Chen Nian left after exchanging contact information.
This outing proved immensely fruitful.
But overusing powerful word magic, even with rapid leveling, had strained his extraordinary reserves.
Time to rest.
On the way back to the city, Chen Nian noticed order gradually returning. The lower-tier monsters causing chaos had been completely eradicated.
The player base of Calamity was vast, and now that they could inherit talents from the game, this power was absolutely formidable.
Moreover, ordinary people who hadn't played Calamity could also enter the path of transcendence by purchasing talent cards. A future where everyone could become transcendent beings was approaching!
The law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—would become the new rule of this era!
Returning to the villa district, he happened to pass by the neighbor's house when the older sister spotted him. She hurried out of the yard.
"Xiao Chen!"
"Where have you been these past two days? I was so worried!"
A weight lifted from Liu Si's heart. "You saved me last time. I don't even know how to thank you."
Chen Nian smiled. "It's what neighbors do—help each other out."
"You're such a good person. If you ever need anything, Sister Si, just say the word. I'll help you!"
"Okay."
"By the way, have you eaten? If not, come over to mine for dinner."
"Sure."
Chen Nian arrived at Liu Si's home. Soon, the beautiful neighbor served him a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup.
"Sister Si, have you always lived alone?"
"Yes. My mom passed away when I was young, and my dad was too busy with work to look after me. He said he'd hire a housekeeper, but I didn't want one."
Chen Nian nodded. "That sounds a lot like my situation."
"You too?"
"My parents divorced and both found new partners. My dad thought I was just a gaming addict, so he kicked me out to fend for myself. Hah."
Truthfully, Chen Nian's father only intended to teach him a lesson—to make him experience the hardship of life without income, hoping he'd return to inherit the family business.
Little did he expect Chen Nian would dive headfirst into gaming, never looking back!
So his family remains unaware that he now lives in a villa thanks to gaming, and is even poised to become the world's strongest player in this new era...
If they knew, what expressions would they wear?
After hearing Chen Nian's story, Liu Si smiled gently. "It's okay. You can come over to my place for meals anytime. My cooking's pretty good!"
"Sure, thanks, Sis Si."
"Hurry up and eat! Your noodles are getting cold!"...
Chen Nian had just returned home.
He was about to list the looted gear on the trading platform to boost his funds when an unfamiliar call came in.
He answered to find an unfamiliar male voice on the other end.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Brother Chen Nian."
"And you are?"
"My name is Liu Xingchen, current CEO of Nianlun Real Estate. You should address me as 'Brother'." His tone carried an air of condescending arrogance.
Chen Nian had heard that name before.
His father had remarried, and Liu Xingchen was the son of his new stepmother.
Yearring Real Estate was his father's company, even named after his father's surname character "Nian." He hadn't expected this new stepson to become CEO already. Did his father favor him that much?
"So?" Chen Nian's tone remained flat.
"Haha, I thought you'd be more excited. After all, I'm barely two years older than you, yet I'm already in this position, trusted by our father."
Liu Xingchen sneered, his tone dripping with amusement and mockery, like a rich kid talking down to a commoner.
"Heard you got kicked out by Dad for being addicted to games? Here's a deal: give your little brother a chance. Come work for me at the company. I'll pay you a hundred grand a month."
"Heh."
Chen Nian nearly laughed out loud.
Selling any random piece of gear could fetch a hundred grand. That hundred-grand monthly salary is seriously tempting.
He couldn't be bothered with this clown. He had zero interest in family matters—let's just keep to ourselves and mind our own business.
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Bro, don't be so impatient! Let me be honest—if Dad hadn't sent me to talk some sense into you, I wouldn't be wasting my precious time on you."
"Oh?"
"Yesterday I just closed a ten-billion-yuan deal for the company. Dad's thrilled, so he wants to give you another chance to turn things around. He wants me to mentor you. Got it?"
"Oh."
"You might have those... extraordinary abilities from the game? Well, the company's hiring about ten extraordinary individuals as security guards. Interested?"
Chen Nian hadn't planned to engage with the clown.
But since the clown insisted on jumping into his face, he didn't mind slapping him across it.
"What if that ten-billion-yuan deal falls through?"
"Ha! Little brother, what nonsense are you spouting? The deal's already locked in. They're coming to the company this afternoon to sign the contract. You think it'll just vanish?"
In the office, Liu Xingchen sat in his executive chair, laughing so hard he was doubled over, his legs comfortably crossed on the desk.
"Bro, you don't seriously think whining to Dad will fix this, do you? Wake up—the squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease."
"Alright, then I wish you luck signing that contract this afternoon."
Chen Nian hung up.
He'd been living just fine on his own, minding no one and provoking no one.
But when someone insisted on courting disaster, there was nothing he could do about it.
Chen Nian opened a gaming group.
Group name: Eternal Peace for Our Mountains and Rivers!
Group motto: May our nation's mountains and rivers remain unharmed, and our homeland forever secure!
This was the gaming guild Chen Nian founded in Disaster. It wasn't huge—only about a thousand members—but every single one was elite!
And by elite, he didn't just mean gaming elite. These were elite from every walk of life!
Some were billionaire CEOs, some were the scions of Wanda Plaza, some were streaming giants, top executives at Fortune 500 companies, tycoons on the wealth lists...
Chen Nian is the world's top gamer. Those who join his guild are no ordinary players.
They're either elite amateurs or wealthy patrons!
This is Chen Nian's most formidable network. Yet he rarely speaks in the group chat. Because whenever he appears—even just to type "Ahem"—the group erupts like this:
"Holy crap, Brother BuYu is speaking!"
"Brother No-Words, you finally showed up! We missed you like crazy!"
"What level are you now, bro? Spill the beans!"
"Bro, did you drop that world-first epic gear? Everyone's wondering where it came from—I knew it had to be you!"
"No-Words, I love you~~~~~"
"Brother Yuyu, any chance you could lead us through a dungeon in real life?"
"Get lost! Who the hell do you think you are, wasting Brother Yuyu's time? I'll pay ten million—private jet to pick you up. Come hang out for two days, bro!"
"Brother, when are we organizing an offline meetup? We're waiting for you to lead us brothers to some epic adventure!"
[Administrator has enabled global mute—]
Xiaoqi: You guys are so noisy! Can you please be quiet?!
Xiaoqi was the group admin. In-game, she was known as the Dragon Nation's strongest female sword immortal. In real life, her name was Su Jinyu, the heiress of a world-renowned conglomerate.
Xiaoqi: Brother Yuyu, go ahead and speak~