There were a few WeChat messages and one missed call on his phone. The WeChat messages were from classmates and roommates, all about trivial matters. The missed call was from his mom, a routine check-in, which he’d call back later that evening. Yu Xiao replied to the messages one by one.
He opened Hou Hao’s private chat. Yu Xiao asked, "Is Fourth Brother there?" Hou Hao replied instantly, "What does Grandpa Monkey need?" Yu Xiao said, "Do you have time to help me find someone?" Hou Hao asked, "Who?" Yu Xiao replied, "Song Jiaming, around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. She should be a female criminal police officer locally. I want her contact information or address." Hou Hao sent (a shocked emoji)!
Hou Hao exclaimed, "Third Brother, have you become this bold? You’re setting your sights on a female police officer. This kind of behavior is very dangerous! Tell me your story!" Yu Xiao said, "Don’t jump to conclusions. There’s no story. I’m helping someone else find her. You always brag about your skills being top-notch. Surely you can handle something as simple as finding someone, right?" Hou Hao said, "Ah, I haven’t had that Thousand Island Lake Double-Pepper Fish Head in so long. Just thinking about the taste makes my mouth water now." Yu Xiao replied, "Deal, I’ll treat!" Hou Hao said, "You got it!" He put his phone back into his pocket and walked out of the school gate.
Near Hangda University, there was a dilapidated urban village with many old buildings and self-built houses that were twenty or thirty years old, referred to by students as "Hou Street." The sanitation and public security weren't great, but the rent was very cheap. Yu Xiao, to facilitate his travel for two part-time jobs to supplement his little nest egg, had moved out of the dorms just last month and into a ten-square-meter single room in Hou Street, a small, old place, for five thousand yuan a year at the student rate.
Of course. Yu Xiao certainly wasn't going to do any more flyer distribution or tutoring. His 2858 gold coins alone could be directly exchanged for nearly 30,000 yuan in cash, meaning he wasn't lacking money at all. In his spatial backpack, there were also 2 Qingfeng Talismans, 2 Ghost Fire Talismans, 1 Grudge Ghost Talisman, and several pieces of equipment.
He first checked the latest spoils of war. The Grudge Ghost Huang Peng had dropped a Grudge Ghost Talisman, and from the instance settlement rewards, he had obtained a Wandering Soul Longsword, both of which were of considerable quality.
【Grudge Ghost Talisman】 (Consumable), Gray Upper-grade. Consumes 10 HP to summon an elite grudge ghost of the same level as oneself to assist in combat.
【Excellent Wandering Soul Longsword】 (Game Equipment), Gray Upper-grade. Attack +10, Damage to spirits +5. Durability 15/15.
After reading the stats, Yu Xiao exclaimed how awesome it was. The Grudge Ghost Talisman’s effect was similar to the Ring of the Accursed Ghost; both could summon a spectral entity to assist in combat. However, one was a consumable, and the other was equipment. The Ring of the Accursed Ghost, as equipment, provided stat bonuses when worn, with the ability to summon a wandering soul being merely an add-on. The Grudge Ghost Talisman, on the other hand, was a consumable that summoned an extremely high-quality grudge ghost – an elite-grade grudge ghost! And it had no level cap. The higher one's own level, the higher the level of the grudge ghost summoned by consuming vital energy, but it was a pity that it could only be used once.
The most valuable loot from this instance was, of course, the Wandering Soul Longsword obtained as a settlement reward. This sword was of the same quality as the Wandering Soul Crossbow, also possessing the additional +5 damage to spirits attribute, but its attack power was a substantial 10 points. The Rat Bone Dagger was trash in comparison. With such a sword in hand, his combat power would undoubtedly increase significantly!
Yu Xiao discovered that obtaining equipment in this game wasn't difficult, at least not for low-level gray-grade equipment. He had only run two instances, and he already had a relatively complete set of gear. Not only that, but he also had an extra dagger, a chest plate, and a pair of battle boots, all stored in his spatial backpack. Currently, the backpack only had a volume of one cubic meter, equivalent to a large safe, and it was almost full. It seemed he either needed to deal with his items quickly or save up to upgrade the space.
Upgrading from a level 1 backpack required five thousand gold coins. Yu Xiao couldn't come up with that amount for now. Perhaps he should directly sell unnecessary equipment to the general store for gold coins?
As he was organizing his backpack, another item caught Yu Xiao's attention. This item was none other than the protective charm that Song Jiajia had entrusted him to deliver to her sister. What surprised Yu Xiao was that the protective charm had attributes.
【Song Jiajia’s Protective Charm】 (Special Quest Item). Consumes 5 vital energy. Grants a micro-shield for 60 seconds, capable of withstanding a cumulative 30 points of normal damage. Cooldown: 120 seconds.
This was a special item. Although it was a quest item, its effect was quite good, and Yu Xiao could use it directly. To mitigate 30 points of damage! What a powerful defensive effect! This item could completely function as a skill! A good thing! With this, his survivability would greatly increase!
Yu Xiao had no intention of keeping it for himself. He, Yu, had his own moral code. Since he promised Song Jiajia he would deliver the protective charm, he would never go back on his word. Of course, the more important reason was that Yu Xiao felt if even the quest item itself was so useful, the quest reward wouldn't be disappointing, right?
Although he didn't plan to keep it, using it for two or three days wouldn't be too much, would it? If Song Jiajia's sister had been a police officer for so many years without incident, there was no reason she would have an accident in these few days.
At this moment, Yu Xiao had already entered Hou Street. As he walked past a small alleyway, preoccupied with his thoughts, he collided with an oncoming pedestrian.
The other person was a bald, sturdy man, a head taller than Yu Xiao and significantly heavier, capable of overshadowing Yu Xiao. Relying on his imposing physique, he walked quickly and recklessly, a manner that could be described as barging through. However, this collision was like flesh hitting an armored vehicle! Yu Xiao stood as steady as a rock, completely unfazed. It was the bald man who cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
"Ah, sorry, I was walking too fast." Although the other party was partly responsible for the collision, he had still knocked the man down, so Yu Xiao offered an apology first. He glanced at the bald man sprawled on the ground. He wore a sleeveless shirt, his arms were tattooed, and his face was full of a scoundrel's air; he didn't look like someone easy to deal with. Hou Street, with its cheap rent and chaotic layout, had many thugs and delinquents, and public security had always been a problem.
"Fuck!" "TMD!" "Don’t you have eyes?" "Ah, Brother Qiang? Brother Qiang, you’re bleeding from the nose!" Behind the bald man followed three youths, all dressed in a rather flamboyant style. One of them hurried to help the bald man, while the other two approached Yu Xiao menacingly.
Seeing the bald man bleeding profusely from his nose, Yu Xiao apologized sincerely, "I'm truly sorry. I was thinking about something just now and didn't see you. Are you hurt badly? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"Fuck!" Brother Qiang had recovered from his dizziness. He shoved away the subordinate helping him, and in a fit of rage, grabbed Yu Xiao's collar and roared, "If apologies worked, what would the police be for?!" The injured party should be prioritized. After all, he was bleeding. Seeing him with a nose full of blood, Yu Xiao tried to appease him, "Please don't be so agitated. You do have a point. How about we discuss how to resolve this?"
"Hmph, you know what’s good for you!" Brother Qiang's anger subsided slightly. He spat out a bloody glob and then held up five fingers: "Hand over five thousand yuan, and we'll let this go!"
Seeing Yu Xiao frown, Brother Qiang became enraged again: "Kid, don’t tell me you can’t even afford a mere five thousand yuan?" Yu Xiao replied, "It’s not that I can’t afford the money, but this is pure extortion. I will not compromise." "Good, you refuse a toast and insist on drinking a forfeit? Then we’ll teach you a lesson first!" Brother Qiang sneered, "Once you’re willing, we'll talk about the money!"
At this moment, Yu Xiao noticed that the names of several thugs had turned red. Huh, red names specifically represented monsters! Had the game classified these thugs as wild monsters for showing hostility and initiating an attack?