Word quickly spread about Wen Shi checking in at the hotel owned by the second largest guild.
He appeared to be an odd character in every way. Even after leaving the instance, he didn't bother changing much. He simply settled into a free room without any worries about what might happen later on.
Everyone seemed to be relaxed on the surface, but behind the scenes, some hidden forces had already started to show signs of activity.
At noon, Wen Shi received an unexpected visitor, A'Ling. She was a bit surprised to see him open the door with a smile.
Wen Shi got straight to the point, "Did the hotel send you as a mediator for their guild?"
A'Ling didn't deny it when her secret was exposed with just a few words. "Yes, they wouldn't have let me in otherwise." As soon as she entered, she said, "I haven't told anyone about your war general."
War generals were a significant advantage. There weren't many players in the game who had them.
"Doesn't matter," Wen Shi shrugged, "Everyone was going to find out soon anyway."
From then on, he summoned zombies more frequently in the instance.
A'Ling frowned. "Usually, players keep their best items hidden, especially those without backing, after all… "
"When a tree stands out and excels among the others in the forest, it is more likely to attract attention, right?"
Wen Shi smiled casually and walked to the window, "In the virtual world, you can't cause harm or kill people, so what do I have to fear?"
It was foolish to risk your life when you had something good and not use it.
A'Ling wasn't sure if she should call him naive. "It's true that you can't cause harm, but there are plenty of ways to harm others. Besides, once you enter the instance, you can't always escape from others' deliberate harm no matter how smart you are."
Wen Shi didn't deny this point.
A'Ling: "You are now the target of everyone's arrows."
Calmly listening to her, Wen Shi asked in return, "And what about you? Don't you want to know about the clues related to the instance?"
A'Ling shook her head. "The best opportunity has already passed."
She couldn't find a chance to act in the instance, and now coming out posed more problems. She didn't even return directly to her original guild but took the initiative to find the Second Commandment Guild to undergo a truth test in front of everyone, or else no one would believe she hadn't obtained any clues from the newbie.
"As far as I know, a notorious underground guild will soon come after you. Once you enter the instance, everyone will have their eyes on you. Without the protection of a large guild, you'll find it extremely difficult."
Wen Shi casually responded with a couple of 'yeahs' and sent A'Ling away with the phrase "I'll carefully consider it."
As soon as A'Ling left, the manager immediately approached, "How did it go?"
"It failed."
This result was expected. They mostly wanted to probe each other's thoughts through her.
A'Ling: "Pei Wenwei didn't offer any conditions or show any willingness to cooperate."
The manager frowned. Could it be that he was planning to confront everyone head-on? If he really had such thoughts, it wouldn't even begin to describe it as foolish.
The manager couldn't help but feel annoyed by Wen Shi's arrogant behavior. With a little emotional intelligence, he should have shown some sincerity in return. So, in the afternoon, he didn't stop the person who wanted to deliver the message, wanting Wen Shi to understand the predicament he was in.
In the end, faced with these letters promising benefits, Wen Shi left them untouched and had someone take them away as they were. Finally, he directly hung a wooden sign on the door, politely declining any further disturbances, without giving face to anyone.
This included even the First Commandment Guild.
…
It was the first time in his life that he had been snubbed. Upon his return, this member of the First Commandment couldn't hold back laughing in frustration. As he walked along the road, he sent a message, "Boss, I didn't even get a chance to meet the person."
Just after teleporting there, he saw several suspicious figures wandering around the hotel, and he recognized two of them.
People recognized by the First Commandment Guild were naturally not good people. The member continued to voice input, "This newbie has offended quite a few people all at once. Troubles have already found their way to him."
Wen Shi hesitated to take a stance, and the hotel wasn't a charity organization, so they didn't support him against those lurking forces.
Outside the hotel, a burly man leaned against a tree, chewing gum. In the virtual world, there was alcohol but no cigarettes, which was very unfriendly to an old smoker like him.
The burly man was hired to deal with newbies, to test their hidden strengths. His underground guild specialized in researching a series of methods that caused immense suffering without causing permanent harm.
One of his accomplices, who had gone to gather information, returned. The burly man spat out the gum and asked, "Did you find out everything? Which floor is he on?"
"Boss Zhang, I got all the information. He's on the top floor, in the presidential suite."
Boss Zhang cursed with a profanity, "This kid sure knows how to enjoy life. Let's go."
The accomplice was a bit worried, "Isn't it a bit too blatant for us to just walk in like this? Should we try to trick him into coming down?"
This was the territory of the Second Commandment Guild, hence, being too aggressive would be suicidal.
"What's there to fear? The people from Second Commandment are eager to use someone's hand to teach that newbie a lesson."
With each guild having its own plan, it was a race to see who could act faster.
The top-floor presidential suite.
Wen Shi was eating fruit. In the virtual world, the prices were high, especially for drinks and food.
While eating, the smoke alarm in the corridor went off. Wen Shi heard running and door slamming, seemingly from a guest on the same floor.
"Quick, run!There's a fire!"
Wen Shi spat out grape skin, but instead of running, he pushed the sofa to block the door.
Clapping his hands, he turned around, and to his surprise, there was a face sticking to the window!
It wasn't a human face. It resembled some kind of mechanical puppet with clearly assembled parts. The cheekbones were prominent, and it had exaggerated blush, somewhat similar to the bridesmaid makeup Wen Shi once painted on the Wandering Corpse. The mechanical puppet raised its right arm at a ninety-degree angle, holding a small hammer, and began banging on the window.
Its mouth corners stretched wide. When it moved vigorously, its bangs seemed welded to its forehead.
Wen Shi fell silent for a moment. If humans couldn't kill each other, what about controlling machines or hiring someone to commit murder? He quickly dismissed this conclusion. Otherwise, the virtual world wouldn't have the relatively peaceful facade it had now.
But as A'Ling had said, there were plenty of methods to harm people. For example, locking you up in a dark room without food or water for two days, not enough to kill you, but enough to make you suffer.
The lock outside had already loosened. Someone was picking it. Wen Shi was about to call the hotel front desk when suddenly, with a loud crash, the glass completely shattered.
He put down the phone receiver, feeling that making that call was unnecessary. With such a commotion, the hotel must have known by now.
The puppet doll leaped inside, and its palm flipped open, shooting out dozens of sharp thin wires. Wen Shi hurled the nearest chair, but before he could catch his breath from the mechanical puppet's attack, the door behind him opened too.
The burly man who barged in signaled with his eyes to the person beside him when he saw the puppet doll. They were in sync–one quickly pulled out a small knife and swiftly cut the entangling wires. The other person approached Wen Shi directly.
Forced to retreat step by step, Wen Shi reached the floor-to-ceiling window. The wind was strong on the top floor, and the gusts blew in from the shattered hole. He glanced sideways and saw more people continuously coming into the hotel from outside.
As long as one person made a move, others wouldn't be able to hold back for long.
At least now he was facing both sides.
Wen Shi looked serious as he addressed the burly man, "You didn't strike immediately. You want to force me to use the communicator to contact that so-called vice guild leader, using it as a bet and gaining support from someone influential."
The short person dealing with the puppet looked surprised and turned to the burly man, "Boss Zhang…"
Boss Zhang didn't deny it. If he could get higher up, he could make the Second Commandment Guild owe him a favor. Of course, if the other party insisted on not contacting the vice guild leader, it didn't matter. He would just fulfill the original employer's task.
The bathroom was nearby. Boss Zhang casually pushed its door open and turned on the faucet. With the sound of rushing water, he asked through the frosted glass, "How's your lung capacity?"
Wen Shi frowned, unable to help but say, "Conserve water." After a pause, he added, "Even if you manage to get some information out of me, you won't get out of this hotel."
The hotel allowed these people to enter, intending to catch them after their actions.
Boss Zhang revealed a sinister smile. "Since we're confident enough to get in, we're confident enough to get out."
Outside, chaos reigned as various low-profile underground guilds emerged, even the Second Commandment Guild found it difficult to completely control the situation. Seeing that Wen Shi had no intention of contacting the Second Commandment Guild, the burly man wasted no more time and strode towards him.
Wen Shi smiled when he noticed this. From two minutes ago, he had been receiving a series of private messages. It was evident that they were trying to force him to submit by creating a crisis.
"Player 372355 has sent you a private message through a special communication item. Do you accept?"
"Player 418921 has sent you a private message through a special communication item. Do you accept?"
.....
As long as they knew the player numbers, they could use items from the in-game store to send one-sided messages in the virtual world. However, whether the recipient reads them or not depends on them.
Wen Shi opened the messages. They were all basically the same, using persuasive language. They claimed that if he was willing to hand over the instance clues, they would ensure his safety, provide protection for his future instances, and even offered thousands of points and beginner-friendly items as additional incentives. All the promises were genuine and valid, signed through contract items.
After reading them, Wen Shi found it laughable.
Such light promises were like dismissing a beggar.
He had waited until now to see how much these people valued the information in his hands, and now it was clear: at any cost.
Boss Zhang had already arrived in front of Wen Shi, his large hands reaching for Wen Shi's neck.
Wen Shi looked calmly at him, and his lips moved, "Three, two… one."
Just as Boss Zhang was about to roughly grab his hair and drag him to the edge of the water pool, the final countdown ended, and his communicator rang.
The person on the other end said only one word, "Stop."
Not just him, but also the hotel security watching the situation, the underground guilds exchanging fire in the corridor, and the people outside keeping watch. All received the same message at the same time.
Boss Zhang was stunned. "I don't understand. If we withdraw now, won't all our previous efforts be in vain?"
"The reinforcements you called for have already withdrawn, and the Second Commandment Guild has redeployed defenses around the hotel. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave at all."
Boss Zhang gritted his teeth, no longer hesitating, and called his underlings, "Let's go!"
On the other side, the puppet seemed to have received some secret instructions and quickly disappeared as well.
During their retreat, Boss Zhang was about to contact his acquaintances to inquire about what had happened when he suddenly noticed an unread private message. After reading it, his face changed.
The in-game store had a dedicated trading platform for players. Any transaction conducted within it must have a minimum value of one thousand points, with the system taking a ten percent cut. This feature was rarely used. People preferred to do offline trading in the trade district for buying and selling anything.
However, there were some benefits too. If a player conducted more than a hundred transactions or if a single transaction exceeded a total value of ten thousand points, the game would reward them with a 2% discount card and a random small item.
Overall, it was a somewhat useless feature.
The higher the price of the sold items, the more valuable they became on the market. Players might not be willing to auction them, as the money from the commission could buy a decent item.
But today, someone used it.
One minute ago, Wen Shi had posted a trade offer in auction format. The starting price was one thousand points, and the auction would begin at midnight. As for the item for auction, it was a team slot.
Clicking on it would reveal more detailed information:
[Item: Team Slot *1
I promise to team up with the final winner for the next instance.
Note: Please provide your own two-person team item.]
Boss Zhang's immediate reaction was, "This is madness."
"Madness," almost at the same time, he heard his accomplice hiss the same word. The other person had also seen the latest trade listing.
Using the in-game store's trading platform, the game would broadcast the news to all players once for free. Except for those currently in instances, the entire virtual world now knew about Wen Shi's upcoming auction. After the initial shock, they immediately understood the underlying intention.
In any case, no matter how he played innocent, he would offend people, and once he entered the instance, he would attract significant attention. In that case, he might as well profit from it.
Wen Shi might as well have said outright: "I'm giving you all a chance to harm me, torment me, and extract information from me, but this chance comes at a cost."
"Fearless, arrogant, and mad… but very clever."
Even Boss Zhang couldn't help but objectively comment on these maneuvers.
Before entering the instance, the final winner wouldn't outright worship the newbie as their ancestor, but they would at least ensure his personal safety.
As for whether someone would buy it, the answer was undoubtedly yes.
For major guilds, no one could resist the temptation of super-rare instances. Previously, there were players who triggered new instances, but the highest difficulty they reached was B-grade. As the first person to directly trigger a 3S instance, one would possess a significant amount of useful information and potentially unique advantages.
With the current chaos, no one could guarantee extracting the information they needed. After all, a player who survived in a dire situation was likely to withstand any torture in a few days. They themselves were engaged in a battle of attrition. No matter how strong their willpower was, enduring the abuse each time they came out of the instance was challenging.
Now with this turning point, everyone preferred to wait until the auction in the evening was over.
Boss Zhang cursed, "This newbie is definitely even worse than us."
The essence of the game was like a skillful capitalist, excelling in exploitation and plundering, while the newbie had engaged in a risk-free transaction. In this auction, he hadn't invested anything, only gained.
•
Ten minutes before midnight.
Wen Shi came out of his room, ordered the best red wine and steak, and sat in the restaurant on the first floor to enjoy.
The lighting was just right. At this time, no one came down to eat, making the entire hall spacious and bright. The ambiance was very pleasant.
Halfway through his meal, a bespectacled man appeared across from him. "Would you like me to join you?"
"The hotel is yours. Feel free."
Both of them tacitly avoided discussing the turmoil at the hotel during the day.
When they met in the morning, the bespectacled man had only given Wen Shi his communicator and contact information, but now he voluntarily introduced himself, "My surname is Ji, Ji Yuanzhi."
In a reciprocating manner, Wen Shi wiped the corner of his mouth and reached out to give a virtual handshake. "Pei Wenwei."
Ji Yuanzhi: "I'll be direct. The more skilled the players, the harder the game will match them with instances. Those participating in the auction are all elite players. As a newbie, you will typically be matched with C-level instances, but if you team up with elite players, there's a high probability that you'll be placed in A-level instances."
Wen Shi: "Oh? Oh."
Two consecutive 'ohs,' from excitement to disappointment.
The good news was that he didn't have to go to an A-level instance, but the bad news was that he would be heading to an A+ level instance next.
Ji Yuanzhi noticed that he genuinely had no fear, adjusted his glasses, and remained silent.
The clock was about to strike midnight. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for many.
Ji Yuanzhi sat across from Wen Shi, preparing to participate in the bidding on the trading platform.
At the moment the auction began, Wen Shi propped his legs on the table, swirled his wine glass, and occasionally looked out the window at the night, with a serious expression.
The manager, who temporarily played the role of a waiter from a distance, pursed his lips, finding this scene quite… weird.
Midnight arrived.
In less than a second, the auction price had increased by five hundred, and before anyone could even blink, the price skyrocketed. One thousand, two thousand, within half a minute, it soared to five thousand.
Wen Shi set the record for the fastest bidding increase in the auction.
He stared at the panel in his mind, feeling a twitch in his eyelid. Were all these guilds so wealthy?
Currently, the highest bidder was from the Puppet Guild, bidding 5800.
Thinking of the puppet that broke into the hotel during the day, Wen Shi withdrew his gaze from the night sky and asked, propping his head, "Tell me about this possible client."
"Members of the Puppet Guild mostly possess the[Puppetry]skill. Under certain conditions, they can manipulate people's wills, even temporarily controlling players as war puppets."
Although they were the second largest guild, when Ji Yuanzhi mentioned the Puppet Guild, there was a hint of dread in his tone. The current guild leader of the Puppet Guild was incredibly powerful, and with no moral constraints, they could fully unleash the potential of their skill.
Wen Shi showed no signs of panic, but rather excitement. "Then they will surely bid high to buy this slot, else, it would be a waste of their manipulative skill. Help me raise the price to seven thousand. They will definitely bid higher."
Ji Yuanzhi gave him a deep look and replied, "No need to tell me, I'll raise it."
After adding one thousand points, Ji Yuanzhi asked, "Aren't you afraid of really teaming up with the Puppet Guild?"
Wen Shi smiled and said, "If anyone tries to turn me into a puppet, I'll kill them."
Ji Yuanzhi calmly responded, "In instances, you can't openly kill others."
"I know." Wen Shi's smile became even gentler. "But my Big Sister told me that if there's injustice, settle it all with a single strike. Whoever kills shall be killed."
The alcohol in this bottle was much stronger than the fake wine mixed with pigments in the instance. As the alcohol took effect, Wen Shi's cheeks slightly flushed, and his eyes, like peach blossoms, made him look radiant, like a begonia flower. The words he spoke were difficult to achieve in the game. To anyone listening, it sounded like drunken talk full of resentment.
While Wen Shi mumbled to himself, the auction price had already been called to ten thousand.
"Such a rich person." Wen Shi stared at the string of zeroes. Feeling numb, he shook his head in amazement.
"It was me who made the bid."
For a large guild, producing ten thousand points was not difficult.
Wen Shi immediately changed his attitude, sat up straight, and said, "Hello, wealthy patron."
As a qualified second party, he didn't inquire about how Ji Yuanzhi would plan to deal with him inside the instance but simply encouraged him to keep bidding.
It was basically a contest between the First Commandment Guild and the Second Commandment Guild.
Tonight, the entire city was watching this thrilling auction, with some even privately placing bets on which guild would back down first.
Wen Shi pumped his fist on the spot, cheering, "Go for it, go for it, go for it! If I end up in the A-level instance, there's a high chance I'll die in there, and it will be difficult to get this opportunity again! Big Brothers, cherish me while I'm about to become a rare commodity!"
Ji Yuanzhi: "..."
Eleven thousand!
Twelve thousand!
Fifteen thousand!
When the auction price reached 15500, the First Commandment Guild stopped bidding.
Ji Yuanzhi calmly raised the bid to 15600.
Wen Shi anxiously scanned the scene, not waiting for the First Commandment Guild to raise the bid again.
"Don't think about it. If the price goes higher, they'll probably think it's more appropriate to spend another ten thousand points to eliminate you."
Wen Shi wasn't disheartened. His eyes and brows brimmed with joy as he anticipated the points he was about to receive. He asked the manager for another wine glass and poured it full for Ji Yuanzhi. "Cheers, dad."