Save Ten Years of Effort

"Was it the task Qiu Zhongji mentioned?" Song Linjia asked.

"Yes. I want to give it a try."

Li Ran and Song Linjia headed toward the north gate of the residential complex.

There was a street by the north gate. It had originally been called Happy Street, but after all sorts of shady people moved in, the place became a lawless mess. Since it was the opposite of happy, people started calling it Back Street.

"As a girl, it wouldn't be very convenient for me to go there. As it happens, I have a task at the east gate, so I'll leave you to it," Song Linjia said.

Li Ran raised an eyebrow and looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure I can complete it," Song Linjia replied confidently.

"Then good luck."

"Good luck to you, too. Hope you find yourself a rich woman to cling to."

They soon parted, each heading in a different direction.

Li Ran had no doubts about Song Linjia's abilities. After all, this was already the third day in the Weird World. Anyone who had survived this long was sharp. Without a few tricks up their sleeves, how could they possibly survive here?

He didn't think other people were fools, either.

Because he had a Golden Finger, all the tasks seemed like they could be completed without much thought. As a result, he'd overlooked the fact that others might have impressive abilities and talents of their own.

Maybe they had hidden abilities, too.

After parting ways with Song Linjia, Li Ran actually felt more at ease.

With teammates around, he didn't dare use his Golden Finger without restraint.

Walking alone was different. Whenever he was confused, he could just use it.

Grandma Mi's request, the rich woman in the bar, and the ID card at the Beauty Salon were all on Back Street.

"I'll complete all these tasks while I'm there. The key is to get stronger quickly."

"I still have to attend the kindergarten's Parent-Child Activity tomorrow. I doubt that event will be simple."

The bullying in Li Ziyang's drawing and the Weird Infant's nutritional supplements sent by the teacher had both come from the kindergarten.

Who knew how many terrifying beings were lurking there?

And there was also that little bastard who bullied his son and sent his wife prank texts.

No matter what, he'd find the culprit at tomorrow's Parent-Child Activity!

"Damn, I've only spent a little time sorting out my thoughts, and I already feel like there are so many things I haven't done."

Li Ran rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

And that was without even counting the task to eliminate the Demon King of Killing.

Just thinking about it made his head hurt even more.

He glanced at his status panel.

Li Ran

Mysterious Power: 210

Agility: 20

Strength: 20

Points: 110

Active Skills: [Shadow Escape] [Shadow Assault]

Passive Skills: Thunder Mark, Focus

"Wang Gan is an A-rank Mental Infector with 500 Mysterious Power. I'm nowhere near strong enough."

This morning, he'd felt pretty full of himself. Compared with Xiao Yi, Chen Jiabin, and the others, his Mysterious Power and points put him miles ahead.

But compared with Wang Gan, the Demon King of Killing, his stats weren't nearly enough.

Wang Gan could kill him as easily as breathing.

"At the very least, I'll need a full set of high-quality gear and 700 Mysterious Power before I have a chance of killing Wang Gan," Li Ran thought.

He didn't think reaching 500 Mysterious Power would be enough to take on Wang Gan.

In fact, he thought he'd need a full set of rare equipment.

But so far, after three days of completing tasks, he hadn't seen a single rare item—even with a Golden Finger. That showed just how rare they were, to say nothing of legendary items.

After organizing his thoughts a little, Li Ran felt as if his head were full of mush.

He passed through the north gate of the residential complex and found himself facing a bustling pedestrian street lined with shops.

All along both sides were shops packed with colorful goods. Stalls selling handicrafts, snacks, flowers, and milk tea filled the middle of the street.

For a moment, Li Ran felt as if he'd stepped onto the Golden Street at Wanda Plaza.

But the deathly silence here made it impossible for him to see the street as normal.

Li Ran scanned the entire street.

Strangely, all the shops were open.

As if they were doing business with invisible customers.

Compared with the clean surroundings in the residential complex, this place was clearly filthy and chaotic.

Not a single person could be seen on the street, yet it looked as messy as a venue after a large event had ended.

After walking for a while, he spotted a bar called Save Ten Years of Effort.

Unlike the other shops, music was coming from inside the bar.

"Is this bar seriously called that?" Li Ran grinned.

Seeing the name, he actually believed there might be a rich woman inside.

He strode into the bar.

It wasn't playing the kind of deafening music that made people feel like they were going crazy.

Instead, it was playing the sort of music that only came on when a sexy woman appeared in an old Hong Kong movie.

Pretty sultry.

Once inside, Li Ran found that the bar wasn't nearly as crowded as he'd imagined.

Instead, he spotted two familiar faces in a booth with a long sofa in one corner.

Well, so much for his plan to complete the task alone.

"Li Ran."

Xiao Yi had spotted him, too. He stood up and greeted Li Ran with a broad smile.

Li Ran walked over and saw that, besides Xiao Yi and Chen Jiabin, there was another man he hadn't met before.

The young man seemed a little shy. He wore thick glasses and gave off the impression of a nerdy engineering student.

Li Ran also noticed that Chen Jiabin's arm had been reattached. A bandage hung around his neck, and it was clear he'd had surgery.

That surprised Li Ran a little.

So Chen Jiabin had found a doctor to operate on him and had also completed the doctor's task.

Li Ran glanced at Chen Jiabin. He had 20 Mysterious Power and 200 points, and one ongoing task.

Xiao Yi had 50 Mysterious Power and 500 points, with three ongoing tasks.

That was enough to prove Li Ran's earlier theory: anyone who had survived this long had some tricks up their sleeve.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Xiao Yi said.

"Li Ran."

"Lu Zhaohui."

There was a bartender at the counter, a young woman. She wouldn't answer any questions, but if you ordered a drink, she'd tell you how many points it cost.

Li Ran spent 10 points on some drinks. Supplies weren't expensive, and drinks were no exception.

Ten points' worth was enough for them to drink all night.

But in the Weird World, no one dared get completely drunk.

They just had a few drinks, trying to stay clearheaded.

After they talked, Li Ran learned that Lu Zhaohui lived on the eleventh floor of Building No. 3. He'd stayed shut inside his apartment for the past three days without going out. He was afraid of falling asleep before midnight, and he'd survived until now entirely because he was lazy.

He hadn't done his introductory task. After receiving it, he'd just stayed home and done nothing.

If he hadn't been starving, he wouldn't have left his room.

His introductory task was to pursue a girl.

But he was too lazy to chase after her.

This morning, he'd been so hungry that he finally went looking for food in the residential complex. But he didn't have any points, so he couldn't buy anything. If he hadn't run into Xiao Yi on the way, he would've had to start eating tree bark.

He also had social anxiety and didn't dare talk to people.

That was another important reason he'd survived until now.

"The rich woman will be here soon. When she comes, get creative and use your words to impress her. Got it?"

Seeing that it was almost time, Xiao Yi ignored Li Ran and spoke to Lu Zhaohui and Chen Jiabin.

"From what I've observed over the past two days, the rich woman's task is the only one without any danger. You can try as many times as you like until you succeed," Xiao Yi continued.

Li Ran said nothing, quietly watching him put on a show.

He could tell Xiao Yi was deliberately avoiding talking to him, while playing the part of a kindhearted veteran with plenty of experience, guiding the newcomers.

"Senior Xiao Yi, you're amazing! How did you figure all that out?" Lu Zhaohui asked curiously.

Xiao Yi pushed up his glasses and smiled faintly. His eyes revealed a hint of intoxication, as if he really enjoyed being praised, but he quickly concealed it. He continued, "For the past two days, I've tried every method I could think of—even some I couldn't think of. In the end, I still couldn't win the rich woman's favor."

"It's that hard? Then I definitely don't stand a chance," Lu Zhaohui said, instantly losing confidence.

"The rich woman is actually the bar's landlady. What else would you expect, with a name like that?" Chen Jiabin added.

"So if she takes a liking to you, you really can save ten years of effort?" Lu Zhaohui asked.

Xiao Yi nodded. "In theory, yes. There's no telling exactly how you save those ten years, though."

Li Ran had more or less understood.

The rich woman was the bar's landlady. In theory, anyone she chose could save ten years of effort.

In practice, she might give out a large number of rewards.

After all, the rich woman had money, and if she gave it to players, it could be converted directly into rewards.

But the reward might not be so easy to get. It might come at a price.

As they were talking, the background music suddenly changed.

"She's here."

Xiao Yi and Chen Jiabin looked toward a certain part of the bar at the same time.

Li Ran followed their gaze.

A graceful, alluring figure descended from the second floor.

Her gorgeous qipao showed off her perfect figure to the fullest. Every movement was elegant and alluring. Whether her eyes wandered or she smiled, she seemed to tug at your heartstrings.

One more glance, and you felt as if you'd fallen into her eyes, unable to escape.

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