Half an hour later.
"This is an Internet Cafe?"
As Li Yun stepped into the alley and looked up slightly, he could see the sign with the words "Internet Cafe" not far away, his expression a little strange, and he muttered, "They didn't trick me, did they?"
It was not his fault for being suspicious.
The Commercial Street outside the alley, if judged by Feiyun Country's standards, could be considered prosperous.
But here, the houses were old, and all the surrounding shops had closed down, leaving an empty space. Aside from the relatively clean road, it was truly desolate and shabby.
Do the powerful students of the Royal Academy usually like to come here?
Li Yun immediately shook his head, feeling somewhat bored and uninterested.
At this moment, he even felt that coming here on his own to find entertainment was a mistake, because it was too low-class.
Even a profligate son should have some class and style, shouldn't he?
But just then.
He noticed that two figures were already standing in front of him, having arrived at the Internet Cafe before him.
They were two middle-aged men. One was a plump middle-aged man dressed in fine silk, adorned with gold and silver, appearing somewhat overweight.
The other was a gentle and refined-looking man with a goatee.
However, neither of them went in immediately; instead, they lingered in front of the Internet Cafe's entrance.
The plump middle-aged man looked at the Internet Cafe a few times and couldn't help but ask, "This is the fun place you mentioned? It doesn't look like it?"
"This... I haven't actually been here either, I just happened to hear someone mention this place!"
"They say that here you can play a magical game using a machine called a computer, and it's supposedly very exciting!"
"I was just curious at the time, so I invited you to come!"
The goatee-wearing middle-aged man recalled, but then his face showed hesitation: "But now that I think about it, it still feels a bit strange. How about we go back?"
"No, no, no!"
Upon hearing this, the plump middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he quickly waved his hand: "What's there to be afraid of? It's better if it's a bit more exciting. I was worried it would be too boring. You mentioning it just makes me more curious. Whether we play or not, there's no harm in just taking a look, right?"
"Then... alright!"
The goatee-wearing middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and the two then walked inside.
"Exciting game?"
Li Yun, who was behind the two, was also somewhat surprised after hearing these words.
"Forget it, since I'm already here, I'll take a look first!"
Then he followed the two inside.
"Hmm?"
As soon as he walked in, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere was different from the desolate air outside.
Although it wasn't too noisy, he could immediately feel the fervent gaming atmosphere within.
All the seats in the Internet Cafe were already full, and in the corridor, many players were lingering, waiting for a spot and watching others play.
Each of them had shining eyes, discussing as they watched.
"Come quickly and look, Lord Wu is about to challenge the Steel Dragon again!"
"How many times has he fought it today?"
"About ten times, I think. He even went to ask the boss for advice twice, but he still hasn't beaten it. I don't think he'll make it this time either!"
"Not necessarily, look, Lord Wu is getting more and more skilled!"
Behind a computer not far from the Internet Cafe's entrance, many players had gathered to watch.
The plump man and the goatee-wearing man exchanged glances, feeling curious and wanting to go take a look, but as soon as they got close.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Suddenly, several dragon roars exploded in their ears like thunder, as if the sound itself conveyed a strong killing intent.
"Oh my goodness, what's happening?"
"There's a desolate beast, run!"
The plump man, who had been full of courage just moments before, trembled in his legs and almost collapsed to the ground in fright.
The goatee-wearing man looked panicked and flustered.
Li Yun, who was following behind the two, was also startled. Raising his eyebrows, his Martial Qi circulated, and he was already poised to draw the Taichi Sword in his hand.
"Heh, new arrivals again?"
The other players nearby, seeing the trio's reaction, were already used to it and found it somewhat amusing, as everyone's reaction seemed to be similar the first time they came.
"The boss said to treat newcomers kindly, so here's a reminder for you: don't worry, it's not real, it's just a game!"
"Yes, everyone enters the game world through this computer and a virtual device!"
"Do you see that person sitting in front? He's fighting monsters in the game right now!"
After hearing the players' explanations, the three couldn't help but turn to look at Wu Lei, who was sitting in front of the computer with a virtual device on his head.
Then they looked at the computer screen.
On the screen was a giant monster with four legs and two wings, its skin, muscles, and bones all having the texture of steel.
And Wu Lei, who was clearly sitting in a chair, had a person on the screen who looked exactly like him, clad in armor and holding a weapon, fighting that monster.
The battle had reached a fever pitch.
Suddenly.
A player exclaimed, "Look, the Steel Dragon is gravely injured!"
The other players also became excited: "Could it be that Lord Wu has a chance this time?"
Wu Lei, holding his Taichi Sword, seized the opportunity and suddenly delivered two slashes, striking the Steel Dragon's leg. The hard leg shell was broken open, and blood spilled out.
The Steel Dragon let out a miserable cry, then its movements became unsteady, somewhat tottering.
It was limping!
Wu Lei's face instantly lit up with joy. This was the first time he had gotten it to this state after fighting it so many times today.
Could he have a chance?
However, in that moment of distraction, the Steel Dragon's eyes grew even more furious. It suddenly spread its wings, flew into the air, and then opened its massive mouth, causing violent fluctuations. As it spat, a beam-like wind pressure shot directly towards him.
"Not good!"
Wu Lei wanted to dodge, but he was a step too slow and was instantly engulfed by the wind pressure.
"What a pity, he still died!"
A player immediately shook his head regretfully.
"Die?"
Upon hearing this word, the plump middle-aged man and the goatee-wearing man beside him both shivered.
A player, seeing their reaction, smiled and explained, "Don't worry, dying in the game isn't real death; you'll revive!"
"Not real death?"
"Can you revive?"
The two were stunned for a moment, then looked at the screen again. Sure enough, they saw a reluctant Wu Lei pick up his weapon again and go challenge the Steel Dragon.
After watching for a while longer, the expressions on their faces slowly changed from surprise and confusion to excitement and thrill.
They finally understood what playing a game meant.
It was like traversing into a real world, where you could not only fight powerful desolate beasts but, most importantly, you wouldn't die?
"Damn, this game is great! It's exciting and there's no danger!"
The plump middle-aged man was getting more and more excited. He considered himself to have a rich experience, but he had never experienced such a magical thing. He was ecstatic.
The goatee-wearing man also nodded repeatedly, showing great interest.
Meanwhile, Li Yun, who had been silent behind the two, gradually had a strange glow in his eyes.
This computer seemed even more interesting than he had imagined.