Chapter 20: The Ambition of the Internet and the Side-Effect-Free T-Virus

"Proprietor! How did you manage that? Let us brothers have a go too!" From behind the crowd, three warriors clad in sleek black attire had gathered at some unknown moment.

"Blackie the Elder? What brings you lot here?" Wu Shan's expression darkened slightly upon seeing them.

"If you can come, why can't we?" The man called Blackie the Elder let out a hearty laugh.

A quarter of an hour later...

"Oh? So it turns out this lady is the protagonist? I shall certainly ferret out every single villain hiding within this place! You won't frighten me!"

"Hahaha! Do these mere minions think they can bring your granddaddy down? Watch as I turn this den of iniquity completely upside down!"

"When the four masks return to their rightful places, evil shall awaken... Look what I've found! Could this Book of Curses be the key to unmasking the mastermind?!"

"..."

Fang Qi looked askance at the internet cafe, which was once again filled to capacity. "Right then, I shall leave the quest of saving the world in your capable hands..."

...

By this time, afternoon had already arrived. Fang Qi rubbed his stomach, which was practically clinging to his spine, pondering whether he ought to step out to fetch a boxed lunch or something of the sort.

Little did he know that before he could even set off, he would be surrounded by a throng of people. "What are you all doing?"

"Proprietor! Are you taking on disciples?!"

"Five hundred for apprenticeship, three thousand to guarantee mastery, extra for boosting services, and remember to buy some pork floss pastries from my shop while you're at it..." Fang Qi replied automatically.

"Eh...?"

"Apologies, force of habit." Fang Qi rubbed his nose, a wave of awkwardness washing over him. "Surely you haven't all come to beg for tutelage, have you?"

"What was that final weapon you used? Can we obtain it too?"

"How is a weapon like that constructed? Does such a weapon truly exist in this world?"

"How did you feel after clearing the game, Proprietor?"

"What do you plan to do next, Proprietor?"

"Is this game not finished yet? Will there be a Resident Evil 2?"

"..."

"Quiet down, I say. Can we take this one at a time?" Fang Qi felt as though ten thousand flies were buzzing in his ears, making his head throb.

"Let us address the first question first," Fang Qi said. "That final weapon is called a rocket launcher. It can only be acquired by clearing the game with Chris or Jill and thoroughly crippling the Tyrant."

"Can such a weapon truly be manufactured?" Xu Zixin's eyes burned with an intense fervor as she gazed at Fang Qi. If such a weapon could be created in reality... even an ordinary warrior might stand a chance against cultivators of considerable might!

Fang Qi looked at her with a hint of amusement. Though he felt a strong urge to tell her it was merely a game, the item did indeed exist, so he could only nod and explain, "Naturally, if you are absolutely determined to forge a similar spiritual artifact, I do not believe it impossible. After all, the theoretical knowledge within is quite rigorous."

"Is that so...?" Xu Zixin knitted her brows slightly. Though her family held no small measure of influence within Jiuhua City, commissioning cultivators to research and replicate such a thing would likely require further deliberation. "What about Resident Evil 2 then? What became of Umbrella afterward?"

She was already dying to see how the plot unfolded.

It was glaringly obvious that Wesker was but a single member of Umbrella, and this mansion was by no means their headquarters. Where would the protagonists' destinies lead them next? Would Umbrella hatch further conspiracies?

"Resident Evil 2 is likely not in the cards for the time being," Fang Qi smiled.

"Not for the time being..." The crowd could not help but sigh in disappointment. "How long must we wait to see it then..."

"However, Resident Evil 1: The Movie should be arriving soon. You will be able to witness Umbrella's aftermath then."

"The Movie?" Hearing this novel term, everyone was left completely utterly baffled, like monks scratching their heads. "What is a movie?"

"You will understand when the time comes..."

"When the time comes...?"

Yet they all knew that the game they were currently playing was titled Resident Evil 1: Virtual Reality Remake. If both were Resident Evil 1, could there truly be a difference between the movie version and the virtual reality remake?

...

When Fang Qi had begun playing this morning, these early-rising players had only just started their sessions. Now that Fang Qi had reached the credits, most of them had already logged off for some time.

The newcomers, including Blackie the Elder and his companions, seized this opportunity to claim the vacant seats and began their foray into Resident Evil.

"No wonder so many people care so deeply for this shop! This thing is extraordinary!"

"Why won't this zombie die?!"

"The proprietor seemed to strike exclusively at the head earlier. Try for the noggin!"

"Wah! This trap is utterly insidious!"

"..."

Watching these novices fumble about frantically with even a single zombie, a look of haughty pride emerged upon Song Qingfeng's face.

"It's our turn to strike!" A fiery light danced within Song Qingfeng's eyes. As one of the earliest patrons of this internet cafe, his game progress was naturally among the most advanced!

He had already reached the mid-game!

"Just you wait! Today, this young master shall behold a Hunter!" Having witnessed Fang Qi slay a Hunter with a knife the previous day, Song Qingfeng had followed his example and switched to a dagger.

Upon Song Qingfeng's screen, he could be seen clutching a dagger, crouching with the utmost caution, while facing a zombie whose back was turned to him.

Since he had not yet encountered a Hunter, he could only sate his appetite on a few minor zombies first.

"He actually switched directly to the dagger!?"

"Imitating the proprietor's knife kills?"

"To be fair, the proprietor's knife kills against the Hunters were smooth as flowing water!" A brilliant light flashed in Xu Zixin's eyes. "Tomorrow, I shall try it myself!"

Several players who had already logged off still felt unsated, so they simply gathered behind him to watch.

Originally, youths of such talent and status as Song Qingfeng and Lin Shao would command attention wherever they went, and they would naturally pay little heed to the gazes of others.

Yet for some reason, after immersing themselves in this game, they found themselves rather enjoying this brand of spotlight.

"Play well!" Song Qingfeng whispered to his companions. "Let us strive to be the second to knife a Hunter!"

He had, after all, witnessed Fang Qi's method of instantly dispatching zombies—stealthily slipping behind them, followed by a vicious plunge of the blade straight into the temple, finished with a brutal twist of the dagger!

"This lad plays rather well!" The spectating crowd behind him marveled slightly as the zombie collapsed to the ground.

"The puzzles in this room... are so troublesome..." Fat Wang, being one of the first to play Resident Evil 1, usually logged two hours less than certain others, yet his progress remained at the absolute forefront of the internet cafe.

Behind him, several players who had completed their sessions had already gathered.

They saw that what Wang Tai held in his hands was unexpectedly a shotgun!

"Look! How did he manage to get a shotgun as well!" An exclamation immediately rippled through the crowd.

"Someone actually obtained a shotgun?" Song Qingfeng cast a glance in Wang Tai's direction. "We must pick up the pace as well!"

"My character is just beside that room. I'll go give it a try," Lin Shao spoke up. "Let us pool our efforts and strive to be the first to clear the game!"

"Good! You two assist me, and consider it an outstanding favor owed by Song Qingfeng!"

"Zixin, how do you play this?" Shen Qinging belonged to the more carefree sort; upon entering the game, she peered hither and thither, brimming with immense curiosity.

"Ah! It's simple! First, go over there and strike a zombie..." Xu Zixin giggled as she offered guidance, assuming the air of a grand master. "These are all insights I have just researched and synthesized!"

...

The game Resident Evil was indeed a classic, and with the addition of the system's black technology, the once-deserted little shop was gradually gathering a considerable amount of popularity.

By the end of the day, Fang Qi glanced over his earnings; with eleven computers running, he had raked in nearly three hundred crystal crystals in a single day, leaving him just over three hundred shy of completing his quest.

Nearly three hundred crystals a day—such an income was truly beyond his wildest dreams in the past! Even though the system only granted him roughly a ten percent cut each time, it still filled his pockets with dozens of crystals.

Judging by the purchasing power of this world, a single crystal was easily equivalent to tens of thousands of RMB in his previous life.

"It looks like I'll be stepping into the ranks of this world's wealthy very soon!" Fang Qi thought with excitement, already envisioning a future where he bought up prime real estate in the most bustling districts of every major city, opening an internet cafe in each one, and transforming local area networks into a true global internet.

Right at that moment, Fang Qi noticed that he had actually received a system notification.

"New system gift pack received."

The host has demonstrated the essential gaming aptitude required of a qualified internet cafe owner; as a commendation, this reward is hereby granted, with the hope that the host will sustain these efforts.

"A gift pack?"

"Who would have thought you stingy thing would actually find your conscience?" Heart filled with joy, Fang Qi hurriedly opened the gift pack.

One vial of the flawless, side-effect-free T-Virus.

"A T-Virus without side effects?!"

"No side effects?!"

This was practically defying the heavens!

He remembered that Alice, the heroine of the Resident Evil movies, had gained incredibly powerful abilities precisely because she utilized the T-Virus without suffering its side effects.

Now the system was actually gifting him a perfectly safe one out of the blue?

This was simply magnificent beyond words.

.