Chapter 127 The Fangs of Capitalism (1/2)
The golden rays of dawn were shining in the sky. It was a cool and refreshing morning.
Whilst driving a truck, Han Xiao made his way toward Big Horn Mountain. He had based his directions off a radar. Despite him driving all night, he was not tired at all. In fact, he was alert as he had pulled over to nap the night before.
The public beta had started a few days ago, yet the forum was already buzzing with comments. Han Xiao specially took notice of Planet Aquamarine's forum, and through the tags of the players, he managed to understand the situation of each and every newcomer. He had always wanted to join in the commotion.
The best chance to interact was when the players made their first appearance.
Just a few days back, Han Xiao had used his authority to obtain a tip-off from the dark web—there was a batch of newcomers in Big Horn Village. Hence, Han Xiao decided to advance toward Big Horn Village to get rid of them.
In the distance from Big Horn Village, one could see the silhouette of the settlements. Han Xiao could tell with one glance that the settlement was filled with countless tents, just like a refugee camp. A swarm of players could also be seen busy bustling about.
The moment Han Xiao parked his truck, he caught the attention of the players.
With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Han Xiao got out from his truck and leaned against it while puffing out a cloud of smoke. He put on an air of arrogance, misleading the players to think that he was an important character.
A deep understanding of players' mentality was Han Xiao's specialty. He had analyzed the situation. With the new game being released, all the players were thrilled. No matter what kind of tasks were given to them, they were all willing to try. This was known as the 'hunger' stage, and since there was an overwhelming number of new players, there would definitely be a few players who could not obtain any missions.
Therefore, Han Xiao knew that as an 'advanced player' character, he was influential. All he had to do was appear in front of the players, and he could definitely rile up the players. The players were all new and did not have skills yet. However, he could benefit from their large number. Han Xiao also happened to have a way to reap benefits from these newcomers, and he could take this opportunity to further test the functions on the NPC interface.
In Han Xiao's eyes, the players who were walking about resembled walking wallets.
After a while, the players were finally starting to get curious and some walked over.
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Black Phantom – Unknown (Yellow Name)
Rank: Unknown
Attributes: Unknown
Risk Level: Extremely deadly
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”What the heck? This is a high-level NPC!”
”This is the first time that I've seen one.”
”Why is there such a high-level player in a novice village? Is he the Boss?”
”Doesn't seem like it though. It looks like we can trigger a mission.”
The surrounding players were full of astonishment and were hesitating whether they should approach Han Xiao.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow—he was now at LV 40, which was thirty levels higher than all the other players. This time around, he was fully aware of the players' abilities. Hence, he cleared his throat and said, ”You all seemed to be a capable bunch of people, and I do need some help at the moment.”
After making his statement, Han Xiao sent out the missions that he had prepared earlier on.
The dozen players received their missions.
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[Mysterious Stranger]: You have encountered a mysterious NPC, and he seems to have some work for you. Try to please him as much as possible, and you might receive unexpected surprises.
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The mission was to collect a plant known as 'Snake Venom'. These players realized that the reward given was more generous than the novice tasks that they had received in Big Horn Village. It was reaching up to a thousand EXP. Thus, the players received their missions excitedly.
Snake Venom was a relatively common plant. This plant could be collected near Big Horn Village, and it was also sold in the settlement to make poisoned arrows.
At this moment, many players could not afford firearms; instead, they used cold weapons. Han Xiao set up this mission for the sole purpose of experimenting as well as to allow his subsequent activities to not be suspected.
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The limit of my missions now is much higher than before; it has reached D-level.
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With that thought in mind, Han Xiao opened the interface, and the detailed numbers appeared.
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Highest reward limit: 36,940
Level 40: +12000 (Advancement Level Limit +300)
Rank D: +10,000
Camps:
- Germinal (Enemy): -3,000
- Division 13 (Friendly): 2,130
- Blood Pact Society (Respect): 3,950
- The Rothschild Family (Friendly): 1,300
- Farian Company (Friendly): 1,200