Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 268 Our Love
In an instant, five damage numbers jumped up from above Blood and Sand's head!

"9235!"

"12744!"

"18882!"

"37987!"

……

No critical hits were triggered, but the Power Sword ignores armor, and with a damage increase of 60%+, even with Blood and Sand's top-tier gear and a lot of damage reduction, it still took him down in one combo!
"Shua~~~"

The light of time reversal flowed, and the body, torn apart by blood and sand, was restored to its original state, entering an invincible state, waiting to choose whether to revive on the spot or be teleported away!
"His-"

The next second, wisps of cosmic frost appeared on the power sword in my hand, and the "Piercing Star" skill was ready!
So, on the face of blood and sand, I saw the words "Holy shit!" Without hesitation, he chose to teleport away, his body turning into nothingness and disappearing from the spot!
“Retreat!”

Not far away, a white player shouted to retreat, saying it was an order from Blood and Sand.

Another player, who appeared to be of Asian descent, shouted, "Retreat! Retreat! Although Zhu Ying's combat power is terrifying, if we all run away together, he might not be able to kill us all!"

Then, more than 20 white players ran backward and used their movement skills. They then pulled out motorcycles from their dimensional storage space. More than 20 off-road motorcycles roared and sped off to the north!

"Chase!"

Without saying a word, I stepped forward and decapitated a blond youth who had just gotten on a motorcycle with a single sword strike. His body immediately tilted and fell, triggering the Resurrection Scripture, but the motorcycle was left behind!
He quickly raised his Conqueror and fired a burst of bullets, blowing another motorcyclist's head off and knocking him down. He then turned around, aimed at the third person, and finished him off with another burst of bullets!

But the off-road motorcycles were too fast. Just as they said, if they really wanted to leave, there were not enough of us to stop them.

"RPG!"

I yelled and switched to my RPG, firing rapidly. Immediately, explosions echoed through the jungle, blasting five motorcycles to pieces. Although the enemy had the Resurrection Scripture and failed to kill anyone, this was still a heavy loss.

"Ding Han, should we pursue him?" Ruolin asked.

"Don't chase."

I looked at the dark expanse of the northern sky and frowned, saying, "Blood and Sand have learned their lesson. Their people all have the Resurrection Scripture, so we won't get anything out of them. We also don't know much about the situation in the north, so there's no need to risk our Resurrection Scripture. Let's pack up and call it a day!"

"Ok!"

In a clearing in the woods, three intact off-road motorcycles lay on the ground, left behind by the three players who had been killed.

"Does anyone need to replace their motorcycle?" I asked.

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly. Cai Cai immediately traded her little donkey for a high-end motorcycle painted with Bumblebee paint. Kou Mei and Bing Zi also traded for one. I had a lot of storage space, so I stuffed all the motorcycles they traded for into it. When we returned to the player black market, we could sell them and recoup some of our losses.

……

The return journey was long, and the eight of them sped along under the starry night.

"drop!"

A player message came from Gunfire: "Ding Han, you guys just had a firefight with the Blood and Sand guild from the foreign server?"

"Yes, the battle is over."

I chuckled: "Alliance Leader Long, your information network is incredibly efficient. We just finished fighting less than ten minutes ago, and you've already received the news."

"Haha, my intelligence system is still pretty good. To be honest, we have our own people in several factions, such as the Star Maple Federation and Dark Tide. It's quite convenient for us to gather intelligence. After you finish your battle, Blood and Sand will post a message on the Dark Tide faction's dark web, telling players in the Creek City Wilderness to avoid you and not run into you."

"I see."

I couldn't help but smile: "Blood and Sand... is quite considerate of the bigger picture."

"Humph!"

Gun Like a Dragon said, "Blood and Sand are the top three players on the American server. Not long ago, they created the 'Winner Takes All' guild, which has recently become very powerful. They have defeated a large number of dissenting players and their influence is growing. They have been roaming the wilderness in the western part of Xicheng recently and have clashed with several guilds on the Chinese server. Both sides have suffered losses, but overall, the Chinese server has suffered more losses."

He chuckled softly: "How many of their Resurrection Scriptures did you destroy this time?"

"About ten or so."

"That's good enough, enough to keep them quiet for a while."

"I was planning to take the Crimson Cloud Alliance's elite troops to clash with them tomorrow, but it seems completely unnecessary now. You've already taken care of it for me, hahaha~~~"

I was speechless for a moment: "Then remember to treat our Ding Han team to a meal sometime!"

"Sure, just let me know when you're free, I'm happy to treat you anytime!"

"OK!"

……

It was around 8 p.m.

Arrive at the teleportation array and return to the player black market in Huaining City.

I traded with Old Ma, sold a bunch of unused equipment and items, and then bought 5 rounds of 7.62mm bullets. In this way, I will no longer have to worry about the ammunition reserves of automatic rifles in the future battles!

I texted Lin Qingying to let her know that I had returned to Huaining City, but she was still working overtime at the company, so I took a taxi back to the internet cafe and ordered a boxed meal from there.

"Ding Han".

Chen Xiaoman, wearing a bodycon skirt, walked over and said, "The machines in Zone B have all been installed. Please check them out. If there are no problems, Zone B can start operating tomorrow."

"it is good!"

Overjoyed, he followed Chen Xiaoman to Area B.

This place used to be the Dream Paris Bathhouse, but now the central wall has been demolished and renovated, with the style exactly the same as Area A. In addition, Area B also has its own milk tea bar. The internet cafe business is really growing bigger and bigger. The 500 machines look like a huge, imposing sight, almost like a super-giant ship.

"How's it going? Is it okay?"

Chen Xiaoman laughed and said, "I took a video and sent it to Xiao Bei. She was very satisfied and told us to open Area B as soon as possible so we can make money and break even sooner."

"Ah."

I nodded: "I'm very satisfied too, so let's open it up then."

The next second, a bell rang in my ear—

[Congratulations! You have completed the daily quest "Grow Stronger, Flying Internet Cafe" (S-rank main quest)! Rewards: Character Experience +1000 million, Charisma +1, and additional reward: "Blade of Chaos" (S-rank skill tome)!]

……

"The Blade of Chaos?!"

A chill ran through him, and he quickly turned his gaze to the interdimensional storage space, where he saw a golden skill book lying in the corner, its entire body flowing with misty light.

【Blade of Chaos】(S-Rank Skill Codex): Fuses the power of chaos with a melee weapon, increasing the weapon's attack power by 100% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Required level: 50. Required class: Super Warrior.

Sure enough, daily tasks are more likely to yield top-tier skill books!

The Chaos Blade skill is very powerful, increasing weapon attack power by 100% for 30 seconds. This means that the higher the weapon's attack power, the greater the skill's benefit!
It's a great skill, but unfortunately there are no skill points left. You need to reach level 52 to get skill points again, but the current level cap is 50. Unless version 3.0 is released, all players will be stuck at level 50.

In other words, at this stage, a super warrior can only learn one fifth-tier skill, and I have learned the strongest fifth-tier skill, Power Sword Storm, which is already very good. As for this Chaos Blade, I'll keep it and learn it later.

The upgrade system in "Star Abyss" emphasizes "fairness and impartiality." Even if you are a peerless genius and reach the maximum level of the version, you have to stop and wait for the other players.

Go upstairs and write the algorithm.

Around nine o'clock in the evening.

"drop!"

A message came from my WeChat group with Milo and Lu Xiaobei. It was Milo who said: "Ding Han, are you in Huaining City?"

"Here, what's wrong?"

"Xiao Bei and I will be landing in Huaining City tomorrow morning. Please take some time out of your schedule to treat us to lunch."

"No problem..."

I laughed and said, "Anyway, I work in an internet cafe now, so I can invite you anytime you want."

"Great, impressive!"

Milo touched Lu Xiaobei: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I just had a fight with Lao Lu, don't talk to me."

"..."

Milo and I both sent ellipses, and then I asked, "So are you coming to Huaining City tomorrow?"

"Come on, bring Zhao Yihang back with you. The WBL matter has been settled."

"That's fine."

……

Time flies, and the next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

At noon, Milo and Lu Xiaobei barged into my office. He was wearing sunglasses, a leather jacket, and had a very fashionable hairstyle.

"Is it a cloudy day today?"

I complained, "Wearing sunglasses in this weather? Can't you stop trying to look cool?"

"Nima..."

Milo took off his sunglasses: "I'm a celebrity, for goodness' sake. Can't you give me some face? You keep criticizing me like this. Don't I have any dignity? Xiao Bei, you agree, right?"

Lu Xiaobei plopped down on the desk and looked at the algorithm code I had written.

"Can you understand it?" I asked.

"can't read."

She shook her head: "But it looks pretty impressive."

"Humph……"

I smiled and asked, "Where should we eat lunch?"

"Let's keep it simple and have dry pot," Milo said.

"Row!"

So, at noon, the three of them gathered at the Chicken & Frog Dry Pot restaurant again, ordered a big pot of dry pot, and then got to work.

"This time I'm going back to Huaining City..."

I glanced at Milo and asked, "Mainly for?"

"Looking for you."

Milo kept his head down as he ate, not daring to look up for too long, afraid that someone would notice.

Lu Xiaobei, on the other hand, was much more straightforward. He took off his sunglasses and enjoyed his lunch. He lowered his voice and said, "Ding Han, I've confirmed that I'll be collaborating with Jiutian Music on our first album. But Milo said he's unsure which songs to choose. We all think you have some talent in music, so we came back to find you for just one thing: to choose songs together!"

"Choose a song?"

I took a deep breath: "Okay, let's all eat more and try to get this done in one afternoon."

"OK!"

Milo laughed and said, "This afternoon we'll go directly to the Jiutian Music branch in Huaining City. They've prepared a recording studio for us, so we can just select songs and make adjustments there."

"Listen to you."

I didn't say anything more, I just kept eating.

……

In the afternoon, at the Huaining branch of Jiutian Music.

Inside the recording studio.

Milo and Lu Xiaobei were tuning their instruments, while I held half a watermelon and a spoon in my hand, like an uninformed bystander.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're still eating?"

Lu Xiaobei glared at me and said, "It's time to get down to business."

"That's fine."

I reluctantly put down the watermelon, then walked over and sat down in front of Milo, saying, "Luo'er, which song do you plan to use as the title track for Xiao Bei's album? If nothing unexpected happens, this song should also be the album title, right?"

"Yes."

Milo said, "I prepared several songs for Xiaobei to choose from, and she finally chose 'Hibernation'."

"Hibernation?"

I was surprised: "It's...the song about falling leaves at the end of autumn?"

"Ah."

Milo nodded: "It's this one..."

"It's not that I can talk nonsense, but let me first give my opinion. The climax of this song is indeed quite good, and it has a high chance of becoming a hit. However, apart from the climax, the rest is a bit bland."

“I can’t help it. Xiao Bei likes this song. She said that this song is the destined title track for her first album because it is so suitable for her state of mind. She also wants to hibernate.”

"..."

I was speechless.

Lu Xiaobei was a little embarrassed and said softly, "I really like the tune of this song 'Hibernation,' and the lyrics also match my mood. I feel that I can only put real emotion into singing this song."

"That's okay..."

I nodded: "Luo'er, I also agree with Hibernation as the theme song. What's next? What else have you prepared? But I have to say, now that the style of the theme song has been decided, the style of the next few songs should be closer to it, not too out of place, that would be safer."

"Do not worry."

Milo said, "The songs that Xiao Bei can choose are basically all of this style. For the second song, Xiao Bei chose 'The Simpler, the Happier.' What do you think?"

“This one is good, I like it!” I immediately nodded and smiled, “I like this song too.”

"It's done!"

Milo gave an OK sign and smiled, "The third song is a not-so-popular one called 'The Last Page.' I don't know if you've heard it before."

"I've heard of it, 'Take care, Prime Minister.' I used to see it all the time when I was scrolling through Douyin. It always makes me feel uneasy when I think of the Prime Minister. This song is pretty good too, the choice is alright!"

"Ok!"

Lu Xiaobei nodded repeatedly: "I really like this song after listening to the melody!"

"And the fourth one?" I continued to ask.

"It was very quiet the whole time."

"can."

I nodded without hesitation when it came to this song.

"Actually..."

Milo looked at me with excitement and laughed, "I recommended the theme song of the Legend of Sword and Fairy, 'Sha Po Lang,' to Xiao Bei before, but she didn't like it very much, feeling that the style was not quite right."

"This one……"

I frowned and said, "If you want to play Sha Po Lang, can you really replicate the invincible intro of this song? If not, then forget it."

"It's a bit difficult, but it's worth a try."

"Forget it, we'll talk about this one later."

"also."

……

"Milo, is there a song you've recommended to Xiaobei?" I suddenly remembered something.

"Which one?"

"Our love."

"That song by F.I.R."

"Ah."

"I forgot..."

Beside him, Lu Xiaobei asked excitedly, "Ding Han, what's this song like? Can you sing a couple of lines?"

"Okay, give me the guitar."

Taking the guitar from Milo, I recalled the sheet music, then started playing the intro, not caring whether the notes were correct or not, focusing instead on emotional engagement:
"I vaguely recall my childhood, with clouds floating in the blue sky..."

Just two lines of text, and suddenly I got goosebumps.

Some songs have long been intertwined with time, and just a few lines of lyrics can touch the depths of the soul.

After singing only two lines, Lu Xiaobei suddenly stood up and said, "This song must be included in my first album." Milo was a little surprised, and so was I.

So, after a flurry of activity, they went over the lyrics and melody of "Our Love" with Milo, and then they were both very happy and nostalgic for the old world.

"Ding Han".

Milo said, "What do you think... should we add a couple of songs that aren't so 'depressing'? The songs we've chosen all seem like breakup songs. How about adding a couple of slightly more upbeat ones at the end of the album?"

"It's not impossible."

I chuckled and said, "There are many more like that. I recommend Jolin Tsai's 72 Changes, especially 'Say I Love You' and 'Rewind,' which were composed by Jay Chou himself. I think they're absolutely amazing!"

"Okay!"

Milo was overjoyed: "Then let's add 'I love you' and 'rewind' to the list."

"Ok, Ok!"

The two of them excitedly went over the lyrics and tried to recall the melody. When they couldn't remember some of the lyrics, Milo would ask for help in the game. He had a small group of players who were also music enthusiasts. If they couldn't do anything else, they could definitely help each other with the lyrics.

So, after working until about 7 p.m., they finally finalized all 10 songs for Lu Xiaobei's first album, titled "Hibernation." The first single was also titled "Hibernation," and the rest of the songs were all classics. In fact, any of them could have "killed" Hibernation, but Lu Xiaobei liked that particular song, so there was nothing they could do about it.

Besides, Lu Xiaobei has poured his heart into the song "Hibernation," so if he were to actually sing it, the effect might not be bad.

……

Around 7 o'clock, Lu Xiaobei treated everyone to dinner.

This time, we booked a private room at a large restaurant and ordered a table full of delicious food.

"Xiao Bei."

Milo raised his glass and said, "Now that the songs are settled, I'll speed up my work here and get your first album out as soon as possible. Don't forget my contribution when you become a hit across the country!"

"Yeah."

I nodded: "And don't forget about Xiao Ding, who's far away in Huaining City; he also did his part."

Lu Xiaobei rolled her eyes: "Don't worry, if I really become famous, you two will each get 25% of the credit, is that okay?"

"Okay, okay, bottoms up!"

A glass of beer, downed in one gulp.

The next moment, Lu Xiaobei looked at me: "Ding Han, the flagship store has now expanded to 500 machines. I asked Zhao Yihang, and the usage rate today is not bad. However, the total number of students at Huaining University who go online is only so many. Our Feiyang Internet Cafe has become quite famous in Huaining City because of WHL. Recently, many people have left messages saying that they hope we can open more chain stores in Huaining. What do you think?"

"It's not about what I think, it's about what you think."

I looked at her and asked, "Do you want to continue expanding and dominate the internet cafe market in Huaining?"

"Of course I do."

Lu Xiaobei said, "I hope to open two more branches in Huaining City, with about 300 machines in each branch. With all three branches working together, Feiyang Internet Cafe will be able to dominate the internet cafe industry in Huaining City."

The next second, the bell rang in my ear, and Lu Xiaobei's boastful words triggered another daily task for me—

[You have triggered the daily quest "Flying Internet Cafe, Growing Bigger and Stronger!" (S-rank main quest). Quest details: Lu Xiaobei's ambition goes far beyond just one flagship store. She hopes to open two more internet cafe branches in prime locations in Huaining City. Please assist Lu Xiaobei in realizing her vision. Each branch must have at least 300 computers. Upon completion of the quest, you will receive a very generous reward!]

……

That feels so good! Working with Sister Bei means I never stop with my daily tasks.

"I think it's okay!"

I immediately stated, "This branch must be opened. What kind of flagship store is it if there are no branches!"

"Really? You agree?!"

"Of course, but is there enough funding?" I asked.

"This one……"

Lu Xiaobei hesitated for a moment and said, "I heard that Lao Lu's company has encountered some minor problems recently. I really don't want to ask him for money. However, I can transfer funds from the other flagship stores in Beihai, Jiangning, and Donghai. If that doesn't work, I can borrow some start-up loans from the bank."

"Let's not bother the bank."

Milo said, "Tell me how much you need. I don't have anything else, but I have a lot of money right now..."

"Cough cough!"

I glanced at him and said, "Milo, we don't need you this time. Xiao Bei, try your best to raise the money first. If it's not enough, I can make up the difference."

As he spoke, he glanced at the pile of money in his storage space. "Are you kidding me? I'm a big shot with over 400 million in cash now!"

"no……"

Milo stared wide-eyed and said, "Ding Han, what's going on with you now? You actually have money?"

"Nima!"

I said casually, "You don't actually think I don't make any money every time I go out, do you? Then why am I running around like a headless chicken in the Frosty Tundra and the Wilderness of Creek City? What's the point?"

"Awesome..."

Milo gave a thumbs up, looking sly: "No wonder you're a top player in Huaining City. A noob like me can't compare. I only ever lose money in the game, damn it..."

Lu Xiaobei rolled her eyes, then looked at me excitedly and said, "Milo is flying to Beihai first thing tomorrow morning to prepare for my album. Ding Han, let's go out and look around first thing tomorrow morning to choose locations for the two new stores."

"can."

……

Late at night, in the old house.

Lin Qingying was still working, seemingly organizing a data table.

"came back?"

"Ah."

I sat down next to her and said, "Milo and Xiaobei have come to Huaining City to prepare for Xiaobei's first album. In addition, she plans to open two more branches in Huaining City. Xiaoying, as a native of Huaining, do you have any suggestions on the location selection?"

"Internet cafes, you know..."

Lin Qingying put down the documents and smiled, "I think we should still open it near a university. After all, university students are the main customers for internet access at this stage. As for the location, I have two suggestions. One is Huaining University of Science and Technology in Donghu District. The houses around the old campus are cheap, but there are a lot of students. We should give it a serious consideration. The second is the Jiangning University branch campus in the new district. It is a university town. If we open a branch there, the business will definitely be good."

"it is good!"

My eyes lit up, and I took out my phone to write it down.

……

The next morning, at Feiyang Internet Cafe.

I changed back into my presentable Armani suit and arrived at the internet cafe. I saw that Lu Xiaobei was also wearing a suit, and even had his Feiyang Internet Cafe employee badge hanging on his chest.

"Hurry up and eat. After breakfast, let's go check out the Donghu District University of Science and Technology." She tossed me a breakfast.

In fact, I had already had breakfast with Lin Qingying, but Lu Xiaobei bought me crab roe buns, which were so irresistible that I ate a few more.

"Ding Han".

Standing nearby, Zhao Yihang asked, "Do you need me to come along?"

"You want to go?" I asked with a smile.

"I'd like to... I could learn a lot by following you and the boss..."

"That's good, it's clear you really want to improve!"

I gave him an approving look and turned to say, "Xiao Bei, take Zhao Yihang with you. This kid will have to stand on his own sooner or later, so he needs to train with you beforehand."

"Ah."

Lu Xiaobei nodded: "Zhao Yihang, you sit in the back row and don't say a word, just watch quietly."

"Okay boss!"

Zhao Yihang bowed and scraped, looking every bit the sycophant.

……

Around nine o'clock in the morning, they drove the Cayenne, carrying Lu Xiaobei and Zhao Yihang, from the South District to the East Lake District.

After a journey of about twenty minutes, we arrived near Huaining University of Science and Technology in the Donghu District.

The area is filled with old buildings. This area is the old town of Donghu District. Although its overall development speed is inferior to that of Nancheng District and New District, it has a rich history. The old campus of Huaining University of Science and Technology, the oldest university in Huaining City, is located here. Although it is dilapidated, its teaching staff is second only to Huaining University.

The old campus of the University of Science and Technology has more than 1 students. In addition, there are some fake colleges in the surrounding area, such as Huaining Vocational College and Huaining Urban Development College. So Lin Qingying is right, this is definitely a holy place to open an internet cafe.

After parking, Lu Xiaobei got out of the car first, took out her phone, made a peace sign at the camera, and immediately took a beautiful photo of herself and the gate of Huaining University of Science and Technology.

The feeling of relaxation was simply unbeatable; she had probably forgotten why we came here.

"call……"

I took a deep breath, pulled my notebook out of my pocket, and started scribbling on the blank pages.

"Ding Han, what are you drawing?"

Zhao Yihang watched for a while but didn't understand.

Lu Xiaobei also walked over, craned his neck to take a look, and asked, "What's this?"

"A map showing the distribution of several schools."

I quickly sketched the outline of the streets on the map and marked the names and directions, saying, "The south gate of Huaining University of Science and Technology and the north gate of the College of Urban Development are less than 300 meters apart, while the east gate of the University of Science and Technology and the west gate of the Vocational College are less than 200 meters apart. So do you two know what this means?"

"That means the gates of these schools are several hundred meters apart," Zhao Yihang said.

"..."

I glanced at him, barely suppressing the urge to beat him up.

Lu Xiaobei narrowed his eyes and smiled, "That means we have two options. The best location for us to open an internet cafe is at the intersection of these two school gates, right?"

"Yes."

I turned to look at Huaining University of Science and Technology and said, "Xiao Bei, let's go to a few schools and see if the closest buildings to the two potential locations are dormitories or teaching buildings. We'll analyze the density of the population flow and then decide which location to choose for the new store."

"Fuck..."

Zhao Yihang was stunned and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Ding Han, you're really professional... I've really learned something this time."

"Useless trash!"

Lu Xiaobei and I both gave him a disdainful look.

Afterwards, the group registered as tourists and entered the campus of the University of Science and Technology.

Just like Huaining University, the University of Science and Technology is also full of youthful energy, which is very appealing. Students come and go, chatting and laughing, living an enviable university life.

As I walked forward, I scribbled in my notebook, marking the locations of all the student dormitories and teaching buildings at Huaining University of Science and Technology. Finally, we arrived near the East Gate.

The East Gate is not the main gate, so there is only an iron gate. Currently, the gate is open, and students come and go in an endless stream. Near the gate is a small commercial street with fruit shops, book rental shops, video and audio disc shops, and so on.

"classmate."

I stopped a college student who looked rather naive and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, is the east gate open every day? Are there any specific opening hours?"

"This..."

The college student said, "It's open every day, and it seems to close at midnight at the latest. But if you come back late and knock on the door, the old man will open it for you."

"That's it..."

I continued, "One more question for you: between the east gate and the south gate, which gate do you think is used by the most people on weekdays?"

"Of course, it's the east gate."

Without hesitation, the other person replied, "There's a commercial street here. This street outside is full of restaurants, internet cafes, and so on. Basically, everyone goes through the east gate after class. Although the south gate is the main gate, there aren't many people there."

"Okay, thank you!"

I nodded and smiled, and asked no more questions.

"Let's go and take a look at the vocational college."

I walked ahead, while Lu Xiaobei jogged to catch up and walked alongside me, asking, "Have you made up your mind yet?"

"Ah."

I nodded: "If there is a certain amount of foot traffic near the west gate of the vocational college, then we will definitely prioritize choosing a location on this street. However, it won't be that easy. We need to see if there are any vacant shops or prime locations for sale. Hopefully, there will be some, otherwise this matter will not be resolved in just one or two days."

"It's okay, we'll look for it slowly," she said reassuringly.

Just then, a student looked at Lu Xiaobei in surprise and asked, "Excuse me... are you Lu Xiaobei, the singer of 'Plain Face'?"

"Yes, hello."

Lu Xiaobei remained calm and smiled, "Want to take a picture together?"

"I want it!"

The boy was grinning from ear to ear. He hurriedly took out his phone, and Zhao Yihang acted as the photographer, taking a few pictures of them. Then, Lu Xiaobei grabbed my sleeve and fled out of the university gates as if escaping.

……

Vocational College, West Gate.

Students came and went in an endless stream.

I asked a few students and confirmed that the west gate is open all day. Because it is a diploma mill, the management of vocational colleges is not as strict as that of public universities like the University of Science and Technology. However, I also found out some things. Vocational college students are more unruly and often fight outside the school!
"Ding Han..."

Lu Xiaobei was a little worried: "Shouldn't we hire more security guards for the new store? Otherwise, what if some students cause trouble, fight, and smash our machines?"

"Anyone who dares to damage our machines will have to pay double the compensation!"

I said dismissively, "Don't worry too much. I checked when I came over. The nearest police station is only one kilometer away."

Zhao Yihang said sullenly, "You're so thoughtful..."

"Let's go, let's go check out the streets outside the school and choose a location for the new store."

……

So, the group walked back and forth on the street three times and finally came up with three options. The first was a poorly managed sauerkraut fish restaurant that was up for sale. This restaurant was 500 meters away from the two school gates. And students, as everyone knows, will lie down if they can, so 500 meters was enough to ruin the business of this sauerkraut fish restaurant.

The second option was a public bathhouse, but unfortunately the space was a bit small, and it would probably be difficult to fit 300 machines inside.

My last choice, and the one I'm most satisfied with, is a hotel called "Romantic House". It has two floors and more than a dozen rooms, and the location is quite good. It is located in the middle of the two school gates, less than 100 meters away from both gates. It's a perfect choice!
Unfortunately, the owner mismanaged the business, resulting in a poor environment and shoddy decor for the hotel. In desperation, the owner lowered the room rates, but this reduced profits. After deducting daily expenses and rent, there was hardly any money left, so the owner is now considering transferring the business.

Lu Xiaobei and I stood calmly in front of the hotel, staring at the sign for a long time, before finally walking in side by side in perfect unison.

"Stay-in, two people?"

The boss was a lean man who greeted us with a smile.

"We're not here for accommodation; we're here to discuss cooperation."

I smiled and said, "Boss, I heard you're subletting your shop. We run an internet cafe and are interested in this location. We'd like to know how many years are left on the lease and what the price is?"

"what?"

The boss was taken aback at first, then overjoyed: "Come, come, let's talk inside!"

……

After a short while, the owner's smile faded, because Lu Xiaobei's bargaining was too ruthless, leaving the owner with significant losses. I, on the other hand, acted as a peacemaker, saying things like, "Xiaobei, you've bargained too much. Give the owner a break." In the end, we secured the sublease contract for the hotel at a very reasonable price.

noon.

The three of us ate at a small restaurant next to the school.

Just after sitting down, a message popped up from Lin Qingying: "Was the new store location selection going smoothly?"

"It went very smoothly. The store in Donghu District has been secured. It's very close to the gates of the University of Science and Technology and the Vocational College. I'm very satisfied with this location, and I expect business will be good in the future!"

"That's good. Remember to eat."

"Ah, you too."

The two exchanged a few words of advice, and then went about their own business.

Lu Xiaobei treated us to lunch, and Zhao Yihang and I ate until we were stuffed.

"Sigh... I wish I could take a nap during the afternoon."

Zhao Yihang rubbed his stomach: "Boss, Ding Han, how about we find a foot massage parlor to lie down for a while? We've been so tired this morning..."

"Useless trash, get up."

I glanced at him, stood up and said, "Let's go, let's head to the Jiangning University branch campus in the new district!"

Lu Xiaobei stood up happily, looking full of energy. Sure enough, Zhao Yihang, the employee, was the most listless in the whole team!

(End of this chapter)