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"Ding!"
"System upgrade successful! Final debugging in progress... Debugging complete!"
A series of crisp notification sounds rang in Lin Mo's mind.
Lin Mo suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked in his consciousness, "System, what new functions or differences are there after the upgrade?"
"After the system upgrade, C-level draws can be used. Each draw costs 1000 Energy Points."
"At the same time, the system has launched an Exchange Mall. Any item that has been drawn can be repeatedly exchanged using Energy Points."
"Exchange Mall?"
With a thought, a blue, virtual interface full of technology unfolded before him. He curiously clicked on the shopping cart-shaped mall icon in the upper right corner of the interface.
However, the sight that greeted him made him somewhat speechless.
On the huge mall interface, the shelves appeared empty, with only a few lonely items listed there, looking quite pathetic.
"Sunglasses"
"Effect: Purely decorative. Perhaps it can make you look cooler?"
"Required Energy Points: 100"
"Basic Stamina Recovery Potion"
"Effect: Restores the user's stamina. The stronger the user, the weaker the effect."
"Required Energy Points: 300"
... "Coin of Misfortune"
"Effect: After tossing, you can designate a target (excluding yourself), causing it to encounter a strong 'misfortune' commensurate with its strength within the next hour."
"Required Energy Points: 5000"
"Hiss--" Lin Mo didn't feel much about the previous items; the price wasn't cheap but wasn't expensive either.
You know, when Asura Kabuto was punched to oblivion by Saitama in his berserk mode, the intense emotions it generated only provided him with a total of 5000 Energy Points.
This coin actually equals all the energy a 'Dragon' level monster can provide? Isn't that a bit outrageous!?
Even if this coin is really that powerful, can it be drawn from an ordinary C-level draw?
"System, come out and explain, what's going on?" Lin Mo called out to the system.
Normally, whenever Lin Mo had any doubts, the system would respond immediately.
But this time, his call was like a stone sinking into the sea, his mind was silent, and the system played dumb.
"System? Hello? Are you there? Don't play dead!" Lin Mo tried calling a few more times, but still got no response.
"Did it put it in the wrong prize pool? It couldn't have secretly given me a special treat, could it?" The more Lin Mo thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
But would the system also be embarrassed? It's quite cute, actually...
"Never mind, it's a good thing anyway. Only a fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal." He shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and turned his attention back to the draw.
He wanted to see what good stuff was in the C-level draw!
"Energy Points - 2000, C-level draw in progress..."
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Energy Points x800"
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Super Stamina Recovery Potion"
Well, he was hoping for some special reward in the first draw, but it turned out he was just daydreaming.
------
Hero Association Headquarters.
"I don't care what methods you use, but in short, you must find an S-Class Hero to promote our new product!"
"Otherwise, just wait for our group to withdraw all of this year's investment!"
A pot-bellied middle-aged man shouted at a group of Association executives, his arrogant and overbearing attitude making everyone present frown.
Behind the man were several mannequins, dressed in several gaudily designed trendy clothes.
These clothes weren't exactly ugly, but the Hero Association executives all looked troubled, yet dared not openly refute him.
They could understand promoting their own products, but shouldn't this kind of thing be handled by celebrities?
Asking a hero to endorse a product already challenged the public image of heroes, and what's more, this person explicitly demanded it must be an S-Class Hero.
But precisely, this man in front of them was one of the Hero Association's largest shareholders, controlling a considerable portion of the Association's operating funds, a patron who absolutely could not be offended.
Everyone was angry but dared not speak.
After the man left, the staff members finally began to talk indignantly.
"This is too much! This is simply an abuse of power, what do they take heroes for?"
"S-Class Heroes are already very busy, how can we bother them with such trivial matters!"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard that Lord KING often patrols the uninhabited areas of Z City recently. Since he went there, the monster disaster report rate has instantly dropped by several times!"
"Lord KING is a true hero!"
... "Alright, everyone, quiet down."
A steady voice rang out, silencing the chattering crowd.
Association executive Sitch rubbed his aching temples, his face full of helplessness. How could he not know that this was putting heroes in a difficult position, but reality was just that cruel.
"He is one of the Association's major shareholders after all. A strained relationship would not benefit us in any way."
Sitch sighed and made a decision: "How about this, we'll first try to contact the S-Class Heroes who currently have free time, explain the situation, and see if any of them are willing to take on this advertisement."
"Jess, put your current work aside for a moment and go contact Lord KING."
The young man named Jess immediately straightened up and nodded solemnly, "Yes, I understand."
"Hmm... To show respect, it's better to go in person. It feels a bit awkward to bother someone with this kind of thing."
------
"Hmm? Asking me to shoot an advertisement for clothes?" Lin Mo said, looking at the somewhat nervous young man in front of him, "Why is the Hero Association suddenly making such a request?"
Jess felt like he was about to cry. No one told him that the pressure of facing Lord KING up close would be so intense!
Previously, looking at photos of Lord KING on screen or in meeting reports, he only felt that he had a powerful aura.
Now that the real person was right in front of him, that invisible aura almost made him breathless.
His tall and burly physique, with his hair meticulously combed back, made the three scars that covered almost half of his face even more prominent, adding a touch of dominance.
Looking at Lord KING, Jess subconsciously translated the other party's calm question in his mind into—
"Does the Hero Association even deserve to make such a request?"
"Ah... Yes... It's like this..." Jess nervously swallowed, feeling his tongue getting tied.
"Because one of the Association's major shareholders suddenly... suddenly said he wanted to promote his group's products, so..."
"The power of capital?" Lin Mo was a little surprised, but he also thought this was a good opportunity.
He was worried about not having enough Energy Points, and wasn't this a perfect opportunity?
With that thought, Lin Mo no longer hesitated. He leaned slightly forward and said to Jess in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll take it. Let's go to the Hero Association now."
"Ah?" Jess was stunned. He had mentally prepared himself to be rejected or even directly kicked out, but he didn't expect Lord KING to agree so readily.
"Okay! Okay! Lord KING, please follow me!" A few seconds later, Jess came back to his senses, a look of ecstasy on his face.
Lord KING... doesn't seem as difficult to deal with as the rumors say. Jess thought to himself, and most of his previous nervousness dissipated.