Quan Xiangzuo lay back in his expanded residence, surrounded by high-tier materials and items within arm’s reach, yet he didn’t dare even entertain the thought of touching them.
Because he only had custody, not the right to use them.
If he were caught using the items privately, he would surely be tortured to the point where life would be worse than death.
Such things, he had witnessed and even experienced firsthand.
That was back on Earth, when a colleague was exposed for embezzlement, captured, and tortured for three days and nights before finally dying.
The reason Quan Xiangzuo remembered this event so vividly was that he was the one who reported that colleague, and he even personally participated in the torture.
Don’t even think about doubting such extrajudicial killings; in the Stealing Country, the lives of ordinary people aren’t considered lives at all.
In the eyes of the conglomerates, the people of Stealing Country are just crops to be harvested. If it weren’t for the value they create, the conglomerates wouldn’t have an ounce of pity even if all the ordinary people were killed.
In the Stealing Country, goodwill is worthless.
Conscience is something to be casually trampled upon.
The evil within human nature is displayed by them in full detail.
Even if a few beautiful flowers appear occasionally, they are instantly ravaged.
Of course, not everything in the residence was off-limits for Quan Xiangzuo to use.
The things he acquired through his own exploration were still under his autonomous control.
Today, Quan Xiangzuo was lucky enough to find a Silver Level special item during his exploration, but due to the low success rate, he didn’t have the guts to use it himself.
However, trading it for something he was interested in was just perfect.
Quan Xiangzuo browsed the chat logs in the regional channel, his gaze lingering only on the avatars of female players, searching for those with beautiful appearances.
Soon, he found one; the photos showed some obvious signs of cosmetic surgery.
But it was not a big deal.
It’s not like Quan Xiangzuo wanted to marry her.
It was just a matter of mutual needs.
He clicked into a private chat and used the special item he got today to trade for an opportunity of a "literary romance" with her.
Because of his "generosity," she even agreed to send some photos of intimate areas for his entertainment.
She was skilled, sending texts that were not explicit but full of seductive hints.
This ambiguity, this technique of feigned reluctance, allowed Quan Xiangzuo to let his imagination soar, riding on the clouds.
With just two fingers holding a toothpick, in less than three minutes, all of Quan Xiangzuo’s passion exploded.
Nonetheless, Quan Xiangzuo was not satisfied; compared to literary romance, he still preferred the debauchery of his old days.
But the Matrix is not Earth, nor the Stealing Country; he didn’t have that much Energy.
He could only bring himself some solace in this restrained way.
Gasping for breath, in a sage-like state, Quan Xiangzuo looked at the photos sent by the woman with disdain, glancing at them before closing the private message tab.
He paid the agreed reward to her.
He knew that at least one woman would be happy tonight.
A few flirtatious words, a few photos, for a Silver Level special item.
There was nothing more profitable than this.
This item was even one of the most valuable things Quan Xiangzuo had to offer.
Was it worth using such an item for a moment of desire?
Quan Xiangzuo thought it was worth it.
He was once the most favored VIP of a club in Stealing Country, without exception.
Because he was always generous, never caring about money.
Even in the Matrix, as long as it could satisfy his craving, he’d give up anything precious.
If not for the fear of death, he would have used the high-tier items around him to hire someone in the Matrix. Content originally comes from novel⸺fire.net
After all, once you’re dead, you can no longer experience the thrill of ecstasy.
After a while, Quan Xiangzuo cleaned up and headed toward the main door of his residence.
The longtime indulgence in a life of pleasure had put a lot of pressure on his prostate.
Now, every time he satisfied his desires, he felt a strong urge to urinate.
Without a restroom, he had to go outside the residence to relieve himself.
Opening the door, the night outside his residence remained as tranquil as ever.
Quan Xiangzuo staggered out of his residence and walked toward a corner.
As long as there were no wandering monsters and no nighttime traps triggered, the Matrix was still quite safe.
He was only stepping out for a quick pee, so he hadn’t even brought a weapon.
He had done this many times before, well-practiced.
But this time was destined to be different.
Eager to relieve himself, Quan Xiangzuo didn’t notice the two ghostly black silhouettes appearing behind him.
Just as he took out a toothpick to relieve himself, two black-gloved hands suddenly clasped on his shoulders, one left and one right, restraining his movements.
The sudden pressure left Quan Xiangzuo momentarily bewildered, even forgetting about urinating.
For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
It wasn’t until a heavy punch landed on his abdomen that he came to his senses.
He had been attacked.
"Argh!" Realizing what happened, Quan Xiangzuo wailed in pain, bending over and clutching his abdomen.
That punch nearly burst his bladder.
A heavy punch fell on a part full of pee, but this time his unreliable sponge body stayed reliable and, miraculously, suppressed the pee that was about to gush out.
"Life or death, you know how to choose, right?" A fluent English threat echoed by his ear, and Quan Xiangzuo instinctively nodded like mad.
"Good, you’re sensible." Banquan Longma lifted Quan Xiangzuo by the collar, very satisfied with his attitude.
"I’m giving you a chance to live now, don’t disappoint me, got it?"
Kwon Sang-woo, in pain, kept nodding: "I... I got it!"
He knew he was busted; someone had crept up to his room during the night and waited.
He wasn’t stupid. For the assailants to wait for him to leave his residence meant they’d investigated him and knew something about him.
Their goal was clear.
The portion of N Room’s resources he was holding!
"Don’t worry, we only want the goods, not lives. As long as you cooperate, you’ll survive through dawn." Banquan Longma continued to threaten.
"I understand! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely cooperate!" Quan Xiangzuo said repeatedly, secretly contacting other members of N Room to send out the message of his attack.
However, after contacting several people, they all seemed to be asleep, and private messages all failed to send.
Only then did Quan Xiangzuo realize it was nearly midnight, a time when most players were asleep.
He dared not send a message in the regional channel either, even though it would allow awake others to see, the attackers behind him could see it as well.
"Now pull up your pants and hand over all the devices in your capsule residence, not leaving a single one." Banquan Longma could guess what Quan Xiangzuo was up to, so he stopped delaying.
"Okay!" Quan Xiangzuo agreed decisively, but his movements were sluggish, as if that punch had caused him significant damage.
Banquan Longma sneered, pulling out a dagger to press against Quan Xiangzuo’s waist, right at the kidneys. Puncturing here wouldn’t lead to immediate death but would ensure the damage of an organ, and even if he survived afterward, it would be extremely painful.
"Don’t play tricks, speed it up!"