Sun Duoxiang also walked over and said to Lan Xi and the others, "Alright, stop looking. Brother Su Mo has made his decision; he doesn't want his share of the profits this time. Everyone, send me your bank card numbers. Once the transaction is successful, I'll split the money evenly per head and transfer it to everyone's accounts."
"Sure, no problem."
Zhang Hao and a few others couldn't stop smiling; in fact, they had joined the game hoping to make a fortune and never expected to actually strike it rich.
--------------------------------
Inside the western military camp, players' dead bodies were everywhere. Elite special forces members were checking the bodies one by one, ensuring there were no survivors.
In the center of the camp, York had his foot on a resolute man in a bulletproof vest, a gun pointed at his head.
"Who are you people! Why did you ambush us!"
The middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of blood and asked angrily through clenched teeth.
"You don't need to know that anymore. Goodbye."
After finishing his sentence in Z language, York pulled the trigger.
Bang~
Blood splattered instantly.
At that moment, a team member approached and said in Z language, "The instructor confirmed it; Target One has been eliminated. However, a few rats got away. They seem like professionals."
York glanced at his bracelet to check the time.
"It doesn't matter; it's almost time. We should prepare for the next target."
"Our next target is the central safe zone, the stadium."
"Let's go!"
.....
Not long after, outside the military reserve depot, groups of players from Wuji Guild cautiously approached.
Leading them was Chen Xin, his face unable to hide his excitement. Although they had lost some teammates on the way, it didn't matter to him.
That guy called Su Mo was indeed impressive. Having Sun Duoxiang follow him had been a wise decision.
The money spent was nothing compared to the vast amount of equipment he was about to secure for the guild. The guild would surely commend him greatly upon his return.
Soon, Chen Xin arrived at the gate of the reserve depot.
Clack!
The lowered gate slowly rose.
"You're finally here, sir."
Sun Duoxiang had been waiting until he was nearly out of patience, and said excitedly upon arrival.
"Stop complaining. I made good time. We even lost several people on the way. Where's the stuff?"
Chen Xin said gruffly.
"Follow me."
Sun Duoxiang led Chen Xin and the others inside, towards the elevator.
They quickly descended and, upon seeing piles of weapons, the players from Wuji Guild gasped in amazement.
They rushed forward to touch the weapons.
Chen Xin, however, temporarily ignored the weapons upon seeing Su Mo and approached him casually to say hello.
"Mr. Su Mo, we meet again."
"Hmm."
Su Mo responded indifferently; he wasn't interested in conversing with Chen Xin.
Just as Chen Xin was about to continue speaking, Su Mo turned his head and addressed Sun Duoxiang and the others, "Now that the person taking delivery is here, the matter is concluded. I'm heading back to the safe zone. Do you want to come with me, or stay behind?"
"Brother, shouldn't we wait a bit and go back together? There's more safety in numbers."
Sun Duoxiang hadn't expected Su Mo to want to return so quickly.
"No need."
Su Mo refused simply.
"I'll go back with you."
Lan Xi stated, deciding that the exploration mission was over. She wasn't sure when Wuji Guild planned to return, and it might be more troublesome to go back later if Su Mo left and Wuji Guild didn't leave early, especially if Sister Wu and the others finished their exploration and went back as well.
"Then we'll stay with the guild for a while; you guys go ahead."
After thinking for a moment, Sun Duoxiang replied.
"Hmm, let's go, Lan Xi."
Su Mo led Lan Xi away without delay.
Chen Xin wasn't upset at all by Su Mo's cold behavior. After Su Mo had walked far away, Chen Xin patted Sun Duoxiang on the shoulder.
"You did really well this time. I've already reported it to the guild and credited you with a merit. With these weapons, our guild can now firmly establish ourselves in this city."
"Thank you, Manager, but there's a bit of a problem."
"What's the issue?"
"Well, the tanks have no fuel!"
Sun Duoxiang replied awkwardly, having deliberately omitted this detail during the price negotiation.
Chen Xin also felt a bit of a headache when he heard this but considered it not a big deal, then said,
"No worries, just take the weapons and find some fuel."
"Alright."
Sun Duoxiang hastily agreed.
....
The next day, Su Mo brought Lan Xi back to the gymnasium safely, despite a few monster attacks along the way, which Su Mo easily handled.
Afterward, Su Mo took Lan Xi to a secluded corner on the third floor of the gymnasium and began,
"This operation ends here."
"Um, about that..."
Lan Xi wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.
"You don't need to say anything. What I said before was true, not just said to defend or extricate you. You didn't do anything wrong, get some rest early!"
"Oh, okay."
After Lan Xi responded, for some reason, she felt an emptiness inside, a sense of panic inexplicably stirring, like a little girl lost and flustered.
"The real time should be about two o'clock in the morning now. The next time I log in should be around three in the afternoon. We'll meet here again then."
Su Mo said succinctly.
"Yeah, okay."
Lan Xi's eyes suddenly lit up with a different kind of vigor.
Su Mo tapped his bracelet and logged out of the game.
After a dizzying moment, Su Mo woke up from the game cabin. He sat up and took a deep breath.
Because the game was too realistic, every time he entered or exited the game, he couldn't help but have the illusion that he was still inside the game.
"That was so cool!"
"Amazing...."
...
A deafening chorus of praise came from outside the private room.
Su Mo stepped out of the private room and glanced down. Many eliminated players had gathered to watch a projection.
In the image, a throng of players stormed into a ruined city.
All the monsters they encountered on the way were overwhelmingly crushed and killed, leaving everyone watching feeling pumped with excitement.
Su Mo glanced at it briefly, not particularly interested, and left Star Game Cafe.
Not long after, Su Mo returned home, freshened up, and was just about to go to bed when...
Gurgle~
Suddenly, his stomach protested.
After some hesitation, he ordered takeout on his phone. However, when he saw the estimated delivery time, his mood soured—it was going to take over an hour.
It was because of a surge in orders. The number of people ordering takeout in the middle of the night had rapidly increased, while the number of delivery staff remained constant.
With no other option, Su Mo had no choice but to accept the reality and just placed an order.
He sat down at his computer, turned it on, and prepared to gather some information about Star Ring.
But as soon as he opened the game's official forum, he was bombarded with posts that caught his attention.
Su Mo quickly scanned the forum for information, his frown deepening with each passing moment.
In the end, he let out a long sigh; as an Independent Traveler, he couldn't compete with the big guilds.