Warning Signs

In less than half a minute, the coach imagined Zhang Heng's archery skill soaring under his guidance, from his stunning debut at his first competition to his defeat at the national championships, where he would be so devastated that he wanted to quit archery—only to rise from the ashes after hearing the coach's soul-stirring words of encouragement. In the end, he would join the national team and win Olympic gold. The coach had practically finished planning the post-match interview too.

But before this passionate youth story could even begin, it was stillborn when its protagonist politely declined.

Archery was only a hobby for Zhang Heng. He had no intention of making a living from it.

Besides, no one understood his own situation better than he did. His archery skill had been built up through time, not exceptional talent. He might dominate the amateur circuit, but even if he entered the professional world, it would be difficult for him to reach the top.

This was also the second time Zhang Heng had turned down the coach. The latter finally realized that the young man before him truly had no interest in making a name for himself in this field, and he could not help but feel deeply regretful.

You could not force a square peg into a round hole. The coach could hardly hold a gun to Zhang Heng's head and force him to take him as a master.

After firing a few arrows and getting his answer, Zhang Heng stopped practicing.

He still had class that morning. Fortunately, it did not start until 9:45. After storing his bow and arrows again, he slipped straight back to school.

His roommates all gave him knowing smiles when they saw him in the classroom. Zhang Heng found it hard to explain that he had actually spent a year and a half on a desert island the previous night and had finally managed to find a man to live with.

During the break, Wei Jiangyang ran over from his seat and tried to force him to hand over an 800-character account. But Zhang Heng did not look like he was lying, nor did he show any signs of blushing or guilt.

Once he confirmed that nothing steamy had happened to Zhang Heng the previous night, Wei Jiangyang could only regretfully change the subject.

"Next week, Xiaoxiao and her roommates want to go camping. But it won't be very safe with only a few girls, so they want to find a few guys to come along. Chen Huadong has already agreed, and Ma Wei isn't going. What about you?"

Xiaoxiao was Wei Jiangyang's girlfriend. Since Xiaoxiao was going camping, Wei Jiangyang would definitely go with her. But one guy alone was not much of a fighting force, and couples drew fire wherever they went. The two of them would surely be teased by the other girls in Xiaoxiao's dorm, so Xiaoxiao gave Wei Jiangyang the task of recruiting people.

Wei Jiangyang had not held out much hope. Zhang Heng was famously detached from the group. He had his own rhythm of life and rarely participated in collective activities.

Unexpectedly, after thinking it over, Zhang Heng agreed.

The old Zhang Heng probably would not have joined this sort of event, but this time he had indeed been away from society for too long and needed a lively environment to heal himself. Although Ma Wei would be staying behind, he was the sort who spent all year buried in the library and often returned to the dorm only after lights-out. If Zhang Heng did not go, he would be the only one left in the room that weekend.

"Great!" Wei Jiangyang said excitedly. "Other than Xiaoxiao, all the girls in her dorm are still single. Don't say I didn't warn you, bro. Shen Xixi, who made a huge splash at this year's freshman welcome party, is in their dorm too. Oh, right, I forgot you didn't go... Anyway, when she sang, plenty of animals in the audience were completely spellbound. If you can win her over, you'll definitely become a celebrity in our department."

Zhang Heng had no interest in becoming a celebrity in his department. One thing after another had happened lately, and he had no mood for romance either. He was only joining the camping trip to liven things up and treat it as an outing.

There were no classes on Friday afternoon, so Zhang Heng began preparing in advance for the next round of the game a month later. He had already completed an initial plan in the budget hotel and adjusted his daily schedule.

After lunch, he found a twenty-four-hour gym near the school and signed up for an annual membership.

On top of that, he increased the time he spent practicing rock climbing and running. Zhang Heng did not know what kind of situation he would face next, but improving his physical condition could never be wrong.

After all, he always used his own body at the start of every game round. In other words, different levels of physical fitness could lead to entirely different game experiences.

For instance, when players had to choose whom to save in the Desert Island Survival instance, players with average physical fitness could only save Ed. Those in excellent shape could swim farther and save Shorts Kid or Bear instead. Of course, the most miserable were those who could not swim at all and could only watch helplessly from the shore.

Zhang Heng's physique was nothing remarkable among college students, mainly because he had never undergone any targeted scientific training. But he had one advantage of his own: he had twice as much preparation time between game rounds as other players.

Other people had one month between two rounds of games, while he had two.

If he made good use of those two months, his physical fitness could improve considerably. Zhang Heng had also considered signing up for a taekwondo or boxing class, but there was no rushing such things. He could only take them one at a time and build up his foundation first. After all, he could practice skills in the game as well.

The following week passed in a flurry of activity.

At the gym, Zhang Heng began training the strength and flexibility of his waist, abdomen, and limbs. Besides long-distance running for endurance, he also added sprints, which tested explosive power more, to his training plan.

He also found time to visit the City of Desire bar in the Still World.

That place was full of secrets. Now that Zhang Heng was involved in this game, he naturally wanted to learn more about it. Since he could not get anything more out of Bartender Lady, he planned to investigate it himself.

At the very least, the furnishings in that corrugated metal room and the collection behind the bar should reveal a few clues. He also wanted to see whether the rule that players could not be identified there would still work in the Still World.

However, when Zhang Heng arrived outside the bar, an inexplicable sense of warning rose in his heart. It reached its peak when he placed his hand on the doorknob of that corrugated metal room.

Zhang Heng hesitated, then ultimately pulled his hand back.

He did not know where this warning had come from, but its message was clear enough.

—Do not try to enter a Game Point in the Still World.

Though curious, Zhang Heng still decided to prioritize safety. After all, the things he was dealing with now could not be explained by common sense.

Thus, Zhang Heng's first secret investigation ended there. He did not obtain much useful information.

On Monday, while he was still in class, his phone suddenly vibrated. Zhang Heng saw that the sender was listed as Customer Service.

"Your item has been delivered. It's on the desk in your dormitory. This is a notification message. You do not need to reply."

Keeping his phone beneath the desk, Zhang Heng secretly replied, "Where is my Game Point service list?"

After tapping send, he waited a long while before receiving a second message from Bartender Lady. "I forgot. Wait until I'm done with what I'm handling."

"..."