Chapter 7: A Calm Before the Storm Called 'Playing Games Before Exams'

"Young Master Song, it's the crack of dawn and you've dragged us all out of bed. Is whatever you're talking about really that much fun?" In the early morning, the crowds were sparse and the city gates had only recently swung open. Upon the broad street, two young men—one clad in red, the other in white—hurriedly pursued Song Qingfeng, yet even at this pace, they could barely keep up with his strides.

"Slow down! I say, Young Master Song, why are you marching in such a desperate hurry?" The youth in the red silk robe clutched a folding fan in his hand; snapping it shut, he quickened his steps to catch up.

"I mean really, Young Master Song, it's just a tiny shop to play some game. Is there any need to take it this seriously?" The red-robed youth waved his folding fan, carrying himself with the air of a refined gentleman. "You even stood us up for yesterday's banquet. Isn't that a bit uncalled for?"

"Exactly!" The lad in white chimed in casually. "You went a bit too far this time, Young Master Song."

"And do you honestly not know what day it is today?" The red-robed youth added, "It's the day of the Lingyun Academy examinations! Even if Brother Song's cultivation is profound enough that he can afford to look down on it, the two of us were planning to strive for a good ranking. Yet here we are, leaving the examinations entirely aside, dragged out by you to play some game?"

"The examinations last the whole day, don't they? What's the rush?" Song Qingfeng appeared entirely unfazed by the situation.

"..." What Song Qingfeng said was indeed true; the Lingyun Academy examinations did span the entire day. Given their status and strength, arriving a little late wouldn't cause any real trouble.

"True enough." The youth in white gave a dry laugh, but to run off to play a game first thing in the morning just for that reason?

"Forget it, forget it," the youth in red stepped in to smooth things over. "Since Brother Song recommends it so highly, we might as well go and have a look."

The next day, Fang Qi woke up very early. Checking the time, it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.

But it didn't matter. Since he was up early, he might as well open the doors a bit sooner.

He walked downstairs, opened the main entrance, and prepared to head out to buy a couple of buns for breakfast. Who could have known that the moment the doors opened...

"Young Master Song, this shop isn't even open yet? Should we call the owner out first?" Behind Song Qingfeng, Ah Man spoke in a deep, booming voice.

Right at that moment, the group saw the shop doors swing open.

Fang Qi peered outside and stared blankly.

There stood Song Qingfeng, accompanied by several young men, all waiting out front.

"Aren't you guys a bit too early?"

How could they not be early?

Song Qingfeng offered a wry smile. "Can we play now?"

"..." Fang Qi was amused. "Don't tell me you've been waiting here this whole time?"

Song Qingfeng replied, "It's just that this game is far too much fun."

"It's not even my opening time yet..." Fang Qi rubbed his nose, truly not expecting this fellow to arrive so incredibly early. "Come on in."

"..." Song Qingfeng nodded and walked inside.

The two behind him exchanged glances, but they seemed to sense an unusual undertone from the exchange between Song Qingfeng and Fang Qi.

What kind of game could possibly command so much of Song Qingfeng's devotion? To think he had actually waited an entire night?

This made them realize they had still underestimated the degree of importance Song Qingfeng placed on this game.

The two of them hurriedly followed him inside.

The moment they stepped through the door, they spotted the small blackboard by the entrance.

"This expensive?!" The two looked at each other, then pointed at Fang Qi. "Are you sure this kid isn't trying to swindle us?"

Song Qingfeng expertly booted up Resident Evil, not even bothering to look back at them. "Try it yourselves and you'll find out, won't you?"

Fang Qi reminded them, "Remember to pay up."

The two men's faces instantly darkened. "Do we look like people who can't afford it?"

"As long as you can afford it," Fang Qi said. "House rules: pay first, play second."

"Operating a shop with an attitude like that, do you believe I won't smash this place to pieces!" The two glared at him with furious eyes.

Song Qingfeng placed a small pouch of crystals upon the desk and spoke. "My treat. Consider it an apology for breaking our engagement yesterday."

The one in red was named Xu Luo, and the one in white was Lin Shao. They shared a fairly good friendship with Song Qingfeng, which was precisely why he had called upon them first.

The two took a look at the coin pouch and were startled. "Why give so much?!"

Even at 7 crystals per person, it should only be 14 crystals, but this pouch held at least double that amount.

"Activating accounts for the two of you, plus myself, for six hours of time each—it comes to a total of 46 crystals."

Fang Qi's eyes widened. It had only been a few days since opening, and his revenue was already surpassing 50 crystals!

What did 50 crystals represent? A restaurant like Fatty Wang's family owned was quite sizeable, but it would take at least a month or so of hard labor to earn this much!

And for him, it took only a brief moment!

Yet before Fang Qi could even warm the money in his hands, he discovered that the crystals in his palm had suddenly vanished!

Gone completely!

"Dammit! System, what are you doing!" Fang Qi was like an old hen that had lost her chick, instantly knowing exactly what had transpired.

"Creating games and computers requires energy. This system demands sufficient energy," the system's voice resonated in his mind. "Therefore, these crystals must be prioritized for this system."

"...Why must you be so overbearing?" Feeling utterly depressed, Fang Qi directly flipped a mental middle finger. "Fine, tell me then, when will I actually be able to make money?"

"This system has already left a small portion for the host, which is entirely sufficient for the host's use."

Fang Qi looked down at the remaining crystals, which had dwindled to a single digit. "...You are truly something."

"Six hours?" On the other side, Lin Shao immediately cried out, "I have an appointment with someone at noon. I cannot accompany you for that long, Young Master Song!"

Today was the day of the Lingyun Academy examinations after all. Leaving the examinations aside to play a game for six hours first? Even out of respect for Song Qingfeng, Lin Shao had to think twice about such a thing.

"Alright, alright!" Xu Luo spoke up. "Since Young Master Song has already paid the money, it wouldn't be right for us to refuse his hospitality. Let us see whether this money is well-spent or not! If it is worth it, then it doesn't matter, but if it isn't..."

He glared coldly at Fang Qi and said, "Then do not blame us for not showing Brother Song any face!"

"If you feel it isn't worth it, you can smash my shop to pieces for all I care," Fang Qi spoke calmly, projecting absolute confidence.

"You said it yourself!" Hearing Fang Qi's words, the two finally settled down.

Under Song Qingfeng's guidance, the two men entered the game one after the other.

Visuals within arm's reach, strange flying artifacts, and a landscape completely distinct from this world began to unfold before their eyes.

"This game is equivalent to a tangible, visible world of a biographical novel," Song Qingfeng explained using his own understanding while guiding them. "What you are playing now are the main characters of this biographical novel."

Watching the surrounding scenes manifest before them with absolute realism, within arm's reach, profound shock stirred in their hearts. "We... what is going on here?"

Such a phenomenon was nothing short of unimaginable, incomprehensible technology in their eyes!

By this point, the two had completely shut their mouths, no longer uttering a word about whether it was expensive or not.

"Didn't you two want to know how my strength suddenly shot up by a level?" Song Qingfeng said mysteriously. "You will understand once you have played through this game."

"It was... actually because of this?!" The two exchanged glances once more, both reading an uncontainable astonishment in the other's eyes.

Witnessing their utterly stunned expressions, the corners of Song Qingfeng's mouth turned up slightly. He himself had been thoroughly shocked yesterday as well!

"But you must be careful; the monsters inside are incredibly fierce," he warned. "Even I spent half a day yesterday just to kill five or six of them, and I died no less than ten times in the process!"

"Died?!" The two quickly spun around to look at Song Qingfeng.

"It's just a game; you can start over after you die," Song Qingfeng explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"It can even do that?! This game is made far too realistically!" Hearing this, the way the two looked at Fang Qi instantly shifted to one of profound awe. Fortunately, they hadn't offended him just now; could he be a cultivator?

If he truly was, he was likely no ordinary one!

The two quickly immersed themselves into their characters, but before long and entirely as expected, they were chewed to pieces by the very first zombie encountered in Resident Evil 1!

"Why won't this damn thing die no matter how hard we hit it?! And it gets more relentless with every blow! It's like it's gone completely mad!" The atmosphere of Resident Evil 1 was already oppressively terrifying, and though they could simply quit the game, watching themselves being torn apart and eaten alive by a zombie with their own eyes was more than enough to induce sheer horror.

A chill crept into their hearts, and a deep-seated dread toward these bio-hazardous zombies began to take root.

When they looked at Song Qingfeng again, admiration was no longer enough to describe the expression in their eyes. "Young... Young Master Song... did you say you killed five or six of these monsters yesterday?"

"Is it because of this kind of intense pressure that your strength grew so rapidly?"

Song Qingfeng was clearly satisfied with their gazes. He nodded, assuming an air of profound mystery as he said, "The monster is formidable, true, but it's not entirely impossible to deal with."

"There's a way to deal with it?!" The two instantly gasped in amazement. This creature simply wouldn't die; no matter how they slaughtered it, it would just crawl back up after a while. Song Qingfeng actually had a way to defeat it?

Song Qingfeng nodded and said, "Of course. This is a trick I discovered yesterday after studying it for quite a long time!"

The two immediately straightened up in earnest respect. "Please, Brother Song, enlighten us!"

"Since you are so sincere, there's no harm in telling you," Song Qingfeng said with a satisfied nod. "I stumbled upon this secret trick purely by accident while fighting the monster yesterday."

He gestured to them, signaling for them to lean in closer...

Under Song Qingfeng’s guidance, Lin Shao and Xu Luo suddenly felt as if they were aided by divine intervention. Born into prominent families, they were elite young warriors possessing formidable martial skills.

Even though it took some time to ensure they weren't scratched by the zombie's claws, after ten minutes or so, both of them managed to blow the zombies' heads apart.

It was the first time either of them had played Resident Evil, and before the main plot could even unfold, the sheer terror of these bio-zombies had already been deeply seared into their minds!

Seeing the formidable enemy perish by their own hands, a sudden surge of confidence washed over them. They felt a profound dread toward the monsters, yet it was coupled with an intoxicating thrill of accomplishment. "So that's how you kill a zombie!"

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