Forum and Sister

"Standard for strength?"

Lin Yu, as a "newcomer player" who had only experienced one game, was naturally confused.

But he still tentatively guessed based on his only game experience.

"Uh, professional strength?"

"That matters too... But for most people, professional strength is only a small part—after all, depending on the dungeon, the strength of a profession isn't absolute."

The middle-aged man wagged a finger.

Lin Yu thought for a moment and made another "guess."

"Could it be 'the number of game dungeons cleared'?"

Lin Yu carefully guessed.

"That's not wrong, but... it's not a 'hard metric.' Many guys who have gone through seven or eight dungeons might not be as good as a super strong newcomer who has cleared two."

The middle-aged man rubbed his chin, the diamond-studded gold watch face on his wrist making Lin Yu's eyes spin.

"For a newcomer like you, there's actually only one 'metric'—and that's the number of items."

The middle-aged man said, looking at Lin Yu.

"Young man, the 'gun' in your hand should be an item... Getting such a powerful item reward in your first dungeon, you're quite lucky—of course, your strength is probably even more impressive."

As the middle-aged man spoke, Lin Yu nodded slightly, not denying it.

He had a vague guess.

"So, these 'items' can be traded among players, right?"

"The gathering is where players trade these items with each other?"

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Newcomer, you're indeed sharp, you figured it out immediately!"

"That's right... This is Jiangcheng's largest and most reliable 'offline gathering point.' All of Jiangcheng's Death game players will exchange tradeable in-game items here."

As the middle-aged man spoke, Lin Yu pondered for a moment: "Is the transaction done with 'money'?"

"That's very flexible... You can use real-world money if you want. After all, there are always people who are very strong in the 'Death game' but have unsatisfactory lives in reality... so it's inevitable they'd want to use the game to change their lives."

"But more often, everyone prefers to trade with 'forum points'!"

As the middle-aged man spoke, Lin Yu frowned.

"Forum points? That forum... it's not just a website for discussing strategies, is it?"

As Lin Yu spoke, the middle-aged man laughed.

"You really are a newcomer who knows nothing... Here, add my WeChat, and I'll send you the forum."

He took out a somewhat old-fashioned mobile phone from his pocket, a model from the popular "Hua Zhu" series for seniors.

He opened WeChat, and Lin Yu scanned his code.

The middle-aged uncle's WeChat name was "Harmony brings wealth," and his avatar was a statue of a plump, golden toad—it bore a slight resemblance to him.

"Alright, young man, I've sent you the installation package. Install it, and then invite me with my WeChat ID. You can check it out on the forum yourself!"

"The gathering is the day after tomorrow. Don't stand here—being seen talking to me might bring you trouble."

The middle-aged uncle said, and Lin Yu looked at him in surprise.

"Brother 'Harmony brings wealth,' do you have many enemies?"

The middle-aged uncle laughed.

"If you go through a few more dungeons, you'll have enemies too... What, you didn't meet anyone you made an enemy of in the newcomer dungeon?"

"There are no brothers at the gambling table. In a game where 'lives' are the stakes, it's too easy for people to hold grudges against each other."

Lin Yu nodded silently.

He recalled the faces of Yu Longguo, Yao Zhengye, Bao Liu, Xu Xiumei... and Xia Yue.

He had to admit, if any of these people survived, they would probably hate him to the bone, wanting him dead.

Especially those two, Yu Longguo and Xia Yue...

Just thinking about it was troublesome.

With that thought, Lin Yu decided to speak again.

"Brother 'Harmony brings wealth,' people who die in the game... there's no possibility of reviving, right?"

"Of course, the 'Death game' is the last chance... So, cherish it—I really believe in 'fate.' You coming here to see me today is also a kind of fate."

The "Harmony brings wealth" uncle patted Lin Yu on the shoulder.

"I hope to see you at the gathering the day after tomorrow and the gathering next week!"

"I hope so too!"

Lin Yu said, then turned and bid farewell to the middle-aged man.

Afterward, he arrived at the intersection, got on his bicycle, and quickly rode home.

By then, it was late at night, and all was silent.

But after opening the door, Lin Yu suddenly saw a figure lunging at him from the darkness.

"What's going on?!"

Could it be that mysterious junior schoolmate from before?

No, the height isn't right. Could it be her accomplice?!

Or perhaps the middle-aged uncle's enemy?

Or simply another Player!

Lin Yu was greatly alarmed and immediately reached out, summoning the Item pistol and pressing it against the abdomen of the lunging figure!

But the next moment, a somewhat familiar scent of shampoo entered his nostrils.

Then came a sharp pain in his ear.

"Owie—ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Lin Yu cried out in agony.

"Slap!"

The girl gripping Lin Yu's ear turned on the living room light, her expression very displeased.

"Little Yu, you've really gotten something, haven't you... Coming home after eleven for two days straight!"

The round-faced girl with short hair, wearing loose loungewear, sternly questioned him.

Lin Yu raised his hands in surrender, "Sis, please spare me. I was rehearsing yesterday, and today was a gathering..."

The girl before him was Lin Yu's only weakness—his older sister, Lin Zhao.

Although she was only five years older than Lin Yu, their parents had disappeared when they were young.

Over the years, Lin Zhao went from working part-time jobs to dropping out of school herself to open a shop and earn money to support Lin Yu's education. She was almost like Lin Yu's mother.

Though Lin Yu didn't care about anyone else, his sister was the only one he worried about.

"Bullshit, I just met your club president at the shop, and she said your club wasn't having any gathering at all," Lin Zhao's voice rose by eight octaves. "So now you've learned to lie, have you?"

As she spoke, Lin Zhao stood on tiptoe and snatched the revolver from Lin Yu's hand.

"And you're carrying a gun, were you planning to shoot me?!"

"It's a prop from the club, I brought it back to get a feel for it," Lin Yu said cautiously. "When you jumped out of the darkness just now, you startled me, so I took it out to give myself some courage."

Lin Zhao heard Lin Yu's words and felt a bit helpless.

"Fine... So where were you really tonight?"

Looking at his sister, Lin Yu opened his mouth.

He didn't want to lie to his sister, but as the middle-aged man had said...

He couldn't bring himself to talk about the "Death game."

It was as if some unseen force was sealing his lips.

In the end, Lin Yu could only smile and say.

"The role I'm playing this time is a life-or-death one. I got a bit too into character, so I rode my bike to the river to clear my head..."

"I lied because I was afraid you'd worry, Sis."