Preparation

The newspaper stand on the street that morning.

"Things are about to get chaotic."

"Looks like there's going to be a war!"

"Who knows what we'll do from now on?"

The newspaper stand was surrounded by people. Everyone looked grave, weighed down by worry.

Early that morning, shocking news had spread like wildfire, and all of Dongning City had become restless and uneasy.

"Give me a newspaper!" Chen Shouyi handed over a one-yuan note.

"Here you go!"

Chen Shouyi took it and only needed one glance for his heart to sink.

"******* delivered an important speech, urging the public not to panic, to overcome all difficulties, stand united, maintain social stability, and trust the government, the people's army, and our scientists. These difficulties are only temporary..."

"Professor Cao, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences, renowned radio technology expert, and dean of the School of Information Science at Beijing University, said in an interview that the impact of this otherworldly force-field invasion was quite small. As long as the standards are readjusted and the transmission power of electromagnetic waves increased, wireless networks can be restored."

"Notice of Civil Aviation Suspension: Effective immediately, for the safety of passengers, all flights will be temporarily suspended until the technical modifications to passenger aircraft are complete."

"With the roads cleared, the city's major vegetable markets have come alive again. Our reporter interviewed a number of shoppers at the markets, who all said that life was stable and supplies were plentiful. Apart from the power outage, there had been no other effects."

The thing he least wanted to see had finally happened.

The otherworldly force-field invasion had affected not just Dongning City or a particular region, but the entire country—and perhaps even the whole world.

He had been somewhat excited that his Agility and Perception had both increased by 0.1 points today. Now, though, all that excitement had vanished. Heavy-hearted, he crumpled the newspaper into a ball, threw it in the trash, and hurried away from the stand.

Cold Light Weapon Shop.

After weaving through several streets, Chen Shouyi finally found a specialist cold-weapon shop that was open.

The arrows he had ordered last time still hadn't arrived. He had no idea when they would.

But he couldn't wait that long.

"Welcome. This way, please." A young woman in a short skirt, her legs bare, greeted him in a sweet voice.

The shop was decorated in an antique style and looked quite upscale.

Behind the counter, a scruffy, middle-aged man who appeared to be the owner was gently wiping a gleaming Long Sword with a piece of silk.

"What are you looking for?" Noticing Chen Shouyi come in, he looked up, slid the sword into its scabbard, and asked in a cool, indifferent tone.

Chen Shouyi glanced at the dozen or so icy, razor-sharp knives and swords on the counter, then looked away. "Do you have any arrows?"

"Of course. Do you have your credentials?" The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow.

Chen Shouyi wasn't surprised. Whether buying online or in a shop, weapons required real-name registration. He had brought his ID card with him before leaving, and immediately took it out of his wallet.

"I think you misunderstood. I mean your Martial Apprentice certificate. An ID card won't do anymore. They've gotten strict about this lately. Didn't you see the notice outside?" He pushed the ID card aside.

He hadn't expected things to be this strict now. The recent deterioration in public safety was probably to blame. Chen Shouyi furrowed his brow. "I can pay extra!"

The middle-aged man smiled. "I'm not short on money, and I don't want trouble."

"I'll pay triple!"

"Go home. You're still young. You shouldn't get involved with this sort of thing. I won't sell to you," the middle-aged man said, firmly sticking to his principles.

He wasn't one to take foolish risks. It wasn't worth getting himself in trouble just to make a little money.

"Really, you won't sell?" Chen Shouyi asked to make sure.

"I won't. No amount of money will change that." The middle-aged man was stubborn. "You'd better go home."

At that, Chen Shouyi looked at the sword the middle-aged man had set beside him on the counter. "You're a Martial Apprentice, right? Is this your sword?"

"What are you getting at?" The middle-aged man wasn't surprised.

He had been running this shop for five or six years. Anyone in the area could find out about him with a little asking around, so ordinary people never came here looking for trouble.

"Mind if I take a look?"

Chen Shouyi smiled. As soon as the words left his mouth, his hand flickered like a phantom. The next moment, the Long Sword that had been on the counter was suddenly in his grasp, as though it had been there all along.

He drew it slightly and flicked a finger against it. The thick spine rang with a buzzing hum. Admiring it, he said, "Now that's a fine sword. Must've cost a lot?"

The middle-aged man went rigid. He looked at the sword in Chen Shouyi's hand as if he'd seen a ghost, then at the now-empty counter. He could no longer maintain his earlier composure and stammered, "I-it's all right. It wasn't... wasn't that expensive!"

"Public safety isn't great these days. You keep hearing about people getting killed here and there. You don't even have electricity in this shop. Your ** are useless now, aren't they?" As he spoke, Chen Shouyi slowly looked around the shop, as if he might really make a move at any moment.

"Y-yes, yes!"

The middle-aged man felt more and more pressure, and sweat poured down his forehead. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he hurriedly said, "Oh, right! You wanted to buy arrows, didn't you?"

Chen Shouyi nodded. "But you wouldn't sell them to me."

"Then... you must've misheard."

A few minutes after Chen Shouyi left, the middle-aged man dropped into his seat, his back soaked through.

"Brother-in-law, was that guy really so scary? You couldn't tell at all!" The woman in the short skirt watched her usually tough brother-in-law, who now looked like a lamb that had just escaped a tiger's jaws, and asked in surprise.

"What do you know? With those skills, I couldn't even react. He's at least a Martial Artist—and people like that kill without batting an eye. I'd bet he's already got a few lives on his hands."

"Should we call the police?"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed even faster?" The middle-aged man was exasperated by his busty, empty-headed sister-in-law. It wasn't just a question of whether they had evidence; could someone like that even be caught so easily?

After buying a large bundle of arrows for a very reasonable price, Chen Shouyi hurried down the street.

Before long, he entered a military supply store.

The owner was clearly a military enthusiast and was eager to answer Chen Shouyi's questions.

Following his advice, Chen Shouyi bought a complete set of jungle gear, including camouflage clothing, a helmet, and goggles. He also learned how to apply simple camouflage paint.

"Hey, handsome, you're back. You haven't stayed here these past few days!" The pretty woman at the front desk lit up when she saw Chen Shouyi.

The young man was obviously well-off. He had booked a room at the hotel for half a month, and often came and went as he pleased. This time, he hadn't been by for three days in a row, yet hadn't checked out. He clearly wasn't short on money.

"I went home for a while. Has the package arrived yet?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"Not yet. I heard the highway's open now, so it should arrive in the next day or two."

"Let's hope so!"

After chatting briefly, Chen Shouyi returned to his room.

A few days without cleaning had left a thin layer of dust on the floor.

He didn't call room service, just tidied up a little himself. He wouldn't be staying here again for a while anyway.

He noticed the food he had bought a few days earlier was still there, which saved him a trip to buy more before heading to the otherworld that evening.

He had already told his parents he wouldn't be coming home all night, using a classmate's house as his excuse.

But it wasn't time to go to the otherworld yet. A day there lasted forty hours, and it was still the long night.

It would be morning there only when it was six in the evening on Earth.

So he needed to rest at the hotel for a while.

He opened his briefcase and let Shell Girl out.