NOVPUBChapter 105: Chapter 104: Private Transactions
Chapter 105 -104: Private Transactions
After the meeting ended, Xue Quan intentionally lingered on the spot for a quarter of an hour, waiting until everyone else had left before calling out to Chaoyang in his consciousness, “Mr. Chair, could we have a private talk?”
Chaoyang had been quite impressed with this new player’s performance during the meeting, thus he appeared in a phantom form, “If you have any questions about Paradise’s game, I can provide you with answers.”
“Although I have many questions about Paradise, I think you wouldn’t tell me the real answers to those that touch on the core issues,” Xue Quan sat down again, “Long story short, I learned from Zhou Zhi that the mainstream weapons within Magnificent Castle are old-fashioned muskets and steam guns, mainly firing roundhead bullets. Yet, you distribute export-model CQ-Bs to everyone, which, while overpowering in firepower, are very uniform in type, and for the time being, there’s no exchange for armor-piercing siege weapons. So when the enemy deploys armored weaponry, players seem quite passive.”
He spoke very quickly, as if he had been pondering this issue for a long time.
“Moreover, Zhou Zhi also mentioned that during the last evacuation, you provided an antique car for the mission, and its level of technology is not suitable for being the only escape means. So I’ve been thinking, could it be that when Paradise creates objects, there are certain limitations, and these limitations come from Earth?”
This time, Chaoyang was genuinely surprised.
This person hadn’t even experienced one round of the game yet, just from hearing about Zhou Zhi’s experiences in previous games, he had such clear ideas?
Seeing that he did not speak, Xue Quan waved his hand and showed a familiar smile, “I’m not trying to probe into any secrets; it’s just that my previous workplace made me more attentive to these matters. Sometimes, a piece of superior technological weaponry, even if smuggled, can often turn the tide in a small-scale battle.”
“You are referring to your work in Iraq, aren’t you?” Chaoyang decided to take back control of the conversation.
Xue Quan was slightly startled, then he let out a light sigh, “…I didn’t expect you to know that.”
“Conducting background checks on players is a basic task for Paradise.”
In the two days since he returned to Earth, aside from sending stones to Zhang Zhiyuan, another thing he did was remotely observe the establishment of the Comprehensive Control Department. Frankly, meetings without monitors and electronic devices did give him some trouble; most areas of the Control Department were blind spots in the network, and he had no way of knowing what the participants were discussing.
But that didn’t mean Chaoyang was helpless in controlling the situation.
After all, people always have to leave that place.
Every camera on the streets was his eye.
The Control Department had done quite well—even for sending confidential messages to designated persons, they didn’t use the postal system but sent people to deliver them directly.
The problem was, Chaoyang had marked all personnel leaving the Comprehensive Control Department, and as soon as they re-entered the network, whether with their cell phones, car navigation systems, or even getting caught on camera, they became his tracking targets. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
It was the messenger that led him to discover Xue Quan.
Chaoyang didn’t know the contents of the letter, but that was no longer important. He found the tenant’s name for the corresponding unit from the district police station system and then used the name to search in the big data center, and Xue Quan’s personal resume was basically laid out in front of him.
“I have to admit that Paradise has vast reach, but there are some things you seem not to access easily,” Xue Quan took a sip from his teacup, seeming to completely forget the previous pause, “Automatic firearms can always be seen overseas if you find the right connections, but heavy weapons and explosives are different—they are strictly controlled everywhere. What I mean is, in this respect, we might be able to help Paradise—things that Zhang Zhiyuan can’t apply for, I can.”
At this moment, Chaoyang finally understood what the other party wanted to say.
I must say, this proposal was really quite attractive to him!
Replicating requires physical touch, so firearms and grenades are manageable, but RPGs and cannons are much harder to come by.
The real headache is that high-end weapons almost always have electronic components, whether it’s optical aiming or electric firing systems. Replicating such items would be pointless.
The best scenario would be to have someone custom-make weapons specifically for Paradise, tailored to the unique environment of this world.
After all, the more powerful the players’ weapons, the stronger Paradise becomes.
“I see, your vision is indeed impressive,” Chaoyang said with an ambiguous tone, “If we were to support customization, I think Paradise game wouldn’t refuse. But no matter what, the compensation could only be given in the form of points. Of course, your exchange list would be adjusted accordingly.”
“No problem. We are also willing to make a trial run,” Xue Quan replied with a smile.
…
Ailuodi pushed open the sealed iron door and whistled sharply.
Her comrades who had stayed in the warehouse immediately perked up and quickly gathered around.
“Miss Angel is back, everyone line up for the welcome,” Qing, the manager, said jokingly.
“I’m lining up already, I’m the first!” Xi Er said with a grin.
“Alright, alright,” Ailuodi pushed through the playful crowd, “It’s not my first time coming back, how many times do you want to play the same joke, huh?”
Previously, after the train robbery, Chaoyang had returned to the real world for two days, and it made no sense for Ailuodi to stay alone on the other side, so she also came back to Earth. Due to the time difference, she had disappeared from everyone’s sight for less than a day.
“Back? Weren’t you locked in your room meditating?” Qing tilted his head.
“Oh, same thing,” Ailuodi laughed it off, “No kidding now, Frey, how did it go with the task you were given last time?”
The girl with the braided hair opened her tablet, “I’ve been keeping an eye on this guy’s mailbox, so we can pretty much pinpoint his whereabouts. But as you know, there’s always uncertainty with online information, so I’ve set the error rate at 1%!”
Everyone understood that the guy Frey was referring to was none other than the leader of the Skojia Gang, Lucy Mormen. As the biggest gang in City L, Lucy Mormen was a name known to all in the criminal underworld, controlling various bars, dance halls, and clubs in the downtown area and profiteering from trafficking various addictive drugs. Wayne James, whom Skeleton Hand had previously targeted, was also one of his partners, or rather, one of his upstream suppliers.
Yet, despite being such a notable figure, the police had never managed to arrest and convict him—because Lucy Mormen seldom got his own hands dirty. He had plenty of underlings willing to do his bidding, as well as a highly-paid team of lawyers. In public, he was even a legitimate business owner who paid taxes to the government.
“The supply in the bars has been decreasing lately,” Blan said, “It’s our doing, but without Wayne, Lucy will surely look for someone new to fill in.”
“So, he’s our next target,” Ailuodi declared without hesitation.
“He won’t be easy to deal with,” Qing expressed some concern, “After all, Wayne James wasn’t a local and had no roots in City L, but Lucy Mormen is different. Although I also know… he’s the murderer who killed Coalball’s family.”
