Chapter 389

"Mr. Sai, Pengjie City is different from other cities—it's a city teeming with criminal gangs."

"Because the stakes here are so high, it's also the city with the fiercest gang wars; nearly one-third of its youth have joined gangs or work for them, new gangs emerge every year, and old ones vanish just as regularly."

"That's why Pengjie City is the place most young people in Xierde dream of coming to."

"They say if you've got talent and ability, you can become a guest of honor to a gang boss overnight, strike it rich, and become a millionaire." Cindy, driving ahead, excitedly told Wang Yu, her tone full of long-held longing for Pengjie City.

"Hmph, everyone talks about people getting rich in Pengjie City—why don't they mention how many end up crippled or dead here every year?"

"From what I know, thousands go missing here annually; those who actually rise to the top and make real money are just a handful of lucky ones." Li Xiaodao snorted from the side.

"For others, it's certainly not easy—but with your abilities, Master Sai, I think it'd be simple for you to establish yourself here and make a fortune."

"Xiaodao, don't you want to get rich?" Cindy grinned over at Li Xiaodao.

Li Xiaodao raised his eyebrows but said nothing more.

"I've heard of Pengjie City's chaos. Forget the rest for now—once we enter the city, find a place to stay first, then learn the details before doing anything else." Wang Yu spoke calmly.

"Yes, Master Sai." Cindy replied obediently and drove forward.

Soon after, a vast city split in half by a massive canal came into view ahead.

…

Several days later, in a guest room of a mid-range hotel on a secluded street in Pengjie City.

Wang Yu lay prone, hands and feet touching the ground, eyes half-closed, his breath alternating between rapid and slow, causing his limbs to twitch slightly.

He was practicing the Four Beasts Diagram's body cultivation technique; given this body's frailty, he could only begin with the Wolf Sprint Diagram.

Wang Yu had long fully mastered the Four Beasts Diagram in the cultivation world; now restarting from scratch, he naturally progressed with ease and quickly entered the first stage.

The only thing he found regrettable was that the Four Beasts Diagram's effectiveness on Blue Star had been greatly diminished.

He'd practiced the Wolf Sprint posture several times over the past two days and felt only slight improvement, mostly in increased leg strength—nothing comparable to the dramatic physical changes he'd experienced in the cultivation world after a single session.

Still, if he persisted long-term, surpassing ordinary humans was no problem.

This was precisely why the base had taken great interest in the Four Beasts Diagram after he handed it over.

After all, it was one of the rare cultivation methods from the cultivation world that required no spiritual energy yet delivered immediate results.

As Wang Yu was pondering how long it would take to advance to the Tiger Pounce Diagram at this rate, a knock came at the door, followed by Li Xiaodao's voice:

"Master Sai, I'm back—I've brought the news you wanted."

"Come in."

Wang Yu opened his eyes, stood up, and opened the door.

Li Xiaodao stepped inside.

"What was the response from home?" Wang Yu asked directly.

Before leaving Xitie City, Li Xiaodao had sent the message back via the Star River Bar; since then, the three had traveled far by car and lost contact with home.

Now that they'd reached Pengjie City—the most prosperous city in Xierde—it naturally had Star River Bars; Li Xiaodao found a reliable one and reconnected with home via a game login pod.

"After I sent word about your Wolf Sprint Divine Form diagram, home finally located the base official you mentioned—but they wouldn't say who it was. That official said they need to speak with you directly to confirm your identity," Li Xiaodao replied plainly.

"Could it be General Xu or Dr. Chen?" Wang Yu frowned slightly.

"I don't know. You know my current status is awkward—I'm no longer part of the Special Forces. I had to reach out to an old commanding officer just to get the message upstairs," Li Xiaodao sighed.

"Then a direct conversation is fine. I have many questions I want answered. Use your channel to arrange it," Wang Yu said slowly, studying the young man intently.

"No time to waste—let's do it tonight. I'll make the arrangements; we'll go together after dark," Li Xiaodao nodded.

Wang Yu had no objections.

As for Cindy, he'd been sent out these past few days to gather information on Pengjie City and spent little time in the hotel.

Nightfall.

Before a building identical to the Xitie City Star River Bar, Wang Yu stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over two mecha models flanking the door.

One mecha was unmistakably familiar—the "Tudragon I" model, all new recruits had piloted it in-game: black, six to seven meters tall, bulky and square-bodied, with a long silver rifle slung across its back.

The other mecha stood roughly the same height but was entirely crimson, slender, with four arms, four slender short blades sheathed at its waist and back, and a shimmering silver floating cannon hovering from one shoulder—strikingly ornate.

He'd never seen this mecha before, but from the constant stream of people taking photos beneath it, it was clearly popular.

"Master Sai, you don't seem surprised I brought you here?" Li Xiaodao asked from behind.

"Why should I be? The Star River game is indeed an excellent channel to bypass other nations' surveillance," Wang Yu replied calmly, his gaze returning from the floating cannon on the crimson mecha's shoulder.

"Yes. The Star River game's background is extremely mysterious—it's said to be maintained by several independent AIs not affiliated with any nation, so no country can interfere with its operation. Once logged in, communication within the game is secure from leaks."

"I've reserved two game pods and pre-created a dedicated virtual room for social interaction. When you log into that room number, you can speak face-to-face with them."

"Good. When time comes, let's go in together. From your tone, this game seems even more popular than before?" Wang Yu nodded, asking casually.

Nearly every young person on Earth now played this game; even many middle-aged, elderly, and women and children immersed themselves in it, treating it as a true second world.

The only drawback was the exorbitant price of the highest-tier game pods, making the threshold for experiencing the game's optimal virtual effects far too high—even the less immersive game helmets, which simulated reality poorly, were still prohibitively expensive for average wage earners.

So many young people from underdeveloped nations seeking the game's best experience could only come to places like Star River Bars, where public pods offered free one- or two-hour sessions," Li Xiaodao said, watching the stream of Pengjie City youth entering and exiting.

"Free play?" Wang Yu replied, surprised.

"Oh, you didn't know? According to Star River Bar rules, all game pods here are open to the public for free—but the daily free time varies depending on your in-game mecha pilot rank."

"Most people aren't even official mecha pilots—just apprentices—so they get only one hour of free play. A few who are official pilots get two hours. A select few elite pilots get five hours."

"As for the legendary Star-ranked mecha pilots, they have unlimited access to Star River Bar pods—and everything else in the bar is free for them," Li Xiaodao explained.