F City.
Countless people were working hard in a wholesale market located between the city and the countryside. There were many hawkers and wholesalers here. The market was filled with noise, and it was no quieter than a wet market. In fact, it was even livelier than a wet market.
An expensive luxury car slowly stopped in a small alley of the wholesale market. The middle-aged man sitting in the back seat frowned. Even through the window, he seemed to be able to smell the stench of sweat coming from the workers coming and going. He frowned slightly in displeasure and took out a pure white silk handkerchief from the inner pocket of his suit. He pressed it in front of his nose and asked, "Zhang Ping, are you sure it's here?"
"Yes, boss. It's here." A well-dressed young man sitting in the front passenger seat nodded at the middle-aged man. He was very respectful towards this middle-aged man.
"Why am I in this place …" The middle-aged man looked at the surrounding environment through the window. It was no different from a dirty and messy place. His mind was filled with all kinds of questions. Could this place be the place where the person he was looking for was?
"Boss, didn't you always tell us not to judge a book by its cover? I think it's true now. "Zhang Ping smiled and got out of the car first.
The middle-aged man sighed. He could only think of it this way. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to convince himself.
After getting out of the car, the air was filled with a low quality, dry, and cheap smell. It was very strange, but with a sniff, one could tell that this smell was definitely from the corners of the city. The middle-aged man exhaled and pressed the handkerchief under his nose, hoping to block the smell. However, it was futile. There was no way to stop the smell from spreading. In the end, he could only give up. He used the handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead and looked at Zhang Ping, "Lead the way."
Just like how the middle-aged man felt uncomfortable with the smell in the market, everyone in the market also felt that the car was incompatible with the environment. Many people temporarily put down their work and pointed at the car, guessing the price of the car. At the same time, they also pointed at the middle-aged man who just got out of the car, guessing what such a rich and noble man was doing here.
Zhang Ping closed the door and respectfully nodded his head. After saying a few words to the driver, he led the middle-aged man to an old three-story building. Small buildings like this were everywhere in the market. On the first floor, there was a row of shops selling all kinds of goods, such as tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, rice, flour, oil cakes, fresh seafood, daily necessities, and all kinds of things. There was even an earth-shattering music playing in a low-end fashion store on the street. Small celebrities were singing some vulgar music that was difficult to be classy. The quality of the pirated music was perfectly combined with the various environments of this urban-rural junction.
The middle-aged man was clearly caught off guard by everything here. In his decades of life, he had clearly never encountered such an environment. However, his good family background and upbringing allowed him to quickly calm down. Although he still had some lingering fears, at least he didn't make a fuss.
Following behind Zhang Ping, the middle-aged man quickly walked to the staircase of this three-story building. The staircase was not very spacious, and could only accommodate two slightly thinner men walking side by side. The floor was obviously not cleaned very often, and all kinds of waste paper and fruit peels were discarded. The walls on both sides were covered with black and yellow stains, and the original colors could not be seen. All kinds of posters and small advertisements were densely pasted on the walls, making the place even more exciting.
"What are the second and third floors used for?" The middle-aged man clearly wasn't very clear about the distribution in this situation, so he asked Zhang Ping who was walking in front of him.
"The second and third floors are usually used as warehouses for the businesses on the first floor, or rented out to workers outside." Zhang Ping was still polite and answered the middle-aged man truthfully.
"I thought this kind of situation wouldn't happen in a developed international metropolis like F City, but after seeing it today, I …" The middle-aged man smiled and paused. His decades of good upbringing and knowledge made him unable to find the right words to describe this place.
"Actually, this kind of place is quite common in every city. Boss, since you don't interact with people in this kind of place, you naturally wouldn't know about it." Zhang Ping said very understandingly.
"How long until we get back?" The middle-aged man followed behind Zhang Ping and walked down the dirty staircase. He didn't even dare to put his feet down, afraid that the dust would cover his shiny leather shoes.
"Soon, it's on the third floor."
The cleanliness of the third floor was obviously much better than the second floor. The ground had obviously been cleaned. Although it wasn't very clean, at least the fruit peels and all kinds of trash were gone. One could more or less see the original white color of the walls. However, the number of small advertisements didn't seem to decrease. They were still covering the entire place.
There was an iron door between the second and third floor. It was made of steel, and there was a gap in it. It looked somewhat mysterious. Zhang Ping first opened the door and walked in, then signaled for the middle-aged man to follow. The middle-aged man looked around for a moment before finally following after the young man.
Finally, they reached the third floor. From time to time, a cool breeze would blow in, so the third floor didn't have any strange smell. However, the noisy music at the corner of the street was still blaring non-stop, announcing that they hadn't left this magical urban-rural junction. The middle-aged man stood in the corridor and looked outside. He only saw that not far away, the city's symbol was standing majestically under the sunlight. He remembered that he was having a meeting there in the morning, but he didn't expect that in the afternoon, he would be in a place completely different from the glamorous upper-class society. He couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth. Things were really unpredictable.
"Ta Ta Ta" The sound of high heels came from the corridor, attracting the attention of the middle-aged man and Zhang Ping. They saw a young woman in a short skirt coming out of the room at the end of the corridor. Her legs were slender and straight. She didn't wear stockings like ordinary girls. Instead, she was naked. Her white thighs were dazzling under the sunlight. She wore a pair of bright red high heels that were ten centimeters high. Her waist swayed gently as she walked, graceful like a willow tree gently blown by the wind. There were no traces of artificial makeup on her clean face. She was completely bare-faced, which showed that she was very confident in her appearance.
At this moment, she was holding a stack of bowls, chopsticks, and plates in her hand. It seemed that someone had just finished dinner and she was cleaning up. From afar, she saw Zhang Ping, so she was stunned and asked, "Mr. Zhang Ping?"
"Yes, I am. May I ask …" Zhang Ping nodded very politely and asked with a smile.
However, the woman obviously didn't take Zhang Ping's question to heart. She looked into a room and yelled, "Liu Zi, go and wash the dishes!"
A young voice immediately came from the room, "Okay, I'll go right away." Then, a young man in a white t-shirt and jeans came out of the room. He took the bowls and chopsticks from the woman and quickly ran behind the middle-aged man. He was full of youthfulness, and he didn't even stop to look at the middle-aged man when he brushed past him. He went straight to his destination.
The woman took out a wet wipe from the pocket of her short skirt and wiped her slender fingers as she walked towards Zhang Ping. She smiled at the middle-aged man behind Zhang Ping and said, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Shu, I'm Death Blossom."
Death Blossom! When this name came out, not only was Zhang Ping slightly surprised, even the middle-aged man behind him was surprised to the extreme. Death Blossom was the synonym of a top Rogue. It had been ten years since the name was first mentioned. She had stood at the top of countless games, and countless people had challenged her. However, all of them disappeared in the end. Initially, Zhang Ping thought that Death Blossom was at least in her thirties, but to his surprise, Death Blossom was only in her early twenties.
He wondered if it was because she was famous early, or because she had a way to retain her youthful looks.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Death Blossom. It's my honor to meet you here." Death Blossom extended her hand, and Mister Shu extended his hand as well. He held her slender fingers gently. He then let go of her hand. He smiled and nodded at Death Blossom, making his words seem very sincere.
Death Blossom giggled as well, "I've always thought that polite men are boring, but now I realize that I was wrong. That was because I didn't meet Mr. Shu. It turns out that polite men are the best. Not only do they make women feel like they're in the spring breeze, but they also sound like they're from the depths of their hearts. "
Mister Shu didn't seem to be affected by Death Blossom's praise. "Miss Death Blossom, would you mind bringing us to meet Mister Qingfeng?" he asked calmly.
Death Blossom sized up Mister Shu discreetly. She curled her lips and smiled seductively. She lifted her slender fingers and gently pushed her hair to the side. She turned and walked towards the innermost room in the corridor. "This way, please."
The two of them followed Death Blossom to the innermost room on the third floor. Along the way, Mister Shu carefully observed every room. Unfortunately, the doors of these rooms were either closed or ajar. It was impossible to see what was inside. Mister Shu's curiosity was not satisfied at all, and he felt a little depressed.
Soon, they arrived at the innermost room.
It was the largest room on the third floor because it was the furthest to the side. It was divided into two, and the inner room was closed. Therefore, they could only see the outer room. The room wasn't big, only about a dozen square meters, but there was a desk near the wall. There were three monitors connected to each other on the desk. Behind the desk was a tall wooden chair with a person sitting on it. However, at this moment, he was buried in front of the monitor. Nobody knew what he was doing, so his appearance couldn't be seen clearly.
There was a hard leather sofa on both sides of the wall opposite the desk, and a coffee table in the middle of the sofa. There was a miniature bonsai on the coffee table. It was taken care of by someone until it was tender and full of life. There was finally air conditioning in the house. The cool breeze blew, blowing away Mr. Shu's irritation and the sultry heat of the hot summer.
Death Blossom's high heels clicked against the floor. The man in front of the computer did not even raise his head. He only said, "Who did you ask to wash the dishes for you again? It's not good for you to always ask others to wash the dishes for you. They are all men, and it's not right for them to wash the dishes for you all the time. "
Death Blossom wrinkled her nose and snorted, "You don't even wash the dishes for me, and you're still trying to sound so righteous."
"I'm busy today, and I'm not the one who washed the dishes that day."
"There are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, and you're busy all the time. What are you talking about?" Death Blossom continued to snort. She then said, "Mr. Zhang and Mr. Shu are here."
The man straightened his back and looked at the two men behind Death Blossom through the three monitors. He did not show any expression on his face. He was neither flattered nor overjoyed. He only looked at the two men and said, "What would you like to drink? Tea or cold water? "
Zhang Ping had seen many things in his life, and he had met many people. No matter who it was, they would always show a passionate expression when they saw their boss. It did not matter if it was real or not, at least they did it on the surface. However, this man was the only one who behaved too normally. He even seemed indifferent.
"I'll get you two some cold water, it will quench your thirst. Besides, I don't think Mr. Shu is used to the tea here." The man smiled and said to Death Blossom, "Get me a cup too, I want a bigger cup. The dishes you made today are too salty, and I'm thirsty!"
Mr. Shu did not seem to be dissatisfied with the man's attitude. He even looked at the man with a hint of admiration.
Death Blossom rolled her eyes after hearing the man's words. She stomped her heels on the ground and turned around to leave. She did not forget to grumble as she walked away, "You should be glad that you have something to eat, and yet you're still complaining about it. Be careful, I might put some rat poison in your bowl one day, and you won't be able to eat it even if you want to!"
The man finally felt embarrassed after hearing this. He scratched his head at Mr. Shu and Zhang Ping and stood up. He gestured for them to sit down and said, "She's always been like this. I've spoiled her too much, please don't mind her."
Mr. Shu was still smiling. He said, "Actually, the happiest thing for a man is to have a woman cook for him. Although the taste might not be as good as the chefs in the restaurants, the most important thing is that she made it especially for you. Even if there are some flaws, you should not complain about it. Only then will she be willing to cook for you for the rest of her life."
"I didn't expect Mr. Shu to be so good at controlling his wife." The man smiled. He dragged a chair out and sat opposite Mr. Shu and Zhang Ping.
Mr. Shu waved his hand and smiled. "There's no such thing as controlling your wife. It's just that after being married for a long time, I naturally understand some things. This woman is like a furry little animal. You have to play with her. If you keep going against her, you have to believe that you will be the one at a disadvantage. You have to know that when it comes to the ability to pester endlessly, a hundred men are not as good as a woman. They can make a small matter as big as the sun and get your approval … So, men have to learn to suffer a little. Only then can you enjoy happiness. "
Mister Shu was still talking when he heard Death Blossom's high-heels clapping coming from afar. He quickly shut his mouth and waved his hand at the man. He did not say anything else. He just smiled and sized up the young man sitting in front of him.
He looked to be in his early thirties. He had a well-proportioned body and was dressed casually. The weather was very hot, but he was only wearing a pair of sandals and sat casually in front of them. His hands were long and slender, but the joints were a little big. It was obvious that he had done a lot of physical work. Her looks were average, and she wasn't as pretty as Death Blossom. But her eyes were very bright, and anyone who saw them would never forget them. In short, this was an extremely ordinary young man. If Mr. Shu passed by him on the street, he wouldn't even turn around to look at him. However, it was often people like him who were the most dangerous. It was because they were ordinary, and because they were not outstanding, they would catch you off guard.
Death Blossom brought over some water and poured it for them. She even added ice and lemon slices. It could be seen that this was an extremely intelligent and pure woman. Her fingertips were still wet with water droplets, which made her fingers look even more beautiful when she pinched the glass. It was like a picture. She did not have the scent of perfume that most girls liked to wear. Instead, she had a very unique fruity scent. It was very refreshing and charming.
Mr. Shu took the cup from Death Blossom and examined the water carefully. Her attentiveness was fully displayed by the cup of water in front of him. He only had a small slice of lemon and one ice cube in his cup. Zhang Ping's cup was a whole slice of lemon and three ice cubes. As for Qingfeng's cup, it was half filled with ice cubes, but there was no lemon. Apart from that, there were also freshly washed cherries on the table. They were covered with ice cubes and bright red cherries. It looked very appetizing.
Zhang Ping also noticed that the ice cubes and lemon in his cup were different from Mr. Shu's. He asked Death Blossom curiously. Death Blossom smiled, "I don't know about Mr. Shu's health, but I think he's at the age where he needs to take care of his health. A man of his age shouldn't be greedy for things that are too cool. A little coolness is enough. As for the lemon, it's good enough to taste it. There's no need to put too much in it. "
Mr. Shu nodded at Death Blossom's words. It was no wonder that a top Rogue like her could remain undefeated for ten years. Her observation skills and judgement were definitely not something an ordinary person could compare with.
Death Blossom held a glass of iced water and sat in a corner, drinking it silently. She had no intention of leaving, and Breeze had no intention of avoiding her either. It seemed like there were no secrets between the two of them.
Zhang Ping cut to the chase, "Mr. Breeze, there are only ten days left until the release of the first expansion pack. How are your preparations going?"
Breeze smiled and shook his head, "Mr. Zhang Ping, that's not something you need to know. I'm sure you've already heard of Golden Era. Why do you have to ask me about it? You just have to wait for the final result like the previous boss. "
"It's different this time, Mr. Breeze. Fate is not as easy to deal with as other games. That's why we want to know how your preparations are coming along." Zhang Ping shook his head, "Mr. Breeze, you haven't played Fate before, right? This game is known as a revolutionary game. It's different from all the other VR games that we've encountered before. I don't think you should be overconfident and underestimate your opponents."
Breeze did not respond to Zhang Ping's words. He glanced at Zhang Ping and asked, "I wonder if Mr. Zhang Ping has played the game before?"
Zhang Ping's face reddened. He looked at Mr. Shu and replied, "Yes."
"What's your level? Or should I say, how are your achievements? "
"Not ideal. I'm only around level 30." Zhang Ping did not want to talk about it, but he admitted it in the end.
"Then what's your understanding of the game?"
"This game has a higher requirement for a party than other games, and it requires more autonomy. According to the information we've received, this game has two quest systems. One is the visible main quest system, while the other is the invisible side quest system. These two quests complemented each other, and added more uncertainty to the game. "Zhang Ping explained everything he knew about Fate to Breeze.
Breeze raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything. Mr. Shu raised his hand and gestured for Zhang Ping to stop, "I believe that Mr. Breeze has a better understanding of the game than we do. I just want to know if Mr. Breeze is going to use the human wave tactic this time. "
"Isn't that the most direct method?" Breeze shrugged, "As far as I know, the human wave tactic is the most convenient tactic. All you need to do is to break the system and leave the game."
"That's a good idea, and it's been tried and tested. But this time, I have a suggestion for Mr. Breeze." Mr. Shu narrowed his eyes. At this moment, he didn't look like a noble middle-aged man. Instead, he looked like an unfathomable and terrifying opponent who was ready to strike.
"I'm all ears." Breeze looked at Mr. Shu with an unreadable expression.
"The majority of players in Fate are Chinese players. There are also foreign players, but compared to the Chinese players, the ratio is not high. This is because the Glory Corporation has yet to promote the game. If they do … "Mr. Shu's lips curled up. Even though he did not say it out loud, it was not hard to guess what he was trying to say. If the Glory Corporation were to promote Fate all over the world, the millions of players in Golden Era would not be able to do anything. It would be like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.
Breeze paused for a moment after hearing Mr. Shu's words, "Then what is Mr. Shu's suggestion?"
"Instead of using the human wave tactic, why don't we think of something more intelligent?" Mr. Shu smiled, "I know. Mr. Breeze, you majored in finance when you were studying. You should be familiar with the business world."
Breeze frowned, but did not say a word.
Mr. Shu continued, "I know that this will cost a lot of money, but don't worry, Mr. Breeze. I will support you fully. I only hope that Mr. Breeze can do as you wish. Even if you can't destroy Fate, I hope that Mr. Breeze can slow down Fate's development."
Breeze did not ask about Mr. Shu's intentions. After all, it was better for him to know as little as possible. He was only a gunman who was paid to do so. As for why his boss was doing this, it was not something he wanted to know. But this was a special case. If even his boss was interfering with his plans, it meant that it was not going to be easy.
"What if I can't do it?" Breeze asked after a moment of thought.
"Can't do it?" Mr. Shu's lips curled into a cruel smile, "There's no such thing in my dictionary. I hope that Mr. Breeze will not forget it. "
Mr. Shu's words gave off a suffocating pressure. Breeze looked at Mr. Shu, then at Death Blossom, and shook his head, "If that's the case, then Mr. Shu should hire someone else."
Mr. Shu was puzzled by Breeze's refusal. He did not expect Breeze to refuse at this time. He was stunned for a moment. "Why?" he asked.
"It's too risky."
"Don't you know that the greater the risk, the greater the reward?"
"Mr. Shu, I'm already married. I have a family, a wife, and a bunch of brothers. I don't want to do things that put my life on the line anymore. I just want to live a peaceful life so that everyone can have a full meal. To be honest, I don't really want to take on Fate. After all, I'm not at the age where I'm fighting and killing. But the money you're giving me is really good. I want to earn the last bit of money for my brothers. But if I have to take on too much risk, I'd rather not do it. " Breeze smiled, "We can even enter Fate, but not under the name of Locust. I believe that with our strength, we'll be able to earn a lot of money. It'll be hard work, but we won't lose all our money."
Mr. Shu kept his mouth shut. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Breeze smiled again, "It's fine if you want us to do it. But Mr. Shu, can you not be so certain? We've been paid to do it. Since we've accepted your money, we'll do our best to enter Fate. But how do I know if we'll get what we want in the end? That's why I won't do it even if you're putting unnecessary pressure on me. If you want me to pay for the breach of contract, I can agree. But if you want me to take on all the responsibility, then I'm sorry, but I can't agree. "
Mr. Shu narrowed his eyes and stared at Breeze. After a long while, he sighed, "Breeze, you're a cautious person, but I'm not a careless person either."
Breeze knew what Mr. Shu was talking about. He shook his head, "Mr. Shu, do you know why I chose this place to stay?"
Mr. Shu was stunned.
Breeze pointed at the surroundings, "This place is dirty and messy. There are thieves everywhere. It's not safe either. Many of my brothers are famous figures. As the head of Golden Era, why would I choose to stay in a place like this? "
Mr. Shu narrowed his eyes. He knew what Breeze was trying to say.
"I, Breeze, have been playing games since I was 16 years old. It's been 15 years since then. I've been leading a group of brothers as Locust since I was 18 years old. Do you think I haven't offended enough people? However, I've been able to survive until now and continue to be my locust. Do you really think that I'm lucky enough to survive? " Breeze stood up and finished the glass of ice water in one gulp. He handed the glass back to Death Blossom with a smile, "Honey, have another glass."
Death Blossom rolled her eyes and went to get another glass of water.
"Are you threatening me?" Mr. Shu's narrowed eyes revealed a dangerous message.
Breeze shook his head, "No, I'm not." His expression was very sincere. "I just want to tell Mr. Shu that since I dared to take this path, I am not afraid of encountering ghosts. Therefore, Mr. Shu, we are just in a cooperative relationship. Don't put your high and mighty attitude on my head. I have no obligation to accompany you in this kind of plot."
Mr. Shu stared at Breeze for a long while before letting out a sigh, "Alright, let's both take a step back. You must help me stall Fate for two years. If you can't do it, you'll have to pay me double the penalty."
Breeze smiled, "Mr. Shu, you should've said that earlier."
Mr. Shu did not say anything. He gave Zhang Ping a look, and Zhang Ping took out a stack of documents from his bag, "Mr. Breeze, this is the information we've gathered on the major guilds in Fate. Take a look."
Breeze scanned through each of them with a smile on his face, "They really are old friends. I didn't expect to meet all of them in the same game. I'm really lucky. I wonder if we'll have a drink together when we meet? "
Seeing how relaxed Breeze was, Mr. Shu felt slightly relieved. Suddenly, he heard Breeze ask, "What guild is this?"
Breeze had been looking at these guilds the whole time. Suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise. There was a small, unknown guild in the midst of all these old guilds. Logically speaking, a small guild with less than thirty thousand members would not be the target of Mr. Shu's investigation. Yet, it was here. He took a closer look at the information. Although this guild was not big, it had a lot of First Clears. It accounted for a third of all the First Clears in the entire Eastern Continent. Its First Five ranking was even scarier.
He was a little surprised. Such a small guild was definitely not as well-equipped as large-scale guilds like the Tang Dynasty, Wolf Pack, and World Conqueror. How could they repeatedly create such miracles when it came to First Kills? Could it be that there's a secret behind this? He picked up the two thin pieces of paper and looked at Mr. Shu.
Mr. Shu turned around and saw the words "Up Everyday" written on the paper. He rubbed his chin and said, "It's a new guild. I think it only appeared after the launch of Fate."
"How can a guild like this have so many First Clears? Are their equipment good? Are their teamwork good? "That was what Breeze was most curious about.
"Their players are quite skilled. It's strange. The players in their elite party are all very good players. In other games, these players would be scattered among the various large guilds. But this guild is strange. They seem to be collecting all of these players together like collecting stamps. What's even stranger is that these players were all nobodies before they joined Up Everyday. It was only after they joined Up Everyday that they gradually showed their talent in the game. " Mr. Shu was also very puzzled about this. If you said that you could predict the future, this kind of thing was too mysterious. It was really not possible.
"Oh?" Breeze glanced at the names of the elite party members one by one. His interest was piqued. "This guild isn't bad to play around with when you're free. But you don't have to put too much effort into it." Breeze chuckled.
"That's right, the reason why Upwards Ho! is so famous is not only because of their First Blood, but also because of another very important reason."
"What is it?"
"There's a very good player in their guild. He's a Hunter. The game officials have dubbed him the Solo King of the Eastern Continent." Mr. Shu was obviously not interested in the title. He was merely repeating it according to the officials.
"Very good?" Breeze's interest was piqued after hearing Mr. Shu's words.
"I'm not an expert in games. I'm better at business." Mr. Shu did not comment on the Hunter. He stood up and smiled at Breeze, "Mr. Breeze, if you don't have any problems with our cooperation, I'd like to invite you to our company tomorrow to sign the contract."
"Sure, no problem." Breeze lifted his gaze from the papers and smiled at Mr. Shu. He then stood up and looked at Mr. Shu, "I'll be at your office tomorrow at ten o 'clock sharp." If you like this game, you're welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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