334: Chapter 334 The Alliance Collapses, Silent Counterattack Kills the Night Raid Trio

After Lin Chen's member announcement was sent out, the Novice Village channel exploded for three hours.

Those players who were still on the fence finally couldn't sit still after seeing the weapon shop, general store, and clinic all labeled with "20% Member Discount." Some cursed as they paid the 100 membership fee, some gritted their teeth and took out loans to join, and others tried to bypass Lin Chen's system to trade on their own—only to find they couldn't even enter the doors of any core assets.

At 8 PM, Lin Chen's cash reserves broke through 50,000 game coins.

He sat in the bar, drinking low-quality liquor automatically generated by the system, looking at the Novice Village asset distribution map on the wall. On the map, 14 light spots glowed with a green "Acquired," while three red light spots remained, hanging lonely at the edge of the map.

The Stable, the mine, and the Pawnshop.

He opened the detailed information for these three assets.

【Stable】

Owner: Iron Bull (Player ID)

Estimated Value: 1,500 Game Coins

Current Status: Normal Operation

Holder Privilege: Can tame mounts, increasing player movement speed

Note: This player is purchasing large quantities of fodder, suspected of preparing to hoard for speculation

【Mine】

Owner: Cobra (Player ID)

Estimated Value: 1,200 Game Coins

Current Status: Partially Suspended

Holder Privilege: Can mine Spirit Stones, used for weapon enchantment

Note: This player just took out a loan of 1,000 game coins three days ago, suspected of tight cash flow

【Pawnshop】

Owner: Silent (Player ID)

Estimated Value: 1,000 Game Coins

Current Status: Normal Operation

Holder Privilege: Can appraise items, provide small loans

Note: This player never participates in public channel chat, mysterious whereabouts

Lin Chen looked at those notes and smiled.

“Iron Bull is hoarding fodder? Then let him hoard. Cobra is short on cash? Then let him be even tighter. As for this Silent...”

He paused, opened the private chat channel, and typed a line:

「Silent, got time to chat?」

Three seconds later, the other party replied:

「?」

Lin Chen: 「I know you have someone backing you.」

The other party was Silent.

Lin Chen continued: 「The estimated value of your Pawnshop is only 1,000, but three days ago you used it as collateral to borrow 5,000 from the system. 5,000 is enough to buy up all the remaining assets in the Novice Village. Where did you get that kind of credit?」

The other party was Silent for another five seconds.

Then replied:

「What do you want?」

Lin Chen smiled.

「I don't want anything. Just wanted to tell you that I've already bought out that 5,000 loan of yours.」

The other party: 「?」

Lin Chen opened the system and pulled up a transfer record.

The record showed: Three minutes ago, the system sold Cobra's loan debt rights to Lin Chen for 1,200 game coins.

Cobra's loan principal was 1,000, interest was 200, total price 1,200. Lin Chen bought the debt rights at this price; he was now Cobra's creditor.

Silent looked at that record and was Silent for ten seconds.

Then replied:

「Why did you buy his debt?」

Lin Chen: 「Because he's the weakest link in your alliance.」

Silent: 「How do you know about our alliance?」

Lin Chen smiled.

「Your two companions, Iron Bull and Cobra, just had a secret meeting at the mine for half an hour. My Yin Soldiers were standing at the mine entrance for half an hour, and none of you noticed?」

Silent went Silent.

Lin Chen continued: 「You wanted to unite to drive up asset prices so I couldn't afford them. Not a bad plan. But you forgot one thing—」

He paused:

「In the game of capital, it's never the side with more people that wins.」

Silent was Silent for a long time this time.

So long that Lin Chen thought she wouldn't reply.

Then she sent a message:

「How do you want to play?」

Lin Chen smiled.

「Simple. You help me, I help you.」

「How?」

Lin Chen opened a contract and sent it over.

The contract content was simple: Silent would use the Pawnshop as collateral to borrow 5,000 game coins from Lin Chen, with an annual interest rate of 10% and a term of three days. In exchange, Silent must quit Iron Bull and Cobra's alliance and report fake intelligence to them in real-time.

After reading the contract, Silent was Silent.

「You're making me a mole.」

Lin Chen nodded.

「Yes.」

「On what basis?」

Lin Chen pulled up another set of data.

「On this basis.」

The data showed: The true valuation of the Pawnshop wasn't 1,000, but 3,000. Because in the Pawnshop's basement, there was a hidden cache of first epoch relics—which Silent had accidentally discovered three days ago and hadn't had time to process yet.

Silent's expression changed.

「You... how did you know?」

Lin Chen smiled.

「There's been a Yin Soldier standing at your Pawnshop entrance for three days. You thought it was there to monitor you? It was there to scan the underground.」

Silent was completely Silent.

Three seconds later, she replied:

「I'll sign.」

The contract took effect.

Lin Chen's camp gained a mole.

Meanwhile, deep in the mine.

Iron Bull and Cobra were sitting on a pile of ore, arguing heatedly.

“Damn it, that kid is too devious! All 14 assets were snatched up by him!” Iron Bull punched the wall, causing ore to rattle and fall.

Cobra pushed up his glasses and analyzed calmly:

“He has money, resources, and manpower. A head-on clash won't work. We have to use our wits.”

“How?”

Cobra lowered his voice:

“The three of us unite and form an alliance. The Stable, the mine, and the Pawnshop will share resources and present a united front. No matter how much money he has, he can't take all three at once.”

Iron Bull's eyes lit up.

“Makes sense! What does Silent say?”

Cobra opened communications.

“Silent, do you agree?”

Three seconds later, Silent replied:

“Agree.”

Iron Bull laughed loudly.

“Good! From now on, we are the Big Three of the Novice Village!”

He stood up and thundered a fist against his chest.

“Let that kid Lin Chen see what unity is all about!”

Cobra smiled as well.

But he didn't know that after sending “Agree,” Silent sent another message to Lin Chen:

「They've taken the bait. What's next?」

Lin Chen replied:

「Wait.」

Early the next morning, a notice was posted at the entrance of Lin Chen's bar:

「Starting today, this shop will charge a 100% markup for all non-members.」

The players who hadn't joined yet went completely crazy. Some whipped out their last game coins to join on the spot, some tried to rush into the bar to argue but were blocked by Yin Soldiers. Others knelt at the door, begging Lin Chen for mercy.

Iron Bull stood in the distance, watching this scene with a cold laugh.

“Let him be arrogant. Once the three of us unite, let's see how arrogant he can be then.”

He turned and strode toward the mine.

In the mine, Cobra was counting inventory. Seeing Iron Bull come in, he looked up.

“Iron Bull, there's something I need to tell you.”

Iron Bull frowned.

“What is it?”

Cobra was Silent for a second.

“My loan debt rights were bought by Lin Chen.”

Iron Bull was stunned.

“What?!”

Cobra smiled bitterly.

“Now he's my creditor. If he forces me to pay back the money and I can't produce 5,000, the mine will go to him.”

Iron Bull's face turned green.

“Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?!”

Cobra shook his head.

“I just found out myself. The system notification was sent last night, but it only reached my hands this morning.”

Iron Bull gritted his teeth.

“Then what do we do?”

Cobra was Silent.

At that moment, Silent's communication came in.

“Iron Bull, Cobra, something's happened.”

Iron Bull's heart sank.

“What happened?”

Silent's voice was urgent:

“Lin Chen just sent someone to the Pawnshop saying he wants to buy my shares. I refused. But he offered a very high price—3,000 game coins for 50% equity in my Pawnshop.”

Iron Bull's eyes lit up.

“3,000? Isn't your Pawnshop only worth 1,000?”

Silent was Silent for a second.

“He might have discovered the secret of the basement.”

Iron Bull and Cobra looked at each other.

Cobra asked: “What secret?”

Silent hesitated for a moment, then said:

“In the Pawnshop basement, there's a cache of first epoch relics. They're worth at least 2,000.”

Iron Bull's eyes lit up even more.

“Then are you going to sell?”

Silent shook her head.

“Not selling. But I can pretend to sell.”

Iron Bull was stunned.

“What do you mean?”

Silent lowered her voice:

“I'll pretend to negotiate with him to stall him. You guys take the opportunity to acquire assets from other players. By the time he reacts, we'll already have enough bargaining chips.”

Iron Bull slapped his thigh.

“Great idea!”

Cobra, however, frowned.

“Would he be that stupid?”

Silent smiled.

“He won't be. But we can make him 'think' we're very stupid.”

Cobra was Silent for three seconds.

Then he nodded.

“Fine. Let's do it.”

The communication was cut off.

In the mine, Iron Bull had already begun counting his fodder inventory, preparing to sell it at a high price.

Cobra, however, stood where he was, unmoving.

He looked at the ores and suddenly asked himself:

Was what Silent just said true?

He didn't know.

But he knew that this game was becoming more and more complex.

Meanwhile, in the bar.

Lin Chen was drinking tea.

Zhang Hao appeared behind him at some point—this Lackey ranked 98th in the True Game had finally crawled out of that gag dungeon. He was covered in injuries, but his face wore his signature fawning smile.

“Boss! I finally found you!”

Lin Chen looked at him.

“You're out?”

Zhang Hao nodded.

“That dungeon was too perverted! It wanted me to prove the 'rationality of a Lackey's existence'! How the hell was I supposed to prove that?!”

Lin Chen smiled.

“So did you prove it?”

Zhang Hao scratched his head.

“In the end, I wrote a copy of 'The Self-Cultivation of a Lackey' and gave it to the examiner. The examiner looked at it for three seconds and said 'Pass'.”

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

“'The Self-Cultivation of a Lackey'? You wrote it?”

Zhang Hao shook his head.

“I copied it. Copied the words you used to scold me with in the past.”

Lin Chen: “...”

Zhang Hao leaned in and asked quietly:

“Boss, what's the situation now? I heard you've monopolized 14 assets, and there are only three left?”

Lin Chen nodded.

“Those three are currently forming an alliance.”

Zhang Hao was stunned for a moment.

“An alliance? What are they trying to do?”

Lin Chen smiled.

“They want to be the second-largest shareholder.”

Zhang Hao scratched his head.

“Second-largest shareholder? There's a second-largest shareholder in the Novice Village?”

Lin Chen pointed to the three red dots on the map.

“If their alliance succeeds, they can pull together 5,000 game coins worth of assets. 5,000 is enough to buy 14% of my shares.”

Zhang Hao's expression changed.

“Boss, then what do we do?”

Lin Chen stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, Iron Bull and Cobra were having a secret talk at the mine entrance. They thought no one was watching, but they didn't know Lin Chen's Yin Soldier was standing in the shadows just three meters away.

Lin Chen smiled slightly.

“Wait.”

Zhang Hao was stunned.

“Wait for what?”

Lin Chen turned and looked at him.

“Wait for them to deliver themselves to our door.”