The Second Round of the Game

Cheng Cheng didn't come to school the next day. It was said he was rushed to the emergency room by ambulance that night. The doctor's final diagnosis was drowning, but miraculously, according to himself, he was lying on his hotel bed at the time and hadn't come into contact with any water.

However, his mental state was worse than his physical condition. He seemed to have suffered a great mental shock. The doctor suggested transferring him to the psychiatric department for observation after treatment. His parents hired a renowned international expert for him, and after two rounds of treatment, Cheng Cheng's emotions finally stabilized.

A month later, he was finally able to return to school. Some people he was close to threw a welcome-back party for him. They were going to call his girlfriend too, but Cheng Cheng was truly scared after what happened that night. Although it had been confirmed that his girlfriend, who was showering at the time, had nothing to do with it, he would rather call a casual model now than have any further involvement with the people from that day.

Cheng Cheng had a few drinks that night, and his mood improved amidst everyone's flattery. He was willing to believe the expert's explanation and convinced himself it was just a nightmare.

Upon returning to school, he planned to regain his prestige and find a way to win over Shen Xixi. People are like that; the harder something is to get, the more they want it. Initially, he just thought she was good-looking and sang well at the freshman orientation party and wanted to pursue her for fun. However, Shen Xixi gave him no opportunity, which made him even more invested.

This had almost become a mental obsession for him. While riding a young model, Cheng Cheng covered her face with a pillowcase, fantasizing that it was Shen Xixi, which made him much more excited than usual.

He lasted three minutes longer before lying down, then a wave of fatigue washed over his brain. Exhausted, Cheng Cheng closed his eyes and fell asleep. To his surprise, he was woken up inexplicably in the middle of the night. He felt something on his face. Opening his eyes, he saw the ghost doll next to his head, pressed against his face. At that moment, every hair on Cheng Cheng's body stood on end.

His scream not only woke up the casual model sleeping beside him but also disturbed other guests on the same floor. Cheng Cheng, not even bothering to dress properly, wearing only his underwear, screamed and bolted out of there as if his life depended on it.

As if things weren't bad enough, not long after he ran out of the hotel, a van stopped in front of him. The door opened, and a young man with tattoos grinned at him, "Brother Cheng, your little pug is here to take you home."

After that, the people inside dragged the terrified Cheng Cheng into the van.

Later, a 15-second video of Cheng Cheng wearing a dog collar, barking, and eating dog food appeared on the school forum. Although it was quickly deleted by the administrator, the impact was undoubtedly extremely negative, causing an uproar throughout the school. However, Cheng Cheng's reputation wasn't great to begin with. Apart from some sycophants in the student council feigning righteous indignation, most people were schadenfreude-filled onlookers.

A week later, Cheng Cheng's parents came to the school. After handling his leave of absence, they left in a hurry. Rumor had it they sent their son abroad for recuperation.

Zhang Heng no longer cared about what happened afterward. In fact, after taking the time to warn Cheng Cheng, he went back to his own business. He had casually thrown away the doll, only wanting to give Cheng Cheng something to do so they wouldn't be so idle. He hadn't expected the consequences to be so severe.

Zhang Heng tried it later. In a dark room, he pressed the ghost doll against his face. Hmm... it was a bit creepy. Considering Cheng Cheng had already been scared once and was mentally fragile, it wasn't surprising that his nerves would completely collapse if it happened again. As for Wu Fan's appearance afterward, that was something Zhang Heng didn't know about.

In any case, this matter had come to a conclusion. Zhang Heng hadn't spent much energy on Cheng Cheng; the harassment was incidental. During this time, he had started a new plan, attending classes while preparing for the next round of the game.

His fitness routine was starting to show results. Zhang Heng wasn't deliberately aiming for a muscular physique; he cared more about flexibility than strength. He had also gotten a basic grasp of rock climbing.

The second round of the game was approaching. Theoretically, he could wait until the last day of the month to play, but Zhang Heng didn't want to push it to the limit. What if he happened to be sick or sprained his ankle then? That would be a disaster.

So, with five days left until the end of November, Zhang Heng returned to the City of Desire bar.

This time, he didn't need to show the player number on his arm. The two burly men guarding the stairs automatically moved aside.

Zhang Heng thanked them and pushed open the iron door. The lounge was no different from before, except for the jazz music.

The bartender lady seemed to be in a good mood tonight. She was mixing some unknown drink. Seeing Zhang Heng, she greeted him proactively and asked, "How have you been this past month? What would you like to drink?"

"Pretty good. No need for a drink."

As if sensing what he was thinking, the bartender lady pushed the freshly made masterpiece towards him. "You don't think you fainted last time because of that lemonade, do you? Even if you hadn't done anything, you would have entered the game when the time came."

"You said before that the first game's time was fixed, but after that, I could choose myself?"

The bartender lady pointed to a nearby area. "See those booths over there? Each booth has an alarm clock underneath. Choose one, set the alarm to your preferred time, and the game will start naturally."

"Thank you, but no alcohol. After all, the game is about to begin, and I should stay sober."

"This isn't a cocktail; it's just a mix of several fruit juices." The bartender lady raised an eyebrow, her patience seemingly wearing thin.

Zhang Heng wisely picked up the cup of unknown liquid. Judging by its appearance, it perfectly inherited the cooking style of the Maid Cafe. In simpler terms, it looked suspicious. Speaking of which, Zhang Heng had visited the cafe a few more times afterward, but the bartender lady acted as if she didn't know him at all, maintaining her cool persona.

"Oh, right, you also mentioned earlier that you sell wooden boxes made from the Tule Tree here, which can block supernatural powers. How much are they?" Zhang Heng took a sip of the drink in his hand. It had a very strange taste, somewhat like durian, somewhat like mango, and it seemed to have soursop and avocado mixed in. In short, it was as bizarre as it could get, so Zhang Heng decisively changed the subject and quietly put the cup down.

Based on the information he had gathered so far, the game had two most valuable aspects: first, the almost perfectly realistic background, which allowed people to gain experience or skills in just a few hours; second, the so-called game items.

The benefits of these supernatural items, which could continue to function in the real world, were self-evident. Zhang Heng had been wearing the Lucky Rabbit's Foot for over a month and had even found money twice on the street, although it was only a few yuan each time. Its quality was only E-class, which meant there should be A, B, C, and D grades above it.

However, due to the uncertain effects of game items, wearing them without knowing their effects was undoubtedly dangerous. He couldn't be this lucky every time, so he needed a suitable way to store them. Last time, the bartender lady had introduced the Tule Tree. Zhang Heng searched for it on Baidu after returning and found that this tree only grew in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the locals revered it greatly. Getting a piece to make a box was almost impossible.

Therefore, he ultimately had to purchase it from the bartender lady, feeling like he was knowingly walking into a trap.