Chapter 90
If the farm is short of electricity, just go get a power plant.
An Rou's suggestion left Paopao speechless for a while.
"Boss... don't you know that there's only one power plant in the entire Lengbing City? It supplies power to the central city, the first-level security zone, and 216 towns in the secondary security zone. Let's not even talk about whether it can be switched back. Even if it was, there wouldn't be enough space for the farm. The power plant would definitely take up much more land than the farm..."
An Rou really didn't know.
"Such important information, why didn't you tell me earlier?" She frowned. "Then let's cut back a generator set. A generator set wouldn't take up much space, right? Generators are also daily necessities. We should be able to restore them to operation with a little money."
Paopao scratched his head. "It's a thermal power plant in the game, so one unit could be put there, but... the power plant is in a Level 1 safety zone, and Level 1 is the territory of the Dragon Flame Guild. A crucial location like a power plant must be heavily guarded."
An Rou's eyes grew increasingly gloomy.
Paopao had never told her this information, and she didn't know where he got it from. However, over the years, Paopao had proven the accuracy of his information, and An Rou believed his concerns were correct.
After offending Ouli, he ran to the core area of Longyan to make trouble. It would be strange if he didn't attract Longyan.
The first-tier zone wasn't remote like Zhongsu Town; it was densely populated with players, and even more so with high-ranking guild members. Even if one became wealthy enough to "walk at night," they wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.
For some reason, Chu Mo didn't take action. But other high-level players wouldn't necessarily sit idly by and watch an SSS-level ghoul.
As I was thinking, a crisp sound was heard outside the door.
"An Rou, I'm here to visit—ah!"
The door was knocked open by a figure, and Heng Bobao lay on the ground in a mess with his head on the ground. When he raised his head, there was a red spot on his forehead.
Her head was facing the two of them, and when she saw them, she held back her laughter and said, "Miss Heng, there's no need for such a grand ceremony."
Heng Bobao's eyes were filled with tears, but because of these words, her tears were blocked. She glared at Paopao, got up, and kicked the door threshold twice.
"It's all your fault, it's all your fault!"
A look of treating the threshold as a run.
Unexpectedly, with a snap, the heel of her high heels broke, and she lost her balance again. When she was about to do the splits, she was picked up by a hand.
Paopao couldn't hold it in anymore, so he just threw his head back and laughed out loud three times.
Bang!
Paopao was stunned until a red shoe print appeared on his face. Then he realized that it was Heng Bobao who slapped him with a high heel shoe.
Heng Bobao was also confused. Seeing this, he broke free from his hand and said stubbornly, "You are just ordinary. You deserve it!"
These two people who always bicker when they meet finally started fighting.
An Rou came over at the right moment, pulled Heng Bobao aside, and handed him a pair of replacement shoes. She then unscrewed a bottle of life potion and said, "You're here just in time. I need to discuss something with Madam Leng. Could you please ask for her?"
"Oh...oh...okay..."
Heng Bobao also knew that he had caused trouble, so he quickly changed his shoes and ran away.
An Rou then walked over to Paopao and handed him a bottle of life potion as well, saying with a smile, "You deserve to be beaten by a woman."
I had originally wanted Paopao to use this opportunity to curse a few times to cool off, but unexpectedly, Paopao touched his red and burning cheeks and muttered, "I didn't expect her to look so cool when she hits people."
An Rou: ...
Well, this guy turns out to be a masochist, and he hides his true nature.
No wonder he got involved in this shameful business after just a little intimidation.
Leng Hanli moved into Heng Bobao's yard, right behind An Rou, and came over quickly. However, she came alone.
Before entering, she subconsciously glanced at the threshold that had tripped her daughter. There were no lanterns in the yard, only the dim light from the kerosene lamp inside the house, which was indeed easy to trip if you were not careful.
Leng Hanli stepped over the threshold and bowed her head slightly, saying, "Thank you, farmer, for giving the baby the life potion."
An Rou smiled and said, "What's the point of granting or not? I'm a farmer, not an emperor. If you have something to say, just talk about it. Don't be so picky."
As he spoke, Paopao closed the door. Leng Hanli glanced at him quietly, then looked at An Rou: "What instructions does the farmer have?"
"I need to ask you something," An Rou said straight to the point. "Do you know where the power plant is?"
"I know. It's in the first-level area. I had the honor of visiting it once when I went to the first-level area with Heng Batong for a meeting."
An Rou and Paopao looked at each other and asked the right person.
"How's the security inside? Is it tight?"
An Rou's question left Leng Hanli silent for a moment. With her intelligence, she must have guessed the motive behind the question. Connecting it with her daughter's fall, the whole process became clear.
Leng Hanli recalled the situation and nodded. "The power plant is enormous, with eight security stations inside and outside. It's said that there are a total of 2,000 security guards. But the security guards are only secondary. We encountered many gang patrols along the way. It's said that the Longyan Gang has set up a branch specifically in the power plant area. The leader and two deputy leaders are all top-100 masters."
This information is much more detailed than what Paopao has.
An Rou and Paopao looked at each other again and frowned.
It's more difficult than I thought.
The top 100 masters are the top 100 players on the Destiny List. Previously, one old player almost soloed a super-large ghoul wave. You can imagine how powerful the destructive power of the three top 100 players combined is.
An Rou could only ask a third question: "Have you heard of a small generator?"
Leng Hanli nodded again. "I've heard of it. When Heng Batong first became the mayor and moved into the... annex, he wanted to install a separate generator there. He asked around with many people with connections, but nothing came of it."
"It's said that the small generators are the same equipment used in power plants. They were imported from Ghost Island and prioritized for replenishing the power plants. The few remaining units were taken away by the Central City and the Level 1 Districts, and their whereabouts are unknown."
"In other words, this thing is priceless." An Rou concluded in a low voice.
Go to the power plant to rob, or find a way to get a small generator, both ways are blocked.
Surprisingly, Leng Hanli interjected, "If you want to buy it, it's indeed out of stock. But it's not necessarily available for grabbing."
An Rou and Paopao looked at each other for the third time and asked in unison, "What do you mean?"
Leng Hanli said, "The plant director mentioned at the time that Ghost Island is so far away that it's difficult to repair the power plant equipment, so they replace it instead of repairing it. To reduce costs, they replace obsolete equipment once a year. All new and old equipment is transported by train, and the replacement time... I remember it was at the end of January every year."
"The end of January?" Paopao glanced at the screen quickly. "Isn't that now?"
An Rou also saw the light screen - January 30th - after midnight, it was the last day of the month.
After Leng Hanli left, Paopao couldn't contain his excitement and said, "Boss, what a coincidence! A few days ago, the three major guilds just signed a memorandum of understanding on the operation of the Lengbing City Railway Station. The railway station has been handed over to the Gar Guild for operation. The Gar Guild spent a huge amount of money to build it in just two days. I heard that today is the first day of traffic! And Guangyuan Town, where we are now, happens to be the necessary route for the train!"
An Rou didn't know any of the information in his words.
An Rou: "You know it again."
Paopao's smile was stiff. "Uh—I often check the news when I'm offline... It's also mentioned in the forum, didn't you see it, boss?"
With each question and answer, they each revealed the other's hidden little secret: the source of Paopao's information, An Rou, did not have a light screen.
An Rou paused, didn't pursue the matter, and finally made a decision: "Okay, you should log off early to rest today. Tomorrow morning, we will go to town to try our luck."
-
The next morning, after Paopao came online, he went to the warehouse according to An Rou's instructions. When he came out of the warehouse, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
She wore a black waisted trench coat, black leather boots, a white silk scarf tied into a high ponytail, and her makeup was lightened.
Is this still his cool and beautiful boss?
Paopao nodded heavily.
Yes, because the boss changed into a gamer outfit, still cool and beautiful!
The two walked out of the farm gate, and after An Rou finished explaining how to get rich, Pao Pao stretched out his hand out of habit. But An Rou didn't extend her arm.
Paopao was just about to speak when he saw the boss running away in a flash. His posture was light but his speed was extremely fast.
"Don't just stand there, follow me!"
Paopao used the Gale Step to catch up, and two streams of smoke and dust appeared on the barren land.
Unlike the vast plains of Zhongsu, the outskirts of Guangling Town are covered in hills, making them a more suitable place for ghouls to hide. Consequently, over the years, most areas have been infected by the ghoul's corpse poison, leaving them even less populated.
An Rou was wearing goose-feather boots, and it was the first time that she used her prop skills so wildly, giving her a feeling of flying on the wind.
So this is what it feels like to be a player in the game!
Free and uninhibited!
If Paopao hadn't been right next to her, she would have almost shouted "Wuhu, take off!"
However, a boss must always have some bossy manners and be calm.
The Goose Feather Boots' movement speed was both passively and actively boosted. An Rou had no energy, relying solely on her passive skills, and her speed was no match for Pa Pao. Pa Pao quickly caught up to her, still having enough energy to shout, "Boss, don't show off your wealth!"
He was referring to the props on An Rou.
The goose feather boots are just one of them. The windbreaker, the fish skin armor inside the windbreaker, the blood pearl earrings on the ears, and the blood-red white silk scarf on the hair are all functional weapons with passive skills, and their value is much higher than ordinary weapons.
If someone uses a perspective card to take a look at An Rou, they will find that she is full of treasures and can attract people to commit crimes.
An Rou twisted her wrist and smiled without saying anything.
Paopao knew she had the Seven Souls Sword hidden in her right sleeve. He understood the boss's meaning: players who would rob people on the road couldn't withstand the damage of the Blue Weapon Seven Souls Sword. And those who could withstand the damage probably wouldn't stoop so low as to rob people.
Paopao asked again: "Boss, aren't you going to pretend to be an NPC anymore?"
An Rou swallowed the words back and continued to smile without saying anything.
This time, it was her turn to disguise herself as a player.
Half an hour later, Guangyuan Town came into view.
Paopao suddenly stopped and pointed in a certain direction: "Boss, look!"
His finger pointed at the viaduct winding in the distance.
Just like what I saw in the Land of No Life, the bridge pillars are taller than the city walls. They run vertically from the north, turn a corner above Guangyuan Town, tower over the dense buildings, and extend all the way to the south, leading directly to the first-level area dozens of kilometers away.
It turns out the train route doesn't actually run through Guangyuan Town. Instead, it goes from the Land of No Life into the next town, then turns halfway to Guangyuan Town. No wonder I never heard a train whistle on the farm.
An Rou suddenly gained a little more confidence.
Leng Hanli said the power plant equipment replacement would be at the end of the month, but didn't specify a specific date. Coming here today was largely a matter of luck.
An Rou waved to Pao Pao, and chose a relatively remote alley to enter the town. She stopped using movement skills and walked deeper into the town.
Paopao followed Anrou closely, step by step.
An Rou glanced back and said with a smile, "Why are you so nervous? If you want to rob someone, rob me. Be more natural."
Paopao glanced around, wary of anyone approaching: "That's not necessarily true. Boss, I'm carrying a treasure! With so many props, why don't you bring them yourself?"
If I have a prop bar, do I need you? An Rou silently complained, and said as a matter of course: "How can a boss be a porter? Here we are."
Paopao braked instantly and looked up. Above the small shop in front of him were four golden characters "Guangcai Pawnshop".
He didn't dare to relax, and looked around for a while before following An Rou into the house.
A quarter of an hour later, Paopao walked out of the pawnshop, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to complain about the unscrupulous merchant.
"What the hell is that? That Tang Dao is an orange weapon. Its market value can't be less than 50,000 gold. How could he only give 20,000?"
"And that collar, it gives 1,000 points of active defense, and they only give 80,000 gold! That's outrageous, too outrageous, Boss! It breaks my heart just looking at it!"
The pawnshop was the game mall, and the game mall was ruthless and ruthless, so An Rou had been mentally prepared. So this trip to resell props was just a side job. Besides, Paopao's prop inventory couldn't hold too many items. In total, he took 18 props, and a total of 620,000 gold was returned.
Compared with the inventory in the warehouse, this quantity is just the tip of the iceberg.
Hearing Paopao's complaints, An Rou stopped and said, "Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. That collar has rivets on it. It suits you very well. I'll buy it for you."
The look in his eyes is meaningful.
Paopao blushed immediately: "It's impossible to buy it back for less than 150,000 gold. I've lost 70,000 gold in the round trip. Let's just forget it..."
"What's 70,000 gold? Can't afford it, you or I?" An Rou pretended to turn around.
"Hey boss, no, no, I don't want it... I don't play those games..."
"Really?"
"I really don't want to."
An Rou nodded thoughtfully: "Forget it, there are still many in the warehouse. I remember there was a black short whip that was quite exquisite. Bo Bao should like it."
When he heard the first half, Paopao's face turned red as blood, but when he heard the last sentence, he jumped up.
"Boss, what are you talking about? I don't understand! I'm only eighteen!"
Turn around and leave.
"Hey, don't run." An Rou chased after him in her goose-feather boots. "Just to remind you, that whip is an orange weapon with a basic attack power of 500 points... But don't worry, there are plenty of life potions. Didn't I just ask you to stock up on 1,000 of them?"
"I didn't expect you to be such a dishonest boss!"
"Is it wrong for me to care about the preferences of my employees?"
“…”
-
Teahouses have always been the best place to get information, but since it is a public place and An Rou is dressed like a female player, she attracted many stares as soon as she walked in.
She had expected this and walked straight to the empty seat in the corner without changing her expression.
I heard someone behind me say, "What are you looking at? It's either a fake card or a disguised card. Be careful, it's a scam."
Another person said, "I don't think it's a disguise card. The more people around, the shorter the duration of that thing. There are only a few dozen people on this floor. How can a disguise card last more than five minutes?"
"That's the skin."
"It's just a disguise. Man, this is holographic. Mine is real, but can hers be fake? The important thing is the experience, understand?"
"I understand. You want her skin, she wants your life. Have you ever seen a person who is in a disguise with clean means?"
"Come on, come on, come on. I was just here to watch the fun, but you've ruined my fun. When will the T23 leave? If not, I'm leaving."
An Rou faced the wall, her back to everyone. When she heard "disguise card," she paid a bit of attention. Then, when she heard "T23," her ears perked up even more.
She poked Paopao on the back of his hand.
There was still a suspicious blush on Paopao's fair face. He was absent-minded. When he saw Anrou's gesture, he noticed the conversation at the table not far away.
"It used to be 8pm, but now it's 8am. We'll probably be in Guangyuan soon. It's all because of you. You dragged me out drinking in the middle of the day yesterday, and I missed the first train into the city. I heard it was quite a big crowd yesterday. The entire first car was filled with Ghost Island players, many of them masters and above."
"The station was renovated from Lengbing City. How can a train departing from Ghost Island be considered a first? Today's train is departing from Lengbing City. You said you're a high-level player from Ghost Island? What are you doing here?"
"Who knows? But I heard that after the T21 accident, the trains stopped running for nearly a month. Gar rebuilt the station and changed the route of the railway in the city. I guess those Ghost Island players came to protect the starting train."
"That makes sense. If another ghoul incident happens right after the train service is restored, Lengbing City will lose face."
…
Hearing this, Paopao muttered in a low voice: "How could there be a ghoul? Long Yan is here."
An Rou was concerned: "What do you mean?"
Paopao hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice even further. "On yesterday's first train, the first car was occupied by the Dragon Flame Legion, while the last car was occupied by the Ghost Island people. It must be that Oli was convinced that Gal was behind the T21 crash, and Gal was afraid that Oli would turn against him, so he asked the Dragon Flame Guild to help."
This is another piece of unknown information.
Seeing Paopao's slightly embarrassed look, An Rou was too lazy to ask where it came from.
An Rou's expression grew serious. "Is there still a Dragon Flame Legion on T23?"
She had anticipated that the Gal Guild had just seized the T23, and the train was already heavily guarded. Now with the Dragon Flame Legion added to the mix, wouldn't it be even more difficult for her to seize the train's generator?
An Rou felt a little regretful. She should have at least brought Zhang Da with her. With the ghoul around, she could use the fish-eating tactic to create chaos.
Fortunately, Paopao shook his head and said, "There were some yesterday, but they should be gone today. The Dragon Flame Guild's support was just to express their attitude and tell Ou Li not to mess around.
"But I think Long Yan's concerns are excessive. Half of the Orli Guild's Zhongxu branch was wiped out, and they lost many old members. It's a heavy loss. As for government agencies, I'm afraid everyone from top to bottom is busy with accountability, so they don't have the energy to engage in conspiracy and intrigue.
"Even if they had the energy to do something sinister, they wouldn't choose this time. Their motives are too obvious."
After he finished speaking, he realized that the boss was staring at him.
An Rou smiled and said, "You seem quite familiar with government agencies."
Paopao scratched his head and drank some water uncomfortably.
An Rou asked, "Since you know so much about the situation, do you know if the first vehicle yesterday was carrying equipment?"
"……have no idea."
Paopao was a little frustrated. Last night, after going offline, he tried his best to find out, but he didn't. Instead, his brother scolded him for not studying hard.
Just at this moment, someone at the table behind asked the same question.
"Of course, the largest passenger volume is people. The trains were suspended for a month, and countless players were stranded on Ghost Island, unable to return. Many people bought seat tickets but had to stand for 24 hours before returning."
"You're wrong. My brother saw it clearly at the station yesterday. There were quite a few people, but two of the carriages were loaded with cargo. One of them was unloaded upon arrival. It was all small and large odds and ends of Onigashima specialties. Another was directly unhooked and taken to the Level 1 area."
"Oh, that must be power plant equipment. I've seen it a few times before when I was riding in the car."
The tone of the conversation between the few people was calm, but An Rou felt a sinking feeling in her heart.
I'm late.
The electrical equipment has been sent to the power plant.
She met Paopao's gaze, and he was scratching his hair, his eyes flickering. It seemed that he thought it was his fault.
"The end of the month" is a range, not a specific day. It's a matter of luck, so An Rou quickly accepted the reality. Just as she was about to say something to comfort him, a sentence from the back stopped her.
"No wonder the forums say tickets are so hard to get today. It turns out the old power plant equipment is taking up a whole section of the train."
An Rou shuddered and immediately remembered Leng Hanli's words: all new and old equipment are transported by train.
New or old equipment?
Recycling old equipment?
When she heard it last night, she'd assumed she was going to grab new equipment, subconsciously blocking out the word "old." Since household items can be remade, why not grab old equipment?
Seeing that Paopao was still in a low mood, An Rou dipped her index finger in water and wrote the word "old" on the table.
Paopao understood and shook his head slightly: "It must be very, very expensive."
An Rou frowned as she pondered his words. Paopao knew her family background, and he emphasized how extremely expensive it was. There must be a reason for that.
She thought of a reason and a piece of evidence.
As the largest guild in Soul Realm, Long Yan couldn't possibly be unaware that daily necessities could be reshaped, but the power plant still chose to transport the old equipment over long distances for replacement. It's conceivable that the cost-effectiveness of replacement far exceeded that of reshaping - this is evidence.
As for the reason, An Rou guessed that the precision of electrical equipment was far beyond that of building materials, and that it involved extremely high R&D and manufacturing costs.
This farm restoration study shows that the cost of remodeling common materials like bricks, cement, and wood can range from 2 to 10 times the market price, depending on the extent of damage. High-end materials like glass and crystal lamps, which require complex craftsmanship, can cost at least 10 times the market price, and there's often no upper limit.
That's why An Rou spent 20 million gold in just a few days.
Power equipment? It's probably the most technologically advanced thing in the Soul Realm. An Rou estimated the market price alone would cost over a million gold, or ten times that...
No wonder Paopao said it’s “extremely expensive”.
An Rou gritted her teeth and wrote "80 million" on the table.
Paopao looked like he had seen a ghost, his eyes wide open.
80 million gold, that should be all the money in the boss's account, right? That was earned through risking his life on farm missions. Was it worth it to spend it all on a generator?
"boss……"
An Rou has already stood up: "Let's go."
Her voice was soft but resolute, and Paopao could sense an unparalleled dominance in it.
It's true that Soul Calling Song is a damn pay-to-win game, but who else can be like the boss and spend 400 million in one go?
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