Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

He stumbled out of the crowd, letting out a long, hard breath. The exhaustion from struggling back from the brink of death overwhelmed him instantly, like a tidal wave.

My legs felt like lead, each step requiring all my strength. The clamor, curses, and flirtatious laughter of the black market gradually faded, replaced by the pounding of my heart and the endless exhaustion brought on by the cold, mechanical voice in my head.

He wandered aimlessly through the darkness, letting his feet carry him. His mind, however, was like a high-speed machine, frantically analyzing everything that had just happened, and the sudden appearance of the "patch."

Three core questions weighed heavily on his mind like three mountains:

First, the essence of dual-brain fusion.

Is this so-called "dual-brain fusion" truly a symbiosis between him and the system, or a process of absorption? If the fusion reaches 100%, will he take over this body, or will that cold "patch" replace him? At that point, will he still be considered human? This question hangs like a sword over his head, sending chills down his spine.

Second, the cost of probability and statistics.

This ability is incredibly powerful, but the price is the enormous energy consumption, which could even lead to brain death. How can he precisely control its use? The consequences of overuse send chills down his spine just thinking about it.

Third, the source of energy.

Blue crystals were the only currency for driving the system and upgrading his physique. But he was currently penniless; his only asset was his life. In this dog-eat-dog world, without strength, everything was meaningless.

"The initial accumulation of capital has always been paved with blood and tears. Either you make others bleed, or you bleed yourself."

Jian Sheng gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He couldn't sit idly by and wait to die; he had to take the initiative.

Just then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

As far as the eye could see, this was the most secluded corner of the black market. The lighting was dim, a stark contrast to the bright lights and bustling activity elsewhere. There were no dazzling array of goods, only a single sign hanging from a coarse cloth, illuminated only by a dim, yellowish light—[Outward Recruitment Office].

According to Xiao's remaining fragments of memory, this place is a gathering place for outlaws of Seven Rings City. Exploration and adventure, venturing deep into the perilous primeval forests and desolate valleys, are high-risk but also high-reward, the only way for the underprivileged to change their fate, and of course, a fast track to hell.

"This is it."

Jian Sheng took a deep breath, suppressed the pounding in his heart, and stepped towards the only light.

"I need to find a job!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness.

Behind the stall, a voluptuous woman in a black leather jacket lazily raised her head. Her makeup was heavy, concealing her true age, but her eyes were sharp as knives, carrying the cold indifference and scrutiny of a powerful figure. With just one glance, Jian Sheng felt an overwhelming sense of murderous intent and alienation.

"I need to find a job!"

Jian Sheng did not back down and repeated himself again, his tone even more resolute.

The woman lowered her eyes again, seemingly assessing her thin "prey." After a full five seconds, she impatiently pulled a yellowed booklet from under the counter and threw it on the table.

"Within three days, fifty teams will head north into the forest and south into the valley." Her voice was hoarse, with a hint of cynicism. "Choose for yourselves. Once you've chosen, see which captain will take in this 'greenhorn'."

Without wasting any words, Jian Sheng opened the booklet directly.

The list was densely packed with various job titles: machine gunner, sniper, mech soldier, demolition expert, guide, mechanic... and even some shady titles, such as "exclusive female companion" and "male companion".

His gaze swept quickly across the room, finally settling on a position—Sniper of the [Star Beast Daddy] team.

"First mission, we have to play it safe."

Jian Sheng quickly made a decision. Sniping, long-range firepower, was relatively safe, and it was his forte. He had received the most professional firearms training in another world, which was the foundation of his livelihood.

He closed the booklet and pushed it back to the woman: "I'm applying to be a sniper for Star Beast Daddy's team."

The woman paused for a moment, then let out a soft laugh, her voice tinged with a hint of mockery: "Oh, little Jerry, looks like your team's in luck today, they've got a knowledgeable guy on the team."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the dark shadows behind the stall.

A man nearly 1.8 meters tall and with a burly build slowly walked out. He was wearing a tattered coat, and his face had a hideous scar that ran from his brow bone to his jaw. His eyes were sinister, and he looked at Jian Sheng as if he were a piece of fat meat delivered to his door.

Jerry, a member of Star Beast Daddy's team.

He first glared at the woman next to him, then looked the thin Jian Sheng up and down, said nothing, and shrank back into the darkness, clearly acquiescing to the "interview".

Ten seconds of silence followed, the air seemingly frozen.

Jian Sheng broke the deadlock first. He looked at Jerry, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable confidence: "Jerry, I'll make a bet with you."

"What are we betting on?" Jerry's voice was low and hoarse, tinged with a hint of wariness.

"We'll bet on marksmanship," Jian Sheng said, enunciating each word clearly. "If my marksmanship is better than yours, this position is mine, and you'll give me an extra three hundred blue crystals. If I lose..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the woman, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "If I lose, I'll join your team and apply for the job of a male companion."

Upon hearing this, the woman covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes filled with even more amusement.

Male companion?

This is an open secret in the black market. For those who spend years on the front lines, risking their lives and escaping danger, months of solitude require someone to meet their physical needs and handle personal matters. It's a shortcut, but also a complete trampling of dignity. Many desperate young people ultimately choose this path.

The woman probably had this in mind when she didn't immediately kick him out.

Jerry clearly understood. He stepped out of the shadows, a mocking grin spreading across his face. He pulled a money pouch from his waist, counted out three crisp blue crystal coins, and slammed them down on the table in front of the woman.

"Good! Kid, this is interesting." Jerry stared at the woman, his tone provocative. "If this kid loses, you're coming with me tonight."

"And what if you win?"

Jian Sheng's voice remained calm, but his eyes were sharp as knives.

"You won?" Jerry scoffed, as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world. "You won. Now, take your money and meet at the entrance of the Third City on the South Seventh Ring Road three days from now, at 8:00 AM sharp. Don't be late. If you're even a second late, I'll make sure you come back rolling in your grave."

"I don't have a gun," Jian Sheng stated directly.

"Heh, just a greenhorn." Jerry scoffed, but still turned around and took out a rugged-looking sniper rifle from under the stall, tossing it to Jian Sheng. "Here you go. It's an SVD-like sniper rifle, 7.62×54R caliber. It's cheap, with average range and accuracy, but it's sturdy and durable."

Jian Sheng caught the gun steadily. Its heavy weight and cold metallic feel instantly calmed him down. He expertly inspected the gun, opened the magazine, and found that the bullets inside were not made of copper, but of steel with a painted coating, resulting in significantly lower ballistic stability and accuracy.

"May I take two minutes to adjust the settings before firing a test shot?"

Jian Sheng made the request. Even with the best skills, a new gun needs a break-in period, and ballistic data needs to be obtained through test firing.

Jerry watched his fluid movements, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he still curled his lip in disdain: "Whatever, don't waste my time."

Without a word, Jian Sheng quickly adjusted his breathing, placed the gun on the table, and began adjusting the scope. His movements were professional and fluid, every detail impeccable. This caused Jerry's expression to change slightly, and he began to take the young man more seriously.

After the adjustments were completed, Jian Sheng raised his head, his eyes sharp as an eagle's: "Can I test fire one shot first, and then we'll officially compete against each other?"

He wanted to test how probability and statistics actually worked in real-world situations.

Jerry nodded: "Shoot anywhere, the target is far away."

Jian Sheng took a deep breath and raised his sniper rifle. Through the scope, he locked onto one of the two blue crystal lights shining at the entrance of the currency exchange, 420 meters away.

[Probability Statistics Startup]

[Target locked: Blue crystal lamp A, 420 meters away]

Current hit rate: 30%

The cold, hard data flashed through his mind instantly. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger the moment the data froze.

"Bang!"

The gunshots were particularly jarring in the silent black market.

A second later, the blue crystal lamp was still on.

"Haha! What are you shooting at, kid?"

Jerry flew into a rage, pointing in the direction of the light, his face turning green with anger. "That's the currency exchange light! You little punk, if you want to die, don't drag me down with you! I hope you get devoured by the Star Beasts this time, leaving not even bones behind!"

He clearly hadn't anticipated that Jian Sheng's target was such a distant light. At night, without professional observation equipment, a distance of over 400 meters is almost impossible to hit with the naked eye. This shot was a complete waste of bullets.

But Jian Sheng ignored his angry outburst.

In his mind, new data is constantly being updated.

[Test Launch Data Reception]

[Ballistic deviation analysis completed]

[Hit rate updated in real time: 80%]

So that's how it is! Although the first shot missed, the "patch" system perfectly analyzed the ballistic deviation through calculation. The second shot's hit rate reached 80%!

"Alright, let's begin."

Jian Sheng lowered his gun, his tone calm, as if the shot he had just fired was merely a warm-up. "My target is still that lamp, the one on the left."

Jerry and the woman beside him were stunned. Then, Jerry burst into wild laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke of the century. Even the woman beside him couldn't help but speak up, her voice carrying a seductive warning: "Little brother, let me give you a piece of advice: losing comes at a price."

"If you can hit it, I'll concede immediately. I'll even pay for the new light." Jerry laughed so hard he almost fell over, clearly not taking him seriously.

"Let's begin then."

Jian Sheng stopped talking nonsense. He firmly planted his right foot on the ground, rested his left elbow on his knee, forming a stable shooting fulcrum. He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

[Probability statistics, precise targeting!]

Accuracy: 80%

Wind speed correction: +0.2

[Distance Correction: Precise]

The data was crystal clear in his mind.

He suddenly opened his eyes, the crosshairs of the scope locked tightly onto the light.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out.

This time, there were no surprises.

Half a second later, the bright blue crystal light at the currency exchange counter went out.

The entire black market fell silent instantly.

Jerry's laughter stopped abruptly, his expression froze, as if he had seen a ghost.

Jian Sheng slowly lowered the gun, picked up the three hundred blue crystal coins from the table, smoothly removed the magazine, checked the chamber, and then gently placed the gun on the table.

"Thanks, little brother Jerry. See you in three days at the South Seventh Ring Road."

After he finished speaking, he didn't glance at the two stunned people again, and turned to leave. The whispers and gasps behind him were irrelevant to him.

In the world of Earth, he could hit his target every time with this gun at a range of 800 meters. At 420 meters, at night without a scope, it was a piece of cake for him.

"Thank goodness, my butt is saved."

Jian Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, but a cold sweat broke out on his back. He couldn't afford to "sell" himself on his first day in this world.

Just then, a system notification sounded in my mind:

[Energy Reserve: 10000 kcal] [Warning: Severe energy deficiency; brain may shut down at any time!]

The energy is still not enough.

Instead of immediately exchanging the blue crystals, he turned around and walked towards the stall that he had just passed by, which sold meerkats.

On the stall, the small, snow-white beast, its breath so faint it was almost invisible, was curled up in a corner, barely clinging to life.

"Boss, how about you name another price for this little white guy?"

Jiansheng walked to the stall, his tone calm.

The shopkeeper was a shrewd old man. He looked Jiansheng up and down, then glanced at the almost lifeless little white beast, and put on a warm smile: "Young man, seeing your sincerity, 250 blue crystal coins, fixed price."

Without saying a word, Jiansheng turned and left.

"Hey! Young man! Wait a minute!" The shopkeeper quickly grabbed him, glanced at the small animal whose life force was rapidly fading, and forced a pained expression on his face. "200! 200 is the lowest I can go! This is a rare albino meerkat!"

Jian Sheng met his gaze, then slowly pulled out a blue crystal coin: "This is all the money I have on me. Sell it, and I'll take it; don't sell it, and I'll leave."

The shop owner hesitated for a full three seconds, his expression shifting from pain to reluctance. Finally, he gritted his teeth and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Sell!"

He quickly stuffed the little white beast into Jiansheng's arms, and immediately resumed his cheerful expression, as if he had gotten a great deal.

"Boss, how do we raise this little guy?" Jian Sheng asked, his tone softening as he held the warm little life in his arms.

"It's super simple!" the owner enthusiastically explained. "For the first three months, feed them milk, then meat and insects. They're very easy to raise!"

"Can I feed him blood?"

Jiansheng suddenly asked.

The boss hesitated for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "Sure! Of course! Blood is the most nourishing food!"

Jian Sheng smiled contentedly, picked up the little beast, and walked briskly towards the currency exchange. He named the little guy Bai Sheng.

"Little one, you are a child without a mother's love. My name is Jiansheng. From today onwards, we will depend on each other for survival."

After exchanging 160 grams of blue crystals, he had 41.5 blue crystal coins left. As he was leaving, he overheard the staff at the exchange counter cursing and swearing while fixing a light, calling out Star Beast Father.

Jian Sheng ignored him and went back to the secondhand armor vendor's stall.

When the boss saw him return, his expression was priceless, as if he'd seen a ghost: "You...you dare come back?"

"Boss, I want to try again." Jian Sheng's tone was sincere, but his eyes were incredibly determined. "This time I'll give you 20 blue crystal coins. If I die, this Bai Sheng, and the 500 grams of blue crystals I have on me, are all yours."

The boss's face twitched as he looked at him as if he were a complete fool. But unable to withstand Jian Sheng's insistence, he finally sighed, "Sigh, young man, you don't know your place. Come on, don't blame me if something goes wrong."

This time, Jian Sheng did not fall into a coma again.

The system notification sound rang clearly in his mind:

[Brain Energy Storage: 1610000 kcal]

[Single-target statistics available: 161 times]

[Crystal Energy Sensitivity: Grade D] [Electromagnetic Susceptibility: Grade D]

[Brain-to-brain fusion rate: 1.000000001%]

A thought struck Jian Sheng, and a deduction formed in his mind: "With each recharge, the fusion level of the two brains will increase slightly. Therefore, the more energy reserves I have and the more frequently I recharge, the higher my fusion level will become."

This is an extremely important discovery!

He decided that he had to figure out what the consequences of the fusion would be before the brain-brain fusion rate reached 20%.

Under the boss's gaze that said, "You're an idiot," Jian Sheng carried Bai Sheng away.

With his last 21.5 blue crystals, he bought a dagger at a black market stall—iron weapons were the most practical and cost-effective weapons in Seven Rings City. He then spent another 3.5 blue crystals on a metal lunchbox and a large bottle of water.

Having filled his stomach and regained some strength, Jian Sheng returned to the lamp at the currency exchange.

Bai Sheng, nestled in her arms, no longer had the strength to even groan; his life was hanging by a thread.

"Bai Sheng, we are all wild grass, and wild grass has the strongest vitality. You will definitely pull through."

Jian Sheng whispered gently. He used a dagger to lightly slice open his left little finger, and a drop of bright red blood seeped out.

He brought his finger to Bai Sheng's lips.

The little creature seemed to smell the sweet dew of life; its previously dying body trembled violently, and it began to suckle rapidly. Its greedy appearance softened Jian Sheng's heart.

A few seconds later, Bai Sheng finished eating, let out a soft whimper of satisfaction, and fell into a deep sleep.

Just then, the system notification sounded again, and this time, the data was exceptionally clear:

[Body's energy reserves: 1607000 kcal]

A storm raged in Jian Sheng's heart.

160 million calories!

This is definitely not the kind of energy reserve that an ordinary human should have!

"It seems that my body is fundamentally different from everyone else in this world."