Chapter 78: Movement and Stillness (3rd Update, Autumn Recommendation Votes Votes Votes Votes Votes)

Fang Yue hesitated, but ultimately decided the body was the real capital.

He realized he still had at least half an hour before meeting Lin Ling.

He instructed his squad members to guard his physical body, then logged out right where he stood.

It's just a meal—it shouldn't take long.

Fang Yue regretted buying so much instant noodles; he should've bought some instant biscuits instead.

But I remember Yuan Jie bought a lot of snacks and left them in the living room—I could check if there's anything to eat.

Fang Yue was eager to get back to the game, so he wanted to finish quickly—instant noodles were too slow.

He logged out, opened his eyes, and stared at the pure white ceiling; hunger surged violently from his stomach.

This contrasted sharply with the fullness he'd felt inside the game.

Fang Yue checked the time—it was already past three in the afternoon.

That meant since that extravagant bowl of instant noodles last night, Fang Yue hadn't eaten a thing until now.

No wonder his stomach was so empty.

He got up, used the restroom, then rushed to the living room of his shared apartment.

One glance, and his face lit up with joy.

Besides the mountain of snacks Yuan Jie always kept for movie nights on the sofa, there was also a new bag of fresh fruit.

"Did Yuan Jie come back? Then leave again? Or… did that landlord's daughter—who vanishes without a trace—return?"

Fang Yue didn't dwell on it—he ate some instant biscuits, some fruit, pulled the last chilled bottle of soda from the fridge, and gulped it down greedily.

"Ahh!"

Before, because he was broke, he could only afford instant noodles and couldn't buy soda; now things were different.

Once I finish the game quest, I'll go out and splurge shopping!

Eating and drinking like this isn't healthy, but it feels amazing.

As for a proper meal, I'll wait until I finish the game quest.

Thinking of this, for some reason, Fang Yue recalled the prediction by Longwan Forum's big V, Liang Bai Keshui, that this game would die hard.

Fang Yue vaguely felt the same way.

Because it's too tight!

There's simply not enough time.

The 1:1 synchronization between game time and real time means if the game drags you with quests, you must complete them inside the game.

If something comes up in real life and you're called away, your character just freezes—you can't do anything, even risk quest failure.

If you ignore the real world and play, claiming you're too busy, people will accuse you of being addicted and wasting your life.

Fang Yue, as a professional player, naturally didn't care—he was immune to such remarks.

But most of the professional players' patrons are ordinary people—working jobs, having obligations—who don't have time to stay glued to the game all day. If they step away for a moment and their character dies, how many would be discouraged?

Overall, this game has many problems—it's sustained only by novelty and quality.

How to optimize it to attract more players and ensure long-term operation? That's not Fang Yue's concern.

"I can only trust Tengli Group to fix these issues."

As a professional player, Fang Yue naturally hoped the game would last—especially now that he was achieving great success and leading far ahead.

After eating and drinking his fill, Fang Yue was about to clean up the mess on the table before logging back in.

Suddenly, his Game Watch vibrated, flashing a red LED-like warning light, blinking rapidly.

What's going on?!

Fang Yue's heart jumped—he immediately looked at his Game Watch.

It rapidly scrolled text across its screen.

"Warning! Your game character is in danger! Return to the game immediately!"

"Warning! Your game character is in danger! Return to the game immediately!"

"Warning! Your game character is in danger! Return to the game immediately!"

What?!

Fang Yue's face changed—he forgot everything else, lay down on the sofa, and used his Game Watch to re-enter the game instantly.

Five minutes after Fang Yue entered the game, the door to the shared apartment opened.

A girl, about eighteen, dressed in a pure and cute style, stepped inside.

The first thing she saw was Fang Yue lying on the sofa, the living room in chaos, and even the fresh fruit she'd just bought half-eaten.

She frowned, hesitated, then closed the door.

Quietly entering the living room, she cleared the food debris, wiped the table with a cloth, swept the floor, mopped it, then glanced at Fang Yue, hesitated, went to her room, brought out an air-conditioning blanket, and draped it over him.

Looking at the now-clean living room, the girl nodded in satisfaction, then sighed: "What kind of tenants did Dad bring in? Said they'd been here for years and were totally reliable… sigh…"

Without further complaint, she walked straight to her room and locked the door from inside.

The apartment fell silent again.

Several hours later, Yuan Jie returned from work.

The first thing she saw was Fang Yue sleeping on the living room sofa—she didn't disturb him, put down the groceries, and went to cook.

The small shared apartment, though only housing three people who each did their own things, was unexpectedly peaceful.

Only the discarded parchment in the room faintly glowed with text.

"Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Come see my message! We're in danger, okay?! Does that idiot have any sense of crisis at all?!"

…

Inside the game.

Fang Yue's lifeless, dazed eyes suddenly regained their spark.

His stiff body, in an instant, had every meridian flowing freely, as if a force had taken over the entire shell.

Then, Fang Yue saw the bobbing perspective, a thin back, a jolting mountain path, and the sound of ragged, gasping breaths.

"You're... Xiao Hou?"

Xiao Hou was the little squad leader who shared a horse with Fang Yue.

At this moment, Xiao Hou was in a daze, seemingly not hearing Fang Yue speak at all, just sprinting with all his might. Carrying Fang Yue on his back, sprinting wildly the whole way, not even knowing which direction he was running toward.

Watching the scenery around him change, Fang Yue couldn't recognize where they were at all, and immediately barked in a deep voice.

"Stop! Xiao Hou! Calm down! I'm here, don't be afraid!"

These few loud shouts did indeed bring the dazed Xiao Hou back to his senses.

"N-Night Deputy Captain! You've come back to your senses! You've finally come back to your senses! They, they were bizarre... I-I-I..."

Fang Yue's heart stirred. He had Xiao Hou set him down, then asked calmly, "Don't rush, speak slowly. What exactly happened? Also, where's your horse? Why are you carrying me on your back while running?"

"Th-the horse, the horse is dead!"

As if recalling some terrifying scene, Xiao Hou's whole body was trembling.

In his faltering words, Fang Yue finally learned the general course of events from Xiao Hou.

The incident happened not long after Fang Yue went offline. Pangzi, in the six-person squad, suddenly coughed twice.

That in itself was nothing, but when that coughing turned to dry heaving and began to spit out... a huge pile of fingernails piled into a hill shape, Xiao Hou and the others could no longer stay calm.

(End of this chapter)