Chapter 43 – The Night Before the Update

Fang Zheng spread the insider news about the upcoming game update to the entire guild. At first, everyone was skeptical, but within a week, Huaxia Online released an official announcement. The flowery promotional language and overwhelming advertisements won’t be repeated here—here are the key points:

1. The character level cap will increase from 55 to 70.

2. New world maps and higher-level dungeons will be added.

3. Several bugs and unreasonable mechanics from the old version will be fixed. For example, in the old version, if a player was killed, any equipment they dropped could be picked up by others. This led to some players exploiting the system by killing each other to trade bound items that were originally only obtainable through dungeons. In the new version, bound dungeon drops will disappear when they are dropped, while player-crafted or unbound items can still be picked up. There were many similar fixes, clearly reflecting the game developers’ deep analysis of player experience.

However, just as grand as the update announcement was the server merger notice.

Huaxia Online originally had 13 servers. After the update, it would be reduced to 10, meaning three servers would be merged into others—Mirage Server was one of them.

The moment they saw the announcement, the Ghost Server Legion members were fired up, imagining maps bustling with players and a thriving Auction House the next day—like the entire virtual landscape painted red with prosperity. But when they scrolled down and saw that the destination server was Huaxia Summit, the flames of excitement flickered into a different hue—

Jiang Yang: “Who the hell made this decision? It’s perfect! Laozi was tired of running back and forth between servers!”

2B Fighter Jet: “This is such a scam! Laozi just escaped from there!”

Crossplayer’s Blessing: “We were natives in Mirage Server, but now we’ll be outsiders in Huaxia Summit. Feels like a downgrade…”

Blood Bulls Don’t Graze: “I heard Huaxia Summit got even more popular after the PvP Tournament. It’s practically the top server in Huaxia now—we’re not losing out.”

Refined Into a Demon 438: “But running into the former guild leader or something would be so awkward…”

Fang Zheng: “You think it’ll be awkward for you? What about Polly? He was abandoned by Huaxia Dominion in Mirage Server. Staying away from Huaxia Summit was the last shred of dignity he had. Now with this merger, all that persistence is down the drain. Who knows what those bastards are saying behind his back—he won’t even have a chance to defend himself…”

Polly: “Before I defend myself to them, can I deal with you first?”

Fang Zheng: “Hero, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have brought up your scars…”

Jiang Yang: “Why do I feel zero sincerity in that apology?”

Fang Zheng: “…What’s it to you?!”

Jiang Yang: “As a guild member, it’s my duty to shield the Deputy Commander from storms.”

Fang Zheng: “So you won’t protect me, your Commander?”

Jiang Yang: “I can shield you too=_=”

There was nothing wrong with Jiang Yang’s words in context, but the teasing, half-smirking tone made Fang Zheng’s mind wander to places it shouldn’t—and then, shamefully, he blushed.

Damn it, this trait didn’t suit him at all TAT

“Hey, where’d you go?” Jiang Yang asked when no retort came. In his memory, Fang Zheng’s combat power wasn’t this weak.

But the truth was, Fang Zheng had no idea what was wrong with him lately. Against this old rogue, his combat power plummeted—his stats were practically downgraded from orange-tier to white-tier gear.

Fang Zheng faintly sensed this wasn’t a good sign, but he couldn’t control the situation’s development.

Jiang Yang was still calling out in the voice chat, but since Fang Zheng had already gone silent, he muted his mic without guilt and lit a cigarette, committing to the act.

By the time Fang Zheng finished his smoke, the voice chat had already moved on to discussing a five-year plan to dominate Huaxia Summit.

Letting out a long sigh and tossing the cigarette butt into an empty instant noodle cup, Fang Zheng realized Polly hadn’t spoken since Jiang Yang derailed the conversation earlier. He quickly sent a private message—

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: You there?

[Whisper] Polly: Yeah.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Sorry, Mad Lad derailed the conversation earlier [sweat]

[Whisper] Polly: And then you muted your mic.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: ……

[Whisper] Polly: Couldn’t hear you typing anymore.

Why did the expert always know the hidden meaning behind his ellipses and even answer the unspoken questions?!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Uh, forget that idiot. Let’s talk about something serious.

[Whisper] Polly: Sure.

Polly replied so quickly that Fang Zheng was momentarily at a loss, scrambling to remember what they’d been discussing—

[Whisper] Polly: Earlier, you mentioned I’d feel awkward after the server merge.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Polly, if you keep being this perceptive, I might fall for you =_=

[Whisper] Polly: You’re welcome to do so.

Why was it that when Mad Lad cracked jokes, they reeked of ruffian energy, but when Polly did it, it felt sacred and untouchable? That was the question.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: So… will you feel awkward after the merge?

[Whisper] Polly: What do you think?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: That’s why I’m worried—I don’t know!

[Whisper] Polly: Afraid I’ll leave?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Your mind-reading is adorable right now~\(≧▽≦)/~

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Of course, I can totally hold up the guild banner alone, but having someone to run errands and do grunt work is better than being a lone commander~~~~

After the wave of tildes, Polly fell silent.

But inexplicably, Fang Zheng felt certain Polly wouldn’t leave. Their brief exchange had given him godlike intuition.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Why the silence?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Want to hit me?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Come on, baby, I’m sticking my face right out—see?~\(≧▽≦)/~

[Whisper] Polly: Keep teasing.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Hehehehe~~=_=

After messing with the Deputy Commander, Fang Zheng, having nothing else to do, switched to another computer to log into a power-leveling account. Recently, he’d taken on two power-leveling jobs. The first account, in its 40s, had been lent to Polly and returned the next day as a radiant max-level character, nearly giving Fang Zheng a heart attack. He thought Polly must’ve been insanely devoted to the class, pulling an all-nighter. But then, last night before logging off, Polly borrowed the second account. Fang Zheng figured he was considering switching classes.

As long as it wasn’t Huaxia Summit, even if there was a queue, it was brief. Soon, the Junior Demon Refiner appeared on the screen.

At the entrance of the Western Hunan Corpse King Necropolis.

What was a level 30-something alt doing at a max-level dungeon? The moment the thought crossed Fang Zheng’s mind, a bad premonition struck. He quickly checked the character’s stats—sure enough, level 55.

Was his Deputy Commander some kind of god-tier power-leveler?!

At this point, even if Fang Zheng’s brain were filled with cement, he’d have figured it out. He immediately switched back to Mirage Server.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Give me your account info.

[Whisper] Polly: Polly, a292402

[Whisper] Polly: Sent the security card to your QQ.

The reply came almost instantly, without even a “why.” Fang Zheng couldn’t shake the feeling Polly was doing this on purpose =_=

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: I meant your bank account number!

[Whisper] Polly: Don’t have one.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Bullshit. Even cavemen have online banking these days.

[Whisper] Polly: I’m worse than a caveman.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: ……

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Stop messing around. I’ll give you 40% of the power-leveling fee.

Expecting Polly to keep refusing, Fang Zheng was surprised when the other replied—

[Whisper] Polly: Only 40%?

Fang Zheng wanted to strangle him!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: How much do you want?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Never mind, don’t answer. I won’t give it to you anyway ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Whisper] Polly: Fine, 40% it is.

So compliant?

[Whisper] Polly: Put it on tab. I’ll collect when it adds up.

How had he gone into debt in the blink of an eye? =_=

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Just so you know, I spend money as soon as I earn it. If I can’t pay you back later, don’t blame me.

[Whisper] Polly: You can pay with your daughter.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Polly, I’ve wanted to ask this for a long time—do you keep three or four scripts ready whenever you chat with me…?

The humor of an expert was something Fang Zheng would never understand.

…

Game operators were always men of action. Once the advertisements reached their peak, the game update rolled out in full force.

The maintenance would last two days. During this time, players could download the updated client and patches from the official website, but the new Huaxia journey would only begin at noon on the third day.

Two days—for people in the real world, it was a blink of an eye. A test, a workday, a date, and it was over. But for shut-ins who logged into the game the moment they woke up, or comrades who had grown accustomed to logging in during their free time, it was agonizing.

On the first night of maintenance, the entire Ghost Server Legion gathered in the voice chat and talked nonsense until late.

On the second night, the comrades didn’t show up at all—only the Commander, the Deputy Commander, and one lonely man who couldn’t find anyone to hang out with.

To be fair, Jiang Yang’s friends weren’t to blame. After being ignored for months, they weren’t about to drop everything just because he suddenly felt like drinking ╮(╯_╰)╭

So the three of them idled in the voice chat, somewhat at a loss.

Jiang Yang: “Wanna play some cards?”

Fang Zheng: “Can’t you think of something classier?”

Jiang Yang: “Ge is just trying to match your level.”

Fang Zheng froze.

Though Jiang Yang was a rogue at heart, he rarely referred to himself as older brother in front of others. Hearing it now gave Fang Zheng the inexplicable feeling of being a thief caught red-handed.

“Uh, let’s watch a movie,” Fang Zheng cleared his throat and suggested.

“Yeah, that’s classy,” Jiang Yang shot back, never one to let others have the last word.

Fang Zheng ignored him and opened a movie website from his bookmarks, browsing recent hits.

Fang Zheng loved horror movies, but genuinely scary ones still terrified him, so he usually watched them in broad daylight. But tonight, with comrades in the voice chat, it felt like having company—so he mustered the courage to show off.

On a hot summer night, it was practically cooling therapy ╮(╯_╰)╭

The homepage featured an intense poster for a Thai horror film. Fang Zheng usually didn’t dare challenge films from that country, but with the expert and the client on the other end of the line, his courage swelled.

The movie buffered quickly, and within moments, the gripping opening sequence began. Fang Zheng covered half his eyes but was still thoroughly spooked, wide awake and barely daring to breathe. He knew it was fake—just special effects makeup—but his scalp prickled with visceral fear anyway…

A little girl stood in a hallway, bouncing a ball.

The crisp sound of the ball hitting the floor, over and over.

The camera zoomed in.

The little girl looked up—

“What movie are you watching?”

Goddammit, suddenly hearing a human voice in the middle of a silent hallway sound effect, paired with a close-up of the little girl’s face, was downright lethal!!!

Fang Zheng paused the movie with the spacebar, clutching his bleeding heart as if on the verge of tears: “Polly… did God send you here to mess with me…?”

“Watching a horror film?” Polly remained eerily calm. “Your headphones leak sound. I could hear it through your mic.”

Being scared alone was no fun—being scared together was better!

Gritting his teeth, Fang Zheng shared the movie title.

“You’re still watching horror movies at your age? That’s for kids,” Jiang Yang scoffed, clearly refusing to join in.

Polly, however, stayed silent. Soon, faintly, the familiar opening sounds of the film could be heard from his end.

And he said Fang Zheng’s headphones were bad =_=

Fang Zheng mentally rolled his eyes, but then it occurred to him that Polly was probably in an internet café. The image of the tragic homeless youth resurfaced, and along with it, guilt over the few hundred bucks he owed him.

Watching a movie online with someone else was a strange experience. Though they were in different places, the synchronization made it feel shared. At thrilling or grotesque moments, they could even discuss it over voice chat. Halfway through, Fang Zheng was thoroughly enjoying himself—even the scary parts felt less terrifying and more fascinating.

However, the occasional cheerful BGM of someone playing cards in the background was a mood-killer. Fortunately, it had vanished about thirty seconds ago.

Fang Zheng absentmindedly checked the voice chat list—sure enough, Mad Lad was gone.

Gone to bed already?

The movie was at a gripping moment, but Fang Zheng’s thoughts drifted.

His phone buzzed with a short notification. Assuming it was spam (since Gou Xiaonian and Xu Di usually called), Fang Zheng was surprised to see it was from the “Rich Bastard.”

That was how Fang Zheng had saved Jiang Yang’s contact—a name overflowing with the complex emotions of a short, poor nerd toward a tall, rich, handsome man.

The rich bastard’s message was simple:

[Damn, power’s out.]

Fang Zheng was baffled. He wasn’t an electrician =_=

[Why tell me? Call maintenance.]

Jiang Yang chuckled at the reply. He was certain the healer Commander was a virgin when it came to men—or maybe being with men? Either way, he was like a shy plant, recoiling at the slightest touch or putting on an aloof front to kill the mood. And yet, it just made you want to tease him more.

Though the power was out, the AC that had been running all day hadn’t dissipated yet. Jiang Yang lay on the bed in the dark, tapping away at his phone like a lovestruck teenager—

[I can fix it myself, but I need spiritual energy replenishment.]

Fang Zheng facepalmed.

Why did everything this guy say sound suggestive and loaded with subtext? =_=

[Where’d you go?]

[Dead.]

[Taking care of guild members is the Commander’s duty.]

[I resign in disgrace =_=]

[Hey, it’s the middle of the night, I’m alone with no power—pretty pathetic, huh? Even my drinking buddies won’t answer. Can’t you chat with me?]

Fang Zheng stared at the message, frowning in contemplation for a long time before sighing and surrendering.

[What do you want to talk about?]

[I dunno, just random stuff. Like, how long have you been playing Huaxia?]

The question was so normal it felt abnormal. Fang Zheng racked his brain but couldn’t find any hidden traps, so he answered honestly—

[Over six years.]

[Always been a power-leveler?]

[How else would I survive?]

[No school?]

[Dropped out after high school.]

[Honestly, in China’s education system, high school’s enough.]

Fang Zheng was surprised. He’d expected the rich bastard to spout some nonsense about how education was key to success. Huh, maybe this guy had some redeeming qua—

[Ever had a boyfriend?]

—never mind. The flaws were too glaring!

[I’m guessing no. Even if you did, your man would’ve fought with your computer.]

[What do you mean…]

[Imagine him with his bow drawn, ready to shoot, and you’re like, ‘Hold on, let me finish this dungeon first’…]

Jiang Yang’s description was so vivid Fang Zheng immediately pictured it—and the worst part was, the two stand-ins in his mind were a chubby guy and a dude in sunglasses!

Someone save him TAT

And so, back and forth, Fang Zheng ended up texting Jiang Yang until the early hours. By the time Jiang Yang finally gave in and said, “Ge’s not waiting for the power, Ge’s going to bed,” it was already 3:10 a.m.

Fang Zheng was shocked—in his mind, they’d only exchanged a few words.

The movie had long ended, the page sitting quietly on the screen, overlapped by the voice chat window where two avatars still remained.

Fang Zheng quickly picked up his headset (which he didn’t remember taking off) and tentatively called out: “Polly?”

To his surprise, the reply came almost instantly: “Yeah.”

Fang Zheng blinked. “Still awake?”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Polly’s voice came through, low and tired: “Yeah. Going to sleep now.”

Polly sounded drained. Fang Zheng thought, well, even experts weren’t made of iron.

“Go home. Don’t sleep at the internet café. I’m logging off too.”

Again, the reply was simple: “Yeah.”

…

That night, the overnight staff at Overwinter Internet Café found their night-owl boss acting strangely. First, he wasn’t playing his usual game. Second, he was watching a horror film—something he usually scoffed at. Then, at 1:30 a.m., she brought him a cup of instant noodles for a late-night snack, only to find that though he was wearing headphones, the movie was paused. When she asked why he wasn’t continuing, the boss calmly replied with three words:

“Waiting for someone.”