Conflict

She had only just bought the helmet after Weiwei's relentless urging and had not even started playing yet. It was her first time spending so much on anything, let alone a gaming device, and she kept feeling guilty about spending her brother's hard-earned money. That was why she had called him.

After hearing Wu Ziyin out, Wu Shaozhen smiled and shook his head. Money in the game was hardly that easy to earn. He might have made several million in just two or three days, but that was because he was ahead of everyone else. Ordinary solo players might struggle just to keep up.

Still, Wu Shaozhen did not dampen Wu Ziyin's enthusiasm. It was rare for her to take an interest in a game, and he was glad to see it. He was not worried at all about it affecting her studies. Wu Ziyin had excellent self-control and had always done well in school. Even if it really did affect her grades, it did not matter. He could always support her in the future. She was his little sister, and he would spoil her himself.

"Yeah, this game's pretty good. You should give it a try," Wu Shaozhen said.

"Brother, you're not upset with me for wasting money?" Wu Ziyin asked in surprise.

"Why would I be? I'm playing this game too. You should play some games yourself. Read books all day and you'll turn into a bookworm," Wu Shaozhen teased.

"You're the bookworm! Oh, right, Brother, does that mean I can see you in the game once I log in? No matter how far apart we are?" Wu Ziyin asked.

"Yeah, this game is exactly like the real world. Once you reach the main city, we can meet just like we would in real life," Wu Shaozhen said.

"That's great! I haven't seen you in so long." Wu Ziyin instantly became interested in the game.

They chatted for a while longer before hanging up. After ending the call, Wu Ziyin looked at the Gaming Helmet in her hands with curiosity written all over her face.

Just then, Weiwei walked into the room and smiled at Wu Ziyin. "Interested now? You were absolutely refusing to buy it just a moment ago."

Wu Ziyin blushed. "Weiwei, hurry and teach me how to play. I want to go find my brother."

"What's your brother's game ID? He must be pretty good, right? I'll add him as a friend later too. You've got to ask him to carry me," Weiwei said.

"Uh, I forgot to ask," Wu Ziyin admitted sheepishly.

"..."

With Weiwei's help, Wu Ziyin finally figured out how to log in. Then she put on the helmet and entered the game for the first time.

After hanging up, Wu Shaozhen soon logged back into the game and appeared in Jinling City. The city was bustling now. He wandered around briefly before heading toward the south gate again. This time, he planned to visit Tiger Roar Forest and see what tier of boss this so-called Tiger King was.

Upon reaching the south gate, Wu Shaozhen headed straight toward Tiger Roar Forest. There were people everywhere now, so he could not very well move at full speed.

Before long, however, Wu Shaozhen noticed something was wrong. The people around him all seemed to be drifting toward him, whether openly or subtly.

Wu Shaozhen simply stopped where he was. He wanted to see what was going on.

Soon, a large crowd had surrounded Wu Shaozhen, though none of them approached. They merely formed a ring around him at a distance.

Wu Shaozhen spotted a familiar figure in the crowd: Brother Hao, whom he had killed last time. He knew players were told who had killed them, but his equipment looked completely different now, and he had changed his mask too. He could not quite understand how they had recognized him.

Wu Shaozhen was in no hurry to leave. He wanted to know what had given him away, so he stood there and waited. Soon, the man behind it all finally appeared: an arrogant-looking young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, who slowly approached Wu Shaozhen with more than a dozen people following him.

The group reached Wu Shaozhen, and the young man at their head extended a hand with a smile. "Hello, Dustseal. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm World-Proud Under Heaven. I've heard a great deal about you."

Wu Shaozhen did not shake his hand. Instead, he asked with a puzzled expression, "The guild leader of World-Proud Heroes? I don't think we've had any dealings with each other. And how are you so sure I'm Dustseal?"

World-Proud Under Heaven withdrew his hand, his expression darkening slightly, though he kept smiling. "World-Proud Heroes has tens of thousands of members in Jinling City, after all. Finding one person isn't all that difficult." His words carried absolute confidence.

"Oh. Did you need something?" Wu Shaozhen did not deny it. Since they had come out in such force, they must already have confirmed his identity. There was no point denying it anyway. He would be exposed sooner or later.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to invite you to join World-Proud Heroes so we can grow together," World-Proud Under Heaven said with a slight smile when Wu Shaozhen offered no denial.

"Not interested," Wu Shaozhen said bluntly. He had no fondness for this so-called World-Proud Heroes. From that Brother Hao earlier to the way they had surrounded him now, he hated how they handled things. Who cares if they're one of the top ten guilds? At least for now, I'm still a god in this game.

"I suggest you think carefully before answering. Jinling City is World-Proud Heroes territory," World-Proud Lone Peak said from behind before World-Proud Under Heaven could speak.

World-Proud Under Heaven made a show of holding World-Proud Lone Peak back, then smiled at Wu Shaozhen. "Brother, as long as you join World-Proud Heroes, I can give you a vice guild leader position. I believe you're a smart man. Surely you wouldn't pass up such a great opportunity?"

"Not interested. Move aside," Wu Shaozhen said flatly.

"I only recognize two kinds of people: allies and enemies. Are you sure you want to make an enemy of World-Proud Heroes? Have you considered the consequences?" World-Proud Under Heaven narrowed his eyes and spoke darkly.

"Heh. So not joining you means being your enemy? In that case, I really do want to see what the consequences are," Wu Shaozhen said indifferently. It was not that he looked down on them, but these people really would not take up much of his time.

By now, several thousand spectators had gathered in the distance. They had all heard Dustseal was here and had come to catch a glimpse of the legendary player. Although they were not sure whether the person before them really was Dustseal, seeing him stand up to World-Proud Heroes had them all thrilled.

World-Proud Heroes had a poor reputation in Jinling City. They monopolized grinding areas and stole bosses, leaving countless players bitter and resentful. But with the guild's overwhelming numbers, everyone could only swallow their anger. Now that someone was finally standing up to World-Proud Heroes, they were naturally excited, and every one of them immediately started recording the gameplay.

"Miss, several hundred members of World-Proud Heroes have surrounded Dustseal at the south gate. They're on the verge of a fight," Uncle Liu reported as he approached Su Muxue.

"Are you sure it's Dustseal?" Su Muxue stopped what she was doing, her tone losing some of its usual composure.

"I'm not certain, but it most likely is. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare confront World-Proud Heroes head-on," Uncle Liu guessed.

"Take me there!" Su Muxue abandoned the monster she had been fighting.

"Uh, all right." Uncle Liu was momentarily taken aback. His young mistress's reaction seemed a little excessive.

After hearing Wu Shaozhen's words, World-Proud Under Heaven's expression darkened. "In that case, I'll drag you, this so-called god, off your pedestal."

With that, he waved his hand. Several hundred members of World-Proud Heroes behind him instantly charged at Wu Shaozhen. Some ranged players launched attacks as soon as they were within range, while World-Proud Under Heaven, World-Proud Lone Peak, and the others withdrew from the battlefield. Despite claiming not to take Dustseal seriously, his reputation carried weight. They still would not dare fight him themselves and could only rely on overwhelming numbers. Against experts, swarm tactics were often highly effective.

Wu Shaozhen watched them leave without stopping them. Had he really wanted to, none of them could have escaped. But he wanted them to experience despair, and the best way was to let them watch their subordinates fall one by one.

Soon, countless arrows and spells struck Wu Shaozhen, but the damage numbers that rose were enough to make anyone despair.

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"Holy shit... how is that possible? Is he even an assassin?" World-Proud Jueqing exclaimed in shock.

World-Proud Under Heaven and the other core members of World-Proud Heroes also wore looks of disbelief. Hadn't they been told that Zihao and the others had dealt several dozen damage per hit last time? How was it that none of them could break through his defense now?

Even all the players watching from outside found it unbelievable. Had the mighty Dustseal put all his stat points into bone root?