Dear Readers,
Apologies for the delay in updates. I’ve been recovering from sepsis, but I’m feeling better now. Chapters 53 to 62 will be uploaded by tomorrow night at 11 PM (GMT+8).
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!
Despite Gu Zhan’s refusal, Yang Lin still prepared some snacks and tea.
They sat by the conference table, casually chatting.
During their conversation, Gu Zhan learned that Yu Yezhou and Yang Lin were the first to know each other, and the other two members of the group were a pair of twins… and the person named Xu Yu was also someone Yu Yezhou had brought in.
Yang Lin said, “He’s someone on the leaderboard. I don’t know what kind of trick he used to get him to join us.”
“But he rarely teams up with us; to be precise, we rarely team up at all.”
Yu Yezhou suddenly said, “Let me give you a door card; just register at the tavern bar when you leave, and you can come over anytime.”
Fearing Gu Zhan might refuse, he added, “There’s nothing valuable here; you can come over freely.”
Gu Zhan was willing to come over because he had some interest in the team.
Since he was interested, there was no need to beat around the bush; he directly agreed, “Sure.”
Then he asked, “Are you looking for a fourth person because you have a specific dungeon in mind?”
Upon hearing the key point, Yu Yezhou looked much more enthusiastic, nodding repeatedly. “Yes… Xu Yu went to a dungeon some time ago and found an item that can point to an S-level dungeon. That dungeon requires four players… We just want to find someone we can trust to team up with.”
Gu Zhan asked, “Aren’t you still missing a pair of twins?”
Yu Yezhou replied, “Don’t mention them. They entered a dungeon two months ago, and it’s been half a month without any sign of them coming out. Who knows if they can come out or when.”
Gu Zhan asked curiously, “Can you really stay in a dungeon for months?”
Yu Yezhou explained, “You’ve been in two dungeons; you can tell that the settings for each dungeon vary greatly. Some have supernatural elements, some don’t... In these dungeons, there are also main quests that revolve around survival or time-based growth, which can take a long time.”
Gu Zhan asked, “How can you be sure they are still alive?”
Yu Yezhou laughed, “Just intuition.”
His answer seemed a bit dismissive, but Gu Zhan noticed that when he said “intuition,” his expression was somewhat strange.
He didn’t pry further, just nodded to show he understood.
Yu Yezhou continued, “You just arrived here not long ago; you went into a dungeon right after coming out last time. This time, you should rest for a few more days. How about I take you around Chun Bai Cheng?”
Gu Zhan nodded in agreement, “Sure.”
Having companions to travel with should prevent any disturbances.
---
After their chat, they returned together. It was at this point that Gu Zhan learned that Chun Bai Cheng was divided into three major districts: A, B, and C. Each district had several dungeon entrances, a main hive, and a live-streaming square.
However, not all live streams could be seen in the square. The large screen at the center displayed the most popular live streams with the highest number of bets.
Other streams followed in order, but the rookie streamers were unlikely to be seen in the square.
“Popular streamers are generally players on the leaderboard. As long as they start streaming, they’ll have the highest popularity, but they rarely go live. Someone calculated that the frequency of their streams is not proportional to how often they enter dungeons, which clearly shows they’re using some item to conceal themselves.”
Yu Yezhou said, “You haven’t been to the square, have you? Let’s check it out while we’re on the way?”
Gu Zhan nodded, and the two headed to the live-streaming square together.
It was daytime, and the square was crowded, but curiously, there were many people lying in the corners, surrounded by supplies and trash, looking like they had been there for a long time.
Seeing Gu Zhan’s gaze, Yu Yezhou explained, “Actually, there are many wandering players in Chun Bai Cheng who can’t afford the hive's accommodation fees. As long as there’s a live stream, the guards won’t come over here. They’re relatively safe here and won’t get caught.”
Gu Zhan said, “Then can’t they just stay here indefinitely?”
“Not at all.” Yu Yezhou smiled wryly. “Everything here requires points. They are human, after all—eating, drinking, and other necessities all cost points. Moreover, there’s no one selling things in the square; they can only stay temporarily before they eventually have to leave. As soon as they step out of the square, the guards will be watching them; almost no one can escape those guards.”
It seemed, just as the system had warned him, that points were crucial in this place.
One must not put themselves in a situation where they have no points.
Yu Yezhou reassured him, “You don’t have to worry too much; after all, going into dungeons is very easy for you.”
The center of the live-streaming square was where they could watch live streams, but it seemed that using the system they carried also allowed them to view streams.
So, aside from the area in front of the large screen where there are quite a few people, there aren’t many others around.
Moreover, without a ticket, even standing in front of the screen doesn’t allow one to see the specific images.
After wandering around for a bit, Yu Ye Zhou said, “Let me take you to the nearby commercial area.”
Chun Bai Cheng is a small city, and different areas serve different purposes. If the Hive is the accommodation area, then the place they are in now is the entertainment district.
Unlike the accommodation area, where most of the shops are related to dining, here the stores are diverse, with even some that one would never see in the real world.
For instance… gambling houses and adult venues.
“Ahem.”
In front of a pink adult venue, Yu Ye Zhou coughed a couple of times awkwardly and said, “Although I’m not that kind of person, just in case you have such needs, I should introduce you to the services here. The staff inside are all realistic Guards, and if…”
“No need,” Gu Zhan replied decisively, “I’m not interested in that.”
His response was too quick and resolute, surprising Yu Ye Zhou.
After all, in such places, even those who don’t come would rarely be so calm when mentioned.
This piqued his curiosity, and he couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not interested in this? Then what do you like?”
This question really stumped Gu Zhan. He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t know.”
Such relationships generally happen between people, some involve emotions, some don’t, but overall, they are relatively deep and intimate types of relationships. As for Gu Zhan, his relationships with people are quite shallow, let alone discussing what type of intimate relationship he likes.
Yu Ye Zhou could tell he wasn’t lying.
Judging by Gu Zhan’s age, he shouldn’t be too young. With such good looks, he had never dated and showed no interest in such matters.
Could it be that he’s just emotionally cold?
Thinking this way, it seemed quite possible.
Yu Ye Zhou said, “Then let’s go to the next place. While indulging is great, I always feel that being overly swayed by desires isn’t a good thing. People should learn to restrain themselves.”
Next to them was a gambling house, and compared to the adult venue, it was much busier.
They stood at the entrance for a while, observing people with speculative expressions going in, and some coming out looking ashen.
But rarely did anyone go in happy or come out joyful.
Yu Ye Zhou said, “The circulating currency in Chun Bai Cheng is points, and it’s the same here. Although some get rich overnight, I advise you not to go in.”
Gu Zhan replied, “Yeah, I know.”
He wasn’t too interested in such things either. In the real world, the house always wins, and while Chun Bai Cheng might be different, earning points wouldn’t bring him joy, let alone through such means.
Yu Ye Zhou had intentionally brought Gu Zhan here first, and he indeed didn’t dare to think about any of it. Yu Ye Zhou felt he was right! This was certainly fate's choice for their teammate.
“Since that’s the case… If you’re not interested in adult entertainment, let’s check out the arcade next door! The arcade might be too childish for kids, but it’s just right for adults like us!”
Yu Ye Zhou decided too quickly. Before Gu Zhan could even refute, he was pulled into the arcade.
This person, who said, “Being overly swayed by desires isn’t a good thing,” ended up playing games without knowing when to stop. After being dragged into several games, Gu Zhan, feeling exhausted, firmly refused and stood with his arms crossed to watch him.
There were still many childish adults, and Yu Ye Zhou was highly skilled, gradually attracting a crowd. Before long, Gu Zhan found himself squeezed into a corner.
He didn’t mind and sat on a bench in the corner, lost in thought.
He didn’t know how long it had been when suddenly a cool breeze brushed by, bringing an unusual sensation.
Gu Zhan raised his head and looked around but didn’t notice anything strange.
---
Beneath the pure white Chun Bai Cheng, there exists a completely opposite place known as the City of Night.
It hangs upside down beneath Chun Bai Cheng, with all the buildings corresponding one by one.
The inhabitants here aren’t players but the countless monsters… and NPCs within the instance.
The cat girl working in the tavern, after finishing her shift during the day, would return to the City of Night.
She had acquaintances here. As she walked gracefully down the street, various oddly-shaped people greeted her.
“Hey, little cat, you’re back?”
“What time do you open today? I want to see your performance.”
The cat girl showed her sharp claws and smiled, “Don’t sneak into Chun Bai Cheng, or be careful of getting caught by the guards!”
The cat girl arrived at the door of a small house and knocked, but no one responded.
A voice from nearby said, “He went to work.”
“Ah…” The cat girl rubbed her claws in disappointment. “Then I’ll come back in a few days.”
She turned to leave when she suddenly heard a commotion from afar.
“He’s back, looking worse than last time.”
“What happened?”
Amidst these voices, a bunch of little coal-like balls bounced from the other end of the street, and behind the black coal balls was a tall man.
At the sight of him, everyone on the street scattered in a panic. The cat girl’s ears trembled, and she looked around, hiding behind the house.
The black coal balls emitted wisps of mist, obscuring the already dimly lit street and reducing visibility even further.
The man walked through this thick fog, his face hidden, but one could see his long, straight legs and slender waist.
---
About half an hour later, Yu Ye Zhou finally ended the games, still unsatisfied.
He returned to Gu Zhan's side, saying, “Let’s go, time’s not waiting for us; let’s head back.”
Gu Zhan followed him back to the Hive.
Then they bought some daily necessities to bring to Sun Jingqiu and her daughter.
This time, with plenty of time, he wandered around inside and outside the hospital, confirming that there were no monsters or players left behind. In this vast area, only Sun Jingqiu and her daughter remained.
The perimeter of the hospital was shrouded in darkness; as long as Gu Zhan wanted to leave, he would be teleported outside the watch.
It seemed that the internal space of the watch was only this big.
Fortunately, Sun Jingqiu and her daughter had never left this place, and their need to leave wasn’t that strong.
Gu Zhan casually handed them a bag of seeds, saying, “Since there’s nothing to do here, why not try planting some vegetables?”
Sun Jingqiu, however, held the bag of seeds with a confused expression, as she didn’t recognize what it was or what it was for.
Gu Zhan certainly wouldn’t teach them personally since he didn’t know how either.
He turned around to buy a book on planting and tossed it to the two of them.
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