Being Followed

"Boss, how did you charge in like that?" Xiao Liang asked excitedly. He never imagined Lu Yang would become the number one on the Level Rankings in "Second World"; it seemed completely unimaginable to him.

"I have my ways. Where are you now?" Lu Yang asked.

"I'm in the Level 1 monster area of Flower Whisper Plains. There are too many people fighting for monsters here, and so many big guilds have booked the area to level up," Xiao Liang said with some frustration.

Lu Yang knew this would be the case. He said, "Wait for me at the city gate. I'll take you to level up."

Xiao Liang was about to agree, but then he remembered Lu Yang was already Level 4 while he was only Level 1. He thought that if Lu Yang took him, it would definitely delay Lu Yang's leveling and allow others to surpass him. After thinking it over, Xiao Liang sent a message to Lu Yang.

"Boss, you don't need to take me. I can manage alone. Keep up the good work leveling up, and don't let anyone overtake you."

Lu Yang covered his forehead, speechless. Without even guessing, he knew this kid Xiao Liang's "problem" had acted up again. He said, "Hurry up and come over. Taking you won't delay my leveling."

When Lu Yang went to find Xiao Liang, he had already planned it. Although he couldn't help Xiao Liang much in the early stages, he could still help him fight monsters and level up while doing quests. It wouldn't take up much time at all.

"Ah... Oh." Hearing Lu Yang's tone, Xiao Liang immediately said, "I'm on my way."

"This kid," Lu Yang muttered.

But just as he finished speaking, Lu Yang's eyes suddenly became sharp. Without moving his head, he glanced to his right. A blurry silhouette gradually came into focus for him – it was an invisible Rogue.

Lu Yang wasn't sure if this Rogue intended to cause trouble for him, so he deliberately led the Rogue on a detour. As a result, he found that the Rogue was still behind him. He realized then that this Rogue was indeed here to cause trouble for him.

"A Level 1 Rogue dares to use Stealth in front of a Level 4 me? What a joke." Lu Yang couldn't be bothered to deal with this person. With his current strength, at this level, it would take at least twenty people to put any pressure on him. He turned around and walked towards the city gate.

Killing people couldn't be done within the city walls!

Meanwhile, Xiao Liang had already reached the city gate and sat down on the bridge by the moat. The place where he had been fighting monsters earlier was near the city gate, so he arrived quickly.

At this moment, players wearing novice outfits were constantly running out of the city towards the outside to level up. The simple novice outfits were ordinary white cloth clothes. Female players wore pink skirts, looking rather plain.

Just as Xiao Liang was looking towards the city, a player wearing a blue cloak and holding a dark wood-colored long-handled spiral staff suddenly appeared at the city gate.

The surrounding players were all attracted by this person's equipment and couldn't help but stare at him.

"Wow, his equipment is amazing."

"Looks like a full set of Bronze equipment."

"I think his weapon is Silver. The head of this weapon is spiral-shaped, so flashy."

Xiao Liang also looked enviously at the player running over. But before he could think further, a message arrived in his mailbox in the lower right corner. He opened it and saw it was from Lu Yang.

"I've reached the city gate. Where are you? The one holding the spiral long-handled staff is me."

Xiao Liang was stunned and couldn't help but scratch his head. He never expected the person he was admiring was his boss. Seeing the player getting closer, Xiao Liang quickly raised his hand to wave and shouted, "Boss, I'm here."

The surrounding players instantly focused their attention on Xiao Liang. This feeling of being watched made Xiao Liang quite enjoy it.

Lu Yang had already recognized Xiao Liang. Xiao Liang's character model was exactly the same as in his previous life. He sent the message just to find a reasonable explanation.

Arriving beside Xiao Liang, Lu Yang looked at Xiao Liang's envious eyes and asked, "How is it? My equipment looks good, right?"

Xiao Liang nodded and asked, "Boss, what grade is your weapon? It looks so cool."

Lu Yang sent Xiao Liang the attribute image of the Arsonist Staff.

Arsonist Staff (Gold-grade)

Attack 4—8

Constitution +2

Intelligence +10

Magic Damage +24

Magic Critical Hit Chance +12

Required Level: Level 5

"Gold-grade?" Xiao Liang was dumbfounded. Although he had only been in the game for less than an hour, he had seen relevant guides online and had his own insights from playing. He could clearly feel that equipment in this game was extremely difficult to obtain.

So many people were shouting on the world channel asking to buy Bronze-grade weapons, but very few were selling. Even if they did, the starting price was 500 Credit Points. Yet, looking at Lu Yang's weapon, it was Gold-grade.

Xiao Liang couldn't help but ask, "Boss, where did you get it?"

Lu Yang didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you want a set of Warrior equipment of the same level?"

Xiao Liang's originally envious gaze became somewhat timid. He shook his head and said, "Equipment at this level is too expensive. I can't afford it."

Lu Yang shook his head, put his arm around Xiao Liang's shoulder, and said, "Trust your boss. I'll help you get a set of equipment of the same level very soon."

Xiao Liang nodded vigorously. From childhood to adulthood, he had always trusted Lu Yang, and Lu Yang had never lied to him. He always delivered on his promises.

"Boss, where are we going now?"

"Just follow me, and you'll know." As Lu Yang spoke, he casually glanced towards the city gate. Just then, he saw a Rogue desperately running over. This person was none other than the invisible Rogue from earlier.

"As expected, he was tracking me," Lu Yang thought to himself.

Seeing Lu Yang looking towards the city gate, the Rogue quickly used Stealth and turned around, hiding in the corner by the gate. He sent a message: "Boss Black Blood, I've tracked that person. He's already at the city gate. What should I do?"

In the Level 2 monster area of Giant Town, Black Blood, who had already killed his way to a red name, stabbed an unwilling player who was being blocked from leveling. Seeing the message, a sinister smile spread across his face. He said, "Keep following him. I'll send Golden Eagle to kill him."

That's right, the person who had been tracking Lu Yang was one of Black Blood's subordinates. When buying equipment that morning, Black Blood felt greatly humiliated by Lu Yang and wanted to redeem himself. After finding out Lu Yang was leveling up outside Giant Town, he arranged for people to stake out the hotel where Lu Yang was staying, while he personally led three thousand guild players to level up in a monopolized area outside Giant Town.

However, he didn't expect Lu Yang to not return to Giant Town but instead go to Flower Whisper Plains. He had killed so many people outside Giant Town that he became a notorious red name and couldn't return to the city. He could only have his subordinate, who was already in Flower Whisper Plains, handle the task.

Lu Yang and Xiao Liang walked at a leisurely pace, chatting and laughing as they strolled through the level 3 monster zone. Just as they were about to enter the level 4 monster zone, Lu Yang stopped.

"Boss, why did we stop? Are we leveling up here?" Xiao Liang asked.

Lu Yang shook his head and said, "No, no, no. This isn't for leveling up, it's for making it easier to kill people."

As he spoke, Lu Yang suddenly turned around and cast a skill—Flame Impact—at the air not far behind him.