Chapter 12: Meeting an Online Friend (Thanks to the Alliance Leader from Heilan Province!)

After three consecutive beeps, a star finally lit up on the star map, followed by a rather pleasant female voice.

“Oh, a newbie just arrived!” she laughed. “Tell me first, where are you from, Suicheng?”

“The wilderness,” I replied in a low voice. “And what’s your name, miss?”

“My name is Ruolin.”

She smiled. “ID Ruolin, real name Zhang Ruolin, from Chengdu. How about you?”

“I’m Ding Han, ID Shadowchaser, from Suzhou.”

“Oh…” Zhang Ruolin chuckled. “What level are you? What’s your overall combat power?”

“Just reached level 10,” I glanced at my stats and answered modestly, “Combat power isn’t very high yet, only 80 points.”

“Actually, 80 points is pretty good for a newbie,” Zhang Ruolin smiled. “So, are you looking for a guide or…?”

“I’m seeking some help,” I hesitated. “I just arrived in Suicheng, unfamiliar with the place, and I’m penniless. I don’t even have a phone. I want to buy one from other players. Do you have any channels, Ruolin?”

“I do, but…” Zhang Ruolin smiled, “To be honest, most players are pretty broke these days. You might not know this, but with players like us appearing, this Star Abyss world is undergoing drastic changes. The Xingfeng Federation calls us ‘Descendants’ and believes we will bring disaster. They’ve issued a kill order to eliminate all Descendants. The upper echelons in the Red Dragon Kingdom and Suicheng haven’t made their stance clear yet, but it’s definitely not optimistic.”

“So…” I sighed helplessly. “Sister, will you help me or not?”

“I can help, but it has to be an exchange. You must have something I want.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “I have a few powerful demolition grenades and a white MP25 Roarer submachine gun. I want to trade for a phone, some ammo for the Whisperer sniper rifle, and preferably some cash. Can you arrange this?”

“Yes,” Zhang Ruolin said. “Here’s the thing—chatting on the star map wastes experience points. How about we meet tomorrow at the Island Coffee on Health Road? What time are you free?”

“Nine in the morning,” I replied after a moment’s thought. “I’ll be wearing navy blue jeans and a white T-shirt. How about you?”

“I…” Zhang Ruolin smiled. “When meeting an online friend, one must dress up a little. I’ll recognize you at the café by nine.”

“Alright, don’t stand me up. I don’t have a penny on me to pay for coffee.”

“Don’t worry, coffee’s on me.”

“Good. See you there.”

“See you!”

…

Around eight in the morning, a student wearing black-rimmed glasses who looked a bit spaced out entered the internet café. His name was Zhao Yihang, the third admin after me and Yingzi, and a university student.

After handing over the shift, I immediately left the café, heading for Health Road. Zhang Ruolin was treating me to breakfast, so I didn’t eat at the café, though I still tossed a cup of instant noodles into my otherworldly storage space.

“Ding Han.”

Not far from the café, I heard Lu Xiaobei’s voice behind me.

“Hm?”

I turned and couldn’t help but brighten at the sight. Today, Lu Xiaobei had long, jet-black hair, wearing a gray skirt and a beige blouse topped with a navy blue cardigan with white and gold stripes. She exuded a fresh youthful vibe, casual yet stunningly beautiful.

“Boss, what’s with this?” she asked.

“Now that there are three admins at the café, I can finally relax.”

Lu Xiaobei was somewhat displeased. “You can call me boss inside the café, but not outside. Just call me Lu Xiaobei.”

“Fine.”

I asked again, “Where are you headed?”

“The old town across the street,” she pointed. “In a few months, it’ll be New Year’s, the peak tourist season. The inns there invited me to shoot promotional photos. Five hundred a day.”

“Oh my…” My eyes reddened. “Do they need male models?”

“Maybe,” Lu Xiaobei said. “I’ll ask around and bring you along if there’s a chance to make money.”

“All right.” I nodded firmly. “A gentleman’s word is his bond. If there’s money to be made, don’t forget me. I’m lacking everything now, but money the most.”

“Got it~~~” Lu Xiaobei waved her hand gracefully, crossing into the crowd of the old town.

I watched her disappear, then turned toward Health Road.

…

Health Road was only a few hundred meters from Qianjin Street, with just one Island Coffee shop, easy to find.

Inside the café, I ordered a latte and some cakes and desserts. Since Zhang Ruolin was paying, I wasn’t going to skimp on myself. And if she didn’t show, no problem—I could just use my biological optical invisibility skill to slip out without paying, no big deal for me.

Time ticked by until nine o’clock.

The café was nearly empty that morning.

At that moment, a woman walked in.

She had short hair, wore sunglasses hiding her eyes, a white undershirt beneath a coffee-colored jacket, loose gray-blue jeans, and white sport shoes, giving off a sporty vibe.

As soon as she entered, she tilted her head to glance at me, then smiled warmly and sat opposite me.

“A bit handsome, huh? Didn’t disappoint me.”

Zhang Ruolin took off her glasses and, seeing what I ordered, winced. “Wow, you’re really living large?”

“Sorry,” I said helplessly. “I’ve been wandering the wilderness for days. Arriving in Suicheng broke, I haven’t had any good food. Ruolin, you’re so nice, I’m sure you understand.”

“You little newbie, what nerve…” Zhang Ruolin smiled wryly. “Why so serious all the time?”

She waved her hand. “Waiter, coffee, please.”

She only ordered tiramisu and a latte.

“How long have you been in Suicheng?” I asked.

“I was born here,” Zhang Ruolin whispered with a smile. “A local, basically. So if you don’t understand something, ask me.”

“Mm.”

I nodded. “Did you bring a phone?”

“Of course.”

She slowly slid over a new phone. “A new Xiaomi, great price for quality. It cost me 3,000 star coins. Also, I helped you get a SIM card using Grandma Liu’s ID from next door.”

She smiled meaningfully. “Us players must hide our identities carefully, or else who knows where we might get caught.”

“Thanks a lot.”

I accepted the phone and charger.

“Download WeChat. Let’s add each other; then we can contact there without wasting experience.”

“Okay.”

I connected to the Wi-Fi and downloaded WeChat, registered under my number, and set my ID as “Shadowchaser.” I scanned to add Zhang Ruolin.

“Done,” she said. “Want to show me what you have in the trading system?”

“Sure.”

I opened the trading system and placed a white Roarer MP25 and three Dark Tide grenades up for trade.

This player-to-player trade was invisible to outsiders; to them, we were just sitting across from each other having tea.

“Wow…” Zhang Ruolin smiled softly. “Honestly, your gear’s good—especially the grenades. Dark Tide tech?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded. “I was once taken to a Dark Tide concentration camp but escaped by chance from their base. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.”

“Then you had a hellish newbie village,” she said with a hint of sympathy.

“One MP25 and three grenades must be worth more than just a phone,” I pondered. “I also need some bullets and cash. Without cash, I can’t survive.”

“True.”

Zhang Ruolin said, “Don’t worry, I won’t shortchange you.”

She placed two boxes of bullets and a stack of banknotes into the trade window. The bullets were 200 large-caliber rounds for the Whisperer sniper rifle, and the cash was a hefty 5,000 star coins.

After the trade completed, I frowned. “Actually, I also need some universal ammo for the Roarer. Can you get some?”

“As long as you have money, ammo isn’t a problem,” Zhang Ruolin said. “Right now, the player market prices the Roarer’s 9mm ammo at about a 1:3 ratio. How many do you want?”

“1,000 rounds.”

I handed her 3,000 star coins. “Get it as soon as possible.”

“Got it.”

Zhang Ruolin accepted the money. “There aren’t many ways to level up in Suicheng. If you want to venture out to kill monsters and extract Yuan energy furnace experience, you can contact me. I have a squad that goes out once they gather enough ammo.”

“What’s the target?”

“Bugs,” she smiled faintly. “The area outside Suicheng is restless; bug nests keep popping up. We have coordinates for some nests and usually hunt first-level nest bugs. They’re not very aggressive. With a few players working together and providing covering fire, we can clear them without losses. Once the ammo runs out, we leave immediately—no dragging things out.”

“Not bad…” I nodded approvingly. “Take me next time you go out. Any requirements?”

“Of course, we have standards. We don’t babysit low-level players.”

Zhang Ruolin asked, “What ranged weapon do you have?”

“I have a green Roarer.”

“That’s enough,” she said lightly. “A green Roarer plus 1,000 rounds, plus your Whisperer sniper rifle and decent combat power—meets the criteria. Next time we head out, I’ll call you. We’ll use a code on WeChat.”

I nodded and was about to leave.

“Wait,” Zhang Ruolin frowned slightly. “Stay with me a bit longer. I haven’t talked to a normal person in a while.”

“Then I have to order something.”

“You’re such a pig, how can you eat so much?” She looked helpless. “Go ahead, order.”