The live stream screen went black.
The comment section flooded with question marks.
Soon, an official announcement scrolled across the top:
"The mist controlling the city's sky has been dispersed!"
Cheers erupted in the live stream—this meant Fang Zhiyi had succeeded yet again!
Viewers from other countries cursed as they exited, while leaders of nations hostile to the Xia Kingdom wore grim expressions.
In K Country, Ning Yi'an was also suffering. Not only had she failed her mission, but she'd also been extorted for a hefty sum. She knew K Country paid only to save their cities, not her. But when the official representative stood before her, declaring she'd be held responsible for the debt, Ning Yi'an's world collapsed.
Naturally, her hatred for Fang Zhiyi deepened.
Meanwhile, the Xia Kingdom's think tank was in chaos. Fang Zhiyi had completed the game but hadn't returned!
After thorough investigation, they reluctantly accepted a grim truth: Fang Zhiyi was likely trapped in the eerie world—and might not survive. The mist outside game scenarios was lethally dangerous. Once, a skilled contestant from Y Country tried exploring it and ended up torn to pieces.
Though grieving, officials accelerated training new recruits. With heavy losses and Fang Zhiyi's fall, they needed backup plans.
Time passed, and the game resumed.
This round required duo cooperation. The Xia Kingdom's chosen were a college student—just an ordinary one—and, bafflingly, none of the trained volunteers were selected.
When the live stream flickered to life, the sight of Fang Zhiyi casually eating ice cream outside a convenience store stunned everyone.
The public, unaware of the details, assumed anyone this relaxed at the start must be formidable.
"Host, the live stream's begun," Xiao Hei reminded.
Fang Zhiyi nodded eagerly. "Finally! I was bored to death." He swaggered to the roadside and hailed a cab.
A blood-red taxi emerged from the thin mist, its driver fully shrouded—clearly unnatural.
Fang Zhiyi climbed in without hesitation.
"Happy Neighborhood. Step on it."
The live stream exploded again.
"Wait, why is Fang-ge’s spawn point different?"
"Yeah, that college student—Cheng Xiang, right?—woke up at home reading rules."
"Same for other countries. Why’s Fang-ge’s vibe so unique?"
"It’s rigged! The game’s rigged!"
"Oh, shut up!"
"But I also think Fang-ge’s being targeted."
Officials remained silent. One staffer asked, "Should we inform the public about Fang Zhiyi’s status?"
A gray-haired man pondered, then shook his head. "No. Whatever happened, he’s still our nation’s hero. Let him decide. Maybe this round will bring him back."
Fang Zhiyi leaned against the rickety door, his mind drifting to a month earlier.
"Something in this damn mist grabbed me!"
"Host, to your right!"
With Xiao Hei’s help, he’d stumbled through the mist—whether by luck or the Golden Light Protection Charm’s power, he’d escaped. The outside world still swirled with fog, but it was navigable.
Xiao Hei warned of a curse.
"Curse?" Fang Zhiyi frantically patted himself down. Dying pointlessly would be humiliating.
When Xiao Hei extracted the "Prophet’s Blessing," Fang Zhiyi froze. "This is the curse?"
Xiao Hei scoffed. "Obviously. Why would they gift you power for free? This thing’s a trap." It pointed skyward.
Then Fang Zhiyi’s stomach growled.
Now he was stranded, worrying about food. He should’ve been back home feasting, not stuck here.
Luckily, the eerie world mirrored human society—some differences, but the logic held.
For example, it had muggers too.
When they saw their target was human, they’d grinned like they’d hit the jackpot—until the hangry Fang Zhiyi beat them senseless and took their valuables.
Watching him leave, the robbers wept. How did a human reek of their kind?
The menace returned, lost. They tearfully led him to a convenience store selling fresh meat, blood, and less popular items like instant noodles.
Dust-coated ramen made Fang Zhiyi ponder.
He had a theory.
At checkout, the clerk attacked—but his hacksaw was no match. Fang Zhiyi hung the corpse outside and promoted the robbers to manager and assistant manager.
A day later, the store’s powerful owner arrived, furious about his employee’s display.
He charged in, confident he could crush the two weaklings—only to find a human and two terrified ghosts playing poker.
By midnight, another body decorated the storefront.
Thus began Fang Zhiyi’s entrepreneurial journey in the eerie world.
When a human-meat factory truck arrived, he tried ordering pork and beef. The rude salesman mocked his humanity, so Fang Zhiyi twisted his head off and hung it like a mascot. The driver fled, trembling.
The factory boss was smarter. Learning the convenience store owner’s fate, he abandoned revenge—why risk angering a madman?
He visited Fang Zhiyi, proposing a partnership.
It paid off. Fang Zhiyi’s business tactics outperformed their brutish methods.
First, he "rented" empty shops for branches. Then he "recruited" street randoms—sorry, "lucky hires"—with biannual pay.
Yesterday, he standardized uniforms and launched new services.