The Military Queen-Chapter 96 - 75: Dark Deal
military coins? No.0 almost thought she had heard it wrong.
"One night plus a meal demands 1000 military coins." When she heard the innkeeper reconfirm the exorbitant price with a smile, No.0 didn’t utter a word and walked straight out of the inn.
As the moon just began to rise over the walls of Babylon City, a shine comparable to the moon’s light was emanating from Bald Man, sitting right beneath the city wall. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
"How long has it been since I last spent a night outside," what Lu Xun was referring to were the days before he turned sixteen. Known within the Hua Country’s army for his good reputation, Lu Xun who graduated from a premier military academy, had a childhood shrouded in darkness. Within the Rand Military District, Lu Xun, who always maintained integrity and never brought shame upon his countrymen, was nothing but a street-roaming, orphaned youth fighting fiercely with others, snatching bags, and picking up cigarette butts until his moment of enlightenment came.
Boys like him, destitute and without protection, were not uncommon at that time. Unlike orphans, these youths often had a single parent who was still alive, but for various reasons, they could not live with them. For instance, Lu Xun, after the death of his mother, had a father addicted to drugs who ended up in a rehab facility. In name, he wasn’t an orphan, but without any relatives to take care of him and unable to receive government aid for orphans, he had no choice but to wander the streets.
Compared to the days years ago when he had to fight with vicious dogs for food and endure bullying by thugs, the Lu Xun now leaning against the historic Babylon City was totally transformed. "Military Road" was a game exceedingly suitable for Lu Xun. After completing the novice quests, Lu Xun logged into "Military Road" roughly at the same time as Xia You.
Upon entering "Military Road," Lu Xun used the name "Yijie," and he chose the appearance of a Bald Man as a novelty. With such an appearance, even if he came across old acquaintances from the Rand Military District or from the army itself, no one could recognize him. (Like Xia You, upon entering Military Road, the protagonist is known by his online name, and Lu Xun’s online name is Yijie.)
The two individuals with similar experiences were both driven to the streets by the staggering inn prices. After adjusting his military rank, Lieutenant Colonel Yijie’s military salary was 2000 Military Road Coins, with a total of 20,000 Military Road Coins for ten months. He entered an equipment store once, eying a blue-black double-sided pocket combat suit, with durability of 500 and significantly increased defensive power. Yijie encountered some trouble when selecting weapons; his weapon of choice was a revolver. Yijie discovered that in "Military Road," the price of pistols was astonishingly high, and from the perspective of lethality, they were almost comparable to melee weapons. The likely reason for this was perhaps "Military Road" trying to satisfy gamers’ preferences while also needing to balance players’ attributes.
Yijie, coming from the Armed Department, understood guns better than anyone else. His adopted sister Ding Ling once said that if Yijie didn’t handle guns for a day, he wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep well. Precisely because of his special fondness for guns, Yijie was particularly picky when selecting them. The weapons in the equipment store of Babylon City, compared to the finely handcrafted guns of reality, could only be considered flashy but impractical. Unwilling to settle for less, Yijie had no choice but to fight unarmed. Fortunately, the first few quests he encountered, defending against bandits and guarding the tavern, were relatively easy for him.
After several quests, Yijie had also gained a certain understanding of the "Military Road" mode. Like No.0, he had met the person in charge at the military station. Unlike No.0, he did not visit the temple; Yijie, who had climbed his way up in the army, also took notice of the two extra places briefly mentioned by the lady, but he kept his curiosity under good control. In a situation where friends and foes were not clear, it wasn’t wise to probe rashly.
The moon hung at the peak of the Ancient Babylon City Wall, casting light within and outside the city. During the silent night, a crisp whistle resounded. Yijie, who had just closed his eyes, immediately reacted. It was a unique signal that could only be produced with a military whistle.
No.0, not yet fully detached from her military training state, also heard the whistle.
Just like the previous time she climbed the rock wall, as soon as No.0 pressed close to the tree trunk, she felt a strong adhesive force between her body and the trunk. With little effort, her extremities were firmly attached to the trunk, with no need to worry about falling down again.
After the initial whistle, she thought nothing of it and continued to lie tightly on the tree. However, the whistle sound soon connected into a sequence.
