Chapter Twenty: Murderous Intent in the Night

Xiao Jie logged out of the game and checked the time; it was only 6:30.

Looking at his empty living room, he suddenly found himself at a loss for what to do. Over the past few days, he had been trying to find games where he could "grind" for profit, taking stock of his inventory in old online games and hoping to recoup some of his costs. Yet, at this moment, everything he had once cared about seemed completely meaningless.

After hesitating for a long while, Xiao Jie slapped his thigh and decided to just go eat dinner.

Dinner was, as usual, simple: rice with scrambled eggs and a piece of tilapia fillet. There was no special seasoning; he just sprinkled some salt and pepper on it before pan-frying it. Xiao Jie was usually too lazy to cook, but occasionally, when he felt the need to supplement his protein intake with fish, he would rely on these frozen fillets or chicken patties.

After dinner, Xiao Jie looked at his computer and felt an itch to jump back into the game. However, considering that he couldn't go out to fight monsters or complete quests at night, there didn't seem to be any real reason to log in—not to mention the danger Wang Kai had mentioned.

What exactly was that danger?

Xiao Jie couldn't help but speculate, but with so little information, he couldn't figure it out. Forget it, he would just ask him tomorrow after logging in; he would find out soon enough.

Xiao Jie absentmindedly fiddled with his mouse, thinking about playing another game, but he couldn't muster any interest. After experiencing the life-or-death intensity of that "death game," playing ordinary games felt like chewing wax—completely dull.

Maybe he should go out and exercise. His physical condition was still too weak. While it might be considered decent for a pro gamer, it was far too poor for a "swordsman." He had practiced his "One Slash" technique a few times earlier, and his arm muscles were still sore. It was necessary to train; since he couldn't level up or add stat points yet, he would just have to work on improving himself. He needed to get his body into better shape, or he would be in trouble once he started learning martial arts and found his physique couldn't keep up.

After letting his dinner settle, he saw it was eight o'clock, so he changed into sportswear and headed out.

Jiangbei was a third-tier city with a temperate climate. Even though it was only mid-April, the weather was already quite warm. The cool night breeze held no chill, and the neon lights of the streets cast a glow over the people strolling through the night market, making the scene feel both bustling and peaceful.

Walking down the street, Xiao Jie subconsciously looked up at the sky. Though the stars were barely visible, the night sky felt exceptionally tranquil, a stark contrast to the gloomy, decadent, and unsettling darkness of the game.

He wove through the crowd and followed the stone-paved path until he reached the park near his residential complex. The park was built around a small hill and was the most popular recreational area for local residents. Even though it was night, he could still see groups of people out for a walk.

"Well, might as well start here!"

Xiao Jie stretched his limbs and began to jog along the road that circled the hill. He had planned to run a few kilometers to warm up, then do fifty push-ups, a hundred squats, and a couple of sets of calisthenics before calling it a night.

However, after only a few minutes, Xiao Jie felt a tightness in his chest and began to pant heavily.

*Huff... huff... huff!* This physical condition really needed improvement. He hadn't noticed it when he wasn't exercising, but now that he was running, he realized just how out of shape he was. If he were to engage in a real-life fight, he would probably run out of steam after just a few moves.

Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and pushed through, finally stopping in front of a slope after managing one kilometer. He leaned against his knees, gasping for air as if his lungs were about to burst. The surroundings were silent, save for his heavy breathing.

Suddenly, a rustling sound made him tense up.

"Who's there!" he asked in a low voice, staring nervously into the darkness ahead. The hill in the night looked like a dark, hulking beast. A pair of green eyes appeared in the shadows, and when the creature drew closer, Xiao Jie let out a sigh of relief. It was just a black cat.

A false alarm.

"Sorry, little cat, I didn't bring any food. *Huff—huff.*" He continued to gasp as he spoke.

The black cat gave him a look of disdain for his heavy breathing, a small expression on its face that left Xiao Jie speechless. Was he actually being judged by a cat? No, he must be overthinking it. Even so, he waved a hand at the cat.

"*Huff—huff—* don't look at me like that. It's my first time running—*huff—huff*—it's only natural."

Whether or not the cat understood, it let out a meow, leaped gracefully into the air, and vanished into the darkness.

Right, time to go home.

This aborted night run was just a minor episode. Xiao Jie decided he would exercise more often when he had the time, then returned home to wash up and go to sleep.

The next morning, he logged into the game early.

Perhaps they were both waiting for the same time; when he logged on, both Wang Kai and "I Want to Become an Immortal" were already in the village square, chatting about something.

"Haha, little brother Suifeng, you're early."

"You're early too. By the way, what exactly is the danger after dark?" Xiao Jie asked as soon as he met them, voicing the question that had been on his mind.

"Have you noticed that there are no stars in the sky in this game?"

Xiao Jie nodded. "I think you're right. It feels like once the sun sets, everything around is pitch black and you can't see a thing. There isn't a single star in the sky, and the moon is red. Is there a reason for that?"

Wang Kai said, "There is a reason. The stars in this world have fallen. That’s because the stars were linked to the gods in heaven—the Southern Dipper, the Northern Dipper, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Luminaries, the Great White Planet, and so on. Because the gods fell, the stars disappeared. Or rather, they became invisible.

"These star gods were responsible for monitoring the world. Now that they're all gone, the demons and monsters are no longer restrained, so they all come out at night to harm people. In game terms, the challenge rating of monsters doubles at night. Many special monsters spawn only at night, some safe areas become extremely dangerous, and you might even encounter hidden bosses."

Xiao Jie asked, "But we're in the village."

Wang Kai nodded. "The village is relatively safer, but it's not absolutely secure. While the village walls can block most monsters, there are some things they can't stop. There are always some that manage to slip in, so even inside the village at night, it's possible to encounter monsters.

"Furthermore, some ghost-type monsters can possess players and then attack nearby players and NPCs. Before everyone knew about this, some people were AFK in the village at night and ended up being possessed without realizing it, going on a rampage and killing everyone around them. They killed several people and were eventually taken down by the village militia.

"Also, once a player enters combat, they cannot log out, so it's best not to stay in the village at night. Let me give you a tip: if you suddenly enter combat at night but can't see any monsters, then you've definitely encountered a ghost. In that case, remember to run to the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall is protected by the ancestors, and evil spirits cannot enter; once you're inside, you’re basically safe.

"However, it's best to avoid running into ghosts if you can. If you get one-shot, you won't even have time to run away. So, if you don't have anything special to do at night, just log off early to avoid the danger."

Only then did Xiao Jie understand.