Chapter 62: An Explosion of Luck

About half a minute after the Great White Shark was slain, many divers finally looked back to realize that the boss had somehow been defeated. Everyone floated in the water, stunned, forgetting to swim.

“Wow, awesome!” A cheer erupted from an unknown player, and the fifty or so remaining gunners all raised their rifles in the sea in a collective celebration.

There was good reason for their elation. With a single speedboat requiring a 5,000-credit deposit, Wu Hua and Yu Jia Ling had undoubtedly saved everyone a substantial amount of money—not to mention rescuing a whole experience level for the group. Many female players, having narrowly escaped disaster, wept tears of joy.

Of course, the most ecstatic person was Wu Hua. Two items, drifting nearby, shimmered with blue and purple light. He knew immediately they were rare treasures. Diving in, he retrieved them: the blue item was a metallic cylinder whose purpose was unclear, while the purple item was an alloy blade.

This accidental triumph once again highlighted the importance of a name: Explosive Maniac.

Wu Hua was unaware that his final golden shot entered the boss’s mouth, and thanks to the piercing effect of the purple-core bullet, the projectile traveled straight through the shark’s abdomen. The shark’s skin was tough, but its internal organs were fragile—thus the skill “Precise Calculation” had emerged. However, the key factor was Wu Hua’s innate point of luck. Without that single point, the blue item would never have dropped.

Yu Jia Ling kept her promise, taking only the S-grade crystal, leaving everything else untouched. Wu Hua began to genuinely appreciate her—a woman of character, deserving respect whether or not she was a beauty.

The surviving players swam back and scrambled onto the boat, crowding around Wu Hua and Yu Jia Ling.

“Heh, you two killed the boss, didn’t you?”

“Impressive! Which company are you from, handsome?”

“Hey, beautiful, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Spring Bro, thank you.”

Wu Hua’s eyes widened. “Spring Bro?”

“Sorry, I misspoke. I’m nearsighted…”

Everyone babbled at once. Wu Hua’s sharp gaze picked out Crazy Sun Cactus emerging from the water. This one had reacted swiftly, diving when the boss spewed poison and thus avoiding death—though he was still frozen and badly injured, slowly resurfacing as his HP recovered.

“Everyone, this guy right here lured the boss over and nearly got us all killed,” Wu Hua said, pointing at Crazy Sun Cactus.

The crowd instantly grew furious, weapons of all sizes aimed at Crazy Sun Cactus.

“It wasn’t me, listen to me, I swear it wasn’t!” Crazy Sun Cactus’ face was pale as death.

“It was him,” Wu Hua laughed.

At this moment, everyone believed Wu Hua implicitly. Seeing all those guns pointed his way, Crazy Sun Cactus dropped to his knees on the speedboat with a splash. “Brothers and sisters, I was wrong, I’m sorry, please believe me, I didn’t mean it! I’ll kowtow to you all…”

He really did start banging his head on the deck, nose running and tears streaming, clearly not wanting to lose a level.

Seeing him so pitiful, and with their spirits buoyed by survival, the crowd gradually lowered their weapons and let the matter slide.

Crazy Sun Cactus lifted his head, intending to confront Wu Hua—maybe to remember his name for future revenge. But after searching the sea for ages, he realized Wu Hua and Yu Jia Ling had already sped off toward the harbor.

“From today on, I’ll wholeheartedly support domestic products!” Crazy Sun Cactus stood and shouted at the sky, convinced Yu Jia Ling had killed the boss and that the domestic Type-95 rifle was truly invincible.

All around, the speedboats echoed with sighs. “Poor guy, scared out of his wits…”

By the time they returned to Dream Star City’s service port, it was already four in the afternoon. Yu Jia Ling decided to take an air shuttle back to Blue Sky City. Wu Hua was a bit reluctant—he sensed that Yu Jia Ling was not only skilled, but had well-rounded abilities, and working with such a partner was always enjoyable. Yet Yu Jia Ling was eager to turn in her quest, and Wu Hua could only acquiesce.

“You’re really just leaving? Not even taking a little something, or some credits?” Wu Hua felt guilty about having two new items.

“Ha, is that your way of trying to keep me here?” Yu Jia Ling replied with a smile, enjoying Wu Hua’s simple approach.

Wu Hua realized she was feeling a bit self-satisfied. “Let’s not get sidetracked. Let’s stick to protocol: you ask, I answer.”

Yu Jia Ling groaned, “Okay, okay, I give up, alright?”

“That’s more like it,” Wu Hua said smugly.

After a few playful exchanges at the service port, they parted amicably, promising to meet again.

Wu Hua touched the blue metal rod in his backpack and sent a message to the New Reporter: “Got time? I want to meet your old flame.”

New Reporter replied within fifteen seconds: “Maniac Bro, where are you? I’ll come pick you up right away.”

Wu Hua smiled. Among this group, New Reporter was the most efficient—clearly earning his title as deputy director of the TV station.

When Wu Hua entered Monica Boutique Factory, he saw Ice Coffee greeting guests from afar.

Ice Coffee was as cold and proud as ever. Upon seeing Wu Hua, she immediately asked, “Here to order bullets again? Three thousand or ten thousand? This time, you pay yourself—no asking Ah Xin to foot the bill.”

Wu Hua rolled his eyes. “Alright, Miss Coffee.”

Ice Coffee said, “How many times have I told you, I want you to call me by my full name, Ice—”

Wu Hua quickly interrupted, “Alright, alright, Miss Ice Coffee. This time I’m here for an appraisal. Please don’t charge me too much; we’re friends, after all—talking money only hurts feelings.”

Ice Coffee glanced at New Reporter and replied coldly, “The problem is that talking feelings hurts money.”

“Pfft—” New Reporter, holding a teacup, sprayed water everywhere.

Inside Ice Coffee’s office, Wu Hua handed her the purple alloy blade.

Ice Coffee donned gold-rimmed glasses, and two purple rays shot from the lenses, scanning the blade’s polished surface like lasers. The glasses reflected a myriad of complex data.

Wu Hua knew these were specialist glasses, issued by the Federal Government to technologists. The higher the wearer’s level and knowledge, the more advanced the rays emitted.

After a long moment, the rays faded. Ice Coffee tossed the alloy blade to Wu Hua. “See for yourself—this knife’s pretty decent.”

Wu Hua glanced at the blade and knew he’d be paying dearly again.

“How much is the appraisal fee for this knife?” he asked cautiously.

“Nine hundred credits. Not much for you,” Ice Coffee answered coolly.

Wu Hua swallowed, muttering, “It’s true, not much. If it were at the noodle stand in the service port, you could buy over three thousand bowls of noodles. Even if you ate eight bowls a day, that’d last more than a year…”

“Pfft—” This time, Ice Coffee sprayed her coffee all over New Reporter’s face.