Chapter 065: Equipment Purchased from the Agent

On the way to the Internet café, Lin Jia walked slowly. It was past ten in the evening, and on the streets of this small city—a place where nightlife was never particularly thriving—there were already few pedestrians. Apart from the soft, murmured conversations of people cooling off outside their buildings, only the occasional joyful laughter of children playing broke the night’s calm.

Lin Jia lifted his head to gaze at the starry sky, exhaling deeply. Suddenly, he felt lost. It wasn’t the first time he had boasted about his future, but if he couldn’t take over his parents’ jobs, what else could he do?

Go into business? His family didn’t have the capital for that. Start a career from scratch? He didn’t seem to have any particular skills to rely on. Though his interests were broad, Lin Jia was a jack of all trades, master of none—everything he knew, he’d picked up out of personal curiosity. Dancing? He was only an amateur. Computers? He could use them, nothing more. As for gaming, he really did have a knack for it, but could one really make a living playing games?

Suddenly, Lin Jia’s eyes brightened, but quickly dimmed again. He knew the term “professional gamer,” but that, too, required considerable investment. First and foremost, he’d need one or more computers of his own—a luxury that was simply out of reach for him at the moment.

It also took significant funds to trade in-game items for profit. It was naïve to think one could get rich quick in online games by scoring valuable loot and selling it off to other players. That wasn’t realistic. Luck might occasionally bring a rare item to sell for pocket money, but making a living off it was impossible.

“What am I best at?” Lin Jia couldn’t help asking himself. “Eating!” He chuckled foolishly. Was he to make money from his greatest talent—eating? He couldn’t even afford his next meal.

Sighing, Lin Jia forcibly suppressed the frustration in his heart, using his excitement for gaming to push aside his muddled thoughts. Composing himself, he smiled and stepped into the Science Net Café.

At the counter, a young man with a cigarette had replaced the daytime cashier. Lin Jia flashed his VIP card at him. The attendant acknowledged him with an indifferent nod, his mouth askew, eyes red and half-closed from smoke, staring fixedly at the café’s computer monitor. Carelessly, he said, “Your room’s open. Your two friends said you’d be coming, so just head up. The all-night pass is ready for you guys…”

Lin Jia paused. Weren’t those two hesitating this morning? How had they arrived before him? He glanced at the screen the attendant was so focused on—a level 16 little warrior still fighting zombies in the Bicheng Cave, competing with a crowd of newbies.

Curling his lip dismissively, Lin Jia headed upstairs. He pushed open the door to their private room to find Boss and Fourth already at their computers, utterly absorbed in their games. Lin Jia couldn’t help but exclaim, “Hey! Boss, didn’t you say you’d have a hard time explaining this at home? How’d you get here before me?”

Boss turned and grinned. “My mom’s at work; my dad’s out playing mahjong. I put my little brother to bed and slipped out!” Lin Jia couldn’t help but admire her luck—several nights in a row of gaming, and not once had her parents caught her.

He sat down and launched the Legend login, entering the game. His little mage appeared in the safe zone. He glanced at Boss and Fourth’s screens: both were standing on the edge of the safe zone, in less crowded spots, chatting with someone. It seemed they hadn’t been here long, or they wouldn’t still be idling in the safe zone.

As soon as Lin Jia maneuvered his mage next to Boss and Fourth, the three of them—each in their professional outfits—immediately drew the attention of a cluster of light-blue armored players nearby. Envious, surprised chatter broke out around them, and quite a few even shamelessly clung to their sides, begging and pleading, “Big bro, spare some money?” “Big bro, got any gear for me?”

Before Lin Jia could reply, a private message popped up from Solitary Wind: “Madman! You’re here too!?”

Lin Jia was taken aback. It was nearly impossible to pick someone out in the crush of the safe zone, so he messaged back, “Where are you? I can’t find you!”

Solitary Wind replied, “The safe zone’s too noisy—way too much spam. I’m upstairs in the city warehouse, no one else here. Come in, I’ll give you the money from the gear I sold today!”

“So fast? You haven’t logged off at all, have you?” Lin Jia asked, surprised.

Solitary Wind chuckled. “There was so much gear all at once, and I got a good price for each piece! I was too excited to sleep! Come quick, I’ll hand over the cash so I can log off and get some rest!”

Lin Jia called to Boss and Fourth, and they dashed up to the second floor of the city warehouse. The first floor was jam-packed, but they squeezed up the stairs and found the second floor nearly empty—just two players chatting, and Solitary Wind standing in the farthest corner, still in his underwear, looking rather provocative.

“Aren’t you cold without any clothes on?” Boss teased.

Solitary Wind grinned. “These days, it’s all light, medium, and heavy armor guys running around. Standing in the safe zone in my underwear actually makes me stand out! Look at this figure of mine!” As he spoke, he made his character sashay across the floor, swaying to show off his frog-like physique.

“Cut the nonsense!” Boss laughed. “Hurry and give us the cash so we can buy potions and go level up! How much did you make?”

Solitary Wind chuckled. “Not that much! All told, I made over two million. These small items sell easily right now, but prices are starting to drop—seems more people are able to farm them. But with that women’s heavy armor and a few other things, I got you guys some good gear in trade!”

“What good stuff?” Boss and Fourth crowded around Lin Jia’s screen to see if it was anything they could use. During the trade, Lin Jia moved the mouse to inspect the items and found an unfamiliar “Taoist Helmet.” It looked a bit like Batman’s cowl, but in a deep yellow that was actually quite striking—perhaps even flashy. Since it was called a Taoist Helmet, it was likely, like the Taoist Bracelet, a part of the Taoist class set.

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[Trouble: Just finished updating the last chapter before bed! Since 5 p.m. yesterday, I’ve posted a chapter every two hours—six chapters now, over 12,000 words. If anyone still says I update slowly, I’ll come smack them! I’ve been updating with such shameless fervor! Let’s see if you can keep up! The number of chapters next time depends on how wild you all are!]