Chapter 109 : Black-on-Black Crime (1)
Black-on-Black Crime (1)
Because these two days were precisely the game's most important "pioneering" period, and with the appearance of a D-rank world boss, many of the more professional players chose to stay online all day and grind intensively, so there was no worry about not finding anyone.
After waiting for several dozen seconds, Yuewu also sent a message back confirming there was no problem.
Of course, the precondition for Chen Zixuan to forge equipment for the two of them was that they needed to prepare the required materials in advance.
At this point in time, in-game resources were still in an extremely scarce state, and gathering materials was just as difficult. Even just for the materials required to forge a blue rare-grade set, at least a dozen different materials were needed.
Given the time it would take for the two of them to collect all the materials, it would probably take at least a day or two at the earliest, so there was no hurry for now.
Closing the chat window, just as Chen Zixuan was about to head out of the city to hunt more monsters, a hoarse and low voice suddenly sounded beside him:
"Hello, adventurer, do you have a moment to talk?"
Hearing this voice, Chen Zixuan was startled. When did this person come up beside him?
Moreover, the address "adventurer" made it sound like... an NPC?
Could it be another side quest? With this thought, Chen Zixuan turned his head, and saw that beside him, without his notice, a man in his twenties was already standing there.
The man's hair was gray-white, his figure a bit hunched, dressed in a tattered jacket, a long scar marked his face, and his eyes were sinister—he certainly didn't look like a player.
"What do you want?"
Since this was an NPC, Chen Zixuan didn't need to be too polite. The silver-haired girl gently parted her cherry lips and asked emotionlessly.
"Heh heh... There are too many people here. I have a profitable job for you. Let's take this somewhere more private," the man said, casting a narrow, triangular gaze at Chen Zixuan, before grinning coldly and lowering his voice.
At that moment, the system's voice suddenly chimed in Chen Zixuan's mind.
"System prompt: You have encountered gang member Grey and triggered the town quest [Black-on-Black]. Do you wish to accept?"
Town quest... Gang member... Black-on-Black?
A sequence of phrases flashed through Chen Zixuan's mind, and his instincts told him that this didn't seem like an ordinary side quest.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Zixuan still decided to first look at the quest description before deciding whether to accept it.
After all, he really needed experience to level up right now, and quest rewards were much higher than simple grinding.
So, he nodded and instead asked, "If this job is so profitable and there are so many adventurers around, why did you pick me?"
Chen Zixuan's concern wasn't unfounded. Ever since he was burned by that VR headset, he'd developed a psychological shadow about good things dropping out of the blue.
The NPC named Grey glanced around warily, then grinned sinisterly and whispered, "You're certainly cautious, aren't you? There are indeed many adventurers here, but only you are the strongest, right?"
Grey's rhetorical question instantly made Chen Zixuan realize.
The trigger for this quest must require the player's level to exceed a certain threshold—not just anyone could take it.
For example, if the quest level limit was 7, then among all the players present, only Chen Zixuan had reached and surpassed that level. So it was only natural for the NPC to pick him.
No longer hesitant, he nodded slightly and followed NPC Grey into a dark, deep alley.
The alley seemed to be a dead end, littered with trash on both sides, no light visible. However, with his Vampire night vision, Chen Zixuan could still see things fairly clearly.
Soon, the two reached the end of the alley, where seven or eight figures lurking in the dark appeared in Chen Zixuan's field of vision.
Most were in their twenties or thirties, looking fierce and malicious. Some had strange tattoos on their arms and necks, clearly not good people.
Alertness rising in his heart, the girl under the black cloak quietly gripped the short dagger at her waist.
A group of thugs in a dark alley—nothing about this scenario felt normal.
However, remembering the quest's name, "Black-on-Black,"
Chen Zixuan decided to wait and see a bit longer.
A few seconds later, grey stopped and called into the darkness, "Come out, I've brought the help."
A few light footsteps sounded, and soon, the lurking figures emerged before the two.
"There shouldn't be anyone else around now, so say whatever you want to say," a cold feminine voice sounded from under the hood as she looked at Grey.
Grey turned, his narrow eyes filled with hatred, as he said with a hoarse voice, "My name is Grey. These people, like me, are all from the 'Scythe Gang'. We make our fortunes smuggling and trading monster materials in the royal city."
As expected, it was a gang... Chen Zixuan nodded slowly, surprised that this game even had mafia groups.
However, the name "Scythe Gang" really left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Grey paused, then continued slowly, "After all, the taxes in the royal city are too heavy, and those guards are no joke. Even though our line of work makes decent money, it's not easy. Just last month, several brothers got thrown in jail."
"Get to the point,"
Chen Zixuan reminded him, sensing the conversation drifting.
"My apologies, adventurer, I got carried away,"
Grey quickly nodded and apologized, then continued:
"Apart from our Scythe Gang, there's another group in this area called the Hammer Gang. Their leader is Austin, that son-of-a-bitch. He led people to rob us while we were smuggling a crucial shipment!"
At this point, grey's face twisted with anger, gritting his teeth as he went on:
"That shipment was worth a fortune. It could have let all of us live in style for weeks at the inn next to St. Gregory's Bridge. Damn it, one day I'll use Austin's head as a ball."
"I'm not sure what kind of inn is next to St. Gregory's Bridge, but I think I get the picture."
The silver-haired girl nodded slightly beneath her cloak and asked, "You want me to help you get revenge on that Hammer Gang leader, austin, right?"
"Yes. According to word from an informant, the goods are still hidden in Austin's lair. He never smuggles himself, so he won't know where the buyers are looking. What a pity about that whole crate of Natural Snow Silkworm Silk... If you help us, we're sure we can get it back!"
"Wait, what did you say?"
...............
Over the past two days, I've been sick. I can barely keep my eyes open, so I'm taking a break from double updates for two days—I'll make up the chapters over the weekend. Thank you all for your previous suggestions; I've bought the medicine.
I'll buy the girl's costume tonight, since the Double 12 sale is on. Let's see when the courier arrives.
Please be patient, please...
Chapter 110: Black-on-Black (2)
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**New Names, locations, skills, and Techniques**