Half an hour later.
[Dinner Drunkards group chat (online: 21)]: Woshnidie: @everyone, !!! Urgent, huge news! This link lets you download a legitimate copy of "Darklands"! We don't have to fight for purchase slots anymore!!! Is This a Beaver: Uh... what's gotten into you, boss? You're talking nonsense. Shrimp with a Heart: I was about to sleep, and you jolted me wide awake. Boss, have you gone mad because you couldn't get a slot? Woshnidie: @everyone, I'll say it again. This link lets you download a cracked version of "Darklands"! Hurry up and download it so we can play together. I'm going to tell Grandpa first so he can download it too. Word Ma Ya: Looks like it's real. She's even telling Grandpa Tie. The strongest god of war in this group is finally coming out of retirement. I'm downloading it now.
Seeing the group leader mention telling "Grandpa Tie," the group members immediately realized this was no joke.
Grandpa Tie's in-game name was "Blacksmith," and his real name was Li Tie. He was the biological grandfather of the group leader, Li Siyu.
He had once been a Genetic Warrior in the Human Federation's Judgment Army. In his youth, he had repeatedly been sent to suppress troublemaking alien forces that had fled to Earth as refugees.
After retiring due to disability, Li Tie had developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Memories of war often flooded his mind, leaving him unable to distinguish reality from the battlefield. He was an unstable time bomb that could go off at any moment.
Under a psychologist's guidance, Li Tie had chosen to enter virtual games and continue being a warrior there.
He was the Dinner Drunkards' number-one fighter, moving from game to game with them and becoming a renowned top player in every one.
Unlike ordinary players, who played for fun, Li Tie played purely to vent the violence within him.
So the players in the group all realized this was no joke and clicked the link to download the game.
Foglamp City, Postwar Sanatorium.
The gym.
Huff... huff... huff...
Rapid breaths rang out one after another as a powerfully built, white-haired man performed bench presses. The weights on either end of the barbell totaled a staggering 800 kilograms, already beyond what an ordinary person could bear.
Clack!
The bar settled into the bench press rack. Li Tie slowly sat up, reached for his prosthesis, and attached it to his amputated left leg.
Standing, he reached two meters in height. He wore a tight training tank top, his muscle definition accentuated by sweat. Every muscle resembled a meticulously sculpted work of art, harboring terrifying strength.
Just then, Li Tie's body began trembling uncontrollably.
Images of the battlefield surfaced in his mind.
He wore black Battle Armor. In the distance stood a Mechanical Army stretching beyond the horizon. Amid the roar of Energy Cannons behind him, he led his comrades in a charge toward the alien Mechanical Army.
"Kill!"
At that moment, Li Tie once again lost the ability to distinguish reality from illusion.
By the time he calmed down, the training room was a wreck, and both his fists were bloody.
He sat slumped on the floor, gasping, his chest heaving with every breath.
Just then, the projector embedded in the ceiling activated. Interweaving rays of light formed the figure of a beautiful young woman before him.
Seeing the state of the training room, the woman in the projection looked worried.
"Grandpa, your condition has gotten worse again."
"I'm fine." Seeing his own granddaughter, Li Tie showed a rare smile before continuing:
"Siyu, what did you need Grandpa for?"
"I found a new game that's perfect for you. The download link is in the group. Hurry up and download it, Grandpa."
"All right, I'll download it now." Li Tie nodded at once.
Ending the video call, he turned and entered the cubicle bathroom. After washing and changing into fresh clothes, he returned to his bedroom and downloaded the file as his granddaughter had instructed.
Li Tie held no great expectations for virtual reality games.
The virtual reality games he had played over the years differed considerably from reality and offered a very poor sense of immersion.
To him, relieving stress in virtual environments was secondary. More importantly, he wanted to accompany his granddaughter as she fought her way through the game world.
An hour later.
Li Tie's outlook changed when he appeared at the Respawn Point in Emperor Tomb Village.
He extended a hand and felt the breeze brush his fingertips. A trace of surprise entered his indifferent eyes.
Even more shocking was that his missing left leg provided realistic feedback in the game.
After walking two laps around Emperor Tomb Village's Central Square, he marveled at how real his left leg felt. It also made him realize that this game was completely different from the virtual games he had experienced before.
Just then, a game notification sounded in his mind:
[Player "Woshnidie" has sent you a friend request. Accept?]
After he accepted, a video call request appeared in the upper-right corner. Li Tie tapped confirm again, and a translucent screen immediately appeared before him. A little chicken with fiery-red wings spoke to him excitedly:
"Grandpa, we've already left the village and are heading toward the Blood Plains. Do you want to explore alone or come with us?"
"I'll explore alone."
"Okay, I'll call you when there's an event."
"Go get them, Grandpa Tie! Carry us later."
"Grandpa Tie, long time no see...!"
Besides his granddaughter, he also heard greetings from other members of the Drunken Feast Group through the video.
The Drunken Feast Group's members were not surprised by Li Tie's decision to act alone.
In their eyes, Grandpa Tie had always been a lone-wolf player who only appeared for player-versus-player events such as guild wars and faction battles, leading the team into battle with his formidable individual strength.
Leaving Emperor Tomb Village along Bluestone Road, Li Tie headed east alone, discussing the game's content with Guide, who followed beside him.
Five minutes later.
Li Tie encountered his first monster since entering the game.
A foul-smelling Cursed Soldier slowly rose from the ground and raised its rusty broken sword at him.
Li Tie switched to Gargoyle form at the same time.
Unlike other monster forms, Gargoyle form was the closest to human form. It was precisely because of this form that Li Tie had chosen Gargoyle.
As the Cursed Soldier slashed its broken sword straight at him, Li Tie stepped forward to meet it. He raised a hand and locked its elbow joint, preventing the weapon from descending. In the same motion, he stepped forward with his right leg, placed it between the Cursed Soldier's legs, and hooked outward. The Cursed Soldier immediately lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground.
Then Li Tie's heavy punches rained straight down on the Cursed Soldier's head like a furious storm.
Before long, his heavy punches broke apart the Cursed Soldier's skull, and the flame inside its head went out.
A mass of black energy emerged from the dead Cursed Soldier, briefly gathering in the air before flying toward Li Tie and seeping into his body.
An unprecedented sense of pleasure immediately erupted from within him, like drinking an ice-cold beverage on a sweltering summer day. His dormant body was fully invigorated as the energy washed through it, and the pores all over his body opened.
The wonderful sensation vanished in an instant.
His first battle was over, but Li Tie could not help frowning. He had discovered a problem.
The game's touch, smell, hearing, and every other form of feedback were indistinguishable from reality. Only the pain feedback had a serious problem.
When his fists struck the Cursed Soldier's bones, he felt the force of the impact, but the pain feedback was drastically reduced.
This left Li Tie feeling deeply frustrated. He kept feeling that something was missing from combat.
He immediately asked the beginner Guide following beside him whether there was a solution.
Upon learning that pain feedback could be adjusted, Li Tie decisively summoned the Function Panel, selected system settings, and dragged the pain feedback slider from its initial 10% all the way to the end.
Once he had finished, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Now this is interesting."
[Hardcore!]
Beside him, the beginner Guide also gave him a thumbs-up, expressing respect for Li Tie's actions.