As the lid of the gaming pod slowly opened, the nutrient fluid that enveloped his body drained away through holes around him, and Qin Ye, exiting the virtual interface, punched the nearby controller in frustration.
"What kind of crap game has an hour-long cooldown?"
Thinking about how he was about to kill the level 10 Angry Burst Bug when a suddenly refreshed group of Blood Corpses beat him to death, Qin Ye couldn't help but curse again.
He stood up from the gaming pod and walked over to sit on the sofa, opening his bank account to make transfers.
There were three transactions in total.
Each was to the captains of the three squads who had assisted him with last hits.
If he wanted to continue to receive last hits in the future, integrity was very important; he didn't want to cut off this path for himself.
Cursing aside, after experiencing it firsthand, he had completely fallen for this game.
Its super high degree of freedom, 100% realistic scene modeling and physical feedback, as well as an infinitely large exploration map... The most addictive aspect for him was the unlimitedly expandable ability combinations and the feedback from upgraded attributes.
Leaping several meters high and shattering rocks with a punch—these aspects of physical fitness were joys he could never experience in reality.
However, thinking about the game's biggest downside, the Resurrection Cooldown after dying, he couldn't help but swear inwardly.
To him, this feature seemed purely to be a hunger marketing strategy by the Moon Eclipse Clan, completely unnecessary and just adding frustration to players' minds.
After completing the transfers, he went into the bathroom to clean up, changed into a new set of clothes, and then stepped out the door.
What lay before him was the magnificent and spectacular Underground Space, with a multitude of energy torches burning on the rock walls above, illuminating the underground world.
He could see various forms of intelligent beings moving around here.
Green-skinned Steel Bone Orcs, Abyss Fishmen with gill patterns on their faces, Yao Stone People made of rock... It was a chaotic mix, aside from humans like himself, there were also a multitude of Alien Race lives.
These Alien Race beings are lives that fled to Earth from other worlds.
Their worlds had all been invaded by some mysterious power, causing the worlds to face the verge of collapse, with only a few of their people managing to flee through torn spaces to Earth.
Among these fleeing forces, the Moon Eclipse Clan were the strongest.
According to the descriptions of the first group of the Moon Eclipse Clan who came to Earth, as their world faced collapse, they opened eighteen space-tearing portals leading to otherworldly worlds and escaped to different ones.
One of these groups came to Earth.
This group of Moon Eclipse members is the only Alien Race force that relocated to the Moon after coming to Earth and established a new city there.
The Underground Space that he was currently in is known as the Earth Cave Trading Market, located on the border of the Human Clan Federation territory; it's a place where the Human Federation and Alien Races exchange intelligence and material technology, managed by an alliance council formed by various clans.
Similar trading centers exist on Earth, eleven in total.
He was a Grade D Administrator for the Human Clan Federation at the Earth Cave Trading Market, with one of his duties being to patrol Section D of the market and resolve conflicts between clans.
Although they are all intelligent beings, the different living environments and cultures have led to varying habits, making this place a mix of creatures and often the site of conflicts and contradictions.
"Get out of the way, you're blocking the path!"
Just then, a force from behind pushed Qin Ye to one side.
After stumbling a couple of steps and steadying himself, Qin Ye turned to look and saw the three-meter-tall Stone Giant not even glancing back as it walked past him towards the trading area.
"Damn it, watch who you're messing with!"
The Stone Giant, hearing this, turned around abruptly, staring at Qin Ye with its two large black gem-like eyes.
Upon seeing the Grade D Administrator mark on Qin Ye's chest, the ferocious expression on the Stone Giant's face instantly changed to one of amiability:
"I'm truly sorry, Administrator Sir, please don't take offense at my behavior."
A humble apology came from the translator around the Stone Giant's neck.
"If I catch you causing trouble again, you'll be blacklisted and barred from entering the Earth Cave Trading Market."
Amid the Stone Giant's continuous apologies, Qin Ye headed towards the trading market to commence his patrol duties for the day.
The entire trading market was like a complex maze, divided into eight trade zones, and he was responsible for sector D.
"Earth Spirit Stones from the Magic Ancient World, perfect for any charging-required devices, with extra-long battery life—one of these is better than six regular stones."
"Speedy Grass, a specialty product from the Earth Abyss World, can grow even in contaminated soil, maturing every 68 days—buy it and never worry about food and drink again."
"Spirit-Breaking Shields produced by the Mystic Cave World, this is the last one. Carry it with you to ward off unexpected attacks—an automatic defense item that could save your life in a critical moment."
As he made his way, both sides of the path were lined with stalls where merchants of different races were selling their goods, with their voices hawking non-stop.
Qin Ye stopped in front of one of the stalls.
The stall owner was a green-skinned dwarf, wearing an iron helmet with flashing lights on top. His height barely reached Qin Ye's chest, and he was adorned with many items carved with green runes.
"Lao Hei, haven't been causing any trouble recently, have you?"
"How could that be, we from the Green Elf Clan are peace-loving," came the shrill voice from the translator around the green-skinned dwarf's neck.
Hearing this, Qin Ye couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Though the Green Elf Clan appeared weak, they were extremely belligerent. They were one of the alien race forces in his trade sector that gave him the most headaches.
At this moment, he squatted down and carefully examined a glowing green stone on the stall:
"What is this? I haven't seen it on your stall before."
In response to the question, the green-skinned dwarf promptly pointed to the green gem and expounded:
"This represents one of the pinnacle core technologies of our race, which we call a Spiritual Bomb. It's made by altering the internal structure of an Energy Stone. Its power is enourmous. We wouldn't sell it if we weren't running out of options."
Hearing this, Qin Ye was suddenly startled:
"This thing isn't dangerous, is it?"
"Of course not, we naturally obey the rules of the trading market. We absolutely won't bring hazardous items into the market. This Spiritual Bomb is made from the lowest level Spirit Stones, and it won't explode naturally. You need to leave a mark of consciousness on it first. It will only explode when triggered by consciousness, causing the internal structure to destroy and detonate."
After hearing the explanation, Qin Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
The 100 earth coins mentioned by the green-skinned dwarf weren't the common currency used within the Human Clan Federation.
The origin of earth coins dates back over 200 years, a new currency jointly established by forces like the Moon Eclipse Clan, Human Clan Federation, and the Great Barbarian Tribe. It has also become the common currency among all races on Earth, allowing purchases of necessary resources and technologies from various races.
Meanwhile, the currency used internally by the Human Clan Federation is called credit coins, meant for internal use only.
"Is the technology transferable?" Qin Ye asked the key question.
Before taking up the post of a D-level administrator, he had worked at the Federation Technology Institute as an alien technology analyst.
Being dispatched to the Earth Cave Trading Market by the Human Federation, his responsibilities included not only maintaining stable operation in the trading zone, but also seeking out important technologies for the Human Federation.
"As long as you pay, technology isn't a problem."
"I need to test the power first before I consider purchasing. Here's 100 earth coins."
As he finished speaking, Qin Ye pulled out a silver card from his pocket.
The digital screen on the front of the card featured an input box for numbers.
Qin Ye entered the number 100 and swiped the card over the machine at the green-skinned dwarf's stall.
Accompanied by a crisp electronic sound, a payment completion prompt popped up on the machine.