Killing Intent in the Night

Xiao Jie logged out of the game and checked the time. It was only six thirty.

Looking at the empty living room, he suddenly had no idea what to do.

Over the past few days, he had been trying to find games where he could grind for money, taking stock of the items he had accumulated in old online games and hoping to recoup some of the costs.

Yet at this very moment, everything he had once cared about seemed utterly meaningless.

After hesitating for a long while, Xiao Jie suddenly slapped his thigh. Better eat dinner first.

As usual, dinner was simple: rice with scrambled eggs and a tilapia fillet. There were no special seasonings—just a little pepper and salt, then pan-fried in oil.

Xiao Jie usually could not be bothered to cook, but whenever he occasionally wanted some fish to supplement his protein intake, he would make do with frozen fish fillets or chicken cutlets like these.

After dinner, Xiao Jie looked at the computer in front of him and could not help wanting to fool around in the game again.

But then he thought about how, this late at night, he could neither go out to kill monsters nor do quests. There really was no need to log in, not to mention the danger Wang Kai had mentioned.

What kind of danger could it be?

Xiao Jie could not help speculating, but there was too little information for him to figure anything out.

Forget it. He would ask Wang Kai after logging in tomorrow. He would find out then.

Xiao Jie absently fiddled with the mouse, thinking of playing something else, yet he could not work up any interest. Having experienced the Death Game, where he had walked the line between life and death, ordinary games now felt bland and tasteless.

Maybe he should go get some exercise instead. His body was still too weak. It was decent enough compared to most professional gamers, but for a "Swordsman," it was terribly inadequate.

He had practiced One Cut Two Pieces a few times before, and the muscles in his arms were still sore.

He really needed to train. He could not level up and allocate points for the time being, so he would just have to work hard at improving himself.

He had to get his body into better shape. Otherwise, if he learned martial arts later but his physical condition could not keep up, he would be in for a rude awakening.

After letting his food settle, Xiao Jie saw that it was eight o'clock. He changed into sportswear and headed out.

Jiangbei City was a small third-tier city with a temperate climate. Although it was only mid-April, the weather was already fairly warm.

The cool night breeze carried no chill. Neon lights along the streets shone over the crowds wandering the night market, making the city feel both bustling and peaceful.

Walking down the street, Xiao Jie instinctively looked up at the sky. Though few stars were visible, the night sky seemed unusually tranquil, nothing like the gloomy, decayed, unsettling darkness of the game.

He passed through the crowd and followed the stone-paved road to a park near his residential complex. Built around a small hill, it was the most popular place nearby for residents to relax and exercise.

Even though it was already night, there were still scattered groups of people out for a stroll.

All right, I'll start here!

Xiao Jie loosened up, then began running along the road that circled the hill.

He had planned to run a few kilometers as a warm-up, then do fifty push-ups, one hundred squats, and a couple of exercise routines before calling it a day.

Yet after only a few minutes, Xiao Jie felt a tightness in his chest and started gasping for breath.

Huff—huff—huff! My physical condition really needs work. I never noticed how weak I was when I wasn't exercising, but now that I'm running, it's obvious.

If I got into a real-life fight, I would probably run out of strength after only a few moves.

Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and persevered. After finally running a thousand meters, he stopped in front of a hillside.

He braced his hands on his knees and gasped, feeling as if his lungs were about to explode. The surroundings were silent, save for his heavy breathing.

Then, a rustling sound suddenly made him tense.

"Who's there?"

He asked in a low voice, staring nervously into the darkness ahead. The small hill in the night looked like a pitch-black beast. Then a pair of green eyes appeared in the darkness. When the thing drew closer, Xiao Jie immediately relaxed. It was just a Black Cat.

False alarm.

"Sorry, little kitty, I didn't bring any food. Huff—huff." He spoke while continuing to gasp.

The Black Cat looked at him as though it disdained his panting. Its tiny expression left Xiao Jie speechless. Was he being looked down on by a cat? No, he was probably overthinking it.

Even so, he waved at the Black Cat.

"Huff—huff—don't look at me like that. It's my first time running—huff—huff—it's only natural."

Whether the Black Cat understood or not, it let out a meow, lightly leaped into the air, and vanished into the darkness.

Fine, time to go home.

That aborted night run was only a minor interlude. Xiao Jie decided he needed to exercise more often whenever he had time, then went home, washed up, and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, he logged into the game right away.

Perhaps they had all timed it precisely. By the time he logged in, Wang Kai and I Want to Become Immortal were already at Village Square, talking about something.

"Haha, Following Wind, you're up early."

"You too. By the way, what exactly is dangerous after dark?" Xiao Jie asked the question that had been on his mind as soon as they met.

"Have you noticed that there are no stars in this game's sky?"

Xiao Jie nodded. "Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. Once the sun goes down, it's pitch-black around us and impossible to see anything. There isn't a single star in the sky, and even the moon is red. Is there some reason for that?"

Wang Kai said, "There is. The stars in this world have all fallen, because they correspond to the immortals in heaven—things like the Southern Dipper Star Lord, Northern Dipper Star Lord, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Luminaries Star Officer, Venus, and so on.

"Because the Gods have fallen, all the stars have disappeared too.

"Or rather, they can no longer be seen.

"These star gods used to watch over the mortal world. Now that they're all dead, Demons naturally have no restraints. As soon as night falls, they all come out to harm people. In game terms, monsters' challenge levels double at night.

"Many special monsters spawn at night. Some areas that are safe during the day become extremely dangerous after dark. Hidden bosses may even appear."

Xiao Jie said, "But we're in the village."

Wang Kai nodded. "The village is indeed relatively safer, but it isn't absolutely safe. The village walls can keep out most monsters, but some things can't be stopped. Some always manage to slip in, so you can still encounter monsters inside the village at night.

"Also, some ghost-type monsters can possess players, then attack nearby players and NPCs.

"Back when no one knew about this, someone went AFK in the village at night and got possessed for no apparent reason. They went on a killing spree against everyone around them, killed several people, and were eventually taken out by the militia too.

"And once you enter combat, you can't log out. So it's best not to stay in the village at night.

"Here's a tip: if you suddenly enter combat at night but can't see the monster, then you've definitely run into a ghost. When that happens, remember to run to the Ancestral Hall. The ancestors protect it, and ghosts and spirits cannot enter. You'll basically be safe once you get inside.

"But it's better not to encounter ghosts if you can avoid it. If you get instantly killed, you won't even have time to run. So unless you have something important to do at night, log out early and avoid the danger."

Only then did Xiao Jie understand.