Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Gong Yan, who had remained silent at the back, now stepped forward as if surprised and excited, "You guys are players too?"

"..."

"..."

Stunned as if having seen a ghost.

All three faces were blank.

The word "too" provided enough explanation—the four incredibly powerful individuals, were they also players?!

"You... you're players too?" Wang Wenbo, who had only spoken at the beginning and then stayed behind the leader without saying a word, now stepped forward with a choked yet excited tone.

"Ah~" Gu Lan turned to look at Gong Yan with a calm demeanor, seemingly acknowledging it.

Dai Lian also glanced at Gong Yan with a slightly puzzled look but didn't say much, maintaining his "cool" persona.

Going from being referred to as "superiors" to suddenly becoming fellow players felt like all the swagger from before had vanished completely.

"You guys are so amazing!" Now knowing they were all players, Wang Wenyan immediately jumped in front of Kuang Xin, who had been standing with his arms crossed, "Dude, you're so fierce to be able to solo the Lava Giant. How did you train?"

"Ah haha~" Kuang Xin scratched the back of his head, "Ordinary... ordinary... "

Always hanging out with this group of a few people in the team, and being teased by them, now it was somewhat embarrassing to be praised to his face...

Yafei's eyes, filled with disbelief, swept back and forth across Dai Lian's and Gu Lan's faces, as if just realizing the fact, her face full of astonishment, "You're players too?"

Players!

Players, indeed!

Where had they ever seen players as fierce as this in Grey Iron City?

Even those few who had successfully completed the second surgery and strutted around the city, their performances weren't so exaggerated.

The first and second surgeries were all about basic physical enhancements, and the strengthened cardiac and pulmonary functions ensured greater physical burst power as well as endurance and recovery.

But to have those people face off against a Lava Giant...

No matter how many came, it would be like delivering food to the beast.

Yet just now, these four players, who didn't carry any high-powered thermal weapons, managed to easily take down a Lava Giant with simple coordination!

Are the players from the outer city all this strong?

If the informed players of Grey Iron City knew about this, wouldn't they have already turned the world upside down?

This strength was definitely not average; it was merely that the few players before them were top-tier.

Indeed... at this stage, players who could leave their birthplaces and cross vast wastelands to come to other cities, how could they be anything but tough?

"You guys... are too fierce."

'That seems quite thrilling, doesn't it?'

Dai Lian's expression remained unchanged, "Average."

"What quest did you come here for? Can you take us with you?" When there was no conflict of interest, communication between players was much more straightforward; Yafei moved closer, hugging their legs tightly.

Without any interest conflicts, as long as one had a sweet mouth to shout "666", it was often possible to follow behind the big players and get a share of the loot.

Gong Yan smiled warmly and took the initiative to come closer, "We've taken on a quest to find something in Grey Iron City."

"Something? What something?" Yafei puffed out her chest, "Just give me a name, and I can tell you where to find it."

"Stabilizing Repair Fluid."

"..."

"Is it difficult?" Gong Yan kindly inquired, seeing the change in Yafei's expression.

"It's not too hard," Yafei's face stiffened, "just a bit troublesome..."

The city might never have intended to strictly control everyone by creating a demand for Stabilizing Repair Fluid as a required resource for surgery, but since it was something everyone needed, limited supply was an inevitable consequence.

Only those who had undergone surgery were eligible to participate in scheduled check-ups, receiving a limited amount of Stabilizing Repair Fluid and getting it injected on the spot, with no chance to squirrel any away.

There was hardly any way to obtain the substance through official channels.

Of course, where there were people, there were schemes. Black markets indeed had a small circulation of low-grade Stabilizing Repair Fluid, along with the shoddy counterfeit products made by private workshops in some cities. As for their effectiveness, it was all down to luck.

"If you're planning to spend a fortune to buy it... I could find some for you, but I can't guarantee the quality. Or, do you have some special channels of your own?"

"You just mentioned... grades?"

"Yes..." Yafei nodded, "The more surgeries you've had, the higher the grade of fluid you need. The black market primarily trades in grade one and two fluids. Anyone who has successfully undergone more than three surgeries is considered a core pillar of the city, and those involved in such clandestine activities don't dare to leak such resources. Getting caught would mean a death sentence. No one dares to buy, and no one dares to sell... at least, not to my knowledge."

"..."

Dai Lian, Gong Yan, and the others exchanged glances, falling into a wordless silence.

Seeing their expressions, Yafei guessed their mission target, "So... it's not high-grade Stabilizing Repair Fluid you need, is it?"

"..."

"I see..." Yafei nodded, "At your level, the type of mission you might take on would indeed be this challenging. Otherwise, you wouldn't have traveled from afar. By the way, where are you from?"

"Blackwater City," Kuang Xin replied cheerfully.
Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire

All players, and almost all buddies.

Dai Lian's brows were tightly furrowed, his mind preoccupied with the mission, "So, is there a chance or not?"

"There is, but it's going to be tough," Yafei didn't completely dash their hopes, "the city's armory. Maybe we can figure out a way to sneak in and steal some. We'll definitely be wanted by the city afterward, but since you're from outside, you can just run after the job is done. I've heard someone tried it before... They got caught... but we could learn from their approach."

"Steal?" Dai Lian echoed the word, his gaze peculiar.

"You... don't plan to rob it, do you?"

"If we can drive in and fill a truck, then I don't see any problem with 'stealing'," Gu Lan explained with an amused grin.

Before leaving, the elder had instructed them to bring back as much as they could.

After all, this was a resource they would need to supply over the long term; they couldn't just run to Grey Iron City every now and then. It was best to fill up all at once.

"How much do you actually need?!" Yafei's mouth hung open in shock.

Using a vehicle to load? She couldn't even begin to imagine how generous the reward for this mission would be.

"But no matter how generous the reward, it's useless if the mission couldn't be completed, right? The four of you are strong, but you can't fight an entire city," Yafei sincerely began to worry for them, "Why not drop the mission? Getting caught would really mean a death sentence, and there's no resurrection in these early stages of the game. With your strength today, you shouldn't take this kind of risk."

"No way!" they exclaimed in unison.

Faced with four resolute faces, Yafei was momentarily taken aback.

Chih-ch'ang.

The rewards must truly be outrageous.

"How about... we head back to our station first, and I'll try to find you some connections?" Yafei offered her suggestion.

"That works."

...

"Do you usually live in places like this?" Looking around the dimly lit surroundings, Kuang Xin asked curiously.

"Ah~" Yafei smiled helplessly, as an unknown type of fungus emitted a faint bioluminescence, maintaining the dim light inside the room and causing the young girl's face to appear somewhat shadowy and elusive, "There's no helping it. Those of us who don't want to undergo surgery hide in places like this."

It was an underground natural hollow, with numerous small "rooms" created by the wanton growth of stalactites, each "room" filled with silhouettes.

"Here, not only players but more so... those NPCs who refuse cybernetic enhancements and those whose surgeries failed."

Everyone needed the basics: food, shelter, clothing, travel, including players.

Huddling together for warmth was necessary, as was a certain amount of resource exchange.

This was the last sanctuary for players who refused cybernetic enhancements, though it could hardly be called delightful.

"Rest here for a while. You can talk to the Wang brothers about anything. I'll go find you some connections," Yafei had everything arranged and waved goodbye, "Wait for my good news."