Chapter 126: Fishing in Troubled Waters

After spending nearly an hour in the secondhand market, Wu Hua finally had a preliminary understanding of Phoenix Tail City.

When Star Wars first launched, the central AI system distributed players to various regions based on their profile data. Phoenix Tail City was never designated as a central hub by the system at launch, and due to its unique aquatic terrain, it had become a gathering place for engineers and metallurgists. During the first month of the game, the mechanics of Phoenix Tail City were primarily focused on naval and energy technologies to facilitate transportation.

This was the exact opposite of Dream Star City. As a major metropolis with system-default buildings and facilities, the mechanics in Dream Star City were largely obsessed with flight and weapon technologies, leading to a stagnation in other areas of tech—specifically auxiliary equipment. This was where Phoenix Tail City truly excelled.

Given the city’s unique geography, it had a permanent player population of less than 200,000 and fewer than 1,000 NPCs. However, it was teeming with players who came for treasure hunting, sightseeing, or socializing. Combat-oriented players were relatively scarce.

The auxiliary gear sold by the siblings, Coffee Cat and her brother, was developed based on this niche. The only downside was that most of their items were not mass-produced and were more of a novelty. Wu Hua spent a long time browsing and picked out several items. While none were offensive weapons, in the right time and place, their utility would be no less significant than his Finland Star.

"Heh, thanks for supporting my business, Brother Crazy Gunner," the girl known as Mao said, looking delighted. Wu Hua had spent another 9,000 credits.

To her, this was a massive deal, but to Wu Hua, 9,000 credits were peanuts—barely enough to cover the maintenance costs for his AUG and Finland Star. Still, getting so many items for 9,000 credits was well worth it.

"Don't worry, it won't be long before the ports in the Southern and Central regions connect, and the price of these items will skyrocket. In Dream Star City, any one of these would fetch tens of thousands," Wu Hua said.

Coffee Cat asked in surprise, "Really?"

"Of course," Wu Hua smiled.

During their chat, a player dressed as a Genetic Warrior walked over.

Mao smiled and said, "Brother Crazy Gunner, this is my friend, Night Owl. He's a Level 27 Genetic Warrior. He will act as your guide."

Looking at the intimate way they interacted, Wu Hua guessed they were likely a couple.

Night Owl was not particularly sturdy—in fact, he was a bit short—but his attitude was exceptionally warm. "Nice to meet you, Brother Crazy. Thanks for saving Chunchun's experience. I'll do my best to help you sneak into the Death Hinterland until you find that mixed energy source."

Wu Hua nodded. "Then I'll leave the navigation to you."

***

The stars were brilliant, and a full moon was reflected on the river surface.

The Phoenix Tail River wound for hundreds of kilometers and was 120 meters wide, capable of accommodating even large warships.

The river branched at a canyon mouth: one path led to the West District, another flowed left into the underground rivers of the Blue Moon Mountains, and the right path was the only way into the Death Hinterland.

The transit port sat over the waterway like a hexagonal flying saucer. Although it was a small port, it was staffed by 20 NPCs and 50 permanent guards from the Arctic Snow Corporation. The Federal Government’s security system was also deployed there; any player or monster attempting to sabotage the port would be killed instantly.

The flying saucer divided the river like an ancient turtle, with water barricades blocking the left and right channels, forcing passing players to navigate straight through.

"Hey, I’m telling you, the company headquarters is weird. Why are we even on duty in the middle of the night?" the gunner known as Love Is a Damp Blanket grumbled in the observation room, tossing a cigarette to his companion.

Forced to the Mountain Path caught the cigarette and lit it with a lighter. "Yeah, it’s been half a month. I haven't grinded gear or leveled up. Sigh... I wonder when the main force will finally find that stuff?"

Love Is a Damp Blanket exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Hey, I heard from the brothers who came back that the company top brass is looking for some kind of new energy material. They haven't found it yet, but they've killed quite a few mid-level bosses and shipped the gear back to Phoenix Tail City to sell."

Hearing this, Forced to the Mountain Path felt even more agitated and took a deep drag. "My gear is trash, too. I've wasted half a month on duty. I haven't even gotten a single piece of decent loot. Is those few thousand credits from the company really worth it?"

"Something is better than nothing. At least it can be exchanged for a few thousand yuan, enough to stop my wife from nagging when I go back," Love Is a Damp Blanket laughed. "Oh, by the way, the company headquarters issued an A-rank wanted poster today. They said we should keep an eye out for a gunner named Crazy Gunner?"

"Crazy Gunner? Which 'Crazy'?" Forced to the Mountain Path asked, surprised. Arctic Snow's A-rank bounties were usually worth over 150,000 credits. Since joining the company, he had seen them hunt rivals, but those were usually C or D-rank warrants with only a few thousand in bounty. He had never seen an A-rank warrant before.

Clearly, this person was a major criminal.

"The 'Crazy' as in a lunatic," Love Is a Damp Blanket replied. "I heard this guy is extremely tough—he uses three guns at once: a pistol, a rifle, and a sniper rifle. He’s quite famous in the Southern District."

Forced to the Mountain Path asked curiously, "Then why does the company want him? Just because he has a sniper rifle?"

Love Is a Damp Blanket shook his head. "I don't know about that. You can never guess what the higher-ups are thinking. Anyway, we just need to keep watch. If I manage to take him out, that 150,000 credits is enough to cover my salary for a year."

Forced to the Mountain Path scoffed, "Pfft, the guy is already using high-end gear like a sniper rifle, and your rusted AK is absolute trash. If you actually run into him, you'll be the one getting taken out."

Love Is a Damp Blanket was about to retort, but Forced to the Mountain Path pointed at the electronic screen. "Stop yapping. Old Man Zhang’s transport ship is coming in. Let’s go down for the routine check."

With that, the two grabbed their guns and stepped out of the observation room.

At the port, a K10-model small boat was docked, loaded with medical kits, crates, and various supplies.

Love Is a Damp Blanket and Forced to the Mountain Path stepped aboard. "Old Man Zhang, you're still delivering supplies in the middle of the night? Hard work."

Old Man Zhang sighed helplessly, "Your company is the big boss, paying 5,000 credits a trip. I’m just earning a living. Everyone in the city is cursing me, but it’s all for survival."

Love Is a Damp Blanket jumped onto the boat and rummaged around. "No one hiding here. Get ready to open the gate."

Forced to the Mountain Path asked, "Did you check carefully? Last time, Iron Third’s ship had a Water Controller hidden inside. Luckily, Brother Zhan and the others found it. I ended up getting half a month's bonus deducted because of that. If that guy had snatched our company's kill, I would have been fired."

Love Is a Damp Blanket said impatiently, "Don't worry, there's absolutely no one."

Old Man Zhang also smiled. "Rest assured. It’s been over ten days, we’re all acquaintances. Would I dare to hide anyone on board?"

The three were wrong this time. Not only was someone hidden on the ship, but there was more than one—and one of them was an A-rank criminal wanted by the Arctic Snow Corporation.

Both Wu Hua and Night Owl were on the boat, a fact that even Old Man Zhang himself was unaware of. If he had known, he would likely have been awestruck by the pair's ability to vanish and reappear at will.