A Deal, a Mysterious Building!

"He exhausted his mental energy. It's nothing serious."

Zhou Zheng walked over and said calmly, "Take him to the treatment room next door. He'll be fine after resting for a while."

The two let out a long sigh of relief.

Qin Lang then pushed Shen Xing, following a staff member out of the arena.

More than ten minutes later.

In a quiet treatment room in the corner of the third-floor combat area.

A magic formation with a special pattern was etched into the floor. Several strange stones lay around its edges, giving off a faint blue glow.

Shen Xing sat in the center of the formation, feeling his mental energy recover rapidly.

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi sat at the edge of the formation, feeling a warm energy flow steadily into their bodies.

"Amazing. This room doesn't just restore mental energy; it relieves muscle fatigue too."

"I feel like I've recovered everything I used up in that fight," Qin Lang said in amazement.

Xu Jiayi looked at Shen Xing, concern in her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right. This treatment room really does work well." Shen Xing wore a faint smile, and his complexion had already improved considerably.

The two of them breathed sighs of relief.

"Shen Xing, you bastard, you've been hiding your strength!" Seeing that he had recovered, Qin Lang teased, "That fireball gave even me a fright when it came crashing down!"

Shen Xing chuckled. "Weren't you two holding something back too? How can you say that about me?"

They exchanged knowing smiles.

Clearly, everyone had encountered opportunities of their own in the game over the past few days.

Just then, the treatment room door opened, and a middle-aged man in a trench coat walked in with steady steps.

Zhou Zheng casually found a seat and sat down. Smiling, he asked, "How did it feel? Fighting in the game and summoning troops to fight in reality are completely different experiences, aren't they?"

The three exchanged glances and nodded.

When they had encountered that Abomination at the mall, they had summoned their troops too.

But the situation had been so urgent that they hadn't felt anything in particular.

Now they realized these were two entirely different ways of fighting.

In the game, troops fought on their own, assessing the battlefield independently and choosing the best response.

As a lord, all one needed to do was direct the overall battle from the rear or add some attacks from a distance.

But in reality, the troops' actions were controlled by the lord, much like controlling characters in a computer game.

"Part of a troop's combat power in reality depends on its lord."

Zhou Zheng leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "The better a lord is at controlling them, and the more combat experience they have, the more of their troops' combat power they can bring out."

"The same troops can perform worlds apart in the hands of different lords.

"A powerful lord can control troops in a way that pushes their practical combat ability past its limits and raises it to another level.

"Of course, if you find it troublesome, you can also choose not to control them and let them fight on their own.

"After all, some high-level troops in this game are highly intelligent and have extensive combat experience.

"When some novice lords control their troops in battle, they might not bring out as much strength as the troops would fighting on their own.

"Overall, it's a question of the upper limit."

Zhou Zheng had said a great deal in one breath. He continued, "Besides that, a lord's personal strength is also crucial."

"After all, the lord is at the core of everything. If the lord dies, no matter how strong the troops are, they won't be able to do anything."

"That's also why you're allowed to attack the opposing lord during practical combat."

"Because in the future, you'll encounter all kinds of enemies, including monsters in the fog and, inevitably, certain people with bad intentions."

"So you need to improve your troops and strengthen your own ability to survive."

"When you have time, come to Jiangcheng's Pioneer Activity Center and spar with other players to build up experience."

The three nodded again, knowing that Zhou Zheng was sharing his experience with them.

As complete newbies who had been playing the game for less than seven days, they still had only a partial understanding of the world of the extraordinary.

The experience of their seniors could save them many detours.

"Brother Zhou Zheng, have our spots been confirmed this time?" Qin Lang asked eagerly.

"I handled it personally. How could I fail?" Zhou Zheng smiled confidently.

"Haha, as expected of Captain Zhou Zheng. You really are reliable!" Qin Lang immediately flattered him.

"I'm not a captain yet. I'm just a squad leader for now," Zhou Zheng corrected him.

Qin Lang paused, then smiled. "It doesn't matter. With your ability, Leader Zhou, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you become a captain."

Zhou Zheng gave him an appreciative look, thinking that the kid knew how to handle himself.

After a pause, he continued, "Right, the secret realm may open a few days earlier this time, so be prepared."

"A few days earlier? How much earlier exactly?" Shen Xing asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm not sure. Maybe a week, or maybe half a month."

Zhou Zheng shook his head and sighed. "Fog energy readings have been rising around the world, and abnormal incidents are occurring frequently. As a result, secret realms are forming much earlier too."

"You'll be notified two days in advance."

Shen Xing pondered for a moment, then asked, "Doesn't that mean we only have about half a month to develop?"

"Isn't half a month enough?"

Zhou Zheng glanced at him and said irritably, "Kid, don't think I didn't notice. That wasn't all your strength just now. You've still got something up your sleeve in your territory."

Shen Xing's expression remained unchanged. "You've misunderstood, Leader Zhou. I wasn't hiding my strength. That orc from last time was unfortunately badly injured and is recuperating in my territory."

"Is that so?" Zhou Zheng chuckled and looked at the other two. "What about you two? Were the elite troops you summoned at the mall unfortunately injured too?"

"Yes, Leader Zhou."

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi nodded at the same time, their expressions sincere.

"Heh." The corners of Zhou Zheng's mouth lifted slightly, but he couldn't be bothered to expose them. "All right, just make sure you're prepared. Let's drop it."

After a pause, his tone turned serious. "Besides the secret realm spots, I have more good news for you."

"In view of your excellent performance in this practical combat, the team has decided to reward each of you with 2,000 contribution points."

"Uh... what are contribution points?" Shen Xing asked, puzzled.

"You don't know?" Zhou Zheng was taken aback.

All three looked utterly bewildered.

We dunno. Nobody told us what those things are for.

"You can think of contribution points as a currency circulated internally."

Zhou Zheng took out a cigarette and held it between his lips. "You can use them to buy all kinds of game items, equipment, and so on through official channels, or trade with other players."

"There aren't many ways to earn contribution points. Generally, you get them by contributing to the city or the country."

"For example, completing bounties, discovering hidden secret realms, or turning in valuable rare items."

"If you converted them to real-world currency, one contribution point would be worth about 100 yuan."

At that number, the three stared wide-eyed.

What did he say?

One contribution point is worth a hundred yuan?

Doesn't that mean we each earned 200,000 yuan from that one assessment?

Their breathing quickened.

Looking at their stunned expressions, Zhou Zheng smiled and shook his head. "This is special support from the Jiangcheng Handling Bureau for outstanding newcomers like you. Once you've grown stronger, don't forget to give back to the bureau."

"Of course we won't forget," Qin Lang immediately promised, thumping his chest.

Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi nodded solemnly as well, taking the favor to heart.

For the vast majority of new players, 200,000 yuan was no small sum and could buy plenty of supplies.

They could even rely on those resources to get through the hardest initial stage, giving them a better chance of growing stronger.

This also showed the authorities' attitude toward novice lords.

As long as you performed well enough, you would receive official support, without having to worry that revealing your strength would invite covetous attention or suppression from others.

Zhou Zheng nodded in satisfaction, then took three specially numbered cards from his trench coat pocket.

"These are your internal identity cards. You'll need them to enter and leave the various Player Associations and to trade with other players."

"They combine the functions of an ID card and a bank card. Any contribution points you earn from now on will be deposited onto these cards."

He handed the cards over and instructed them, "Work hard and try to improve your strength some more before the Void Realm opens."

"If you can make it into the top ten on the Void Realm rankings this time, I'll share in the glory too."

Chapter 37: A Deal, a Mysterious Building!

A few minutes later, Shen Xing and the other two left the treatment room and entered the elevator.

"I never thought we'd come here, have a fight, and earn 600,000 yuan. Talk about a sweet deal!" Qin Lang gripped his card, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's not like we can exchange it for cash. We can only use it internally," Xu Jiayi said with a pout.

"It's still a gain. I've never earned 200,000 yuan in one go in my life!"

Shen Xing smiled, feeling a little happy himself.

Ding!

The elevator stopped at the trading area on the second floor.

As soon as the doors opened, a wave of noise hit them.

A spacious hall appeared before them, filled with people coming and going.

Light strips divided the floor into small areas and passageways, like a chessboard.

A player stood in the middle of each area.

Each had a stall in front of them, displaying all kinds of items and equipment, while cries rang out one after another.

"Common ★★★ shield guard troop recruitment scrolls, 1,000 contribution points each! Only two left!"

"Crystal breastplates, 5,000 contribution points apiece! Buy yours while you can!"

"Elite one-star Ice Archer nest, trading for a front-line troop nest of the same rank! Anyone interested?"