18: We are not all good people

Money lost can be earned again, but these two items, especially the Life Serum, are hard currency that even money can't necessarily buy.

With the transaction complete, Lin Yu turned to leave.

But he hadn't taken two steps yet.

"Ding-a-ling—"

The wind chimes at the entrance rang out, sharp and piercing.

The door was violently shoved open with great force, slamming against the wall.

A massive figure blocked the doorway, completely obscuring the already dim light within the shop.

He was an extraordinarily burly man, nearly two meters tall, with muscles that strained against his leather armor, making him look like a moving hill.

He wore a ferocious demon mask on his face, revealing only a pair of bloodshot eyes filled with urgency and irritability.

"Old Ghost!"

The moment the man entered, he let out a beast-like growl.

"Where is the Life Serum I ordered?!"

The smile on Old Ghost's face instantly froze, then he replaced it with a professional, fake smile, though it clearly held a hint of chagrin.

He spread his hands.

"Oh dear, esteemed guest, I'm truly sorry."

"The serum is gone!"

The big man who had just entered immediately flared up; he took a step forward, and the wooden floor of the entire shop groaned under the strain.

"Gone?!"

His voice rose an octave, carrying an uncontrollable rage.

"I clearly reserved it! I even paid the deposit! Do you know I'm waiting for this thing to save a life?!"

Old Ghost maintained his smile, but subtly recoiled.

"Guest, please calm down. Business is business; someone offered too high a price, and as a small business owner, I really couldn't refuse."

He pulled a small wad of cash from under the counter and tossed it onto the table.

"I'll return the deposit. I'll also pay the penalty for breach of contract. My Old Ghost does business in Yaoren Lane, and what I value most are reputation and rules."

"Please understand, this is business, not charity."

The big man stared at the money bag on the table, his breathing growing heavier under the demon mask.

Did he need money?

He needed a life!

Seeing his demeanor, Old Ghost's eyes darted around, and a plan formed in his mind.

He pointed at Lin Yu, who was still standing nearby.

"Besides, if you have any complaints, don't take them out on me."

"The buyer hasn't left yet; it's him."

Lin Yu instantly tensed.

His "Crow" cloak effectively concealed his physique, but it couldn't change his weak attributes. The man at the door, just by standing there, exuded a strong scent of blood and an oppressive aura.

In a direct confrontation, his chances of winning were not high.

The demon mask turned towards Lin Yu, and in those bloodshot eyes, a rage and despair that threatened to erupt burned.

"Is it you?" The man's voice was deep, with a beast-like snarl.

He took a step forward, and the wooden floor of the entire shop groaned under the strain.

Old Ghost gloated, shrinking his neck and hiding behind the counter, only his eyes visible, ready to watch the show.

The rules of the black market forbade fighting in the shop.

But rules are rigid, and people are adaptable. When someone is truly desperate, who cares about rules?

Lin Yu didn't move or speak. He was contemplating a countermeasure.

However, what happened next stunned both Lin Yu and Old Ghost.

The man, like an iron tower, stopped just three steps away from Lin Yu. His massive body trembled violently, and his breathing under the demon mask was as heavy as an old bellows.

"Thud!"

A dull thud.

The man's knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the ground. The hard wooden floor showed two distinct indentations from his knees.

The entire Old Ghost Hall fell into a dead silence.

"Please..."

From beneath the ferocious demon mask, no longer came a roar, but a tearful, utterly humble plea.

"Sell it to me... please..."

Old Ghost peered over the counter, his bird-beak mask askew. In all his years in Yaoren Lane, this was the first time he had witnessed such a scene.

Lin Yu had also completely unexpected this turn of events.

He knelt down?

The burly man seemed unable to bear his inner collapse any longer, tearing off the demon mask to reveal a face covered in sweat and tears.

It was an unusually young face, with an unshakeable childishness in his features, no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.

He was not some battle-hardened tough guy at all, but just a high school student on the verge of a breakdown.

"My name is Zhao Tianyang!" He choked, pulling out his student ID and identity card from his Pregnant, holding them above his head with both hands, offering them in Lin Yu's direction.

"Linzhou No. 1 High School, Senior Class 7! In two days, it's our school's professional awakening ceremony!"

"Please, sell the Life Serum to me! I can't die... I really don't want to die..."

Zhao Tianyang completely broke down, revealing all his cards.

To get a better initial panel during his professional awakening, he listened to others and bought a large number of cheap attribute-enhancing potions through irregular channels.

In a short time, his physical fitness indeed improved rapidly.

But he quickly tasted the bitter consequences. The toxins in those potions accumulated wildly in his body, and his body was on the verge of collapse. A black market doctor clearly told him that if he participated in the professional awakening ceremony in his current physical condition, the impact of the awakened energy would instantly detonate all the toxins in his body, with only one result—death.

The Life Serum was his only hope.

"Five hundred thousand! This is the highest price I can offer!" Zhao Tianyang pulled a black market black card from his pocket, also holding it high, "This is all my parents' life savings, I've brought it all! Please..."

He even threw his identity card and student ID on the ground, just wanting to prove that what he said was true.

He looked as if he was about to say, "I'm a student, give me the item, and an extra fifty yuan for travel expenses."

Old Ghost sighed at the sight.

He knew the kid was telling the truth. Linzhou No. 1 High School's awakening was indeed the day after tomorrow. He was also well aware of the side effects of those illicit potions.

This kid was ruined by his own eagerness for quick success.

But sympathy aside, business is business.

Old Ghost getting this serum through special channels was already doing his best out of pity for the kid. Now that someone was willing to pay almost double the price, there was no reason for him not to sell.

He also needed money; he also had a life to save.

No one was running a charity.

Old Ghost's gaze turned to Lin Yu, and he didn't think this fellow in the mysterious cloak, who had casually spent a million, would be a kind-hearted softy either.