What a real world.
That was Mu Fan's first reaction when he opened his eyes during the teleportation and saw the scene before him.
Completely different from the endless metal city of the recruit base, he now stood in the middle of a fountain corridor surrounded by flowerbeds. The splashing droplets on his face even carried a faint chill. All around him was a vast plaza. Players came and went through the wooden push doors of bars filled with retro charm, while nearby, a news board hung with a massive light screen formed a striking contrast, scrolling the latest local news and trending videos in real time. Brilliant sunlight warmed his face. Mu Fan narrowed his eyes, enjoying a warmth he had never felt in reality.
A winding corridor led toward the plaza beneath lush green shade. Following the prompt on his wristband, Mu Fan headed toward the fat guy.
This place did not resemble a modern city filled with technological civilization. It was more like a paradise from fantasy, a sight beyond even Mu Fan's imagination, because the place where he had grown up was destined never to have anything like this.
Mu Fan quickened his pace and soon arrived at the location marked by the system's navigation.
"Ding. Coordinates reached."
Looking up, he saw a building several times larger than the Starfall Martial Arts Hall in reality. Streams of silver-white metal gleamed brilliantly across its gates, while several smaller entrances stood on either side, crowded with people. Clearly, this was a gathering point for players. But with so many people before him, finding the fat guy would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"I'm here. How do I find you?" Mu Fan sent the fat guy a voice message.
"This is an isolated-space building, like the Teleportation Point you passed through. Once you enter, there's a public lobby and private rooms. My room number is cc1029. Just ask the service assistant at the entrance," the fat guy replied quickly. Clearly, Young Master Harry was still a nouveau riche here.
Women in black uniforms stood at the entrance, providing consultation services for the passing players. On the PO Battle Network, communication with female players was undoubtedly friendlier and more intelligent than the system settings, something the system simply could not compare with.
A female player nicknamed "Dark Night Laurel" was one such attendant. She was a second-year student at ChangHe Medical College on WenChang Star. When she heard from her companions that working on the PO Battle Network could earn her some Star Coins, she had been tempted.
She was fairly fresh-faced and pretty, so she had come to apply at this Combat Zone service point that was recruiting workers, merely intending to give it a try. To her surprise, she had been selected. There were none of the complicated twists and turns found in reality; as long as one looked presentable and spoke pleasantly, that was enough.
But this job was so tiring. Dark Night Laurel had just finished answering a player's question when she complained to herself. Still, seeing her companion beside her maintaining a smile, she gritted her teeth secretly. A month of part-time work could bring in an extra 3,000 Star Coins. Not only would it cover her daily expenses, but she would even have some left over. It was far better than scrimping miserably over meals and school expenses at the academy.
Let today end quickly, she prayed again inwardly, though the shift was clearly only halfway through.
"Eh? That guy looks so dashing." Laurel mm nudged the companion beside her with her elbow.
"Huh? What is it?... Hahaha, why did that guy come wearing the starter tank top? At the very least, he should have a recruit training uniform after completing the tutorial. But he really does look dashing. Look, that little brother is quite stylish." The other mm froze for a moment when she turned around, then covered her mouth and snickered. After that, she seemed to notice the lines of his body and the muscles beneath his clothes, and her eyes practically sparkled.
"I'm speechless. You nymphomaniac." Laurel mm rolled her eyes.
Her companion mm became a little excited. "Quick, look, he's coming toward us. He must be here to ask for our communication IDs, right? He's so stylish. Should this Miss give him hers or not?" Ever since they had begun working here, players often came over to ask for their communication IDs. There were simply too many players, and a few fresh-faced mms at the entrance were bound to draw plenty of attention.
The person walking toward them was none other than Mu Fan. At that moment, he had not noticed at all that he was still wearing the small tank top and AA shorts combination the system had assigned when his character was created. Of course, even if he had known, he would not have cared. The clothes were clean, much cleaner than his clothes in reality. What was there to be dissatisfied about?
But he had no idea that after completing or skipping the training tutorial, the system would issue a basic brown recruit training uniform.
The outfit had no excessive decorations, yet its simple lines still possessed a sense of beauty. The PO Battle Network had conscientiously refrained from exploiting newcomers too much through starter clothing. Of course, players who wanted all kinds of personalized outfits would have to spend Star Coins to buy them. There were millions of clothing styles gathered here, with prices ranging from low to high.
First, Mu Fan simply did not care, and he completely ignored the amused looks coming from around him. Second, he had no idea such a thing even existed.
Why? Because he had never completed recruit training. The system had never even prompted him with an option to skip it. After being beaten to death twice by the Alloy Staff inside, he had left. Then what? There were no prompts at all, and he had come straight here to find the fat guy.
Naturally, he did not know why a recruit who had not completed training could enter the Combat Zone, nor why everyone around him was looking at him so curiously. He had never encountered any of this before. How could he possibly know all the information everyone else thought was common knowledge?
When something abnormal appeared on someone who believed himself normal, it was like a man wearing athletic shorts and a tank top while walking through a formal evening party. Just thinking about it made it clear how dashing that would look.
"Look, he really is coming over," the companion mm muttered softly.
Seeing that he was indeed walking toward her, Laurel mm quickly put on a smile and went forward to meet him.
"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" She displayed the standard smile perfected through countless repetitions.
"Hello, I want to enter room cc1029," Mu Fan answered honestly.
"Oh, then please come this way. This is the VIP passage. Once you enter, the system will ask you. Just tell the system the room ID directly. If you have access to the room, you can enter immediately."
Laurel mm was stunned. Sure enough, rich people were impossible to understand. A third-tier VIP cc-class room cost a considerable amount, yet someone wealthy enough to rent one did not even know to change clothes.
"Oh, okay. Thank you." Naturally, Mu Fan had no idea about Laurel mm's inward complaints. Under her guidance, he entered the VIP side passage beside them.
After entering the VIP passage, there were far fewer people. He followed the guided path to a teleportation circle where the routes branched off, and a faint white halo enveloped him.
"Hello, please enter the room ID."
"cc1029."
"Beep. Identifying room. Confirming personal access. Identification successful. Teleporting."
The light flashed, and Mu Fan disappeared within the halo.
Laurel mm watched that underwear-and-tank-top outfit vanish in a flash and clicked her tongue regretfully. What a pity. That little brother had not even left a contact method. There were not many rich people these days who were so stylish and had such unusual ideas.
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