Game GET! (Revised)

After the excitement faded, Ren Suo calmed down as well.

Mo Zhaolong's case had sounded an alarm for him.

Mo Zhaolong's ability to suddenly put people to sleep probably did not rely on external tools—before this, Ren Suo might have assumed he had some advanced technology, but Ren Suo had obtained the "One-Star Sleep Key" from Mo Zhaolong.

At that moment, Ren Suo knew he should abandon the worldview of an exemplary student and view this matter through a dialectic that transcended reality—namely, the fantasy logic of eighth-grader syndrome.

This world, this planet, was no longer that innocent young lady dressed only in blue-and-white stripes.

The Little World Game Console and the abnormalities surrounding Mo Zhaolong indicated that some special circumstances beyond Ren Suo's understanding had emerged in this world.

And that highly skilled Black Vest, who had the same strange attraction to Ren Suo as Mo Zhaolong, most likely belonged to the category of "special talents" too.

With that in mind, Ren Suo took out his phone and checked the latest featured news.

Celebrities cheating, the president raging at feminists, village weddings tormenting bridesmaids... nothing out of the ordinary.

Ren Suo then visited the forum where he often chatted idly, but he did not see any news beyond the limits of his imagination there either.

"Could Mo Zhaolong be a rare exception?" Ren Suo could not help wondering whether eighth-grader syndrome had gone to his head. Just then, he noticed a new post refresh onto the forum:

"Do Immortal Palace Assassins really exist?"

"Oh?" Ren Suo clicked into it curiously, but the next second, a system notification popped up on the forum: The post you are viewing does not exist.

Ren Suo froze slightly, then immediately realized what had happened—information control had appeared on the Internet.

At the very least, terms such as Immortal Palace Assassin and Lan Peilu Ji were not allowed to be discussed.

Because of the explosive video Assassin's Bloodstained Banquet, the entire world now knew that there was an organization in the East called the Immortal Palace. Any random killer in that organization was a superhuman marksman capable of taking on a hundred people alone.

Although the state could not stop the video from spreading, it could prevent people from discussing it on other public platforms and minimize the incident's impact.

Even if netizens could communicate in chat groups, without public discussion platforms such as Weibo, news outlets, and forums to stir things up, the uproar would soon die down. Within a couple of days, everyone's attention would be drawn to other hot news topics.

Ren Suo browsed foreign websites and tried posting something like "xiangongshashou." Sure enough, it was blocked as well.

It was not just the Xuan Kingdom. Every major power with a presence on the Internet had imposed a blockade. Since they could control information about Immortal Palace Assassins, they could naturally control other similar "special information" as well.

Talents like Mo Zhaolong were probably still "rare cases" at present, with few of them anywhere in the world, which was why they had not caused much of a stir. But that also proved one thing—beneath the calm sky, something really had happened, which was why nations across the globe had tacitly joined forces to suppress information leaks.

If this had happened before, Ren Suo, an ordinary commoner, could only drift with the current and become an insignificant chess piece amid the struggles of powerful factions.

But now, he had a chance to step off the chessboard as well.

There was no lofty reason behind it. Ren Suo simply hoped that he and his family could have a safe place in the coming tide. To achieve that, he needed to make himself "irreplaceable"—Ren Suo knew he was an ordinary person by nature, lazy and incapable of becoming a leader. He was even afraid of death.

However, as long as he used the Little World Game Console to gain talents that were irreplaceable to the nation, society, and the people, then no matter what happened in the future, he would be able to receive the protection of the collective!

Opening the World Store, Ren Suo found that "This Month's Free Game" on the list had turned gray. When he tried to enter it, a prompt appeared:

This Month's Free Game has already been completed. Please wait for next month's free game to refresh.

"Search" still cost 10 Merit Points per use, but Ren Suo looked at his current Merit Points: 14—one point had been spent searching for the One-Star Sleep Key.

Though he did not know the value of Merit Points, he did not dare spend them here. After all, he had yet to find the payment screen. However, the "Search" interface no longer told him, "You're too broke to search," but instead said, "Please enter the exclusive reward you desire," leaving Ren Suo utterly baffled.

However, perhaps because he now had Merit Points, a new section appeared in the World Store: "April Fool's Day Discounted Items!"

April Fool's Day? Ren Suo was taken aback before remembering that April 1st was only two days away.

April Fool's Day Discounted Items: From March 28th to March 31st, as well as April 2nd to April 3rd, the following games are available at a 50% discount.

So there was no discount on April 1st itself...

None of the games in this section surprised Ren Suo: as expected, every damn one of them required Merit Points.

Ren Suo was not wealthy, but his urge to top up was now stronger than ever—because he could not even afford the discounted games.

"Infiltration," 50% OFF, 40 Merit Points; "Soul Ferry," 50% OFF, 45 Merit Points; "Superpowered Berserk Run," 50% OFF, 150 Merit Points...

"I only have 14 Merit Points!" Ren Suo practically coughed up blood. He did not see "Killer" here, nor did he know how expensive that game was, but he was certain he could not afford it. "Is there no beginner's gift pack or something?"

Even so, he might not be able to buy these games even if he had the money. For example, Superpowered Berserk Run specifically required a Level 4 Player to purchase it, and it was grayed out.

Ren Suo discovered that these games either required only Level 1, or Level 4—Levels 2 and 3 seemed to be merely transitional, while Level 4 was the dividing line.

As for whether any games required even higher levels, Ren Suo had not found any for the time being. But even so, after a quick look, he found at least several hundred discounted games, and there was absolutely no information about them online. Ren Suo could not even find out how they were played.

At that moment, Ren Suo noticed an option above the section:

Show only purchasable items

He immediately checked it.

The vast array of games instantly dwindled to just one.

"If You're Strong, Climb 10,000 Meters," 50% OFF, 8 Merit Points.

...That name sounded pretty lame, even lamer than Killer.

But it was the only one Ren Suo could afford right now. If he did not buy it, he would have to wait for next week's free game and earn more Merit Points after clearing it before he could buy other games.

However, Ren Suo looked at the game description and spotted one highlight:

This game is a puzzle game. The player will become a Seeker of the Way and climb a towering peak. Along the way, you will encounter countless extreme weather conditions and disasters, and the only thing you can rely on is your own body! Clearing the game can reward up to 40 Merit Points. The exclusive reward for clearing it is "Physical Fitness Optimization." In-app purchases are available. There is only one chapter and no subsequent expansion chapters. Game difficulty: 1 star.

40 Merit Points!

Ren Suo's eyes turned red as he read it. Eight Merit Points for 40 Merit Points—a 400% return!

As for whether he might lose out, Ren Suo had not considered that at all.

Could he fail to get a platinum clear in a game!? Could he possibly fail to beat this puzzle game!?

"I'm a hardcore gamer!"