Chapter 1 The Evening

That evening, after dinner and feeding the cat, Feng Bujue tidied up a bit before lying down in the game pod. After a series of routine operations, he finally arrived in the long-awaited login space.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he appeared in the elevator, a text window popped up before his eyes, accompanied by a system voice prompt:

[You are currently ranked second on the combat power leaderboard. Please choose whether to publicly display your nickname (currently in the default anonymous state)]

Immediately afterward, another dialog box appeared with three options: [Public] [Anonymous] [Choose Later]

Feng Bujue was slightly surprised by this, but after a little thought, he understood that it was to be expected. He considered it for a while... and chose to remain anonymous.

[Operation successful]

[You can change this setting at any time in the touch-screen menu of the login space]

[In the future, if you temporarily leave the combat power leaderboard and return again, the system will automatically use this setting]

Having settled this matter, Feng Bujue immediately began to check his mail.

Needless to say, there was already a pile of mail waiting for him in his inbox.

Sorted by time, the first sender was Kuang Zong Jian Ying. On the nineteenth, when he sent the [Endless Grenade Magazine], he said that two more items from [Hard Drive 2455-A-1] would be sent the next day, but from the next day, Brother Jue had not been online, so it was delayed until today to receive them.

One of the items was:

[Name: wjQ-308 Military Shovel (Indestructible)]

[Type: Tool]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Function: Everything!]

[Remarks: This is the most dominant military product developed by a certain country after the "Want Your Life 3000." It has all the functions of a shovel, axe, saw, hammer, ruler, bottle opener, can opener, pliers, wrench, paddle, shield, grappling hook, anchor, and ice axe. The words "mAdeinChinA" on the wooden handle are undoubtedly a guarantee of quality.]

And the other one was…

[Name: Energy Storage Triangular Bayonet]

[Type: Weapon]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Attack Power: Strong]

[Attribute: None]

[Effect: 100% Additional Bleeding Effect (on theoretically bleeding targets); Provides 1%-100% damage bonus depending on the energy storage]

[Equipment Requirements: Fighting Specialization C, Level 30]

[Remarks: Automatic energy storage speed is 1% per second]

Jian Shao really kept his word. That verbal promise back then had no witnesses; even if he reneged, Feng Bujue would have nothing to say. But Jian Shao handled things very thoughtfully and generously.

In fact, he could have sent three pieces of garbage to Feng Bujue, claiming that they were made from the hard drive; after all, no one could prove otherwise. But he did not do that. Whether it was the previous grenade magazine or the current military shovel and bayonet, all were very practical and powerful equipment. These three items were also non-binding after use, which meant that even if Feng Bujue could not use them, he could completely list them in the auction house.

Of course, Brother Jue would not do that. These were all good items; even if he did not use them himself, they could be used by his teammates.

"Crazy Brother, consider these things given to you. The quality is still passable, right? Also, you must have seen the competition news announced this morning. You will definitely participate, right? I look forward to fighting you again in the competition! Don't be eliminated too early."

The above was the content of the email sent by Kuang Zong Jian Ying on the morning of the twentieth…

"This is a threatening letter!" Feng Bujue complained as he looked at the email. "It's just a one-on-one fight that didn't end in victory! What a big grudge!"

Next, Brother Jue opened the second email, which was sent by Shiva.

"Crazy Brother seems to be very busy these days and has not been online. I have something I want to discuss with you in person. I hope you will reply quickly after seeing this email."

After reading this passage, Feng Bujue pondered for about three seconds, then sneered and typed directly on the operation screen: "I appreciate your kindness, but there's no need to mention this matter again."

About two hours later, Shiva came out of a script and saw Brother Jue's reply. The scene at that moment, to put it metaphorically… was like a boy putting a letter in a girl's desk, asking her to meet after school, but before school was even over that day, he received a reply that said, "You're a good person."

In the next ten minutes, Feng Bujue read emails from other friends or players he had recently gamed with. Qi Sha, Zhao Ying Wang, Yu Zhong Ji Chang, Qiu Feng Se, Atobe-shonen, Meng Jing Chan, and Hong Hu were all there.

And without exception, the contents of those emails were all related to the competition, basically divided into three categories. Besides the threatening and poaching types mentioned above, there were also the inexplicable types. For example, Jin Fugui's email was: "In the morning, a peasant; in the evening, enthroned. Generals and ministers are not born to their roles; men should strive for self-improvement."

Feng Bujue really found it difficult to fathom… what the other party meant by sending such a poem. Was this some kind of alternative threat? Self-motivation in front of the target to achieve the purpose of intimidation?

Therefore, Brother Jue immediately composed two lines of doggerel to reply: "Since ancient times, quatrains come from brothels; failed scholars are the most romantic." This was to intimidate the leader of the male escort group and make him behave himself.

…………

After dealing with the emails and putting away the items, Feng Bujue first took a stroll around the mall, and then went to Xiao Tan's conference room as invited.

The other three members of Hell Front were already waiting there. When Brother Jue walked in, Xiao Tan and Bei Ling were sitting at the conference table, using the projection device to study the attributes of several pieces of equipment.

Si Yu was standing alone on the side, leaning against the wall with her back, arms crossed in front of her chest, feigning meditation.

After the "Cang Ling Sword Debate," Si Yu followed Feng Bujue's advice and changed her outfit. Considering the agility of movement, cold resistance, practicality, and other factors, after some deliberation, she finally bought a set of "Survey Corps" clothing in the mall.

The upper garment of this set was a light brown long-sleeved jacket with a turned-down standing collar. The length of the jacket was short, only reaching the ribs. A white shirt was lined inside the jacket, and the lower garment was a pair of white, tight-fitting trousers. On her feet were a pair of knee-high, dark brown leather boots. Around the waist of this set of close-fitting attire was a circle of brown straps similar to a skirt, connecting the upper and lower suspender trousers and the leather belts on the legs.

Of course, this set of clothing did not have the interwoven wing mark of the "Survey Corps." Instead, it was replaced by the Hell Front logo.

"Yo~ everyone, long time no see." Feng Bujue greeted as soon as he entered.

"It's only been three or four days…" Bei Ling responded weakly.

Xiao Tan looked up and said, "Brother Jue, how's the manuscript coming along?"

"Naturally, I've dealt with it almost completely before coming online." Feng Bujue replied, turning his head towards Si Yu's direction.

Their eyes met and held for a few seconds.

Feng Bujue pondered and said, "Hmm—the way you look at me today seems a little unnatural."

"Oh?" Si Yu still responded indifferently, "Then how should I look at you to be considered natural?"

"It's the kind of expression… where suddenly drawing a knife and stabbing me to death wouldn't feel out of place."

Si Yu turned her head expressionlessly, shifted her gaze away from Feng Bujue's face, and snorted calmly, "Hmph… cheap."

"Ah… I've been cursed again with words that the system didn't censor…" Feng Bujue said with a smile as he walked towards the conference table, "Looks like I'm reaping what I sowed."

"Your sense of humor combines the childishness of a child and the perversion of a degenerate." The corner of Si Yu's mouth also showed a faint smile that was not easily detected in a very short moment, but she quickly hid it. "This is what you call 'annoying as hell,' right?" she said, coming to the conference table and sitting down.

"Alright, let's talk about something related to the game." Feng Bujue said, "First of all, has everyone noticed that an anonymous hero suddenly appeared on the combat power leaderboard, directly climbing to the high position of second place?"

Bei Ling reacted the fastest. "Captain, you're not going to say that person is you, are you?"

"That's right, it's me." Feng Bujue shrugged calmly in response.

His tone did not sound like he was joking at all, so his teammates were all slightly stunned when they heard this.

"Really?" Xiao Tan asked with wide eyes.

Before Feng Bujue could answer, Si Yu spoke first, seemingly thoughtfully, "I see…"

"Oh? Did you guess it was me from the beginning?" Feng Bujue asked with some suspicion after hearing her words.

"Yeah." Si Yu responded.

"Uh… besides 'yeah,' do you have anything else to say? Like… why?" Feng Bujue said.

"No." Si Yu said.

Since the other person didn't plan to say it, Feng Bujue didn't ask anymore. He changed the subject and said, "Alright… anyway, I just wanted to remind everyone that I'm now considered a powerful player. When you guys team up with me in scripts, be prepared mentally; the difficulty might go up."

"Is that so… then it's going to be interesting." Bei Ling suddenly interjected. She looked at Si Yu with a sly look in her eyes. "Should I still bring up that idea I just mentioned… now?"

"What idea?" Feng Bujue asked, looking left and right.

"Internal practice battle." Si Yu gave the most concise answer.

As soon as Feng Bujue heard these five words, he already understood most of it. "Oh… good idea!" He paused, looked at Bei Ling, but pointed at Xiao Tan with his hand. "You're really taking care of this kid…"

"Ah? What is it?" Xiao Tan looked confused.

"You don't understand?" Brother Jue said with a smile, "Heh… if you don't understand, just forget it." He leaned back in his chair and turned his head to Bei Ling and said, "Then you've already thought about the grouping method for the four of us, right?"

"According to the principle of the strongest pairing with the weakest, it should have been me and you as a group, and Xiao Tan and Elder Sister as a group." Bei Ling replied, "But now… naturally, you boys will be one group, and we girls will be one group."

Feng Bujue nodded. "Yeah, it's best to divide it this way. It can ensure the balance of strength and weakness, and it can separate those who are participating in the competition from those who are not."

Si Yu continued, "Then let's discuss the details now and prepare to start."