And to everyone else, it was one of the most precious treasures of all!
No wonder Brother Li had been driven to suicide.
As expected, possessing a treasure was a crime!
Strange, why hadn't Lin Qing been able to see it at the time?
It seemed to be related to the Power of Space-Time. In other words, he was the one destined to obtain it!
With a cheat, the sky would clear!
With a cheat, fairness would be restored!
He checked the Minimap. The two red dots were still watching him.
He chuckled to himself. They were probably trying to confirm whether he would enter the Skyfall Game in Real Body Mode.
Too bad for them. His game functions were complete, and he didn't need to enter with his real body at all. He could simply create a Game Character and enter that way.
In the building across the way, the two security guards from earlier stood in front of a high-magnification telescope.
"Old Liu, that kid hasn't disappeared at all. He doesn't look like the one who inherited the game qualification. It must have been Lin Qing after all." The Young Security Guard, whose real name was Qi Cheng, sounded disappointed.
"I'll call Team Two and ask." The Old Security Guard, whose name was Liu Jian, made a call.
After hanging up, he said in surprise, "Team Two said they were interrogating Lin Qing just now, when she suddenly vanished right out of the Interrogation Room. They're organizing people to enter the game and capture her..."
"Fine, then let's head out. We should get into the game and capture Lin Qing first," Qi Cheng said excitedly.
"You go ahead. I'll keep an eye on him for a couple more days. I can't shake the feeling that this Gao Linzhi has some inexplicable confidence."
"But he's just a nobody at the bottom of some company, with no connections. Where does he get off?" Liu Jian frowned.
At that very moment.
Gao Linzhi lay in bed, burrowed under the covers, pulled the blanket over his head, and propped it up with a pillow. He started recording on his phone, then, with a thought, entered the game.
[Real Body Mode/Game Character Mode?] [Game Character Mode.]
He felt that his body hadn't changed at all. Only his thoughts seemed to drift away, entering a void.
In the void stood a White Jade Altar.
Three flames burned atop the altar, from left to right: red, green, and blue.
The three flames flickered simultaneously, then vanished from the altar and converged.
A human figure began to take shape within the flames.
Then he heard the game's notification sound.
"Respected player, please create your Game Character's name, select a gender, customize your face, and choose your starting outfit..."
He began creating his character with practiced ease.
He entered a name and customized his face.
Following one of the provided templates, he made a few adjustments, shaping a face that was handsome, aloof, and noble.
He wanted a strong contrast with his real appearance, in case anyone recognized him and he suffered the same fate as Brother Li.
From Brother Li's last words, it was clear that someone must have discovered his real identity and forced him to kill himself.
Before long, his Game Character was ready.
A tall, powerful, handsome man.
[Character Name: Can Xue Waves Across the Map.] [ID: .]
Gao Linzhi couldn't help but freeze when he saw the ID.
There were already 5,188,888 players?
No wonder those two security guards and Lin Qing knew about this game.
[Gender: Male.] [Creation complete. Enter Skyfall World?] "Yes." [On your first entry, pain sensitivity will automatically be reduced to 1%.]
The next moment, Gao Linzhi was dizzy all over, and clouds flashed before his eyes.
Below him stretched an azure sea.
Islands dotted the waters in a dazzling array, like pearls scattered across a jade tray.
The wind howled by his ears, and the air rushing toward him felt utterly real.
Just as the posters had claimed, it was a different world with one hundred percent realism.
Before long, Gao Linzhi finally landed on one of the islands.
[You have entered Wolf Snake Island. Your current location is within the territory of East Wolf Village.]
As a series of game notifications appeared, Gao Linzhi looked around.
He didn't explore the island. Instead, he thought:
[Exit game.]
A notification appeared in the game:
[There are no enemies nearby. You may exit.]
The next moment, his thoughts returned, and he opened his eyes to find his body completely still. He checked the video he'd recorded on his phone and saw that nothing about him had changed.
That meant no one would know he'd entered the game.
He just had to keep his head down.
He couldn't recklessly reveal anything related to the game. He needed to focus on growing stronger.
Of course, he understood that this wasn't entirely safe.
Xu Corporation might have no moral qualms about killing everyone connected to him.
Then he still had one last option—run. If he couldn't escape, he could enter the game in Real Body Mode and hide there.
With that thought, he tested the Game Backpack.
A toothpick from the bedside table was stored in the Game Backpack.
Then he entered the game world again.
He found himself in the same place as before.
Towering trees surrounded him, along with thick weeds and scarlet bushes. Strawberries, berries, mushrooms, and wild vegetables grew everywhere.
It was clearly a rich and fertile place.
After looking around, he glanced at his hands.
He swung his arms, then pinched himself hard.
It hurt a little, but not much.
This really was a real world.
Gao Linzhi grew excited.
He could see a path to transcending the ordinary!
What ordinary urban professional didn't dream of becoming extraordinary?
Immortality, freedom—I'm not eating beef!
He immediately called up the Game Backpack in his mind.
The backpack appeared. The first slot still held the Resurrection Pearl, and the second contained the toothpick!
Gao Linzhi was thrilled.
This meant he could easily transport supplies into the game world. That would give him a fighting chance if the company came after him.
But amid his excitement, a series of purchase pop-ups suddenly appeared before his eyes.
The whole thing reeked of a free-to-play game.
"Your first recharge costs just 6 gold! Get 60+6 Skyfall Stones and an exclusive Purple Talent pet as a surprise bonus, with rewards for three days straight!"
"Recharge a total of 648 gold now, and take home a Purple Talent!"
"Join the official in-game group and get a head start! Claim your free 6-gold first recharge!"
Before, when Gao Linzhi saw all those cluttered ads urging players to spend money, he would have found them irritating.
He might even have uninstalled the game and quit. In games like this, ordinary people were part of the content.
And he was the type to hesitate even over spending six yuan.
But now, Gao Linzhi was absolutely thrilled!
His eyes gleamed!
Without thinking, Gao Linzhi clicked the last ad. Another purchase window popped up:
"Accumulate gold in recharges to join the official in-game group."
Damn it.
Gao Linzhi laughed and cursed as he closed all the ads.
He'd finally found a bright path forward!
He had money, and countless ideas for making a fortune!
Most importantly, he could now turn money directly into the strength he needed to protect himself!
One man could command an army. One man could be king!
He didn't need a vast web of connections, a powerful family background, or a gift for socializing!
He didn't need to become a live-in son-in-law, become an inner disciple, or get involved in sleazy harem fiction!
All he had to do was spend, spend, spend!
And just then.
As he reveled in his excitement, urgent cries suddenly came from far away.
Before you continue