Time Coffee House.

Xie Biqi, wearing a coffee-colored jacket that exuded a touch of androgynous beauty, embraced Lin Chenxi who stood at the entrance.

"Biqi, there has been a small problem."

Lin Chenxi looked somewhat embarrassed, "The seller is inside, but they've contacted a second group of people. I suspect they are shills planning to drive up the price."

"Is that so?"

Xie Biqi frowned, unable to understand why such a trivial game was so popular, and she similarly suspected that the seller had hired the shills.

She walked into a private room of the coffee house and saw three people talking merrily.

One of them, a sleazy-looking chubby man with glasses, was the seller, patting a packaging box, "You've all checked the goods, absolutely genuine original, can it really sell for thirty thousand?"

"Of course… I've brought the money with me, ready for the transaction anytime," Jiang Shang said with a gentle smile.

He was 'Old Man Just a White-haired Youngster', and the person next to him was Gu Yichen, online alias 'Ke Shanru Meng'.

"Wait!"

Xie Biqi exclaimed at this sight, "Seller, you clearly promised me first, how can you go back on your word? Don't you have any integrity?"

"I can't help it…" the chubby man adjusted his glasses, "but the other party offered too much…"

In the chubby man's mind, he was secretly delighted: 'These people are crazy. No matter how hyped up a game is, is money not tempting?'

Xie Biqi almost spat out a mouthful of blood and gave Jiang Shang a fierce glare. She didn't seem like a shill, so she clenched her teeth, "I'll add more money…"

"This lady…"

Jiang Shang adjusted his sitting posture, sensing the hostile aura from the other party.

Yet he still smiled gently. As a wealthy young man in real life, he had once spent several hundred thousand in a game.

Now, the slots and equipment in "Game Otherworld" he believed were worth even more!

Xie Biqi's heart immediately sank into the sea.

…

At night, in the apartment building.

Xie Biqi, Lin Chenxi, and Luo Xiaoyi gathered together, each wearing VR glasses.

Luo Xiaoyi, with her earrings, blurted out carefreely, "Biqi, don't be afraid. Once we're in the game, I'll guide you… Hmm, remember what we discussed before? Upon entering the game, the game developers will randomly drop you into the wilderness, but no worries, just light a bonfire to send a signal, and we will come to rescue you."

"Don't worry, I aced my wilderness survival course," Xie Biqi confidently said.

In the end, she won the bidding!

Of course, it wasn't because she was a secretly wealthy girl, but because she had slammed her high-level inspector badge right on that detestable white-haired person's face!

However, since it wasn't an official duty, though the opponent gave up bidding, that chubby man stubbornly refused to sell below the previous price, and Xie Biqi had no choice but to painfully fork out the money.

As a result, thirty thousand yuan was spent, leaving Xie Biqi feeling financially drained.

Not just her future living expenses, but also makeup, clothes, and shoes and bags… all gone, all gone…

"Millennium bug, wait for me!"

Xie Biqi silently swore to herself.

"That's true. Sister Biqi, you're so awesome, and you can fight so well…"

Thinking of the time Xie Biqi had singlehandedly knocked down over a dozen thugs, Luo Xiaoyi immediately stopped worrying about her.

In fact, she began to worry more about the flora and fauna of Otherworld, the wild wolves and mountain pigs…

Xie Biqi said no more, lay down, then clicked the mouse to enter the game.

Boom!

Her consciousness briefly went dark, and then it seemed like she was falling, yet also seemed like rising.

When she regained her senses, she found herself standing before a mountain valley.

Dozens of players were gathered around a wooden fence, frolicking, chatting, and messing around, clearly not working.

"Damn it! Xie Wu, what kind of job have you done? You even made the wall crooked…"

"Whoever… that's not how you use a stake."

Wan Donglin, with some civil engineering experience, had been elected as the foreman, and after a few days, he found himself exhausted to the point of vomiting blood.

It was not just physically tiring but mentally draining too!

Players were mostly bossy and arrogant, yet incompetent; even as laborers, they were hardly qualified.

If it were the real world, he would have fired them all!

Unfortunately, this was "Game Different World," and for the sake of the mission, he had to hold his nose and cooperate with this bunch of Huskies.

Luckily, although the wooden wall was crooked and would definitely not pass client inspection, in the game, well, there was no need to be so meticulous—a little fudging would do.

At that moment, he suddenly saw an unfamiliar female player appear out of nowhere and curiously approached her, "Are you... a new player?"

"Yes, I am called 'Justice Female Hero'!"

Xie Biqi still looked somewhat dazed, staring at the sun above and the vast world around her.

'It's so realistic!'

She initially thought spending thirty thousand on gaming equipment was foolish, but now it seemed... somewhat worth it!

'No wait… the physics engine and calculations… I'd believe it if they said it was backed by advanced AI and supercomputers... it's almost like black technology. This type of tech... I wonder if the Empire's top science academy could achieve this...'

Xie Biqi's mind raced with various thoughts: 'I now have every reason to believe that the millennium bug is related to this game and is doing the backend technical support...'

'Those guys above don't believe me, they're idiots!'

'I will definitely find out the truth and throw it right in their faces!'

"Hey hey, it's Biqi!"

Just then, two female players ran over, Luo Xiaoyi and Lin Chenxi, laughing, "How is it? The game's pretty realistic, right? Biqi, you're so lucky, you got spawned right in the newbie village. You've come at a great time, hurry and check your quest tab, if there are any main quests, accept them quickly..."

"This isn't luck!"

Wan Donglin added from the side, "It seems all the new players joining recently spawn near newbie villages... Ah, the early players plant the trees, and later ones enjoy the shade..."

He spit in his hand and sighed to Xie Biqi, "You really did come at a good time, our Evil Valley is almost completed..."

"Lao Wan, we don't do that here, don't lie to the newcomer, it's Heavenly God Valley, okay..."

A passing player shouted.

Wan Donglin darkened his face, "I'm the chief engineer, what I say goes!"

He picked up a wooden stake and slammed it into the last gap in the wall.

With that strike, a very rudimentary wall, but barely countable as one, with even a door, was considered finished.

At the same time, all players heard a system notification sound and quickly opened their panels.

['Beginner's Valley' completed!]

[You receive Perfect Resurrection ×3! Experience +10!]

[First Generation Patch Released!]

[Pain Sensation Adjustment Device Optimized, minimum 10%, maximum 100%!]

[New Map Options!]

[New System Mall, items purchasable with experience points!]

[Warning! The first group battle has started!]

"Group battle? Where is the group battle?"

Luo Xiaoyi opened the mini-map, seeing that only the Beginner's Valley area was illuminated, the rest shrouded in a fog of war.

And on the edge, a group of red dots appeared!

"Finally, combat quests have come, brothers, follow me into battle!"

'Will not die rashly' excitedly stood up, grabbed an ax, and charged out.

Other players also became excited, almost mistaking this game for a purely farming and life construction sim. So there was indeed combat?

Only Wan Donglin, staring at the system-named 'Beginner's Valley,' opened his mouth and almost cried, "My Evil Valley..."