1.32 The Emergence of VIP Employers at the Talent Market

Indeed, it was a major order.

The T850’s laser eyes strobed as it spoke: "The honored guest requires 'seven' 'two-star' 'riders' compatible with 'Motor Terminator' 'transforming armor'."

"That is correct," Wu Chen confirmed.

Wu Chen was a newcomer who had yet to experience his first Purge Day, yet he intended to purchase seven two-star plot characters at once. Weighing the pros and cons, the T850 finally narrowed Wu Chen's request down to a reasonable price point: "Very well, honored guest."

Unexpectedly, it produced only two cards: one for three people and one for five.

The three-person card consisted of 2.5-star or 3-star characters, while the five-person card contained only 2-star characters.

Seeing Wu Chen scrutinizing the stills on the cards, the T850 spoke up at the opportune moment: "Multi-person 'group cards,' while saving on 'card slots,' incur high 'rollback' costs. Fortunately, the honored guest possesses transforming armor for protection. It can mitigate damage, removing the need for frequent rollbacks."

"Why do you say rollbacks are expensive?" Wu Chen asked, puzzled.

"This is determined by the 'shared memory' of the group card. As members sharing a collective memory, even if only one person is injured, all five must be rolled back together," the T850 explained patiently.

"I see." Wu Chen understood clearly. Looking at the stills, the five-person card was undoubtedly all female riders, but the three-person card was harder to decipher.

The T850 did not say more, simply waiting quietly for Wu Chen to find the answer himself. This was one of the pleasures of being a buyer.

"What is different about the three-person card?" Wu Chen asked his companions.

Baili Yan wore an awkward smile and pushed the male player of the married couple to the front.

"Ahem!" Stealing a glance at his wife, the male player said helplessly: "Hey, I honestly didn't really see... the trick to it."

The T850’s tone seemed to carry a hint of mockery: "The plot characters in the card, from left to right: police officer Linda, police officer Ann, and Dr. Sara. Dr. Sara is a robotics expert, and the other two are police robots personally modified by Dr. Sara, codenamed Eve R-27 and Eve R-303, respectively."

This was a lot of information. Wu Chen finally understood: "One human female doctor and two female robot police officers."

"Exactly so." The T850’s tone was slightly flustered. In truth, the two group cards it had selected shared the same subtext. Any man would understand, but unfortunately, Wu Chen remained indifferent.

"What about the five-person card?" Wu Chen asked again.

"From left to right: Pammy, Rose, Angel, Mona, and Jez. Interstate highway killers, motel assassins, and part-time 24-hour call girls," the T850 said, feeling even less confident.

"What is the price?" Highway bikers should be suitable as riders, so Wu Chen decided to buy them.

"As you can see, the three-person group card is 650 coins, and the five-person group card is 150 coins," the T850 explained carefully. "As you also know, a 2.5-star single card is about 500 coins, and a 2-star single card is about 100 coins."

"So, for every additional person, there is a 10% premium," Baili Yan quickly deduced the pattern: "A 30% premium for the three-person card, and a 50% premium for the five-person card."

"Correct, madam." The T850 nodded slightly.

It had to be said that bulk purchasing was indeed cheaper. The two cards totaled eight people, enough to form a ten-person Motor Terminator transforming armor squad, with one slot to spare.

"Master, the base still needs a 'simulated battlefield' administrator," the smart brain suggested at the right moment. The simulated battlefield was virtual reality, providing an immersive gaming experience. It was particularly efficient for bio-robots and cyber-enhanced humans, as they could connect directly to network terminals without the need for VR headsets, enhancing their combat capabilities and proficiency.

Previously, the simulated battlefield of Base 0326 was managed by the omnipotent smart brain, Aiyi. Now that there were more female warriors in the base, it was necessary to designate someone to manage the simulated battlefield. Besides, the three-person card included Dr. Sara, who could be used for daily modifications and maintenance of the bio-female robots. As the smart brain had suggested, bringing in a virtual reality administrator did not seem like a waste.

"I also want a virtual reality administrator," Wu Chen stated his requirement.

"As you wish." The T850’s optical eyes flickered as it found a suitable candidate: 3-star Dr. Renata Lull.

"The chief doctor at Rekall Inc., providing outer space travel experiences through virtual reality technology. For example, a standard trip to Mars, including two full weeks of virtual memories—not only complete but also extremely detailed. Private shuttle cabins, luxury Hilton suites, browsing all the attractions: Olympus Mons, the Grand Canal, and of course, Venusville. This virtual memory will be as realistic as your own memories..." The T850 spoke eloquently, rattling off details as if they were its own.

"How many coins?" Wu Chen asked with a smile.

"800 coins," the T850 offered.

"I want all three sets. Is there a discount?" Wu Chen asked.

"Of course, of course." The T850 was so excited it became incoherent: "You only need to pay 1,500 coins, and we will also include three 'Total Recall' cards as a bonus."

"Deal." Wu Chen took out his campus card, and the T850 took it with both hands.

With 1,500 coins swiped, Wu Chen obtained the 2.5-star three-person card, the 2-star five-person card, the 3-star Dr. Renata Lull, and the three 'Total Recall' cards: Mary the Martian mutant prostitute, Tiffany the Rekall Inc. secretary, and Paula the newscaster.

The three bonus cards were all rare 1-star cards. Altogether, their total value was barely 30 coins. But for Wu Chen, they were excellent sub-nodes for the Omega Curtain network in his mini-universe. As mentioned before, the more Curtain nodes he had, the stronger Wu Chen’s abilities became.

The 1,500 coins were spent without him batting an eye. The T850 looked at this new player in the city with newfound respect. It kindly informed him that by spending over 1,000 coins, he had automatically obtained VIP employer status in the talent market. Any future hiring of plot characters would receive a 10% discount.

Baili Yan and the others were secretly stunned. In just a few days, Wu Chen had managed to scrape together over a thousand Shelter coins. How did he do it?

The three tablet bases were joined together. Wu Chen’s surge in strength was a great benefit to the other two as well. For everyone's sake, they felt happy for him.

After agreeing on a time to upgrade the core code with Baili Yan and the others, Wu Chen took his female warriors and returned to the base in the AE86.

The trip had been very fruitful.

When trading privately between players, the quality of cards varied wildly, and unexpected situations were endless. Cards sold in the talent market could all be read successfully, and the character statuses were all normal. There would never be cases of missing limbs or finding a shriveled corpse. In short, the official channel was the most reliable.

Stepping into the phone booth alone, Wu Chen first read the three-person card.

Dr. Sara, Officer Linda, and Officer Ann pushed the door open and stepped into the booth: "At your service, Master."

Furthermore, cards sold in the talent market seemed to have undergone the necessary "worldview reshaping" of the Shelter. They were plug-and-play.

"Hello," Wu Chen responded with a smile.

He placed all five cards on the glass wall at once. The cramped space of the phone booth suddenly expanded. It became the size of a tea lounge, with transparent glass walls, a starry dome, bright, comfortable, warm, and romantic. There was a sofa on the left and right, and at the bottom was the familiar card-and-coin phone. Opposite was the glass door of the phone booth exit. In fact, the glass wall behind the phone was also a secret door specifically for plot characters to walk out of the cards.

Dr. Sara, Officer Linda, and Officer Ann sat on the sofa, waiting for the five-person card to load.

Accompanied by the roaring of Harley motorcycles from near and far, Pammy, Rose, Angel, Mona, and Jez—the five highway killers—rode out in formation.

The interior of the phone booth was suddenly filled with fragrance. Lace, leather, nylon, and rubber, mixed with the dusty scent of sweat and cheap perfume—the most common aroma found in motels along the interstate highway.

"My dear Master, we are at your service 24 hours a day." Big sister Rose led her five sisters in giving Wu Chen a captivating smile.