Chapter 33

"Is there such a weapon in the game?" The Sweeper looked at the weapon in Peach Eyes' hand, his forehead creased with black lines.

At this moment, Peach Eyes was holding a delicate abacus, which he had dyed a gaudy gold. Under the sunlight, the golden abacus reflected light onto Peach Eyes' face, making his already narrow eyes seem to sparkle with cunning. Coupled with his plump figure, three words instantly flashed through the Sweeper's mind — a nouveau riche.

"There is naturally no such weapon in the game settings, but I can have a mechanic custom-make it. This thing isn't very complicated; it's done in a short while. Although it's simple to make, the materials I used for this abacus are not simple. Let me show you."

Seemingly oblivious to the Sweeper's black lines, Peach Eyes looked smug. He seemed to be showing off by attaching his mental energy to the abacus in his hand. Then, as if an invisible hand began to move the beads, the small abacus emitted a series of clacking sounds as the beads collided.

"What's the use of this thing? Even if the current computer system isn't very smart, it at least has a calculator, right?" The Sweeper rubbed his forehead, deciding not to argue with Peach Eyes' 'ingenious ideas' because their values seemed to be in different dimensions. So, the Sweeper prepared to talk about something else.

"Of course, there is a calculator on the computer. But don't you feel that holding this is very retro, very profound, and very historical?" Using his mental energy to move the abacus, Peach Eyes' eyes sparkled. Even though his small eyes were squeezed into slits by his chubby face, one could still see the bright light in his eyes. This look had the charm of a miser seeing gold or a pervert seeing a beauty.

"I only know that chicken wings come in flavors like teriyaki and spicy, I don't understand what historical flavor is." The Sweeper rolled his eyes, knowing that he and Peach Eyes had no common language in this area. So, he walked out of the city, preparing to leave this guy who thought he was a general just because he held a sword.

"Hmm... This guy, who is single-minded about everything except fighting, actually made a joke?" Peach Eyes, lost in the fantasy of holding the abacus, was stunned by the Sweeper's departure. Then, he touched his chin, struck a cool pose, and said, "He must have been influenced by my sense of humor. Not bad, not bad, keep it up."

As the Sweeper walked out of Hope City, he hadn't even determined his destination on the electronic map when several men surrounded him. They weren't trying to rob the Sweeper but were asking if he needed a taxi. This was a new industry that had just emerged in Hope City since the game started today.

Of course, this wasn't a system-regulated taxi or bus service, but an industry formed by players themselves. Therefore, for players who went out of the city alone and didn't have a car, it was like being surrounded by a group of taxi drivers after getting off a bus, pulling your luggage and asking if you needed a ride.

This kind of thing was rare in modern times, but it was mentioned in history books when describing the humanistic landscape of a certain period when productivity and reasonable regulation were not yet perfected.

"How many points to the radiation zone?" The Sweeper asked, his hands still holding his backpack.

Fortunately, there were no wallets in the game, or the Sweeper would have to be wary of pickpockets taking advantage of the tugging. As the saying goes, where there is demand, there is a market. Indeed, just two days after the game started, the industry of driving people to monster zones had emerged.

Generally, monster zones were far from safe bases because the monsters near the safe bases had been cleared. When going to distant zones to kill monsters, players in groups could drive, but individual players found it very convenient to drive to the zones. However, it was impossible to fight monsters and drive at the same time.

Outside the safe base, even killing was allowed, and if a car was left in one place and discovered, it could easily be stolen. Therefore, it was more suitable to take a taxi when going out to kill monsters. Thus, this scattered taxi market formed in the early stages of the system in just a few days.

"It's 30 kilometers to the radiation zone. I'll take you for 30 points. How about that?" One of the drivers who grabbed the Sweeper immediately quoted a price. 30 kilometers for 30 points, which was equivalent to 10 yuan. This price was indeed as low as it could be.

"Brother Unity, you're not doing business properly. You always set such low prices. How will we get customers in the future?" The driver who quoted the price immediately drew the dissatisfaction of the other drivers, who looked at him with unfriendly expressions.

"Brothers, brothers, isn't this my last trip? After this, I'll log off and go to sleep. After that, you can set any price you want. Besides, there were no rules for pricing at the beginning, so I'm not breaking any rules by setting this price, right?" Unity replied with a seemingly ingratiating but firm tone.

"Hmph, don't do it again." The other drivers glared at Unity, and some even glared at the Sweeper, then left angrily. However, another player soon came out of the safe base, and these drivers eagerly approached, starting to negotiate prices.

"Can you make much money at this price?" Although the road from the safe base to the radiation zone was good, 30 kilometers for this many points was indeed not profitable, so the Sweeper asked curiously. As for the excuse Unity gave earlier, the Sweeper felt it was a bit insufficient.

"Hey, isn't this my last trip? I'm giving you a discount. If you think I'm good, add me as a friend. Next time you go out, I'll be there to pick you up from nearby monster zones." Unity smiled and said, glancing at the Sweeper in the mirror as he drove.

When Unity looked at the Sweeper, the Sweeper met his gaze in the mirror. Then, he smiled without saying a word, but his calm gaze made Unity feel like he was being seen through, and his smile became a bit awkward.

"Um, a while ago, a customer in the radiation zone sent me a message to pick him up." After a moment of silence, Unity, feeling the silence was too oppressive, spoke up.

"What's the price for the return trip?" The Sweeper couldn't help but smile. Although he was straightforward in other aspects, Unity's little trick didn't escape his notice.

"The return trip will be a bit more expensive, 50 points. After all, I have to rush over when someone calls me, and picking you up is just a side job. This price is already very cheap, considering the road conditions are good, but we can still encounter monster attacks on the way. If we encounter a major attack, the money earned in a day won't even cover the repair costs."

Hearing the Sweeper speak, Unity's face lit up again, this time without any awkwardness. He felt much more comfortable and regretted not telling the truth earlier, as it would have avoided the oppressive silence.

"Are there many players in the radiation zone now? If you take people there, you should be able to find more passengers waiting there. Is your customer very familiar with you?"

"Hehe, not really. The reason we can park at the city gate is that the monsters near the safe base have been cleared, making it relatively safe. Inside the monster zones, monsters often jump out to attack vehicles on the road, let alone in the zones. There are no safe places to park, so I can't stay in the monster zones for long. However, there should be safe points in a few days."

"Oh?" The Sweeper looked at Unity curiously.

"There's a security company, um... in the game, it should be called a guild. But no player can form a guild yet. However, they are a guild from other games, so they organized players in a safe base here. They plan to build a safe point in the monster zones for simple transactions and vehicle parking. It's just not clear how they will charge."

The conversation passed quickly, and the Sweeper learned that the driver's in-game name was not Unity but Big Unity, named after a long-disappeared cigarette brand.

Because the road conditions were good, the 30-kilometer distance took less than 40 minutes, and they didn't encounter any monster attacks along the way, so the speed was a bit faster. Normally, this journey would take about 50 minutes.

When the Sweeper got out of the car, he saw many players gathered in the distance, with some vehicles parked there. Monsters were constantly respawning but were quickly killed. The monsters in this area were all affected by radiation, so gunners could easily kill lower-level monsters with a few shots.

"You might have to share a ride on the way back. I'm usually available from 6 AM to 12 PM. If you need a car during this time, you can send me a message." Big Unity said as he got out of the car. A group of players approached, and Big Unity went to greet them, while the Sweeper waved and walked into the monster zone.

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