Chapter 6 Come Back Tomorrow
The Nine Heavens Continent is a fantasy world where the strong prey on the weak, and strength is paramount.
No matter how fun a game is, it's still just a game, nothing more.
But a game that is both fun and can quickly improve one's strength…
One must know that cultivation is boring and lengthy.
To quickly become stronger, besides arduous training, there's also consuming a large amount of precious elixirs and rare heavenly treasures.
But the money spent on that is much more expensive than playing games, and they are also rare to come by.
Therefore, Zhao Tie no longer complained about the Internet Cafe's prices; in fact, his opinion completely changed. Not only did he not find it expensive, but he also felt it was incredibly cheap.
Moreover, for him, the most important thing was that if he could successfully break through to a 2-star Bronze martial artist tonight, his chances of surviving tomorrow's hunting expedition would be much greater.
"If I can come back alive, I'll come back and play again!"
Zhao Tie muttered to himself at the Internet Cafe's entrance before turning and leaving.
After Zhao Tie left, a few more passersby came to the Internet Cafe.
However, they were all deterred by the Internet Cafe's exorbitant prices, with some even cursing Su Ran's place as a black market shop.
The meat Su Ran gave Zhao Tie earlier was not actually a true system reward.
It was food prepared by the system for Su Ran, and there was only a little bit each day, so there was no more to give away.
Fortunately, the Internet Cafe's machines were already unlocked. With no customers, Su Ran played by himself, immersing himself so much that he almost forgot the time.
…
"Is the newly opened Spring Breeze Pavilion not here?"
Just then, a handsome young man dressed in brocade clothes and holding a folding fan appeared at the Internet Cafe's entrance. He looked at the Internet Cafe's sign with a playful and disdainful expression.
"Nine Heavens Internet Cafe?"
"A small shop, but its name is quite grand. I wonder what this Internet Cafe thing is?"
The young man pushed the door open. As soon as he entered, he spotted Su Ran playing a game.
He couldn't help but walk over and take a look.
Su Ran was completely engrossed in his game, currently in a fierce battle with a Brutal Jaw Dragon, completely unaware that someone was standing behind him.
After watching for only a short while, the initially disdainful young man's eyes widened in astonishment.
"What is this? A martial artist battling a savage beast?"
"Oh my, what kind of savage beast is this? Its aura and strength are so powerful, and it can even breathe fire. It must at least have the strength of a Silver-grade savage beast, right?"
"But that martial artist's strength isn't weak either. His movement technique is so good; he can continuously dodge the savage beast's furious attacks."
"And that greatsword weapon he's holding, why have I never seen it before? It's so cool!"
The more he watched, the more the young man felt his blood boil.
Until Su Ran finally defeated the Brutal Jaw Dragon.
"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!"
The young man couldn't help but cheer.
The viewing experience was hundreds of times more exciting than the stories told by storytellers or biographical novels.
"Hmm?"
Su Ran took off the virtual reality device and only then noticed the young man behind him.
"Brother, who is this person? Is this a recorded battle projection of some martial artist big shot?" the young man asked, pointing at the computer screen with an excited face.
"Uh…"
Su Ran was startled, then shook his head: "This person is me!"
"You?"
The young man sized up Su Ran for a few moments, then chuckled: "You're joking with me, right? Even if you resemble this person a bit, your temperament and strength are far inferior!"
Su Ran was a bit speechless. Seeing that the young man didn't believe him, he personally demonstrated.
When Su Ran put on the virtual reality device, the character on the screen immediately moved. When he took it off, the character on the screen stopped in place.
This happened several times.
The young man's eyes were wide as saucers, and he was greatly alarmed: "You, you, how did you do that? Is this some kind of sorcery that can control others?"
Su Ran was very helpless. It was truly difficult to explain clearly to these computer novices.
"This isn't a real world; it's just a game world. And I, as a player, just create an avatar to play in this game world, and even if I die in it, it's not a real death!"
"Really? This is too incredible, isn't it?" the young man said, half-believing, half-doubting.
To be able to play in a virtual game world and not die?
"If you don't believe me, why don't you try playing it yourself?"
The young man's body trembled: "I can play too?"
"I'm the owner here. I opened this Internet Cafe precisely for people to play. Of course, it costs money!"
"How much?"
"10 gold coins for permanent activation of the game I'm playing, and then 1 gold coin per hour."
"Heh, that's quite expensive!"
The young man sneered, pulling out 11 gold coins from his purse without any hesitation. It seemed this amount of money was nothing to him.
"So I can play the game now, right?"
Su Ran nodded, ready to collect the money, when he suddenly heard a system prompt.
[It's closing time. No more customers allowed.]
Su Ran was stunned.
He checked the time; it was already 10 PM.
At this hour, it was neither early nor late.
However, in his impression, shouldn't Internet Cafes be open all night?
"Hey, hurry up and let me play the game!"
The young man saw Su Ran frozen in place and urged him impatiently.
He was already eager to try out the game.
"Uh… this Internet Cafe's operating hours are over for today. Please come again tomorrow!" Su Ran could only say.
The young man's expectant expression stiffened, and his face showed some displeasure.
"Since you're the boss, aren't the operating hours up to you to change? Don't drag it out!"
"I can't change it, customer. You'd better come back tomorrow."
The young man became even more annoyed: "Don't worry, as long as your game is fun, money is not an issue. Double, triple, whatever you want!"
"It's not about the money!"
Su Ran refused again.
The young man couldn't bear it any longer, and his face turned cold: "Boss, do you know who I am? Do you know the General Estate of the North? If I wanted to, do you believe I could shut down your Internet Cafe in minutes?"
Su Ran could tell that this young man, with his pampered heir appearance, definitely had some background.
"System, what should I do?"
[Internet Cafe rules cannot be broken.]
"What if he brings people to cause trouble?"
[As long as you are within the Internet Cafe, Host, you are an invincible existence.]
Having received the answer, Su Ran finally felt at ease. He said calmly: "You can try, but if you do, you'll be blacklisted from this Internet Cafe and will never be able to play games here!"
"You…"
The young man was dumbfounded.
He revealed his identity and background to threaten, but this guy not only wasn't scared but even threatened him back?
The young man's name was Wu Lei, the third son of the Great General of the North of Feiyun Country, of noble status.
Wherever he went, he was treated as a distinguished guest. He never expected to receive such a cold reception now.
Wu Lei truly wished he could tear down this shop, along with this hateful boss, right now!
But he was, after all, different from ordinary pampered heirs; the General Estate's upbringing was still present, and he held himself back.
"Good, very good. I'll come back tomorrow. I want to see just how fun this game of yours is."
"Daring to charge such high prices, if it doesn't live up to its name, then it's a black market shop and a crooked merchant. When that happens, you can just wait to be shut down and thrown into jail!"
After Wu Lei finished his harsh words, he stormed off in a fit of rage.