Down on the second floor, Tessia had dinner ready, and Eight Lop was setting the table. As they sat down, Tessia addressed Thomas.
"Boss, as you requested, I spoke to Sergei Arsenyevich Samoilov about the underwater assault rifle. He confirmed he has the blueprints, but they're already reserved. He's not willing to sell them to us."
"Did you ask about the price?"
"Yes. He said if the other buyer backs out, he'd sell them to us for one Calamity Coin."
"One Calamity Coin?" Thomas raised an eyebrow. He'd gleaned as much from Sergei's letter to Caban. The price was steep, but the weapon was essential.
"How's the market today?" he asked Tessia.
"New listings are increasing rapidly," she reported, "but we still hold over 10% of the market share. Medical supplies, weapons, and armor are the most in-demand. Sergei has also started listing a lot of modified weapons, which is impacting our sales. And as you asked about, Mad Dog has begun listing high-value items…" She glanced at Thomas. "They're all counterfeit, though. Do you want us to restrict his selling privileges?"
Thomas chuckled. "No, let him continue. Business as usual."
"Also, Boss, since we acquired a Calamity Coin yesterday, more people are trying to buy them. The price has risen from 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 Apocalypse Coins. If this continues…"
"Don't worry, it's normal. It's only the second day of the Flea Market. Everyone's still adjusting. The price will likely fluctuate. The higher the transaction amounts, the higher the fees they'll pay."
They continued discussing the hideout's operations over dinner. By 9 PM, they were finished. Tessia settled at the intel center computer while Thomas stood on the first floor.
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"Boss, can you hear me?" Tessia's voice came through his tactical headset.
Thomas pressed the transmit button. "Loud and clear."
"I'm heading out. Contact me if anything happens."
He vanished, reappearing inside the hideout of one of the Outlanders in Ram Station. It was a small, 60-square-meter space. The Outlander barely had time to react before Thomas crippled him. After ensuring the Outlander was incapacitated, he looted the hideout, finding little of value. He quickly dispatched the Outlander, adding another Damaged Hideout Deed to his inventory.
As the hideout collapsed, Thomas reappeared in his own hideout, then vanished again, materializing in the second Outlander's hideout. This one was a veteran survivor, but he was no match for Thomas's sudden attack. The hideout crumbled. Ram Station was now clear.
"With those loose ends tied up, it's time for the main event."
He melted into the shadows, heading towards the Anlut Museum, his suspected location of Ghostface's lair, given the warehouse key he'd taken from him. He wasn't planning to explore tonight; his goal was to install surveillance cameras at the museum's entrances.
Once finished, he crossed the street, stopping before a corner clinic, clearly frequented by survivors, judging by the mess inside. He pocketed a stray sterile bandage and followed a downward corridor to a metal door, battered with attempted break-in marks. He produced the Corner Clinic Radiology Room Key he'd found on a refugee after poisoning him at the Trading Center. The refugee had apparently been a radiologist at the clinic and kept the key as a memento.
The door swung open. His flashlight beam revealed another cluttered room, though cleaner than the clinic's main area. He began searching, his eyes drawn to a black device on a table.
[LEDX Skin Transilluminator]
Type: Medical Item
Size: 1x1
Description: A device designed to accurately locate subcutaneous veins.
He pocketed it and spotted a long, slender object.
[Ophthalmoscope]
Type: Medical Item
Size: 1x1
Description: A medical device used for examining the eye.
After thoroughly looting the room, he left, pleased with his finds. Under the cover of darkness, he sprinted towards the Depot. "I need to get some transportation," he thought.
It was nearly 10 PM when he reached the Sparrow City Energy Center, a thirty-story building with a shopping mall on the lower three floors and offices above.
"Boss, can you hear me?" Tessia's voice crackled in his ear.
Finding cover, he pressed the transmit button. "Yes, what is it?"
"The Butcher's crew has been spotted."