My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 196 - 160: Viper

Fang Zhen followed the jet bridge out of the plane and quickly found the ground transport agent.

It was his first time in Houston, but it wasn’t the first time his company’s vice president, He Yilin, had arranged for someone to come here for a business inspection. He Yilin had resources, including local transport companies and related services.

Asking He Yilin to find a reliable channel for buying guns would have been difficult for him, but finding a business transport service was quite easy.

The person who came to pick up Fang Zhen was a young Chinese man, but he no longer looked like someone from mainland China. His style of dress was somewhat hip-hop influenced. He could speak Mandarin, and after a few words, he seemed more reliable than he looked.

The vehicle the agent had prepared was a black Toyota SUV. The young agent took Fang Zhen’s carry-on suitcase, put it in the car, and then prepared to drive to Houston’s Upper City District.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is about thirty-three kilometers from Houston’s metropolitan area. Along the way, Fang Zhen and the young agent made small talk.

"So, what kind of business brings you here, boss?" the young agent asked as he drove, his words carrying a slight Minnan accent.

"Exporting some motorized tricycles and mini cars, that sort of thing," Fang Zhen replied casually.

This was the business scope he had used for his visa application. In reality, it was just the domestic three-wheelers and "old-man-happy" cars.

It might not sound very high-end, but these two types of vehicles were supposedly incredibly popular abroad.

"Oh? That’s a lucrative business," the young man said, his interest piqued. "The foreigners here love those two types of vehicles. Don’t be fooled by the fact that they all own cars; they aren’t always willing to drive them. The most common use case is for the last mile from their homes to the supermarket."

"The motorized tricycles are amazing. They can handle steep inclines, they’re fuel-efficient, and they can carry a lot. The locals here especially love them. On Fridays, lots of people drive them out to do their shopping."

Fang Zhen smiled but didn’t continue the conversation on that topic.

"How’s the safety situation in Houston?" he asked.

At this question, the young agent’s expression changed. He then gave a wry smile and said, "Not great."

"The crime rate has dropped in recent years, but security is very weak in some areas. Don’t wander around at night, and especially don’t leave neighborhoods you’re familiar with. Otherwise, you could easily get robbed or even shot."

"In the national rankings, Houston is the ninth most dangerous city in America, with a crime index over 63. You’ve probably heard about it back in China, boss. In short, it’s not very safe. It’s best to move around as little as possible."

Fang Zhen nodded upon hearing this.

The thirty-something-kilometer drive was completed in less than an hour. The young agent dropped Fang Zhen off at a place called the Oak Hotel in Houston’s Upper City District.

His room had already been arranged and booked.

The Oak Hotel had a decent environment, and the prices weren’t low. The suite Fang Zhen booked was eight hundred US Dollars a night, which he felt was a bit expensive.

But as the saying goes, ’be frugal at home, but generous on the road.’ Besides, the hotel’s security was quite good.

The young agent and Fang Zhen had already exchanged contact information. If he needed a car, he could call him.

Before leaving the country, Fang Zhen had swapped to a local SIM card that worked here, so communication was not an issue.

He checked into a suite on the sixth floor of the hotel. The room was designed in an understated but luxuriously furnished black, white, and gray style. It had a living room and a balcony, with a round table and chairs in the living room. The overall space wasn’t exceptionally large, about seventy or eighty square meters.

After setting down his carry-on suitcase, Fang Zhen picked up his phone and used an international chat app called Tele to send a message to Xia Siwei’s high school classmate.

"I’ve arrived. Oak Hotel, Upper City District, Houston. Sending you the floor and room number."

Fang Zhen sent the message to someone named Zoe.

Zoe’s reply was curt, just an "OK" emoji, followed by the message: "Arriving in 40 minutes."

After confirming, Fang Zhen put his phone away.

Zoe’s full name was Zoe Lee, with the Chinese name Li Zoyi. It all matched up; she was indeed Xia Siwei’s classmate.

Fang Zhen had already communicated with Li Zoyi on Tele. He had ordered several models of guns and arranged for her to bring them over for inspection and a test firing once he arrived in Houston.

He was in a completely unfamiliar place in Houston and didn’t want any complications. It was best to make appointments in advance and stick to the plan.

After setting the time with Li Zoyi, Fang Zhen took out the Silver Moon Treasure Box from his jacket.

He opened the Silver Moon Treasure Box and used a bit of Spiritual Power to activate a sliding mechanism inside. His Spirit then perceived the space within the box.

The space was a not-quite-regular 30x30x30 cubic centimeter cube. Inside were twenty thousand US Dollars in cash and one hundred Gold Coins.

Citizens of Xia Country have an annual foreign exchange quota of fifty thousand US Dollars per person. Amounts over ten thousand in cash require an appointment with the Foreign Exchange Administration, while amounts up to ten thousand US Dollars can be exchanged at a bank.

Fang Zhen had been in a hurry, so he had exchanged ten thousand using his own quota and another ten thousand in cash using the quota of a company salesperson, for a total of twenty thousand US Dollars in cash.

Afraid he wouldn’t have enough money, he had also brought one hundred Gold Coins.

Gold Ropes didn’t actually take up much space.

Disregarding the craftsmanship value of a Gold Rope and going only by its gold content, a single Gold Rope was worth about 550 US Dollars. Thus, 100 Gold Ropes were worth at least fifty-five thousand US Dollars in cash.

Cash plus the Gold Ropes, a total of seventy-five thousand US Dollars, would be more than enough.

He didn’t bring more Gold Ropes mainly because they would take up too much space, and he needed the extra room for ammunition on the way back.

Fang Zhen took out half of the Gold Ropes and all the US Dollars, placing them in his carry-on suitcase.

Before long, he received a call from the hotel front desk, asking if he was expecting a guest named Li Zoyi.

After Fang Zhen confirmed, the doorbell to his room rang four or five minutes later.