pjbooks Chapter 196 5-Star Skill? Star Reward!
Chapter 196 5-Star Skill? Star Reward!
Chapter 196 Five-Star Skill? Ten-Star Reward!
Ping-a-ling—two long-stemmed champagne glasses clinked together, and as the dense bubbles churned, they made their first intimate contact with the tip of the tongue. "It's much sweeter than I expected." The moment it entered his mouth, Ma Jie frowned. He had suspected it was fake earlier, and now he was even more convinced.
"Don't be a coward, kid." In contrast, Mike seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and took the opportunity to educate him: "The brewing process back then required a lot of sugar to balance the acidity. It had been lying at the bottom of the sea for over a hundred years, so the residual sugar content was about 10 times that of today. Remember these points; you'll need them to pick up girls later."
Picking up girls? Ma Jie laughed unkindly: "Dude, what kind of girl do you need to drink such expensive wine to pick up?"
Mike held his glass, took a slow sip, and looked down at the family photo on the opposite wall: "Look at that bitch in the photo. Twenty years ago, she was still working in a strip club in North Yankton, entertaining men. If I hadn't rescued her from her misery, she would be just like those old prostitutes with peeling skin and loose skin, no one would bother her except for homeless people and illegal immigrants."
"It can't be that bad, Mike. After all, she's still your wife."
Listening to his complaints, Ma Jie thought it was a bit much, but Mike bluntly said, "Not really? If your wife were cheating on you with other men, would you then be telling me it's not that serious? Last time she said she wanted to learn tennis, but instead of learning tennis, she slept with her tennis coach right there in my bed!"
"I paid that bastard $150 an hour just to have sex with my wife?"
"And guess what he said? He said he thought Amanda and I had already planned it, that I authorized him to do it that way. Am I fucking crazy? What kind of idiot would have this kind of fetish!"
Uh...you know what, you really do know, once you learn how to use a VPN, you'll find that there are quite a few people who enjoy this kind of thing.
Moreover, this is on the North American server, where many successful middle-aged couples even play their own games separately.
After airing his dirty laundry, Mike downed the champagne in one gulp, stretched out on the sofa, and exhaled while gazing up at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling: "You know what, bro, I don't care how much money she spends. Men earn money to spend on women, but I can't tolerate..."
Just as Mike was continuing to pour out his grievances, a jarring laugh came from upstairs.
"Haha, buddy, are you some kind of hermaphrodite? Are you just naturally inclined to wear women's clothes?"
"Go to hell, you bitch, go back into your mother's womb and reset to factory settings."
Hearing these foul curses, Mike's interest vanished instantly. He stopped pouring the wine and went up the stairs.
Ma Jieke followed out of curiosity and discovered that the sound was coming from a bedroom with the door open.
An overweight, fat man is lying in bed, playing a shooting game with a PS5 controller. On the opposite wall hangs an expensive large-screen LCD TV.
"Jimmy, what are you doing here?" Mike walked straight up to him and questioned, "My friend is here as a guest, can't you be a little quiet?"
"Get out of my way." Because the microphone was blocking his game screen, the kid habitually swore, "Go watch your boring entertainment programs or porn, don't interfere with my game."
"Shit, you lazybones!" Being ridiculed in front of his friends, Mike's little volcano finally erupted. He grabbed a chair and swung it at the TV.
Bang! The TV screen was smashed, and the intense gunfight scene instantly turned black.
Startled, the fat guy sat bolt upright in bed. Mike pointed at his nose and yelled, "You foul-mouthed brat, let Daddy teach you what manners are!"
"You smashed my TV. I bought it specifically to play video games. I can't believe you would do this."
Jimmy pointed at the television, which was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and instinctively took two steps back, his tone full of complaint: "Mom's right, you don't understand anything, you can't control your emotions, you're a jerk, you just want to be a tyrant in this house, control Mom, control me, control my sister, and make everyone live the way you like, only then will you be satisfied, right?"
"A tyrant?" Mike was incredibly agitated. "You guys have started describing me like that behind my back? Okay, if I'm a tyrant, why are you still standing there? Why don't you hit me? Come overthrow this dictator and acknowledge that yoga instructor who's having an affair with your mother in the yard as your father!"
"Is that really what you're thinking? Getting beaten up by your son?"
"I..." Faced with his son's backtalk, Mike was speechless for a moment, but regained some of his composure and continued, "I'm just annoyed by the way you are now. From childhood to adulthood, what have you done besides eating junk food and playing video games? If you continue to be so decadent, your life will become meaningless."
"Oh my god, are you playing God, Dad?" Jimmy's reaction was like most rebellious teenagers: "Go to hell and guide this little lamb back from the wrong path! Where's the halo behind your head? Where's the Bible in your hand? Where's your white robe and cross? Life has no meaning, most people waste their time. If others can do it, why can't I?"
"At least..." Mike hesitated, then said, "At least we can do something together, instead of living in the same house like strangers."
"What for?" Jimmy looked up, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Going to rob a bank with you?"
"Of course not." When his son brought up the past, Mike changed the subject: "Walk? Play some ball?"
"You know I have a bad pancreas; it can cause me to collapse or even die."
"Then let's ride a bike. Riding a bike doesn't require much physical exertion."
"Cycling? You want to go cycling?" Jimmy's eyes cleared up immediately. "Okay, let's go cycling then, but I'll decide the location. Let's go to Wespucci Beach. I happen to have something I want to show you, and I hope you won't be too surprised."
Listening to the conversation between the father and son, the only thing that impressed Ma Jie was that these guys were also named Jimmy. However, this was a very common name, and it was normal for people to have the same name. As long as you just assume in your mind that he is the older Jimmy and the younger Jimmy is the younger Jimmy, it's not that easy to break the immersion.
"Sorry Jack, I made you laugh." Mike looked at him apologetically. "I didn't drink enough tonight, I'll treat you another time. But I'd like to invite you for a bike ride now, you won't refuse, will you?"
"I have no objection." Ma Jie glanced at Jimmy, who forced a smile from his greasy face. "Me neither. You're the youngest of my dad's friends I've ever met, at least in appearance. You're much better looking than that weirdo Trevor. Once..."
"Jimmy! Shut your mouth tight!"
Mike interrupted him forcefully, seemingly unwilling to mention this old friend.
However, Majab obtained an important clue: it seems that Trevor and Michael are old acquaintances, and the legendary Los Santos Three will reunite in the near future. There will be quite a show to watch then.
On the way to the beach in Mike's Oberonian spy car, MaJack happened to open the mission panel to collect money.
The previous five-star mission has been completed because you successfully infiltrated Mike's house and secretly made your own mark. The mission progress has now increased to 3/3.
[Golden Upgrade Pack (Consumable)]: Randomly upgrades 7 basic skills on your skill panel. (This effect can be triggered repeatedly for the same skill)
【Targeted Training (Consumable)】: Select a basic skill you already possess and upgrade it by 4 levels.
【Comeback (Consumable)】: Delete all your skills and randomly replace them with other skills. If the skill is a basic skill, the reward level is increased by 1.
"Hiss... Looking at these three five-star skills, Ma Jieke's first reaction was to curse. They're all resource-consuming skills, how am I supposed to play?"
However, upon closer inspection of the skill description, it doesn't seem like a bad idea.
First of all, the Gold Upgrade Pack is obviously useful because its skill system is carefully selected and constructed, so you won't lose money no matter which one you upgrade.
The so-called basic skills refer to skills with an "Iv?" level suffix. Skills without a level suffix are non-basic skills.
To get a clearer picture of the strength, Ma Jie quickly reviewed the skill panel and sorted all the skills with levels from highest to lowest.
【美式居合|v6】【汽车驾驶|v5【综合格斗|v4【溜门撬锁|v3】【飞檐走壁|v2】
【游泳健将|v2】【水管工lv1】【荒野求生lv1】【汽车维修lv1】【直升机驾驶Iv1】
There are ten skills in total. The first three are top-tier (T0) skills and should be prioritized for maxing out.
Apart from wilderness survival, the remaining skills are all versatile and generally applicable to urban scenarios.
The most unique of these is helicopter piloting, because although this skill is listed as lv1, it is quite difficult to obtain. Level 1 is worth about two and a half stars, rather than the one star as stereotypically believed.
Therefore, Ma Jieke directly chose the [Targeted Training] skill. According to the skill description, he could actively select a basic skill he already possessed and upgrade it to four levels.
This means that if you use it to upgrade driving and shooting, the cost-effectiveness is just so-so, but if you use it to upgrade [Helicopter Piloting], it's like getting a ten-star skill strength for free.
Although the [Golden Upgrade Pack] also has a chance to upgrade [Helicopter Piloting], with ten skills combined, the upgrade probability is only 10%. If you're unlucky, you might not get it even once after seven upgrade attempts.
So if you want to play it safe, it's better to focus on targeted training. A stable 10-star reward is much better than gambling, isn't it?
As for the "comeback" option, I would never choose it without having suffered a stroke for ten years.
Are you just going to throw away the skill set I've painstakingly built up?
Everything else is irrelevant, but core combat skills like driving, shooting, and hand-to-hand combat have absolutely no substitutes.
After careful analysis, Ma Jieke resolutely chose the [Targeted Training] option. Looking at his skill level soaring to [Helicopter Piloting Iv5], he felt a surge of exhilarating satisfaction.
Damn it, I don't have to be a complete noob anymore, unable to even land properly. From now on, I can soar through the skies to my heart's content!
While this level of piloting skill can't compare to that of a veteran like Trevor, based on past experience, it's at least equivalent to that of an Air Force pilot.
Soon after, the Oberon agents arrived at Wispucci Beach. The three of them went to the bicycle rental shop and rented three bicycles specifically for tourists.
"Young men, how about a race?" Mike suggested, straddling his bicycle, seemingly wanting to prove he was still going strong despite his age.
"OK, the finish line is at the pier." Jimmy pointed to the coastline not far away. "If I win, you have to buy me a new TV."
After the kid finished speaking, before even calling "start," he took the lead and pedaled off. Seeing this, Mike chased after him, afraid of losing to his son. Jack, on the other hand, had no competitive spirit and leisurely rode his bike, enjoying the scenery.
Like Santa Monica Beach, which I visited before, Wispucci Beach also has good infrastructure, with rows of coconut trees and sports fields.
The sea breeze blowing in my face was neither hot nor dry, and it was humid with a faint salty taste. It felt wonderful.
As Majesty sped along the bike path, several hot girls in bikinis were playing beach volleyball, which forced him to slow down and quietly enjoy the gift from nature.
After riding for about ten minutes, he began to accelerate and sprint. He thought he had been left far behind, but he actually caught up with Jimmy.
As it turns out, a couch potato is a couch potato; even a leisurely activity like cycling can leave him panting and exhausted.
When the two rode to the dock, Mike was already waiting at the finish line. He first glanced at the leisurely-looking Jack, then looked at his son who was lying on the ground with his bike: "Hey, look at you, you're such a wimp. Looks like you'll have to buy your own TV. If Jack hadn't let you win, you wouldn't have even gotten second place."
"Huff...huff..." Jimmy got up, supporting himself on his knees with his hands, his forehead covered in cold sweat: "Wasn't it a wonderful time for father and son? But please, Dad, next time you're troubled by a midlife crisis, could you please bother someone else, like Trish?"
"Tracy?" Mike shook his head slightly and retorted, "Shut up, Jimmy. As far as I know, Tracy isn't like you, staying at home every day playing video games with a can of chips, nor would she secretly sell my yacht because she's short of money."
"That's because she's too busy; she's busy getting laid by men all the time."
"Don't talk about your sister like that. She's much more sensible than you!"
"Really, Dad? But I saw the photos she posted on social media, and I know she was hanging out with some porn crew this afternoon." Jimmy said, pointing to the three-story luxury yacht docked at sea: "Your boat looks like a refugee raft next to that behemoth. Have you ever seen a boat like that? It can make young, sexy girls take off their pants and spread their legs, like my sister Tracy, because she's on that boat right now, having a blast."
"So that's why you set the finish line here? You bastard!"
Upon learning his son's true intentions, Mike's face turned pale with anger. After hesitating for a moment, he looked at MaJack and said, "Buddy, I'm going to get my daughter back. If you're willing to help me, I'll definitely repay you."
"Alright, buddy." MaJack couldn't refuse Mike's request, so he quickly took off his shirt and ran side by side to the edge of the dock.
Splash...splash...the two jumped into the Pacific Ocean, splashing up huge sprays of water, and swam vigorously toward the yacht.