Chapter 255 I Picked Up Trash on the Battlefield of National Fortune 11
Just then, a commotion arose from the market entrance.
"Look! It's the 'Azure Wolf' squad!"
"Holy crap, it's Wolf! He actually came back alive from the No. 7 restricted area!"
"I heard that the No. 7 exclusion zone is full of pollutants of Grade A or higher, that's incredible!"
Zhou Jue looked in the direction of the crowd and saw a group of five people walk in.
The leader was a tall, stern-faced man wearing a black combat uniform covered in scratches and carrying an exaggeratedly designed heavy sniper rifle on his back. He exuded a powerful aura that kept strangers at bay.
The members of their squad were all sharp-eyed and steady-stepping, clearly elites who had experienced countless life-or-death battles.
The surrounding players unconsciously made way for them, their eyes filled with awe.
This man, known as "Brother Wolf," seems to have a very high reputation among Chinese players.
He ignored the stares around him and walked straight into the depths of the market, as if searching for something specific.
He walked past each stall, his eyes scanning them quickly, but he kept shaking his head, seemingly dissatisfied with none of them.
He didn't even pause when he passed Pharmacist-44's stall.
The enthusiastic smile on Pharmacist No. 44's face froze, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.
As Zhou Jue watched this scene, she suddenly had a premonition that her client might have arrived.
Sure enough, the man called "Brother Wolf" suddenly stopped in his tracks as he passed Zhou Jue's stall.
His gaze fell directly on the gray cloth, on the three ordinary black threads.
Seeing this, one of his teammates asked curiously, "Brother Wolf, what's wrong? There's nothing on this stall..."
Wolf didn't answer. He slowly squatted down and carefully observed the three strands of black hair from a distance of a few centimeters.
His eyes, initially filled with doubt, slowly turned into shock, and finally, into an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy.
The surrounding players were all stunned.
Everyone could see that there were only three "hair-like" things on the stall. What could possibly cause this top-ten celebrity to lose his composure like this?
The pharmacist next to him, number 44, was also dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Wolf Brother slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the shadow of the hood to look at Zhou Jue. His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"Boss, this thing..."
How much does it cost?
Beneath Zhou Jue's hood, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, then quickly smoothed out.
She extended a finger, pointed to one of the strands of black hair, and then slowly raised that finger.
"One thousand points."
The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment, followed by suppressed snickers.
"Pfft... 1,000 points? Did I hear that right?"
"Is he crazy? A single strand of hair costs a thousand points? He might as well just rob someone!"
"Brother Wolf is a top ten figure on the leaderboard. Does he think he can fool Brother Wolf?"
Pharmacist-44 laughed the loudest, clutching his stomach, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Hahahaha! Young man, I take back what I said before. You're not a novice, you're a genius! A complete and utter comedic genius!"
Laughter and murmurs rose and fell; to everyone else, the deal had become a farce.
Wolf Brother frowned slightly, and the team members behind him also darkened their expressions, taking a step forward as if preparing to lash out.
However, Wolf Brother raised his hand to stop him.
He stared at Zhou Jue, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "Okay, one thousand points per stick."
"I'll take all three of them."
Pharmacist-44's laughter abruptly stopped, like a duck being choked. His mouth remained in the shape of a big laugh, but the muscles on his face were frozen, and his expression was both comical and astonished.
The surrounding players' chatter also stopped.
Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between Wolf Brother and Zhou Jue, as if they had seen a ghost.
Three thousand points!
Just for these three inconspicuous black stockings?
Even if a player works their hardest to complete a beginner's quest, the best they can earn is only a few hundred points.
Three thousand points are enough to buy a whole set of the most expensive B-grade equipment in the official store!
Ignoring everyone's reactions, Wolf raised his bracelet and prepared to transfer the money.
"Brother Wolf! Think it over!" A shrewd-looking teammate behind him hurriedly advised, "Three thousand points is no small amount. What if this thing..."
"What do you know!" Wolf Brother interrupted him in a low voice, his eyes flashing with an almost fanatical light: "This is 'Shadow Essence'! I've been searching for 'Shadow Essence' for three whole months!"
Shadow Essence?
The name exploded like a bomb in the crowd.
"Wait! I remember now!" A bespectacled player suddenly slapped his forehead: "I've seen this name before on a fragmented equipment blueprint! It's a core material for upgrading spirit-type weapons!"
"I remember now! Wolf, the captain of the 'Azure Wolf' squad, wields the 'Silent Reaper' weapon, a mental-based heavy sniper rifle! Legend has it that if you upgrade it one more level, it will gain the 'Soul Burning' effect!"
"So, these three black threads can upgrade a top-tier B-grade weapon to A-grade?"
"Holy crap! Three thousand points for an A-grade weapon upgrade opportunity? This... this is practically free!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, and everyone's eyes changed.
Looking at the three strands of black hair on Zhou Jue's stall, their eyes no longer held disdain and incomprehension, but naked greed and desire.
"Boss, I'll transfer the money right now," he said to Zhou Jue, his tone carrying a barely perceptible urgency.
Just as his finger was about to press the confirm button.
"Wait a minute." Another voice interrupted.
"I'll offer four thousand points; sell me these three 'Shadow Essences'!"
The crowd stirred again, and everyone's eyes turned to the sound. A man who was slightly short but had sharp and intelligent eyes led several team members who were also dressed in exotic combat uniforms as they slowly walked forward.
He had dark skin, prominent cheekbones, a red cloth wrapped around his head, and a strangely shaped badge hanging on his chest.
"It's Aziz, the captain of the 'Sand Scorpion' squad! He's one of the top five players on the 'Shamian Kingdom' player rankings!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.
"Sand Scorpion? What's he doing here?"
Wolf's face instantly darkened. He stood up abruptly, his tall frame radiating a chilling aura of pressure, like a hungry wolf about to pounce on its prey, staring intently at Aziz.
“Aziz, this is what I set my sights on first!” Wolf Brother’s voice was deep and full of warning.
Aziz, however, was unconcerned. A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips as he spoke in broken Dragon Kingdom language, “In market transactions, the highest bidder wins. Isn’t that the rule in ‘Dragon Kingdom’?” The bracelet on his wrist flashed, displaying a trading page for four thousand points, clearly indicating his intention to intervene directly.
The surrounding players got excited. This was a direct clash between two powerful figures, all for three "hair strands"!
Pharmacist-44's mouth gaped even wider; he was completely dumbfounded and couldn't keep up with this dramatic turn of events.
"Brother Wolf, don't waste your breath on him! These guys from Saman have always liked to steal other people's things!" The team members behind Brother Wolf also stepped forward, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
The air seemed to freeze in front of Zhou Jue's stall. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Zhou Jue's reaction. This was four thousand points! A full thousand points higher than the price offered by Brother Wolf!
Amidst the expectant yet tense gazes of the crowd, Zhou Jue's calm and undisturbed voice emanated from beneath her hood.
"Three thousand points."
She stretched out her finger, pointed to the three strands of black silk, and repeated the previous price.
Aziz's smile froze on his face. He thought he had misheard: "What did you say? I'll offer four thousand!"
"First come, first served. My price is three thousand points. It's yours." Zhou Jue's voice remained calm as he pointed at the Dragon Kingdom player.
The surrounding players were completely dumbfounded.
"Is...is this boss crazy? He doesn't want four thousand, he insists on three thousand?"
"Did he not understand what Aziz said?"
"My God, he actually refused a higher price!"
Wolf was also stunned. He didn't expect Zhou Jue to make such a choice. His tense muscles slowly relaxed, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including surprise and gratitude.
Aziz's face turned ashen. He felt deeply humiliated. He, a bigwig from the Kingdom of Saman, had offered to raise the price, only to be rejected by an unknown street vendor!
"You! Are you mocking me?!" Aziz shouted angrily.
Zhou Jue ignored him, and simply turned to Wolf Brother, saying in the same calm tone, "A deal?"
Wolf took a deep breath, suppressing his shock and elation. Without hesitation, he raised his bracelet and quickly completed the transfer.
"Transaction successful! 3,000 points have been credited to your account!" The system notification sounded in Zhou Jue's ears.
Zhou Jue carefully put away the three strands of black hair and handed them to Wolf Brother.
Wolf took the items, his gaze falling on Zhou Jue. His face was obscured by the hood, but it left a deep impression on him. He didn't say much, just nodded slightly, then turned and led his team away from the market amidst the cacophony of gazes.
Aziz clenched his fists, staring intently at Zhou Jue's stall, but in the end he could only let out a resentful snort before leading his team away in anger.
After Wolf and Aziz left, whispers broke out again in the market.
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