Chapter 75: Old Friends Reunite (Seventh Update)

The next day.

Qi Sheng received a consciousness connection from the Hyperdimension, learning that the decomposition function had been completed.

After testing this function, Qi Sheng immediately initiated a new round of updates.

A few minutes later, the Challenger Prompt rang out in the minds of all players, while the forum simultaneously released the specific details of this update.

[Challenger Prompt (All Channels): The game is about to undergo maintenance for version 1.4. The contents of this update are as follows]:

Poster: Guidance (Verified Official)

Content:

To optimize game content, this update will modify existing settings and add new functions.

Update Content 1: Soul Soul Decomposition

Introduction: The Soul Soul Decomposition function has been added to the function panel. Players can use this function to shatter existing Soul Souls, receiving 95% of the Evolution Points as feedback.

Note: The decomposition function can only be used on Soul Souls that have been detached; it cannot be used on Soul Souls currently embedded. The Evolution Points obtained from decomposition can be freely allocated to other Soul Souls.

Example: Decomposing a Level 10 Black Armored Snake Soul Soul will return 3,000 Evolution Points, which can be used to cultivate a Level 1 Eagle-Headed Demon, rapidly raising its level to 9 with 25% progress.

Update Content 2: Evolution Point Allocation

Introduction: Upon completion of this update, a secondary panel titled "Evolution Point Allocation" will be added to the Star Vein Strengthening panel. Players can use this panel to freely adjust the percentage distribution of Evolution Points gained after hunting, allowing them to focus on cultivating specific Soul Souls and obtain higher hunting output quotas for Evolution Points.

Update Content 3: Trading Row

Introduction: The Trading Row function has been added to the function panel. Players can list gathered resources, crafted items, and other goods on the Trading Row for sale with freely set prices. Each successful transaction will incur a 5% Sacrificial Power handling fee charged to the seller.

Note: Items purchased from the Trading Row can be retrieved via Guidance through teleportation regardless of distance; retrieving across major regions will increase the teleportation handling fee by 1%.

(This update is an online update; players do not need to go offline to wait.)

Comment Section:

Night Approaches: The surprise came too suddenly. Yesterday, I was discussing the drawbacks of Star Vein improvement with a brother on the forum, specifically the inability to focus on cultivating specific Soul Souls, and today the Evolution Point Allocation function appears. I'm unsure if the official Eclipse Clan is secretly spying or if it's just a coincidence... However, I lean towards coincidence. After all, anyone who has played their previous games understands the Eclipse Clan's nature; they act high and mighty and listen to nothing.

Roaring Hurricane: I'm spitting three liters of blood. I only detached my Gargoyle Soul Soul yesterday to switch to an Eagle-Headed Demon, and today they release the detachment and decomposition function. What about my losses from yesterday? Will the dog officials provide no compensation? I'm so angry I could punch an Eclipse Clan member to death with one blow.

Is This Reasonable: Hahaha, the Evolution Point Allocation function and the Soul Soul Decomposition function deserve high praise. In the future, changing playstyles won't require worrying about sunk costs from the early stages. I give this update a full score; it truly considers the players' personal experiences.

Weapon Master: I love the Trading Row function. In the future, everyone can buy custom weapons without needing private chats; just enter the Trading Row, search, and bid. Although there is a 5% handling fee, efficiency is greatly improved. It's a very convenient setting.

Great Killer: Is Soul Soul improvement too slow? Is hunting evil spirits too difficult? Just go to the Trading Row to purchase second-generation improved Spirit Energy Firearms and second-generation Spirit Energy Bombs. Even low-level players can possess powerful output; everyone who has used them says they are good.

Eclipse Clan Special Invited Official Shill: Hahaha, I was just thinking of swapping out my Black Armored Snake Soul Soul, and the update arrives right on time. The melee playstyle is too weak in this version; I'm decisively switching to the Bone Fire + Eagle-Headed Demon + Qi-Eating Star Vein combination. Ranged output is the answer for this version.

Scrolling through the comments reveals that players are extremely satisfied with this update.

The only dissatisfaction comes from players who swapped their Soul Soul playstyles before the update.

Their detached Soul Souls were refined and entered the Sacrificial Power Pool without receiving decomposition feedback.

Qi Sheng immediately provided a solution to this issue, converting the 95% revenue gained from previous decompositions into Evolution Points and distributing them to the players via email.

Instantly, the wailing in the official update post vanished.

With their losses compensated, the earlier complaints turned into praise for the update content.

This update also means players can combine Star Vein playstyles without worries about future consequences; they only need to sacrifice 5% of their early investment to freely switch to new Soul Soul playstyles.

This will lead to the development and application of even more Star Vein playstyle combinations.

With the update concluded, Qi Sheng decided to launch a new round of recruitment.

After the Black Black Tide rampaged, the Gloomy Cave was left empty; even low-level novices chose to leave Emperor Tomb Village, growing rapidly by hunting evil spirits.

In Qi Sheng's view, the rampaging Black Black Tide was highly suitable for novice growth and training.

Regarding recruitment targets, he already had a clear target group in mind.

Iron Wall City.

Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.

In one corner of the city, the Veteran Tavern was open for business.

The tavern's signboard was shaped like a massive black shield, bearing the two characters "Veteran."

Pushing open the doors, low, magnetic jazz music flowed gently, forming a sharp contrast with the modern bustle and noise outside.

The bar's interior decoration possessed a retro charm from centuries past; dim yellow light spilled through carved bronze chandeliers, draping the interior space in a retro halo, while several yellowed, old photographs hung on the walls, recording battlefield group photos from the era of the Mechanical War.

The bar counter was crafted from dark solid wood, its surface smooth, reflecting colorful glass bottles and exquisite bartending tools. The bartender, dressed in a classic white shirt and tied with a black bow tie, skillfully shook a cocktail shaker, while the air was filled with the scents of whiskey, cigar smoke, and a faint floral fragrance.

The chairs and sofas here, weathered by time, had surfaces that had already faded to white.

At the round table in the center of the bar, a white-haired elder with a centipede-like scar on his Iron Face took a deep drag of his cigar, crushed the butt in an ashtray, and turned to look at another elder sitting not far away.

"Old Dog, why hasn't the Boss arrived yet?"

"I've contacted him; he should be arriving soon." Speaking thus, the elder hidden in the shadows bent down and stood up, revealing a semi-mechanized Iron Face, and raised his glass in a toast to the elder who had asked the question.

Just then, the bar's main doors were pushed open, and a bell struck the doorframe, emitting a crisp "ding-ling" sound.

A group of aged elders inside the bar all turned their heads to look, seeing a figure over two meters tall push through the door, his war boots making sounds against the wooden floor.

The arriving figure took off his rain-soaked coat, revealing broad and solid muscles, then looked up at the old friends present, grinning as he said:

"I'm late."

The briefly silent bar instantly became noisy.

"Commander, walking with one leg broken is indeed not as fast as my two legs," an elder who had lost both arms said, looking at Li Tie and laughing heartily.

"Brother Tie, were you pestered by your granddaughter again? Are you interested in introducing your granddaughter to my grandson?"

"Boss, come over and have a drink quickly; we missed you to death."

Sitting down at the round table in the center of the bar, Li Tie's gaze swept over everyone present.

"Where are Explosive Ball and Wasp?"

Facing the inquiry, everyone present suddenly fell silent, and the smiles on their faces vanished.

"Explosive Ball and Wasp didn't make it through this year. At that time, you were undergoing mental recovery treatment and your condition was unstable. To avoid stimulating you, we didn't notify you to attend the funeral," the elder sitting beside Li Tie said in a grave voice.

Upon hearing this, a trace of sorrow flashed in Li Tie's eyes.

But he quickly suppressed the emotion deep in his heart, reached out to pick up his wine glass, raised it high, and grinned as he said:

"For us old fellows, crawling back from hell is already a blessing; every extra day we live is a profit. To the veterans, to old friends."

"To the veterans, to old friends." The elders present all raised their glasses, then drained them in one gulp following Li Tie.

During this session of catching up, listening to his old comrades recount their experiences over the past year, Li Tie's thoughts drifted along with the classic old songs playing from an old-fashioned player in the corner, stirring the deepest memories in his heart.

Deafening artillery fire seemed to explode beside his ears; endless mechanical armies blocked the path ahead on the battlefield, stretching endlessly on both sides...

Those who could sit here were all brothers who had faced life and death alongside him on the battlefield.

In that tragic war, of the troops he led, only 46 survived to return; all other brothers were buried on the battlefield.

By today, only 27 remained.

This memory, filled with pain, was not only his nightmare but also an unforgettable agony in the hearts of the old friends present.

Whenever he recalled this past, countless young figures would flash through his mind, only to be torn apart amidst the flying flames of war; he wanted to reach out to hold them back, only to discover it was merely a reflection in a mirror or a flower in the water.

This was also one of the main reasons leading to his mental state issues.

Every time the indelible memories replayed, the suppressed emotions would intensify, until a complete eruption occurred when he could no longer distinguish reality from recollection.

Taking a deep drag of the cigar in his hand, he gently exhaled thick smoke; the white mist curled upward along his fingers, obscuring his slightly bewildered eyes.

"Boss, tell us how your year has been. Has our granddaughter gotten married?"

"Nonsense. If she had gotten married, wouldn't I have invited you all over for a drink?" Blowing away the white mist swirling before him, Li Tie raised his right arm, hooked the elder beside him under his armpit, and grinned as he said:

"Are you trying to introduce your grandson to my granddaughter again?"

"That boy doesn't have such luck. Recently, he's become obsessed with something called 'Black Something Land.' My son says he often stays up late grabbing qualifications for it; his life is basically ruined."

Hearing these words, Li Tie's heart moved.

"Land of Darkness?"

"Yes, that's the thing. It's said the scenes inside are very realistic, far more advanced than the virtual games we played when we were young."

The old friend's words instantly sparked an idea in Li Tie's mind.

These old comrades' situations were similar to his; they all suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Why not bring this group of old friends to the Land of Darkness and lead them to fight everywhere within the game?

Venting their emotions could both alleviate their symptoms and avoid the destructive hazards brought by emotional outbursts in reality.

Thinking of this, Li Tie stood up and clapped his hands sharply.

"Clap!"

A crisp clapping sound rang out, and the noisy bar instantly became quiet as the old comrades all looked at Li Tie.

"Come over here; I want to discuss something with you all."

Upon hearing this, the veterans present all stood up and gathered around Li Tie, their expressions puzzled.

The scar-faced elder at the front spoke before Li Tie could say anything:

"Boss, you're probably trying to drag us to play virtual games again, right? I have no interest; it's too childish."

Hearing the scar-faced elder's words, Li Tie was instantly speechless.

In fact, before this, he had invited these old friends to experience virtual games.

But only he persisted; the old comrades all chose to return to real life after a brief experience.

The reason he was able to persist was to accompany his granddaughter, Li Siyu; otherwise, he would have quit long ago.

"This time is different. Recently, under Siyu's recommendation, I came into contact with an incredibly realistic virtual game... so I want you all to go with me to experience this game... Oh right, the game can automatically fill in our physical deficiencies; inside, we can regain the body parts we lost."

Li Tie swept his gaze over the old friends present and said in a deep voice:

"I'm not joking with you this time; this game is far beyond the virtual games I recommended to you before. You'll know once you try it."

After hearing Li Tie's explanation, the old comrades surrounding him looked at each other in bewilderment.

It was the scar-faced man at the front who spoke first:

"Boss, since you've said so, we have to give it a try. Send a purchase link in the group chat later, and we'll try it as soon as we get back."

Hearing these words, Li Tie immediately shook his head:

"It's not your turn to buy. Players who want to buy now have to fight to grab it. If you wait to buy through official channels, you might be in your coffins before you can snag one."

"Commander, what do you mean? If we can't grab a purchase qualification, how do we get into the game?"

Facing the question, Li Tie grinned and said:

"I have a cracked version link here. You can use the link to directly obtain game qualifications... but you must keep it secret. If it's exposed, we might all have our game qualifications revoked."

Saying this, Li Tie pulled out his phone and shared the download link for "Dark Land" in the comrades' group chat.

Time passed, and by midnight, the annual veterans' gathering came to an end.

Li Tie, drunk to the point of stupor, and his old friends slept soundly in the tavern until dawn broke.

The next day at noon.

After returning home, Li Tie took out his phone and found that his old friends had already secured their qualifications and were downloading the game.

Regarding this, Li Tie did not find anything unusual.

Having downloaded the game via the link on his first try, he was unaware that link downloads were distributed in limited batches and not available for clicking at any time.

There was another reason why this group of veterans could easily apply for download qualifications.

All network activities on the Star Net were under real-time monitoring by the Guide. Upon learning that he wanted to share qualifications with other veterans, the Guide fed this information back to Qi Sheng.

Qi Sheng then chose to issue an additional batch of download qualifications specifically for this group of veterans.

In Qi Sheng's view, veterans possessed psychological qualities and combat awareness far superior to ordinary players, making them the ideal candidates for player recruitment.

One hour later.

At Li Tie's call, the veteran squad officially logged into the game, appearing at the resurrection point in Emperor Tomb Village.

Upon entering the game, their reactions were completely different from other players.

What shocked them was not the visuals before their eyes, but the restoration of their missing body parts.

"My hand... it's back."

A certain veteran raised his arm before his eyes; the familiar yet strange sensation brought tears to his eyes.

His gaze fixed upon the arm he had once lost but which was now whole and intact. Complex and indescribable emotions surged in his heart. His fingers trembled slightly, and even the feedback from such a minute movement felt like a dream.

At this moment, the nature of the game had changed in the eyes of these veterans.

The pain of physical disability had been a life setback they could not Iron Face; the strength they showed to others could not hide the sorrow and loss within their hearts.

But in this game, the missing parts of their bodies had returned.

"Hahaha, it seems I'll spend my old age in this game. This feeling is truly wonderful." Waving his hands, the veteran couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Seeing the joy on his old friend's Iron Face, Li Tie, standing nearby, also couldn't help but grin.

"Let's go, I'll take you to experience the battlefield of this game."

Li Tie waved his large hand and led his old friends toward the exit of Emperor Tomb Village. Along the way, the veterans looked around curiously at the environment of Emperor Tomb Village, finding the game's realism hard to believe.

Meanwhile, Li Tie talked nonstop, introducing the gameplay and how to use the game's functions.

The arrival of his old friends made Li Tie immensely happy.

Although he had already joined the society formed by his granddaughter in this game, he could never fit into the group chat atmosphere of the Fan Zui Society, feeling out of place, which was why he chose to play solo.

It was far more comfortable being with this group of old comrades from the past.

Stepping out of Emperor Tomb Village, the thick mist that blocked their vision dispersed. The scene revealed before them made the veterans following behind Li Tie tense up immediately.

The sky-obscuring black fog resembled a massive wave sweeping in, layer upon layer rising higher, crashing down violently, and scattering countless ferocious monsters condensed from Black Black Tide energy.

The terrifying scene was soul-shaking, causing the veterans to instinctively assume combat stances.

"These are Black Black Tide evil spirits. In this game's setting, they are the players' greatest enemies. Killing evil spirits yields Evolution Points, which can significantly boost our physical strength, letting you experience the power, speed, and stamina you only had in your youth..."

With that, golden light burst forth in Li Tie's eyes. Five Spirit Artifacts circled his body, faintly visible, before finally converging into a stream of golden light at his center, transforming into a golden battle axe.

Li Tie's aura changed accordingly. Surging energy ripples spread outward from beneath his feet. The attribute bonuses from the fused Spirit Artifacts formed golden runes branded onto his body surface, making him look like a God of War.

"Commander, your look is explosively cool."

"Boss, how did you do that? Make one for me too."

Hearing the exclamations of his old comrades, Li Tie's vanity was satisfied. He gazed at the rampaging Black Black Tide in the distance, grinned, and said:

"Watch closely, there's something even cooler coming up."

As his voice fell, Li Tie leaped more than ten meters into the air, his figure tracing an arc in the sky. Upon landing, he leaped high again. The battle axe in his hand erupted with brilliant golden light, smashing down like a meteor into the horde of evil spirits. Instantly, a large crater appeared in the ground. The unleashed power instantly crushed the surrounding evil spirits into black mist, which then rapidly contracted and condensed after dispersing, rushing toward him to merge as energy into his body.

"Boss, so cool! Do another one."

"Commander, this game is fun, but how come we can't jump as high as you?"

"Brother Tie is mighty! It reminds me of the time you charged through the mechanical army. So cool."

The old friends clapped and cheered in the voice channel, providing Li Tie with maximum emotional value for showing off, which further ignited Li Tie's desire for battle.

Seeing their commander's brave performance, the old warriors one by one switched into their monster forms according to the method Li Tie had taught them on the way, roaring as they charged into the Black Tide of evil spirits alongside him.

Ten minutes later:

Wall-Breaking Warband - Comrades Group.

Old Dog: I'm furious! I only killed two before getting wiped out. Why does this game have a one-hour death cooldown?

Big Steel: Damn it, what does a one-hour cooldown mean? Just when I was starting to enjoy it, it ended. I'm suffocating here. How can I skip the one-hour cooldown? Can I watch an ad?

Ashes: This game is too exhilarating. The feeling of charging forward with the Commander is like dreaming back to our passionate youth. I feel my mind has recovered quite a bit. Indeed, venting emotions can relieve mental stress.

Cleaver: Fuck, why does this shitty game have a dog-shit resurrection cooldown restriction? What's the point of adding this setting? Get me back into the game quickly; I still want to kill.

(End of Chapter)