Chapter 229: All Dead |
Guan Shan had accumulated 4 skill points, just enough to max out both [Demonic Markings] and [Shadow Clone].
[Shadow Clone] now produced three clones. Although this didn't significantly improve the quality, it at least gave Guan Shan the illusion of being able to gang up on his opponents.
[Demonic Markings] steadily enhanced the corresponding attributes of his demonic markings. However, in the context of the battles Guan Shan was currently facing, the damage output was somewhat inadequate.
Or rather, the skill's activation time was too long. In short fights, where health fluctuated by thousands, its actual effectiveness was limited.
Despite this, the skill hadn't reached the point of being obsolete, so Guan Shan didn't plan to replace it with [Waterform].
Additionally, he now had a total of 234,542 game coins.
In the past, Guan Shan would have thought that he could go anywhere with that amount of money. Buying out the entire store wouldn't have been out of the question! But after his last experience of being financially smacked by reality upon opening the store, he had seen through the simulator's nature.
If it allowed you to save up that much, it would surely not let you spend it all easily!
Guan Shan opened the store and, as expected, his face twitched at the sight.
[Enhancement Card x1] priced at 300,000 game coins.
[Backpack Expansion Slot x10] priced at 100,000 game coins.
[Skill Slot Expansion x1] priced at 200,000 game coins.
[Accessory Slot Expansion (Body) x1] priced at 200,000 game coins.
[Equipment Expansion Slot x1] priced at 200,000 game coins.
[Hermit's Cloak x1] priced at 50,000 game coins.
[Hidden Blade x1] priced at 10,000 game coins.
["R! P! G!" x1] priced at 100,000 game coins.
[Eye of Insight x1] priced at 6,000 game coins.
[Skill Book: Blood for Blood x1] priced at 50,000 game coins.
Even though Guan Shan had mentally prepared himself, seeing the 300,000 game coin price tag at the start still left him speechless.
Fortunately, this was just the simulator's initial shock tactic. The prices of the items that followed were relatively more reasonable.
"Reasonable, my foot!"
Guan Shan flipped through the items with a deadpan expression, feeling like a laborer exploited by capitalists—working hard for half a year only to find his wages rising slower than prices.
The prices, ten or twenty thousand apiece, made it seem like game coins were worthless!
Though it's undeniable that these slot expansions were in high demand, and their importance justified their high prices, it was still quite disheartening...
The only thing that brought Guan Shan some comfort, or rather mixed feelings, was discovering that the [Enhancement Card] he got for free was actually worth 300,000...
In other words, he had gotten 300,000 for free!
"First, I definitely need to buy the backpack slots."
Guan Shan purchased the 10 slots for 100,000 game coins, expanding his backpack capacity to [27/38], much more spacious now.
"As for the remaining 134,000... survival is the priority, so the equipment and accessory slots can wait."
"...Not that I could afford them anyway."
Guan Shan contemplated, then focused on the [Hermit's Cloak x1], [Hidden Blade x1], [Eye of Insight x1], and [Skill Book: Blood for Blood x1].
Although these items only cost a total of 116,000, his equipment and accessory slots were full. To better utilize these items, he'd need to make some room.
Guan Shan decided to sell his [Glock 17] to the store, gaining 10,000 game coins.
As the enemy levels increased, the small pistol he had since his first instance was now obsolete.
Against ranged enemies, the pistol's range wasn't far enough, and against melee enemies, its damage wasn't sufficient.
A hidden blade would be more useful for surprise damage in close combat.
Besides, hidden blades were stylish!
Guan Shan bought it and immediately equipped it, admiring the sharp blade that extended and retracted from under his wrist, feeling quite cool.
[Hidden Blade]
[Attack Power: 2000]
[Effect: Causes [Bleeding], [Poison], and [Stun] effects upon hitting the enemy.]
[Description: This hidden blade is poisonous... swish~]
Yes, the effects were quite insidious!
The simulator's equipped weapons could be concealed and summoned as needed, so there was no worry about them damaging clothes or being too conspicuous.
"No need to replace skills for now, so I'll pass on that."
"The [Hermit's Cloak] and [Eye of Insight] together cost 66,000, so I can get both. Now I can totally cosplay as an Assassin's Creed character."
The [Hermit's Cloak] was a body accessory that had a similar effect to Lin Shuman's ability, lowering his presence but not to the extent of complete invisibility.
Guan Shan figured this item might be more useful in everyday situations than in the simulation scenarios...
The [Eye of Insight] was a tool that functioned like "Eagle Vision," allowing him to see through buildings within 100 meters, check the status of nearby creatures, and mark them. It had a 3-minute cooldown, making it a very useful support tool.
And it only cost 6,000, making it the best value item in this store update!
With this, Guan Shan finally sorted through all the rewards from his breakthrough task, yawned, feeling his eyelids getting heavy. He glanced at the sky and fell asleep right on the sofa.
...
In the Hangzhou "Free Logistics" branch, manager Zhang Xinglong was leisurely awaiting news.
He was waiting for the arrival of the B-rank Esper—"Water Coffin" Fang Lu.
He took a sip of tea, glanced at the documents about Guan Shan on his desk, and sneered: "Hmph, judging by the time, he should be finishing the task of escorting the Panspirit Object tonight. He should be able to come over."
"When he arrives, it will be this guy's death day!"
Zhang Xinglong was confident about this. A mere C-rank, having a top B-rank go after him was already a dignified way to die.
If it weren't for the suspected A-rank Panspirit Object in Guan Shan's possession, a B-rank wouldn't have been necessary.
The cost of deploying a B-rank wasn't cheap...
Zhang Xinglong still felt a bit pained thinking about it, but the thought of the A-rank Panspirit Object's value made him feel much better.
But tonight, he was destined not to receive the news he was waiting for.
"Knock, knock."
There was a sudden, heavy knock on the door, followed by the sound of boots hitting the floor: "Are you Zhang Xinglong, the Hangzhou branch manager?"
Who was so rude? Didn't they know to announce themselves first?
Zhang Xinglong was about to scold them when he looked up and froze. In front of him stood a man in a black trench coat, followed by a group of people in courier uniforms who quickly stood in formation with their hands behind their backs, clearly well-trained.
These were... people from headquarters!
Zhang Xinglong immediately stood up, nervous, but with a smile: "Hello, sir. I am Zhang Xinglong. Is there something you need? If it's an inspection..."
The man's sharp gaze landed on the documents about Guan Shan on the desk: "Are you the one who requested B-rank Esper Fang Lu from the Southwest branch to assist in the operation against the Special Security Group's non-staff member Guan Shan?"
Zhang Xinglong nodded: "Yes, I did... Why? I followed organizational procedures..."
The man sighed: "Why?"
"Just now, the Southwest branch... no longer exists!"
What? Zhang Xinglong was stunned, his mind blank. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He felt the world spinning as he heard the man continue: "All 227 employees, including Fang Lu, are dead!"
"Three warehouses were destroyed, and all goods escaped... We now suspect this is related to your order to attack Guan Shan."