"Lord Guan, I, your humble servant, Thomas Smyth, offer my sincere prayers. Grant me luck and prosperity."
He bowed three times, placing the incense sticks in the burner. The ritual complete, a smile touched his lips.
He opened the Super Monopoly screen and rolled the dice.
A four.
"Four… the Shop?"
The fourth space on the board was different this time. A small room, labeled "Shop."
Mini-Thomas landed on the space. The screen changed, displaying three shelves, each with three items and their prices.
[Remote Control Dice] x2: 200 Wealth Points
[Get Out of Jail Free Card] x1: 150 Wealth Points
[Interest Rate Increase (Level 1)]: 1500 Wealth Points
[Chosen One (Trait)]: 2000 Wealth Points
[Rare Pet]: 400 Wealth Points
…and more.
The array of items was dazzling. A five-minute timer ticked down in the corner. 4:13 remaining.
He checked his points. Another 303 today, plus yesterday's 791. 1094 total. He scanned the items, searching for a solution to his problem.
[Stay Put Card], [Go to Jail Card], [Shopping Spree Card], [Forced Transaction (Trait)], [Burglar (Trait)], [Build Houses (Trait)], [Special Pass], [Blessing of the God of Fortune], [Curse of the God of Misfortune]…
He was tempted to buy everything, but his points were limited.
Two minutes left. His eyes stopped on a particular item.
[One-Time Designated Purchase Card
Uses: 1/1
Effect: Forces the purchase of a designated property for an additional 15% fee.
Cost: 250 Wealth Points]
---
He thought for a moment. A smile spread across his face. "This is it."
He bought the card. It appeared in his inventory. 844 points remaining. Enough.
He scanned the Monopoly board. Property information appeared as he hovered over each space.
[Car Dealership], [Post Office], [Ginseng & Black Pearl Restaurant], [Public Restroom]…
His gaze settled on a high-rise building.
[Sparrow City Trading Center]
"Use [One-Time Designated Purchase Card] on [Sparrow City Trading Center]."
The card glowed, then shot towards the Trading Center space on the board.
[Spend 650 Wealth Points to purchase the Sparrow City Trading Center?]
He grinned.
"Yes."
His points dwindled to 96. The 15% fee had been deducted. Worth it.
A massive blueprint appeared in his mind. The 23-story Trading Center, the vast trading floor, hundreds of rooms. Overwhelming. And the red dots moving within.
"Mad Dog's lair," he confirmed.
He studied the blueprint, rotating it, zooming in. Most of the activity was concentrated on the lower floors and the trading floor. Living quarters and common areas. A few occupied rooms on the upper floors. Mid-level gang members, probably. Hierarchy reflected in their location.
One occupied room on the 20th floor. The largest, most luxurious suite. People occasionally entered, then quickly left.
"Mad Dog's room," he concluded.
He spent the rest of the day studying the blueprint, searching for weaknesses, occasionally responding to trade requests.
Inside the Trading Center, Mad Dog was restless. He was in trouble. The Boss's brother was missing. And one of his guards. He shuddered, imagining the Boss's wrath.
"More heat!" he roared. "I'm freezing!"
His underlings scrambled to obey, adding more fuel to the furnace. The generator strained to power the air conditioners.
One of them, bundled in a fur coat, spat towards Mad Dog's door. "So demanding," he muttered. "So many of our brothers dead, and he doesn't care."
"I miss Black Dog," another said. "He promised to get me into the ritual. I could have been a god!"
"Heard the VIP at the Pinewood disappeared," a third whispered. "That's why Mad Dog's so pissed."
The others leaned in. "Tell us more."
"They found the guards dead on the seventh floor. Weapons everywhere. But the VIP was gone. Mad Dog freaked out when he heard."
The looter grinned, glancing at Mad Dog's door. "His face was priceless." They chuckled.
Across the city, in the Sparrow City Opera House, Kolenty, the Butcher, sat by the fireplace, a cigar clenched between his teeth. He inhaled deeply, the smoke stinging his lungs, chasing away the lethargy.
The windows were frosted over, the cold seeping in despite the roaring fire.
"The Saber's probably dead," he mused, twirling the cigar. Two days. The Saber should have returned yesterday. But the City Hospital remained silent, swallowing his men whole.
"Is someone watching me?" he wondered. Had someone seen him abduct the Boss's brother? The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He needed to get rid of this liability. But how?
His eyes lit up. A plan began to form.
Meanwhile, Thomas stared at a peculiar item in a trade offer. A book.
[The Art of Explosives]
Type: Rare Book
Effect: Allows the creation of explosives using various chemical components.
Requirements: Level 2 Bathroom, Level 2 Kitchen, Level 2 Ventilation System.
Description: A practical guide that may prove invaluable in difficult situations.
---
Mining District - Liu Binbin: Legend Smyth, how much stew for this book? Found it in a lab-like room. Beakers, test tubes, chemicals everywhere.
Mining District - Liu Binbin: It's valuable, right? The requirements are a bit high, but I just need enough to survive the blizzard.
Thomas recognized the description. A blasting room. Probably full of useful materials.
City - Thomas: We can trade. What else did you find in that room?
Mining District - Liu Binbin: You want that junk? I kept it, but no one wants it. [Pictures of chemical equipment] [Pictures of chemical liquids]
Thomas saw the pictures. Beakers, test tubes, stirring rods, Bunsen burners… And the chemicals: nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, glycerin, cotton, mercury, ethanol… He was speechless. Had this guy looted the entire lab?
No wonder no one wanted it. Useless in the current disaster. Liu Binbin had probably intended to keep the book for himself, but desperation had forced his hand.
This saved Thomas the trouble of searching for these materials. And the Mining District… there must be unique resources there, like the wood in the forest, the mutton on the grasslands, the salt and fish by the sea. Minerals, probably. This Liu Binbin seemed resourceful. Worth cultivating.
City - Thomas: I'll take it all. Three bowls of stew, three ibuprofen, three amoxicillin, and three cans of meat. Deal?
Liu Binbin was surprised. He'd expected one or two bowls at most.
Mining District - Liu Binbin: Deal, Legend Smyth! Thank you!
The trade complete, Liu Binbin relaxed. "I'll be fine now," he thought. "Should have built my hideout in the mine. Too bad about the book, but I only have a Level 1 Kitchen. I'll never meet the requirements."
Thomas learned the book. It wasn't what he'd expected. No crafting menu. Instead, a new skill.
[Explosives Crafting]
Type: Rare Life Skill
Description: Allows the creation of various explosives using chemical components, including black powder, emulsion explosives, detonators, nitroglycerin, timed bombs, remote detonated bombs, micro-bombs, etc.
Effects: Increased stability, success rate, and defusal rate. Reduced chance of accidents. 10% chance of bonus effects (30% at max level). 50% reduced crafting and defusal time at max level.
Skill Level: 0/10000
How to Increase Skill: Craft explosives, defuse explosives, use explosives to kill enemies or destroy structures.