The Gathering Begins! Hot Commodities!

Lin Yu bid farewell to Chen Zhuo, who had completely gained confidence.

After experiencing the "edge of death" and the bizarre death game, Chen Zhuo had actually undergone a transformation.

It was just that his "conventional thinking" still prevented him from resisting.

With Lin Yu's little push, even though the potions were depleted and the school bullies might not be convinced.

Chen Zhuo probably wouldn't be bullied anymore.

Lin Yu was also very satisfied with this.

"Although the initial goal was to complete the 'deception,' looking at the results... it turned out to be a good deed!"

Of course, compared to Chen Zhuo, Lin Yu's own gains were much more substantial!

The baton and potions in his backpack had been transformed into real "game items" under Chen Zhuo's trust!

Lin Yu even felt a bit fortunate that he arrived at just the right moment, stumbling upon Chen Zhuo being bullied.

Otherwise, Chen Zhuo probably wouldn't have trusted his "deception" so smoothly.

After all, it would have been too abrupt for him to give Chen Zhuo some game items for no reason!

Although Chen Zhuo might not have disbelieved him, if he had doubts, the degree of "trust" would be greatly reduced, and the effect of "coming true" might also be poor.

In that case, it's very likely he wouldn't have been able to turn all the items into real ones!

After all, Lin Yu could feel...

Chen Zhuo's "trust" was already straining to convert all the items in the backpack into real ones.

"It seems I really have to go to this 'gathering.' Besides Chen Zhuo... I need to find some other gullible players to extract trust from them in the future!"

Lin Yu muttered.

Soon, Friday night arrived.

The player gathering in "Jiangcheng" was about to begin!

According to the "guide," Lin Yu wore a mask, a baseball cap, and sunglasses. He parked his bicycle far from the abandoned restaurant and walked to the "gathering" location.

Many players participating in the "death game" had already become psychologically distorted through the games. For them, killing and stealing was a very common practice.

In recent years, with the growth of the two just and righteous organizations, "Forum" and "Order," they had jointly established some customary "player rules" and jointly created the "Administrator" organization to punish players who violated the "player rules."

The content of the "rules" was also simple—for example, prohibiting players from using their abilities to commit crimes in reality, prohibiting players from killing each other in reality, and so on.

The appearance of the rules and administrators had greatly improved the atmosphere among "players," and malicious incidents had significantly decreased.

But one must guard against others!

A decrease in malicious incidents does not mean they have been completely eradicated or disappeared.

Although "Forum" and "Order" are generally recognized as powerful, and the subordinate organization "Administrator" is composed of high-level experts from both organizations... they are still not powerful enough.

At least, not powerful enough to make everyone afraid to commit offenses!

Therefore...

Most guides suggest that when attending offline "gatherings," it is best to conceal one's identity.

Rather...

Unless you are powerful enough to be confident, in most cases, it is best to conceal your identity as a player.

And when acting as a "player," you should try your best to avoid your identity being exposed.

Lin Yu was willing to take advice, so before attending the gathering, he naturally dressed fully armed and planned his route carefully.

He left a little after six o'clock...

But by the time he arrived at the entrance of the abandoned restaurant he had visited a few days prior, it was already close to eight o'clock in the evening.

Lin Yu noticed many people around him dressed similarly, moving suspiciously.

People with their faces covered by scarves, masks, or even hoods made of different materials were silently walking towards the restaurant.

Lin Yu understood.

These must be "players"!

He blended in with the crowd and walked silently. Soon, everyone voluntarily lined up at the entrance.

At the entrance, two tall, sturdy men wearing bandit-style hoods and vests were holding machines, responsible for "scanning entry."

The scanning was, naturally, for the backend QR code of the "Forum" app.

Since no one was making noise, the efficiency was very high.

The seemingly long queue was quickly reached by Lin Yu!

He imitated the people he saw in front of him and displayed his personal QR code from the "Forum" app backend.

Then...

"Beep—"

The device, similar to the checkout scanners at supermarkets, beeped, signaling "Pass."

A sticky note was then printed from the top of the machine.

"Nickname: Director"

This was Lin Yu's forum ID.

The burly masked man at the door tore off the label and stuck it onto Lin Yu's chest.

"No fighting inside. Just set up your stall and find a table to sit. Don't lose the tag, or you'll be kicked out."

The man, who looked like a bandit, seemed to notice it was Lin Yu's first time and spoke to advise him.

Lin Yu nodded and walked in with his backpack.

The abandoned restaurant, which had been clean but desolate just a few days prior, was now bustling with activity.

The people in the restaurant were clearly experienced players. Many had already set up their stalls on tables, displaying the items they wanted to sell, waiting for customers.

Some players, primarily buyers, were browsing the scattered stalls. Upon finding an item they liked, they began to haggle.

"Boss, how much for this toolbox?"

"Firm price, 15 points!"

"Damn, why don't you just rob me... I'm a student, can you give me a discount?"

"Heh, you could be a beast and I still wouldn't budge! That trick won't work on me!"

Listening to these down-to-earth conversations, Lin Yu smiled helplessly and shook his head.

Although he had been a bit nervous at first...

But after actually coming in, Lin Yu realized.

This so-called "Gathering" was actually quite similar to the feeling of browsing the small commodity street in the afternoon!

After all... it was all about selling things.

Realizing this, Lin Yu relaxed considerably and found an empty table.

He began to arrange his batons and potions one by one.

Then, following the example of other stall owners, Lin Yu calmly sat behind his table, waiting for "customers" to inquire about prices.

However...

Lin Yu had barely sat down and hadn't even warmed his seat when he was about to kill some time on his phone.

He heard an eager inquiry.

"Bro, how much are these batons?"

"If I buy them all, can you give me a discount?"

Lin Yu looked up and saw a masked youth with an intense gaze.

"10 points each... it's best to pay in cash, then I can give you a slight discount."

"Damn, 10 points? Then I'll take all of these!"

The masked youth said, his eyes gleaming.

But before he could even take out his phone to pay, a voice from the side hurriedly interrupted him.

"Don't sell to him, brother, I'll give you 13 points for one! Cash, and you don't need to give me a discount!"

As soon as the voice finished, an uncle wearing a mask and a fisherman's hat rushed over!