Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 503 Copper Fingers

Sitting at the other corner of the table, Xue Yue glanced at Sun Hang cautiously and scooped a large spoonful of chili oil into her noodle bowl.

"I didn't realize you could handle so much spicy food!" Sun Hang exclaimed in surprise.

"...When I didn't have enough money before...I would go to the supermarket and buy a bottle of discounted Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, and eat it with a steamed bun. It only cost me one yuan and two mao a day to fill my stomach," Xue Yue muttered. "I also...I quite like spicy food."

Sun Hang couldn't help but facepalm... This girl clearly possessed abilities almost equivalent to a Class A monster, yet she ended up in such a miserable state. She's truly something else...

Lin Lun, who is Xue Yue's half "father," is a scoundrel who only cares about "giving birth" but not "raising"... With his abilities, he could have provided Xue Yue with a "slightly better life" without interfering with the experiments in any way, but he just watched Xue Yue struggle to survive in the human world and did nothing.

It's fortunate that Xue Yue isn't affected by any negative emotions... otherwise, she would probably be a completely different person when Sun Hang found her.

“Speaking of which, Sun Hang, don’t you like spicy food?” Zhulong looked at the clear broth in Sun Hang’s bowl of noodles with a puzzled expression. “I thought that a love of spicy food was in the nature of people from Shuzhou.”

"Are you so sure I'm from Shuzhou?" Sun Hang pointed to himself. "But I can't even speak the Shuzhou dialect."

"Where are you from?"

"Good question, I'd love to know too." Sun Hang stuffed two slices of braised beef into his mouth and mumbled, "Boss, another twenty skewers of roasted lamb, and also, another bowl of noodles for this young lady!"

……

After eating and drinking their fill, Zhulong led the two through the city, making many turns, until finally, near dusk, they turned into a small tavern without a sign.

The tavern wasn't crowded. Two slightly disheveled drunkards sat by the window. One was slumped over the table, fast asleep, while the other, clutching a bottle, slurred and boasted to his sleeping companion. From his boasts, it was clear that both men were mercenaries active in Dragon City, having ventured into the no-man's-land of the Hexi Corridor with the Monster Hunters on more than one occasion.

Of course, this is on the premise that at least 10% to 20% of the boasts he makes are true.

A person cloaked in black sat in the shadows in the northwest corner. A very faint memetic aura emanated from him, and Sun Hang determined that this person was a monster hunter.

On the hunter's table sat a nearly flat, untouched glass of beer, next to which lay a dozen or so rusty ancient coins. The hunter was intently staring at the coins, not glancing at Sun Hang and his companions who had just entered the tavern.

On the northeast side of the pub, there was a makeshift stage with a drum set on it. A young girl dressed in a rather "rock and roll" style sat against the wall, with her legs, covered in fishnet stockings, resting on the drum set, scrolling through her phone listlessly.

Zhulong walked straight to the bar and asked the bartender who was washing glasses behind the counter, "Where's the boss?"

"Business was slow today, so the boss went out to have some fun." The bartender glanced at Zhulong and said, "If you're here for the 'Thorn Sand Band' concert, you're too early. The concert doesn't start until 11:30."

"A concert in the middle of the night? Doesn't a military stronghold like Longcheng have a curfew?" Sun Hang muttered to himself.

"Curfew? Are you kidding me, sir?" The bartender couldn't help but laugh. "In this place, nightlife is the only thing that can give people some fun. If a curfew were enforced, wouldn't people suffocate? If a military stronghold is strictly controlled, that's only in the military camps. What does it have to do with us ordinary people?"

“This is a war between humans and monsters, not between humans themselves, so a curfew is meaningless. Tianfu City implemented a curfew back then to prevent the panicked city from descending into chaos. But in Longcheng, people have become accustomed to this kind of life,” Zhulong explained. “These lifestyle remedies not only help people relax but also release some of the negative emotions accumulated in their hearts… so the city management committee tacitly approves of these activities.”

"Oh, I see." Sun Hang nodded. "I've learned something new."

"Did the boss say when he'll be back?" Zhulong asked again.

"How would I know? It's normal for her to disappear for days at a time... But there's a concert tonight, she should be back then." The bartender's gaze passed over Zhulong and Sun Hang, settling on Xue Yue, who was looking at the bar's furnishings, and said, "This girl is still a minor, right? Although we haven't explicitly said we don't serve minors, the rule that minors are prohibited from drinking is the same everywhere. If we get caught, we'll be fined."

“Then give her a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice,” Zhulong said, turning to Sun Hang. “What would you like to drink? It’s on me.”

"Are you really inviting me?" Sun Hang asked.

"...What would you like to drink?" Zhulong suddenly had a bad feeling.

"How about a bottle of Feitian Moutai?" Sun Hang said with a smile.

"Sorry, sir, we don't have Moutai... Our shop mainly serves coffee, craft beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. If you'd like to try some spirits, we have brandy, whiskey, and vodka from multiple brands, as well as gin, tequila, and rum."

"Oh? You have wine?" Sun Hang's eyes lit up. "Give me a bottle of that Lafite from that year, the best and most expensive vintage."

“Wines from the Bordeaux region disappeared when the Frankish kingdom fell. The Lafite you're looking for can probably only be found in wine history museums or in the private collections of some super-rich individual,” Zhulong said. “However, you could try wines produced in Xiazhou. If I remember correctly, there's a brand that claims to recreate the taste and texture of Bordeaux wines, and it's not cheap…”

"'Memories of the Gironde,' this wine uses cutting-edge technology to recreate the sunshine, temperature, humidity, soil, and rainfall of the various Bordeaux appellations back then. Those sommeliers who have tasted the authentic wine say that the taste of this wine is almost exactly the same as the red wine produced in the Bordeaux region back then... Coincidentally, the store also has a bottle of 'Pauillac,' which tastes very close to the authentic 'Lafite'... It's just that the price is a bit high." Upon hearing that there was a big deal, the bartender immediately perked up.

"How much is it? It's a bit expensive?" Sun Hang asked.

"Seventeen thousand a bottle," the bartender said in a low voice. "This price may be a little more expensive than in the mainland, but you should know that just transporting this wine to Dragon City will cost as much as a third of the wine's value."

"Oh, then give me a glass of fresh milk," Sun Hang nodded and said.

"W-what?" The bartender was stunned for a moment, and he even subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to pick at his ear.

“I don’t like drinking alcohol, so fresh milk is better; it’s more nutritious,” Sun Hang said.

"You just said you wanted to order Moutai and Lafite..."

Do you have Moutai and Lafite here?

"No, but..."

"That settles it then, fresh milk, thank you." Sun Hang gave the bartender a sincere smile and nodded.

"Give him a glass of fresh milk." "Okay...okay, would you like some ice?" the bartender asked through gritted teeth.

"Remove the ice."

The bartender took a deep breath and turned to Zhulong: "Sir, what would you like to drink?"

“A cup of pineapple cola,” said Zhulong. “One ounce less coconut juice and one ounce more pineapple juice. I prefer it a little astringent.”

After hearing a request that was finally reasonable, the bartender breathed a sigh of relief and turned to prepare drinks for the three of them. Sun Hang found a table near the northwest corner and sat down, intentionally or unintentionally observing the hunter staring at the ancient coins.

"What is he doing?" Xue Yue followed Sun Hang's gaze and asked in a low voice.

"Identifying antiques?" Sun Hang guessed. "Judging from his furrowed brows, it seems he's received a counterfeit."

“No, that’s a very popular divination method in Dragon City,” Zhulong explained to the two in a low voice.

"Fortune telling? Isn't that superstition?" Sun Hang muttered.

"If you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't," said Zhulong. "Although I never perform divination for myself, I do know a little about it."

"Can you tell me how to play?" Sun Hang asked, intrigued.

"It's probably not clear in just a few words."

"Can you interpret the divination result of that guy over there?" As soon as Sun Hang finished speaking, the hunter who was performing the divination suddenly looked up and gave him a somewhat unfriendly look.

"It's taboo to interpret other people's divination results without permission." Zhulong immediately returned an apologetic smile to Sun Hang and said, "People believe that this will bring bad luck to both parties."

The hunter collected the ancient coins and put them back into a black cloth bag. Then, he took a swig of his flat beer and asked, "Is this your first time in Dragon City?"

“Those two are,” Zhulong replied.

"You are hunters too." The hunter stated this in a declarative tone rather than a question, indicating that he also sensed the memetic aura emanating from Sun Hang and the others.

“Yes, we’re all in the same industry.” Sun Hang smiled.

“I have a job here, the pay is pretty good, but I don’t want to do it anymore. Are you interested? I can transfer it to you,” the hunter suddenly said.

"Is it because the divination result wasn't good?" Sun Hang asked.

"Yes." The hunter said frankly, "The divination results say that I'm having a lot of bad luck lately and it's best not to leave Dragon City... If you don't want to, I'll just have to post this quest online."

"Does this mission require leaving Dragon City? Is it to the no-man's land in the Hexi Corridor?" Sun Hang then asked.

“You don’t need to go deep into the no-man’s land, but it’ll be close,” the hunter said. “Delivering a package to Yumen will earn you 20,000 yuan. After deducting the intermediary fee and taxes, you’ll actually get about 18,000 yuan.”

"Earn 18,000 yuan for delivering a single package? Where is this Yumen?"

“It’s 120 kilometers to the northwest of Dragon City,” Zhulong said. “It was originally an abandoned city with no residents or troops, but later, due to the frequent entry and exit of a large number of hunters and mercenaries into the no-man’s land of the Hexi Corridor, it gradually became a foothold between the no-man’s land and Dragon City.”

“Although the road between Dragon City and Jade Gate is not under the control of the Federal Army, it has been used so many times that it is already quite safe. You can find a few groups of fellow travelers to travel with you; there should be virtually no danger on the road,” the hunter said.

“If it’s not dangerous, why don’t you deliver it yourself? It’s worth 18,000 yuan,” Sun Hang retorted.

“You’re right, I’m a very superstitious person, and I certainly don’t want to take that risk,” the hunter said.

“The danger isn’t on the road, it’s at the destination,” Zhulong whispered in Sun Hang’s ear. “Yumen is different from Longcheng; it’s a true ‘lawless land.’”

"I see... It seems the danger might come from what you're delivering." Sun Hang glanced at the hunter. "By the way, what's in that package?"

"I don't know." The hunter shrugged. "It's against the rules to open someone else's package without permission."

“But when you leave Dragon City and go through the security checkpoint, the contents of your package must be inspected,” Zhulong said. “If there are any contraband items inside, wouldn’t it be terrible if we took this job and got caught by security?”

"It seems you don't want this money." The hunter ignored Sun Hang and the others, and instead took out his phone and started tapping rapidly on the screen.

“Friend, to be honest, if you can’t tell us what’s in the package, even if you post the task online, not many people will accept it,” Zhulong said.

"You don't need to worry about that." The hunter grabbed his wine glass, downed it in one gulp, and then strode out of the tavern.

“Mastermind,” Sun Hang said, “Check this hunter’s information.”

"Hunter codename: 'Bronze Finger,' real name: Abel Peter. Male, 39 years old. Formerly worked at the Chang'an City Mystery Research Institute, now a freelance hunter. Caucasian descent, place of origin: Chang'an. Infected with meme source serial number 735 'Brass Statue.' His ability is to transform objects touched by his right index finger into brass; the transformation speed and volume are limited by the strength of his own meme..."

In less than two seconds, the mainframe had dug up all the information about the "copper finger," including details such as his two previous marriages and how his first marriage ended in divorce because of a mistake he made while using his abilities, which resulted in his wife suffering severe physical disability.

They practically wrote down what color the guy's underwear was today in his file.

“Copper Fingers…that sounds like an interesting ability.” Sun Hang nodded to himself. “However, given his meme strength, it might be a bit of a stretch to use it in combat.”

(End of this chapter)