Chapter 263 Material Procurement
"Reproduction complete." Shax put down Jinye's notebook and said, "Try it."
Jie An and Gulibo cheered, each picking up a controller. The black box began to beep, and the adapter projected the image onto a custom-made water screen. The RenXtang logo emerged against a red backdrop.
"What clarity!" Jie An exclaimed, "It's much higher resolution than Chu Hengkong's phone."
Gulibo was so happy looking at the ultra-clear water screen that he jumped for joy. He grabbed the controller and fiddled with it for a while before realizing something was wrong. "Why isn't there any game?"
"I don't play video games," Shakes said. "I just guess and replicate basic designs. Software isn't part of my trade."
"Why is this happening..." Gulibo was very disappointed. "What's the point of a game console without games to play..."
Jie An pondered for a while and offered a suggestion: "Inspector Chu must have played it before. Why don't we go to him to gather information and then ask someone else to make one?"
"Is there anyone in the city who can make games?" Gulibo regained his hope.
"That girl is very knowledgeable. This little thing will definitely be no problem for her." Jie An was very confident. "Could you please be a mental adapter?"
“One last time.” Shaxx sighed.
He built a touchpad-like adapter next to the game console and made it open source, allowing other Transformers on the Floating Light Path to directly access their mental programming. After the modification was complete, he tossed Jin Ye's notes into the storage relic. According to the transaction, the book now belonged to him.
During his few days of recuperation in Huilong City, he helped improve the resurrection troops' standard armament and some special warfare equipment in exchange for Jin Ye's notes and a large amount of hard-to-find materials. Xie An repeatedly told him that the value of technological improvements far outweighed material compensation, and that the compensation he was asking for was too little. But Shax had a clear calculation in mind: he had no connections to Huilong City, so providing medical assistance was a favor.
If you owe someone something, you have to pay it back, otherwise you won’t be able to live simply.
"Thank you very much, a killer is always loyal." Xie An smiled broadly, "Do you want anything else? If you like it, just ask."
"That's enough." Shax shook his head. "I'm going to go shopping."
"Take me a boo." Gulibo stretched out his paw, "I want to bring souvenirs for everyone."
"I just need to buy some groceries, let's go together." Jie An took out the car keys and prepared to drive.
Did these people know his purchases were for weapons? He wasn't going for souvenirs; he was buying grenades, portable traps, replacement modules for the World Breaker, and modification materials. But there was no point telling them. The two men, one carrying their father's Holy Honor Cup and the other carrying a bioweapon seed, ran out nonchalantly. They didn't react particularly to the sight of guns and ammunition, only to say, "Shax, your souvenirs are really special, but a bit pricey."
Shaxx sighed again, beginning to understand why the snake sighed so often. He sent out a telepathic signal, and the Wheel of Judgment took off from the tarmac and hovered outside the window.
"Let me drive," he said.
·
"I regret this," Shax said expressionlessly. The cook and the little animal sat on training wheels, laughing wildly.
The World-Breaking Wheel was fast enough to serve as a personal weapon, readily available at any time. As a vehicle, it was impeccable. However, the newly rebuilt Huilong City hadn't yet fully equipped its transportation system, and lacked experience in accommodating aerial visitors, especially those of medium-sized rank. Their parking spaces were limited to small aircraft, while the Wheel of Judgment had a wingspan of over forty meters.
So the three of them had to hover above the bustling market, enjoying the gazes of thousands of tourists from all over the world. A whole field of flashbulbs illuminated Shakes's face pale white, and children and women waved at him eagerly.
"Can we take a picture, sir?" an adult fufu asked. "Your aircraft is awesome!"
"Fufu!" Its furry cub chimed in loudly.
"I have to say that your style is really popular among kids, Mr. Strange Gunman." Jie An gloated.
"The purchase plan is canceled." Shax said with a gloomy face.
At that moment, a streak of cherry blossom-colored light flew by, transforming into a helipad made of pure energy at the edge of the market. A path opened through the crowd, and Qi Su approached, holding a large flower pot and gently waving his staff at the surrounding citizens.
"Please be respectful. This is a powerful Sephiroth 4," she sang. "I'm not sure if his World-Splitting Wheel will misfire, so I suggest you give way."
The crowd dispersed, fearing they were moving too slowly. Qi Su guided the World-Breaking Wheel down and leaned over to say, "What a bold design... Honestly, I've never seen such an unstable structure. Is your requirement for your World-Breaking Wheel just to be able to fly?"
"Being able to fly is enough." Shax didn't care.
"How violent! You're even more extreme than a real machine." Qi Su curled his lips. "Young man, if you set out without modifying it, your Moon Watching Journey will suffer~"
"Then you're worrying about the wrong thing. That's exactly what he wants," Jie An said. "Our sniper enjoys dangerous situations. The more dangerous it is, the happier he is!"
Shax didn't respond, leaving Gulbo completely bewildered. "What are you talking about, Bo?"
"Qi Su is talking about a traditional ritual."
A gentle voice emanated from the flowerpot, and the leaves of the buds swayed slowly. "After ascending to Sephiroth 4, the ascender will independently embark on a journey across the Dust Island. They must rely on their own power to fly out of their homeland, soaring in the dark moonlight, opposing the gravity of the First Abyss, hence the name Moon-gazing Journey."
"But particle 4 has already crossed the first abyss?" Gulibo was confused.
"There's always a gap between theory and practice, so we need a way to test our abilities," Fenya replied. "Moon-gazing isn't 'necessary,' and it doesn't hinder a Transcendant's future progress. In fact, because the current environment is too dangerous, many young people have abandoned this tradition."
"That's the man who can't fly," Shax said. "He'll never fly."
"My child, I think you can fly high," Fen Ya said. "But as Qi Su said, you must be well prepared before setting off. Come with me—please let me pay the bill this time. You all have helped me so much along the way."
Qisu quickly picked up the flowerpot and followed Fenya's instructions. Shakes believed that Fenya was well aware of the market situation because when Qisu first stopped, he saw the new pistol he wanted in the window.
"The so-called sacred tree network?" Shax asked.
"It's an application of my spiritual vines. It allows me to quickly understand the needs of those around me." Fen Ya swung the sprouting vines. "It's very interesting. I'm still learning."
Gulibo was more concerned about another issue. It jumped around the flowerpot as if it was facing a great enemy: "Why are you hugging the sacred tree, Master Bo!"
Qi Su smiled brightly: "Because I also admire Master Shenshu~"
Gulibo was shocked: "Impossible! Lord Shenshu can't do anything except talk!"
"You are not allowed to insult the Lord God!" Qi Su was furious and knocked the word "stupid" on Gulibo's forehead. The little white mouse stared at the spot and jumped up and down: "Bo, Bo, Bo, Bo..."
"Please don't be so harsh on Gulbo. He's my good friend," said Fen Ya. "Just let him jump for half a minute."
Jie An patted Gulibo's head, rushed to the store and picked up an old book: "I want this recipe~"
·
Under Fen Ya's guidance, the purchases proceeded with remarkable efficiency. Shakes secured the new gun of the season he'd longed for, Jie An found several cookbooks and a large quantity of herbal seeds, and even Qi Su found a few interesting ancient books.
However, the combined harvest of the three people was not as much as that of Guliboyibo. It dragged an extra-large cloth bag and stuffed all kinds of strange snacks into it like Santa Claus preparing for Christmas.
"This is the store manager's favorite, Boo!" Gulbo picked up a box of mushroom chocolates and threw them into his already overflowing bag without hesitation. Then he turned and ran to the carpet next door, grabbing a handful of potato chips. "This is the store manager's favorite, too!"
"You've already bought nearly ten kilograms of the store manager's favorite food. I strongly suspect you want to murder the store manager," Jie An commented.
"That's not true. The manager likes everything!" Gulibo grabbed another bag of dried meat. "The manager likes delicious food, and he doesn't mind trying even unpalatable food... Can I pack some food from the cafeteria later? I think the manager would like it."
Shax looked at the huge pile of bags and felt like he was losing his appetite just by looking at it. Qi Su's eyes widened. "Is your Aquatic Products Bookstore actually a restaurant..."
"No, it's just the store manager who has a big appetite. The manager eats very little. He'll be very happy if you give him some little girl stuffed animals."
"This manager has bigger problems than the store owner! He's so immoral!" Qi Su's face turned red.
Gulibo put the pure wooden movable warrior sculpture that the stall owner enthusiastically recommended into a separate small bag and said with satisfaction: "This will make the store manager and the manager happy~"
Then its ears drooped, and the tip of its nose turned gray with worry. "But I still haven't found a gift the editor likes... I've been absent for so long. If the editor takes it seriously, my performance for the first quarter of this year will be ruined..."
"You've already dealt with the owner and the manager, so why are you afraid of a mere editor?" Shax couldn't help but interrupt.
Gulibo turned around, wanting to cry but unable to. "The owner and manager don't usually work... The editor of Dudu Otter is the one in charge of the main business, Animal Bo..."
"It turns out that there are two mascots! You are basically buying snacks for your pets at home!" Qi Su couldn't help it.
Gulibo sat down against the big bag, holding his head with his paws. "What should I do... I haven't found anything the editor would like! He doesn't like snacks or figurines, and I can't afford the wine he usually likes to drink!"
"This idea of an elite capitalist in the animal world? That sounds pretty dark," Jie An said. "Doesn't this guy have any hobbies?"
Gulibo looked up pitifully: "It likes to deduct my performance points when I skip work to take care of the garden..."
"Then it's obvious that you were at fault first. You've already confidently stated that you skipped work, so whose salary should be deducted if not yours?" Jie An rolled his eyes.
"And you like to deduct my vacation time when I skip work to visit the plant exhibition..."
"Isn't this still slacking off? Even if you change the words, the fact that you didn't go to work won't change!" Qi Su joined the doubles.
Gulibo started to cry fake tears: "And, and also when I secretly asked for leave without reporting..."
"You're still skipping classes! How badly do you want to slack off? This editor is being kind by not firing you!"
Gulibo collapsed to the ground. "It's over, Bo! The editor has a terrible impression of me. If I don't please him this time, my salary review will be really bad!"
"Have you ever considered that you might be fired?! You're the real pet, right?"
Qi Su began beating the white mouse scab with a stick, and Gulibo rolled around on the ground. Fen Ya extended her spiritual vines and soothed him, "Don't panic, child. When you encounter a problem, learn to consider multiple perspectives. This editor has few material needs and seems to come from a well-off family. So why does he want to work in a bookstore?"
"Because the editor of Dudu Otter likes to read literary works..." Gulibo's eyes lit up. "That's right! I can buy the animations that the editor likes. Huilong City should be able to get the goods faster than the city-state!"
"It turns out that editors are not serious people. I guess everyone in your bookstore is a stay-at-home person." Qi Su said.
Gulbo looked around, then scurried into a video store owned by a Shura Islander and whispered something. The warrior who ran the store understood and handed him a box of luxurious gold-plated video crystals, taller than his entire body. Shax saw a group of masked girls on the packaging.
"It's a sure thing, it's a sure thing, Bo!" Gulibo exclaimed happily. "This is 'Shen Yin Ge Kui,' the latest work in the 'Dream Girl Music' series that I love, and it's a rare hardcover edition. I'm sure the editor will be very happy to see this!"
Shax glanced at the screenshots on the back of the box. He saw a woman with a bunch of heads, a woman crawling on the ground, and a woman suspended in the air by various threads, pretending to be an idol. The eerie atmosphere and terrifying fluctuations of thoughts in those screenshots almost made him feel dizzy. He took a step back calmly and read the plot summary again. Just reading a few words made the chill intensify several times.
“Are you sure?” Shaxx warned.
Fen Ya also had a bad feeling. "Gulibo, I saw in the introduction that this work... is very experimental... the style is very different from the previous work... and contains some controversial content..."
"No problem, bo," Gulibo said confidently. "The editor's tastes are always niche, and this work is 100% in line with his preferences. I brought back his favorite female musician, and the editor will definitely be very happy!"
"Uh, okay." Xie An shrugged. "I wish you good luck on your salary."
"You just said you wanted to help make the game, right?" Qi Su whispered, "Let's get back to work now. I can't bear to watch any more."
At least from a personal perspective, this purchase left everyone very satisfied. Qi Su's versatility was even greater than anyone's expectations. In less than half an hour, she had programmed a multiplayer racing game in which racers could throw magical relics like jade, squid, and eels to slow down the other racers.
"This is an extreme racing game that combines a sense of competition with a sense of danger!" Qi Su proudly raised the controller. "It supports up to eight players at a time! The last person in line has to run around the building three times wearing an eel mask~!"
"Wow, MaXao Racing." Chu Hengkong, who had just entered the door, took a look and said confidently, "This is my advantage area."
"I won't lose in terms of speed!" Qingxia rubbed his hands together.
"The game is all about the operation."
"Sister Huaisu, what are you doing?"
"I'll grab your handle."
“Is this considered an operation?!”
The arrival of these idiots had thrown the common area into chaos again, and Shax began to regret not buying earplugs. He was going to go out and practice shooting soon; he had no interest in these boring entertainment activities...
"Hey Shax, why did you run away? Are you so afraid of losing?"
…
Don't get mad at the idiot. He has no interest in this. There's absolutely no reason for him to participate...
Shax turned, grabbed a controller, and sat down in the middle of the couch.
"None of you can win," he said.
"Okay, let's start the game!"
The racing game consists of three laps, with the players deciding the winner over three rounds. There will also be an overtime round and a revival round for the loser...
It looks like it will take at least another afternoon to decide the loser of the eel-head mask match.
(End of this chapter)
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