The reception staff at Starport City demonstrated exceptional professionalism. They didn't overly pester or push Ryan. After briefly introducing the services, they politely bowed and left, giving Ryan a peaceful space and complete freedom of choice.
Ryan hadn't known that the Starport City Training Center had these secret services beneath its surface. But he quickly realized that as a prosperous large outpost, Starport City needed to continuously attract and cultivate talent. Providing everything talent needed was undoubtedly a smart strategy. Through these transactions, the management could not only understand the customers' capabilities but also strengthen their dependence on and loyalty to Starport City.
Ryan couldn't help but admire the management, who had built a commercial empire in space and held significant positions in Starport City. They were no ordinary people.
After a moment of contemplation, Ryan followed the instructions provided by the reception staff and found a hidden link on the Starport City lifetime membership page. He clicked it and entered a little-known black market network, where the array of goods was dazzling.
This black market network was like Aladdin's treasure trove, with an incredibly rich variety of goods. From small rare metals and gene enhancement liquids to large D-class transport ships, deep-space aircraft, high-end weapon systems, and even fully armed full-metal skeleton robot teams, each item represented the depth and breadth of Starport City's black market.
However, Ryan remained unfazed. In his previous life, he had encountered Starport City and knew that it operated more than one mobile black market outpost. These items were sold at prices lower than the market because their origins were not clean.
Some were assets plundered by space pirates, while others were stripped from the dead. Plundered items couldn't enter the Earth Alliance as they would be reclaimed, so they had to be discreetly disposed of. Items stripped from the dead were mostly bio-chips, which could be recycled or directly consumed.
In the black market mall of Starport City, the trading rules for chips were quite unique. For example, an H2 citizen chip could gain all the permissions and computational power of an H3 citizen chip by swallowing it. Similarly, an H3 chip could slightly enhance its computational power by swallowing an H2 citizen chip, although the improvement was minimal.
The prices of H-series chips in the black market mall were generally affordable, usually costing only 900,000 each, which was 100,000 less than the upgrade cost outside. However, the upgrade speed outside was faster, with computational power reaching its peak instantly. In contrast, the process of upgrading by swallowing bio-chips was much slower, taking at least 48 hours to eliminate unnecessary memories and storage, retaining only the computational power.
Ryan didn't hesitate and immediately purchased four chips: an H6, an H7, an H8, and an H9, planning to gradually upgrade his chip level back at the base. After paying 3.6 million, his balance dropped to seven figures.
Next, Ryan entered the combat suit section of the black market mall. The combat suits looked brand new and clean, but in reality, each one was stained with blood. But Ryan didn't mind; he had changed into not fully damaged combat suits on the battlefield before.
The combat suits in the mall were different from the semi-combat suits of security personnel; these were military products. They not only included memory metal wires that could transform into knives, screwdrivers, wrenches, and other tools but also had strong bulletproof, stab-proof, and puncture-proof functions. Especially during ambushes, the metal particles could locally gather to form shield armor, significantly increasing the wearer's survival chances. The computational speed and response sensitivity of these combat suits far exceeded their current equipment.
An H-series combat suit was priced at 5 million, usually only available to those with military status. However, in the black market mall of Starport City, the price was reduced to 4.5 million, with customization and color-changing services. More thoughtfully, Starport City promised that no one outside could trace it, and even if someone tried, they would never find the source.
After some consideration, Ryan decided to place an order and specifically noted the style of his current security combat suit. Regular military combat suits were more powerful and adaptable to the battlefield, making them urgently needed equipment for him.
Especially for Ryan, who didn't plan to join the space military at the moment, a fully functional and highly secure combat suit was enough to support him in F-level battles.
After purchasing the combat suit, his remaining funds were 4.35 million. Although limited, being poor made Ryan more meticulous in the black market mall. His eyes lingered on various special weapons and equipment:
A custom F-class high-current shotgun, priced at 12 million, with bullets costing 100,000 each, capable of easily stunning a group of F-class beasts or Zerbeasts.A custom F-class anti-material sniper rifle, capable of shredding F-class metal shells, with drone armor-piercing rounds, priced at 20 million.A custom high-frequency vibration cutting knife, priced at 18 million, capable of easily slicing through 5 cm thick G-class alloy shells.An invisible Bluebird aircraft, equipped with an H9 chip, with an invisible coating, priced at 32 million.
All items in the black market mall were sold at a 10% discount, making Ryan drool. But he silently calculated that to get a complete set of mature equipment, he would need to accumulate a fortune of 200 million, and that was just the starting point.
He hadn't even calculated the gene enhancement funds needed to upgrade from H-level to G-level. Being an ordinary person was easy, but becoming extraordinary required a huge price.
With only 4.35 million left, Ryan began his training at the Starport City Training Center. Trainer YOYO stood by, maintaining her sweet smile, providing Ryan with professional encouragement and support.
Soon, the chips and combat suit Ryan ordered were delivered. He went to the locker room and changed into the new combat suit. This suit was carefully modified to be identical to his original one, fitting perfectly and comfortably. He carefully placed the four chips in the inner pocket of the combat suit. When Ryan left the Starport City Training Center, everything seemed unchanged from when he arrived.
On the top floor of the Starport City Training Center, behind a one-way visible floor-to-ceiling window, John Stryker stood with a middle-aged man with graying temples and a dignified demeanor, overlooking the young man leaving the training center.
"This person is quite interesting," John Stryker said.
"A recent graduate with a security team member status, who has never met me, dared to place a million-dollar bet on my first match," he said. His wounds had long healed, and he now wore a neat suit, exuding a mix of iron-blooded and gentlemanly qualities.
"Having vision and courage is one thing," the middle-aged man commented, "but spending 2 million to buy a lifetime membership and tipping you 1 million afterward shows that this kid has an extraordinary mindset and isn't just a lucky upstart."
The middle-aged man, who bore some resemblance to John Stryker, spoke with a steady and powerful tone: "I've investigated his background. He has several records of meritorious service in actual combat, having encountered beasts, Zerbeasts, and space pirates. He's almost a jack-of-all-trades and worth recruiting."