After resting for a while, the refrigerator that had been moved upstairs using the Levitation Charm no longer required magic to be transported.
Wayne flipped it horizontally onto a small cart from the blacksmith shop and easily rolled it into the net cafe, placing it right next to the warming cabinet against the wall to the right of the entrance.
This setup had cost him 200 gold, plus the 1 gold for the initial stock of ice-cold Coke and popcorn, leaving him with 515 gold.
He returned to the cellar, stuffed his banknotes and saved coins into the coin slot, and spent 150 gold to buy a pair of goggles to replace the ones he had sold to Noggenfogger. Then, he spent another 20 gold on an ergonomic chair for himself. With this, combined with the six existing screens, the net cafe now had six complete sets of equipment.
With 345 gold remaining, he spent 250 gold on a "three-in-one" bundle to get another full set of gaming gear.
Left with 95 gold, it meant he still needed to earn at least 655 gold to buy three more sets to complete the mission and unlock the next "Strategic Battle New Game."
Considering daily expenses, the amount he needed to earn would likely be slightly higher than that figure.
Just as he had done with the fridge, Wayne repeatedly checked outside to ensure no one was around before stealthily locking the cellar door. He moved the newly purchased equipment into the net cafe and installed it.
The net cafe, now packed with seven sets of gaming equipment plus the fridge and warming cabinet, felt a bit cramped. At most, he could squeeze in one more set. He closed the door and began contemplating how to expand the shop's floor space.
At that moment, the sound of rhythmic "crunching" footsteps approached from outside. Before he could react, a series of urgent "thud-thud-thud" knocks rang out, startling Wayne as he sat in deep thought amidst the late-night silence.
He opened the door to find a little girl. Her neck-length black hair was matted with mud and water, and her thin clothes were covered in stains and holes that looked like they resulted from tearing or falling.
"Help... help me!"
The little girl was sobbing uncontrollably, her frail hands clutching Wayne's arm like a lifeline.
Wayne looked up and, sure enough, saw one or two dark figures moving in the distant woods. He pulled the girl toward his side and stepped to the doorway, but stayed within the perimeter of the net cafe.
Within this range, he believed he was invincible even if he didn't lift a finger. Of course, he also knew that whether he "lifted a finger" or not wouldn't make much of a difference...
He couldn't exactly rely on a half-baked Levitation Charm that would exhaust him after one use to fight off enemies. As for rushing out with Hogger's axe for a melee brawl—forget it. The night the Gnolls attacked was a desperate situation; if he hadn't stepped up, everyone would have died once Hogger recovered. But with only one or two enemies now, he absolutely couldn't be reckless.
However, Wayne didn't expect that while he didn't want to engage, the two shadows in the woods had no intention of giving up.
From the left, a tall, slender figure dressed in a black skin-tight suit darted out. Wayne couldn't make out any details; the person moved almost like the Qinggong from martial arts films he'd seen before his crossing, sprinting across the street without kicking up a speck of dust.
The only thing he could see clearly were the two daggers in the person's hands, glowing with an eerie green light. The weapons were drawn—they were prepared to kill.
Boom!
A fireball flew out. The sprinting figure dodged with incredible agility. The fireball missed him, exploding against the ground beside him. The blast sent a wave of heat that blew back his hood, and Wayne discovered this fellow's eyes were also glowing with a dim green light!
The man leaped aside, grabbed a corner of his black cloak, and flicked it; the sparks that had caught on his clothes were instantly extinguished. He charged once more toward Wayne at the net cafe entrance.
Snap!
A Frost Nova exploded at his feet, instantly freezing his legs in ice.
However, only half a second passed before the man reached out with lightning speed to pull out a small vial. He flicked it forward, throwing out a handful of powder. Even in the dim moonlight, the powder instantly emitted a bright, blinding light upon contact with the air.
As the glare subsided, the Frost Nova was gone—and the man had vanished too!
"Flash powder?" "Vanish?!" Wayne couldn't help but blurt out.
The man had disappeared, but his companion in the woods was now charging forward. With wolves in front and tigers behind, this second person was even faster than the first.
Sizzle!
With a sound of intense burning, a pillar of bright flame descended from the sky, slamming toward the second pursuer. Wayne recognized this skill—it was Holy Fire, a divine spell condensed from Holy Light energy that the net cafe's defense mechanism had cast once before.
To Wayne's utter shock, the man grabbed a corner of his cloak and pulled it up. When the Holy Fire struck the cloak, it had absolutely no effect!
"Cloak... Cloak of Shadows?!"
When Wayne said this, not only was he stunned, but the man who had just resisted the Holy Fire also paused momentarily. Wayne couldn't even see the color of this person's pupils; he seemed entirely submerged in the darkness, or perhaps he was a part of the darkness itself.
After that split-second pause, the man charged at Wayne again. On the net cafe's side, Lightning Bolt and Starfire were launched in succession, but all were blocked by the man's cloak, which was wreathed in dark energy.
When the man was less than twenty meters from Wayne, black smoke suddenly erupted from where he stood, and he vanished. Following that was a faint "whoosh" sound. Wayne's pupils contracted sharply because he felt the man had teleported directly behind him!
"Shadow..."
Before Wayne could finish the word "Step," a deafening, earth-shaking roar erupted. The man who had moved behind Wayne and was reaching out to grab his throat suddenly began to tremble violently in place from sheer terror!
Wayne turned around and was stunned by the sight. In the light spilling from the shop, he could see the eyes and strands of hair visible beneath the man's hood and mask—a pair of blue eyes and brown hair styled with a middle part!
But immediately after, a badge-like object at the man's waist, which had been hidden in the darkness, emitted a faint glow. His state of fear was dispelled!
He immediately reached out to grab Wayne, but Wayne's body was shielded by a protective barrier, and the man's hand was bounced away. He tried to grab the little girl, but Wayne immediately stepped between them, and the man's hand was repelled by the barrier once more.
Having been hit by such spells before, Wayne knew he was currently in an invincible state. He immediately moved forward, intending to catch the man.
Sensing that he was about to be exposed under the lights and realizing he could do nothing to Wayne in this place, the man also pulled out a pouch of flash powder. Accompanied by a blinding light, he plunged back into the night and vanished without a trace.
Wayne quickly closed and locked the door, sitting in a chair to calm his racing heart.
"Who the hell... who are you? Just who did you provoke?!"
Though the little girl was terrified, her face covered in dirt and tear tracks, Wayne couldn't help but ask loudly.
The little girl seemed frightened by Wayne's tone and sobbed out, "I... I... my name is Mar... my name is Marry... Tess"