Chapter 60: Second Floor Mall
The Nine-Headed Bird mechanic spoke with a raspy, hoarse croak, sounding like an ancient crow. “Your vehicle was just upgraded, wasn’t it? It looks completely brand-new, so what are you doing at our repair shop?”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and marched back into the garage, heading toward another Nine-Headed Bird who flaunted gleaming golden wing feathers. Lin Huai followed him inside, catching their conversation just in time.
“Manager, there’s a newly upgraded vehicle out front. It doesn’t need any maintenance at all.”
The golden-winged manager tilted his chin up, his face full of arrogance and his brow furrowing. “Then send her away. If the vehicle isn’t damaged, how did she even trigger the station’s arrival rules?”
Lin Huai raised her eyebrows. So roadside service stations don’t just appear by random chance—they can also be summoned directly by meeting specific conditions?
She offered a faint smile and pulled out a black metallic feather. “The trigger rule you’re talking about—is it this?”
She held it up casually. “I’m a friend of Ah Jiu’s. I didn’t come for repairs; I came to buy cards from him!”
The second the manager heard she was there to spend money on cards, he stepped over immediately. “Are you the customer who bought ten repair cards all at once last time?”
Lin Huai nodded. “Yes, that was me! And I’m here to buy even more today!”
The manager’s haughty sneer instantly vanished, replaced by an oily, fawning smile. “Wonderful! Buy as many as your heart desires! Please, step right this way. You see, we don’t just carry ordinary repair cards—we also offer premium VIP cards.”
He rubbed his feathered hands together eagerly. “If you purchase our premium cards, our technicians will provide an even better attitude, and your vehicle repairs will be finished much faster! You also get full detailing, regular maintenance, and custom vehicle modification services included. It is an extraordinary value! How many would you like to take?”
Lin Huai was in no rush to spend her coins. While the manager rattled off his sales pitch, she kept glancing around the shop, searching the bays for Ah Jiu. “Where is Ah Jiu? I only want to buy from him.”
The manager’s smile twitched with annoyance for a split second before he forced it back into place. “Oh, it makes no difference whether you buy from him or from me. After all, every coin goes straight into the repair shop’s register.”
Lin Huai gave a light shrug and sat down on the leather sofa beside the service counter. “Well, if it really makes no difference, then go get Ah Jiu. I said I want to buy from Ah Jiu.”
Seeing how stubborn she was, the golden-winged manager had no choice but to scowl and storm off. A moment later, a Nine-Headed Bird with gleaming silver feathers emerged from the back tool room.
The moment he walked out, his eyes landed on Lin Huai sitting on the couch. The silver-winged bird hurried over at once, his face lighting up with excitement. “Fanfan! Why are you here? Did you randomly run into our shop on the highway? We must be destined to meet!”
Lin Huai twirled the black feather between her fingers. “I have you to thank for getting me through the door.”
Evidently, Ah Jiu didn’t know about the hidden station trigger mechanics either.
She looked at the silver plumes folded against his back and asked curiously, “Ah Jiu, why have your wing feathers turned silver? Weren’t they black iron last time?”
Ah Jiu scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed chuckle. “That’s all thanks to you, Fanfan! When you bought those ten repair cards from me last time, the accounts were settled at the end of the shift. Not only did I take home a huge sales commission, but I was also promoted to shift supervisor!”
He puffed out his chest proudly. “Now I don’t have to go out on the road to fix broken cars anymore. I can just stay in the shop and manage procurement for the parts inventory.”
Lin Huai’s eyes sparked with interest. “Ten repair cards earned you a promotion to supervisor? How many do I have to buy for you to replace that manager?”
Ah Jiu took a nervous peek toward the front door, where the golden-winged manager was glaring daggers at them. Leaning down, he lowered his voice to a whisper: “A cumulative purchase of 1,000,000 underworld coins…”
Lin Huai brought up her system screen. Jiangzhehu Inheritor had just finalized a massive settlement with her that morning. Her underworld coin balance sat at a staggering 1,890,000.
While dropping a million coins in one go was a massive expense, Lin Huai felt that personally installing her own contact as the shop manager was well worth the price!
She stood up from the sofa without a second of hesitation. “Done! It’s just a million coins—I have plenty to spare.”
She smiled at him. “You sell premium repair cards, right? How much is one? Figure out how many I need to buy to hit the one-million mark.”
Ah Jiu’s eyes crinkled into happy slits. He pointed a wing toward the staircase leading to the second floor. “Honored VIP, please step upstairs! Our repair shop doesn’t just sell emergency cards; we also stock an incredible collection of rare vehicle components.”
Understanding his hint, Lin Huai followed Ah Jiu up the stairs. Reaching the second-floor landing, she saw a heavy metallic security gate. Sitting before the barrier was an ornate reception desk crafted entirely from solid gold—far more luxurious than the counter downstairs.
Standing behind the desk, a Nine-Headed Bird dressed in a sharp black tuxedo stood up with a respectful bow. His voice was smooth and polite: “Good afternoon, esteemed guest. Entry to the second-floor parts mall requires a proof of funds. Please present your balance.”
The golden-winged manager had crept up the stairs behind them. Standing near the banister, he crossed his wings and let out a loud snort, clearly waiting for Lin Huai to embarrass herself. “Hmph! She probably can’t even afford an 8,999-coin premium card, and you dare drag her up to the second floor? If her balance doesn’t show at least 100,000 coins, she isn’t even allowed through the gate!”
He sneered disdainfully. “You got lucky once by bumping into a big spender, which barely made you a supervisor, and now you’re daydreaming about taking my manager seat? The game has only been running for a month! No ordinary player could possibly hoard 100,000 underworld coins.”
Lin Huai merely smiled. Turning her wrist, she angled the glowing light screen toward the attendant in the tuxedo. “So, do I qualify to enter?”
The tuxedo-clad clerk glanced at the screen, assuming he was seeing things. He blinked hard, rubbed his eyes, and used the tip of his wing feathers to count the digits over and over. When the reality sank in, his voice cracked with pure shock: “A-A million! A seven-figure super VIP!”
He bent at the waist in a deep, sweeping bow, his tone turning exceedingly reverent: “Honored Super VIP, please come right this way!”
Lin Huai cast a cool glance at the petrified manager, stepped past the gate with complete composure, and walked into the second-floor mall.
The second floor was far more upscale than the lower garage, though it kept the same aesthetic: a clash of raw metal and polished hydraulics that felt distinctly cyberpunk.
At the center of the showroom floor stood a massive circular hologram screen. Arranged neatly around the perimeter was a ring of plush armchairs, each paired with a sleek coffee table.
Lin Huai picked an empty seat and sat down. Glancing across the glowing central display, she noticed several other survivors sitting in the opposite lounge chairs, gazing quietly at the listings.
Ah Jiu leaned down and whispered an explanation: “The second-floor mall is shared across the entire server. Any player from any district who accesses the second floor at this hour will appear here in the same lounge.”
He added reassuringly, “Don’t worry, though. Attacking or killing other players is strictly forbidden inside the mall.”
Lin Huai wasn’t worried at all; she was already very familiar with the safe-zone rules of roadside stations.
She gave a small nod and began swiping her finger across the personal touch screen mounted on her armrest, browsing the detailed catalog of items and equipment.
Seeing her scroll through page after page without selecting anything, Ah Jiu asked curiously, “Fanfan, what kind of part are you looking for? Do you want me to help you search the database?”
Lin Huai tilted her screen toward him. “Do you carry an autonomous driving system? Or perhaps an automated robotic arm for scooping up roadside crates? Either one of those would do.”
Ah Jiu didn’t answer right away. Instead, the expression on his feathered face froze completely.
