After returning from Boundless City, Gu Jiu took a quick shower and went straight to bed, sleeping soundly until noon the next day.
It was Saturday, and the Gu family members were all resting at home. Only Gu Mingli, the diligent senior in high school, had gone out early to meet a “friend” at the nearby library to study hard and aim for improvement.
As for who this “friend” was, only Gu Mingli himself knew.
When the Gu family noticed that Gu Jiu hadn’t gotten up, they grew worried. Grandmother Gu and her aunt, Wen Aiying, quietly unlocked her door and peeked in, only to find her sleeping soundly. They couldn’t bear to wake her.
Finally, after a good rest, Gu Jiu stretched lazily as she got out of bed.
It was late autumn, and the weather was a bit chilly, so she draped a light knitted cardigan over herself and carefully made her way downstairs.
The aroma of food filled the air. Gu Jiu took a deep breath, savoring the scent, and, in high spirits, called out toward the living room, “Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Little Qing’er, are you all here?”
“We’re here!”
“Auntie, I didn’t go out to play today!”
The Gu family members all responded warmly.
This had become a habit for the Gu family in recent months. Whenever Gu Jiu appeared, they always greeted her, reassuring her of their presence.
With a calm expression, Gu Jiu walked over and sat beside Grandmother Gu.
If one didn’t look closely at her eyes, it would be hard to believe that she could barely see. Her movements were so natural and fluid.
Wen Aiying, concerned, asked, “Ah Jiu, are you feeling unwell? Should we call Dr. Wang over?”
Dr. Wang was the family doctor who served the Gu family.
Having only two sons herself, and with Gu Jiu practically raised in the Gu family, Wen Aiying genuinely considered her niece as her own daughter. Whenever Gu Jiu felt even slightly off, Wen would get overly anxious.
The others looked over with concern too. Since Gu Jiu’s eyesight had worsened, they treated her like a fragile glass doll, handling her with the utmost care.
“No need, I was just exhausted, so I slept a little longer.” Gu Jiu quickly declined and, before they could question her further, changed the topic.
“Aunt, I’m hungry. Can we have lunch?”
The women of the Gu family couldn’t resist her gentle pleading and promptly dropped their concerns, urging the kitchen to serve lunch.
Yet they still felt a bit puzzled. She had been staying at home these days, with her only activity being short walks around the villa with Grandma. Why was she so tired? They decided a check-up was necessary, just to ensure her health.
After lunch, Dr. Wang was indeed summoned to give the Gu family members a brief check-up.
Gu Jiu accepted the examination gracefully, and as expected, the results showed that she was perfectly healthy.
She reassured her grandmother and the others, “I’m very healthy, so please don’t worry.” It was just her eyes; her overall health wasn’t affected.
The Gu family understood this but still took advantage of Dr. Wang’s presence to discreetly inquire about her eyesight. When they heard there hadn’t been any changes, they couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
In their hearts, they harbored a certain hope—a hope that her eyes might experience a miracle, that one day they might suddenly begin to heal.
There are too many mysteries in this world that science cannot explain, just as there’s no scientific reason why her eyesight had deteriorated in the first place.
But miracles were elusive, and for now, they could only endure, waiting for the day when her blurry vision would completely fade.
After the medical check-up, Gu Jiu glanced at the time and thought of returning to her room. She had arranged to meet Lu Ji today; if she didn’t enter Boundless City soon, she would keep the young girl waiting, which she would feel guilty about.
“Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, I’m going back to my room to rest,” she announced.
Gu Yiqing, her young nephew, wanted to play with her and held onto her hand. “Auntie, stay and play with me a bit longer? I can nap with you!”
Gu Jiu was tempted but still refused.
She was worried that her little nephew might wake up halfway through, discover she wasn’t in the room, and alarm the family. At that point, it would be hard to explain.
According to the rules of the Multiverse Game, low-level players couldn’t easily reveal details about the game to the real world. Even if they wanted to talk about it, the rules silenced them, unless they were powerful enough to overcome these restrictions as high-level players.
She didn’t want her family to worry. Even if they respected her privacy and didn’t ask questions, they would still be anxious about what she was doing and whether she was putting herself in any danger.
Song Qinghe, Gu Jiu’s sister-in-law, tugged on the little ponytail she’d left on her son’s head and spoke gently, “You’re a big kid now; how can you ask Auntie to nap with you? You should learn to sleep on your own.”
Gu Yiqing pouted in protest. “But I already sleep alone at night! Why can’t I nap with Auntie during the day? If I can’t nap with Auntie, then tonight I want to sleep with Mom and Dad!”
“No,” Gu Mingjie, his father, replied calmly. “You’re a grown boy; you can’t sleep with Mom and Dad.”
Gu Yiqing asked innocently, “Then can I stop being a boy?”
“No,” his father replied, “you were born a boy, and that’s not something you can change.”
Defeated, Gu Yi Qing lowered his head and sighed dramatically at his mother. “Mom, why did you have to make me a boy? If I were a girl, I’d get to sleep with you!”
Song Qinghe was left speechless. Where had she gotten such an easy-to-trick child?
Back in her room, Gu Jiu locked the door, drew the curtains, and then entered Boundless City.
As soon as she entered, she sensed that something felt different in the city’s atmosphere today.
Usually, Boundless City was bustling, with a free and lively vibe filling its streets and alleys. Players moved about freely, exploring the city suspended in the void.
But now, there was a somber undertone. Players passing by tried to mask it, but traces of anxiety were still evident.
Gu Jiu didn’t know any other players in Boundless City, nor did she want to grab a random stranger to ask what was going on. Instead, she headed toward the training grounds in Zone 98.
When she arrived at the training room, she saw Lu Ji waiting in the hall.
“Ah Ji, have you been waiting long?” she asked with an apologetic smile, explaining why she had only entered Boundless City in the afternoon.
Although Lu Ji didn’t seem to care about when Gu Jiu entered Boundless City, seeing her waiting there made Gu Jiu want to explain herself. She didn’t want Lu Ji to think she took her for granted.
After listening to her explanation, Lu Ji replied softly, “I haven’t been waiting too long.”
Gu Jiu nodded with a light “oh,” watching her with a cheerful smile.
Lu Ji’s ears turned a faint shade of red, and with a slightly stiff tone, she changed the subject.
“Are you training again today?”
“Of course, I am.” Gu Jiu walked with her toward the training room, and after a moment, asked, “Ah Ji, the atmosphere in Boundless City feels tense today. Do you know why?”
Lu Ji looked a bit confused. “I don’t know. I hadn’t noticed.”
He really hadn’t. Living in his own world, he rarely paid attention to irrelevant people or things. The external world didn’t hold much interest for him, and so far, the only thing that had piqued his curiosity was a human girl named “Gu Jiu.” He found this girl intriguing, like a radiant light source. Gu Jiu shone with a unique charm that naturally attracted others, and her presence caused ripples in Lu Ji’s otherwise calm, unshaken heart.
Because of this rare interest, Lu Ji was willing to spend time with Gu Jiu, curious to see just how much she could affect him.
It would be a long journey, but Lu Ji had all the time in the world. And one day, when he felt Gu Jiu’s allure had faded, he could simply leave.
Seeing her reaction, Gu Jiu understood certain aspects of her friend’s personality and decided not to probe further.
Later that evening, Gu Jiu finished her training an hour early and decided to explore Boundless City a bit.
Lu Ji didn’t know what Gu Jiu had in mind, but when she suggested going for a stroll, Lu Ji silently followed her into a lively bar in Boundless City.
Sitting in the music-filled, raucous bar, Lu Ji looked completely bewildered.
A waiter brought over a cocktail, and under the dazzling lights, the fragrance of alcohol, the pounding music, and the mingling crowd created an atmosphere of indulgence and temptation.
Gu Jiu sipped her drink with a calm demeanor and summoned a male server, tossing a newly acquired tip card his way.
Each tip card cost ten points.
“Sit,” she said with a slight nod of her delicate chin, her manner relaxed and casual.
The young, handsome server in uniform took the tip card, his gaze toward Gu Jiu now carrying a touch of flirtation. In a gentle voice, he asked, “Is there anything the guest would like to know?”
Gu Jiu lifted the man’s chin, examining his face closely.
Seeing this, Lu Ji’s expression froze. Her dark eyes locked onto Gu Jiu’s elegant hand, the one now holding the man’s chin, with an intense urge to pull it away, wanting to hold it firmly himself.
How… how could she touch another man’s chin?
Completely oblivious to her companion’s inner turmoil, Gu Jiu continued to study the server. After a moment, she asked, “Are you also a player?”
“Of course.” The server smiled, a mix of allure yet restraint in his expression, his voice gentle. “Everyone in Boundless City is a player. Only players can enter Boundless City.”
“Players can work as servers?”
The male server’s smile deepened slightly, understanding the situation—she must be a newcomer to Boundless City, still unfamiliar with its workings, which explained her innocent questions.
“Yes,” he replied. “Earning points in the game isn’t easy, so I have to take on part-time work.”
Gu Jiu asked a few more questions and learned that a temporary bartender like him only earned 800 points a month. She couldn’t help but remark, “It seems you can earn points much faster by entering the game world.”
After all, entering the game world took only a second, and the points earned afterward far exceeded what one could make in a month solely by staying in Boundless City.
In Gu Jiu’s opinion, part-time work seemed inefficient, and she wasn’t inclined to spend her precious downtime doing gigs in Boundless City.
The server silently mused that everyone understood this, but the game world was fraught with danger—death was all too common.
Many players preferred to earn points within Boundless City rather than risk the game world. Most players only entered the game world when they absolutely had to, avoiding it during downtime. And even when they did, they often sought stronger players for assistance.
This had led to a complex web of connections among Boundless City’s players, a network that new players like Gu Jiu could hardly comprehend.
To him, it didn’t seem necessary to explain all this to a newcomer. She’d understand in due time as she progressed in the game.
As they chatted, Gu Jiu naturally shifted the topic toward Boundless City itself.
“The atmosphere in Boundless City seems a bit off today. Do you know why?”
The server was surprised by her perceptiveness. He hadn’t intended to answer, but faced with her calm, classically beautiful gaze, the words simply slipped out.
“I heard that some major figure from the Scattered Zone is making a move.”
“The Scattered Zone?” Gu Jiu’s interest piqued. Her system assistant often spoke highly of the Scattered Zone.
The server nodded, lowering his voice. “You’re probably aware of the Scattered Zone’s unique status, right?”
Seeing her nod, he continued, “The only ones who can live there are those powerful enough to destroy a small world with a mere stomp. In the eyes of the players in the game worlds, these people are practically demigods, possessing a mighty semi-divine physique. Every time they make a decision, it affects Boundless City in some way. It should settle down after a while.”
“I see,” Gu Jiu said with a look of realization.
“So, what did they do this time?”
The server shook his head with a laugh. “People like me wouldn’t know what those big shots are up to. Although the figures in the Scattered Zone rarely make appearances, many factions here depend on them. Whenever they plan to take action, they’ll have their followers handle things…”