No Such Group Found

You can't expect much from a garbage system. The tragic death of Idiot No. 1 was a clear warning. After Russell asked about the cycle of world missions, he left the mental world amid the system's tearful farewell.

As long as he closed the system interface, he could leave the mental world. Learning that the system could drag him directly into it, Russell decisively deleted that permission.

Regarding the time cycle of world missions, the system's answer caught Russell off guard.

Worlds are independent of each other yet intricately connected. As they operate, they come into contact and generate nodes—these nodes are the channels into another world.

Russell had experienced three mission worlds, each with irregular intervals, because the appearance of nodes was unpredictable.

Once the system found a node, it triggered its traversal ability based on its settings. As an unregistered outsider, Russell could obtain a legal identity in other worlds thanks to the world missions.

The origin and purpose of world missions—which big shot established them—the system didn't know either. It was just an auxiliary program, unqualified to know such things. Even its database was mostly built by gathering information bit by bit after gaining self-awareness.

In other words, no one knew when Russell's next world mission would trigger. It could happen twice in a row during a bathroom break, or it might not happen for ten or twenty years. If a host had the bloodline of a loser, they might die without ever encountering one.

As for why the three mission worlds were all movies Russell had watched or games he'd played—well, it could only be said: "Essays are born of heaven, grasped by a lucky hand!"

The world is material. First, the world exists; then, the legends about it follow!

Those blessed by the heavens, or those who happen to touch a world node, subconsciously record it and spread it through images, text, and other forms.

They think it's inspiration, unaware that their effortless writing comes from the world projecting a reflection into their minds. All they have to do is type.

Russell sat at his computer desk, skimmed through the 99+ messages in the Assassin Group, then opened his browser to search for the Character Cards he'd drawn.

The Skill Cards were as disappointing as ever. There was even a duplicate skill like 'Pistol Mastery,' which was just ridiculous.

Out of the four Skill Cards he'd saved, only 'Acupoint Sealing Technique' was somewhat useful. Judging by the notes, it was particularly effective against female bosses, with a devastating effect on their vital points.

The Item Cards weren't satisfactory either. Many were a complete waste of draws—Glycerin Enema, Band-Aid, Loose Immortal Pill, and the Blood Sucking Bandage, whose purpose was still unknown. They were basically jokes.

Russell wanted to throw these useless cards into the Recycle Bin, but he couldn't bear to part with them. Recycling them into Wealth Points for more draws meant ten useless cards for one draw—a 10:1 ratio—and he had no idea what he'd get.

Too much of a loss!

Russell decided to keep them for now. As the saying goes, there are no useless abilities, only useless people who can't use them. These cards might seem trash, but who knows when they'd come in handy.

You had to stay optimistic. For example, if a lost summer homework was returned by a kind soul, even if it was the last day of summer break and not a single word was written, you still had to smile and face it.

After all, heaven never seals off all exits. The school could be bombed by terrorists, teachers kidnapped by aliens, or the principal caught taking elementary school students to a hotel. Anything was possible.

Life is long, and accidents happen often. Who knows when you'll run into a ghost!

Now, onto the Character Cards. Among the four new ones, ignoring the Husky card, there were Wu Liuqi, Ding Xiu, and Duan Shuiliu. Russell knew some of these characters and hadn't heard of others. Using the all-powerful Bai... ahem, QQ Browser, he found the related movies and anime and watched them carefully.

That took half a day!

Hungry, Russell didn't leave his desk. He made a quick call, and the noodle shop downstairs sent up a bowl of Beef Noodle.

Because he was the land... because he was handsome, the owner gave him special treatment, so the bowl was all beef, with barely any noodles visible.

The noodle shop owner delivered it himself and said generously, "We're neighbors, we see each other all the time. No need to pay. Talk about money, and I'll get mad!"

The warm-hearted owner even left the bowl behind, insisting Russell keep it. Watching him walk away, Russell nodded to himself—he wouldn't raise the guy's rent next year.

Wolfing down the Beef Noodle, Russell started a second watch. Others watched movies and anime for the plot and laughs, but he was different. He focused on the abilities of the three characters—in plain terms, their combat power.

All three characters were impressive. Ding Xiu was a martial arts master, Duan Shuiliu was a human weapon, and Wu Liuqi... was a cheat!

With these three Character Cards in hand, Russell was very satisfied. As long as he didn't run into an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, the next world should be a sure thing.

By the time he finished the second watch, it was late at night. Russell planned to check the Assassin Group messages and then wash up and sleep, but when he opened the chat, he found he'd been kicked out by the group owner.

"Was I found out?"

Russell's eyes narrowed. The deaths of his parents couldn't be hidden—anyone paying attention could look it up. So, to avoid trouble, he never spoke in the group, always lurking in stealth.

Getting kicked out after being gone was normal, and Russell didn't care much. But he was really interested in the Assassin Group. Watching a bunch of assassins shoot the breeze, occasionally driving dirty jokes, had become part of his daily life.

Losing it like this was a bit of a shame.

Russell pulled out his phone, opened a VPN, switched to a burner account named 'Tao Baibai,' and requested to join the group, only to find the group didn't exist.

"What's going on... blocked, or disbanded?"

Russell tried several times, but the group was nowhere to be found. He finally gave up and, out of caution, deleted all his chat history.

"Let's check online. If a bunch of web novels suddenly stop updating at midnight, those guys definitely got taken in for tea."

The result was futile. The web novel sites were calm—updates continued as usual, and those who took sick leave went to the hospital. Russell figured those authors had saved drafts and set timed releases, so even if they got caught, it wouldn't show for a while.

No need to dwell on the Assassin Group. Russell shut down his computer, checked his memo, and saw that tomorrow's schedule said he needed to go to the market to stock up.

The apartment building had a vending machine on the first floor selling drinks and bottled water, serving only the residents. Even though every household had an electric kettle, the vending machine did good business, especially with young couples who'd rather spend money than boil water.

There was also the restroom on the second floor. If a resident's toilet got clogged, they could use it.

Consumables like toilet paper and trash bags, as well as cleaning supplies like mops and brooms for the cleaning lady, all needed to be purchased by Russell.

Back in the day, Russell's father would call and have things delivered. Russell, on the other hand, drove his van to the market himself.

With rent money, he'd never have to worry about the rest of his life. Russell didn't like gaming or livestreaming, so his daily routine was just mahjong. If he didn't move around, he'd end up like his father—a middle-aged slob.

Not that he had to worry about that anymore, but life had to go on. Having a system didn't mean he could skip eating, drinking, and other necessities. Until he flew out of the atmosphere, he still had to live on Earth.

"Might as well hit the gym on the way. I need to get familiar with my upgraded body as soon as possible!"

A poor soul begs for support!