Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 186: Chapter 87 Manor Mystery_2

The staff at the Equipment Department wasn’t surprised at all; every Processor who came here to shop had the same demeanor.

”It’s different, though. We need the large-caliber Hot Melt Gun,” the Equipment Department staff explained, ”It’s extremely powerful and can effectively consume the Spiritual Barrier. It offers a great convenience for your subsequent battles.”

Li Yelai, of course, knew the power of the Hot Melt Gun. It was one of the few pieces of technology weaponry currently capable of causing massive damage to Spiritual Ability Users. It looked like an oversized sprayer that emitted an incredibly hot stream of heat, capable of melting metal into liquid in the blink of an eye.

This was why the Hot Melt Axe could easily cut through metal.

The Hot Melt Gun’s power and effects were only greater, although it had a very short effective range.

However, it could also exhaust a massive amount of a Spiritual Ability User’s Spiritual Barrier in an extremely short amount of time. Low Awakening Spiritual Ability Users, if hit directly by the hot melt, could be unlucky enough to exhaust their Spiritual Energy instantaneously and die. Even for those in the Third or Fourth Awakening, if they were relentlessly targeted, they would meet the same fate.

Before the Processing Department was established, the Border Iron Guards relied on the Hot Melt Gun and Chain-Saw Sword to eliminate a large number of illegal Spiritual Ability Users.

Although the cost was enormous, they also made a name for the Hot Melt weaponry.

Later, that old guy Wang De brought back the improved version of the Hot Melt Gun blueprint from outside the city.

It made the Hot Melt Gun more flexible. Even those who were not Iron Guards could handle it, though it was slightly less powerful.

And the Equipment Department selected for Li Yelai the Iron Guard version of the Hot Melt Gun. While retaining its power, they also enhanced its concealability.

But the price...

Li Yelai hesitated for a long time and only after haggling with the Equipment Department down to thirty-five points did he finally settle the deal.

Two days later, Li Yelai received the modified Big Black Umbrella.

All the umbrella ribs were replaced with a stronger titanium alloy. At the tip of the umbrella, three inconspicuous heat-dissipating tubes were added.

Clearly, the Hot Melt Gun was fired from the tip of the umbrella.

As long as Li Yelai stored the long spear inside the Black Umbrella and grasped the umbrella ribs to twist in a certain direction,

the umbrella tip would emit hot melt.

Li Yelai tested out the power in the training room and with a twist of the long spear, a Hot Melt Bomb shot out swiftly.

It dissolved the majority of a metal cube ten meters away in an instant.

Such power was enough even to take down a tank.

Very impressive power-wise, the only flaw is that ordinarily only five Hot Melt Ammunition rounds can be loaded. And after the modifications, the weight of the Big Black Umbrella also increased significantly.

If it wasn’t for a Spiritual Ability User with quite a strong physical constitution, Li Yelai might not even be able to carry it around.

After checking the power of the weapon, Li Yelai paid off the balance.

Thus, Li Yelai had only forty Merit Points left.

Things were indeed a bit tight.

”It looks like I need to take on some tasks... or maybe some private work?” Li Yelai pondered internally. Although he had just recently undergone the Third Awakening, according to the experience of other Processing colleagues, he needed to start saving to purchase the Magic Potion for the Four Awakenings.

The Magic Potion for the Four Awakenings required five hundred Merit Points, he wondered how long he would have to save.

Li Yelai recalled the formula for the Four Awakenings Delirium Potion·Dragon Roar that he had brought back from the ark.

According to Yin Fire, once the official test was completed and the effectiveness confirmed, they would gift Li Yelai a dose of the Magic Potion.

By then, if he sold it, he might not be short on Merit Points.

Or, perhaps, look around in the ark to see if anyone wanted to trade something with him? Get some materials or the like to trade?

But, it seemed there wasn’t much Li Yelai could offer in return.

”There aren’t many tasks available; might as well check out some private work first,” Li Yelai thought to himself, planning to give the Detective a call.

But he unexpectedly saw a message from the antique shop owner.

[Xiao Ye, when you have time, come to the shop; someone is looking for you.]

He had just been haggling with the Equipment Department and hadn’t noticed it right away.

”Go to the antique shop, someone specifically looking for me? Could it be someone from the Red Dart Commerce group from last time?” Li Yelai pondered for a moment and more or less understood.

Antique store owner, he knew the official identity of Li Yelai.

Although Li Yelai hasn’t visited the antique store for a while,

the owner always kept his name on the books and continued to pay him a salary, which made Li Yelai quite embarrassed. He tried to resign several times, but the owner refused.

According to the owner, because of Li Yelai’s actions at the Red Dart Commerce,

the reorganized Red Dart Commerce showed him great courtesy.

Scavengers usually speak with their fists, and since Li Yelai almost took out their upper echelons, they showed great respect to both him and the antique store.

Under such circumstances, who would come to look for him?

Li Yelai contemplated this as he walked out of the division and picked up his cellphone to call the antique store owner.

”Hello, Xiao Ye,” the owner quickly answered the phone, his voice strong and suggesting no problems: ”Do you have time? Someone’s looking for you.”

”Who? What for?” Li Yelai inquired.

”It’s one of the businessmen from the Red Dart Commerce you came across last time. His surname is Zhao; just call him Old Zhao.”

”He recently purchased a house for a client, but has run into some strange happenings. He’s thinking of getting you to take a look. He’s still at the shop right now.” The owner’s voice lowered as he spoke: ”Should I turn him away?”

”No need for that,” Li Yelai responded. ”Can you tell me more about the situation?”

”The specifics weren’t spoken of much, but it’s about a caravan from the distant Giant City planning to develop in No.3 Border City. The main caravan hasn’t yet arrived at the Giant City, so they sent a team in advance to No.1 Border City to get in touch with Old Zhao as an intermediary, intending to purchase houses in Giant City. Old Zhao picked out a location according to their requirements, and it’s an estate in the New District.”

”Talk about throwing money around!” Li Yelai couldn’t help but be impressed. The prices for housing there were beyond what he dared to imagine.

”Right, they’re so rich. They took down the estate with 8 million Giant City Coins outright, real nouveau riche. Carrying all that money around, not afraid of being robbed.” The owner also marveled.

After the Calamity, within the same Giant City Circle,

places like No.1, No.2, and No.3 Border Cities, as well as Lava Mine City,

made up a Giant City Circle, where the bank’s data could still be exchanged within the four Giant Cities’ range.

The money deposited in No.3 Border City could still be withdrawn in the other three cities.

But for trade with other Giant Cities, they’d have to carry currency across the wilderness. The banks couldn’t help; the Calamity had severed some connections between the Giant Cities.

Being able to pull out 8 million Giant City Coins meant they carried enough wealth to cross the wilderness.

”But while they were cleaning up the estate, Old Zhao’s men ran into some mishaps. They kept seeing strange things in the middle of the night.”

”Strange things?” Li Yelai asked.

”Right... they seemed to see deceased relatives. But soon, the visions would disappear. Although there’s no danger for now, Old Zhao is still worried.”

”With the hand-over date looming, he wanted to consult you. If it can be resolved, they’re offering quite a reward—50,000 Giant City Coins!”

”I see. Alright, I’ll come by in a bit.”

Li Yelai decided to first learn more about the situation.

If there really was some abnormal presence, then it was time to get the officials involved.

Private jobs aside, when dealing with such odd events, the officials had to step in.

Thinking it over, he called the Detective, explaining the situation.

When it came to investigating abnormalities, the Detective was the expert.

The Detective replied, ”Man, I was just thinking about finding private jobs for you, but here you are with one already. Alright, I’ll pick you up!”

...

Elsewhere, in the antique store, the owner reassured Old Zhao, ”Alright, Old Zhao, don’t worry. He’s agreed; you know his strength and identity. With him here, there won’t be any problems.”

A middle-aged man with a touch of white in his hair nodded, ”I know, but... it’s still better to be cautious. Old Zhang, you haven’t been to the North, you don’t know the ability of that family. I’d rather not offend them...”

”What family?” the owner asked with a frown.

”The Yaoqing Jing Family...”

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