“What?” Mo’er froze for a second, then said in disbelief, “This python skin scale… belongs to that person?”

Mr. Lin nodded, casting her a strange look. “Is something the matter?”

“N-nothing…” Mo’er quickly shook her head, a flicker of lingering fear in her eyes. She immediately turned to look at Ye Chen in the reception room; he was sitting casually on the sofa, gazing out the window, his thoughts unknown.

“Go activate the scanner,” Mr. Lin commanded.

“Ah? Oh.” Mo’er snapped back to attention and hurried over to the massive instrument beside her. She powered up the scanner, and a beam of red light swept across the scale. A string of data appeared on the screen. As her eyes glanced over the top row, she gasped, her beautiful eyes filled with shock, and she stammered, “Mr. Lin, Master Lin, this python scale… it actually reached Level 600!”

Mr. Lin, who had been checking the integrity of the scale, felt his hand tremble at the sound of her voice. He turned back, his face etched with astonishment. “What did you say?” Without waiting for Mo’er’s reply, he strode quickly to the instrument. One look and his jaw nearly dropped.

“Si-si-si-six hundred?” Mr. Lin’s tongue felt clumsy. Although he considered himself someone who had seen grand events—the strongest monster hide he’d encountered had only reached Level 80—comparing it to the item before him was like comparing a mere firefly to the sun.

In the living room.

Ye Chen waited a few moments before Mr. Lin emerged with Mo’er trailing behind him. Mr. Lin approached Ye Chen with a face full of smiles, politely inquiring, “May I ask your esteemed name, sir?”

Ye Chen glanced at him and stated calmly, “Speak plainly.”

Behind Mr. Lin, Mo’er twisted her hands together, feeling extremely anxious. After following her master out, she hadn't dared to look up at Ye Chen. Hearing him speak now, she tentatively raised her eyes and stole a glance, only to see Ye Chen’s expression was normal, without paying her any extra attention. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, yet felt a strange sense of disappointment.

“It’s like this,” Mr. Lin said, his expression somewhat awkward. “The materials you provided are far too valuable. With my clearance, I cannot make the decision alone; I must report this to my superiors.”

Ye Chen waved his hand. “No matter. Just leave the materials here. I will notify Xu Tianguo to collect them later. You can discuss the commission fee with him then.” Saying this, he stood up.

Mr. Lin was stunned. “You want the Guild Master to come in person to collect it? Could it be that you are friends with the Guild Master?”

Ye Chen nodded slightly, then waved his hand and headed for the exit, leaving the establishment.

After he left, Mr. Lin and his apprentice, Mo’er, exchanged a look, recognizing the shock mirrored in each other’s eyes.

“When did the Guild Master make friends with someone like that? Could he be an Elder in the Guild?”

…

Ye Chen left the tailor shop and dialed Xu Tianguo’s communicator. Not long after, the other end connected. Ye Chen spoke quickly, “I left a piece of python scale at a tailor shop near the city gate. Once you collect it, give it to Ai Erwei as soon as possible and ask her to craft it. Let her choose the style freely.”

Xu Tianguo was momentarily taken aback. Hearing the usually indifferent tone, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. “Boss Ye, is that really you?”

“Who else would it be?” Ye Chen glanced at him. On the communicator, a virtual window allowed him to see the other person’s appearance, functioning like a video call on a 3G phone.

“Boss Ye, why has your face changed like this?” Xu Tianguo asked, seeing Ye Chen’s features through the video feed.

Ye Chen casually replied, “Nothing much, just hiding from the bounty for a while.”

Xu Tianguo started violently. “I almost forgot to tell you, all the guilds in the city currently have bounties out for you! You must be careful. You’re outnumbered; if you really can’t hold on, just run!”

“En.” Ye Chen recognized his good intentions and said nothing more.

“Boss, you suddenly disappeared during this period, and calling your communicator showed it was unreachable. We were all frantic. Now that people have put bounties on you, should we offer our help?” Xu Tianguo asked worriedly.

Ye Chen said calmly, “It’s fine. I can handle these small matters myself.”

“Alright then, be careful.” Xu Tianguo hesitated for a moment. “I’ll hang up now; I have a meeting here.”

Ye Chen nodded, closed the communicator, and headed toward where his sister lived. He wasn't worried that Mr. Lin would get greedy over the python scale; it was too large, and taking it would be nearly impossible. The tailor shop’s blades wouldn't even be able to cut through the hide. If Mr. Lin tried to take the scale, he would have to pass through the large hall downstairs. These materials were usually collected personally by Xu Tianguo, and carrying them out openly would surely arouse suspicion.

The sky began to darken as night approached.

In the city of Atlantis, the sky remained a perpetual gray, devoid of stars or moon. However, the number of people entering the city had noticeably increased, and the number of street stalls had grown, with shouts and calls to buy goods echoing everywhere.

The happiest time of day was morning, the busiest was noon, and the most comfortable was the evening.

Ye Chen walked along the street and arrived at an apartment building. He pressed the button for his sister’s apartment unit. Although he could easily bypass the lock with his Qijin (Internal Energy), the doors in Atlantis City required an iris scan and could not be forced open.

He pressed the button for a while, receiving no response.

Ye Chen felt a slight unease and used his communicator to dial his sister’s contact number. After several minutes, the call showed no answer. Ye Chen suddenly recalled something his sister had once said: when he was gone, she would surely avenge him.

Thinking of this, he felt his blood boil. He hurriedly dialed Bai Long’s number. As soon as the connection was established, he immediately demanded, “Where is my sister?” His voice carried a chilling, murderous edge.

Bai Long shivered, sensing the situation was wrong. Before he could even ask about Ye Chen’s whereabouts over the past few days, he replied, “Isn't Ye Zhu at home? Did she go to the Virtual Wargod Tower again?”

Ye Chen started. Hearing that the worst outcome hadn't occurred, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The surging killing intent receded like water. If his sister, Ye Zhu, had suffered any harm, he suspected he might go mad, slaughter every last person in the base city, and then suffer a mental collapse himself, turning into a human monster.

“Virtual Wargod Tower?” Ye Chen frowned, spoke no further to Bai Long, immediately shut off the communicator, and rushed back toward his own residence. Soon, he was back in his desolate quarters.

“Enter Virtual World.”

Ye Chen walked to the nutrient pod and entered it. His brainwaves connected to the virtual world via a weak electrical current.

Virtual World, Yanhuang City.

Swish.

Ye Chen’s figure materialized out of thin air. Pedestrians bustled along the street, showing no surprise at the sudden appearance of one more person; everyone entering the virtual world was instantly teleported to an unoccupied spot on the streets of Yanhuang City.

Ye Chen’s expression was icy as he charged toward the Virtual Wargod Tower in the city center. In Yanhuang City, there stood a Wargod Tower, soaring nine stories high. Each floor featured a virtual opponent whose combat skills were terrifyingly refined.

Wargod Nine Floors, the Strong Leave Their Name.

In his previous life, even someone of Yun Shaojing’s stature had not managed to reach the ninth floor of the Wargod Tower, indicating how formidable the opponents on each level were. With Ye Chen’s current physique, the combat techniques he could execute only allowed him to barely pass the first floor of the Wargod Tower.

Not long after, Ye Chen arrived in the center of Yanhuang City and looked up. A magnificent iron tower towered into the sky, grand and imposing, making anyone standing before it seem as tiny as an ant.

Ye Chen didn't linger, his figure moving as he rushed inside.

“Hey! You bumped into me!” a large man roared angrily as Ye Chen brushed past him. “Are you in a hurry to be reincarnated, damn it?”

Ye Chen glanced at the big man, ignored him, and charged straight into the Wargod Tower. He immediately saw a transparent glass wall spanning a hundred zhang in the main hall, containing many compartments where people were engaged in combat.

Ye Chen peered into the compartments, scanning around. He did not see his sister’s figure, and his heart tightened. He checked again carefully, still finding no sign of her, and frowned, a flash of murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

“Hey!” At this moment, the large man whose shoulder Ye Chen had brushed against walked over from behind, looking down on Ye Chen, and said coldly, “Kid, apologize to your grandpa!”

“Scram!”

Killing intent erupted from Ye Chen’s eyes as he turned and kicked out. The big man was startled that Ye Chen would resort to violence so quickly, but then he sneered dismissively, “This is a non-combat zone in Yanhuang City. Everyone here is a Level 1 character. Don't get too arrogant, brat!” As he spoke, he extended his enormous, fan-like hand to grab Ye Chen’s kicking leg.

Malice sparked in Ye Chen’s eyes. His foot swept out suddenly, evading the big man’s grasp, landing on the man’s lower knee as if stepping onto a stair. He then jumped up, sweeping his other leg toward the man’s face.

The big man never expected Ye Chen to change his move so suddenly and didn't have time to react. He was struck across the face by the kick, flipping him over backward and sending him crashing onto his head.

Ye Chen landed, cast a cold glance at the man, and moved his body, stepping right over the man’s body as he walked toward the exit.

In the virtual world, regardless of whether you were a General or the Commander-in-Chief of a base city, everyone possessed Level 1 physique attributes; everything was decided by combat technique.

Without technique, you get bullied.

The surrounding onlookers were slightly shocked to see the big man thrown down so easily. Under the same physical attributes, they hadn't expected Ye Chen to win so cleanly and decisively, proving the vast difference in their combat skills.

After leaving the Wargod Tower, Ye Chen looked around. Pedestrians came and went on the streets, but Ye Zhu was nowhere to be seen. A vague irritation rose within him. Just then, he happened to overhear a few men walking by. One of them laughed, “I heard that on Combat Stage No. 12, a girl called ‘Bao’er Bei’ actually challenged Leng Xue, one of the top three on the Warrior Ranking. Truly doesn’t know the meaning of death.”

Ye Chen’s heart jolted. Bao’er Bei was the virtual character name his sister, Ye Zhu, had created.

…

Too hungry, haven't eaten lunch yet. Frustrating, the empty stomach rumbling while typing is affecting my speed.