Alternate Dimension Game: Happiness is all that matters!
Chapter 179 - 166: Strange Guest

Chapter 179: Chapter 166: Strange Guest

Repair Strange Objects at a lesser cost!

When this function was actually realized, it immediately caused shock and joy among the Black-clothed Guard.

People thought of better uses.

For instance—the repair of the "Eight Diagram" turtle shell!

As the number of uses increased, the cracks on the turtle shell became more numerous. If they could truly be repaired, there was no doubt it would bring huge benefits.

It wasn’t just the turtle shell; many Strange Objects now had a limited number of uses, but now all could possibly be repaired!

"We could go buy those foreign Strange Objects that are about to be damaged..."

"I know, I know... I’ve been on it already; do you really need to tell me that?"

"Indeed, we have acquired quite a lot of items, definitely not a few." Came the excited yet tired voice of Old Man No. 1 through the headphones, "Yep, quite a significant quantity."

"But the situation isn’t as simple as you imagine... Those people aren’t fools. Our actions are so noticeable, they’ve guessed some possibilities. I suspect, it won’t be long before they start causing trouble..."

"Never mind, you keep experimenting on your side, we weren’t planning to hide it anyway. The opening information about the ’Game’ supermarket will be officially announced in a few days!"

...

Black-clothed Guard, ecstatic!

The rest of the organizations gathered all their strength, striving to uncover more information.

Meeting after meeting was held in an orderly fashion.

The trade of items and "Sources" saw an ever-increasing volume.

The covert actions of Divination Masters and Prophets...

Within the small confines of the Taishan Altar, the storm brewed and undercurrents surged.

Everyone knew that the main event was still to come.

...

But Wang Hao, the principal culprit, was sitting in an Internet cafe.

Watching his business gradually decline, he sunk deeper into pessimism and disappointment by the day.

He growled with a pale face:

"My business!"

...

The thriving business of the internet cafe lasted only a brief day. The first day was fully booked, there were even customers queuing up at the back!

Even the community’s elderly ladies enthusiastically experienced the latest VR technology, staggering about, afflicted with 3D-sickness.

Over two hundred bottles of drinks were sold!

Wang Hao was so busy counting money that he couldn’t even play games.

That overwhelming sense of achievement, simply indescribable!

Although he was wealthy, much of his money had come out of the blue, arriving in somewhat strange ways.

Now, money earned by his own efforts brought a truly magical sense of achievement. Specifically, it was like the fifth level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: self-actualization!

But on the second day, the flow of people halved!

There were hardly any people queuing.

Luckily, the rate of machine usage was still decent.

"This kind of business is normal," Wang Hao nodded to himself, comforting himself, "After all, the first day was just everyone trying something new. It will normalize gradually."

To attract customers, he brandished a mop and mopped the floor dozens of times!

So clean one could lick it.

Absolutely no dust to be found!

But on the third day, business halved again!

Perhaps the novelty had worn off; customers began to drift away. The community’s elderly women no longer came to experience high tech, only occasionally chatting, "Little Wang in the community has opened a high-tech place, where you can take your grandchildren to experience it. The prices aren’t expensive either."

Watching his business wither day by day, Wang Hao slowly fell into despair.

He fretted, "Why, why has the traffic decreased?"

"Top up 100 and get 100 free, only 10 yuan per hour, that’s definitely not expensive."

What era is it? Even ordinary internet cafes charge this price!

"How long till I break even this way?"

Han Xiaoyue comforted him, "Mr. Wang, you’ve already enjoyed two days of success, what’s there to be unsatisfied about? Do you really open a shop just to make big money?"

"It’s like writing novels, even if there are no gripping hooks, the number of followers will decrease. Unless one day you offer it for free, then everyone will swarm back."

"Seems... right. Maybe try offering free service for a while?"

Wang Hao always felt there was something off in her reasoning, but he couldn’t pinpoint how to argue against it.

After all, he hadn’t conducted market research, nor had he opened his shop in a particularly bustling commercial area.

It would be strange if it was a great success.

Wang had a great virtue, he didn’t easily deny himself, adept at discovering the beauty in life.

His current situation, on reflection, was perhaps acceptable...

"Most entrepreneurship is tepid; true breakout success is an anomaly. As long as I can cover the electricity bills, it’s not a loss. If one day really no one comes, closing would just end it."

Just then, he suddenly saw a strangely dressed "person" walking into the internet cafe.

The person wore a duckbill cap, a raincoat, a mask over their face, looking as if they had been fished out from water, continuously dripping.

Their sandals made creeky noises, slightly terrifying.

A chilling aura emanated from this "person," as if it were a cold wind hailing from Siberia.

...

What exactly is this cyber cafe for? Is it just to engage Wang Hao’s energy and give him a sense of achievement in making money?

Han Xiaoyue had always been somewhat puzzled by these questions.

But now, had an opportunity abruptly arisen?

In Han Xiaoyue’s perception, this fellow might... not be human!

Strange, right?

The strangeness had come here!

A smile appeared on her face, a sense of eagerness to watch a spectacle unfolding.

Of course, she herself had no combat ability, so she quickly hid behind the counter and crouched down.

"Hey, big brother, could you take off your raincoat outside?"

Seeing this bizarre person brought a chilly feeling. Wang Hao couldn’t help but frown, thinking to himself, "I just cleaned the floor, and it’s a mess again!"

Besides, there wasn’t even any rain outside. Brother, did you fall into a stinky ditch?

"Sorry... Sorry!" The other person’s voice was somewhat hoarse, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female, and sounded timid.

"Hey? What’s going on here?" Han Xiaoyue’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. This weird entity seemed to possess some intelligence, and it looked like it was not of a low tier.

"Go to the restroom and wipe yourself off," Wang Hao said as he handed over a rag, "It’s too wet, not good for your health. Oh, take this set of clothes too."

He sighed internally, no matter what, they were still guests, and he couldn’t just kick them out...

These clothes were work uniforms he had bought for himself, never worn before, bargain goods, just 30 yuan.

Running a shop, no matter what kind, especially in the service industry, you always meet all kinds of odd people, and you can’t avoid it.

"Thank, thank... thank you." The person seemed somewhat socially anxious, dawdled in the restroom for quite a while, and when they came back, they weren’t as damp, still wearing that raincoat and the torn mask.

The strange person tremblingly swiped their card on the machine.

"I... want to book a private room."

[Ding, you have topped up 100,000 yuan, bonus 100,000 yuan. Current balance: 200,000 yuan.]

Rich guy!

Topping up 100,000 in one go?!

Wang Hao was stunned, his heart racing!

Such a big deal made him excited but also somewhat shocked. Could this person be a lunatic causing trouble? What if his family came looking, and he had to refund the money?

Forget it, he can’t bother about so much. This place is a cyber cafe, not a hospital.

As long as the person doesn’t cause any damage, why worry so much?

"Can I... sleep here tonight?" the socially anxious person asked again.

"Suit yourself, this small private room is yours now!"

He quickly gifted the rich client a box of cola and a box of instant noodles to keep him satisfied and happy here, and gave him a key as well.

Such a committed patron is truly a rare find!

At least, the utility bills for the next one or two years were covered.

"Here’s a VIP guest card; all services in the shop will have a 10% discount!" Wang Hao handed over a purple-gold card. "Feel free to enjoy your time here!"

...

But in Han Xiaoyue’s eyes, the moment the transaction was completed, it seemed like a mysterious force extended from the cyber cafe and connected with the "strange person."

There were still some regular customers in the cyber cafe, even a few middle school students who had just turned "18 years old," busily pressing on game controllers.

But no one knew that a terrifying transaction was underway.

Suddenly, a hint of reality emerged on the "strange person."

That bizarre and chilling sensation disappeared.

He seemed to have turned into a human.

The "strange person" took a box of cola, stood there bewildered, looking like a fool.

Then, shocked by his current condition, a sound of "ah ah" came from his throat, as if he were learning to speak.

He sluggishly returned to his private room, where there was a VR game console and a regular computer.

...

Who was this strange person? Was he anchored by the entire cyber cafe?

Countless questions arose in Han Xiaoyue’s mind; an unknown situation was unfolding before her, filled with mysterious elements that made her hair stand on end.

The recent transaction might have the potential to destroy the entire world.

After all, she wasn’t omniscient and omnipotent.

But seeing Wang Hao’s "hehehe" laugh at making money annoyed her...

She really wanted to hit him!

"Xiaoyue, do you understand? That private room, including the renovations and stuff, only cost 40,000 yuan. Now, I’ve rented it out for 100,000 yuan. Isn’t that a huge profit?"

"What if his mom comes knocking?"

"When the time comes, I’ll refund him a part of the money. But what he has consumed, obviously, won’t be refunded," Wang Hao said matter-of-factly. "Besides, this person, I feel a bit familiar with him, as if I’ve seen him somewhere before."

"I, I’m going to mop the floor in the restroom!"

Han Xiaoyue volunteered enthusiastically and ran toward the restroom.

While mopping, she discreetly smelled the transparent water droplets that had fallen on the floor, experiencing a mystical sense of soul transparency, as if her entire being was purified, able to effortlessly achieve soul out-of-body.

But this stuff, she dared not smell too much... after all, it came with side effects.