Chapter 11​

​​Jason​​ boosted his Recovery stat to 35. He noticed that the speed of healing scrolls correlated strongly with his Recovery level—if he fortified it to extreme levels, minor injuries might self-heal within seconds.

He then allocated 2 points each to Stamina and Speed, purchased five more healing scrolls, and retained 546 credits for emergencies. His stats now stood at:

​​Stamina​​: 42

​​Speed​​: 42

​​Recovery​​: 35

​​Mental Power​​: 32

​​Intelligence​​: 19​

​Luck​​: 7

He'd never invested in Mental Power, Intelligence, or Luck, deeming them useless.

Though he'd earned 6,800 credits by killing three higher-level players in quick succession, the money vanished instantly. Frustrated, Jason muttered, "No wonder Sherry said saving 3,000 credits for Soul Purification is hard—it's all gone so fast."

He realized killing higher-level players now yielded no bonus credits. Only first-time kills against same-level foes granted 1,000 credits. With the exception of ​​Han Bin​​ and ​​Zou Yidao​​ in the Newbie Village, he couldn't target anyone else—​​Zou Yidao​​ alone remained a viable reward, but even he was beyond Jason's current strength.

After finalizing his stats, Jason logged off to shower. His body, smeared with blood and grime, felt alien. Only seven days had passed since entering the game, yet he could no longer relate to his old self.

Spotting his grandfather's pendant, stained with blood, he scrubbed it clean under the tap. The dry, bark-like charm—carved from a "​​Tai Sui​​" (a mythical millennia-old organism) unearthed by his grandfather's production team in the 1980s—wasn't valuable. Yet its sentimental value endured, even after his grandfather's death decades later.

Post-shower, Jason collapsed onto his bed and drifted into unconsciousness.

He awoke to find the trashed living room pristine, down to tiny ornaments. The corpses and bloodstains were gone. Confirming the world's artificiality chilled him: Am I real, or just code? Are we all trapped in a simulation like The Matrix?

​​Sherry​​, already awake with dark circles under her eyes, shared intel: "​​Han Bin​​ is outsourcing tasks to ​​Zou Yidao​​. Like gathering 100 Gray Rat tails—​​Zou Yidao​​ gets others to do the legwork while he buys gear."

"So ​​Zou Yidao​​ will hit 1,000 credits soon," Jason mused. "Once he Soul Purifies, he'll crush ​​Han Bin​​. We need to strike when they clash."

Sherry agreed: "Wait a few days. ​​Han Bin​​'s clock's ticking."

A thunderclap interrupted them—a sound linked to ​​Zou Yidao​​'s arrival. Sherry scoffed, "Newbies. At least weekly."

Through the window, a group surrounded the Tree of Life. Among them: ​​Bai Er​​, a pale, albino teen wielding a system-issued dagger.

​​Bai Er​​ moved like a ghost, dispatching five men in 30 seconds—decapitating one with a knee strike, slitting throats with surgical precision. Even ​​Han Bin​​'s underlings fled.

Jason watched, recognizing the parallels to his own desperate early days. When ​​Bai Er​​ hurled burning hay, igniting pursuers, Jason urged Sherry: "Let him in. He's our ticket out."

Against her hesitation, Jason opened the door. ​​Bai Er​​ charged through smoke, sustaining a gunshot wound but surviving with healing scrolls.

"Name's ​​Bai Er​​," he said flatly. "Debt's yours."

Jason smirked. "​​Jason​​. Next time, buy a gun."

Before they could strategize, ​​Zou Yidao​​ appeared, clapping politely. "A true ​​Bai​​ clan descendant."

​Chapter 12​​

​​Bai Er​​ eyed ​​Zou Yidao​​ warily. The man's irises glowed with an eerie beauty—pale gray tinged with crimson, a sign of his colorless lineage. His gaze seemed to pierce through flesh, radiating an otherworldly menace.

When ​​Zou Yidao​​ saw Bai Er silent, he grinned. "I had a comrade once, from the Bai clan's main branch. You're from the core family, aren't you?"

Bai Er's voice cut like ice. "What do you want?"

​​Zou Yidao​​ chuckled, blowing a smoke ring. "Just passing time. This dump doesn't even have a nightclub. Boring." His eyes flicked to Jason. "Kid, dying to escape the Newbie Village, huh?"

"Escape?" Jason arched an eyebrow.

​​Zou Yidao​​ exhaled smoke. "Don't kid yourself. Zheng Wei's a nobody. If you met Han Bin, he'd kill you in one hit."

His lackeys chimed in. "Yeah! Boss Han could crush your skull with a single punch!"

​​Zou Yidao​​ leaned back. "Coward. You're wasting everyone's time. Be a man—step out and fight Han Bin. Three strikes. If you survive, I'll make sure he leaves you alone."

Jason sneered. "Why should I trust you?"

"No reason. Just bored." ​​Zou Yidao​​ scratched his crew cut. "Han Bin won't mind if I vouch for you. Right, boys?" He signaled a subordinate. "Go fetch your boss. Let's hear his take."

The underling hesitated. "But Boss Han's… busy…"

"Oh, right." ​​Zou Yidao​​ waved them off. "We'll talk later." His eyes lingered on Jason. "Kid, your days are numbered. Enjoy them while they last." He vanished.

After he left, Sherry frowned. "He's hinting Han Bin's Soul Purifying. No wonder he didn't show up after Bai Er's rampage."

Jason nodded. "Staying put was smart. How much credit do you have left?"

"Enough for one healing scroll."

​​Zou Yidao​​'s sudden alliance proposal worried Sherry. "Han Bin's stronger than we thought."

Sherry analyzed, "He's ruled the Newbie Village for a year. Even if he's sitting on thousands of credits, ​​Zou Yidao​​ has nothing but himself. With the system blocking player trades, he might lose."

"To beat him, we need teamwork." Jason clenched his fist. "Back to the plan."

Sherry managed a bitter smile.

Jason turned to Bai Er. "Your credit total?"

"4,000. Spent 320."

"Buy me a bulletproof shield—300 credits."

Without a word, Bai Er handed Jason two stone disks—thumb-sized, smooth as river stones. Jason passed one to Sherry and kept one. He also bought one for himself.

The device, labeled ​​P​​ (Primary), could deflect 9mm bullets up to 500 times. Jason tested it by firing at his toe. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly.

"Handy," Jason said. "But rockets? Still screwed."

Sherry advised Bai Er, "Allocate credits wisely: weapons first, then shields and travel scrolls."

Bai Er nodded, sitting cross-legged to enter the platform.

Jason admired his composure. No panic, no questions—just acceptance of this twisted reality.

Later, Sherry re-entered the Void for a three-hour session. Jason practiced with a chromium-steel blade until Bai Er interrupted.

"Stop flailing," Bai Er said. "You're built for a mace."

He snapped a broomstick, tossing the handle to Jason. "Maces hit in all directions. Your build's explosive—long limbs, weak finesse. Maces suit you."

Jason swung the pole, amazed at its heft. "Feels better."

"Sell your blade. Buy a six-sided mace. 12 pounds."

Jason obeyed, then trained under Bai Er's harsh tutelage:

​​Arms​​: Strike true, elbows locked.​​Core​​: Rotational twists, hanging leg raises.​​Feet​​: Shuffle, pivot, lunge.

After hours of sweat-soaked drills, Jason collapsed. Sherry's return was no better—she'd learned nothing new in the Void.

"This bug's exclusive to me," Jason sighed.

Sherry glared. "At least I'm not useless."

"Sure you are," Jason teased, twirling his mace. "You're my moral support."

Later, they mapped the Newbie Village's power players:

​​Han Bin​​: 5-star, Soul Purifying soon.​​Zou Yidao​​: Rocket launcher, untouchable.​​Gray-Haired Sniper​​: Unpredictable.​​Han Bin's Advisor​​: A walking target.

"The real threats? Three guys," Sherry concluded. "Others? Improvise."

Jason eyed Bai Er. "You're lethal, but predictable. These guys are monsters."

Bai Er shrugged. "I specialize in murder."

Jason chuckled. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."