After leaving his rental apartment, Shi Feng took a car directly to the commercial street downtown.
As Shi Feng strolled down the commercial avenue of Jinhai City, he noticed an electronics mall packed tightly with people. A few young men barely managed to squeeze their way out of the sea of people, holding Divine Realm VR helmets, their faces beaming with joy.
"Hahaha, this is awesome! Good thing I lined up at 7 AM. After waiting three hours, I finally got it. From today onwards, I'm going to dedicate my life to working hard in Divine Realm!" a lean young man in a blue T-shirt declared, carefully hugging his newly purchased Divine Realm helmet and laughing heartily.
"Want me to bring you along? My friend has been playing Divine Realm since it launched. He's already Level 4. With his guidance, leveling up is way faster. If we're lucky, he might even carry us for a bit," another young man with curly hair boasted arrogantly.
"Really? It's a deal then! We're counting on you. We'll cover your lunches at university!"
The other young men immediately got excited upon hearing that an experienced player was willing to guide them and help them soar.
The entry of global conglomerates into Divine Realm and their massive investments, along with constant news reports, showed ordinary people a path to riches.
These big conglomerates constantly offered high salaries to recruit top gaming experts. They even offered an annual salary of three million to former top-tier professional gamers—something almost unheard of in the virtual gaming world. Previously, earning one million a year made you a living legend. Now, even washed-up players could get three million, while the current hottest experts were being offered an astronomical eight million.
As far as Shi Feng knew, the guild leader of Snake of the Body only made six million Credit Points a year, and the Ice Goddess Bai Qingxue made just four million. Of course, the Ice Goddess didn't really care about the money; a single endorsement deal could earn her tens of millions. With her family background, money was never an issue. What she pursued was the thrill of adventure, unlike Shi Feng, who wanted to change his destiny and fulfill an unfinished wish from his past life.
"Good thing I'm not here to buy a helmet," Shi Feng muttered, glancing at the sea of people in the mall. Sighing softly, he turned and walked into a mobile phone store next to the electronics market.
It was highly inconvenient constantly using an old-fashioned phone, so Shi Feng decided to switch to a light-brain electronic watch. It not only supported voice calls but could also be linked to his bank account, allowing him to pay with Credit Points anytime. This way, he wouldn't have to leave the house carrying wads of cash that made his pockets bulge, which was always awkward.
As soon as Shi Feng entered the light-brain watch store, a beautiful saleswoman approached him.
"Sir, how can I help you? Our store has the best quality and a wide variety of phones. I especially recommend the latest model, the Light Brain 3000. It's self-pairing, waterproof, shockproof, and absolutely secure. It supports payments in real life as well as in the virtual game Divine Realm."
"Alright, show me."
"This way, sir."
Hearing Shi Feng's tone that he intended to buy, the beautiful saleswoman respectfully led him to the light-brain display area. She brought out over a dozen models of light-brain watches. They were not only beautifully designed but also stylish and practical, featuring full virtual screens that maintained perfect clarity and sound even during intense physical activity.
"Sir, we have a promotion for Divine Realm right now. It's only 29,999—you can take it home for less than 30,000 Credit Points."
Shi Feng couldn't help but sweat at the beautiful saleswoman's recommendation. What was the difference between 29,999 and 30,000? Thirty thousand Credit Points was what an ordinary university student could afford only after working a decent job for half a year. Still, he did intend to buy the newest model. It was much more convenient. Running to the bank all the time was good exercise, but it was troublesome. Especially when making a transaction worth millions, carrying a box of cash just felt wrong.
"I'll take this dark blue one," Shi Feng said, picking out a good-looking model.
Under the beautiful saleswoman's guidance, Shi Feng completed the identity verification, linked his old number, and connected his bank account. He then simply tapped the watch to pay, which was incredibly convenient.
After getting the light-brain watch, Shi Feng went to buy ten bottles of A-grade nutritional supplement and fifty bottles of B-grade nutritional supplement. It cost him a total of 150,000 Credit Points. Although it hurt his wallet, he needed them for his intensive training regimen, so he had to buy at least this much.
Drip, drip, drip…
The light-brain watch vibrated and rang, indicating an incoming call from class president Zhao Ruoxi.
The beautiful class president Zhao Ruoxi had never called him before, except for last time to tell him about the class meeting.
"Class president, is there something up?" Shi Feng asked after answering.
"Classmate Shi Feng, can I not call you if I don't have something to do? Or do you just hate it when I call?" Zhao Ruoxi asked, her tone somewhat downcast.
"No, of course not. I haven't even had a chance to thank you for your help last time," Shi Feng quickly said upon hearing the resentment in her voice. In his heart, Zhao Ruoxi was really a wonderful girl: smart, kind, and beautiful. When the whole class had sided with Lin Feilong, she was the only one who had spoken up for him, giving him a shred of warmth.
"That's more like it. So you do have some conscience after all," Zhao Ruoxi laughed. "Remember the university social mixer I told you about last time? The date is set for next Friday. Everyone participating has to pay five thousand Credit Points. I've already paid for you, so don't forget to show up on time."
After saying this, Zhao Ruoxi hung up, leaving Shi Feng stunned for a long time.
"Ruoxi, why did you have to tell Shi Feng? And why did you pay for him? He's not a good person. He's always been hiding his true colors. He must be planning something. You and he are on completely different levels. To change his destiny, he'll stop at nothing to get close to you. Don't fall for it," Lin Feilong said, feigning concern. Inside, he was furious. A poor loser had actually caught Zhao Ruoxi's attention, and she even paid his way. This proved that Zhao Ruoxi was definitely somewhat interested in Shi Feng.
"Alright, Lin Feilong, who I want to pay for is my own business. I don't need you sticking your nose into it," Zhao Ruoxi said, somewhat displeased.
Lin Feilong was so angry he was speechless, but he didn't dare show it. He hated Shi Feng with a burning passion. Everything had been going so smoothly, but then Shi Feng suddenly popped up, and everything changed.
"Shi Feng, just you wait. If I can't handle you myself, I'll tell Zhao Ruoxi's uncle. We'll see how he deals with you," Lin Feilong sneered inwardly. Given Shi Feng's lowly status, Zhao Ruoxi's uncle would definitely object. With just a little influence, that uncle could crush a brat like Shi Feng like an ant, killing him however he pleased.
At 6 PM, Shi Feng was back at his rental apartment. After running around all afternoon, he had finally found a nice apartment in the city center. It was fully equipped, and the surrounding environment was excellent. He had already paid the deposit. He just needed to pack his things today and move in tomorrow.
After tidying up, Shi Feng drank a bottle of B-grade nutritional supplement, lay down on his bed, put on his helmet, and entered Divine Realm to continue his grind.
PS: Thank you to '24k Glasses' for the 10,000 tip! And to 'Wild Cat' for the 12 urging tickets! Seeing the book's first Moderator, 24k Glasses, even though I, Old Cat, am a slow-handed procrastinator, I will be doing three updates today to show my gratitude!