Chapter 10: Feiyang Internet Cafe (Special thanks to Alliance Leader Hanye Meng丶Huo Bing Zhi Ri!)

Beneath the drainage ditch, inside the sewer.

Liu Jinya led the way with a flashlight, and I followed closely behind. Soon, a foul stench drifted up from the depths of the sewer, drilling directly into my nose and becoming unbearable.

Before long, Liu Jinya brought me to his temporary base.

The base was located in a storage room connected to the sewer. It was fully equipped, containing a computer and some simple machinery.

"Brother, don't mind the squalor here."

Liu Jinya chuckled. "People like us are just like the rats underneath Xicheng—we can't see the light of day. But for the sake of my wife and kids, it’s nothing. Making money, it’s nothing to be ashamed of!"

"That's for sure!" I nodded with a smile.

"What’s your name, brother?"

"Ding Han. 'Ding' as in the first of the Heavenly Stems, 'Han' as in the cold of winter."

"Alright, hold on a moment."

Liu Jinya entered my name into the computer, and soon after, a brand-new Xicheng residency permit appeared before my eyes. Once the transaction was settled, he pointed upward and said with a grin, "Just find a manhole cover and head up. I won't see you out, brother."

"Thanks, Brother Ya!" I nodded. "I’ll keep this favor in mind."

"What are you saying? We’re all brothers here!"

...

Ten minutes later, I climbed out from under a manhole cover in a small alleyway in Xicheng. I dusted off my clothes and pushed the cover back into place. At this moment, I had truly settled into Xicheng. Just then, a chime sounded in my ear—the "Death Mine" instance had finally been cleared!

[Congratulations, you have completed the Rare-level instance "Death Mine" (★★). Rewards: Character EXP +50,000. Additional Reward: "Randall’s Shield" (Quality: Blue)! Furthermore, as the first player to complete a Rare-level instance, you have been awarded: Achievement Points +3!]

I was overjoyed!

It was truly worth the days that Left Hand and I had spent grinding through that instance. The final rewards did not disappoint; not only did I receive a blue-tier shield, but I was also granted 3 achievement points!

Achievement points were a mysterious commodity. During the closed beta, no one knew exactly what they were for, but everyone treated them as treasures!

It was a resource that was "guaranteed to have great utility later on."

Moreover, the first-clear reward included Randall’s Shield!

I hurriedly opened my interdimensional storage space and saw a deep blue shield, etched with ancient patterns, resting in the corner. With a tap of my finger, its stats floated out.

[Randall’s Shield] (Quality: Blue)
Tier: First Tier
Base Stats: Defense 40, Perfect Block Chance 15%, Ballistic Damage Block 75%, Durability 500/500
Strength: +20
Blessing: Toughness, increases maximum HP by 500
Requirement: Strength 50

...

Looking at the attributes of Randall’s Shield, my heart raced with excitement.

A top-tier shield that provided an HP boost was, without a doubt, an ultimate item for the early game!

In the setting of *Star Abyss*, the three major classes—Super-Warrior, Priest, and Gene-Soldier—could all equip shields. A shield was an essential piece of equipment for melee players; when closing the distance to a ranged opponent, a shield could significantly reduce incoming damage.

The stats on this shield were remarkable. 40 points of defense was already quite insane, and the 15% perfect block chance meant that if triggered, it would nullify all damage. As for the ballistic damage block, it specifically countered projectiles like bullets and explosions. In other words, as long as I hid behind this shield, the damage from an enemy’s automatic gunfire could be suppressed by 75%!

No question about it—equip it!

"Clack!"

The moment I equipped the shield, a heavy, solid power surged through my left arm. Immediately after, my combat power level soared from 108 to 158!

"Whew..."

I took a deep breath, suppressing the wild joy and excitement in my heart.

Next, I needed to find a place to stay in Xicheng and contact other players to get stronger as quickly as possible!

Furthermore, to establish myself in Xicheng as an ordinary person, I needed a job. The best option would be something in repair work, allowing me to accumulate skill experience while working. After all, with my "Practice Makes Perfect" passive, it would be a waste of talent not to max out all my skills!

I borrowed a pair of worn-out jeans and a yellowed white T-shirt from a local courtyard, and after putting them on, I instantly transformed into a lazy small-town youth.

On the main street, the lights were bright, and the scene was bustling with small restaurants, foot massage parlors, arcade halls, and internet cafes. People came and went—some on bicycles, others on electric scooters.

Everything was strikingly similar to the cityscape of China around 2003. Indeed, during the closed beta of *Star Abyss*, the background for Xicheng and the Red Dragon Kingdom was designed exactly like this.

Ahead, a road sign stood tall, reading: "I'm waiting for you in Xicheng."

Oh, I remembered now! Xicheng was a tourist city with both an old town and a development zone. I was currently on Qianjin Street, which sat on the outskirts of the old town, explaining why there were so many out-of-towners from the Red Dragon Kingdom mixed in with the locals.

"Gurgle~~~"

My stomach growled, reminding me that it was long past time to eat.

My last meal had been dinner at the Dark Tide base. After all the sprinting and fighting along the way, my energy was completely depleted; at this point, even walking was a struggle.

But a penny can stump a hero. The sad reality was that, other than firearms and ammunition, my interdimensional storage was completely empty. I couldn't exactly trade a handgun for a meal—after all, Xicheng ostensibly had a ban on civilian firearms.

My gaze swept over the signs of the storefronts along the road.

"Fengyun Internet Cafe" had a promotional board outside featuring an image of a legendary warrior, with the slogan: "Legendary blood, if you're a brother, come join the siege!"

I made my decision: I’d be an internet cafe attendant!

Generally speaking, computers in internet cafes broke down quite frequently, and there were always idle machines. If I worked as an attendant, I could repair the machines in a perfectly legitimate way. This would not only provide cover for my identity but also allow me to continuously gain skill experience!

"Boss."

I stepped forward and saw a middle-aged man with a beard and a bald head sitting behind the counter. He was cursing, "Damn it! Use 'Flame Strike'! Are the warriors in this guild stupid? They don't know how to stack double 'Flame Strikes'? They're afraid to attack and afraid to tank—a bunch of useless trash!"

After spraying his screen with spit, he finally noticed me. "What do you want?"

"Are you hiring an attendant?"

"No, we're full."

With that, he went back to his furious gaming.

I turned away sheepishly and headed to the next place, "Thunder Internet Cafe."

Inside, a group of idle youths were playing *Mir*, a game as ancient as *Legend*. They were mostly AFK, and lazy shouts came from the corners: "Attendant, bring me a cup of instant noodles!" or "Damn it, what's wrong with this Magic Sword class? It's like he's never seen the Devil's Square before, why is he stealing my mobs?"

I watched for a while and shook my head.

This cafe had clearly opened recently; all the machines were brand new with a very low failure rate. It didn't meet my requirements.

The next one: "Speed Internet Cafe!"

The glass walls were plastered with posters for *Counter-Strike*. Even more absurdly, instead of headsets, each machine was equipped with a cheap, crackling speaker, filling the entire cafe with a cacophony of noise.

"Fire in the hole!"

"Are you kidding me? Is this guy hacking? He snipes the moment he peeks!"

"Attendant, get me a bottle of Nutri-Express!"

"Babe, I'll be there after one more round, keep the room open for me..."

I poked my head in and looked at the attendant's desk. It was occupied by a "beautiful girl" with a pink afro, weighing about two hundred pounds.

"Excuse me, are you hiring?"

"Just filled the position, sorry."

"Oh, no worries..."

After being rejected several times on the street, I didn't feel the slightest bit of impatience, though my stomach was growling incessantly.

...

Not long after, I stood in front of another internet cafe.

"Feiyang Internet Cafe." Outside, there was a large light box advertising *Audition*, reading "High-speed broadband, surf with passion." On the outer wall, three large characters were posted: "Hiring Attendant!"

Peering inside, the youths at the front machines were dressed in flashy outfits, all playing *Audition*, rhythmically slamming their spacebars after a sequence of arrow keys!

The spacebars were wailing, the keyboards were smoking, and the scene was chaotic.

At the attendant's desk sat a pair of legs so pale they seemed to glow, becoming the most beautiful sight in the entire cafe.

I walked over and saw the owner of the long legs.

She was playing on her phone, wearing a simple white T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Her hair flowed down, and her face was exquisitely carved—she was undeniably a great beauty.

Walking down this street, she was by far the best-looking person I had seen.

"Attendant, is the boss here? Are you hiring?" I asked.

"I am the boss."

The long-legged beauty put down her phone and looked up at me. "You want to apply?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

She smiled. "You know how to operate the server, log people in and out, and handle the billing, right?"

"I'll pick it up after one look."

"That works."

The long-legged beauty studied me deeply and said, "Sometimes the machines here have system glitches. Can you fix them? The previous attendants only knew how to restart them."

"I can fix them," I nodded. "Common computer issues won't stump me."

"Really?"

She looked at me with skepticism. "As it happens, one machine won't restart. Try fixing it? If you can, you've got the job."

"Deal."

I looked at the machines in the cafe and felt a slight surge of joy. These were the oldest, most dilapidated machines on the street. Plus, with these hot-blooded *Audition* players, the keyboards would definitely need frequent repairs.

...

In the corner, a computer's character cursor kept flashing, but it wouldn't boot into the system.

"It's this one, give it a try?" the long-legged beauty said.

I sat down immediately, pressed Shift + F8 to enter safe mode, and then easily accessed the system...

"Wow, you really do have some skills!"

The long-legged beauty's eyes were full of stars; she had probably never seen an attendant this capable before.