grenades, and as for heavy weapons, my stockpile was completely empty. It could only be described as utterly impoverished.

I intended to compete for first place in Xicheng’s regional mission this time. The vanguard’s numbers were unknown, and the mission would last a full twenty-four hours. If I could seize some ammunition, that would be fine—but what if I couldn’t?

Therefore, I had to make certain that I had enough ammunition for this expedition.

Tomorrow, I would borrow money from Lu Xiaobei!

…

The next day.

At eight o’clock sharp, I took over the shift—not a minute early.

Zhao Yihang’s dark circles had grown even worse. Rubbing his eyes, he said to me, “Ding Han, buddy, I’m about to collapse. If I keep staying up like this, it feels like my eyes won’t be the only things giving out. My kidneys might be next…”

I said earnestly, “If you don’t work hard while you’re young, do you plan to wait until you’re old?”

“Work hard?”

Zhao Yihang looked dazed.

“To build our boss’s future Porsche Panamera?”

I tossed him a steamed bun.

“Hurry up and go home to sleep.”

“Got it!”

Zhao Yihang left happily, munching on the bun.

It wasn’t until noon that Lu Xiaobei finally appeared, carrying two boxed lunches.

She leaned over mysteriously.

“Guess how much I made from my stall today?”

“Five thousand?”

“How could I make that much? Do you think all those tourists are idiots? Guess lower!”

“Five hundred?”

“You…”

She stared at me in astonishment.

“You actually guessed right…”

“Ahem!”

I picked up my boxed lunch.

“Lu Xiaobei, I need to take tomorrow off. Don’t set up your stall tomorrow—cover the day shift for me instead.”

“Do you have something to do?”

“Mm. Personal business.”

“All right…”

Lu Xiaobei looked dejected.

“But your wages for the day are still getting docked…”

“Well, well, well. Now that’s the face of a heartless capitalist.”

I cast her a glance.

“There’s one more thing I want to discuss with you. This one’s a little more outrageous.”

“What is it? Say it first.”

“Lend me twenty thousand yuan.”

“…”

Lu Xiaobei stared at me, dumbfounded. She didn’t say a word. The chopsticks in her hand simply fell to the floor.

Page 3 of 3