Chen Nian left after giving her his contact information.
He had gained a great deal from this outing.
But he had used his powerful word spirits too many times. Even with his rapid leveling, the extraordinary power within him was struggling to keep up with demand.
He needed some rest.
On his way back downtown, Chen Nian noticed that order was gradually returning to the city. The low-level monsters causing havoc had all been cleared out.
Calamity had an enormous player base. Now that players could inherit their in-game talents, this was certainly not a force to be underestimated.
And ordinary people who had never played Calamity could also embark on the extraordinary path by buying talent cards. The future would be an age where everyone was an extraordinary!
The weak would be prey to the strong, and strength would reign supreme. These would become the new rules of this age!
Back in the villa district, he happened to be spotted by the older woman next door as he passed her house. She hurried out of her yard.
"Chen!"
"Where have you been these past two days? I was so worried!"
Liu Si finally felt a weight lift from her heart. "You saved me last time, and I still don't know how to thank you."
Chen Nian smiled. "It was only right. Neighbors should help each other."
"You're such a good person. If you ever need my help, just say the word. I'll definitely help you!"
"All right."
"Oh, have you eaten? If not, come eat at my place."
"Sure."
Chen Nian went into Liu Si's home. Before long, his beautiful neighbor cooked a steaming bowl of beef noodles and set it before him.
"Si, have you always lived alone?"
"Yes. My mom died when I was little, and my dad's too busy with work to look after me. He originally wanted to hire a housekeeper for me, but I didn't want one."
Chen Nian nodded. "That's pretty similar to my situation."
"You too?"
"My parents divorced, and both found new partners. My dad thought all I ever did was play games, so he kicked me out and told me to support myself. Heh."
In truth, Chen Nian's father had only wanted to teach him a lesson, to let him experience how hard life was without an income so he would come back and take over his business.
He had never expected Chen Nian to commit to gaming all the way and never return!
So his family had no idea that gaming had already earned him a villa, or that he was even about to become the strongest person in the world in this new age...
If they knew, what expressions would they make?
After hearing about Chen Nian's family circumstances, Liu Si smiled gently. "It's all right. You can come over for meals often from now on. I'm quite a good cook!"
"Okay. Thanks, Si."
"Go on, eat! The noodles are getting cold!"
Chen Nian had just returned home.
He was about to list the equipment he had looted in the trading space to sell it and keep building up his financial strength when a call from an unfamiliar number suddenly came in.
He answered, and an unfamiliar man's voice came from the other end.
"A pleasure to meet you, little brother Chen Nian."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Liu Xingchen, the current CEO of Growth Ring Real Estate Company. You should call me big brother." The other man's tone carried a condescending arrogance.
Chen Nian had heard that name before.
His dad had found him a new stepmother, and Liu Xingchen was her son.
Growth Ring Real Estate Company belonged to his dad and had even been named after the "Nian" in his name. To think this newly arrived son had already become CEO. It seemed his dad was very pleased with him?
"So?" Chen Nian's tone was flat.
"Haha, I thought you'd be a little more worked up. After all, I'm less than two years older than you, but I've already reached this position and earned our dad's trust."
Liu Xingchen sneered, his tone full of amusement and mockery, like a rich young master speaking to a commoner.
"I heard Dad kicked you out because you were addicted to games? How about this? I'll give my little brother a chance. Come work under me at the company, and I'll pay you a hundred thousand a month."
"Heh."
Chen Nian almost laughed aloud.
Any random piece of equipment he sold could fetch a hundred thousand. What a tempting monthly salary that was.
He could not even be bothered to entertain this clown. He had no interest whatsoever in getting involved with his family's affairs. They could stay out of each other's way and live their own lives.
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Little brother, don't be in such a hurry! Let me be honest. If our dad hadn't asked me to talk you around, I wouldn't be wasting my precious time on you."
"Oh?"
"I just negotiated a billion-yuan deal for the company yesterday. Dad was very pleased, so he wanted to give you another chance to turn over a new leaf and have me take you under my wing. Understand?"
"Oh."
"Maybe you've got extraordinary abilities from that game or whatever too? Perfect. The company's planning to hire a dozen or so extraordinaries as security guards. Interested?"
Chen Nian had not wanted to bother with this clown.
But if the clown insisted on jumping right in his face, he did not mind giving him a slap.
"What if that billion-yuan deal of yours falls through?"
"Haha! What nonsense are you dreaming up, little brother? The meeting's already arranged. They're coming to the company this afternoon to sign the contract. You think it'll fall through just because you say so?"
At the company, Liu Xingchen rocked back and forth with laughter in his executive chair, his legs comfortably crossed on the desk.
"Little brother, you don't think running to Dad to whine and act spoiled will work, do you? Wake up. The crying child doesn't always get the milk."
"All right, then I wish you a smooth contract signing this afternoon?"
Chen Nian hung up.
He had been living perfectly well on his own, with no desire to bother with anyone or provoke anyone.
But someone just had to court death. In that case, there was nothing to be done.
Chen Nian opened a gaming group chat.
The group's name was Mountains and Rivers in Lasting Peace!
The group's motto: may our country's mountains and rivers remain unharmed, our home and nation forever at peace!
This was the gaming guild Chen Nian had founded in Calamity. It was not large, with only around a thousand members, but every one of them was an elite!
And by elite, that did not merely mean elites in gaming. They were elites from every walk of life!
Some were CEOs worth tens of billions, some were young masters from Wantong Plaza, some were giants of the livestreaming industry, executives at the world's top hundred companies, or big shots on the rich lists...
Chen Nian was the world's number one gamer. How could anyone who joined his guild be ordinary?
They were either expert players from ordinary backgrounds or young masters who whaled!
This was Chen Nian's most formidable network of connections, but he rarely spoke in the group. Once he appeared, even if he only sent "ahem," the group would turn into this.
"Holy shit, Boss Buyu spoke!"
"Buyu, you've finally shown yourself! We've missed you to death!"
"Boss, what level are you? Give us a little hint!"
"Boss, were you the one who got the world's first epic equipment drop? Everyone in the group says they don't know where it came from, but I bet it had to be you!"
"Buyu, I love you~~~~~"
"Buyu, any chance you could carry us through a dungeon in real life?"
"Piss off! Who the fuck are you to waste Buyu's time! I'll pay ten million and send a private jet to pick you up. Boss, want to come hang out for a couple of days?"
"Boss, when are we organizing an offline meetup? We're all just waiting for you to lead us into doing something big!"
[An administrator has muted all members-]
Xiao Qi: You're all so noisy! Can you quiet down?
Xiao Qi was the administrator of this group. In the game, she was Dragon Country's strongest female sword immortal. Her real name was Su Jinyu, and she was the daughter of the owner of one of the world's top hundred corporate groups.
Xiao Qi: Buyu, go ahead~