A Text Message from a [Friend]

The Skeleton General stood over nine feet tall, clad in a suit of chain-link plate armor that was battered and decaying yet still radiated immense power. It unleashed a strike with the force of a mountain-splitting axe, a blow that would have easily cleaved a person in two.

Yet, this strike was precisely parried to the side.

"Both of you have stumbled into such an opportunity. People with martial arts backgrounds already have such a massive advantage as players, and with me here to cover for you, you should have easily become high-tier players. And yet, look at you lot!"

"Point! Circle!"

Lin Zhao interjected with her combat guidance quite abruptly.

Big Brother wore a bitter expression as he listened to the young lady's scolding, yet his body reacted instinctively. With a flick of his wrist, his blade tapped the Skeleton General's wrist, followed by a smooth, slicing motion.

"Clack!" The Skeleton General's arm armor shattered, and its unprotected wrist was severed instantly. Although it still gripped the great blade, the palm was now held on by only a few scraps of flesh and could no longer swing the weapon.

"Just because you didn't train properly back then, you're so trashy now that you can't even guarantee your own safety. My colleague got carried by a high-level player again last night and might be getting a promotion soon."

"Every time I open my computer, it's all 'Save me, Xiao Zhao! Save me, Miss!' Are you lot Tang Monk? You have so many calamities!"

Lin Zhao reverted to her long-lost, sharp-tongued persona, her words a mix of frustration at their lack of discipline and her own helplessness: "Step, parry! Sweep! Lone Goose Leaves the Flock."

Big Brother stepped forward, slipping past the Skeleton General's flank as his steel blade grazed its ribs. He turned smoothly toward its back, completing a full rotation before thrusting his blade straight out.

"Clack!" The steel blade drove directly into a decayed section of the armor on the Skeleton General's back.

"Retreat, lean back, kick! Spirit Snake Spits its Tongue."

Big Brother pulled his blade out decisively. The Skeleton General turned as expected, its hammer-like fist sweeping through the air, but it missed as he dodged just in time.

Instead, Big Brother planted his left foot, leaned his entire body backward, and whipped his right leg upward.

"Clack!" It struck the Skeleton General's chin perfectly.

As he retracted his leg, he pivoted his entire body, arched his back, and thrust his long blade out unexpectedly, striking the exposed lower neck before the Skeleton General could lower its head.

"Cut!" Lin Zhao finished this command and picked up her cup to take a sip of water.

"Clack!" Big Brother twisted his blade as he turned, and the Skeleton General's neck snapped, its massive skull rolling onto the ground with a thud.

There was no need for further guidance; Big Brother decisively kicked the Skeleton General over and finished it off with a few more strikes.

"Don't slack off when you get back. This is your chance, but I've said it before: the Reflected World is truly dangerous."

"Practicing martial arts now isn't for the Dao my father passed down, nor for the reputation of the martial arts gym, but for your own lives. You're all people I've called 'Big Brother' at some point—don't make me watch you die," Lin Zhao concluded.

Big Brother sat on the Skeleton General, spat out the talisman paper that had turned to ash under his tongue, and let out a long sigh: "Understood, Xiao Zhao."

The screen displayed that the player had entered the dungeon settlement page.

Lin Zhao shook her head helplessly, pulled a half-burned ancient book from under her pillow, and opened the shop page.

"I have to buy them another one. If we ever get out of here, I'm making them treat me to at least eight hot pot chicken dinners."

Zhang Anzai returned to his dormitory. He didn't do much, merely taking a look at the player shop.

Having cleared the Endless Night Road dungeon, he should have unlocked some new items. However, after feeling drained this morning, he had been busy from noon until now and only just found the time. Besides, since this was part of the player interface, he only felt comfortable checking it once he was back here.

Of course, given the situation in that dungeon, he figured there wouldn't be many good things to buy.

As expected, he scanned the list and found that almost everything was just supplies from that gas station convenience store. They were cheap, costing only a few points, but they weren't very useful.

The Road-Blocking Demon and Chen Xing were both extremely unique entities, but even with a mid-to-high rating, the shop hadn't offered him any particularly useful items related to them.

He scanned up and down, and the most useful item was actually:

"[Volkswagen Santana] (A hard-core off-road model from the 2000s, high-chassis design, standard power output, long-lasting endurance. Although the A-pillar leaks air, it is an indispensable memory of that era... With a Volkswagen Santana, you can travel the world without fear.)"

"Price: 800 Old Dust."

It had to be said, having a car in a dungeon was quite good. Although not every dungeon scene was as large as Endless Night Road, there were actually quite a few with highways or wilderness environments.

Even indoors, in the early stages, what common tools could you find that had more destructive power than a car?

As long as it wasn't some very specific supernatural entity, having a car like this during the novice period could basically run anything over.

The problem was the cost-effectiveness. Zhang Anzai only had 800 Old Dust in total; he would be broke after buying it. Furthermore, this car was a common item—in plain terms, it was no different from a real-world car and wouldn't automatically repair itself if it crashed, so he couldn't buy it.

He looked around and finally only bought some grave dirt from the Road-Blocking Demon: "50 points per handful. Buying two or three handfuls is acceptable."

The purpose was naturally to feed his inheritance's consumption. He could buy many things with employee points now, and he had plenty of Old Dust, so spending a little to level up was harmless.

Although he couldn't reach 5% completion to gain a new ability, it didn't matter.

As long as the inheritance completion increased, it would be helpful, and his existing skills would strengthen accordingly.

"1.89%... It seems the leveling has indeed slowed down." Zhang Anzai finished absorbing the materials and closed the player shop page.

With nothing else to do, he prepared to go to sleep. He had been busy all day and was truly exhausted.

But just as he returned to his phone's home screen, he noticed a notification.

"Is it... Cheng Ye?" Although it was the middle of the night, considering the work ethic of that Deputy Section Chief, Zhang Anzai didn't find it strange that he would reach out at this hour.

"For the sake of the skill book, I'll just have to endure it." Zhang Anzai sat up and tapped on the message.

The contact showing the new message, however, was not Cheng Ye.

The message was brief, consisting of only a single sentence: "Zhang Anzai, my friend, I have gone out on a journey."

A strange sensation suddenly welled up in Zhang Anzai's heart, and the lingering drowsiness he had felt just moments ago vanished in an instant.

He tapped on the personal profile; it was a gray contact with no avatar and no other information, the nickname consisting of only two simple characters:

"Chen Xing."

"Damn it!" Zhang Anzai leaned back against the wall, utterly unable to comprehend what on earth was happening: "Chen Xing!? How could he possibly send me a message?"

Zhang Anzai exited Chen Xing's personal profile, intending to attempt some form of communication.

Yet, he discovered that the moment he backed out, the contact, along with the message page from just a moment ago, had completely vanished.

His internal chat software interface remained exactly as it always was, as if what had just occurred were nothing more than a hallucination.