024 Intertwined Destinies

Xu Liangyu has been feeling exceptionally excited lately.

Born into an ordinary family with parents who lacked power and influence, he was always studious. Reading extensively from a young age led him to view things differently than his peers. Because of this, he was often seen as an outsider and frequently ostracized by those his own age. Yet, he vaguely understood—and understood even more clearly as he grew older—that those childhood playmates were the truly immature ones.

His hard work eventually paved the way for a bright future. Although, upon graduating from a prestigious university, he was once filled with resentment that his excellence did not immediately grant him a commensurate job, he soon reached a new realization: he simply needed to work "harder."

At the dawn of the rapidly developing virtual gaming industry, several college classmates with decent gaming skills aspired to carve out a career for themselves. During his period of uncertainty, he was invited to join them, so he went along with little expectation. While the studio showed some promise at first, he soon realized he shouldn't continue down that path; it was not aligned with his ideals.

Consequently, he "worked hard" to make a name for himself in a game called *End-Time Gun God*. He was then spotted by the Tianxiang Group, which had just entered the gaming industry. He bid farewell to his original studio and was decisively "poached."

Although Xu Liangyu’s achievements were evident to all, the Tianxiang Group was not about to place a newcomer in a position of significant authority overnight. He was assigned to a small, entry-level team within a subsidiary to handle basic coordination tasks. Everyone in his team was a new recruit, managed by a supervisor rumored to be the apple of the group chairman’s eye.

That was the first time he saw Chu Lingbing.

It wasn't love at first sight; he had always been rather indifferent toward romance. Though he had dated a few times in college, those were merely temporary passions, and once they passed, he felt nothing. As for the lifelong commitment of finding a wife, he hadn't formally considered it at the time. He hadn't yet built a career he could be proud of, so what use was finding a woman to be his wife?

However, the time spent working together stirred many strange feelings within him.

Her appearance and temperament were superior, far surpassing the campus beauties he had known. Her approach to work was even more forceful; she was decisive and efficient. Since the team was small, she handled almost everything herself, taking full responsibility for each individual and the team as a whole. During the team's early days, they encountered many difficulties, but she would rush about, using her silver tongue to resolve each issue one by one.

Her effortless competence forced Xu Liangyu to admit that she truly possessed the capabilities of a high-born lady. Even though she wore an indifferent expression all day, her diligent attitude toward her work made it seem as if a hidden force was driving this proud plum blossom to bloom desperately in the winter.

Chu Lingbing... the name truly suited her.

No man could remain unaffected by her charm after spending time with her. In fact, such situations occurred frequently; he had witnessed countless men offering gifts, flowers, and even elaborate marriage proposals. Even his own team members were targeted by others looking to gather information or bribe them to play a part in these schemes. Yet, she deflected everything with calm composure. He occasionally harbored doubts: was her heart truly as cold as ice, with not a single crack?

Driven by curiosity, admiration, or perhaps some unnameable emotion, he secretly investigated and discovered a fact that was both unexpected and reasonable: she had once had a fiancé, but she had kicked him to the curb.

What an independent modern woman... but I like it.

A man's possessive instinct was stimulated by such tropes, which were common in Korean dramas. Moreover, he considered himself handsome and capable. While his current work mostly involved gaming statistics—hardly a major task—his talents extended beyond that. He had also become quite familiar with her habits. If he only applied himself, the path to winning over the "white, rich, and beautiful" woman and reaching the pinnacle of his life lay right before him.

However, before he could formally implement his plan, she was transferred.

That was when the parent company, Tianxiang, underwent a formal restructuring, and she was moved to oversee a portion of their gaming operations. He didn't care about that. Though it was the headquarters, she would likely be subjected to even more harassment there. Hmph, a woman like that wouldn't be easily taken away. He had plenty of opportunities; as long as he was given the chance...

Then, the incident with the Xiangrui Group broke out.

The opportunity had finally arrived, and he would not let it slip away. First, he pulled strings, snatching the responsibility for this project from his many colleagues. Then, relying on his management experience from school and his unique understanding of the gaming industry gained from his studio days, he drafted a bold plan and signed a military-style pledge with the senior management...

As for the result, you can see it in his current status, having been transferred to the Tianxiang headquarters.

In short, through his own efforts and his grasp of opportunity, he slowly stood out from the "common masses" and climbed into the true upper echelons of society. Although this place was filled with more treachery, shadows, and darkness, he still possessed the talent and confidence to overcome these obstacles. And most importantly, he was back by the goddess's side, both in reality and in the game.

That is why he was so excited.

Although the rain had stopped, water droplets lingering on the leaves would occasionally fall onto his head. A miscalculation—he hadn't considered gear for rainy weather when he arrived. After all, the matters at hand were too big and numerous; some details were overlooked. But it didn't matter; he would pay attention next time. Besides, the rain had stopped, and he hoped it wouldn't start again.

He had run to the village's only grocery store while it was raining to see if there were any raincoats for sale, only for the sleazy shopkeeper to look at him like a fat sheep and demand 500 Abri coins immediately...

Tch, a wretched place indeed.

Thinking this, he ignored the ironic and jealous glares from his teammates and unfastened his own cloak, draping it over the white-armored woman in front of him: "You should wear this; at least it will keep you warm."

The woman turned, gave him a cold look, and continued walking, her cloak flapping behind her.

Yes... that’s it. Ice three feet thick doesn't melt in a day or two, but it will come with time. Although she had shown some dissatisfaction with his arrival, he assumed it was because she had opinions about the arrangements made by "Free Flight"... Strong women always have such thoughts. Sometimes you don't even need to pay attention to their willful actions; just let them be. A few days ago, she had even notified some subordinates to look for a player whose real name was Duan Qing, saying that if anyone knew him, they should inform her...

Hmph, heaven knows who that "Qing" person is. Perhaps a distant relative of hers who came to play the game and seek her out, or maybe a friend, or... never mind. Just to be safe, he would keep an eye out. In any case, things were going smoothly; look, there had been progress just now... He thought with satisfaction, not even bothering to hide the triumphant look on his face from the others, as if showcasing his territory.

As for the current mission, it was supposedly to find an ancient ruin... Although he had done his own investigation and preparation, with a team as formidable as this one, he was likely overthinking things. After *End-Time Gun God*, he, "Liangchen Meiyu," had conquered several gaming territories. He had a reputation and plenty of experience. That "Winter and Summer, Cold and Hot" person over there was supposedly a rare species who used magic, and the burly man holding the shield behind them had reportedly taken down three people from the "Jianghu" guild all by himself. And those were *Jianghu* people... Besides, this kind of ruin-investigation work usually just meant holding a torch, walking into a gloomy place, guarding against a few monsters and traps, and finally fighting a boss before calling it a day...

Perhaps he could even find an opportunity to show off his own greatness... His eyes finally began to scan the surroundings, searching for potential dangers that he could resolve all by himself. While one should respect the enemy tactically, one must ultimately despise them strategically...

At the end of the day, it was just a game. How hard could it be?

***

"That is why I am telling you not to keep using your old gaming habits here."

In the forest, Duan Qing’s group of four continued walking forward at a leisurely pace. Although they had traveled quite far, several members of the team were still resentful about the treehouse they had left behind. Differences of opinion had arisen, especially when Meng Zhu muttered about how there might have been hidden secret passages under the treehouse. The other two expressed similar skepticism, and the frustration of having "left early and gained nothing" only grew.

Duan Qing couldn't take it anymore and began trying to use logic to correct their gaming outlook.

"Those old games, even the online ones, as long as they are made by humans, ultimately remain within defined boundaries. You might experience a soul-stirring script, meet a few memorable characters, or find some obscure clues, only to discover a hidden passage in a place you’ve passed before, or realize that the script has different endings. Or, while playing, you might suddenly encounter a time paradox, or find out the game's timeline is fake, and the game uses some magical way to return you to the beginning to save a world destroyed by your previous wrong choices. Or perhaps a side-scrolling platformer suddenly turns into a 3D adventure game, and the entire framework of the game changes..."

Duan Qing’s expression became unprecedentedly serious: "They call it art, and I agree, but those are *works*. Do you know what 'work' means? Just like novels, anime, movies, or TV dramas... they are all things made by people."

"As long as it is made by people, there are traces to follow."

"No matter how you play, you can only play what the producer wants you to play. If you don't find it, that’s your problem; if you play too much, that’s what people call a bug. Even in the freest sandbox game, it is nothing more than a worldview, a system, various elemental settings, and at most, a script... What? Not enough? Then just layer on a few more worldviews."

"But now, the game we are playing is called a Virtual Reality Game. Virtual—Reality—Game!" Duan Qing emphasized loudly.

"Fine, you might think that these virtual reality games are still made by people, but ever since the emergence of virtual reality technology that independently calculates and supports the world's operation, things that leave traces simply don't exist. Not since 2125!"

"This is a simulated real world."

"There is no single storyline here, no predetermined events. You won't be able to map out every single aspect of the game or have all the code researched just because you’ve played for thousands of hours. It won't give you choices that lead to multiple endings, and it certainly won't let you start over—most importantly, there is no reloading saves!"

"Aside from the fact that you have more than one life, there is no difference between this and the real world."

Under their confused gazes, Duan Qing seemed to enter a trance-like state, then shook his head as if waking from a dream, showing a bitter smile before pulling the topic back to their previous direction: "So, what I mean is, stop assuming that just because you found a treehouse, there must be something hidden there."

"It’s completely illogical."

He turned and walked away. Meng Zhu and the other two were stunned, then slowly followed. Although they didn't quite understand his lecture, they felt it was "unfathomable but awesome."

The girl thought about it carefully with her little head, then quietly approached Duan Qing: "Hey, Uncle, was there really nothing hidden in that place? What you meant just now..."

"I talked for so long and you still didn't understand... Fine." Duan Qing turned back, putting on a serious expression. "Everything I just said..."

He then broke into a smile: "Was all just to fool you."

"Ah?" Meng Zhu was stunned, then puffed out her cheeks, ready to explode in anger, but Duan Qing pressed a hand on her head and pushed her back: "Don't think too much, let's keep moving."

"You don't need to think about those things anymore; it's... useless."

Perhaps sensing the strangeness in Duan Qing, she didn't continue her routine bickering with the "uncle." Duan Qing himself felt a bit of inner turmoil—not just because of what he had just thought about, but because... that treehouse indeed was not without value.

He opened his system menu and looked for a long time at the words "Phil's Treehouse" on a spot where his adventure map had already expanded.

Then, an abnormal situation occurred.

The group heard a rhythmic knocking sound from afar. First, A-Niu gave a warning, and then Duan Qing gestured for everyone to proceed with caution.

"It’s not that Old Black Blind coming out again, is it..."

"Listen carefully, it sounds different from last time... And stop calling him Old Black Blind; his name is Black Bear."

As the team slowly advanced, the knocking sound became clearer—it sounded like someone using a hoe to till the soil.

"Clang," "Clang," the sounds came, stopping occasionally as if the source had paused, only to resume a moment later. The group exchanged glances, their eyes meeting in silence. Amidst their vigilance, a hint of excitement rippled through them. Finally, the reckless A-Niu, without a second thought, stepped out to take the lead.

Duan Qing shook his head helplessly. Though he felt it was reckless, he decided to follow. He couldn't just sell out his teammate, and after walking for so long, they had finally encountered *something*... He also approached slowly. Meng Zhu, the timid one, was just about to follow when a massive roar erupted from behind, nearly scaring the girl out of her wits.

The girl turned, trying to find the culprit that had caused her adrenaline to spike, but the "Young Master of Jie City" beside her had already found it, letting out a terrified scream.

That was definitely not a sight Meng Zhu wanted to see.

In the shadows of the trees to the rear right, several figures flashed by, running fast. A massive black shadow appeared behind them, roaring as it gave chase.

Duan Qing and A-Niu had also turned back, dumbfounded as the giant shadow gradually became clear: a blue-black surface, a massive head, two eyes shining like night pearls, huge fangs, and a fuse-like tongue flicking in and out of its mouth... When the light filtered through the branches and leaves, one could faintly see the reflection of scales and a sharp protrusion in the middle of its flat head.

It was a large snake... no, a giant python was not enough to describe it. In ancient China, a character describing a certain mythical creature was much more suitable to represent the image of the creature before them.

A Jiao.