Chapter 133: Dark Knight
In the previous world, his name should have been erased from history, and yet it still counted toward his mission progress. It could be called the most conscientious task Zhou Ning had ever done.
He clicked to claim the reward, and a prompt appeared on the panel:
[You have received a one-time template card (Superhero) x1. You have gained 120,000 experience. You've unlocked a new hidden mission. Would you like to redeem it?]
The rewards were pretty average—stingily, it only gave him a single-use template card. But since the task itself was simple and had a follow-up, Zhou Ning didn't hesitate to redeem it.
[Heroic Essence]: Only the greatest heroes stay true to themselves. True nobility lies in natural elegance. In over nine simulated worlds, become a hero recognized by the people. Mission Progress: (3/9)
[Mission Tip]: As long as you stay true to yourself, this task isn't difficult. The hard part is sticking with it. You've got this, great hero!
Mission Reward: Unknown
Fair enough—pretty much what he expected. Unlike the writing missions, which to Zhou Ning felt like torture, this one was hands-free. As long as he kept going, the rewards would come on their own.
He opened the reward from his inventory and selected "use." A burst of black light exploded, revealing Zhou Ning clad in a black bat-themed battle suit and a jagged black cape.
In the darkness, he crouched in a half-squat atop a skyscraper.
In the upper-left corner of the card, a line of silver lightning spelled out the name:
Dark Knight · Zhou Ning.
[Name: Dark Knight · Zhou Ning]
[Personality: Calm, rational, disciplined, emotionally intelligent, obsessive-compulsive]
[Innate Abilities: Gun Master (Purple), Insomnia (Gray), Learning Aptitude (Gold), Nemesis Bane (Gold), Money Power (Purple)]
[Skills: Disguise (Intermediate), Firearms Mastery (Master-level), Swordsmanship (Expert-level), Combat Techniques (Grandmaster-level), Scientific Research (Master-level); too many to list.]
(Note: This template includes a full set of Batman gear, including the Batmobile, Batsuit, and more.)
This... Batman? Zhou Ning sucked in a sharp breath.
Was this a jackpot?
With two gold-grade innate abilities and a skill list too long to fit on one screen, this was easily one of the strongest templates Zhou Ning had ever seen. Compared to the previous Mad Clown template, it made him respect just how survivable that guy had been.
The only downside was that Dark Knight · Zhou Ning was just a one-time-use template. Zhou Ning planned to use it during a rewind. Regardless of whether he cleared the world or not, if he could draw Batman's gear or inherit some of his talents and skills, it would be a huge boost.
Once he finished taking inventory of his rewards, Zhou Ning glanced over at his achievements panel. At some point, a new row of achievements had been quietly completed.
Achievements:
[Don Juan] (No attribute bonus)
[Silence Is Golden] (No attribute bonus)
[Heart of a King] (No attribute bonus)
[Modern Era] (No attribute bonus)
Achievement series [Classic Film Tetralogy (Part 1)] completed. You have gained 40,000 experience. A new hidden mission has been unlocked.
Hidden Mission (Triggerable under special conditions):
[History Enthusiast]: As a lover of history, you are fascinated by forgotten tales of the past. Try to collect five or more extraordinary items that are over 100 years old, whether in reality or in simulated worlds. (3/5)
[Mission Tip]: Make smart use of your Money Power and choose the right worlds to travel to. This task isn't that difficult. Good luck, history enthusiast!
Mission Reward: Random
As the mission tip said, this was another task that could be solved with money. Zhou Ning couldn't help but lose faith once again in the thickness of his own wallet.
As the saying goes: there's never enough money, and never enough sleep.
Zhou Ning took a hot shower and came out feeling refreshed. Though he still had a lot to do the next day, after the last simulation, he'd decided that the granny who tagged along with him was actually someone he could get along with. She really showed up when it mattered. He figured he should treat her better—maybe let her indulge her card-playing addiction a little.
It's not that Zhou Ning didn't want to play. It's just that after several rounds, where he'd been playing entirely on Molly's behalf, his standing in the card-playing world had plummeted. Now even total newbies could beat him. It was honestly a bit demoralizing.
At 2 a.m., under Molly's brilliant guidance and with a 1-8 win-loss record, Zhou Ning finally donned his sleep cap to protect his hairstyle and collapsed into sleep, utterly exhausted.
His dreams were full of scattered fragments—getting beaten again and again.
...
Early the next morning, Zhou Ning was woken up by the noise outside. He could hear John and Fred chattering away, excitedly discussing the contents of the booster packs.
Zhou Ning blinked, only just remembering that today was the official launch of Yu-Gi-Oh. He also recalled his own suggestion—that John would hire a bunch of girls to cosplay—and realized those girls must have cost him a fortune.
Over the past couple of days, John had run tons of ads in The Bryston Observer, a paper targeted at upper-class citizens and intellectuals. Thanks to that, lots of people had learned about this novel new game. Apparently, it had worked—John said people were already inquiring about the cards.
Zhou Ning dragged himself out of bed with great effort, got dressed in a shirt, vest, and tie, then threw on a black coat. When he stepped outside, he saw John all dressed up as well, fiddling with a set of cards.
"Morning," Zhou Ning greeted casually, grabbing a piece of bread from the table. He nibbled at it while reading the morning paper.
The front-page headline reported tensions between the neighboring Byron Republic and the island nation of Lavendel to the southwest. Zhou Ning didn't particularly care.
After a few idle exchanges, John checked his pocket watch and stood up, brimming with excitement. "It's almost time. Want to come have a look?"
Zhou Ning nodded nonchalantly. "Sure, but I won't be staying long. Got other stuff to do today."
"Just being there is enough. A king from the Four Heroes era once said: life needs a sense of ceremony," John said offhandedly.
Zhou Ning: …
He almost lost control of his expression. That was definitely something he himself had said at some point.
The store John rented was close to Zhou Ning's alchemy shop—barely a ten-minute walk. When the two arrived at the street corner, they saw a whole crowd of cosplayers already gathered.
The girls were dressed in a variety of professional-looking cosplay outfits. The harpy girls alone had wings that looked exactly like the real thing, which left Zhou Ning quietly amazed.
"What do you think? Not bad, right? I spent a fortune based on your suggestion," John said, nudging Zhou Ning with his elbow and grinning.
"They're great," Zhou Ning replied, squinting as he surveyed the crowd. All of them were stunning and well-endowed. He asked without thinking, "How much did you spend?"
"I hired 70 people to perform in the Dock District, Canal District, and Trade District—three high-traffic areas. It'll last a whole month. Total cost: just under 1,000 Vecktas," John said breezily.
1,000 Vecktas?! Is his money blowing in from the wind or something?
Zhou Ning once again marveled at the disparity of the world.
That said, the ad campaign clearly worked. First, the card enthusiasts led by the chubby Fred swarmed into the store, buying booster packs like they were free. Then, curious passersby were lured in by the wave of beautiful women and streamed into the shop.
John's pricing strategy had followed Zhou Ning's advice precisely. It hit the sweet spot—affordable for the middle class. One pack for 2 Roshens.
Inside, bursts of excited shouting could be heard now and then.
The store had opened around 8 a.m., and by 10, they had already racked up about 100 Vecktas in revenue—even with the 20% grand opening discount.
Zhou Ning finally let out a sigh of relief. Barring any accidents, this wave was a guaranteed success.
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