Good Things Take Time

In the morning, in Huaining City, at the HGL building.

At the company's front desk, we met with the person in charge of HGL, who was said to be a senior executive named Guan Xiaochao. He was mainly responsible for external business negotiations and evaluations, and was said to have a lot of power within the company.

"I'm so sorry, President Ding..."

The receptionist said apologetically, "Our manager is in a meeting right now, so... perhaps you could come back another time?"

"No need, I'll wait for him."

"All right..."

She said, "Then I'll have someone take you to General Manager Guan's office. Just wait there. General Manager Guan said he'll come over as soon as the meeting ends."

"Um."

I nodded, and then went upstairs with Zhao Yihang to Guan Xiaochao's office. The sweet-looking female secretary poured us two cups of tea, and then began the long wait.

Two hours passed in this wait, and soon it was 11:30.

Finally, a young man in a suit walked in. He looked to be under thirty, with a buzz cut and average looks. He quickly walked a few steps and smiled, "Manager Ding, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

"Mr. Guan, you're too kind. It's nothing."

I introduced Zhao Yihang briefly, and then went straight to explaining my purpose.

"Huaining University's departmental league..."

Guan Xiaochao's expression was solemn as he said, "Manager Ding, I think you know... HGL is a leading live streaming platform in the industry. Currently, the content we stream has a lot of popularity, including the WCG Global Finals, as well as some StarCraft, King of Fighters, and Street Fighter competitions. If it's just the internal departmental league of Huaining University, I think the popularity might not be enough for our live streaming platform."

He then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was just being honest. Please forgive me if I offended you."

"General Manager Guan is straightforward and outspoken, which I think makes the conversation easier. After all, everyone is very honest and doesn't beat around the bush," I quickly chimed in.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yihang listened intently, his eyes wide, as if he were learning conversation skills.

"However, Mr. Guan..."

I frowned and said, "I've been watching HGL's live streams, and I'm actually a die-hard fan of HGL. But they mainly stream large-scale events, and there aren't many actual matches. This often doesn't satisfy the audience's needs. Many viewers watch the recorded streams over and over again countless times, needlessly wasting a lot of their time."

As I spoke, I looked at him sincerely and said, "Currently, there isn't a formal Warcraft III league in China. Most major tournaments are hosted by foreign organizations. So, I think that although WHL is a departmental league, it's still the first one in China. Plus, Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe has Flagship Store in Beihai, Jiangning, and Huaining, and it also has the strong support of Huaining University. Once the league is really established, it will definitely add to the popularity of HGL."

"This..." He hesitated.

I continued, "Recently, Gamefy Channel has officially risen to prominence, but their live streaming categories and competitions are quite limited. If HGL were to cooperate with us, wouldn't that be like opening up a new track, and perhaps completely crushing Gamefy in terms of live streaming content? After all, the WHL league is probably irreplaceable."

"Okay, I'll consider it carefully!"

Guan Xiaochao said, "Manager Ding, could you give me a little time?"

"Can!"

I nodded and smiled, and we exchanged business cards. They invited us to stay for dinner, but we politely declined.

Feiyang Internet Cafe.

Zhao Yihang and I held our boxed lunches and ate heartily.

"Ding Han, why don't we stay at HGL for dinner?"

"Eat my ass..."

I said speechlessly, "You're accepting someone's invitation before even reaching a cooperation agreement. What kind of impression do you think that will leave on them? Besides, cooperation is about mutual benefit. Neither side has made any money for the other yet, so it's best not to accept this kind of invitation."

"That's true..."

He nodded in deep agreement.

In the following events, I was a little uneasy. Waiting for the other party's message is always quite agonizing, just like waiting for a reply after a job interview; it felt like an eternity.

"Beep beep~~~"

In the evening, a phone call came in, and the contact name was Guan Xiaochao!

"Hello, Mr. Guan!"

"Manager Ding, our senior management at HGL had a meeting this afternoon, and after discussion, we finally reached a consensus. I think you're right; Huaining University is the top university in Huaining City, and its departmental league deserves our attention. Therefore, HGL will create a separate section for the WHL league, and will provide professional live commentary and broadcasts. However, I have one request..."

"Please speak, Mr. Guan, please speak!"

"I hope that HGL can be a co-organizer, just like Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe. Do you think this condition is acceptable? If you agree, then this cooperation is finalized, and we can draft and sign the contract at any time."

"Can!"

Without hesitation, I thought, adding another organizer wouldn't hurt Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe, especially since we were already doing something "free".

"Good!"

Guan Xiaochao smiled and said, "I'll have them draft the contract right now. If it's convenient for you, come over tomorrow morning so we can sign the cooperation agreement. How about that?"

"Okay, I'll arrive around nine o'clock tomorrow."

"OK!"

In a great mood, I left work early in the evening, went to the supermarket to buy some groceries, and cooked a sumptuous meal.

"Squeak~~"

Lin Qingying open the door and entered, taking off her trench coat and hanging it on the hanger. She smiled and asked, "The cooperation has been finalized?"

"Um!"

I laughed, opened a bottle of red wine, and said, "Let's have a drink to celebrate!"

"Are you a good drinker?"

"One cup is still fine!"

"All right."

Lin Qingying sat down, took a sip of red wine, and began to taste the food. She smiled and asked, "Ding Han, have you planned when the WHL league's opening match will start?"

"Not yet..."

I thought for a moment and said, "We can only confirm it after Huaining University makes a decision. Otherwise, it's useless to have the internet cafe providing the venue and HGL providing live streaming support. You can't cook without rice."

"Um."

She smiled slightly, "When your opening match comes, I'll try to find some time to go watch. After all, I'll feel a sense of involvement too, right?"

"Certainly!"

I nodded. "If it weren't for that Armani suit, I doubt Mr. Guan from HGL would have even given me a second glance."

Lin Qingying smiled faintly and began to focus on her meal.

The following morning, at Feiyang Internet Cafe.

I have prepared the league format, schedule, and live broadcast schedule in detail. The WHL rules are classic, just like the WC3L league: four 1v1 matches, one 2v2 match, best of five points Points, and each team can have a maximum of five players, which is fair and just.

After finishing it, I sent it directly to Qin Siyao.

"Okay!"

Qin Siyao sent a smiley face and said, "I'm also working on it intensively here, wait for my good news!"

"Thank you for your hard work!"

I stood up, glanced at Zhao Yihang not far away, and said, "Hangzi, shall we go for a walk around the school?"

Where are you going?

"Play some ball, relax and clear your head."

"Okay!"

The two infiltrated Huaining University again, and by sheer coincidence, they spotted "Rukawa Kaede" Gao Tianyu on the basketball court once more.

"Ding Han!"

He spotted me immediately and laughed, "Want to come on and have a game?"

"Sure!"

Perfect timing! I actually came here to play basketball with him anyway. You have to have a rich life outside of work, right? Besides, practicing basketball skills is definitely beneficial; I feel more agile now.

Zhao Yihang bought a cup of milk tea, held it in his arms, and watched the game silently from the sidelines, his eyes darting back and forth between the senior and junior students cheering for Gao Tianyu.

If this guy weren't so sleazy, he probably would have a girlfriend by now.

"Thump thump thump~~~ Swoosh!"

After three quick dribbles, he jumped back and made a three-point layup!

"Whoosh!"

Gao Tianyu leaped high, attempting to block the shot.

I quickly changed direction and threw the ball.

"Thud~~"

The ball hit the rim, rebound, but it didn't go in!

Gao Tianyu quickly moved forward, received a pass from his teammate, and scored with a quick shot.

For a time, the scores of the two teams were neck and neck.

"Ding Han!"

Gao Tianyu dribbled the ball frantically, his eyes fixed on me, and laughed, "I've already discovered your weakness. Any interference will affect your shooting accuracy, and you won't be able to hit the ball 100% of the time!"

That's obvious. It doesn't matter who gets interfered with; I'm not a machine.

Of course, it's also possible that the Throwing Skill level is too low. If it were a level 10 legendary or masterful Throwing Skill, one might be able to throw the ball in despite interference!

This is similar to shooting levels. While lower-level shooting levels like Advanced Shooting and Shooting Expert are powerful and can Headshot headshots at close range, that's only when the opponent isn't moving much. Once the opponent starts shaking their head wildly and enters an absurd "unselectable" state, you'll still miss.

Therefore, improving shooting level enhances the ability to react, lock on, and predict. Once the shooting level reaches the highest level, such as Legendary or Transcendent, even if the opponent's head is blurred or their brains are spilling out, it is still possible to achieve Headshot time.

"Yeah?"

I smiled slightly, then suddenly shifted my body to the side, quickly executed a behind-the-back dribble, and used my superior agility to shake off Gao Tianyu. I then leaped high and scored a three-pointer!

"Wow, Ding Han, that's amazing!!!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the sidelines.

"Ah?"

I turned around and saw Lu Xiaobei sitting beautifully next to Zhao Yihang, holding a cup of milk tea in her hand, raising her hand and cheering me on enthusiastically.

Who is that girl?

In an instant, nine out of ten people from both teams looked over, and each one of them was instantly captivated by Lu Xiaobei's beauty.

"Do you know Ding Han?" Gao Tianyu asked.

"Yes, my friend."

"Wow, she's so good-looking..."

He couldn't help but sigh. The other students didn't recognize Lu Xiaobei either. Probably because they weren't fans of celebrities, they only knew that this woman was exceptionally beautiful, but they didn't know that she was the female lead in "No Plain Face," which ranked number one on various music charts.

I called a pause, walked over, and said, "What brings you here?"

"Can't you come?"

She countered with a question, then said, "I heard from Sister Xiaoman you and Zhao Yihang are organizing an event at the internet cafe, and that you're going to put on a big show of organizing a league. How could I miss such a moment? So I bought a plane ticket early this morning and flew over!"

"That's good. With the boss here, everyone feels more confident."

"Where are we at now?"

"We're waiting for news from the student council. As long as the school approves it, the league can begin."

"Good!"

Just then, a familiar figure approached. It was Qin Siyao, looking dejected. She stepped forward and said, "Ding Han, I just went to the principal's office... I was going to send you a message, but I didn't expect you to be at school. I have some bad news for you..."

My heart sank. "What bad news?"

"The principal said students should prioritize their studies and not let frivolous pursuits distract them from their studies, so the school does not support proposals like the WHL league to organize large-scale esports competitions..."

My heart sank to the bottom.

Everything was ready except for the east wind, but then a howling northwest wind began to blow.

"Holy crap..."

Zhao Yihang frowned and said, "What kind of old-fashioned principal is this? What era are we living in? He's still promoting this idea of indulging in frivolous pursuits. Doesn't he know what it means to develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and practically in an all-round way?"

"I knew this would be the result."

Standing nearby, Gao Tianyu said, "A large-scale e-sports event on campus—no one has ever organized one before. I guess the principal is afraid of taking responsibility, so he simply decided not to hold it."

"What kind of principal is this?"

Lu Xiaobei said angrily, "Shall we go and argue with him?"

"Don't make things worse, let's leave it at that."

I looked at Qin Siyao and said, "There might still be room for improvement. Let's not panic. Qin Siyao, keep compiling the statistics for the contestants from each department in the school. Don't give up. Let's work together and maybe things can turn around."

"Um!"

Qin Siyao nodded, then left.

I continued playing for a while, using my agility to constantly move around and completely crush Gao Tianyu before returning to Feiyang Internet Cafe with Lu Xiaobei and Zhao Yihang.

Evening.

"Drop!"

A message came from Fatty: "Ding Han, let's have dinner together tonight. Couple's Kitchen, please?"

"What's wrong?"

I sent a sly smiley face. "Got some trouble at work?"

"Damn, you're like a mind reader..."

The fat guy replied, "Anyway, we'll meet after get off work, don't be late!"

"Um!"

Shortly after, I clocked out of work, said goodbye to Lu Xiaobei and Zhao Yihang, and returned to my neighborhood.

"Ding Han, are you off work?"

The Couple's Kitchen restaurant, smiled and asked, "How many people are in your party?"

"Two."

I had just finished speaking when my phone rang. A WeChat message from Lin Qingying: "I'm off work."

"Boss lady, three!"

I held up three fingers, then sent Lin Qingying a message saying, "Fatty and I have arranged to eat at the Couple's Kitchen restaurant in the neighborhood. Why don't you come too, and bring an extra pair of chopsticks?"

"Good."

Shortly after, the fat man arrived, looking travel-worn, and sat down opposite me, saying, "Want something to drink?"

No rush.

I shook my head. "Xiaoying will be here soon. Think about whether you want to talk about work now, or wait until she arrives?"

"Holy crap, really?"

The fat man looked somewhat flustered and said, "Well, I'd better tell you now, otherwise it'll look like I'm complaining about a colleague to the boss."

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

"Damn it, I just joined the R&D department yesterday, and my supervisor assigned me a project, along with three colleagues to assist me. But all three of them are certified software engineers, just one step away from becoming senior engineers, and I can't give them any orders at all. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"This...?"

I frowned. "They definitely won't be interested in you if you don't have a certificate. Let me ask you first, can you complete this project on your own?"

"Not yet, as it involves quite a few areas of knowledge."

The fat man lowered his voice and said, "I've already maxed out my programming skills, but this project involves quite a few other skills, and I'm a little reluctant to use up my skill points and Skill Experience."

"Don't be reluctant..."

I whispered, "These kinds of mentally demanding skills mostly boost your spirit. Think about how low your Mental Power is. One burst of spiritual energy from someone and you'd be in deep trouble. If you don't fix it now, when will you? Besides, the main way to improve Firepower Specialist's strength is through combat skills, not attributes. Just keep learning them."

"Alright!"

The fat man said in a deep voice, "If I free up two more skill points to upgrade my skills, I should be able to handle this project on my own."

"That's fine then."

I smiled slightly, "You need to show them your skills first, let them know your abilities, and learn to respect you. After that, you don't need me to teach you what to do, right? You're definitely better than me at this."

Hahaha~~~

The fat man grinned and said, "After we finish this project, I'll treat them to a meal, and then we'll share the credit to improve our working relationships, right?"

I nodded. "When the time is right, Xiaoying will naturally promote you and give you a raise. There's no need to rush; we have to take it slowly."

"Um!"

The fat man nodded vigorously. "Your few simple words have given me a sense of clarity, like the clouds have parted. I feel much better now."

"You've got potential!"

At this moment, Lin Qingying walked into the restaurant, and the proprietress was stunned. She never expected that the girl who usually drove a Bentley would come to eat here.

"Xiao Ying, sit down."

I moved the stool away from her.

"Haven't you touched your chopsticks yet?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm waiting for you."

"Let's begin."

After eating for a while, the fat man asked, "Ding Han, how's it going on your end? I heard you're collaborating with Huaining University to organize a Warcraft III departmental league?"

"Um."

I smiled and said, "It's a bit frustrating to admit, maybe it's just that good things often come with difficulties."

"What's wrong?" Lin Qingying asked in surprise.

"It's still about the league."

I frowned and said, "The contract with HGL was already signed, but then something went wrong at the school. Qin Siyao, the student union president of Huaining University who was in contact with me, submitted the competition rules and league specifications to the principal's office today, but it was rejected. The principal said that students shouldn't be wasting their time on frivolous things, so he refused to sign it. I'm speechless..."

"This is normal."

Lin Qingying pointed out incisively, "After all, there has never been a precedent for a school to hold a league before, so the president of Huaining University is probably afraid of public criticism and therefore unwilling to take responsibility. But don't worry, I'll make a phone call, maybe I can solve this problem."

"Ah?"

The fat guy and I were surprised.

Lin Qingying stood up, walked to the side, and dialed a number. "Uncle Li, yes, this is Xiaoying... Yes, yes, I'm back in Yuening now, everything is fine... By the way, I called you today because of something, about my friend..."

She recounted what had happened at Huaining University.

Shortly after, he hung up the phone and walked back to continue eating.

The fat man ate while sweating profusely; he had already realized just how vast the gap between social classes truly was.

"Xiaoying, who did you call?" I couldn't help but ask.

"A leader from the Provincial Education Department."

She said, "He's my dad's friend, but we haven't been in touch for a long time, so I used that connection. Don't worry... If he asks, this matter can most likely be resolved. Besides, organizing a league to enrich university life isn't a bad thing in itself; whether it succeeds or not is just a matter of a word."

The fat man gave a thumbs up. "As expected of our Manager Lin."

Lin Qingying smiled slightly, "Are you settling into your work at Yuening?"

"Fine."

"That's good..."

The three continued eating and chatting, but not long after, Qin Siyao called directly with a voice message: "Ding Han! Ding Han! The secretary from the principal's office just called me and said that the principal has changed his mind. He thinks that holding a league to enrich university life is a good thing and can make our Huaining University students more energetic, so he is willing to sign this document. I'm going over to sign it right now!"

"Haha, this is great news!"

"Yes!"

Qin Siyao said, "Is this what they mean by having a benefactor in the dark? That's wonderful, it seems we're quite lucky!"

I glanced at Lin Qingying beside me and thought to myself, there's no such thing as a benefactor in the dark; the benefactor is sitting right next to me.

Afterwards, I announced the good news in the work group of me, Lu Xiaobei, Zhao Yihang, and Chen Xiaoman. Everyone was very happy. Even Lu Xiaobei, who was so angry that she couldn't eat, asked Zhao Yihang to order her a boxed lunch!

The following morning, at Feiyang Internet Cafe.

Qin Siyao had already sent over all the information about the departments and players of the sixteen teams, so I spent the whole morning making a software program to update and input league data. After that, I started to work hard to push forward the league's progress and try to start the opening match as soon as possible!

"Ding Han ~~"

In the morning, Zhao Yihang, dressed in a formal suit, walked in carrying four cups of milk tea and gave one to each of us.

"Hangzi..."

I looked at him with a skeptical gaze. "Is there some good news? Knowing you as I do, you're such a tightwad; you wouldn't be treating everyone to milk tea if it weren't for something good, would you?"

"Absolutely!"

Chen Xiaoman said, "Our Manager Ding has a really good eye for people!"

"This..."

Zhao Yihang was a little shy, and looked at Lu Xiaobei: "Boss, why don't you announce it?"

So, Lu Xiaobei cleared his throat, put down his milk tea, and said, "I hereby officially announce that, starting today, Zhao Yihang is being promoted to deputy manager of our Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe Huaining Flagship Store, responsible for customer liaison, event operations, ordering food and running errands, buying milk tea, handling counter payments, and all other tasks. Does everyone have any objections?"

"No!" Chen Xiaoman shook her head and smiled.

"Great job, Hangzi!"

I laughed and patted Zhao Yihang on the shoulder, "You've accidentally made it into management!"

"Hahaha, it's all thanks to the boss's guidance and my brother Ding Han's tireless teaching!"

Zhao Yihang has also learned about social etiquette. "I will continue to work hard!"

"Did they give Hangzi a raise?" I asked.

"Yes, a monthly salary of ten thousand," Lu Xiaobei said.

"That's fine!"

I congratulated Zhao Yihang again. "Remember to save up some money for your future wedding, Hangzi. You're so ugly, if the bride price isn't enough, what girl will want to marry you..."

"Xie Xie you so much, my dear brother!" Zhao Yihang was speechless with gratitude.

Lu Xiaobei pursed her lips. "Ding Han, you're such a jerk!"

Chen Xiaoman covered her mouth and laughed.

"Let's go, since I'm free this morning, I'll go play some ball on campus."

"Let's go, let's go watch the game!"

So the three of them sneaked into Huaining University, this time not for work, but purely for leisure, and lured Gao Tianyu and his school team out, giving them a brutal beating.

Qin Siyao, having somehow gotten the news, also came to watch the match. She and Lu Xiaobei somehow hit it off, added each other as friends, and quickly became good friends.

Two days later, everything was ready, and the three parties confirmed the match time. The first opening match of the WHL will begin at 7 p. m. on Friday, three days from now!

It was late at night, and I was half asleep.

"Ding-dong!"

Suddenly, a voice message sounded in my ear, "Boss... are you asleep? This is Fey Courtier, help, boss..."

In the middle of the night, a voice message from Fey Courtier sent me a distress signal, which instantly jolted me awake. All sleepiness vanished, and I asked, "Fa Ye, what's wrong?"

"Boss, Bingzi and I have been captured in the wilderness!" His voice was urgent.

"What exactly happened? Calm down and tell me slowly!"

"Good..."

Fey Courtier's emotions finally calmed down a bit, and he said, "This evening, Bingzi and I set off from the Frigid Tundra, originally intending to go to that area where level 40 demons roam to gain some experience, but we didn't expect to be ambushed and hit with a nerve toxin tranquilizer dart. We were both tied up and then dragged to a settlement of wanderers!"

"What's the name of that settlement?"

"Stone Fortress."

Fey Courtier said, "Currently, Bingzi and I are both imprisoned in a high-voltage electric prison. We have no chance to escape, and we don't have Phase Teleportation Core. If we fight, we will lose two Resurrection Sacred Canon. Bingzi and I discussed it, and neither of us is willing to use the Resurrection Sacred Canon. So, we're hoping you can find a way to rescue us, Boss."

"Stone Fortress..."

I quickly accessed the Dark Web and opened a player-drawn version of the map of the Frigid Tundra. Sure enough, I found the small words "Stone Fortress" in the corner of the large map. There are more than a hundred wanderer settlements of varying sizes in the Frigid Tundra, and Stone Fortress can only be considered of medium size.

"How strong is their armed force?" I asked.

"So-so."

Fey Courtier said, "If Bingzi and I weren't tied up, the two of us should be able to fight our way out. The problem is that we're tied up and can't use our weapons, and there are high-voltage electric fences all around us, so we can't break out at all."

"Understood. Stay in touch. I'll go gather the men!"

"Yeah, boss, you guys need to be careful too!"

"Don't worry, you and Bingzi take care. Just delay a bit, we'll be there soon."

After ending the call, I immediately spoke in the squad group chat, "Wake up, everyone! Wake up! Don't sleep! Faye and Bingzi are in trouble. We need to launch a night raid!"

"What's wrong?" came the fat man's groggy voice.

"What happened to Faye and Bingzi?" Cai Cai woke up too.

Soon, Ruolin and Kou Mei's voices also appeared in the group chat.

I briefly explained the situation between Fey Courtier and Huo Bingzhi Ri, and then said, "Don't ask any more questions. Let's head to the Player Black Market first, and then we can talk about it on the way."

"OK, everyone gather!"

With no objections, everyone set off without hesitation.

Twenty minutes later, the Player Black Market.

Once all five of us were together, I glanced at everyone and said, "Let's check if we have enough gasoline in our Dimensional Storage Space. We'll be traveling through the wilderness for a long time this time, so we don't want to run out of gas halfway through."

"That's enough." Everyone nodded in unison.

"Teleport to the Frigid Tundra, depart!"

Everyone took out their money, and immediately the teleportation point ahead emitted a "buzzing" sound, changing the Teleportation Anchor to the Frigid Tundra. After taking a step, they found themselves in a desolate wasteland, surrounded by endless cold.

With a quick pull, I retrieved the Off-road Motorcycle from the storage compartment. After starting the engine, I turned to look at everyone. "Are you all ready? If you're ready, let's go!"

"Alright, let's go!"

The next moment, five Off-road Motorcycle sped across the wilderness, led by me. We locked onto the coordinates of the Stone Fortress and quickly sped off along a road almost completely overgrown with weeds.

The night wind was icy, and soon a layer of frost covered my eyelashes and eyebrows.

"Holy crap, it's so cold..."

The fat man complained, "What are Faye and Bingzi doing on the Frigid Tundra in the middle of the night?"

"Brother, stop talking, we're here..."

Huo Bingzhi Ri said weakly, "Faye and I were thinking of giving each other some extra training to catch up on our levels, but who would have thought that the low-level areas of the Frigid Tundra would be so dangerous? We were attacking a blue goblin with a tranquilizer dart while we were fighting a blue goblin, and we fell asleep for several hours. When we woke up, we were tied up like fat pigs for the New Year."

"That's terrible..." Zhang Ruolin laughed.

"Cough cough..."

I reminded them, "Faye, Bingzi, don't turn off the group chat. Keep in touch and try to talk as little as possible so as not to affect the actions of the five of us."

"Understand!"

The two people on the other end fell silent and listened.

"Ding Han."

Zhang Ruolin squinted, speeding along on her Off-road Motorcycle, and said in the Team Channel, "Judging from this situation, it should be almost dawn when we get to Stone Fortress. Have you figured out how to sneak in?"

"Um."

I nodded. "When we get to Stone Fortress, take off any high-level equipment you need and put on low-level equipment. We'll also pretend to be wanderers going into town to trade, hunt some animals along the way as cargo, and hide the motorcycles as soon as we get close to Stone Fortress. In short, we'll play it by ear."

"Learn!"

Kou Mei said, "Boss, look at the one o'clock direction ahead, there's an Ice Deer!"

"Wow, home delivery!"

I laughed and said, "Fatty, here's your chance to show off!"

"Okay!"

The group immediately stopped moving. The fat man mounted his gun on his arm on the motorcycle, and with a soft "thud" from the silenced sniper rifle, the Ice Deer was instantly Headshot and fell to the ground!

"Walk!"

I immediately sped off on my motorcycle, only to find that it was a male deer nearly two meters long, quite robust, and looked to weigh at least 500 pounds. I immediately got off the motorcycle, picked it up, and threw it into my storage space.

"Keep going, hunt a wild boar or pheasant later. Just one deer looks too fake."

OK!

So, our group continued onward, shooting a wild boar, a few pheasants, and rabbits along the way, storing them all in our storage space before speeding towards the settlement.

Obtaining food in the wilderness of <Star Abyss> is quite difficult, but players are an exception. The accuracy of players' shooting is a game-changer compared to that of ordinary wanderers. Not to mention that many people have reached the maximum level of shooting proficiency or even expert level, even those with the maximum level of Advanced Shooting or Basic Shooting still have shooting accuracy far superior to that of wanderers.

Those wanderers struggle to eat, let alone afford bullets to train their shooting skills.

Therefore, food is the "hard currency" in the wilderness. We don't need to bring anything else. As long as we have these prey, we can enter any wilderness settlement without any hindrance!

Three hours later, the five-person team sped more than 200 kilometers through the wilderness and finally arrived at their destination at dawn.

In the distance, a stone fortress stands in a wasteland. The walls are crudely made, but they are enough to hold off low-level alien species and beasts. From a distance, two young men carrying Assault Rifle stand on the walls, which are only about five meters high. They are obviously the guards of this settlement.

"Get ready."

They immediately drove the motorcycles into the nearby woods. The group put all the Off-road Motorcycle into the storage space, then took out the prey, cut down trees, made a sturdy frame, tied the deer carcass to it, and had the other four people lift it together. I had two rabbits tied around my waist, carried the not-too-big wild boar on my shoulder with my right hand, and held a few pheasants swaying back and forth in my Left Hand.

To make it look more realistic, they even smeared some animal blood on their bodies.

"Let's go, don't be nervous."

I glanced at everyone and laughed, "If things get really bad, just equip all your gear with one click, grab a shotgun and fight them head-on. We can force a rescue and maybe even give out a few Resurrection Sacred Canon, but we'll definitely have to clean up the leaders and other key figures in this settlement."

The group nodded slightly, offering no objections.

So, the group, carrying their prey, slowly made their way towards the Stone Fortress.

In front of the fortress, a stone bridge spanned a nearly dried-up moat. Before we even got close, the fortress gate opened, and a group of people emerged, carrying weapons.

What are you doing?

One of the middle-aged men, carrying Assault Rifle, frowned and asked.

"We're on the same side, don't shoot..."

I instinctively raised the pheasant and said, "We're wanderers too. We hunted some game and wanted to trade it for supplies at Stone Fortress. We have no hostility towards you."

"Oh?"

The middle-aged man immediately laughed, "I thought it was some bastards from another settlement attacking... Young man, you've come at the perfect time. The morning market will open soon, and with your goods... goodness!"

He walked closer, touched the stag's pelt, and said, "Such a big guy can definitely be traded for a lot of supplies. What do you want to trade for? Food, oil, sugar? Or weapons and bullets?"

"Let's sell it first, we still need to get cash."

"Alright."

He laughed heartily, "Come in, come in."

The group successfully entered the Stone Fortress.

Inside the fortress, we saw the inhabitants, most of them emaciated with lifeless eyes. Some children were playing, but the adults were mostly silent, their faces showing signs of hunger.

Life is hard for the wanderers, and it's just as hard for these settled people; making a living in the wilderness is incredibly difficult.

In comparison, the world behind the towering Wall of Life in the Crimson Dragon Country is like a completely different world, creating an extremely strong sense of rift between them.

It's no wonder that those wanderers living in the wilderness so desperately desired a Crimson Dragon Country ID card, and many even paid with their lives for it, ultimately failing to obtain it.

The morning market was bustling with activity.

Wanderers kept gathering, some carrying prey, some carrying weapons like hunting rifles, and others leading disheveled, emaciated women. Here, everything seemed to be traded as a resource.

"Ding Han..."

Zhang Ruolin suddenly tugged at my sleeve and said, "Look over there, Faye and Bingzi..."

"Ah?"

I quickly looked over and was immediately shocked. On a tall platform in the morning market, Fey Courtier and Huo Bingzhi Ri were tied up like pretzel ropes, their mouths stuffed with cotton cloth, and lined up with several black slaves waiting to be sold. They were looking at us with embarrassed expressions.