Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Lin Yu stroked his chin and replied directly, "How far has this thing's 'self-awareness' progressed? Honestly, judging by its durability, it probably caused its former owner quite a bit of trouble, right? It might even have turned against its owner?"

[Ghost Eye] replied quickly, seemingly waiting for his message, and he didn't intend to hide anything, saying bluntly, "Let's not beat around the bush, this thing is very strange. It's basically in a semi-out-of-control state right now."

If it is not provided with high-quality blood, it will become extremely agitated and may even secretly suck the blood of its host.

In combat, they often act on their own, interrupting skill rhythms is a minor issue, and sometimes they even attack nearby living creatures indiscriminately, without distinguishing friend from foe.

Currently, the "feedback" skill is almost unresponsive. As for turning it into a plant life form? I'm afraid it will tie me up first and use me as nutrients to drain my life force.

Otherwise, why do you think I'd put a +4 silver item up for sale? I simply can't handle it.

As expected, Lin Yu understood.

This is a double-edged sword that is extremely sharp but can also easily cut oneself.

"That's interesting. How much are you planning to sell it for?" Lin Yu began to haggle.

He quickly assessed the situation in his mind. Unlike bronze-level equipment, which cost between 10 and 20 game coins, silver-level equipment was almost ten times more expensive. After all, silver-level items were rarer and more powerful.

The price of normal silver-grade equipment varies greatly depending on the enhancement level and its own effects, ranging from 100 to 500 game coins. Some equipment with special effects may even exceed this maximum price.

If it weren't for the drawback of having its own consciousness, and with the +4 enhancement, the Bloodvine Bio-Armor would likely cost no less than 300 game coins. After all, it's a very well-rounded item, and it can even regenerate its durability on its own.

However, with this rebellious attribute, its value is greatly reduced, basically not exceeding 200 game coins, or even lower.

【Ghost Eye】: "I plan to buy all your equipment and items. I had a professional appraiser give a rough estimate, and considering the factors of selling them in bulk and quickly converting them into cash, they are probably only worth 2500 game coins."

As for this piece of equipment, it's a +4 silver item after all, so its base stats are pretty good. Worth 300 game coins isn't unreasonable, right?

Lin Yu was so angry he laughed: "300? Why don't you just rob it? You're keeping this thing that doesn't obey orders, dares to attack its master, doesn't listen to healing commands, and might backfire when it transforms. You can keep it as a treasure."

In my opinion, it's worth at most 100 game coins right now. If I had the patience to slowly sell my stock at a stall, it wouldn't be impossible to sell it for 3000 to 4000 game coins. Selling it to you as a package for 3 would be barely reasonable.

[Ghost Eye]: "Brother, you can't say that. High risk, high reward... After all, it was once glorious. 250! That's the lowest it can go. As for that batch of equipment and items, 3000 is too high. Retail and wholesale prices can't be the same. 2500 is already a very reasonable price."

Lin Yu: "Putting aside that batch of equipment, this armor is at most 120mm thick, and its risks are far beyond your imagination. After I take over, I'll have to figure out how to deal with its consciousness issues, which will require even more investment and risk."

[Ghost Eye]: "220, this is a rock-bottom price! Just consider it making friends!"

……

The two discussed the value of the armor for a long time, and Lin Yu finally bought it for 190 game coins. As for the price of Lin Yu's batch of equipment, after some back and forth, the final price was set at 2800 game coins.

[Ghost Eye]: "I need to inspect the goods. I need to ensure that the quantity and quality of your goods match the pictures and descriptions."

"No problem, feel free to inspect the goods," Lin Yu replied.

【Ghost Eye】: "If there are no problems with the goods, I can transfer 500 game coins as a deposit to you first, and trade 【Blood Vine】 to you as collateral."

I need a maximum of three days to raise the remaining 2610 game coins. During this time, you can hold and research the [Blood Vine].

If the final transaction cannot be completed due to my reasons, you will need to return the Bloodvine. The deposit will not be refunded. However, if it is your fault, you will not only need to return the equipment and the deposit, but also compensate me with 500 game coins as a penalty for breach of contract.

The guarantor for this transaction will be a bronze-level group chat administrator from the community.

This plan is reasonable and offers some protection.

Lin Yu thought about it and agreed.

"Can."

"Okay! I'll be right there!"

The two met in a quiet corner downstairs at the apartment building.

【Ghost Eye】 was a somewhat lean male player with a sharp but tired look in his eyes. Upon seeing Lin Yu's conspicuous equipment and the title of 【Demon Hunter Elite】, his attitude became noticeably more polite.

Lin Yu took him back to the apartment to inspect the goods.

Upon seeing the mountain of equipment and items again, Ghost Eye's eyes still flashed with undisguised shock. He carefully counted them for a while, especially checking the quality of the bronze equipment and the effects of the special items. Finally, after confirming that everything was correct, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

Both parties signed a transaction agreement in the presence of a guarantor, which specified the goods list, price, payment method, deposit, penalty for breach of contract, and delivery time.

【Ghost Eye】 readily paid a deposit of 500 game coins.

Then, he handed the [Bio-Armor - Blood Vine] to Lin Yu.

When the dark red rattan armor, which was cold to the touch, seemed to have a slight wriggling sensation, and exuded a faint smell of blood, was transferred from the trading interface to Lin Yu's inventory, Lin Yu could clearly feel a faint yet unusually clear fluctuation within it, filled with greed, arrogance, and anxiety, as if a ferocious beast being imprisoned was growling.

"What a troublesome guy..." Lin Yu muttered to himself.

After seeing off the satisfied [Ghost Eye] who had hurriedly left to raise funds, Lin Yu looked at the 500 new game coins in his account and the eerie silver armor in his inventory, and then at the goods still piled up like a mountain on the ground.

He knew he would be busy again before the next game.

Not only do they need to continue familiarizing themselves with the newly acquired powers and equipment, but they also need to figure out how to deal with this troublesome [Blood Vine].

Lin Yu frowned slightly as he looked at the [Bio-Armor - Bloodvine] that exuded a bloodthirsty aura.

This thing is like a time bomb, but it also has tremendous potential.

He decided to experience it for himself firsthand to see just how troublesome this so-called "self-awareness" really was.

With a thought, the dark red rattan armor appeared in his hand, cool yet supple to the touch, and seemed to wriggle slightly as if it were alive.

Lin Yu unfolded it and put it on. The rattan armor automatically conformed to his body, and it was very comfortable to wear without any obvious discomfort, nor did it affect his movements.

For the first few minutes, everything was normal. The rattan armor provided decent defense, and the buffs of +2 to Strength and +2 to Constitution were clearly noticeable.

There were no unexpected situations.

But soon, something unusual happened.

Lin Yu felt an extremely subtle stinging sensation on his skin, as if countless transparent tentacles, thinner than a hair, were silently piercing his skin, penetrating deep into his muscles, and beginning to draw blood.

His health points began to decrease at an extremely slow, but real, rate, dropping by about 1 point every few minutes.

The pain is not intense; in fact, it is almost imperceptible unless you pay close attention to the changes in the health bar.

The speed at which it absorbs blood isn't particularly fast, probably because its durability is extremely low and its condition is weak.

"As expected, he's not honest..." Lin Yu's eyes turned cold.

This thing completely ignored his will and started sucking his blood on its own. Moreover, this thing clearly had a certain level of intelligence; it didn't cause trouble as soon as he put it on, but behaved itself for a while.

Given the subtle changes it exhibited previously, someone unaware of its problems would likely not notice the issue in a short period.

Lin Yu immediately had a thought, and his internal magic power flowed, causing tiny arcs of electricity, like small blue snakes, to jump across his body.

"Crackling and popping!"

The instant the electric arc touched the rattan armor—

"Buzz!!!"

The blood vine armor on Lin Yu's body trembled violently, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The vines that had been clinging to his body suddenly became ferocious, with countless dark red tendrils shooting out from his body like out-of-control venomous snakes, whipping and dancing wildly in the air.

Several exceptionally thick vines, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, lashed out fiercely at Lin Yu's neck and face.

Its ferocity is fully revealed!

However, just as these attacks were about to touch Lin Yu—

The dark red [Heavenly Cloak] on Lin Yu's shoulder moved without wind, as if it had its own will. One corner suddenly rose up, like the most resilient shield, accurately and lightly blocking all attack routes.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The vines lashed against the cloak, making a dull thud, but they couldn't budge it an inch.

The defensive power of gold-grade equipment is simply beyond the reach of the weakened silver-grade blood vine.

At the same time, the cloak automatically rolled up all the vines to prevent them from continuing their attack, and soon the blood vines were completely suppressed.

At the same time, the lightning power on Lin Yu's body suddenly intensified!

"Sizzle—!!!"

An even brighter blue electric light instantly enveloped the wildly dancing blood vines.

The powerful lightning force seems to have an additional restraining effect on this plant-like life form.

As if suffering immense pain, all the blood vines instantly stiffened and convulsed, emitting a near-mourning "sizzling" sound and rising wisps of blue smoke.

The tiny tentacles that had pierced Lin Yu's body recoiled violently as if electrocuted.

The blood vines, which had been baring their fangs and claws just moments before, were now completely withered, limply clinging back to Lin Yu's body, trembling slightly, conveying a faint mix of fear, pain, and a trace of resentment.

Lin Yu then slowly suppressed the electric arcs on his body.

He stared blankly at the now "docile" blood vine and began the long process of "taming" it.

Over the next two hours, whenever Lin Yu sensed any sign that the Blood Vine was trying to suck blood or attack without permission, he would immediately activate a wisp of lightning to shock it.

It doesn't need to be too powerful, just enough to make it feel pain and fear.

This process was repeated more than ten times.

Bloodvine clearly possesses a certain learning ability.

Each time it was electrocuted, its will to resist would weaken, and the thoughts it conveyed would gradually change from initial violence and greed to fear and probing, until finally only deep fear remained.

However, the continuous electric shocks further reduced its already precarious durability, dropping from 24 points to a pitiful 18 points, making it look even more dilapidated.

"This won't do. It might break before it's even tamed." Lin Yu stopped the electric shocks.

Taming animals also requires carrots and sticks; electric shocks alone are clearly not enough.

He thought for a moment, then opened the [9527 Community Player Exchange Group - Bronze] and started searching for vendors selling blood. Surprisingly, there were some.

Moreover, there is a wide variety of blood, from ordinary pig, cow and sheep blood to the blood of some monsters with weak magic.

"This chat group really sells all sorts of things..." Lin Yu muttered to himself, spending a few game coins to buy a large bucket of "nutritional blood" that was a mixture of various monster blood and relatively rich in energy.

Of course, Lin Yu remembered Ghost Eye's instructions and did not purchase the blood of highly intelligent life forms (such as humans).

Soon, thanks to the community's convenient delivery service, a large wooden barrel was delivered to Lin Yu's apartment.

Lin Yu removed the now-weakened Blood Vine from his body and threw it into a wooden bucket filled with dark red, viscous blood.

laugh--

The moment the blood vine came into contact with blood, it was like parched grass receiving rain after a long drought, instantly "coming alive".

It greedily stretched out its body, and countless tiny tentacles stretched out frantically, violently absorbing the blood in the bucket like a water pump.

The liquid level inside the barrel dropped slowly at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Meanwhile, its durability also began to slowly recover from 18 points.

Lin Yu didn't let it fully recover. When its durability was restored to around 40 points, and he felt that its condition had improved significantly, even conveying a sense of satisfaction and pleasure, he decisively pulled it out of the blood bucket.

Lin Yu put on the Bloodvine Armor again. This thing sucked blood very cleanly, leaving no trace of blood on his body, so there was no need to clean it.

This time, it was noticeably more obedient.

Although it could still feel that instinctive craving for blood, it no longer dared to draw Lin Yu's blood without permission, but instead sent out a cautious, faint fluctuation, like "asking for permission".

Lin Yu slightly activated a wisp of his magic power, making a gesture as if to electrocute it, and it immediately conveyed a strong sense of fear and submission.

"That's more like it." Lin Yu nodded in satisfaction. Of course, he also knew very well that this thing couldn't be tamed so quickly. If it were that easy, Ghost Eye wouldn't have sold it. Although the taming was showing initial results, it was obviously a long-term project that required continuous training and "feeding."

Lin Yu even felt that this thing was impossible to tame. It was docile now, but it might show its fangs at any time. Therefore, Lin Yu still had to think about how to completely solve this problem.

For now, let's leave it at that.

Meanwhile, after buying blood, Lin Yu became even more interested in the products in the group chat.

He had previously focused mostly on equipment and props, never expecting there to be so many strange and unusual materials.

He suddenly thought of his [Demon Sword] and the [Ghost Generator] in the apartment.

Both of these require ghosts; one can be used as a summoning object, and the other can be used as fuel.

"Could there be people selling ghosts in the group?" With this thought popping into his head, Lin Yu immediately entered the keyword into the group chat search bar.

You wouldn't believe it until you looked it up—it really exists!

A merchant with the ID "[Strange Material Specialty Store]" came into view.

The other party is a merchant who specializes in selling these kinds of items.

Lin Yu immediately opened the private chat.

After some conversation, Lin Yu was slightly disappointed.

This shop does sell ghosts, but they are mostly unranked or low-ranking wandering spirits, living in a daze with limited strength.

Higher-level ghosts are extremely rare; even a few bronze-level vengeful spirits are considered quite formidable.

As for silver-level vengeful ghosts? The shop owner chuckled twice, indicating that such things are extremely rare and hard to come by. He couldn't catch one himself, and there probably wouldn't be many people in the neighborhood selling them.

The shop owner explained that equipment or skills that can capture, contain, and control ghosts are extremely rare, and the group of players who need ghosts is relatively small, so the market is not large, and high-end items are naturally scarce. Only a small number of players will trade privately.

Lin Yu thought about it for a moment, then placed the order anyway.

He purchased 25 ghosts: 3 bronze-level vengeful spirits, 15 iron-level malevolent spirits, and 7 unranked wandering souls.

It cost a total of 100 game coins, which is indeed about the same price as equipment of the same level.

After the ghosts arrived, Lin Yu stored three bronze-level ghosts, 15 iron-level wandering souls, and two ghosts without any level into the Soul Nest of the Evil Ghost Sword.

In this way, when you need to clear out mobs or conduct simple reconnaissance, you can summon these ordinary ghosts without having to consume durability to summon Liu Xiangxiang and her daughter every time.

The remaining five levelless wandering spirits were locked in the apartment's [Ghost Generator].

This way, Lin Yu won't have to worry about electricity for a long time.

After dealing with the ghost, Lin Yu spent some game currency to buy a large amount of high-level materials, preparing for future upgrades to his apartment and doors.

Afterwards, he took his shadow clone and went back into the Daoist study to continue studying the Thunder Technique as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, he spared some attention to keep an eye on the group chat and private messages, looking for other good items worth buying.

Now that they have a huge sum of money, their desire to consume is at an all-time high.

Over the next few days, Lin Yu's life was quite regular: practicing thunder magic, occasionally drawing talismans to maintain his skills, and regularly "electrotherapy" and "feeding" the blood vine.

I also browse the transaction information in the group chat, and occasionally chat with some expert players who became famous because of the previous large transaction, or exchange information.

During this time, [Ghost Eye] arrived as promised, paid the remaining balance of 2610 game coins, and took away all the equipment and items piled up like a mountain.

Lin Yu's account balance skyrocketed, making him a true overnight millionaire. He is now considered a wealthy person in the 9527 community.

He could freely enjoy most of the facilities in the entertainment area if he wanted.

With the money, Lin Yu began making large-scale purchases in the group chat.

He was lucky; in the past few days, he managed to buy several items that, like the Soul Essence, could permanently increase attributes: [Essence of Strength] and [Power Fruit]. They had the same effect, permanently increasing strength by 1 point after consumption.

【Constitution Crystallization】: Permanently increases constitution by 1 point after taking it.

【Feather of Agility】: Permanently increases agility by 1 point after consumption.

Next, he bought two bronze-level accessories in the group chat, replacing his outdated [Ring of Life] and [Ring of Scorched Earth]:

【蓝宝石戒指+3】：精神+2，法力值+50。主动技能【法力涌动】：瞬间恢复50点法力值，冷却时间1小时。

[Charging Ring +3]: Passive Skill [Lightning Affinity]: Slightly increases the power of lightning-type skills and lightning resistance.

Meanwhile, his biggest gain during this period was a silver-tier skill card he privately acquired from a player: [Mana Shield].

Category: Skill/Active

Grade: Silver

Effect: When activated, a shield made of mana is formed around the body. While the shield is active, all damage received will be mitigated primarily by mana, with a mitigation ratio of 1 point of mana to 5 points of damage. The shield can be deactivated at any time.

Cost: No cost to activate/maintain (damage directly deducts mana).

Cooling: None

Requirements: Maximum mana > 200

Description: A classic survival skill for mages; your mana is your health bar!

This skill is practically tailor-made for Lin Yu! With his current mana of 310, it's equivalent to an instant gain of 1550 extra health points.

Although it will severely affect battery life, it is absolutely a lifesaver in critical moments.

This skill also completely occupies the second skill slot.

His two skill slots are now: [Seven Secrets of Subduing Demons in the Green Mountain Path] and [Mana Shield].

Both [Thunder Magic] and [Talismans] belong to the knowledge category and do not occupy skill slots.

Lin Yu wanted to buy more good things, but unfortunately the items in the bronze-level chat group were of limited quality, and there weren't many things that really caught his eye.

Skill cards like Mana Shield are extremely rare and hard to come by.

He can no longer find anything worth buying in group chats, and he truly understands the embarrassment of "having money but not being able to spend it".

Unfortunately, he hasn't yet qualified to upgrade to Silver group chat.

He had talked to the administrator, and although the value of that large-scale transaction far exceeded five silver-grade items, black iron and bronze-grade items were ultimately not silver-grade. Obtaining a large number of black iron and bronze-grade items was not the same as obtaining silver-grade items.

The rest period ends on the seventh day.

When the cold system notification sounded in his mind on time, Lin Yu was already fully prepared.

The equipment has been replaced, and the attributes are now vastly different. There are also a large number of new consumable items and a silver-level skill.

You have entered: The Life-or-Death Takeout Game

This round of the game has 100 players, and players can compete against each other.

This round of the game will last for seven days. After seven days, the game will end, and all players will be eliminated.

In this game, players will become food delivery drivers, providing delivery services to residents of the city. Please note that each driver has a daily delivery quota; failure to meet the quota will result in punishment from the team leader.

Delivery drivers can decline three orders per day without penalty. After three declines, they will be penalized for declining orders.

Delivery drivers will be penalized for receiving negative reviews for any reason. (Note: If a customer cancels within ten minutes of receiving a negative review, it will not be recorded in the system.)

Delivery drivers who receive a five-star review will receive a reward.

If the delivery service is satisfactory, generous customers may leave a tip.

The person who delivers the most orders each day will receive a team leader reward.

[…For more details, please refer to the delivery driver's manual.]