Killing Intent in the Night

Xiao Jie logged out of the game and checked the time; it was only half-past six.

Looking at the empty living room, he suddenly found himself at a loss for what to do.

For the past few days, he had been trying to find games where he could grind for profit, taking stock of his assets in old online games and hoping to recoup at least some of his costs.

Yet, at this very moment, everything he had once cared about seemed to have lost all meaning.

After hesitating for a long while, Xiao Jie suddenly slapped his thigh and decided to just go eat dinner first.

Dinner was the usual simple affair: white rice with scrambled eggs and a piece of tilapia fillet. There was no special seasoning; he just sprinkled some salt and pepper on it and pan-fried it in a little oil.

Xiao Jie was usually too lazy to cook, but whenever he felt like having some fish to boost his protein intake, he would settle for these frozen fish or chicken fillets.

After finishing his meal, Xiao Jie looked at the computer in front of him and couldn't help but want to jump back into the game.

But then he thought, there was no point in logging on at this hour when he couldn't go out to hunt monsters or complete quests, not to mention the danger Wang Kai had mentioned.

What could that danger be?

Xiao Jie couldn't help but speculate, but unfortunately, he had too little information to reach any conclusion.

Forget it, he would just ask him after logging on tomorrow; he would know soon enough.

Xiao Jie mindlessly fiddled with his mouse, thinking about playing something else, but he couldn't muster any interest. After experiencing the Death Game where he walked the edge of life and death, playing ordinary games felt like chewing wax—he had absolutely no interest in them.

Maybe he should go out and exercise instead. His body was still too weak; while it might be considered decent among professional gamers, it was pathetic for a "Swordsman."

He had practiced One Cut Two Pieces a few times earlier, and his arm muscles were still sore.

It was necessary to train. Since he couldn't level up or add stats for the time being, he would have to improve through hard work.

He needed to get his body in better shape, otherwise, he would be in trouble if his physical fitness couldn't keep up once he learned martial arts later on.

Xiao Jie waited for his food to settle, and seeing 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 quite warm.

The cool night breeze held no chill, and the neon lights of the streets cast a glow on the people strolling through the night market, making the scene feel both bustling and peaceful.

Xiao Jie walked down the street, subconsciously looking up at the sky. Although the stars were barely visible, the night sky felt exceptionally tranquil, completely unlike the gloomy, decadent, and unsettling deep darkness found in the game.

He wove through the crowd and followed the stone path to a park near his residential complex. The park was built around a small hill and was the most common leisure area for the local residents.

Even though it was already night, one could still see people walking about in twos and threes.

Alright, let's start here!

Xiao Jie loosened up his limbs and began to run along the road that circled the hill.

He had intended to run a few kilometers to warm up, then do fifty push-ups, a hundred squats, and a couple of sets of calisthenics to call it a day.

However, after only a few minutes of running, Xiao Jie felt a tightness in his chest and began to pant heavily.

Huff—huff—huff! This physical fitness really needs improvement. I didn't notice it when I wasn't exercising, but now that I'm running, I realize just how weak I am.

If I were to PK someone in reality, I'd probably run out of steam after just a few moves.

Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and pushed on. After finally running a kilometer, he stopped in front of a hillside.

He leaned on his knees, gasping for air as if his lungs were about to explode. The surroundings were silent, save for his own heavy breathing.

Suddenly, a rustling sound made him tense up.

"Who's there!"

He asked in a low voice, looking nervously into the darkness ahead. The small hill in the night looked like a pitch-black beast, until a pair of green eyes appeared in the dark. Once the creature got closer, Xiao Jie let out a sigh of relief—it was just a Black Cat.

A false alarm.

"Sorry, little cat, I didn't bring any food, huff—huff." He continued to pant as he spoke.

The Black Cat looked at him with a disdainful expression as he gasped for air. The look on its face left Xiao Jie speechless. Was he being looked down upon by a cat? No, he must be overthinking it.

Even so, he waved his hand at the 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 him or not, it let out a meow, leaped gracefully, and vanished into the darkness.

Well, time to go home.

This aborted night run was just a small interlude. Xiao Jie decided he should exercise more often when he had the time, then headed home to wash up and go to bed.

Early the next morning, he logged into the game.

Whether it was by coincidence or not, by the time he logged on, both Wang Kai and I Want to Become Immortal were already at the Village Square, chatting about something.

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

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

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

Xiao Jie nodded. "Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. It feels like once the sun sets, it's pitch black all around and you can't see anything. There isn't a single star in the sky, and the moon is red. Is there a reason for that?"

Wang Kai said, "There is a reason. The stars of this world have fallen because the stars correspond to the deities in the heavens—the Southern Dipper Star Lord, the Northern Dipper Star Lord, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Luminaries Star Officer, Venus, and so on.

Because the gods have fallen, the stars have all disappeared as well."

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say they were no longer visible.

These Star Gods were meant to monitor the world, but now that they were all wiped out, those Demons had naturally lost their restraints. Consequently, they all crawled out to harm people once night fell. In gaming terms, the challenge rating of monsters doubled at night.

Many special monsters spawned only at night, and some safe areas became extremely dangerous after dark. Hidden bosses might even appear.

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

Wang Kai nodded. "The village is relatively safer, but it's not absolutely secure. While the village walls can keep out most monsters, there are some things they can't block. Some will always manage to slip in, so even inside the village, you might encounter monsters at night.

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

Back when nobody knew about this, some people would go AFK in the village at night, only to be possessed for no reason. They ended up slaughtering everyone around them, killing several people before being taken down by the militia themselves.

Besides, once you enter combat, you can't log off, so it's best not to stay in the village at night.

Let me give you a tip: if you suddenly enter combat at night but can't see any monsters, you've definitely encountered a ghost. In that case, remember to run to the Ancestral Hall. The Ancestral Hall is protected by the ancestors and is immune to ghosts and deities; once you're inside, you're basically safe.

However, it's better to avoid encountering ghosts altogether. If you get one-shot, you won't even have time to run. So, if you don't have anything special to do at night, log off early to avoid any danger."

Xiao Jie finally understood.