Chapter 104: The Fool Who Sold Bullets Cheaply

At the Ruyi Restaurant, more than thirty players dressed in yellow outfits were feasting heartily. In the early stages of the game, it was rare to see players eating and drinking with such abandon. Over thirty horses were tethered in the stable; the waiter was scurrying back and forth preparing feed, while the groom brushed down the animals.

Unlike Chen Hao and his companions, who had to keep their horses at a farmhouse outside the city, these thirty-plus players lived and dined at the inn, displaying a level of wealth that was truly enviable. Chen Hao exchanged a look with "White Monster," who walked over to the busy waiter and said with a grin, "Hey there, buddy, you look quite overwhelmed. Let me give you a hand!"

The waiter looked at him in surprise. "Why would you want to help me?"

White Monster replied with a shy smile, "I’ve loved horses since I was a kid. This is my first time seeing so many fine steeds, so I wanted to get a closer look."

The waiter, exhausted from working alone, found the idea of a simple-minded "Outsider" offering help quite convenient, so he asked White Monster to help chop the hay. Once the feed was ready, he allowed White Monster to carry it to the stables so the helpful player could get his wish of being near the horses.

While the waiter wasn't looking, White Monster mixed the croton beans he had purchased into the feed, stirring it thoroughly to ensure an even distribution. He had consulted a physician when buying the beans; the dosage was calculated to be just enough to cause the horses to collapse from exhaustion after running ten kilometers. Liu Zixuan and the others were already waiting at the two small, thorn-covered hills near the West Gate.

Once White Monster had finished his task, Chen Hao walked into the Ruyi Restaurant and shouted, "Friends, I could use some help! I’m in urgent need of cash and am selling bullets at a low price—only 10 copper coins each."

Chen Hao’s cry quickly drew the attention of the players in the restaurant. They gathered around, asking, "Is it really 10 coins each? You aren't a scammer, are you?"

"Can you show us the bullets first?"

Chen Hao reached into his satchel, pulled out a handful of bullets, and spread them across his palm. "A while back, when the Patrol Battalion was selling ammunition, I was greedy for the low price and bought a few thousand rounds to stock up. Now I'm broke and need to sell them cheap. Please, do me a favor and take them off my hands."

*Bang.*

One player casually grabbed a bullet, loaded it into his rifle, and fired a shot out the window. Satisfied that the ammunition was functional, he produced 10 silver dollars and said, "I’ll buy 100 rounds. Do you have that many?"

Chen Hao quickly retrieved a pre-packed box of bullets from his satchel. "I've got plenty! I bought thousands from the Patrol Battalion back then, and I've only used a few hundred myself."

The thirty-plus players sitting on the other side were soon attracted as well. They were able to dine lavishly only because their group leader, "Smiling Maitreya," covered the expenses. However, they had to find their own ways to procure ammunition for training, so the offer of 10-copper bullets was very tempting.

Even if they couldn't use all the bullets themselves, they could easily resell them for a profit. Only a few players had ever been burned by reloaded ammunition; most were unaware of the risks, especially these players who had come from Qinan. Since someone had just verified the quality with a test shot, there seemed to be no reason for concern.

After the first few players made their purchases, the rest of the group swarmed over. A tall player in the front shouted, "Hey friend, how many bullets do you have left? Why don't you sell them all to me?"

"Chu Bawang, don't be so pushy! There are thousands of bullets; everyone should get a share. Why should you buy them all?"

"Exactly! I've only got a dozen rounds left myself; I need to buy some here..."

"Enough, everyone," the leader, Smiling Maitreya, stepped forward. "Fighting over a few thousand cheap bullets—you're embarrassing the boss."

Smiling Maitreya had a round, kindly-looking face. He gave a slight smile and asked, "Brother, exactly how many rounds do you have in total?"

*A wolf in sheep's clothing,* Chen Hao thought, realizing why White Monster and the others had fallen for their schemes before. He took off his satchel and pretended to count. "I have thirty-five full boxes and about two hundred loose rounds."

Smiling Maitreya addressed the others: "There are thirty-six of us. Each of you buy one box, and I’ll take the remaining two hundred loose rounds!"

The distribution was fair, and no one objected. To avoid raising suspicion, Chen Hao shook his head and said, "I need to keep 100 rounds for my own training, so I can only sell 120 of the loose ones."

"Fine."

Smiling Maitreya was the first to pull out 12 silver dollars to buy the loose rounds, and the others each produced 10 silver dollars for a box. Chen Hao walked away having easily earned 362 silver dollars.

All 3,000 rounds were actually failed reloads. He had spent two hours polishing them, making them look even better than successful reloads. He hadn't dared to polish the successful ones for fear of them exploding, but the duds had no such risk.

The players who had checked the bullets earlier had encountered no issues because those were authentic rounds bought from a trading firm—the three players who were not part of the "Guanning Iron Cavalry" had happened to grab the real ones, making them the only ones who actually got a bargain.

Before leaving, Chen Hao offered a well-intentioned reminder to the Guanning Iron Cavalry players: "These bullets were bought from the Penglai County Patrol Battalion a long time ago. The boxes are a bit tight, so we usually dump them out and keep them in our satchels after buying. You should be careful, or you might find yourselves unable to open the boxes at a critical moment."

Smiling Maitreya replied gratefully, "You’re a good man, brother. Thanks for the heads-up; we’ll be careful."

As soon as Chen Hao stepped out of the restaurant, Smiling Maitreya burst into laughter. "That guy was actually quite cute! Selling bullets for 10 coins, and then reminding us to open the boxes before he left."

Chu Bawang gave Chen Hao's retreating back the middle finger. "What an idiot. If he had just been patient and put them on the market, he could have sold them for 15 coins each in no time."

"Boss Maitreya, the guy was right. These boxes really are hard to open!"

"Damn it, if you can't even open a box, how are you going to handle your wedding night?"

"That's fine, I'm close with Feiyang, I'll just help him out then..."

After a round of jeering, they eventually followed Chen Hao's advice, opened the boxes, and mixed the 100 rounds with their existing ammunition in their satchels.

Chen Hao had spent ten silver dollars to have those 100 boxes custom-made. If he hadn't provided them, the players would have been suspicious; but by using the boxes, he ensured that they would mix the duds with their good ammo. Since each player only carried a few dozen rounds, they would inevitably load the duds into their rifles during combat. Once a dud jammed the chamber, their rifles would become nothing more than useless clubs.