Gui Guzi reached Suzhou in the afternoon. Du Thirteen and I went to the train station to welcome him to show our sincerity. Then, we ate lunch not far from the train station. Spicy chicken wings, it doesn’t get any better than that!

Gui Guzi was a 23-year-old young man named Gongsun Gu. He looked very delicate and refined, much better than Thirteen. Thirteen was extremely extroverted, so he immediately put his hand on Gui Guzi’s shoulder and proclaimed their intimacy."Little Gui, we will be brothers from now!"

Gui Guzi's expression changed. "Yes, Brother B...”

Du Thirteen was shocked. "Why do you call me Brother B?"

Gui Guzi said helplessly, "Thirteen… just put the arabic numerals together...”

"Holy shit!"

Du Thirteen came out of his sorrow and cursed his father inside.

……

Gui Guzi’s voice carried a hint of emotion when he entered the apartment with his luggage, "I haven't stayed in dorms for a long time...”

Thirteen said angrily, "Dorms your sister! You have a room for your own! This is like treatment for doctoral students. What else do you want?"

"Haha!"

Gui Guzi finished plugging in the data cord and setting up the game helmet. Then he glanced at the game helmet in my room and couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "That’s... a VIP helmet?"

I nodded.

Gui Guzi walked into the room and carefully looked around. He suddenly found the words “CGL Hall of Famer—Falling Dust” and turned to stone. A moment later, he looked in disbelief at me and murmured, "Impossible... impossible. Boss Broken Halberd, how can you be... that genius Falling Dust?"

I held my water cup and said with a smile, "Calm yourself...”

Du Thirteen laughed out loud. "Little Gui. He really is Falling Dust, real name Lu Chen. My good friend of more than ten years. This is not fake! Right, don't you respect him a lot?"

Gui Guzi shook his head, "No, I do not admire Falling Dust, I admire Night_chen, that person who defeated the legend of Candlelight Shadow in the Starcraft Tournament!"

Du Thirteen was shocked. "You know so much!"

I sat on the sofa and licked my lips. I had mixed feelings. My thoughts flashed back to three years ago, to the times I was at my peak—

Candlelight Shadow was my archenemy. Four years after release of Spirit of Grief, he would hunt me and members of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls until we could only delete our accounts. There was a reason why he hated me so much. This tale goes back three years...

Year 2021, WCG Starcraft Global Finals. Candlelight Shadow, who had come from Korea, defeated three of China’s top gaming experts while wearing a Taiji robe. He ridiculed China and claimed that no Chinese could match him. He even arrogantly invited the Chinese players to challenge him.

At that time, a Chinese youth came onto the stage, and used five different tactics to massacre Candlelight Shadow, all of them obscure. Candlelight Shadow suffered the greatest loss of his life, the name of the youth who bested him engraved into his memory forever—Night_chen.

This ID was the account I had made five years ago on the Haofang platform to smurf.

In the last battle of WCG, I successfully killed Korea's emperor Candlelight Shadow, as an audience member. I created a shock wave, one which eventually led to me being hunted down and subsequently killed.

That year, I politely refused the invitation from the famed esports team EM, and joined the Spirit of Grief that Eternal Moon Corporation had developed. The first year, I qualified to enter CGL Hall of Fame, and the second year, unbearable tragedy in a car crash damaged my nerves, crippling me...

Candlelight Shadow was one to hold a grudge. After that public humiliation, he had always been resentful and even came to Suzhou University of Technology to massacre the school team. He knew that the ID Night_chen was from there. Before my graduation, I was the main force of the school team, a truly vicious figure, practically unrivaled.

……

After learning I was Falling Dust, Gui Guzi's attitude toward me was completely different. He went forward and looked at me, saying determinedly, "Lu Chen, I know you must feel very aggrieved after deleting your account in Spirit of Grief. But don’t worry, we are companions now. I’ll do my best to help you get your dream of revenge.”

I laughed. "I do have a dream, but it's not revenge. This is for our dream, a dream to dominate Floating Ice City, and even the China server.”

As I spoke, I also looked at Du Thirteen and said, "Since our workshop has three members, then let's decide the workshop's name and development plan?"

Gui Guzi said, "The workshop’s name will be the future guild's name. Have you thought of something?"

I nodded. "I have a suggestion. 'Bloody Mercenaries’. Because we are both Night Creatures, the color of blood is bound to be associated with us. Also, our funding at the beginning will be a bit tight. We must accept quests in the game to make money. What do you think?"

"Bloody Mercenaries... Bloody...” Gui Guzi's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "A very good name that even makes me think of bloody slaughter on the battlefield. Very good!"

Du Thirteen immediately nodded. “Agreed. Three ‘Yes’, the matter is settled. Our workshop will be called the Bloody Mercenaries Workshop!"

"Yes!"

After deciding the name of the workshop, next was to plan how to advertise. Du Thirteen went to the game forums to make a post. "The Bloody Mercenaries workshop is open. Business includes killing bosses, PK, quests, and helping get girls. For further details, contact Du Thirteen.”

I was a busy person, and was thinking all day about how to make high-level consumables. Gui Guzi was not skilled in communication and was a stoic person. Only Du Thirteen was fitting for the job. Otherwise, it would be such a waste of his talent for chatter.

The major points of our plan decided, we printed “Bloody Mercenaries workshop” on an A4 sheet of paper and hung it on our door. We felt like a proper, formal army!

Our dinner was a boxed meal. In reality, we did not have much money left. Gui Guzi expressed his understanding. At the same time, he stated that he was also poor, and had left home with 500 yuan. Despite that, he contributed it immediately. It was rare to see such an unselfish child.

……

Night, time to go online!

Swoosh!

My eyes were welcomed by dark shades of gray. This was no doubt the scene of my grave. I climbed out and looked up. Perfect curves and long legs covered by a short light blue skirt assaulted my eyes. Going a bit higher revealed a fit, flat stomach and crystalline female armor wrapping around a pair of proud peaks!

"Uh....”

I swallowed. Who was this, coming to my door?

The owner of the legs looked down at me at a forty-five degree angle, saying in contempt, "You finally bear to come online?!"

It was Lin Yixin, a pretty girl in the game. She was probably the only one who knew that Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand was in this remote place.

I reluctantly stood up, and admired the other's seductive figure inside as I said, "Beauty Lin, why are you here?"

Lin Yixin laughed softly. "Little Cheat, do you know what my secondary profession is?"

"No.” I shook my head and corrected, "Also, I am not a Little Cheat...”

"You are not a Little Cheat? You almost caused me to not have enough money to buy potions!"

Lin Yixin's eyes were full of rage, as though she wanted to eat me.

I quickly changed the topic. "Then what is your secondary profession?"

"Herbalist!" Lin Yixin twisted her lips and said, "Let's go. I am going to a dangerous map today, and need a bodyguard while I gather medicine.”

"You are a herbalist, and need my protection?" I found it hard to accept this. While gaming with a beauty was an enjoyment, I was a good kid. I couldn’t indulge myself in beauty… at least not all the time.

Lin Yixin glanced at me as though she saw through my thoughts. She couldn't help but laugh. “I’ll be gathering herbs, not flowers, why are you so nervous?”

"What map? Even you aren't confident?" I asked seriously.

Lin Yixin nodded. “Yes, the Greenstone Mountain Valley to the south of Floating Ice City. A Rank 3 Herb is growing there, Dreaming Grass, essential for making Rank 3 Potions.”

"Your Herbalism is at Rank 3?" I was slightly shocked.

Lin Yixin nodded and smiled, puffing her chest out. She said proudly, "Yes, my Herbalism reached Rank 3 seventeen hours ago! Jealous?"

I looked over and said, helpless, "Jealous of what? I’ve reached Rank 4 in Foraging two days ago...”

"?!"

Lin Yixin stomped her foot in anger, but could do nothing.

"Right, Beauty Lin,” I reminded, "I’ve already joined the Bloody Mercenaries Workshop, so I won’t be your free labor. I can go with you to Greenstone Mountain Valley, but you have to pay me.”

Lin Yixin stared at me, her beautiful eyes full of disdain. "You! You only think about money...”

"It's alright, do you still want me to follow you?"

"Yes, why not!"

Lin Yixin looked toward the south and said, "It’ll take me like five hours. Each hour will be 2 gold, for 10 gold total. Deal?"

"Deal, let's go!"

"Yes, depart!"

Lin Yixin pulled me into her party.

Ding~!

System Notice: Player ”Wind Fantasy” and “Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand” have formed a party!

Good.

These two names reverberating through Floating Ice City like thunderclaps were now in the same party. Sometimes, workings of fate were unfathomable.