Chapter 36: A Huge Amount of Supplies
After driving away from the Bell Tower Plaza, Lin Huai did not head straight for the Baiwei Restaurant. Instead, she took a detour back to the pawnshop.
During the team battle earlier, many of the enemy’s Level 2 vehicles had been completely wrecked. Of their five Level 3 rides, one was crushed flat by her flying coffin, while the remaining four were so badly damaged that they would need major repairs before anyone could drive them again.
Lin Huai tied a thick tow rope around a string of ruined Level 2 cars, dragged the mangled heap through the rain to the pawnshop entrance, and stepped inside.
Seeing Lin Huai walk in again, the Long-necked Ghost showed little surprise. He recited his usual line in a droning voice: “We don’t ask where it came from, and we don’t care how you found it. What do you wish to pawn?”
Lin Huai pointed out the door at the pile of twisted metal. “I want to pawn those vehicles.”
The clerk barely lifted an eyelid. “A pile of scrap iron. Worthless junk. We don’t take it.”
Lin Huai did not back down. “Those are high-grade metal materials. They can easily be recycled and melted down. Besides, if you tow them to a repair shop station, they can be fully refurbished. Then you can pawn good-as-new vehicles to other customers, can’t you?”
The ghost stroked his long neck, tilting his head in deep thought as if her argument made sense.
Seeing an opening, Lin Huai pressed on. “And I’m not asking for much. I just want to trade all that scrap metal for a few vehicle repair cards. It’s an incredible deal for you.”
Remembering the pocketful of Yin energy crystals she had quietly slipped him earlier, the clerk considered the offer carefully before nodding. “Very well. Since what you want isn’t particularly rare, your trade is approved.”
With that, he raised the little golden hammer high and tapped the counter with a crisp dong.
“Deal!”
The second the hammer struck, the pile of wrecked cars outside vanished straight into the shop’s back warehouse. In their place, five vehicle repair cards appeared neatly on the counter.
Lin Huai’s eyes lingered on the golden hammer. Ever since her first visit, she had been fascinated by it. Slipping another ten Yin energy crystals across the wood, she leaned forward and whispered, “Brother, that little hammer of yours is truly gorgeous.”
The Long-necked Ghost swept the crystals into his pocket, his face glowing with pride. “Of course it is! My shop relies on this golden hammer to seal every transaction. It is the sacred treasure of the pawnshop, so naturally, it is a work of art.”
Lin Huai raised an eyebrow. “So every deal depends entirely on that hammer?”
“Indeed,” the clerk replied, gently stroking the metal head. “Without it, the pawnshop cannot function.”
Lin Huai gave him a sweet, flattering smile. “Brother, my handsome, distinguished brother… could I just touch it for a second? I truly adore this little hammer! No hidden reason—I just have an undeniable love for pure gold! It’s so luxurious, so tasteful, and so elegant.”
Her over-the-top compliments made the ghost puff out his chest, his stretched neck shrinking slightly with delight.
After a brief hesitation, he handed the hammer over cautiously. “You may only look at it for a brief moment. You cannot pick it up and hit anything.”
“Of course, of course!” Lin Huai nodded vigorously.
Yet the moment the hammer touched her hands, she secretly pulled out the item printer she had found before entering the town. Aiming the scanner at the hammer, she tried to create a duplicate on the spot.
The basic talisman blueprints she had traded earlier had been printed copies, costing only a few small crystals each to produce. Her plan was clever, but reality was far harsher. The printer flashed red: scanning the golden hammer required 99,999,999 Yang energy crystals just to begin printing.
Lin Huai felt an instant wave of disappointment. The printer was far less magical than she had hoped; duplicating truly exceptional treasures was practically impossible.
Worse, her little trick was caught red-handed.
The Long-necked Ghost realized what she was doing. Enraged, he snatched the hammer back from her grip. His frame expanded rapidly, his neck stretching even longer as dark mist billowed around him.
“You greedy mortal!” he hissed, raising a hand to summon his ghostly bouncers to throw her into the street.
“Wait, wait! Brother, please!” Lin Huai hurriedly pulled out another ten Yin energy crystals, pressing them into his cold hands. “I never meant to steal it! I was only thinking about what would happen if I need to pawn something later when I’m miles away from town. I just wanted to see if I could duplicate the hammer so I could reach you anytime!”
Feeling the cool, pure energy of ten more crystals in his palm, the clerk’s anger evaporated. His body shrank back to its normal size, his long neck settling comfortably.
“Oh, is that all? You should have just said so,” he muttered. “The pawnshop doesn’t only exist in towns; we also operate branches in the Ghost Market.”
He reached into his robe, pulled out an ornate golden token, and handed it to her. “Here. This is my personal token of authority. If you need to pawn items in the future, you can visit our branch in the Ghost Market, or you can use this token to summon me directly for remote appraisals.”
He added with a haughty nod, “Furthermore, carrying this token guarantees you top-tier appraisal prices whenever you do business with our firm.”
Lin Huai accepted the heavy, glittering token with both hands, overjoyed. Her smile grew even sweeter. “Brother, you truly are the most generous, reasonable gentleman I have ever met! You are my one and only brother! If you ever need a favor down the road, just say the word, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help you out!”
Even though she hadn’t managed to duplicate the magic hammer, walking away with a direct-line merchant token was an incredible gain.
Ever since she obtained her work permit from Sister Hanba, she had started to understand how to handle supernatural NPCs. Every one of them held powerful treasures and perks; it was simply a matter of earning their favor.
This Long-necked Ghost had been notoriously stubborn. It had cost her thirty Yin crystals to finally win him over, but she had certainly not left empty-handed.
Leaving the pawnshop behind, Lin Huai drove straight to the Baiwei Restaurant.
She had just finished reserving a private dining room upstairs when Dragon Emerging from the Sea and the rest of the group walked in together.
Dragon Emerging from the Sea stepped forward to report the outcome.
“Boss, the prisoners have all been handled. Aside from ‘If You Don’t Submit, Fight,’ the other four Level 3 drivers were Yi Bo Yun Tian, One-Punch Kid, Keyboard Warrior, and Brother Hao 666. Two of them were killed on the spot during the battle, and I put down the other two myself.”
His voice was steady and matter-of-fact. “We also executed several vicious squad leaders after forcing them to hand over all their supplies.”
“As for those who showed genuine remorse and admitted their mistakes, we stripped them of most of their gear, leaving them with just a few days of basic food and water as a suspended sentence. With their stockpiles gone, whether they survive the road now is entirely up to their own luck.”
He paused, adding, “And for those who were forced to join by threats, we confiscated half their goods and let them go on their way.”
With that, he pulled up his system screen and transferred a massive bundle of items directly to Lin Huai.
“Boss, these are all the supplies we gathered from the captives today. You told us to divide them among ourselves, but the haul was simply too large. We agreed it was best to bring everything to you so you can distribute the shares properly.”
Lin Huai tapped the screen to accept the transfer. When the inventory breakdown loaded, her breath hitched.
The haul was truly, undeniably massive…
