Chapter 75: Reunion of Old Friends (7th Update)

The next day.

Qi Sheng received a consciousness connection from Chao Wei, 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 notification echoed in every player's mind, and the forum simultaneously released the specific details of this update.

【Challenger Notification (All Channels): The game is about to undergo version 1.4 update maintenance. The content of this update is as follows】:

Poster: Guide (Certified Official)

Content:

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

Update Content 1: Painful Painful Minghun Decomposition

Introduction: The Painful Painful Minghun Decomposition function has been added to the function panel. Players can use this function to crush existing Painful Painful Minghun and receive a 95% Evolution Point refund.

Note: The decomposition function can only be used on extracted Painful Painful Minghun, not on embedded Painful Painful Minghun. The Evolution Points obtained from decomposition can be freely allocated to other Painful Painful Minghun.

Example: After decomposing a Level 10 Black-Armored Snake Painful Painful Minghun, 3,000 Evolution Points can be refunded, which can be used to cultivate a Level 1 Eagle-Headed Demon, rapidly raising its level to Level 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 Pulse Reinforcement panel. Players can use this panel to freely adjust the percentage of Evolution Points allocated after hunting, allowing them to focus on cultivating specific Painful Painful Minghun and obtain a higher hunting output Evolution Point quota.

Update Content 3: Trading Hall

Introduction: The Trading Hall function has been added to the function panel. Players can list collected resources, crafted items, and other goods for sale on the Trading Hall. Sellers can set their own prices, and each successful transaction will incur a Shou Shou Jili handling fee of 5% of the seller's total revenue.

Note: Items purchased from the Trading Hall can be teleported and retrieved via the Guide regardless of distance. Retrieving items across major regions will incur an additional 1% teleportation handling fee.

(This update is an online update; players do not need to log off and wait.)

……

Comment Section:

Nightfall Approaches: The surprise came too suddenly. Yesterday, I was discussing the drawbacks of Star Pulse improvement with a brother on the forum, specifically the inability to focus on cultivating specific Painful Painful Minghun, and today the Evolution Point Allocation function is released. I'm not sure if the Eclipse Clan officials are secretly spying or if it's a coincidence... but I lean towards coincidence. After all, anyone who has played their previous games knows the Eclipse Clan's nature; they are all about being high and mighty and listening to nothing.

Roaring Hurricane: I'm vomiting blood. I only extracted the Gargoyle Painful Painful Minghun to switch to the Eagle-Headed Demon yesterday, and today the extraction and decomposition function is released. What about my losses from yesterday? The dog officials won't compensate? I'm so angry I could punch a month-long Eclipse Clan member to death.

Is This Beaver?: Hahaha, the Evolution Point Allocation function and the Painful Painful Minghun Decomposition function get a thumbs up. In the future, switching factions won't worry about the issue of sunk costs in the early stages. I give this update a full score; it truly considers the players' personal experience.

Weapon Master: I love the Trading Hall function. Everyone, no need to private chat to buy custom weapons anymore; just enter the Trading Hall, search, and buy. Although there is a 5% handling fee, the efficiency is greatly improved; it's a very convenient setting.

Big Killer: Painful Painful Minghun improvement too slow? Hunting evil spirits too hard? Go to the Trading Hall to buy second-generation improved Spirit Energy firearms and second-generation Spirit Energy bombs. Even low levels can possess powerful output; everyone who has used them says it's good.

Eclipse Clan Invited Official Shill: Hahaha, I was just about to switch the Black-Armored Snake Painful Painful Minghun, and the update is here. Melee is too terrible in this version; I'll decisively switch to the Bone Fire + Eagle-Headed Demon + Qi-Eater Star Pulse combination. Ranged output is the answer for this version.

……

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

The only dissatisfaction comes from players who switched Painful Painful Minghun factions before the update.

Their extracted Painful Painful Minghun were refined and entered the Shou Shou Jili pool, without receiving decomposition refunds.

Qi Sheng immediately provided a solution to this problem, converting the 95% revenue obtained from previous decompositions into Evolution Point refunds for players via email.

Instantly, the wailing in the official update post disappeared.

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

This update also means players no longer have to worry about the future when matching Star Pulse factions; they only need to sacrifice 5% of their early investment to freely switch to new Painful Painful Minghun factions.

This will bring the development and application of more Star Pulse faction combinations.

With the update finished, Qi Sheng decided to start a new round of recruitment.

After the Black Tide ravaged the area, the Dark Cave has been vacant; even low-level newbies have chosen to leave Emperor Tomb Village and grow rapidly by hunting evil spirits.

In Qi Sheng's view, the raging Black Tide is very suitable for newbies to grow and train.

Regarding the recruitment targets, he already has a clear target group.

……

Iron Wall City.

Night fell, and lights began to shine.

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

The tavern's signboard was shaped like a huge black shield, with the two characters "Veteran" printed on it.

Pushing open the door, low, magnetic jazz music flowed slowly, forming a sharp contrast with the modern prosperity and noise outside.

The interior decoration of the bar had a retro charm from several centuries ago. Dim yellow light spilled through carved bronze chandeliers, casting a retro halo over the interior space. Several faded old photos hung on the walls, recording battlefield group photos from the era of the Mechanical War.

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

The seats and sofas here had been weathered by time, their surfaces already faded white.

Beside the round table in the center of the bar, a white-haired old man with a centipede scar on his face took a deep drag of his cigar, crushed the butt in the ashtray, and turned to look at the old man sitting not far away.

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

"Contacted him; he should be arriving soon." Speaking thus, the old man hiding in the shadows bent down and stood up, revealing a half-mechanized face, and raised his glass to toast the old man who had asked.

Just then, the bar door was pushed open, and the bell struck the doorframe, making a crisp "Ding-Ling" sound.

A group of elderly men in the bar turned their heads to look. They saw a figure over two meters tall push the door open, his combat boots making sounds on the wooden floor.

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

"I'm late."

The briefly silent bar instantly became noisy.

"Captain, walking with one broken leg is indeed not as fast as me with two legs," an old man with both arms broken looked at Li Tie and laughed heartily.

"Brother Tie, I guess you were tied up by your granddaughter again? Any interest in introducing your granddaughter to my grandson?"

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

……

Arriving at the round table in the center of the bar, Li Zheng's gaze swept over everyone present.

"Where are Exploding Ball and Wasp?"

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

"Exploding Ball and Wasp didn't survive this year. At that time, you were undergoing mental recovery treatment and your condition was unstable; to avoid triggering you, we didn't notify you to attend the funeral." The old man sitting beside Li Zheng said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, a trace of sorrow flashed in Li Zheng's eyes.

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

"For us old folks, being able to crawl back from hell is already a blessing; every extra day lived is profit. To the old soldiers, to the old friends."

"To the old soldiers, to the old friends." The old men present raised their wine glasses one by one, then followed Li Zheng in draining them in one gulp.

During the reminiscing session, listening to his old comrades recount their experiences over the past year, Li Zheng's thoughts drifted along with a classic old song playing on an old device in the corner, stirring up the deepest memories in his heart.

Deafening artillery fire seemed to explode in his ears, an endless mechanical army blocked the front of the battlefield, stretching endlessly on both sides...

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

In that brutal war, of the troops he led, only 46 managed to return alive; the other brothers were buried forever 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.

Every time he recalled this past, countless young figures would flash through his mind, only to be torn apart and shattered amidst the swirling battlefield fires; he wanted to reach out to save them, only to find they were merely illusions.

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

Every time the indelible memories replayed, the suppressed emotions would intensify once more, until a complete explosion occurred after reality and memory became indistinguishable.

Taking a deep drag of the cigar in his hand, he lightly exhaled the thick smoke from his mouth. White mist curled upward along his fingers, obscuring his slightly bewildered eyes.

"Boss, tell us how you've spent this year. Has our granddaughter gotten married yet?"

"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 Zheng raised his right arm, hooked the old man beside him under his armpit, grinned, and said:

"You kid, do you want to introduce your grandson to my granddaughter again?"

"That boy doesn't have that luck. Recently he's become obsessed with some 'Dark' something 'Land'; my son told me he often stays up late fighting to grab qualifications. His life is basically ruined."

Hearing these words, Li Zheng's heart stirred.

"Dark Land?"

"Yes, that very thing. They say 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 brought an idea to Li Zheng's mind.

These old comrades' situations were similar to his; they all suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Why not drag this group of old friends to the Dark Land and take them to fight everywhere within the game?

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

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

"Clap!"

The crisp sound of the palm strike rang out, and the bustling bar instantly fell silent. The old comrades all turned to look at Li Zheng.

"Everyone come over, I want to discuss something with you."

Hearing this, the veteran soldiers present stood up one by one and gathered around Li Zheng, their expressions puzzled.

The scar-faced old man at the head spoke before Li Zheng could say a word:

"Boss, I suppose you want to drag us to play a virtual game again. I have no interest; it's too childish."

Hearing the scar-faced old man's words, Li Zheng was momentarily speechless.

In fact, before this, he had invited this group of 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 Li Siyu; otherwise, he would have quit long ago.

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

Li Zheng's gaze swept over the old friends present, and he said in a deep voice:

"I'm not joking with you this time. This game is far beyond comparison with the virtual games I recommended to you before. Just try it and you'll know."

After listening to Li Zheng's explanation, the old comrades surrounding him looked at each other in silence.

It was still the scar-faced man at the head 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; we'll try it when we get back."

Hearing these words, Li Zheng immediately shook his head:

"It's not your turn to buy. Right now, players wanting to buy have to fight to grab it. If you try to buy through official channels, you might not get a chance even after you're in your coffins."

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

Facing the inquiry, Li Zheng grinned:

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

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

Time passed, reaching midnight, and the once-a-year veteran gathering ended.

Li Zheng, drunk out of his mind, and his old friends slept soundly in the tavern until dawn broke.

The next day at noon.

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

Regarding this, Li Zheng did not feel anything was amiss.

Having downloaded the game upon his first use of the link, he was unaware that the link's distribution was limited and not available for download at any time.

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

All network movements on the Star Web were under real-time monitoring by the Guidance. Upon learning that he intended to share the qualifications with other veterans, the Guidance fed this information back to Qi Sheng.

And Qi Sheng chose to additionally issue a batch of download qualifications to this group of veterans.

In Qi Sheng's view, whether in psychological quality or combat awareness, the veterans were far superior to ordinary players, making them the ideal candidates for player recruitment.

One hour later.

At Li Tie's invitation, the veteran corps officially logged into the game, appearing at the respawn point of Di Zhong Village.

The moment they entered the game, their reactions were completely different from those of other players.

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

"My hand... is back."

One veteran raised his arm before his eyes; the feeling, both familiar and strange, made his eyes redden.

His gaze fixed on the arm that had once been lost but was now complete as before; complex and indescribable emotions surged in his heart. His fingers trembled slightly; even the feedback from such a tiny movement felt like a dream.

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

The pain of physical disability had once been a life setback they could not face; the strength shown to others could not mask the grief and loss within their hearts.

But in this game, the lost, disabled body parts had returned.

"Hahaha, looks like I'll grow old in this game from now on. This feeling is great." Waving his hands, the veteran couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

Seeing the joy on his old friend's face, Li Tie, standing aside, couldn't help but grin as well.

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

At this moment, Li Tie waved his large hand and led his old friends toward the exit of Di Zhong Village. Along the way, the old friends examined the environment of Di Zhong Village with curious eyes, finding the realism of this game hard to believe.

During this time, Li Tie's mouth didn't stop either, introducing the gameplay and how to use the functions of this game.

The arrival of his old friends made Li Tie's mood incredibly joyful.

Although he had already joined the guild established by his granddaughter in this game, he could never integrate into the group chat atmosphere of the "Fanzui Team," feeling out of place; this was also the reason he chose to play solo.

It was far from as comfortable as being with these old friends from the past.

Stepping out of Di Zhong Village, the thick fog blocking their vision dispersed. The scene before them made the veterans following behind Li Tie tense up one after another.

The black fog, blocking the sky and sun, seemed like a massive wave sweeping in, layer upon layer, each higher than the last, crashing down fiercely and scattering countless grotesque monsters condensed from the energy of the Hei Chao Xie Sui.

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

"These are Hei Chao Xie Sui. In the settings of this game, they are our players' greatest enemies. Killing the Xie Sui grants Evolution Points. This thing can significantly enhance our physical strength, letting you experience the power, speed, and stamina you had in your youth..."

Having spoken, golden light burst forth from Li Tie's eyes. Five weapon spirits hovered faintly around his body, finally converging into golden flowing 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 buffs from the fused weapon spirits manifested as Jin Guang Fu Wen Lao Yin on his body surface, his appearance resembling a God of War.

"Captain, your look is absolutely awesome."

"Boss, how did you do that? Do it for me too."

Hearing the exclamations of his old comrades, Li Tie's vanity was satisfied. His gaze looked far out at the rampaging Hei Chao Xie Sui, and he grinned, saying:

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

As his words fell, Li Tie suddenly leaped more than ten meters high. His figure traced an arc in the air. After landing, he leaped high again. The battle axe in his hand erupted with brilliant Jin Guang, like a meteor smashing fiercely into the crowd of Xie Sui. Instantly, a large pit appeared on the ground. The erupted power instantly crushed the surrounding Xie Sui into black fog. After spreading out, it quickly contracted and condensed, rushing toward him to merge into his body as energy.

"Boss is too awesome! Do it again!"

"Captain, this game is fun, but why can't we jump as high as you?"

"Brother Tie is mighty! It reminds me of the scene where you charged through the mechanical army. So awesome."

The old friends clapped and exclaimed in the voice channel, fully satisfying Li Tie's desire to show off and also fueling Li Tie's combat desire.

Seeing the captain's brave performance, the old warriors also switched to monster forms one after another according to the method Li Tie had taught on the way, roaring as they charged toward the Hei Chao Xie Sui tide alongside Li Tie.

Ten minutes later:

Wall-Breaking Warband - Comrades Group.

Old Dog: I'm so angry! I was killed after only killing two! Why does this game have a one-hour death cooldown?

Da Gang: Damn! What does a one-hour cooldown mean? Just when I was getting into the groove, it's over. I'm suffocating! How can I skip the one-hour cooldown? Will watching ads work?

Ash: This game is too awesome! The feeling of charging with the captain is like returning to those passionate, youthful days. I feel like my brain has recovered quite a bit. Indeed, emotional release can relieve mental stress.

Chopper: Damn! Why does this crappy game have such dog-shit respawn cooldown limits? What's the point of adding this setting? Hurry and let me into the game; I still want to kill.

(End of Chapter)