His parents were both extremely traditional, middle-aged people.
His mother worked at a bank in the county town, while his father was an ordinary wage earner.
As for his younger brother, Zong Ze, who was one year younger than him, he was much less worried.
His younger brother had been clever since childhood and was also a veteran of strategy games.
He believed that even without the Strategy System, his brother could get off to a smooth start.
In fact, the choice of background seemed more like a psychological test.
Different choices corresponded to different personality preferences and attributes.
So far, this "game" seemed fairly fair.
People had been transported in different batches according to their age and physical condition.
Otherwise, if three- or five-month-old babies, people in their seventies or eighties, disabled people with physical impairments, and those suffering from serious illnesses had all been transported here together,
wouldn't everything have descended into chaos?
That wouldn't be a survival game, but a pure slaughter game.
If all this really had been caused by some unfathomable being, then that being surely didn't want to see people simply die.
After all, only struggle and survival made things exciting.
He thought for a moment.
Using his mind, Zong Shen sent the first message in the Friends and Family Channel.
"Aze, how are you doing?"
The next moment, a new message appeared.
The reply came almost instantly, which meant Zong Ze had also been checking his messages.
"I'm doing well, brother."
"Be careful. You could still run into danger even near the Lord's Manor. During the three-day protection period, try not to venture too far from it."
"There are mountains everywhere around me. I vaguely heard a tiger roar earlier, and now I'm carefully gathering supplies..."
Zong Ze had actually made a little more progress than he had.
"Good. Take care of yourself. Safety comes first. There's a large city called Beluda about 2,100 kilometers from you. Keep an eye out for news about it."
Zong Shen reminded him again.
"Stay safe, and keep in touch!"
"In this unknown world, you have to proceed steadily. Don't try to show off."
"Okay, brother. You too. Stay safe."
After the brothers exchanged a few brief messages,
Zong Shen felt more at ease.
For the time being, he didn't tell his younger brother, Zong Ze, that he could see the Strategy Module and its related notes.
The Strategy Module was purely his own cheat.
Of course, it was possible that Zong Ze had also gained an opportunity like his, but had chosen not to mention it for now.
He didn't know whether anyone else in this world had gained a similar opportunity or cheat.
He put that question aside. The most pressing thing was to take care of what was right in front of him.
Zong Shen fell silent for a moment, then closed the Channel tab.
There was still a Personal tab that he hadn't checked.
It probably contained information about his own attributes or skills.
Overall, this was reality that looked incredibly like a game.
Or perhaps it was a game that looked incredibly like reality.
It had a unique system and a well-developed set of rules.
Just as he was about to take a look,
the three farmers outside the courtyard began shouting for help and running in a panic.
"Help, my lord!"
"Grassland Wolf! There's a Grassland Wolf!"
At the sound of their cries, Zong Shen immediately got to his feet. Holding a shield in one hand and a rusty One-handed Sword in the other, he went outside the courtyard.
Why not use the Crossbow?
Because Zong Shen knew his own limits. With no combat experience whatsoever, he was clearly better off with a shield and sword than with a Crossbow.
He looked outside the courtyard.
The three foolish farmers were sprinting as fast as they could, leaving their tools and gathered supplies behind.
The creature frightening them was a Grassland Wolf about the size of a wolfhound!
Zong Shen stepped back and stood within the courtyard, ready for anything.
At the same time, he called for the three foolish farmers to come inside.
"Get in here!"
A flickering, translucent barrier covered the entire area outside the courtyard. It was presumably the so-called "Newbie Protection State."
The three foolish farmers had abandoned all their burdens and were running at full speed, which made them a little faster than the wolf.
Just in the nick of time, Tie Zhu, Er Gou, and Gou Dan, the three foolish farmers, ran into the courtyard almost simultaneously.
The Grassland Wolf also lunged viciously straight at the courtyard!
Zong Shen narrowed his eyes and braced the Kite Shield firmly in front of him.
He prepared for the worst.
Zong Shen lived up to his name: caution was his first principle.
He would rather take extra precautions than leave himself open to a flaw or a gap in his defenses.
If the "Newbie Protection State" failed to stop the Grassland Wolf, he would still be able to attack immediately!
"Thud!"
"Awoo..."
A heavy collision rang out, followed by the Grassland Wolf's wail.
The barrier outside the courtyard flashed, then suddenly solidified.
The Grassland Wolf had crashed headfirst into the barrier outside the courtyard.
It was immediately sent flying backward.
It fell onto the grass.
A bright red number appeared above its head.
[-15]
It couldn't get back up for a long while, clearly dazed by the impact.
Zong Shen studied the Grassland Wolf, and the system immediately displayed its information, along with a gold-colored Strategy Guide note in parentheses.
[Grassland Wolf lv3]
[Race: Beast]
[Bite Damage: 15–17]
[Health: 130/145]
[Armor: 10]
[Skills: Pounce, Throat Crush]
(The Grassland Wolf is alone, so don't worry about encountering its companions. Its waist and nose are its weak points. With your current equipment, you can defeat it by maneuvering carefully!)
So it even had a health stat?
Zong Shen quickly understood the situation.
But he still felt a little nervous.
The three foolish farmers were as timid as mice and had no weapons, so he couldn't count on them.
He would have to rely on himself.
"Wild monster... This is a wild monster..."
Zong Shen kept repeating it to himself.
Summoning his courage, he gripped his sword and shield and walked out of the courtyard.
"My lord is so brave...!"
"And we're so cowardly!"
"I feel so guilty..."
"Me too!"
Watching Zong Shen's far-from-imposing figure, the three foolish farmers looked at him with a trace of admiration and gratitude in their eyes.
[Farmer Tie Zhu's Loyalty to you has increased by 5 points. Current Loyalty: 75]
[Farmer Er Gou's Loyalty to you has increased by 5 points. Current Loyalty: 75]
[Farmer Gou Dan's Loyalty to you has increased by 5 points. Current Loyalty: 75]
A series of notifications appeared in the corner of his vision.
Well, his act of stepping forward had actually raised the three foolish farmers' Loyalty!
But this wasn't the time to think about Loyalty. The Grassland Wolf had already struggled to its feet.
It had clearly recovered from the violent impact.
A cruel glint shone in its eyes.
It didn't choose to attack Zong Shen directly.
Instead, it kept backing away slowly, trying to get farther from the courtyard.
Before you continue