Ruolin's Invitation

He took out his UZI and unleashed a barrage of Blade Bug, which was gushing green sap. It was just like the Marines in Starship Troopers shooting at bugs; blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the Zerg limbs flailed wildly. In the blink of an eye, he wiped out the Blade Bug's last bit of health, completing the kill of the Orange BOSS within one minute!

It was so easy! I finished the task in just over 40 minutes!

"Phew~~~"

I took a deep breath, picked up my Power Sword, and headed towards the entrance.

The reason it went so smoothly was twofold: firstly, because of the Power Sword, and secondly, because my Overall Combat Level was high enough. Just kidding, a combat ability level of 17,000+ is simply amazing at this stage!

The difficulty setting of the fifth-tier breakthrough mission should be such that players with Overall Combat Level of 8000 should be able to pass it, although it may be a bit tough along the way. Ultimately, by using various skills to defeat the BOSS, the probability of passing it by barely meeting the threshold is very high.

The higher the combat level, the faster the battle!

This level of difficulty might stump some players, but not for long.

Entrance to the Lava Bug Nest.

"Whoosh~~~"

The holographic projection reappeared, and the Power Armor general laughed, "Young man, you have indeed not disappointed me. The Republic Sword Martial Hall is proud of you. Come, this is your reward!"

At the same time, a series of tinkling sounds rang in my ears!

[Congratulations! You have completed the quest: [Lava Bug Nest] (Tier 5 Breakthrough Quest). Your class has successfully advanced to Tier 5, and your level cap has been increased to 60!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the professional title: [Starry Sky Super Weapon - Sword Specialization - Tier 5]!]

[Congratulations! You have successfully advanced to the fifth rank! Your Essence Furnace's conversion speed has been greatly increased!]

Done!

Stepping out of the Teleportation Gate, he instantly appeared on a street in the city. It looked familiar and wasn't far from his neighborhood, so he immediately took out his Power Sword Storm and began to learn!

"Whoosh!"

A golden skill icon, resembling a sword blade stirring up a storm, appeared in the skill bar. Consuming a large amount of Skill Experience, it was instantly maxed out, granting 6 points of strength!

Then, I maxed out all the skills, including repair, Throwing Skill, and shooting, bringing them all to Master level 10!

Instantly, you gain 18 points of Spirit and 12 points of Strength and Agility.

Afterwards, he took out the cyan Forest Whisperer Armor from his Dimensional Storage Space and put it on. His attributes and combat power skyrocketed instantly. When he opened his personal panel, he felt like he had been reborn.

[Shadow Chaser] (Starry Sky Super Weapon - Sword Specialization - Tier 5)

Level: 50

Attack: 3480-4558

Defense: 2690

Life: 58000

Critical Hit: 18%

Bloodsucking: 24%

Damage Increase by 44%

Damage Reduction: 12%

Charisma:26

Yuanli: 150/150

Overall Combat Level: 20025

Potential Point Allocation: Strength 1046 / Agility 561 / Spirit 384.2 / Stamina 301

Achievements: 72

Crimson Dragon Country Faction Reputation: Revered

My Combat Power broke through 20,000 points in one go, but I didn't trigger the achievement reward. This is most likely because there may not be a 20,000 combat power achievement in <Star Abyss>.

However, his personal combat power had indeed reached an unprecedented peak at this time. With the first piece of cyan breastplate, the biggest change was in his armor, which soared to 2690 points. This would make him more resistant to firearms!

Furthermore, due to the three attributes of the cyan equipment, a full 46 points of strength were added. In addition, the Essence Furnace has now been upgraded to level 48, so the Mental Power has reached a terrifying 384 points, which is simply unimaginable for melee players!

Such high Mental Power...

I grinned and sent Kou Mei a message: "Kou Mei, what's your current Mental Power?"

"689 points, what's wrong, boss?" Kou Mei asked innocently.

"It's nothing, I was just asking around!"

Alright, Kou Mei is Star Speaker, already one of the stronger Psionic System players. Her equipment is also at the lower-tier level of top-tier. Even her Mental Power is less than 700 points, which means that at this stage it is difficult for any player to have more than twice my Mental Power!

In the Star Abyss's setting, if Psionic System player's Mental Power cannot be twice that of their opponent, then the probability of control skills such as Psionic Entanglement and Stardust Tendril missing will greatly increase, and the attack damage will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, my current attributes are getting closer and closer to the legendary "hexagonal warrior", and the future looks promising!

I glanced at the time and realized it was already past four o'clock, so I sent Fatty a message: "I successfully completed my fifth job advancement. When are you going to get the Armor of the Grey Knight?"

"I'll treat you to dinner tonight, how about our Couple's Kitchen?!"

"OK!"

So, I strolled back to the neighborhood. As the sun was setting, I saw the chubby boy wiggling his bottom in front of the arcade machine at the convenience store, playing Journey to the West. He would get excited every time he successfully shook the machine.

I stood behind Li Xiang, took a picture of him playing arcade games, and then sent it to Lin Qingying.

"I'm still in a meeting..."

Lin Qingying said, "I can't keep you company today."

"Have a good meeting, Fatty and I are having lunch downstairs."

"Okay, sure."

So, he sat down and played with Li Xiang for a while. Soon after, the fat man arrived, waved, and said, "Come on, let's go drink! Li Xiang, do you want to eat with us?"

"Is it okay, Fatty?"

The chubby boy wavered instantly.

"Why not? Let's go!"

So, the two adults and one child walked into the restaurant. The proprietress greeted them warmly, then glanced at the chubby boy and said with a smile, "Li Xiang, are you here to freeload off your two older brothers?"

"Yes."

Li Xiang quickly sat up straight.

"Boss lady, the usual."

The fat man laughed, "Three bottles of beer, one bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and cook us a few more dishes. Li Xiang is still growing, he can probably eat more than the two of us!"

"Okay, don't worry, our portions are generous and you'll be full!"

Soon after, dishes were served one after another. Fatty and I drank and chatted, and I casually opened the game's trading system and traded the Armor of the Grey Knight to him. The guy gave me a smug look. "Awesome... Now I have strength, stamina, and armor. By the way, has your Combat Power broken 20,000 yet?"

"Just broken."

"Awesome..."

He silently gave a thumbs up, then revealed a look of determination to catch up.

"Big Brother Fatty!"

Li Xiang stopped eating and asked, "What do you mean? What kind of Combat Power are you talking about... Are you playing some kind of game? Can I join you?"

You're still too young!

The fat man patted his head and laughed, "We'll talk about that when you're older!"

"Oh!"

Li Xiang continued eating, quickly finished, and then went home with his grandfather who had just finished work.

"What does Grandpa Li do now? He leaves early and comes home late."

The fat man glanced outside.

"I heard he's working as a gatekeeper at a nearby vocational college. He gets three meals a day, air conditioning, and the pay is decent. It's much better than picking up trash before." I'm not entirely sure; I heard this from Lin Qingying.

"That's good, the country is prosperous and the people are at peace."

The fat man asked, "How's things going with our Manager Lin lately?"

"What kind of development can there be? I've been busy with the game and WHL lately, and I seem to have neglected her a bit."

"Foolish!"

The fat man glared at her and said, "Spend more time with her when you have free time. What's the point of focusing all your attention on those computers in the internet cafe? Can computers keep you company while you sleep or give birth to your babies?"

"You're so tacky."

"The words may be rough, but the principle is sound..."

"Hurry up and drink it, stop fucking raising fish. What's wrong with you lately? Did Shen Yue spoil you?"

"You son of a bitch..."

Around nine o'clock in the evening, Lin Qingying finally returned home.

"Have you eaten?" I put down my phone.

"Yes, I ate at the company."

She looked a little tired, sat on the sofa, and put down her laptop and a stack of documents.

I handed her a glass of warm water and then stood aside.

Lin Qingying immediately found it somewhat amusing. "What are you doing?"

"I think I should spend more time with you; I've been focusing too much on work lately."

"Oh!"

She glanced at me and smiled, "Oh, by the way, there's something I need to tell you."

"What's up?"

"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, February 14th. Ruolin's music restaurant is having an event and invited me to attend. So I wanted to ask you, do you want to go? If you want to go, I'll go too; if you don't, I won't go either."

Valentine's Day...

I nodded. "If there's nothing else going on, it wouldn't be a problem. By the way, are you able to manage your work schedule?"

"I guess... it's okay?"

Lin Qingying hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's rare for her to invite me, so even if I'm busy, I'll go. Oh, by the way, you can keep the car keys. You can drive me to work tomorrow morning and pick me up in the evening, then we'll go to Sister Ruolin's restaurant together."

I nodded in agreement, and then she got busy with her work.

The next morning, at Feiyang Internet Cafe.

When I parked Lin Qingying's Bentley in the parking space in front of the internet cafe, Zhao Yihang craned his neck and said incredulously, "She lent you her car?"

"Um."

I nodded, sat down, and started checking yesterday's earnings from the internet cafe.

"Holy crap..."

Zhao Yihang, "Ding Han, what exactly is your relationship with Lin Qingying? I think she cares about you quite a bit, otherwise, a big boss like her wouldn't take the time to attend our WHL opening match. And if it were a normal relationship, she wouldn't leave her car keys with you. Tell me honestly, are you two together?"

"..."

When Zhao Yihang asked so bluntly, I didn't know how to answer. I said we weren't officially together, since our relationship hadn't officially become official yet, and neither of us had said it outright.

Lin Qingying only said that she liked me too, but she didn't express any willingness to actually be my girlfriend. I also only knew that she had feelings for me, but I had no idea whether she was willing to go that far.

Not long after, Lu Xiaobei appeared at the internet cafe.

She was holding a few balloons, dressed very casually, and sitting to the side eating steamed buns.

"You wouldn't happen to be...?"

I frowned. "Back to your old ways, taking photos for others again?"

"So clever!"

She smiled and said, "Having a side hustle gives me more peace of mind!"

I stood up and shouted, "You're a celebrity now, remember to raise your prices!"

Her voice came from the stairwell. "Don't worry, it's increased tenfold!"

In the evening, after receiving a message from Lin Qingying, I clocked out and left the internet cafe.

"Ding Han!"

Zhao Yihang grabbed me and said in a cheeky tone, "You... you're not going to pick her up now and then have dinner together for Valentine's Day, are you?"

"You know what, it's really true..."

I grinned and said, "Tell me honestly, is it painful?"

"I feel a little unwell, but I'm definitely not the one who's feeling the worst."

Zhao Yihang looked outside the internet cafe and said, "The boss left ten minutes early without saying a word to you, or even asking how you were going to spend Valentine's Day. I bet she's the one who's most upset."

"..."

I sighed, "Then what should I do? Am I supposed to have my cake and eat it too? I don't want to hurt Xiao Bei, but if I want both, wouldn't that be the worst thing I can do for her?"

"Well..."

Zhao Yihang, "You should leave. I shouldn't have brought this up with you. Two such wonderful women like you, unlike me. I'm the only one who can like others; no woman has ever liked me."

Don't say that.

I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hangzi, to be honest, you're a pretty good person. You're diligent, kind, and honest. If you weren't such a loser, girls would definitely like you."

"Really?"

Zhao Yihang asked excitedly, "Then do you think... Cheng Shuang might like me?"

I glanced at him, shook my head, and walked away.

Yue Ning Group, downstairs.

I parked the car on the side of the road. Inside the group's building, Lin Qingying, Shen Man, and Chen Dongqing appeared together. Lin Qingying was explaining work-related matters, and Shen Man nodded repeatedly.

Chen Dongqing, who had been standing by like a bodyguard, immediately came over when he turned his head and saw me sitting in the car, and said with a smile, "Oh, here to pick up our Manager Lin?"

"Um."

I nodded and said jokingly, "You're just like Fatty. After joining Yuening, you keep calling him 'our Manager Lin.' Don't forget that the three of us said at the Luo Mei employee meeting, 'I am irreconcilable with Yuening.' Now it seems that only I have kept my word."

"Oh, you did it?"

Chen Dongqing said irritably, "Good heavens, he openly drove the Yue Ning Group CEO's car downstairs to pick her up to spend Valentine's Day together. What a show of 'I'm irreconcilably opposed to Yuening'!"

At this moment, Lin Qingying walked over.

Chen Dongqing immediately opened the car door like a dog and said respectfully, "Manager Lin, please get in!"

"You, you, you..."

I pointed at Chen Dongqing across Lin Qingying and said, "Old Chen, you're such a scoundrel!"

Hahaha~~~

Chen Dongqing closed the car door and said with a smile, "Goodbye, Manager Lin, have fun!"

Lin Qingying smiled gently, "Let's go back, President Chen."

"Alright, see you tomorrow, Manager Lin!"

Chen Dongqing bowed, placing his index and middle fingers on his forehead in a gesture of respect. This guy really knew how to get things done.

The car slowly merged into the traffic.

"Should we go straight to 'Flowers Blooming on the Path'?" I asked.

"Um."

Lin Qingying smiled and said, "It's rare that we don't have to work overtime today. We can go over and chat with Ruolin first, and then order something to eat when there are more people later."

"Can."

I nodded and then asked, "How is Chen Dongqing performing at Yuening?"

"It's too early to tell about their work capabilities, but their operational arrangements seem to be going well so far."

"That's good."

I nodded. "It'll probably be a little later for Fatty's side to get results. After all, it's the tech department, and it's too hard to get ahead. There are superiors keeping you in check, and it's easy for your achievements to be stolen. There might also be some conflicts between colleagues."

"Um."

Lin Qingying said, "I'll have someone keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't suffer any injustice in Yuening."

"Thank you for your help, Xiaoying."

Would you like some milk tea?

"I'll go buy it!"

So I parked my car on the side of the road, bought three cups of milk tea, and also got one for Ruolin, before speeding away.

Ten minutes later, at the Flowers Blooming on the Path Music Restaurant.

Although it was early spring, the restaurant was already decorated with lush greenery, and business seemed to be good, with the parking lot already half full.

"Ding Han, Ying'er!"

Zhang Ruolin was dressed beautifully and personally greeted them at the door, smiling as she said, "I've saved the best seats for you today!"

"Ruolin, milk tea."

I took out a cup of milk tea and handed it to her.

Thanks!

After the three of us sat down at just the right distance from the stage, sipping our milk tea, I looked up at the balloons decorating the restaurant and said, "The atmosphere is alright. Tonight, have your signed folk singers sing a few more love-related songs."

"Yes, it's already arranged."

Lin Qingying asked, "Ruolin, how much do your signed singers get per month?"

"Around six thousand."

Ruolin said, "Currently, the prices for resident singers in similar restaurants in Huaining City are basically the same."

"A mere six thousand yuan is enough to make a talented singer work himself to the bone for a month. Sigh, capitalists..."

I made a remark, and then I noticed that Lin Qingying and Ruolin were both staring at me, as if they were both capitalists.

Soon after, the restaurant began to fill up with customers.

Perhaps because of the holiday, business was booming, and the place was soon packed with men and women. I picked up the menu and said to Lin Qingying, "What would you like to eat? It's my treat."

"Is that so?"

She laughed and said, "Did the internet cafes make money after the league started?"

"Yes, I've made quite a bit of money. Although it hasn't reached me yet, I'm one of the shareholders, so I'm sure I'll get a share."

"Then I won't be polite!"

"Order whatever you like!"

So Lin Qingying ordered some dishes, including Tomahawk Steak. I estimated that the meal would cost over a thousand yuan, but I didn't care. This amount of money is really nothing to me now.

Business was good today. Zhang Ruolin greeted and saw off customers with a smile on her face. She seemed to enjoy this fulfilling life. As soon as she had a moment to herself, she would come back and complain to us.

After dinner, Zhang Ruolin gave us a set of wine, and then the nightlife at Flowers Blooming on the Path truly began.

The two folk singers began to sing; although they couldn't match Milo's professional level, they still had their own unique style.

"Shall we play some dice?"

Zhang Ruolin asked, "Shall the three of us play together?"

"I don't know how..."

Lin Qingying looked embarrassed. She rarely encountered such situations; she mostly attended high-end business cocktail parties, where these kinds of games weren't involved.

"It's alright, you're so smart, you'll learn it in no time!"

Sure enough, Lin Qingying learned quickly, and then the three of them officially started playing. As we played, I realized something was wrong. No matter who I targeted, the other two would target me. They had already tacitly teamed up.

So, I drank a tiny bit too much.

Around nine o'clock.

Someone went up on stage and whispered a few words to the singer. The singer immediately perked up, picked up the microphone, and said, "Today is Valentine's Day, a day for lovers to be together. A Mr. Gao wants to take this opportunity to confess his feelings to a lady he has long admired. I am very much looking forward to seeing which lady will be so lucky."

The next moment, two young men walked in from outside. They actually took a large flower tray from the trunk of a car and placed it directly on the stage. Then, a rather handsome young man walked in, picked up the microphone, and said, "Zhang Ruolin, I like you. May I ask... will you be with me?"

'Rough...'

I was stunned. They were actually after Ruolin!

"Ah??"

Zhang Ruolin looked completely bewildered, then glanced at the handsome young man on stage, as if she remembered who he was.

I looked closely at the man's face and was immediately stunned. "Holy crap... Gao Tianyu!?"

"Holy crap?"

He was shocked too. "Ding Han?! How... how did you end up with Ruolin?"

"You two know each other?!"

Zhang Ruolin looked surprised.

"Yes, I met him when I was playing basketball at Huaining University."

I nodded, then said, "Ruolin, someone confessed their feelings to you! Hurry up and give them a response..."

Immediately, the surrounding guests began to jeer.

"So this handsome guy likes the boss's wife..."

"That's true, they look quite well-matched, a handsome man and a beautiful woman..."

"Say yes!"

"Say yes!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and then I saw Ruolin's lips move slightly as she mumbled, "You promised your mom..."

Give me the microphone.

Ruolin raised her hand, took another microphone from the singer, and smiled, "First of all, I'm very happy that people like me. After all, I feel that my charm is not as good as before, so I'm very happy. At the same time, I'm also very grateful for everyone's support and love for our 'Flowers Blooming on the Path' restaurant. However, I'm quite independent in my relationships and don't want to have a boyfriend right now, so Mr. Gao, I'm sorry, you're not my type. I don't think I can say yes to you. Sorry~~~"

As expected of her, she refused outright, and her words were quite firm.

On stage, Gao Tianyu's face was ashen, and his close friends beside him also became very embarrassed. They then slunk away, leaving the huge bouquet of flowers on the stage looking rather ironic.

I smiled and didn't say anything.

Then, using the game's voice chat, he said to her, "Ruolin, Gao Tianyu is quite handsome, a bit like Rukawa Kaede. You really don't like him?"

"I really don't like it."

Zhang Ruolin replied via in-game voice, "I actually find this kind of blatant way of picking up girls quite disgusting. Besides, how could a player with Combat Power of 9000+ let him sleep with me? Wouldn't that be embarrassing for players?"

I nodded; what she said actually made some sense.

However, when I saw Lin Qingying beside me, I felt that my thoughts might be a bit hypocritical.

"Continue!"

Zhang Ruolin waved, the singer continued singing, and the joy of Valentine's Day continued. Many men and women in the restaurant were already tipsy.

Alas, this is destined to be an unsettling night.

Around 10 o'clock.

"Beep beep~~~"

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Zhao Yihang's number.

"Hangzi, what's wrong?"

"Ding Han, something's happened at the internet cafe! There's some trouble. Xiao Bei got into an argument with them and got pushed, then fell on a table corner and got hurt!"

"What?"

I suddenly stood up and looked at Lin Qingying and Zhang Ruolin: "There's trouble at the internet cafe, Xiao Bei is injured, I have to go there now!"

Lin Qingying immediately stood up. "We'll go with you."

Zhang Ruolin called one of the shop's employees to drive Lin Qingying's car and take us there. We sped along the way and arrived at Feiyang Internet Cafe in less than ten minutes.

"I'll go in and take a look first."

After opening the car door, I dashed into Feiyang Internet Cafe, only to be stopped by two thug-looking young men who grabbed my arms on either side, saying, "Something's going on inside. Who the hell do you think you are, daring to squeeze in? You looking for death?"

Just as they were forcefully shoving me away, I suddenly exerted my strength, grabbed one of their arms on each side, and instantly knocked them to the ground. Then I rushed into the crowd.

"Ding Han..."

In the crowd, Zhao Yihang was pinned to the counter by a burly man, his arms locked, tears welling up in his eyes.

Beside him, Lu Xiaobei covered her arm, tears streaming down her face.

As for the people surfing the internet in the internet cafe, they were driven to an inner room by a group of young people from the streets, and they dared not speak out against their anger.

"And who the hell are you?"

Among the group of young people, a man with a buzz cut turned around and asked with a fierce look on his face.

"Ding Han..."

At that moment, Lin Qingying and Zhang Ruolin rushed in.

"Protect Xiao Bei."

I looked at them.

"Um!"

Immediately, Lin Qingying and Zhang Ruolin stepped forward to protect Lu Xiaobei behind them.

"Who are you?"

I suppressed my anger, looked at the gang leader, and said, "What has our Feiyang Internet Cafe done to offend you all?"

"Laugh!"

The gang leader sneered, pulled a photograph from his pocket, and said, "You know this person, right?"

The person in the photo is the owner of that hot pot restaurant.

"Know."

"It's good that we know each other!"

The other party sneered, "This person owes me three million in high-interest loans. Now that he's disappeared, we're going to take back the right to use this building. If you know what's good for you, get out of here right now, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

He pointed at Lu Xiaobei and laughed, "I heard the owner of this shop is a celebrity? I've never been with a celebrity before. If all else fails, I'll have her spend a few days with me, and I won't charge any interest!"

"Go to hell, you piece of trash!" Lu Xiaobei said angrily.

"Damn it, are you asking for a beating?"

One of the thugs nearby immediately raised his arm and smashed down with the steel pipe in his hand!

"Boom!"

The steel pipe fell, but Zhang Ruolin grabbed it and kicked the thug hard in the stomach. Several other thugs rushed forward, and in the shoving, Lin Qingying cried out and fell to the ground with Lu Xiaobei.

"Your mother..."

I suddenly lowered my body and landed a powerful punch on the thug leader's stomach. After a loud "thud," the guy clutched his stomach like a shrimp in pain, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Brother Mancang!"

"Brother Hu..."

A group of thugs nearby were shocked and rushed over, raising their watermelon knives and steel pipes high in the air.

He caught a blade barehanded, and with a "snap," he grabbed one of the steel pipes. The next moment, he used the pipe as a sword and unleashed his newly acquired max-level Sword Master. Instantly, the pipe turned into a bloody afterimage, sweeping across the group of thugs with a "crackling" sound. Unfortunately, these people didn't show any red health bars, so he couldn't kill them, otherwise he would lose all faction reputation.

"Ying'er! Xiao Bei!"

On the other side, Zhang Ruolin hurriedly helped Lin Qingying and Lu Xiaobei up. At the same time, she was hit on the shoulder and head by a steel pipe, losing a little blood. She was furious and turned around to grab a steel pipe and join the fight!

In less than half a minute, Hu Mancang and his group were all injured, covered in blood!

"You wait!"

Supported by his men, Hu Mancang limped out of the internet cafe, turned around, pointed at them, and roared, "Lu Xiaobei, Ding Han, you two wait! Your Third Uncle will not let this go! Get your families ready to collect your corpses!"

"Fuck you!"

I suddenly raised my hand and, with a master-level Throwing Skill, hurled the blood-stained steel pipe, which landed precisely on Hu Mancang's head with a "thud."

"Holy crap, that hurts! Quick, get out of here..."

"Brother Hu, are you alright?"

"Damn it, this isn't over yet, let's go back..."

Their voices could be heard in the darkness of the night.

"Xiao Ying, Xiao Bei, are you alright?"

I walked up to them and looked at the two of them.

"Fine."

Lin Qingying clutched her wrist; the area below her palm was bright red, with a large scrape.

"I'll get some medicine later."

I nodded, then looked at Lu Xiaobei: "Let me see the wound."

"Um..."

Lu Xiaobei seemed to have never suffered such an injustice before. He exposed his arm, which had a large red bruise on it. Unsurprisingly, it was a tissue contusion, much more serious than Lin Qingying's injury.

"Those bastards..."

I frowned. "Why didn't you call the police?"

"It's useless..."

Zhao Yihang, "Ding Han, you don't know this, but this group of people are local criminal gangs. Their influence is very extensive and deeply entrenched. Even if we call the police, they will suppress our calls. In fact, we have already called the police, and nearly twenty minutes have passed and no one has come."

"..."

"Oh shit!"

I frowned. First, we must find and eliminate the "Third Uncle" that Hu Mancang mentioned, otherwise Feiyang Internet Cafe will never have peace again. Moreover, I cannot let this matter affect Lu Xiaobei, Zhao Yihang, or even Lin Qingying. We must resolve this matter with overwhelming force.

"Ruolin."

Turning around, he looked at Zhang Ruolin and Lin Qingying and said, "Take Xiaoying home. Her injuries aren't too serious; some medicine will do the trick. Send Fatty a message: you stay in my room tonight, and let Fatty sleep in the living room. Keep an eye on her; I'm worried those people might try to harm Xiaoying."

"Um."

Zhang Ruolin nodded.

"Ding Han, you..."

Lin Qingying looked at me, her eyes full of worry.

"Listen to me, I can handle it."

I smiled and said, "Go back and get some rest. You have to go to work tomorrow."

"Um."

She didn't insist, and followed Ruolin with red eyes.

"Sorry, this has disrupted everyone's internet access!"

I shouted to a group of customers surfing the internet, "What happened today was due to our poor performance at the internet cafe. Please rest assured, we will immediately credit your accounts with an extra two hours of internet access. We ask for your understanding!"

As he spoke, he gestured for Zhao Yihang to take the operation.

"Ding Han..."

Lu Xiaobei gritted her teeth. "What if they retaliate? I'm scared..."

"It's alright, leave it to me."

I shook my head and smiled, then opened the Friend System and sent a message to Cai Cai and Kou Mei, asking them to come and protect Lu Xiaobei.

Afterwards, I decided to investigate this Third Uncle, and just as this thought arose, a bell rang in my ear—

[You have triggered the daily quest "Urban Undercurrent" (Rank A)! Quest objective: Follow Hu Mancang's trail to investigate his upstream organizations and eradicate the criminal gangs in these cities. Upon completion, you will receive a large amount of Crimson Dragon Country faction Reputation Value!]

It's here!

Players are normally not allowed to kill civilians, but if they enter the mission process, those people will have red health bars, and then they can kill them at will!

Entering the Dark Web and searching for information about Hu Mancang's organization, I found that a player named "Zhengrong Years" posted a message about Hu Mancang, warning players near Huaining City not to provoke him, as it could cause trouble.

So, I added "The Zhengrong Years" as a friend.

"Drop!"

The other party sent a message: "Master Shadow Chaser? Is... is something wrong?"

He was a player whose avatar made him look over 40 years old, but his level was only 42, so he seemed to be a casual player.

"Um."

I nodded and smiled, "Brother Zhengrong, I'd like to inquire about Hu Mancang. Do you know him?"

"How?"

The Zhengrong Years said, "You want to touch them?"

"Yes, these people offended my friend."

"Damn, that's great. These social scum dared to offend the Shadow Chaser. They deserve to have their path come to an end."

"Tell me first, who is this 'Third Uncle' that Hu Mancang mentioned?"

"Um."

Zhengrong Years recounted, "Hu Mancang was just a small leader, responsible for doing the dirty and tiring work. Above him was the so-called Third Uncle. Third Uncle's real name was Cao Weidong. He was a retired soldier from the Crimson Dragon Country's border garrison more than ten years ago. After retiring, he gathered a group of men to do shady things. Later, his business grew bigger and bigger. He opened a BOX Bar in the city, which was probably the largest bar in the entire Huaining City. In addition, he also had some inns, hotels, and other businesses. His business was very large, and he had a lot of influence in the local area."

"No wonder they were so arrogant; we called the police ages ago and not a single local officer came."

Hahaha~~~

Zhengrong Years said, "I reckon the local police station won't send anyone if they hear the other party is Cao Weidong's man. Even if they do, they'll just do a quick job and won't investigate. Several big shots above rely on Cao Weidong for their livelihood; it would be a miracle if they actually investigated."

"I want to completely wipe out Cao Weidong's organization. Brother Zhengrong, what suggestions do you have?" I asked.

"Ding Han, do you really want to touch them?"

"Yes, the mission has been triggered!"

"Damn, triggering the mission is no problem at all." Zhengrong Years said, "If you asked someone else about this, they might not be able to give you the answer. You've come to the right person. Cao Weidong runs a secret casino in the basement of the factory behind the BOX Bar. He's a gambler and is there almost every day. Even his mistresses live in the casino and are practically never leaving. However, since you messed with his subordinate Hu Mancang, Cao Weidong might be on alert. You should be careful if you go there."

"Don't worry, I have the Resurrection Sacred Canon."

"Okay, good luck then. I'll send you a map of the casino's location in a bit."

"Thanks a lot, brother!"

Shortly after, Cai Cai and Kou Mei arrived at Feiyang Internet Cafe one after the other.

"Boss, what's going on?"

"Don't ask any more questions. I'm giving you a glorious and arduous task."

"Oh?"

Kou Mei's eyes lit up. "What mission?"

"Protect my My 23-Year-Old Beautiful Boss..." I pointed at Lu Xiaobei.

She said weakly, "Ding Han, I'm already 24..."

"Ahem, don't worry about the details!"

I nodded. "Cai Cai, Kou Mei, you two take Xiao Bei to the hospital to treat her wounds first, then take her home. Kou Mei, protect her closely, Cai Cai, watch the door. It's not over until I say it's finished."

"Learn!"

Kou Mei asked, "Boss, what about you?"

I'm going out for a bit.

With that, he strode out of the internet cafe and into the alley. Then, he took out Off-road Motorcycle from his storage space, and with a roar of the engine, it disappeared into the night.