Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Amazingly Awesome

Finn Lewis felt a bit cut up, and for good reason: The stuff this alien was selling was out-of-this-world incredible. Just think about it, if he could get his hands on any of that loot, he wouldn’t have to give a damn about anyone on Earth ever again!

Here’s the thing; he saw a complete naval task force listed amongst the exchangeables. Can you imagine the magnitude of that? He often daydreamed about instances where Belmare Country was stirring up trouble again at Shark Island. If only he could materialize a few task force fleets, then he wouldn’t be just daydreaming anymore, and it’d be quite a show to see the look on Belmare’s face.

Of course, he was only complaining for fun at that time, knowing full well that gaining so many assets was far from easy. He enjoyed himself purely for the fantasy of having Belmare at his mercy. Now, with a real opportunity before him, how could he not be excited?

The problem was, these trading conditions were outrageously harsh! Wasn’t he just being teased with incredible things he can’t actually have? The concept of making a profit may seem simple, but one needed to deduct production costs before he could technically profit. When could he earn enough points to exchange for those awesome products?

For example, there were mechs just like in sci-fi films. They didn’t just have the actual product but also had the technical blueprints for it. But for now, apart from items that cost less than 1000 points, every other item available for exchange was listed as locked.

“What does ‘locked’ mean?” asked Finn, pointing at the grayed-out items.

“It means they will be accessible once you have completed some tasks,” responded the alien.

“So you’re saying, you will give me some tasks, sort of like missions in a video game, and once I complete those tasks, I can unlock these products?” Finn clarified, pointing at the list.

“Correct,” answered the alien.

“What tasks?” Finn couldn’t wait to find out, even though he had absolutely no points currently. But he’d figured out in that short span of time that his main source of points would probably come from these tasks. As for making money? To exchange for one point, he needed 10,000 yuan. To get 10,000 points, he needed a billion yuan, and for a million points, he needed a trillion yuan! Several high-end products cost millions to tens of millions of points. Many items were useless if purchased individually, not to mention some ultra-luxury items.

“I will notify you when there are missions,” the alien explained before preparing to leave.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Finn quickly exclaimed.

“What else is there?” the alien inquired, its tone as cold as ever.

“How am I supposed to call you? ‘Hey’? And how do I contact you? Besides, I should be your first appreciator, right? Isn’t there any preferential treatment for early adopters? You said we’d have a chat, right? We really do need to talk- communicate! Do you understand?” Finn blurted out all his questions.

As for things like style and manners, Finn had thrown them out of the window. If he didn’t seize such a great opportunity, wouldn’t that make him a fool? He’d been too stupid before.

“You can name me”, it suggested.

“I can name you? Are you sure?” Finn’s eyes lit up, as he considered names like Fortune Dog, Yellow, etc.

“Sure,” the alien responded, its voice resolute.

“How about Zero? Your voice is so cold, devoid of emotions, much like a number.” Ultimately, Finn ruled out names like Yellow. After all, who knew if the alien would retaliate and knock him out?

“Name confirmed,” it responded, its cold voice not betraying an ounce of human-like emotion as it accepted the name Finn assigned.

“I have another question,” Finn spoke up again.

“Proceed.”

“Those who protected me last night, am I still allowed to use them?” Finn asked cautiously. It was a crucial question.

“As my first-ever agent on Earth, I will provide necessary protection for you,” Zero replied in its usual manner.

“In other words, if I need them, you will provide them for me, right? Perhaps some even more potent safeguards to ensure my safety?” Finn continued prodding, realizing that his question was of pivotal importance. It concerned his own safety. Who knew what kind of dangerous missions this thing would assign to him in the future? What if he had no one to call for help when he was in trouble?

“As I’ve said before, I just provide protection for your safety. As for other matters, I will judge them based on the situation. For instance, if you engage in a fist fight, I won’t interfere,” Zero replied ambiguously. Finn could do nothing but nod in reluctant acceptance.

But nevertheless, Finn was satisfied with the outcome. Snapping his fingers, he said, “Ok, got it. Now all that’s left is the last question. My wealth… My family’s just ordinary, but suddenly there’s one hundred million Flame Nation coins in my account. I think the bank might find that quite irregular, right? What if the police come knocking?”

“I have resolved that issue by providing you with an appropriate identity,” Zero responded.

“Oh? What kind of identity could allow me to casually have a hundred million Flame Nation coins?” Finn was extremely curious. Since Zero claimed to have solved the problem, it meant that Finn’s newfound wealth wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. So, the question was, what kind of identity would allow a mere sophomore student like him to possess a hundred million Flame Nation coins?

“48 hours and 16 minutes ago, the Fruit Computer Co., Ltd. of the North Federation passed a resolution. A talented technician from Cathaysia brought in some major technology and acquired a 4.8% share in Fruit Computer Co., Ltd. He became the largest individual shareholder of the company!” Zero said, its tone unchanged.

Finn was stunned. The Fruit Company was renowned worldwide. Everybody knew what the Fruit Company was selling. Finn himself was using a phone made by them. Now he was the biggest shareholder?!

Inside, Finn was cursing and cheering, “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” to vent his emotions. If not for being in a hotel, he would’ve probably shouted out loud.

He didn’t know how Zero had managed that, but this was just…just…

“Any more questions?” asked Zero, still in its calm and unaffected voice.

“No, none,” stuttered Finn. He was still caught in a storm of thoughts stemming from what he’d just heard.

After a while, as if struck with an idea, Finn rushed towards the computer provided in his hotel room. Opening up the internet, he promptly checked Fruit’s stock prices. Seeing a net value of 650 billion federal coins, Finn was dumbstruck. He grinned like a fool, unable to stop himself.

billion times 4.8%, did that mean the value of the stock he held reached a whopping 31.2 billion federal coins?!

But Zero had just mentioned the decision was passed 48 hours ago. He hadn’t known Zero for 48 hours yet, had he?