Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 587 - 585 Assistance

As the saying goes, fame can be as much of a threat as it is an asset. Li Ang had no desire for fame. He viewed the luxurious lives of The Seven Warlords of Brazil on foreign websites with a sense of amusement.

"These Brazilian guys sure know how to have fun," he commented, "posting gang recruitment information on highway billboards. Aren’t they afraid of living too large and getting assassinated by some player who doesn’t take kindly to them?"

Li Ang continued, "Or are they the ones posting ads in the player forum to buy outside assistance-related items? Do they just lie in their villas waiting for their underlings to supply them with equipment and items, and then, when a script mission comes up, use outside assistance to get their underlings into the instance?"

Li Ang shook his head, clearly not understanding the thought process of these Brazilian ’brothers’.

In South America, besides the booming gang business, there’s another industry that involves attracting investment and introducing high-tech enterprises from developed countries like the United States. The advent of the killing game not only allowed many ordinary people to rise to prominence overnight but also spurred the creation of numerous high-tech companies.

These companies are, to a large extent, influenced and manipulated by their original regional consortiums, with only a few managing to break through this control with their unprecedented patented technologies. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Among the most famous is the Prometheus Laboratory Company, which has risen rapidly in recent months.

The company started with a new technology—detecting potential diseases with just a photograph—which quickly earned the praise of both capital and academia. Within a few months, it introduced dozens of patented technologies involving heavy machinery manufacturing, electrical and electronic engineering, chemical engineering, biomedical science, artificial intelligence, and more. It even collaborated closely with the United States government to vigorously research future warfare weapons. Leading the industry without parallel, the company quickly surpassed a market value of ten billion US dollars.

Moreover, Prometheus Laboratory Company expanded its operations to other continents. The chaotic conditions in Africa, South America, and other regions did not hinder it from opening new subsidiaries. In fact, its Brazilian branch headquarters is Rio de Janeiro’s tallest building, standing several meters taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue on the mountaintop—truly the epitome of arrogance.

"These Brazilian ’brothers’ deal with local officials heavy-handedly but act so meekly towards Prometheus Laboratory. Isn’t it obvious there are shady deals behind this?"

Li Ang stroked his chin. "Speaking of which, the business scope of this massive enterprise is unbelievably wide. If its subsidiaries fully expand their operations, I bet ordinary people could spend their entire lives within their establishments. It’s an absolute giant Concain conglomerate. Aren’t the old money families in the United States interested in suppressing it early and taking a share? Or could it be that the mysterious figure who founded the enterprise is a powerful player, one against whom neither covert nor overt schemes work?"

He entertained the thought briefly before moving on, closing the forum page, and standing up.

At this stage, personal strength is paramount. There’s no use in calling the shots in the real world if you can’t make it through the script tasks.

"Time for dinner."

Li Ang stretched, walked out of the bedroom, took ingredients from the fridge, washed and chopped the vegetables, and started cooking.

Having been single for a long time, his cooking skills were quite good. If he put his mind to it, the flavor could match that of high-end restaurants; after all, he was the youngest-ever master chef (self-proclaimed).

In fact, Li Ang no longer needed to eat. His vines could absorb sunlight to replenish the energy his daily activities consumed. For material replenishment, he could simply grow roots from the soles of his feet and draw nutrients directly from the soil.

Of course, that would be a bit too bizarre. Li Ang still enjoyed cooking. He found disposing of kitchen waste more troublesome than the cooking itself. Even though the worms in the Breeding Box would eat anything, making them perfect for trash disposal, he, cautious as ever, insisted on sorting the garbage himself and disposing of it on schedule. This was to avoid revealing any clues about his lifestyle that might attract outside attention.

After urging Miss Chai, who was engrossed in her games, to finish dinner, Li Ang strolled around the residential complex downstairs, admiring the night sky, breathing fresh air, and playing the "who blinks first is a dog" game with stray cats and dogs.

As he was going upstairs, BUZZ—

His friends list vibrated again. Li Ang clicked to check. It was still the Information Broker.

Mule: "You there?"

Li Rising: "Yeah, what’s up?"

Mule: "Here’s the thing. The client I mentioned to you before, who has assembled a strategy team for a script mission, just had one of their members withdraw suddenly. Now there’s a spot open, and I wanted to ask if you’re interested."

So eager?

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. In his impression, Mule was the type to never do anything unless there was profit to be made, demanding that employers pay upfront for everything.

The flip side of such greed was a high degree of professionalism. As an Information Broker, Mule charged fair rates and possessed extensive connections. Furthermore, thanks to his special item, "Secrecy Beneath the Surface," he was known for never betraying a client, making him highly reputable on the forums.

Risking his credibility as an Information Broker by approaching me repeatedly like this... Could Mule owe that client a huge favor?

While Li Ang was pondering, another message came from Mule.

Mule: "The client’s role-play mission is a solo one, conducted entirely by himself. The strategy team he’s hired only needs to use off-stage assistance items to enter his script mission and, as phantoms, provide guidance from his side. That’s all."

To prove the truth of his words, Mule also sent an item description.

[Name: SOS Signal·Off-Stage Projection]

[Type: Consumable item, disappears after one use]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Special Effect: Off-stage assistance. When performing a solo script mission, up to ten players can be invited to join the script. Players coming to the rescue exist as phantoms and cannot interact with the outside world or each other, nor can they take or deal damage. Invitees cannot leave a certain range around the inviter. The level of invitees cannot be more than two levels above that of the inviter. Invitees can leave the script at will. The inviter’s completion of the script will not allow invitees to skip their next cyclical task.]

[Consumption: None]

[Cooldown Time: A related SOS Signal item can be used only once every three script missions.]

[Usage Conditions: None]

[Note: Expert consultation, intense observation, professional team, assistance for success.]

[Note: Choose your sources of help cautiously; in some high-difficulty instances, unreliable advice can easily get you killed.]

"..."

Li Ang furrowed his brows slightly. The drop rate for this equipment isn’t high. Getting one means you’re either very lucky or very wealthy. What on earth is the identity of Mule’s client, to spare no expense like this? And from the sound of it, they’ve prepared more than one?

Mule: "As you can see, once this item is used, it’s absolutely safe. You won’t get hurt in the mission. Plus, my employer promises to give you an Excellent-level piece of equipment or equivalent compensation afterward for assisting throughout the entire mission. To ensure full transparency, we can even sign a contract. What do you say? Interested in joining?"

Li Rising: "Then, could you reveal the identity of your employer?"

Mule: "Sorry, that’s the client’s private information. I have no right to disclose it."

Li Rising: "Alright."

Mule: "Your answer is...?"

Li Ang smiled and typed, "Such a low-risk, high-reward, guaranteed-profit deal... Of course, I have no reason to refuse."