When the two of them walked out of the Strawberry Coke room, Gu Feiyu immediately showed an excited expression.
"Jie, what the hell just happened? Was I dreaming? Is my illness really cured? Who exactly are your friends? Damn, damn, damn!"
Gu Feiyu threw out a bunch of questions at once, so excited that he could hardly speak properly.
Xiao Jie couldn’t help but laugh. This reaction from Gu Feiyu was exactly as he expected.
As he walked on, he said calmly, "No need to get so excited. Okay, you do have a reason to be excited.
About your questions—no, you weren’t dreaming—your illness is indeed cured. As for who my friends are—we are players of the ’Old Soil’ game."
"Old Soil? What’s that game?" Gu Feiyu asked curiously.
"A game that’s thrilling to the point of being deadly," Xiao Jie sighed deeply. "Everything started on the day your brother Han died. It was also the day I first encountered the game with your Han Country..."
Xiao Jie briefly recounted what had happened in the past, including Han Luo’s death, Liu Qiang’s betrayal, and the strength he discovered in the game.
"So now you understand, right? This is a game that can change your fate, but it can also bring death. For players who have gained power in the game, curing cancer is just a trivial task. Of course, the prerequisite is that you can stay alive."
Gu Feiyu was stunned by what he heard—it was just too absurd. If he hadn’t just seen the power of the spell with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it even if beaten to death.
But at this moment, he knew everything was real. There was indeed such a game.
And it was precisely the skill in this game that cured his terminal illness.
Gu Feiyu was quick to react. After a moment of thought, he suddenly looked up at Xiao Jie, "Jie, you told me all this in such detail. Aren’t you afraid I—"
"Ha ha, leaking it out? Not at all afraid. This game is monitored by the Game Administration Bureau and is essentially a semi-open game. Many people are aware of its existence. There are tens of thousands of players now, how could it be kept a secret?
It’s just that official regulation keeps it from causing too much commotion.
Besides, I know you well enough to understand the stakes involved, what can and cannot be said. I don’t need to teach you that."
Gu Feiyu smiled bitterly, "Jie, you really have high expectations of me. But since you’ve told me so much, could it be—"
He suddenly looked at Xiao Jie with an expression of surprise.
The two of them exchanged glances and instantly understood each other’s thoughts.
Xiao Jie chuckled, "That’s right, I do have a way to get you an activation code. So, the question is, do you want to play this game?"
Gu Feiyu was extraordinarily excited, "Of course, Jie. You know my gaming skills, and you know my loyalty to you. If there’s such an opportunity, I’d definitely join."
"Don’t rush into a decision. In this game, dying means really dying. Your brother Han is a prime example. I’ve witnessed players dying in the game. If not a thousand, then at least hundreds. If you want to join, be mentally prepared."
Gu Feiyu said with a grin, "I’ll take life and death lightly. If I’m not convinced, I’ll fight to the end. I’ve already died once, so what am I afraid of? Besides, such a rare opportunity, I can’t pass it up for anything.
Since you consider me worthy, giving me this opportunity, I have to seize it.
What’s the future in working for others? It’s better to take a risk. Besides, if you can ace it, what am I afraid of."
"Alright, you’ve got the spirit. Then this activation code is yours." Saying this, Xiao Jie reached out his hand, and a card appeared in it.
As Gu Feiyu reached out to take it, Xiao Jie raised his hand, seriously saying, "Don’t let me down."
"I definitely won’t let you down," Gu Feiyu responded equally seriously.
He was well aware of the value of this activation code, and even more so the immense opportunity Jie was placing before him. Not to mention, he had just been saved.
For such a kindness, saying thank you would be redundant. Only by gaining power in the game could he truly repay it.
Only then did Xiao Jie place the card in Gu Feiyu’s hand.
"Let’s go, I’ll take you to meet the others."
When Xiao Jie brought Gu Feiyu to the banquet hall, quite a few people were already there.
Since the official player conference was set for the next day, not too many had arrived yet. They were all in the offline mingling phase for now.
Everyone formed little circles, those who often teamed up during the game finally getting a chance to meet in person.
Naturally, there was plenty to talk about.
Xiao Jie looked towards the foyer of the banquet hall and immediately spotted the core members of his group.
A group of people gathered around a large round table, talking and laughing.
When they saw Xiao Jie approaching, several eyes immediately turned to him.
"Xiao Jie, over here." An Ran waved at him.
As Xiao Jie walked over, everyone stood up, clearly recognizing who he was.
Xiao Jie identified each person’s face, matching them with their in-game characters.
The first to greet him was a burly man.
"Cheng Xian?" Xiao Jie was a bit surprised.
"It’s me, Feng," the bald, tattooed burly man said excitedly. His voice was in sharp contrast to his massive frame, his muscles bulging like a bodybuilder, brimming with explosive power, reminding Xiao Jie of Schwarzenegger in Terminator.