Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 615 - 613: Huge Sum of Money

After arguing for some time, the programmers couldn't convince each other, but they ultimately reached a consensus on one point: "PHP is fast, powerful, and free—it's the *absolute* best language in history."

The four, a rather peculiar group, exchanged smiles and then burst into a round of strangely harmonious yet sarcastic laughter, amused by who-knows-what.

After the laughter subsided, the four programmers from the Whale Song Organization collected themselves and looked toward Li Ang.

In the same group, Black Trojan had often told them about Li Ang. Having recently experienced a journey to the Underworld with Mu Ma, Black Trojan had hyped Li Ang as a top-tier player with "top-notch combat skills, quick thinking, and adept at both pen and sword." Now that they had run into him, they couldn't let the opportunity pass.

"Is Brother Li also here to look at properties?" the balding yet handsome Sunset Gold Smelter asked gently, suavely brushing his Mediterranean hairstyle. "Are you planning to open a shop or invest in real estate?"

"Uh," Li Ang said after a moment's thought. "I am indeed planning to open a shop."

"What kind of shop does Brother Li plan to open?" the chuunibyou, Geleluo Star, asked rather verbosely. "An inn? A general store? A pharmacy? A restaurant? Or perhaps a bathhouse, foot spa, massage parlor, nail salon, foot therapy center, or beauty salon? I personally think the three o'clock position in the square is very suitable for a restaurant. It faces south, with its entrance perfectly aligned with the shopping center's exit. The daily foot traffic there is the highest in the square—a truly auspicious spot, sure to make big bucks. Even if you only make a little Game Coin per meal, small gains add up. It's enough to turn your fortunes around and achieve great success. I wonder if Brother Li is interested in investing in this project..."

"Save it. Do you even have the money to buy land?" Sunset Gold Smelter bluntly debunked his friend. "You spend all day tinkering with bizarre contraptions, inventing and creating, all in the hopes of making money. But you end up with your pockets cleaner than your face."

"What do you mean 'bizarre contraptions'?" Geleluo Star grumbled, flustered. "The bed-integrated flying machine is clearly the light of future industry, the road to riches! One day, everyone will commute to work in the bed-integrated flying machines I've developed! Lying in bed when the alarm goes off, then flying straight out of the house, bed and all—that's the most orthodox mode of transportation for the future!"

Seeing his two companions on the verge of another squabble, Black Trojan quickly interjected, asking Li Ang, "Never mind them. The shop you're planning to open is..."

"Hm... personalized services?" Li Ang said uncertainly. "I can use extraordinary materials provided by customers to create equipment and items. I can also perform cosmetic surgery and body enhancements for them. Plus, I'm reasonably adept at curing complex illnesses and regenerating severed limbs."

"That sounds impressive." Black Trojan's eyes lit up. Forging and medical life skills were practically divine moneymaking abilities in the Slaughter Games. Every organization spared no effort in acquiring such Skill Scrolls and recruiting talented individuals.

It seems I should report this to the higher-ups and get them to allocate more resources to build a good relationship with Li Rising... This isn't about taking kickbacks; cultivating relationships naturally incurs some minor expenses...

Black Trojan made up his mind but kept his expression neutral. "However, the Game Square prohibits players from interfering with each other. To offer medical services, you first have to buy a property from the sales office, then spend a large sum to construct and decorate the shop. After that, you have to spend even more money to apply for a business license from the System and obtain a reusable contract specifically for clients purchasing medical services, to ensure the benevolent nature of these services. All in all, it will cost quite a bit, and there's no guarantee you'll recoup the costs. Major organizations are all very interested in providing medical services, and there are plenty of talented individuals with maxed-out life skills. This will certainly lead to price wars."

In this respect, Black Trojan wasn't deceiving Li Ang. Whether it was the Special Affairs Bureau, the Whale Song Organization, Prometheus Company, the British Royal National Church Knight Group, or the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's Special Accident Division, all of them had sent people to queue up for property, aiming to seize the initiative and establish authority and a monopoly. Even if a Lone Wolf Player possessed several unique techniques, they would likely struggle to defeat large organizations by fighting alone.

"Hmm," Li Ang nodded calmly. "So, I came to assess the situation first. Once the large organizations have entered the market, set up their shops, and established pricing standards for medical services, I'll decide whether or not to buy land."

Oh? Black Trojan's heart skipped a beat. If it were an ordinary player, hearing about competing with giants like Prometheus Company would have made them lose their nerve. But from his tone, Li Rising seems very confident in his skills, not even worried about a price war... No, I definitely need to build a better relationship with him.

Black Trojan had no idea that the Forging Furnace and Origin of Life Li Ang possessed were almost zero-cost. The Forging Furnace only required extraordinary materials from customers, and he would collect fees they were supposed to bear anyway, meaning he wouldn't spend a penny. The Origin of Life only consumed Sanity Value and perhaps a little Divine Power that would naturally recover over time. Li Ang's only real cost was time. Even this could be largely offset: players seeking Body Modification were invaluable guinea pigs. Some advanced surgeries, impossible on low-intelligence Worms, finally had test subjects, greatly expanding the potential of Li Ang's biological modifications.

"The news from the sales office is that buying a 40-square-meter plot will cost at least 8,000-10,000 Game Coins," Black Trojan said tentatively. "And that's just for a mid-to-lower tier location."

"That expensive?!" Geleluo Star, beside him, exclaimed in shock. "That's daylight robbery! How long would an ordinary player have to work to earn that much? Are they insane?!"

"It is a bit expensive," Sure Win nodded gravely, speaking slowly. "It's very difficult for a single player to amass such a large sum. The plot sales service in the Game Square likely isn't targeted at individual players. It probably requires several people to pool their money, or for an organization to allocate funds, to afford a purchase."

"Is it very expensive? It's alright," Li Ang said, glancing at them strangely. "Converted to cash, it's only a few tens of millions. Ordinary players should be able to save that up, right?"

Geleluo Star swallowed hard. "'Only?'"

Although all four were members of the Whale Song Organization, they weren't particularly well-off. The organization had a lax internal structure and a lenient hierarchy. Consequently, connections between members weren't very close, and everything hinged on one's contribution value. The more one contributed, the more support they received.

Most players, after toiling to earn Game Coins, would immediately spend the money on equipment and items to enhance their combat power for the next impending mission script. Just surviving was hard enough, let alone worrying about the future. These four Whale Song Organization members at least received some organizational support. In contrast, less fortunate Lone Wolves in underdeveloped regions sometimes had to take on dirty jobs for local gangs and borrow money at exorbitant interest rates just to afford equipment.

(There was once a hothead who borrowed a large sum from loan sharks, immediately bought equipment, and when the loan companies and organized enforcers came for violent debt collection, the brazen guy beat them up and extorted even more money. He claimed, "I borrowed this money with my own abilities, why should I pay it back?" For a time, many players rushed to imitate him.)

Even top gamers who consistently scored A+ grades were struggling to keep up, let alone ordinary players. It was nothing like Li Ang's situation, who crafted all his equipment using the Forging Furnace and was thus able to save a large sum.

The four programmers were awestruck by Li Ang's casual display of wealth. As they conversed, the queue moved forward, and soon Li Ang saw the sales office's sign.