The chubby guy wiped at the nonexistent tears on his face, looking miserable. His voice was full of anguish. "Brother Fan, Fatty's had such a hard time..."
"Tell me as we walk."
Xiao Fan and Fatty left the Login Administration. On the way home, Fatty told him every detail of what he'd been through over the past month in Zone 2 of the Novice Zone.
As the second-largest area in the Novice Village, and the one with the most resources, Zone 2 also had the largest population of new players.
To put it simply, every family with any power or influence would do everything possible to get their younger generation into Zone 2. As a result, leveling resources there were in short supply.
Slowly, new players began banding together to claim leveling spots. Over time, all kinds of groups sprang up.
Every year, when new players entered Zone 2, the first thing they did was join a group. Otherwise, they couldn't even find a place to level up.
"What, you still haven't found a group?" Xiao Fan asked in surprise.
At that, Fatty deflated like a punctured balloon. His shoulders slumped, and his face filled with dejection. "I wanted to join one, but none of them would take me." Fatty looked at Xiao Fan with teary eyes.
"You're still the best, Brother Fan. You don't look down on me. The groups in Zone 2 all require at least a Mystic Rank Skill Chain, and a minimum attribute score of five."
Under Fatty's gaze, Xiao Fan couldn't help shivering.
How pitiful! He looked like a ghost!
Xiao Fan had a rough idea of Fatty's predicament. Anyone who made it into Zone 2 of the Novice Village was no pushover. By comparison, Fatty, who had learned a Yellow Rank Skill Chain, didn't measure up.
"What about Zhang Chao and Zhang Yuanyuan? Didn't you go to Zone 2 together? Where are they?"
Xiao Fan frowned as he asked.
At the mention of them, Fatty's face darkened. "Don't get me started on those two. They're a pair of fair-weather friends."
"What happened?" Xiao Fan asked.
"When the groups first turned me down, they swore they'd stick with me and look for a team to level up with. But it wasn't even two days before they joined a group. After that, whenever they saw me, they'd mock me."
Fatty clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with hatred.
Xiao Fan fell silent.
He wasn't surprised Zhang Chao and Zhao Yuanyuan could do something like this. Neither of them had ever been particularly loyal.
He could understand them abandoning Fatty to level up, but mocking him was going too far. They'd once fought side by side as teammates, after all. Kicking someone when he was down was utterly shameless.
At that moment, Xiao Fan didn't know what to say. They were in different zones, so there wasn't much he could do to help Fatty.
"Brother Fan, honestly, I'm thinking of transferring to Zone 18 and joining you." Fatty stopped walking and looked at Xiao Fan earnestly.
"I don't have a problem with that, but do you know what transferring zones will cost you?" Xiao Fan's expression grew serious.
"Your level will be reset, your skills will be reset, and the system will take back all your Core Power. It'll be like throwing away a month of hard work in Zone 2. Are you sure you want to start over?"
Fatty nodded without hesitation. "Brother Fan, as long as I can follow you, I don't mind starting over."
Seeing how serious Fatty was, Xiao Fan felt moved.
Besides, his team was short a main tank, and Fatty had learned the shield Profession before, so he was a perfect fit. It was just as well that his skills would be reset. Xiao Fan could help him build an even better Skill Chain.
"Sure." Xiao Fan nodded, then asked curiously, "What level are you now?"
A hint of embarrassment crossed Fatty's face. He lowered his head and said quietly, "To be honest, Brother Fan, I haven't done anything in Zone 2 for a month. I'm still at the level I was for the trial exam."
Xiao Fan: ...
No wonder he'd given up so readily. It wasn't like he had much to lose.
They agreed to meet at the Login Administration in three days, and Xiao Fan headed home.
After spending a month in the game, Xiao Fan felt as if he'd woken from a dream.
As soon as he reached the front door, he heard a wail of grief coming from inside.
"That's Aunt Liu! Did something happen to Uncle?"
Xiao Fan's heart tightened. He didn't stop to think and hurriedly pushed the door open.
Inside, his aunt and his younger cousins were huddled together on the sofa, crying. He looked around, but his uncle was nowhere to be seen. His heart sank.
At the sound of the door, his aunt looked up. The moment she saw Xiao Fan, she stopped crying and called out between sobs, "X-Xiao Fan, you're back."
His younger cousins greeted Xiao Fan with red-rimmed eyes as well. "Cousin, you're back."
"Yeah." Xiao Fan nodded to them, then hurriedly turned to his aunt. "Aunt, what happened? Where's Uncle?"
At that, his aunt's tears started streaming again. "Your uncle... he's missing."
"Missing?" Xiao Fan frowned. At first, he'd thought his uncle's illness had taken a turn for the worse. He hadn't expected this.
"How long has he been missing? Why did he disappear? Did you report it to the police?" Xiao Fan asked.
"After you logged into the game, your uncle said the company needed him to go on a business trip and that he'd be away for a while. Then he stopped responding. He wouldn't answer calls or reply to messages. At first, I thought he was just busy. Later, I found out your uncle had quit his job and joined Jinsheng Company's Gold Farming Group. He went into the game behind our backs."
His aunt wiped away her tears again as she spoke.
A Gold Farming Group!
Xiao Fan's expression changed dramatically.
It was an extremely dangerous Profession. With Core Power in short supply, some companies hired players who could no longer make a living in the game to farm Core Power.
They claimed to provide protection from high-level players, but when danger struck, they wouldn't lift a finger to help the people farming gold.
After all, players dying in the game was nothing unusual.
"Waaah, I told him we could earn the money back slowly, but he... he wouldn't listen." His aunt covered her face, breaking down. Her cries were filled with unbearable despair.
Beside her, his younger cousin Lele hurriedly held her, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
Xiao Fan fell silent. His uncle had probably felt guilty for a long time because his illness had drained the family's savings. He was stubborn by nature, and given their situation, joining a Gold Farming Group was probably his only option.
Seeing how devastated the mother and daughter were, Xiao Fan knew they wouldn't be able to take in much. He could only turn to his younger cousin, Xiao An, who was sniffling nearby.
"How did Uncle go missing?"
Though Lele was heartbroken, he was still a boy. He forced back his tears, pain in his eyes.
"I don't know. Jinsheng Group said Dad wandered out of the gold-farming area without permission while he was working, and then went missing. We sent Dad messages in the game, but he never replied. According to the contract they signed, the company isn't responsible."
"Do they have proof?"
"They have a recording from the game. We watched it, and what they said seems to be true." Xiao An's voice grew quieter and quieter.
Xiao Fan didn't know what to say.
According to the rules, if gold farmers got into trouble after leaving the assigned area, the company organizing them wasn't responsible.
"Did you see why Uncle left the gold-farming area?" Xiao Fan asked again.
Xiao An thought for a moment, then shook his head. "The recording showed Dad and the others killing a Fierce Beast and sitting down to rest nearby. A little while later, he got up and left on his own."
Xiao Fan's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. His uncle knew that everywhere outside the gold-farming area was dangerous. Why would he suddenly leave? Something about this was strange.
His aunt, who had been crying the whole time, suddenly got to her feet, her face set with a determination he'd never seen before.
"I'm going into the game to find him!"
Xiao An and Lele froze for a moment, then grew anxious. Their mother had entered the game before, but her level was low, and she didn't even have a complete Skill Chain. Going in under those circumstances would be no different from walking to her death.
"Mom, don't do anything rash. The game is too dangerous." Xiao An looked anxiously at his mother.
"Mom, you can't go. Dad's already missing—we can't lose you too." Lele grabbed her aunt's arm and pleaded through tears.
Liu Xiujuan looked at the pleading faces of her children. A trace of hesitation crossed her face, but in the end, her resolve hardened.
"An'an, Lele, have you ever thought that your father might be waiting for help in the game? We can't give up on him."
"But..."
Xiao An and Lele froze.
That was right. If their father had merely run into danger, he might die without anyone coming to save him.
"Don't worry. Mom will definitely come back." Liu Xiujuan stroked her children's heads, her gaze unfocused. She said it aloud, but she understood better than anyone that if her husband really was in danger, she might not be strong enough to save him.
But she couldn't bear to give up just like that.
Finally, she turned to Xiao Fan.
"Xiao Fan, if I don't make it back alive, I'm leaving your younger cousins in your care."
"Mom!" Xiao An and Lele cried at the same time. The three of them clung to one another and wept.
Xiao Fan paid no attention to them. His mind was entirely occupied with finding a way to save his uncle.
Players couldn't leave the Novice Zone until they reached level twenty. He didn't have nearly enough Core Power to level up.
Even if he leveled as quickly as possible, it would take months to reach level twenty.
His aunt couldn't wait. His uncle couldn't wait either!
"There has to be another way!" Xiao Fan's eyes were bloodshot. He forced himself to calm down and searched his memories for anything he knew about Cloud Sea.
Amid his chaotic thoughts, one word suddenly lit up.
Mercenary.
A Profession that would do anything for you, as long as you paid enough.
"I have over 500,000 Core Power right now. That should be enough to hire someone."
Xiao Fan was willing to spend it all. In his memories, ever since his parents died, his uncle and aunt had treated him like their own son, even better than their biological children.
His uncle had lost his job because of him, and the Chen Family had beaten him so badly that he was left with a chronic illness. Even so, he'd never resented Xiao Fan. Instead, he'd always encouraged him to move on.
Family like that was worth any sacrifice.
If he ran out of Core Power, he could always earn more.
There was no time to lose. Xiao Fan interrupted Liu Xiujuan and the others.
"Aunt, if Uncle is in danger, going into the game won't do you any good."
At that, Liu Xiujuan turned pale. Before she could say anything, Xiao Fan spoke again.
"Leave Uncle to me."
Xiao Fan's voice was low, his tone more solemn than ever.
Liu Xiujuan turned around. At that moment, the boy stood tall, as if he were the only one holding up the family's last hope.
Before you continue