The swift step player quickly brought Fu Changxun and the others in and introduced them to the group.
The beggars who originally took shelter in the ruined temple had already been driven out. Now it was packed with players, all staring at the newcomers.
As soon as they entered, Zhao-jie had everyone shut off their livestreams.
She extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Xu Zhengyi stepped forward and grasped her hand. “Pleasure, pleasure. Finally found the group!”
Zhao-jie looked a little awkward. “Haha, just call me Zhao-jie. So—what number game is this for you? Any veterans in your team? And… can you share your abilities?”
Xu Zhengyi responded with the story they’d agreed on beforehand. “Ah, just me. This is my second game. The other two are newbies. That little girl is my in-instance NPC daughter—super sweet and obedient.”
He was a little worried—would claiming Xiaoxiao was an NPC make the others target her?
But Zhao-jie’s eyes immediately lit up, her tone becoming friendlier. “Ah, that must’ve triggered a side quest!”
She clearly noticed that Xu Zhengyi was hiding something, and while she wasn’t thrilled about it, she didn’t press.
“Well, my ability’s brute strength. Should be useful.” Xu Zhengyi smoothly redirected. “My two friends here are pretty sharp, too.”
“…Alright.”
Then she turned her gaze to Fu Changxun—and froze. She recalled what the swift step guy had told her: “One of them might have a charm-based ability.” And now she wanted to slap him.
Charm, my ass. He’s just ridiculously good-looking!
That guy’s got a screw loose.
Her tone immediately softened—a little out of bias for that face. Who wasn’t a sucker for a pretty face?
She continued, “I’m guessing no one wants to share real names, and I don’t blame you. We all have to pick nicknames after our first game anyway, so why not start now?”
Xu Zhengyi said cheerfully, “Just call me Zhengyi.”
“Call me Doctor,” Fu Changxun said in a soft, delicate voice. “I’m a med student.”
Dong Zi pointed to himself. “Cixin.” (lit. “Second Heart”)
Zhao-jie couldn’t help laughing. “That’s one hell of a nickname…”
She shook her head, amused. “So… did you manage to get silver? Don’t tell me you actually used points to exchange?”
Xu Zhengyi glanced discreetly at Doctor, who gave a slight shake of the head. He immediately put on a puzzled look. “Huh? You can use points for money?”
Zhao-jie’s eye twitched slightly, but she waved it off. “Whatever. Just take a closer look at the Game Shop sometime.”
“Oh, thanks!” Xu Zhengyi smiled innocently and, just like that, smoothly blended into the “newbie” player camp along with Fu Changxun and Dong Zi.
“Alright, everyone’s here. The one missing player’s probably a lone wolf type. If he doesn’t come to us, no need to force it,” Zhao-jie said. “Let’s all speak freely—what are your thoughts on this instance?”
The newbies all looked around, unsure of where to begin.
One of the veteran players stepped in to guide the discussion. “It’s only the first day. We don’t have much intel, so I’ll take a stab in the dark. The objective says: ‘The General was born under a cursed fate—scratch that, The General had a blessed fate.’ Maybe it means he suffered in the past but had a turning point and rose up?”
Most players nodded. The theory seemed plausible, and now that someone had broken the ice, the newbies gradually began joining the conversation.
“Makes sense.”
“How do we approach the General though?”
“Forget that for now—what I don’t get is why he’d lose his blade in the first place.”
“Exactly! I found that really weird too. Isn’t a weapon like a lifeline for people in ancient times? How’d he even manage to lose it…”
Fu Changxun sat close to Dong Zi, the picture of a delicate beauty tucked protectively at someone’s side. In a soft, sweet voice, he said, “If he dropped it on a battlefield somewhere, then we’re totally screwed…”
The nearby player blanched in horror. “Shut up, you jinx!”
“Kids say the darndest things…” Dong Zi wrapped an arm around him apologetically. “Sorry about that.”
Fu Changxun looked up, eyes rimmed red, gazing pitifully at the other player like he’d just been bullied.
“……” He was stunned. “What the fuck?! That’s a goddamn white lotus! Alive and kicking!”
He immediately backed away from this manipulative beauty—and his white knight bodyguard. Which was exactly what Fu Changxun wanted.
A vacuum of space formed around them, isolating them from both veterans and newbies alike. Even Xu Xiao ended up cordoned off with them.
Zhao-jie continued, “Alright. Erhu, you and Swift Step head out and grab someone to question. Don’t make a scene. We can’t keep hiding like this forever.”
“Erhu” was probably another nickname. One of the veterans nodded and headed out with the speedster.
Fu Changxun gently scratched the black cat under its chin. “Xiao Hei, go follow them.”
“Purr—”
The cat rubbed against his fingers, licked its paw, then slipped silently through the crowd and slinked off after the two.
Zhao-jie rubbed her temples as she looked at the room full of “newbies.” She sighed and called over another veteran player, then also called Xu Zhengyi to join her outside.
She spoke earnestly to the two of them. “Only a few of us have abilities. We need to keep an eye on everyone. The newbies might slow us down, but they’re still fellow Huaxia people. Besides, once we’re in the game, don’t be too polite with the NPCs—they’re not our people.”
Xu Zhengyi opened his mouth, hesitating as he thought of his daughter.
Although uncertain, in the end, he said nothing about her true situation.
The other veteran player scoffed, “Why bother worrying about them? If they can’t finish the mission, they’re dead meat anyway.”
His tone was brimming with hostility, as if he hadn’t been a newbie himself just a few days ago.
Zhao-jie frowned and snapped, “If that’s your mindset, then why don’t you go join that lone-wolf player instead? You’re not welcome here.”
They’d only just met—no one was obligated to tolerate anyone else’s attitude.
The veteran player snorted coldly and fell silent.
Seeing the tension rising, Xu Zhengyi tried to smooth things over. “Come on now, we’re all here to clear the instance…”
While the veterans outside were butting heads, the newbies inside were surprisingly lively.
With none of the experienced players around, the newcomers, still clueless about the game, could only rely on what little they’d heard from streams or friends.
One girl couldn’t help asking, “Hey, have you guys ever watched escape-room-type streams?”
“I saw one that was more of a survival horror,” a guy nearby replied gloomily. “There was a monster that chased the players for four hours every day, and only three people made it out alive. I stayed cooped up at home for days, then just went out once to buy groceries and bam—got dragged into this game.”
Another chimed in, “Same. And those puzzle-solving streams? I never understood a damn thing.”
The girl sighed. “Right? You could watch hundreds of episodes of Detective Conan and still be useless in this kind of puzzle.”
Their chatter picked up again in a low hum. Dong Zi tugged Fu Changxun into a corner. “Tired? Rest for a bit.”
“Mm.”
Fu Changxun smiled at him, eyes crinkling.
