Chapter 1687: Chapter 5: Entering the Game

“I still need to spend time with my family. It’s very likely that this will be our last moments together.” Pang Meiqin hesitated for a moment but ultimately found an excuse.

The Beautiful Leg Stewardess wasn’t speaking frankly. She hoped to spend her remaining days with Tang Zheng, but she didn’t want to tie him down.

“Please give my regards to your father!” Tang Zheng felt he shouldn’t say more, a sense of guilt weighing on him as he spoke to Pang Meiqin.

“Mm!” Pang Meiqin walked out of the villa, looked at the starry sky, and forced a bitter smile. Though she hated to admit it, the Beautiful Leg Stewardess knew that he didn’t love her.

As soon as she thought about this fact, Pang Meiqin’s heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant hand, the pain suffocating!

“Meiqin, how about I go to your house?” Watching Pang Meiqin’s despondent figure, Tang Zheng felt like a bastard, incapable of making any decisions.

“Go check on Qin Yan instead. I think she’s with Bai Guo.” Sitting in the car, Pang Meiqin extended her arm out of the window, waved, and then sped off. She was scared that if she stayed even a second longer, she’d change her mind.

…

Sister Qin Yan’s father was the mayor, and her mother was an attending doctor at a top-tier hospital, always incredibly busy—so much so that they didn’t even have the time to inquire about their daughter’s marriage.

Qin Yan had long grown accustomed to having workaholic parents and didn’t say much about it. During her recovery period, she prepared meals daily, but they only came back to eat once or twice.

“Yan Yan, Mom has surgery tonight, so I won’t be coming home for dinner.” Qin Yan’s mother called directly, said a sentence without even waiting for her daughter’s response, and hung up.

“How about we bring dinner to Auntie?” Bai Guo peeled a shrimp, concerned that Sister Qin Yan might feel upset.

The Natural Stupid was too clumsy, completely incapable of lying. If she stayed home for too long, she’d definitely slip up. So she ran over to Qin Yan’s place early, freeloading meals and drinks, and didn’t feel lonely.

“No need.” Qin Yan shook her head and heard the doorbell ring.

“I’ll go open it!” With a shrimp in her mouth, Bai Guo dashed to the foyer, “Eh, Brother Tang?”

Seeing Tang Zheng standing outside the door, Bai Guo froze for a moment before breaking into an elated expression. Just as she was about to call for Qin Yan, the shrimp in her throat got stuck.

Cough, cough—Bai Guo coughed, her right hand clenched into a fist, repeatedly patting her chest.

Because she was at Qin Yan’s house, Bai Guo always felt like an outsider. She wore hot pants that exposed her fair legs and a tight camisole on her upper body. Her ample chest was barely covered, showing off large areas of fair skin, deep cleavage lines visible, and now with the patting, her movements caused dramatic shaking.

Tang Zheng averted his gaze.

This motion made Bai Guo realize that she’d inadvertently exposed herself. She hastily reached out to cover herself, but pressing down hard on her chest only made it more enticing.

“Brother Tang, why are you here?” Bai Guo was restless, her toes gripping the floor anxiously and her eyes darting about. She realized her hands were too small to cover her chest properly.

“Just wanted to visit you all. What, am I not welcome?” Tang Zheng handed over the gift bag in his hands to Bai Guo and caught sight of Qin Yan, who was dressed casually in homeware.

“Perfect timing, you can join us for dinner!”

“She would make a great wife!” Watching the elegant Sister Qin Yan set the table, Tang Zheng sighed.

The meal was awkward; Bai Guo kept her head down, almost burying herself in her bowl, but her eyes darted about sneakily.

“Have some vegetables!” Qin Yan passed some onto Bai Guo’s plate.

“Oh, oh, I can do it myself. You should serve Brother Tang!” The Natural Stupid, always clumsy, tried to pair them up, though her efforts only made things worse.

“Why aren’t you going home?” Tang Zheng didn’t know how to converse with Qin Yan and resorted to talking to Bai Guo instead.

“Ah, I’m full. Oh, right, we’re out of snacks at home. I’ll go buy some.” Bai Guo didn’t want to be the third wheel, so she found an excuse and hurried off.

Less than two minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

“Sister Qin Yan, hurry up and open the door. I forgot to change clothes.” Bai Guo was on the verge of panic. Her current outfit was completely inappropriate for going out; being seen would be humiliating.

Bang—the door next to her opened, and the Natural Stupid darted into a corner like a startled rabbit, clutching her chest with one hand and covering her crotch with the other. Unfortunately, her bust was too large, and some of her cleavage remained exposed.

“The world’s going downhill!” The old lady who came out muttered grimly, then headed downstairs.

Thanks to Bai Guo’s antics, the atmosphere between Tang Zheng and Qin Yan relaxed a bit, and they chatted on light topics, as if by mutual understanding, neither mentioning romance.

Carrying a big bag of snacks and licking an ice pop like a cat, Bai Guo crouched under a tree’s shadow downstairs. When she saw Tang Zheng leaving, she got anxious and hurried over.

“Eh, Brother Tang, you’re leaving already?”

Plop—the ice cream, already half-melted in the heat, dripped onto her shirt as she ran.

“Be careful—running about recklessly like that, you might end up not marrying anyone.” Tang Zheng chuckled and moved past her. “Spend more time with Qin Yan.”

“What happened?” Bai Guo ignored cleaning up and rushed back home, asking Qin Yan, “How did it go?”

“He and I… in the end, we’re just not destined to be.” Qin Yan, washing dishes in the kitchen, smiled calmly. She had already let go of her feelings.

“Why? The two of you are clearly the most suited for each other; surely you’d be happy together.” Bai Guo was confused, her eyes welling up with tears. Her simple-minded hope was for them to grow old together.

…

On the fifteenth day, Tang Zheng visited An Xiuru’s residential area. Recently, she seemed to have noticed his coldness and had stopped calling him.

An Xiuru, having lost her love, buried herself in her work to distract herself—otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to get through the dull time. Only physical fatigue could temporarily make her forget about that young man.

Looking at An Xiuru’s tired face, Tang Zheng felt guilty. He couldn’t make any promises, especially in situations where death could come at any moment.

“Just wait a bit longer, and you’ll completely forget me.” Tang Zheng didn’t meet with her, leaving quietly. If he died, the Trojan would erase Sister Xiu Ru’s memories.

“Finally, it’s here!” After taking a shower and dressing neatly, Tang Zheng sat on the sofa, sipping tea when the Trojan announcement sounded.

…

Yin Shangwu had just completed a gallstone surgery and was about to change clothes and head home when a strange noise reached her ears, and her body began to disappear.

…

Tang Zheng’s vision returned to find himself staring at pale white walls and several frightened Newbies.

Dantai was pulling Lu Fan’s ear, loudly chastising her. The Little Lolita lowered her head like a child who’d done something wrong, her two index fingers poking at each other shyly.

“Uncle!” Seeing Tang Zheng, Lu Fan cheered, but after running a few steps, she quickly darted behind Bai Guo. “Don’t hit me; I know I was wrong!”

“Who’s hitting you?” Dantai grumbled helplessly, “Trojan, can you send her back?”

The Trojan didn’t answer, but everyone knew it wouldn’t be possible.

“Forget about it. Fanfan is still an important part of our combat force.” Bai Guo crouched down, patting Lu Fan’s head. “What’s done is done, and talking more won’t help.”

“Sister Bai Guo is so understanding.” Lu Fan giggled, suddenly reaching out to grab at the Natural Stupid’s ample chest, burying her face in it. “So soft, so envious, I wish I had them.”

The Newbies were still teleporting, but Tang Zheng ignored them, letting his gaze slide across his companions one by one.

“Don’t say anything sentimental now—I can’t take it.” Lin Weiguo laughed heartily, drawing a circle with his right hand. “The Silver Trojan is absolutely malicious. It keeps bringing Newbies in, even for the Holy Land War. These guys are doomed.”

“Who are you calling doomed, old man?” A drunken, tattooed young woman with a butterfly inked on her chest snapped, shouting at the Old Soldier.

“Who are you cursing? Are you looking for trouble?”

A group of rowdy young men and women fresh out of a club, high on energy and alcohol, were acting recklessly.

The Old Soldier didn’t bother to argue with these kids, but his restraint only made the youths feel like he was weak. Two boys eager to show off in front of the woman stepped forward, intending to attack him.

The Newbies paused their discussions, all turning their attention here. Among them, some who weren’t stupid had already sensed that Tang Zheng’s group probably knew what this place was.

“Get lost!” Watching one of the youths walk past him, Tang Zheng frowned.

“What did you say?” The young man, enraged, reached out to grab Tang Zheng’s collar.

Tang Zheng, unwilling to waste words, raised his right leg and delivered a kick straight to the young man’s stomach, sending him flying.

The other youth stepped forward to avenge his friend.

Tang Zheng didn’t lower his kicking leg, immediately following up with a flying kick, his heel slamming hard into the second youth’s jaw.

Crack—a crisp sound of bone breaking echoed as the youth flew into the air like a firework and then crashed to the ground, spewing blood and broken teeth.

The other youths, who were about to escalate the situation, froze when they saw their companion’s miserable state.

Even the other Newbies clammed up, Tang Zheng’s ruthlessness terrifying them into silence.

“Every batch has some hotheaded Newbies. You guys might not be tired, but I sure am.” Tang Zheng dusted off his pants. “Trojan, don’t wait. We still need to buy gear and prepare for the battle.”

The Black Cube began to spin and float, the deafening rock version of the International Song blaring.

“Can Fanfan leave?” Li Xinlan hadn’t forgotten the Little Lolita.

“No way!” The Silver Trojan greeted them, “I’ve prepared some Newbies for your amusement to prevent boredom. Didn’t I treat you well?”

“Points are useless now—let’s spend them all!” The Old Soldier’s group opened the Blacklist and began purchasing Equipment.

“What exactly is the Holy Land War? Give us some details!” Shen Qingshuang tried probing, but the Silver Trojan wasn’t that easy to fool.

“Sorry, no comment. Every Holy Land War is different, so even I don’t know.” For once, the Silver Trojan spoke frankly, “Don’t store all your Weapons and supplies in the Space Wristwatch. If usage gets restricted, most of you will be screwed.”

“You don’t need to tell us; we’ve already thought of that.” Dantai had long instructed the team to take precautions, and everyone had a Tactical Backpack to store their items.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. Even if you manage to take them out, the Trojan has ways to impose restrictions, like deducting Points for every use.” The Silver Trojan sneered. “You’re always one step behind when dealing with Trojans.”

……

PS: The game officially begins—the Holy Land War opens!

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