The Weirdness Arrives!

Gao Linzhi was still thinking when Zheng Dong called out, "Brother Canxue, we should head back."

Gao Linzhi nodded and followed.

The Xu Clan Team Two members were also packing up, preparing to leave.

"Anomalies might appear at night. Compared to monsters, anomalies are the real threat."

"This is also the real reason the elders bowed to the Corporate Players. The elders haven't had it easy..." Zheng Dong walked along the road, looking at the setting sun, shaking his head with a sigh.

"What exactly are anomalies?" Gao Linzhi asked curiously.

Was it the same setup as the novels he'd read before?

"Anomalies are essentially monsters imbued with some special rule. They can't be killed by ordinary means. If you violate their rule, you die." A flicker of fear showed in Zheng Dong's eyes.

"Their actions often follow some kind of habit. You have to understand that habit to avoid their threat."

So that's it.

Gao Linzhi suddenly understood:

Anomalies were rule-based gimmick enemies, while monsters were power-based stat checks.

Against monsters, as long as you had enough strength and stacked your stats high enough, you could kill them.

But against anomalies, if you didn't understand their rules and lacked a countermeasure, even a level one hundred powerhouse would be hard-countered!

And the most common way to figure out an anomaly's rules was to use a lot of lives to test them.

That was the root of why Xu Tianlang dared to act so recklessly in the village.

How many lives in the village were there to waste?

And in the real world, cannon fodder was far too plentiful. Not to mention anything else, just the number of people who committed suicide or died of illness every year—how many was that?

Plus, there were many impoverished areas with extremely high birth rates, where families had seven or eight children.

You could say there was an inexhaustible supply of cannon fodder.

Back in the village, Gao Linzhi went straight to the Fourth Elder's courtyard.

He saw Lin Qing practicing the Basic Lightness Skill there. Her figure drifted gracefully, looking quite nice, but she wobbled every now and then—clearly not yet having grasped it.

Seeing him enter, Lin Qing seemed about to say something.

But Gao Linzhi had no intention of chatting with her. He walked right past her.

He just wanted to be a lone wolf.

In reality, he couldn't be a lone wolf, but in the game, he would be one.

I'll do whatever I want!

Thinking this, he arrived at his own room.

He looked around and noticed a row of bookshelves by the window.

The Fourth Elder had placed quite a few books there.

He walked over and looked them over one by one, finding many books introducing the world of Skyfall.

Old Can's Travelogue, Wuxi Strange Tales, Midnight Conversations...

Monsters, anomalies, cultivation—all were covered.

Before long, the Fourth Elder walked in. He placed a copy of Introduction to Anomalies on a wooden table in the room.

After setting the book down, the Fourth Elder said, "Sit down."

"I talked to you earlier about Basic Skills. Tonight, I'll discuss anomalies with you."

"You Descenders have one huge advantage: your world has no anomalies. As long as you log off, you can leave."

There was great envy in the Fourth Elder's voice.

Gao Linzhi nodded.

"Anomalies are most likely to appear after dark. Our villagers usually hide inside their houses. The village has a large-scale talisman array set up, so most anomalies won't enter buildings."

"Once an anomaly appears, the village will give an early warning. You just need to log off quickly."

"As for more countermeasures, you'll learn them slowly over time. Knowing too much all at once isn't good."

At that very moment.

Lin Qing frowned as she looked toward the room where Gao Linzhi was staying. Her gaze was cold, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Just then, someone knocked on the Fourth Elder's courtyard gate.

"Who is it?" Lin Qing walked to the door.

"I'm Little Cat Fishing—are you Ms. Lin?" the player "Little Cat Fishing" said.

"You are?" Lin Qing opened the door and let him in.

He actually knew her real identity—it must have been leaked by someone from Xu Corporation.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Little Cat Fishing quickly stated his purpose.

He lowered his voice. "I'm from Tianxia Guild. I've come to invite you to join us."

"I have the village for protection. I don't need to join any Tianxia Guild." Lin Qing shook her head.

"Heh, Ms. Lin, you don't know yet, do you?" Little Cat Fishing sighed faintly. "The truth is, East Wolf Village isn't safe."

"I know you have high talent, but once the village faces a bizarre dead end, it's very likely to compromise with Xu Corporation."

"Because you represent the future, and they represent the present. No matter how talented you are, if the village gets wiped out, it's all useless."

Lin Qing gritted her teeth hard.

She had actually been thinking about this very problem, which was why she wanted to find herself a few backup options.

Gao Linzhi was one she had her eye on.

Too bad that guy seemed scared off by her earlier words—she'd have to find a way to salvage his impression of her.

"Ms. Lin, as an elite, you should understand well: leaning on mountains, leaning on seas, leaning on heaven, leaning on earth—none of it is as good as leaning on yourself."

"Then your Tianxia Guild won't sell me out?" Lin Qing said disdainfully.

"Of course not. Our Tianxia Guild is built by gathering Rogue Players together."

"Our goal is to overthrow the corporate monopoly system. We share common interests. Only by uniting can we truly have the strength to oppose Corporate Players!" Little Cat Fishing said earnestly.

Isn't that still relying on others?

Lin Qing thought to herself, but on her face she wore a smile. "That's great. I've been needing a reliable organization like this."

"But could you tell me more about how Tianxia Guild is structured?"

"Of course. Our Tianxia Guild currently has over a thousand Rogue Players. There's a Guild Leader and a Deputy Guild Leader. Below that are five squads, each squad has five teams, each team has five classes, and each class has about eight people." Little Cat Fishing said proudly.

"Very good. I'm willing to join." Lin Qing said with a look of longing.

At that moment.

The Fourth Elder had already returned to his room to rest.

Gao Linzhi was in his own side room, head buried in a book.

He had already taken in the conversation between the two in the courtyard.

Without changing his expression, he continued reading.

After reading for a while, suddenly a rapid bell sound rang out, "Clang, clang."

"Damn, a bizarre is here!"

"Log off, log off, log off!"

A group of players still working outside shouted in panic.

Many people vanished on the spot.

But the villagers were all dead silent.

They had long since returned to their rooms at nightfall, doors and windows shut tight, lamps extinguished, making no sound.

Only players who had a way out would risk working at night.

After all, one whole night was too long.

And at that moment, Lin Qing also hurried from the courtyard into another side room.

She blew out the oil lamp, closed the doors and windows, curled up on the bed, and pulled the covers tight.

At this moment, she no longer had the commanding mindset from just now—instead, she was filled with fear and anxiety.