Wu Shuang checked the number of online people in Area 127. It had already surpassed 200, which indicated that Li Yan hadn't come alone; he had brought an entire team.
They seemed quite capable, possessing the ability to cross areas or even teleport, which was likely related to Official Heroes.
After all, changing one's hideout could be done by spending money, and it wasn't particularly expensive—only requiring 300 Kingdom Gold Coins, an amount anyone could scrape together with a little effort.
Just as he was thinking about this, his handbook flashed again. It was Doctor Zeng asking why Wu Shuang had declined the invitation and trying to convince him to join, saying they could become neighbors over there and look out for each other.
This was actually a decent proposal. Provided the Hero Alliance was legitimate, the difficulty of survival would drop significantly, as there was strength in numbers and they could divide the labor.
However, Wu Shuang had already slain a goblin, completing one-third of his Main Quest.
Besides, handing over the rewards from the Main Quest made him feel uncomfortable and reluctant. Once he went over, he would also be under someone else's control, easily losing his independence.
Taking everything into account, Wu Shuang still turned down Doctor Zeng's invitation.
“...I plan to work solo for a while longer. The supplies in this town are pretty rich, and leaving without looting it clean would drive me crazy.”
“I see...”
Doctor Zeng sounded rather disappointed, which Wu Shuang could understand; after all, finding a reliable fellow newcomer wasn't easy.
When dealing with veterans, newcomers would always be at a disadvantage and easily bullied.
The two didn't continue chatting, merely exchanging well-wishes and words of encouragement. After all, it wasn't as though they couldn't meet in the future, and there was no telling when Wu Shuang might head over there himself.
Afterward, Wu Shuang lay on the bed to rest for a while and scrolled through the chat channel. He felt that quite a few players had chosen to join, accounting for at least seventy percent. After all, the cheap supplies brought by the team had helped a great deal, winning plenty of goodwill while showcasing their strength.
“Oh, right...”
Wu Shuang suddenly remembered something and sat up. He opened Li Yan's chat box and, after hesitating for a few seconds, sent a message anyway.
“Excuse me, do you have any black powder over there? Can you sell me some?”
He tried asking, overcoming his shyness since he had just turned the man down.
However, after waiting for a dozen seconds without a reply, just as Wu Shuang thought he was being snubbed, Li Yan finally responded.
“You have a firearm?”
“Yes.”
Since he was asking to buy black powder, it was impossible he didn't have a gun, so Wu Shuang admitted it decisively.
“It seems you have good luck and strong initiative. No wonder you're ahead of so many people.”
Li Yan praised him first, though it was meaningless flattery—praise wouldn't fill his stomach, after all. Wu Shuang preferred results, ideally being able to make the purchase.
However, Li Yan stated that black powder was also a scarce commodity on their end and usually wasn't for sale, though he could make an exception.
Simply put, he was the one in charge and could sell it if he felt like it.
“This stuff is priced by the gram. Our internal price is 10 Gold Coins per gram, but to sell to you, it'll be 30 Gold Coins per gram. After all, we need to make a profit,” Li Yan explained, though in Wu Shuang's eyes, he was just trying to fleece people.
30 Gold Coins per gram, and a single shot would take at least 5 grams. Furthermore, Argus had a relatively large caliber, possibly requiring 6 to 7 grams per round, meaning one shot was 200 Gold Coins... Mmm...
That was indeed a bit pricey. Considering that melee weapons like a Normal quality straight sword were sold for only 500 Gold Coins, firing two shots was equivalent to burning through a melee weapon.
“I'll save up some money first, then.”
Wu Shuang declined. He still had bullets on hand, and there were hunter houses around where he might scavenge powder, lead shot, or even guns. There was no need to spend so much money on bullets right now, nor did he have to buy today, as they would be staying in Area 127 for a week.
Li Yan didn't reply again, but Wu Shuang had plenty more to ask. He continued:
“Captain Li, would it be convenient to ask a question? Over 42 billion Heroes—are there really that many people? Our area only has around 200 people.”
This was a question that puzzled many. Even accounting for Heroes who hadn't completed the side quest or unlocked online functionality, the discrepancy in numbers was far too vast.
The busy Li Yan took another dozen-odd seconds to reply, stating that intelligence cost money too. This piece of intelligence was worth 500 Gold Coins, though it would be free if he joined them.
“Damn it... Why do I feel like this guy is targeting me!”
Wu Shuang grumbled and swore, but there was nothing he could do.
However, Li Yan really did seem to know the reason... which made Wu Shuang even more curious. Thus, he couldn't help adding another question:
“How many areas are there in total, and roughly how many surviving Heroes are left? Can we bundle these questions together for 500 Gold Coins?”
“OK!”
Wu Shuang decisively initiated a trade and transferred 500 Gold Coins over. The other party then sent back the answers, causing Wu Shuang's face to darken into a grim expression.
First, the figure of over 42 billion Heroes was correct, but the number of surviving Heroes fell far short of that, totaling less than 100,000 spread across 200 areas. Furthermore, over ninety percent of Official Heroes had joined the Hero Alliance or relocated to Area 53 to huddle for warmth and trade resources.
The reason for such a massive disparity in numbers wasn't entirely due to the harsh survival conditions or long time span of this world; it was also because of the eternal war between the Demon Kings and the Kingdom.
In terms of combat power, the Demon Kings held an absolute advantage. As far as the Hero Alliance knew to date, no Demon King had ever been truly killed.
And the ones filling this gap in combat power... were the Heroes themselves. When the Royal City Defense War was triggered, vast numbers of Heroes would be summoned to the battlefield in massive batches to fight the Demon Kings, counting by the millions or tens of millions. That was why the serial numbers were so absurdly large.
Yet there was still a lingering doubt...
How could millions or tens of millions of ordinary transmigrators possibly block a Demon King's army? That was way too absurd. Did they transmigrate just to be cannon fodder...?
No!
They might actually be cannon fodder.
Wu Shuang recalled the existence of Embers...
Massive casualties would yield a colossal amount of Embers. That power might well be the reason the Royal City stood tall and undefeated.
This damn system was using them, a bunch of Heroes, to plug the breach! It was fucking sinister!
Even if they were dead people who transmigrated, they shouldn't be treated like this. This world was too fucked up—not magical at all!
“It seems you've killed someone before.”
Seeing that Wu Shuang hadn't responded, Li Yan sent another message.
Because logically, a normal person would wonder what ordinary people could accomplish on a battlefield, but Wu Shuang hadn't asked.
Wu Shuang admitted to it, stating he had been ambushed before, but that was all he shared.
“The system cannot be trusted, and the Holy Kingdom is even less trustworthy. But in one respect, our goal is identical: fight the Demon Kings and strive to survive.”
“We Heroes must unite; only then do we have a chance. Apart, we won't be able to take a single step!”
“So how about it? Want to choose to join us? If you join now, you can even get your money back.”
Li Yan struck while the iron was hot, but Wu Shuang still refused. Li Yan seemed to be quoting the second half of the Hero's Insights here, but the first half couldn't be ignored either.
Wu Shuang still intended to train on his own first to accumulate capital. Once his strength grew, he would consider joining an organization.
If the Hero Alliance happened to assign him a suicidal task, wouldn't he just drop dead on the spot? Rather than that, Wu Shuang would prefer dying on a path of his own reckless choosing.
Rate on N.U.
