Chapter 43 Eager to Expose Their Stupidity

Chapter 43: Eager to Expose Their Stupidity

After the Bao Brothers had opened all their treasure chests, they noticed Hua Diao standing to the side, deep in thought. Thinking she was envious, they quickly reined in their smiles, believing themselves to be considerate.

"Ahem, so, sis, why aren’t you opening your chest?"

"How about you open it, and we’ll help you check what you got? Even if it’s just soil, it’s fine. Our Special Operations Bureau has opened a channel for acquiring soil; a bag goes for three copper coins. If you open it now, we can buy it from you on the spot and pay you the copper coins, so you won’t have to deliver it to the Bureau yourself."

Hua Diao gave a dry laugh. How could she possibly open it here?

She quickly waved her hands. "No, no, I have enough bullets. No need for supplies. I’ll leave the chest here for now. If I get something big, it’d be hard to carry. Leaving it unopened ensures the contents are still mine when I come back. If I open it now, by the time we return, the stuff inside might not be mine anymore."

The current chest mechanism dictated that only the person who dealt the final blow to the monster could open the chest. Even if the entire chest was taken, she could simply click the "Retrieve" button in the system, and the chest would fly back to her.

But if the chest was opened, its protective mechanism would be gone, leaving its contents vulnerable for anyone to take.

She wasn't some Santa Claus giving out free surprises, so naturally, she wouldn't leave her chest open for just anyone to grab.

The three brothers exchanged glances. "Right! Why didn’t we think of that earlier?"

This area wasn't exclusively for their Special Operations Bureau. Others could come through, and if their belongings were pilfered, wouldn't all their monster-hunting efforts have been in vain?

Fortunately, they hadn't gotten too many items. Silver and copper coins could be directly deposited into their game accounts. Even if the soil was taken, it wouldn't be too heartbreaking—though most people wouldn't bother with something so heavy and cumbersome.

The remaining items were the three scrolls Da Bao had drawn, which the three brothers could each carry on their backs.

With that realization, the three brothers breathed a sigh of relief. Then, gritting their teeth, they used their freshly acquired copper and silver coins to contact the Special Operations Bureau's ammo keeper via private chat.

After agreeing on a time, the keeper listed the bullets. The three brothers, already poised and ready, swiftly snapped them up.

With a bit of a scare but no real danger, Da Bao successfully secured the bullets.

There was no other way; items on the free trade market couldn't be restricted to specific buyers—anyone could snatch them. The ammo keeper position was established to facilitate Bureau teams on external missions, ensuring they could get supplies promptly.

Luckily, bullets weren't a special item. They were abundant in storage and could even be purchased from the regular member-exclusive page. Even if others bought them, the Bureau wouldn't incur a loss or gain.

While Bureau personnel did receive an internal discount, the price difference had to be refunded in person at the Bureau, significantly reducing the risk of losses if others bought them.

However, this ammo keeper position was only temporary. Once everyone accumulated ten gold coins and became regular members, gaining access to the regular member-exclusive page, they would be able to purchase firearms and bullets themselves.

Listening to Da Bao explain the Special Operations Bureau's ingenious maneuver, Hua Diao couldn't help but give a thumbs-up and exclaim, "Brilliant!"

Indeed, there's always a way!

Damn, every single one of them was a talent!

With supplies replenished and gear equipped, the three tall, burly brothers and the small, slender Hua Diao set off towards the direction of Xiao Bao's reported location.

The abandoned park lay east of Lakeside Boulevard. After passing a few dilapidated buildings slated for demolition and a narrow path, they would see it.

"Here, right here."

Da Bao crouched by a wall covered in vines and moss, waving quietly to the three behind him.

"Huh?" Hua Diao eyed the thick wall skeptically, her face full of surprise. "We're here? There's a wall here, and it looks like a thick city wall. Are you sure this is the spot? Could it be that one of the scrolls you drew has a wall-phasing ability?"

Hua Diao suddenly regretted not asking about the three scrolls earlier, having respected their privacy.

"Wait, there's a wall-phasing skill scroll?"

The three brothers, who had been crouching furtively, turned around, their eyes wide with curiosity.

Hua Diao knew instantly from their expressions that they didn't have one. She chuckled, "Oh, I was just guessing. I don't actually know if such a skill scroll exists."

(It had been mentioned in novels, but she hadn't seen this scroll yet, so naturally, she couldn't reveal anything prematurely.)

Then, with a quick change of subject, she cleverly asked, "Since you can't phase through walls, why did you come this way?"

Da Bao chuckled. "To take a shortcut, of course."

He then explained, "We used to live around here when we were kids and often played in this area. This wall is part of an ancient city wall; it's very old and hasn't been repaired. Once, when my brothers and I were playing hide-and-seek with other kids, Xiao Bao, that clever little devil, crawled through a dog hole in the ancient city wall into the park on the other side. By the time we found him, he was already inside the park, eating cotton candy, while the rest of us were sweating buckets searching for him. We even thought Xiao Bao had been kidnapped by human traffickers and cried so terribly that we attracted our parents. It was infuriating how cunning Xiao Bao was; a simple act of cuteness and our parents forgave him without even spanking his little butt."

The three brothers wore identical expressions of indignation, as if still resentful that only *their* butts had been smacked, not Xiao Bao's.

Hua Diao instantly saw through their anger and stifled a laugh.

It seemed that among these four siblings, the smart and the not-so-smart ones were already quite evident in childhood.

"Ahem, Big Brother, quickly, get to the point, get to the point." San Bao was the first to snap back to reality, winking at his eldest brother.

*Big Brother, please be more mindful. Why are you so eager to expose our intelligence?*

Da Bao also quickly came to his senses, his face reddening with embarrassment as he returned to the main topic. "Anyway, we know there's a dog hole here. We checked it before we moved, and it wasn't blocked. We can enter the park from here. This direction is directly opposite the human-bodied, fish-tailed monster sitting by the pond. If we go quietly, we can ambush it from behind. Xiao Bao said that 90% of the illusion is caused by this monster's singing. If we kill the monster or interrupt its song, the illusion might disappear."