No Such Group Found

Russell knew better than to expect too much from the trash system. Idiot No. 1's miserable death was a lesson enough. After asking about the timing of World Quests, he left the mental world amid the system's tearful farewell.

He only needed to close the system interface to leave the mental world. Once he learned that the system could pull him directly into it, Russell decisively revoked that permission.

The system's answer regarding the timing of World Quests was somewhat beyond Russell's expectations.

Worlds were independent of one another, yet connected by countless threads. As worlds operated, their contact produced nodes, and those nodes served as passages into other worlds.

Russell had experienced three mission worlds, with irregular intervals between each one, because the appearance of nodes was impossible to predict.

After finding a node, the system would trigger its traversal ability according to its settings. As an unregistered outsider, Russell could possess a legal identity in other worlds because of World Quests.

The system did not know the origin or purpose of World Quests, nor which big shot had created them. It was merely an auxiliary program and had no authority to know such things. Even most of its database had been built bit by bit after it developed self-awareness and began gathering information.

In other words, no one knew when Russell's next World Quest would trigger. He might go to the bathroom and travel through two worlds in a row, or he might not encounter one for ten years. If the Host had truly terrible luck, he might never catch one before dying.

As for why all three mission worlds had been movies Russell had watched or games he had played, there was only one explanation: masterpieces arose naturally, and brilliant touches came by chance!

The world was material. First came the world itself, then the legends associated with it!

Those blessed by heaven, or those lucky enough to brush against a world node, would subconsciously record what they saw and spread it through images, words, and other forms.

They thought inspiration had struck, never realizing that their effortless writing came from the world casting its reflection into their minds. All they had to do was type on a keyboard.

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

The Skill Cards were as much of a scam as ever. There was even a duplicate skill like 'Pistol Mastery,' leaving him utterly speechless.

Of the four Skill Cards he had accumulated, only 'Acupoint Sealing Technique' was remotely useful. One look at the description told him it was especially effective against female bosses.

The Item Cards were no better. Many were nothing but wasted draws: Glycerin enema, Band-Aid, Loose Immortal Pill, and the Blood Sucking Bandage, whose purpose remained unknown. They were clearly there for laughs.

Russell really wanted to toss these useless cards into the recycle bin, but he could not bear to do it. Recycling them for Wealth Points and using those to draw again meant ten junk cards for one draw. At a ten-to-one ratio, there was no telling what he would get.

What a loss!

Russell decided to keep them for now. As the saying went, there were no useless abilities, only useless people who did not know how to use them. These cards looked worthless, but they might come in handy someday.

A person had to maintain an optimistic attitude. For example, if a kind soul returned your lost summer homework—even if it was the final day of summer vacation, and even if you had not written a single word—you still had to remember to face it with a smile.

After all, heaven never blocked every road. The school might get blown up by terrorists, the teachers might be kidnapped by aliens, or the principal might get caught booking a room with elementary school students. Any of those things could happen.

A hundred-year life was full of accidents. Who knew when you might run into a ghost?

Then there were the Character Cards. Of the four new ones, aside from the Husky card, there were Wu Liuqi, Ding Xiu, and Duan Shuiliu. Russell knew some of them and had never heard of others. With the help of the all-powerful Ba—cough, cough, QQ Browser, he found the relevant movies and anime and carefully watched them through.

That took half the day!

Hungry, Russell did not leave his desk. He casually made a call, and the noodle shop downstairs delivered a bowl of beef noodles.

Because he was the landl—because he was handsome, the owner gave him special treatment. The bowl was packed with beef, and the noodles were practically nowhere to be seen.

The noodle shop owner delivered it personally and said cheerfully, "We're neighbors. We see each other all the time. Why would I take your money? Talk money again and I'll get mad!"

The warmhearted owner did not even want the bowl back, generously telling Russell to keep it. Watching his retreating figure, Russell nodded to himself. Next year, he would not raise the man's rent.

After wolfing down the beef noodles, Russell began his second viewing. Other people watched movies and anime for the plot and jokes. He was different. He watched for the abilities of the three characters—more bluntly, their combat strength.

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

Russell was very satisfied with these three Character Cards. As long as he did not encounter an overwhelmingly stronger enemy, the next world should be in the bag.

By the time his second viewing ended, it was already the middle of the night. Russell had planned to check the Assassin Group's messages before washing up and going to bed, but when he opened the chat, he found that the group owner had kicked him out.

"Had I been discovered?"

Russell's eyes narrowed. His parents' deaths could not be hidden forever; anyone with intent could find out with a little investigation. So, to avoid trouble, he had never spoken in the group and had always lurked invisibly.

It was perfectly normal for a dead person to be kicked from a group, and Russell did not care much about that. But he was genuinely interested in the Assassin Group. Watching a bunch of assassins brag and shoot the breeze, with the occasional dirty joke, had practically become part of his daily life.

Now it was gone just like that. He really was reluctant to let it go.

Russell took out his phone, opened a VPN, switched to an alt account, renamed it 'Tao Baibai,' and requested to join the group. But he found that no such group existed.

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

Russell tried several times, but every attempt returned the same result: no such group existed. In the end, he could only give up. Out of caution, he deleted all of his previous chat records.

"I'll check online. If there's a mass interruption of updates on some site tonight, those guys definitely got invited in for tea."

The result was destined to be futile. The site was calm as ever. Those who were supposed to update still updated, and those who had taken leave to go to the hospital still went to the hospital. Russell guessed that the group had stockpiled drafts and scheduled their releases. Even if they had been hauled off to pick up soap, there would be no obvious signs for a while.

There was no need to keep dwelling on the Assassin Group. Russell shut down his computer and checked his memo. Tomorrow's schedule said he needed to go to the market to restock supplies.

There was a vending machine on the first floor of the apartment building, selling drinks and bottled water exclusively for residents. Though every household had an electric kettle, business at the vending machine remained good, especially among young couples living together. They would rather spend money than boil a kettle of water themselves.

There was also a shared restroom on the second floor. If a resident's toilet got clogged, they could relieve themselves there.

Consumables like toilet paper and garbage bags, along with cleaning supplies such as the mops and brooms used by the cleaning lady, all needed Russell to purchase them.

Russell's father used to call and have everything delivered. With Russell in charge, it had become a matter of driving the van to the market himself.

Rental income alone was enough to ensure he never lacked food or clothing for the rest of his life. Russell did not enjoy gaming or watching livestreams, and aside from playing mahjong, he had little else to do. If he did not get some exercise, he would sooner or later become as greasy and middle-aged as his father had been.

Although he no longer needed to worry about that, life still had to go on. Having a system did not mean he no longer needed to eat, drink, shit, or piss. Until he flew beyond the atmosphere, he still had to live on Earth.

"Perfect. I can stop by the gym and work out. I need to get used to my enhanced body as soon as possible!"

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