There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: I Am Your Man Now

Having settled on a plan through their messaging app, the three of them switched to a shared-screen mode to stay in constant contact.

Looking at the phone they had just acquired, Duan Fei noticed that the bounty information on it had disappeared.

’It seems the Black Hand has discovered that we cracked the phone and removed its backdoor,’ he thought. ’They must have realized all the bounty’s secrets were being exposed.’

’Suspending the mission updates was their only option.’

Without the phones, the Little Gangsters’ Gang would have to rely on couriers to communicate. This would inevitably cause delays and errors, so the threat they posed could be slightly downgraded.

But the ones who truly worried Duan Fei were the City Lord Gang.

The Wild Beast Boys Gang, the Little Gangsters’ Gang, and the City Lord Gang represented the powers of the wilds, the underbelly, and the upper echelons of Moon City, respectively.

’The power of the underbelly is formidable,’ Duan Fei mused, ’but according to the black market merchant, the City Lord and the other elites seem to have a channel to trade with the Gods. Does that mean they have more privileges and know more secrets?’

’Regardless, I need to drag the City Lord Gang into this mess and get all these factions fighting as soon as possible. That way, we, the prey, can find an opening in the hunters’ guard and tear out their throats.’

Letting out a long breath, Duan Fei looked at Little Fatty beside him and asked, "Are you really not going to call me Dad?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Little Fatty said, annoyed. "Can you please be serious? I was just starting to develop some misplaced trust in you. Don’t go and shatter it so quickly, okay?"

"But I am being serious."

"A normal person doesn’t go around asking unrelated people to call them Dad, especially not outside of a dorm or the bedroom. And it’s even more out of line when you’re both guys."

"Just like a programmer, your definitions are very precise. Forget it, I’ll go find Mary and Alice."

Watching Duan Fei straighten his clothes and walk into the two ladies’ room, Little Fatty furrowed his brow.

’Is the world of master gamers always this weird?’

Staring boredly at his screen, Little Fatty suddenly asked, "Cuihua, is your sister good-looking?"

"She’s very pretty. Her hobbies are Sanda, MMA, and no-holds-barred combat—you know, the kind where she can use any melee weapon."

"Oh, never mind then. I don’t have enough life insurance for that. I’d probably never live long enough to have kids."

While Little Fatty and Cuihua were chatting on their comms, shouts of "Dad" and "Grandpa" echoed from the room.

「An hour later.」

Duan Fei walked out of the room and said to the others, "Alright, the prep work is done."

Little Fatty looked like he wanted to say something, but no words came. He could only silently follow Duan Fei as they left the apartment together.

Leading the group straight to the black market, Duan Fei had Cuihua kick down the merchant’s door. Before the black market merchant could pull the gun from under his pillow, Duan Fei had already pressed a Baguette to his neck.

The fragrant aroma of bread made the black market merchant want to laugh, but then he was smacked across the face with it.

The pain and dizziness made him realize that while this thing might be food, in the hands of certain people, it was an undeniable weapon.

After getting a clear look at his attacker, the black market merchant forced a laugh. "Grandpa, I really didn’t lie to you. That price was fair."

"I believe you, but I have other business to attend to. Little Fatty, check his phone."

"No, not that! Anything but that!" The black market merchant immediately tried to snatch his phone back, only to be struck in the chest by Cuihua, sending him crumpling to the floor in pain.

But even on the ground, he kept struggling relentlessly to get his phone back. His desperation confirmed to Duan Fei that the phone definitely held secrets that couldn’t see the light of day.

Little Fatty deftly unlocked the phone, but as soon as he opened the most recently used app, he fell silent.

Leaning over, Duan Fei saw it was the phone’s native browser, and the browsing history was still open.

’Abyss really is a 15+ game,’ he thought.

Still, some things clearly couldn’t be completely censored. Just a few keywords were enough to reveal the black market merchant’s unique system of preferences. It was the kind of stuff that would make a furry want to shoot him ten times over.

After closing the browser, Little Fatty checked the rest of the contents and then said, "He’s a civilian. Not affiliated with any gang."

"No way. Judging by his browsing history, he’s anything but normal."

"Everyone is entitled to their own preferences."

"But his are a little too free! They’ve gone past free and into uncharted territory!"

"Yeah..." Cuihua nodded vigorously from the side.

Little Fatty, however, shook his head resolutely, showing his disapproval of their judgment.

Handing the phone back to the merchant, Little Fatty stared at the now socially-dead man and uttered a few words.

Because the words were esoteric slang, neither Duan Fei nor Cuihua understood what he said.

But the black market merchant reacted as if he had just found a kindred spirit he had been searching for his whole life. He instinctively grabbed Little Fatty’s hand and replied with the same unintelligible phrase.

In that instant, a strange bond of friendship formed between the two, making Duan Fei feel like the very air had turned foul.

After a quick exchange of glances, the black market merchant stood up. Following the method Little Fatty had taught him, he completely deleted his browsing history, then asked, "Comrade, what can I do for you?"

"What on earth did you two just talk about?" Duan Fei asked, bewildered. "How did you form a revolutionary friendship in a single moment?"

"Don’t ask. The answer is... a shared appreciation for a niche genre."

"So what genre are you appreciating!"

"I told you not to ask."

Seeing that Little Fatty would rather die than answer, Duan Fei had no choice but to drop the subject. He turned to the black market merchant and asked, "Interested in making a fortune?"

At the mention of money, the black market merchant immediately cast aside the matter of his social death and eagerly asked, "Do tell."

"I’ll give you one hour. Within this hour, I can fix anything and everything you have."

Seeing the merchant’s disbelief, Duan Fei picked up a Crowbar and slammed it down on the table next to him.

The table had been completely battered, but the moment Duan Fei struck it, the ruined piece of furniture was instantly restored to pristine, factory-new condition. The clean, beautiful sight made the black market merchant shout, "Amazing!"

By farming an hour’s worth of "filial piety" from Mary and Alice, Duan Fei had successfully pushed his damage stat past ten thousand—in the negative.

In this state, a single casual "repair" from Duan Fei could instantly restore any item to factory condition. A light tap could bring a person back from the brink of death.

"See that? It’s a mysterious Eastern Qi Gong. It allows me to repair almost anything and heal anyone. And this is just a fraction of the benefits I’m offering. So, are you willing to help me?"

It is said that when the profit margin reaches 100%, people will dare to take risks.

Now, laid before the black market merchant, was a profit of ten, a hundred, even a thousand times that.

Staring at Duan Fei’s demonic smile, the black market merchant knew that immense danger surely lay ahead.

Acknowledging that danger, the black market merchant firmly made his choice.

"I’m your man now, my lord."