60 Chapter 60: Steel Rod

After storing the corpse of Zou Zhengze and the black umbrella containing Chai Cuiqiao into the inventory, Li Ang scanned the scene for any clues that could be traced back. Once he confirmed that none were left behind, he dashed out of the slum at a frenetic pace, quickly stripping off the Night Clothes and revealing a white T-shirt and black shorts underneath,

He put on a helmet, pulled down the visor, shouldered his backpack, hopped on his bicycle and stuck a reflective sticker on the left side of the handlebar, then slowly rode out of the shadows behind the slum,

After passing through a section with no surveillance, Li Ang rode in the street as if he were just an ordinary cycling enthusiast.

There were quite a few vehicles parked along the roadside, many car owners had gotten out of their cars, holding their phones and filming in the direction of the slum—the dark clouds, the thunder, and the occasional sounds of collapsing buildings were quite eye-catching.

Li Ang followed suit, stopped his bicycle and curiously looked in the direction of the slum, however, his gaze still swept around the surroundings.

A triangular paper airplane flew over, made of ordinary A4 paper and crudely folded, not very exquisite.

No one present noticed the paper airplane; Li Ang glanced at it with the corner of his eye, seeing it fly in a stable trajectory towards the slum, a flight posture that defied aerodynamics, speeding at least seventy miles per hour...

Li Ang averted his gaze, and seconds later, a fleet of black police armored vehicles sped through the night, their thick off-road patterned run-flat tires crushing the puddles on the side of the road, splashing moonlight everywhere.

These armored vehicles, standing three meters tall and equipped with anti-explosive launchers, camera surveillance transmission systems, and intense lighting systems, could effectively defend against gunfire. They also had multiple firing ports to ensure personnel inside could counterattack.

In front of and behind the armored vehicle fleet, there were lines of motorcycles opening the way, and even three armed helicopters equipped with huge searchlights were flying overhead.

This military-like force was rare in Yin City. The murmuring car owners showed shocked and apprehensive expressions, hurriedly put away their phones and drove away from the slum in the opposite direction.

Li Ang blended into the traffic flow and saw a police checkpoint not far ahead on the road, specifically inspecting passing vehicles, checking the identities of the people inside, and confiscating phones from the owners to check for recorded videos.

Such a quick response...

Li Ang lowered his visor and silently tilted his bicycle's handlebars to shift into the incline of the riverside highway, crouching in the underbrush of the sloping bank. He stowed the bicycle in the backpack slot, took off the helmet, put on earphones, disguised himself as a night jogger, and started jogging slowly along the riverside pebble path.

After avoiding the police checkpoint, Li Ang carefully wove through areas blind to surveillance, made his way back to his apartment complex, parked his bicycle, climbed the rooftop wall up to the terrace, and crawled through the window into his home.

Checking to ensure the front door had not been knocked, the door handle hadn't been turned, and the windows hadn't been opened, Li Ang finally breathed a sigh of relief, put away the phone by the door, changed into pajamas, and lay back down on the bed.

Minutes later, the security door was knocked; opening it, Li Ang saw two young officers standing outside.

"Officer, is there something the matter?" asked Li Ang, wearing blue pajamas and rubbing his sleepy eyes with a yawn.

"Um... nothing," the officers said, "You go back to sleep."

The security door closed, and Li Ang lay back in bed, his mind still pondering.

The Special Affairs Bureau's response was actually not slow; within five minutes of the call, they had dispatched armored vehicles, helicopters, and the official player represented by the paper airplane, according to an emergency plan.

Presumably, the Special Affairs Bureau had rapid response teams set up in various districts for prompt dispatch. However, facing transcendent creatures with high mobility and destructive power, such a response speed still seemed a bit sluggish—the official players were ultimately a minority, and once dispersed across major cities, their numbers were quickly diluted.

This was one reason the Special Affairs Bureau continuously promoted recruitment on player forums.

Li Ang closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, mentally tallying the rewards from this mission.

[Mission Reward 1: Additional 200 experience points]

[Overall Player Performance: S+, game coin and experience point rewards increased to 160%]

The 200 experience points provided for killing Zou Zhengze, plus the additional 200, and multiplied by the 160% performance coefficient, totaled 640 experience points.

Before this mission, Li Ang's Experience Bar was Lv4 at 392/400. After completing the task, he shot up to Lv6 with an Experience Bar of 132/600.

Although the System did not provide a specific level for Zou Zhengze, it could be roughly estimated that he was probably a bit stronger than Xing Hechou from the Lonely Mountain Cold Temple mission and roughly on par with the Mountain Demon.

Defeating a Mountain Demon required the concerted effort of several players, whereas taking down Zou Zhengze was accomplished by just Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao, one human and one ghost. Here, the Ripple Breathing Method, especially effective against filthy Yin energy, played a significant role.

"If it was the normal routine for clearing this stage, one might just stand by and watch the residents of the slums have their souls devoured by Zou Zhengze, waiting for the official players from the Special Affairs Bureau to enter the scene. Then, we'd assist from the sidelines, snagging an assist to complete the mission,"

"But that way, the rating would inevitably drop, and we'd also lose a large chunk of experience points because the official players would reap a share of the 'battle honors'."

"Is the system encouraging players to kill each other..."

Li Ang scratched his head, confirmed his level-up, but didn't rush to allocate his points.

[Mission Reward 2: 400 Game Coins]

400 Game Coins, multiplied by a mission evaluation coefficient of 160%, makes it 640.

Before this, Li Ang had saved up 2020 Game Coins, and with these additional 640, he could now start eyeing the lowest-level goods on the marketplace shelves.

On the player forums, there were posts specifically for black-market exchanges, with most transactions consisting of buying equipment and items with Game Coins. Some traded items for items, and there were even whales dropping millions of soft sister coins, seeking to purchase suitable skills.

How can you get stronger without spending money? Why not start by charging up for a Heart's Delight membership.

While the black market exchanges on the forum were thriving, items of rare level or higher were typically priceless. Some of the more cherished and powerful equipment and tools were still only sold on the marketplace shelves.

After all, this was the initial rush of the slaughter game, with major organizations doing everything to scoop up the best items. If a player group just happened to have some powerful items ready for sale, they'd be snatched up by these wealthy and powerful organizations, willing to spend a fortune.

Most of what leaked onto the market were defective goods.

Li Ang even suspected that those whales on the forums, who held megaphones and shouted all day long about buying equipment, tools, and skill cards at high prices, were half pretending sellers trying to hype the market in search of the next sucker. The other half might be fronts for the Special Affairs Bureau or other official organizations....

[Mission Reward 3: Random Quality Random Item*1]

Unlike the rewards of previous missions, this time the reward was an item of random quality. As long as it wasn't a "Broken" or "Common" quality item, it was a gain either way.

The system had a rare moment of kindness, and it was time to open the box, a moment of truth to test if his luck was that of a king or a beggar!

Li Ang took a deep breath, and opened it!

A flash of light, and there appeared a metal stick as thick as the mouth of a bowl, its tip studded with golden stars.

[Name: Steel Stick]

[Type: Weapon]

[Quality: Common]

[Attack Power: Medium]

[Special Effect: Extremely Durable]

[Equipment Requirement: Strength Attribute of at least 8]

[Remarks: This stick, once belonging to a distinguished dumpling chef, had made the world's number one golden ratio steamed buns.]

Li Ang fell silent for a moment before he couldn't help but say, "Why is it called 'Steel Stick'? Is it trying to mimic the 'Gundam'? And this stick, once belonging to a certain dumpling chef with blond hair, a scarred face, and a fondness for going shirtless, is clearly a rolling pin! Is it really okay to use kitchenware as a blood-stained weapon?"

Complaints aside, this stick, as thick as a bowl, was quite decent—even though its material was just common, it had a label by the system noting "Extremely Durable," so it surely couldn't be worse than the ordinary steel available on the market.

Paired with the Silver Wave Sprint, this substantial rolling pin could also be considered a weapon for slaying enemies... probably.