Translator: AnubisTL
Although Chen Jiang's primary source of external information was the galactic forum on his tablet, it had to be said that for non-confidential news, the forum proved remarkably convenient.
Take, for example, the current headline:
[Eugenia Star, which had been out of contact for several hours, has reappeared in view. The entire planet has been reduced to ruins, utterly barren.]
[Eugenia Star served as the primary transit hub for Eugenia Company's vast stockpiles of miscellaneous goods, which constitute the company's core business.]
[While Eugenia Company has been actively diversifying into other sectors in recent years, the majority of its profits and costs still stem from its miscellaneous goods operations.]
[Eugenia Company, a long-established corporation, dominates the mid-to-high-end miscellaneous goods market, covering five to six surrounding planets.]
[It is one of the three publicly listed companies on Orange Red Star.]
[Following this devastating blow, Eugenia Company's stock plummeted to rock bottom almost instantly. There are currently no positive developments, and the company has yet to issue any official response.]
"The incident on Eugenia Star shows strong signs of human intervention. Although we haven't yet identified the perpetrators or mastermind behind it, there's little doubt this was a malicious short-selling attack."
"Countless investors saw their life savings wiped out overnight. All those responsible for this malicious short-selling should be executed. Has anyone here invested in Eugenia Company stock?"
"Hmm."
Chen Jiang nodded slightly, smiling silently as he read the post.
The financial markets in the Federation differed from those on Blue Star. There were no daily trading limits or market closures.
When major negative news broke, stock prices plummeted like a freefall, dropping sharply and rapidly.
And the news hadn't even fully spread yet. Once it did, the collapse would be even more catastrophic.
"How's it going?"
Chen Jiang casually dialed Wu Jinshen's communicator, glancing at the elder on the screen. "Did you make a good haul this time?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Slightly below expectations," the elder replied, shaking his head with a hint of regret. "For some reason, we weren't the only ones buying up short positions. I could sense several other major players doing the same, all acquiring them in bulk. This competition has diluted our profits somewhat."
"It's probably only about five or six times the original amount," the elder said casually.
Chen Jiang remained expressionless, saying nothing. Only five or six times? He knew this old man wouldn't be throwing around mere millions or tens of millions; the figures were undoubtedly in the hundreds of millions.
Five or six times hundreds of millions meant at least a billion, possibly even two or three billion.
As for the other "few" companies the elder mentioned, Chen Jiang could guess who they were—probably X.
Those bastards...
"Contentment brings happiness," Chen Jiang muttered, offering a perfunctory consolation before continuing, "What's the status of the miscellaneous goods shipment?"
"Everything's proceeding smoothly. The shipment has already reached the subhuman star and is gradually being converted from the periphery. It's confirmed that they can be transformed into one-star items. We haven't done a precise count of the total quantity yet, but rough estimates suggest there are nearly a hundred million units. If all are successfully converted, we'll end up with close to a hundred million one-star items."
"That's an astronomical fortune."
"Hmm." Chen Jiang nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his expression. "Then I'll await your good news."
With that, he ended the call.
"Phew."
Chen Jiang glanced at the two beside him and said with a smile, "Everything went smoothly. We seem to be having good luck this time—no mishaps along the way."
"Indeed," Scar Dog couldn't help but remark. "We've only been out for a short while, but it feels like ages. Wang Defa and the others are probably still playing hide-and-seek in the Ten Thousand Races Arena."
"Brother Jiang, we finally got out for once. Shouldn't we treat ourselves to something good?"
"True," Chen Jiang nodded. "Let's also check out the federation's talent shops. I want to see what's going on there. We probably can't go to North Creek City, so let's try another one."
"Got it."
About an hour later, Chen Jiang and his group arrived at a new city near North Creek City. The city's name was unknown—there were no signs on the roadside buildings—but that didn't matter.
Standing on the street, they quickly spotted a shop across the road:
[Peaceful Talent Shop]
A shop selling innate abilities.
"I think we might have come at the wrong time."
Scar Dog glanced helplessly at the tightly shut shop door. "Looks like the shop's already closed for the day. Guess we'll have to break in again. Deep down, I really want to be a good citizen."
"We are good citizens," Chen Jiang retorted, scanning their surroundings. "Good citizens of Blue Star, that is. Why would we follow the Federation's laws? Let's go, let's get inside."
"Alright then."
The next moment—
The trio slipped into the narrow alley beside the shop. A flash of white light, and they materialized inside the Peaceful Talent Shop.
It had to be said, Scar Dog and Li Hao's combined innate abilities were perfect for breaking and entering. They didn't even need to force the door; they simply bypassed it entirely, seamlessly entering the shop's interior.
"What the hell is this?" Scar Dog pulled out a high-intensity flashlight and swept it around the room, then sniffed the air. The acrid stench of formalin made him wrinkle his nose in discomfort. "Seriously, don't tell me these jars are filled with brains."
"Looks kinda gross."
"If nothing goes wrong, it's exactly what you think," Chen Jiang said, holding up a high-intensity flashlight as he walked to a row of shelves. He gazed at a glass jar containing a brain, a small card printed on its surface.
[Talent Name: Gluttony]
[Talent Effect: Your appetite will be more than five times that of an average person, and your body will rapidly gain weight. In exchange, your body's elasticity will be greatly enhanced. Simply put, if you jump from the tenth floor, you won't die; instead, you'll bounce through the air until you land safely.]
[Talent Price: 8,000 star coins]
The other jars were similarly labeled with various talent descriptions.
[Talent Name: Palm Sun]
[Talent Effect: You can conjure a ball of white flame in your palm, reaching temperatures of 300-400 degrees Celsius. This flame won't harm you but can inflict massive damage on enemies and be used to light cigarettes—which looks incredibly cool.]
[Talent Price: 50,000 star coins]
The most expensive talent was called Gunsmith.
[Talent Name: Gunsmith]
[Talent Effect: Your firearm ignores ammunition capacity, allowing continuous fire for one minute. Rate of fire and damage are greatly increased. However, after the talent's duration ends, your firearm will be rendered unusable.]
[Talent Price: 180,000 star coins]
To be honest, this talent's effect was quite impressive. By simply stocking enough firearms in a space bracelet, one could maintain peak firepower at all times.
Chen Jiang glanced around, quickly grasping the operational logic of this talent shop.
Federation citizens only needed to consume the brains preserved in these glass jars to acquire the corresponding innate abilities. The origin of these brains, of course, was from race players like themselves.
Scar Dog stared expressionlessly at the formalin-filled jars before him and remarked, "You'd dare eat something soaked in formalin? Aren't you afraid of poisoning yourself to death?"
Formalin is highly corrosive.
A normal person who swallowed a bottle of formalin wouldn't even need to be rushed to the ICU; they could be sent straight to the funeral home to boost the undertaker's sales.
This brain had been soaking in formalin for who knows how long. Drinking it would almost certainly kill you or leave you crippled.
But the federation must have a way to process it, or the talent shop wouldn't have existed for so long.
"From a certain perspective, all citizens of the federation are murderers, aren't they?"
Most citizens choose their innate ability in childhood. In a way, that's like devouring a living race player.
"Mm," Chen Jiang nodded, casually tossing a few sticks of TNT at his feet. "Let's go. This shop shouldn't exist. These federation citizens probably don't even see race players as their own kind."
"To them, eating a race player is no different from us eating pig brains."
"Except for the human race, whose body size is roughly similar to theirs, other race players come in all sorts of bizarre shapes and forms. Naturally, they wouldn't feel any guilt."
The group didn't linger and left the talent shop.
Moments after they departed, a massive explosion rocked the shop. Ferocious flames engulfed the entire establishment, consuming it in a raging inferno that filled the air with a pungent, acrid stench.
A piercing alarm shattered the night sky.
The Peaceful Talent Shop was no longer peaceful this night.
Chen Jiang and his companions didn't stay. They reappeared in a restaurant that operated late into the night, located on the top floor of the rotating skyscraper on the ninety-ninth floor.
They settled into seats by the window, offering a panoramic view of the city's nightscape. With their business largely concluded, they would be able to return to the Ten Thousand Races Arena in just over a dozen hours.
Fortunately, the restaurant served normal fare, free from any bizarre or exotic ingredients.
"Cosmic behemoth?" Scar Dog stared at the menu's most expensive dish, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Is this a genuine cosmic behemoth?"
"Indeed, sir," the waiter replied. "It's Federal IC Certified, so there's no question of its authenticity."
"1.88 million star coins for a single plate?"
"Yes, sir. As you know, cosmic behemoths are extremely rare and valuable. It often requires warships to take one down, and even then, only a tiny fraction of the meat is edible. Under these circumstances, cosmic behemoth meat is incredibly precious."
"Moreover, this meat can enhance your physical attributes, sir."
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 6,100+ FREE