Infinity, The Arcade Age

After obtaining Vice-Terra's signature weapon, Qin Ming's trusty blue revolver was officially retired. However, rather than simply discarding it, Qin Ming decided to put it to good use by fusing it with the Dinosaur Goggles, upgrading the blue storyline item to silver quality.

The now silver-tier Dinosaur Goggles still allowed Qin Ming to check a character's basic attributes, but it now came with an additional attribute—+1 to charisma. However, Qin Ming wasn't quite sure what charisma would do, as this was his first encounter with the stat.

Unsure if he had gained or lost in this fusion, Qin Ming donned the glasses and knocked on the door in front of him. A moment later, the door creaked open, revealing Mustafa, who nodded upon seeing Qin Ming and stepped aside to let him in.

Inside, Qin Ming noticed that Hannah, the "big" beauty of the team, had fully recovered from her injuries. She was wearing a tank top and lightly stretching her shoulders, while Jack and Mays were sitting nearby, watching her intently.

Jack, clearly annoyed that Mays was also watching Hannah, elbowed the big guy several times, but Mays, with his thick skin, didn't even react and kept staring.

Hearing the door, Hannah turned around. Slinging her shirt over her shoulder, she looked at Qin Ming with raised eyebrows, somewhat puzzled.

"Is it just me, or do you look a bit more handsome?" she asked.

Qin Ming paused for a second before slicking back his hair and flipping his bangs. "Huh? You think so? I've always been this handsome."

Hannah chuckled at his reply, but just as she was about to say more, Jack loudly cleared his throat, making Hannah shift the topic to avoid a confrontation.

"Alright, since everyone's here, let's head out! It's time to go to the Dinosaur Forest!" Hannah, the team's scout and strategist, commanded, and the others quickly got up.

However, as Jack stood up, he shot a cold glance at Qin Ming and remarked, "Just so we're clear, my car only has room for four. No more space."

Qin Ming smiled brightly and replied, "That's fine. I can sit on your windshield and clean it for you while we drive."

"You—!" Jack snarled.

"Alright, alright! Both of you, stop bickering," Hannah interrupted, mediating between the two. "Jack, you're a master at vehicle modifications. Just tweak your Cadillac a little. It shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"But—"

"I trust in your skills," Hannah added sweetly.

"Fine, I'll do it!" Jack grumbled through gritted teeth, shooting Qin Ming one last glare before storming off to make the necessary modifications. Taking the opportunity, Hannah walked up to Qin Ming, her face full of smiles, and extended her hand.

"Qin Ming, welcome to the team."

As she spoke, Qin Ming's ears were filled with the familiar Nightmare Space notification sound.

Ding! Congratulations, adventurer! You have successfully gained the trust of the protagonist group and officially joined them. The Cadillacs and Dinosaurs protagonist faction is now fully open to you.

With the notification complete, Qin Ming noticed a change in the list of items he could exchange with the protagonist group. The usual equipment was still there, but now there were new options tied to each protagonist's specific skills.

Jack, for example, was a master vehicle mechanic. If Qin Ming raised his favorability with Jack to 500 points, he could use those points to either modify a vehicle or get a blue-tier Cadillac with enhanced speed, defense, and auto-pilot features—a top-tier treasure.

However, given his current relationship with Jack… getting that car seemed like a pipe dream.

Each of the other three protagonists also had unique items tied to their abilities, available only after gaining full trust.

Hannah, the diplomat and dinosaur caretaker, allowed Qin Ming to exchange 500 favorability points for either a special item or a blue-tier dinosaur pet! The idea of riding a dinosaur, especially one stronger than a typical vehicle, was very tempting.

There was also an item called Hannah's Heartfelt Token, which could be given to male characters to instantly boost their favorability by 200 points. While this was useful, Qin Ming wasn't too interested in raising favorability with other men—he had no special inclinations in that direction.

Mays, the muscle-bound fighter, offered specialized strength and endurance training, allowing Qin Ming to raise his strength or physique attributes, depending on how well he performed. Mustafa, on the other hand, provided agility training.

These special exchange options were far more valuable than the previous blue equipment. Unfortunately, even the protagonist who liked Qin Ming the most, Hannah, had only just crossed 300 favorability points, leaving 500 points a distant goal.

Two hours later, Jack finished modifying his Cadillac. As the garage doors opened, the dinosaur-era vehicle roared out onto the street. The Cadillac, which ran on manure for fuel, was both environmentally friendly and perfectly suited to the protagonists' identities as protectors of nature.

The four protagonists took their seats and prepared their gear, while Qin Ming, the newest addition to the group, was seated in a makeshift chair on the car's trunk, specially modified by Jack.

Wearing his Dinosaur Goggles and holstering his silver-tier revolver, Qin Ming felt the wind in his face as the team sped out of the city toward the second stage: Dinosaur Forest.