Chapter 208: Three Thousand Worlds

Chapter 208: Three Thousand Worlds

A flash of white light.

Out of habit, Jie Fangcheng took a couple of steps forward before stopping.

In the end, he was unable to make it back in time, which filled him with regret.

He was supposed to call Professor Zhang before leaving...

"Brother Jie!"

Jie Fangcheng turned his head and saw Zhan Xiaoming excitedly waving at him. "Wow, what a coincidence! We ended up in the same district!"

Jie Fangcheng first looked behind him.

This was a "player's hall" completely different from "Do Not Reply." What met his eyes was an overwhelming canopy of green leaves, obscuring almost everything else.

Elegant European-style carriages flew through the sky, piloted by what looked like miniature "elves." Upon closer examination, Jie Fangcheng realized these were probably some kind of high-tech robots, designed to resemble pocket-sized elves.

The place was bustling. Many people were coming and going at the teleportation points, and many were clearly not regular humans. Some had cat ears and tails, leaping several meters with a single bound; others had black scales on their faces, and yet others had a human upper body but tentacles for lower limbs...

Still, the majority were normal-looking humans, followed by elves with pointed ears and strikingly beautiful green eyes.

Jie Fangcheng had never witnessed such a scene. To say he was stunned would be an understatement; for a moment, he completely forgot that just seconds ago, he had been running, wanting to see Professor Zhang one last time.

Holy cow... this is insane!

Zhan Xiaoming politely declined an offer for immediate treatment from a nearby emergency healing pod. The pods were fast and convenient but expensive. Although he had lost an arm in the game world, it wasn't life-threatening after medical treatment. A standard repair pod would suffice for him, and it was much cheaper.

Seeing Jie Fangcheng's awestruck expression, Zhan Xiaoming could totally relate. He ran over, smiling: "I was just as shocked when I first saw merfolk in Zone E."

"How so?"

Zhan Xiaoming elaborated: "Merfolk can't stay out of water for too long. So, in the player community, they mostly reside in Zone E8. You have no idea, Brother Jie—wow!"

His eyes lit up as he continued: "Their tails are huge and incredibly beautiful! And not just for show, they're also strong and powerful in combat. But honestly, those merfolk would be formidable even without their tails; each one has a six-pack. I wanted to become a merman too, but exchanging for the merfolk lineage is too expensive."

"..." Jie Fangcheng tried to digest all this, "So why don't you go live in that particular zone, then?"

"Zone E8," Zhan Xiaoming lamented. "It's too humid over there, full of water. I'd probably get tidal sickness if I went. Plus, the housing is expensive—it's a tourist hotspot after all!"

Jie Fangcheng: "..."

Until Zhan Xiaoming mentioned it, Jie Fangcheng had thought "Three Thousand Worlds" was similar to "Do Not Reply," where players were generally calculating and unsentimental toward each other, using the player's hall merely as a transit point en route to instance dungeons.

But from what Zhan Xiaoming was saying, the game seemed to have developed its own "civilization." They even have tourist destinations?

Thankfully, Zhan Xiaoming was talkative. Without Jie Fangcheng having to ask, Zhan began to explain as they walked.

"We're currently in Subzone 19 of Zone D, also known as D19. The game has six major zones: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Except for Zone A, each zone has a zone leader, who is the winner of the 'Hunting Competition' held every ten years. You've arrived at a fortunate time; this year marks the start of the Hunting Competition. Our current zone, D, is led by the 'Elf Queen,' who is a pacifist. Hence, our zone is the most harmonious and personable."

As he spoke, Zhan Xiaoming gestured for Jie Fangcheng to look up.

Jie Fangcheng looked up and paused.

Above his head, countless broad leaves, each spanning a couple of hundred square feet, emitted a radiant green glow. They hung from a pitch-black vault, swaying without a trace of wind.

Behind those cascading leaves, a luminous galaxy was faintly visible.

It was impossible to gauge the distance or length of the galaxy, formed by billions of "stars" linked together—a truly spectacular sight.

"That is the 'Jumping Nebula,' our point of origin. It serves as the transfer hub whether we're entering dungeons, hunting grounds, or moving to other zones."

It was only now that Jie Fangcheng realized—this game truly was "Three Thousand Worlds."

"How many players are in this game?"

"Huh?" Zhan Xiaoming pondered for a moment. "I don't remember the exact number, my history is a bit weak. But there are certainly hundreds of billions of regularly active players."

Jie Fangcheng was astounded: "Three Thousand Worlds?"

Zhan Xiaoming: "Oh, that's just a figure of speech. The number of S-ranked hunting grounds alone exceeds three thousand."

Each hunting ground represented a collapsing miniature world. With S-rank being the highest level and the number of S-rank hunting grounds exceeding three thousand, the game's vastness was unimaginable.

This was not some "illegal nest" that Jie Fangcheng alone could dismantle. He felt an overwhelming need for Professor Zhang at that moment.

Unaware that the newcomer beside him was contemplating the game's demise, Zhan Xiaoming cheerfully continued: "Each zone has its own character. Like our D Zone is peaceful, while C Zone is chaotic. They like to fight and scam people. Their zone leader is 'The Emperor,' a total trash.

Zhan Xiaoming showed a disdainful expression: "Anyway, C Zone is filled with scum. Given the character of their leader, the fact that people still choose to stay there tells you everything. Oh, right, let's invite the players from our last dungeon run. My treat! We can eat and talk."

Saying so, Zhan Xiaoming's eyes glazed over, clearly busy navigating his system screen.

Shortly after, Jie Fangcheng heard him curse, "Damn."

"What happened?" Jie Fangcheng asked.

Zhan Xiaoming seemed frustrated: "Why is Sister Liu from C Zone? I don't want to friend people from there."

Jie Fangcheng also opened his system interface, quickly finding the friend request section.

Three friend requests appeared in quick succession: Liu Feiyao, Han Ruihang, and Pei Xiaodong, their names neatly displayed on the request list.

This truly showcased how much more technologically advanced "Three Thousand Worlds" was compared to "Do Not Reply."

In "Do Not Reply," the friend list was rudimentary, displaying only a lone name.

However, the user interface in "Three Thousand Worlds" was far more comprehensive, featuring not just names but also profile pictures, status messages, additional information, and even something called "World Circle," whose purpose Jie Fangcheng couldn't yet discern.

Among the three, Liu Feiyao had left both her profile picture and status message blank. In contrast, Han Ruihang and Pei Xiaodong had custom profile pictures; Han Ruihang's was an animated elder in ethereal white robes, with a status message that read, "Peace breeds wisdom; simplicity fosters ambition."

Pei Xiaodong's profile featured a simplistic sketch of a cat, with the status message, "Newbie seeking guidance QAQ."

Clicking on their profiles revealed further details about each individual.

For example, Liu Feiyao's profile stated her residency in "Zone C," though it didn't specify a subzone.

"Brother Jie, let's add each other first."

The next second, Zhan Xiaoming's profile popped up. His status message read, "Authentic Roasted Seeds and Nuts in C19, 150 points for free delivery across the zone++++," a rather commercial pitch.

After adding him, Zhan Xiaoming paused for a moment.

"Brother Jie, your profile picture is..."

"What?" Jie Fangcheng checked his own profile, also pausing.

He had never been in this game before, yet his profile picture was already set.

The picture was an aerial shot of a white, spherical "planet," surrounded by six smaller celestial bodies, all set against an endless black fog, reminiscent of an ocean.

Where was this?

He had never seen this place, nor had he ever taken such a picture. Why was it set as his profile picture?

Zhan Xiaoming was equally puzzled. "Brother Jie, is this a bug? Why do you have a photo from Zone A as your profile picture?"

Jie Fangcheng turned sharply toward him, "Zone A?"

"Well, not exactly," Zhan Xiaoming explained. "Zone A doesn't look like this anymore. But I saw in the library that the original 'Founders' built 'Three Thousand Worlds' around a now-collapsed, pure-white miniature world. The game originally looked just like this."

Jie Fangcheng was also bewildered. "But I've never taken a picture like this, and I didn't set this profile picture."

"Must be a bug," Zhan Xiaoming affirmed. "Don't be fooled by the high-tech appearance of 'Three Thousand Worlds.' I heard from my uncle that ever since the game was created, there have been bugs every year. Software development is still a hot profession in this game. Some skilled programmers even make a living solely by fixing bugs."

Such are the perennial challenges of systems; no matter how advanced, fix one bug and another appears.

Jie Fangcheng couldn't explain his profile picture either, but he found the atmosphere of the photo quite compelling, so he opted not to change it.

Meanwhile, Zhan Xiaoming sent messages to Liu Feiyao, Han Ruihang, and Pei Xiaodong, inviting them to eat in Zone C19. After sending the invites, he casually checked the "Recent Teams" section and muttered, "Huh?"

"Damn it!" Zhan Xiaoming muttered to himself in frustration. "Why are the people who should be in Zone D not here, while those who shouldn't be are present?"

Soon, Jie Fangcheng understood why he had said that.

At the teleportation point, an emergency medical pod opened, and Zhou Yian stepped out.

He had indeed received treatment in the mini-world, but his injuries had far exceeded the medical capabilities of that realm.

In the later stages, Zhan Xiaoming was able to energetically run around while Zhou Yian could only shuffle about with the aid of a crutch.

His internal organs were damaged, with the heart being the most severely affected. However, on the surface, his skin showed the most obvious signs.

In the "Genius Kindergarten" instance, everyone appeared as children, but Zhou Yian looked nothing like a child anymore. His skin sagged so much it could almost drag on the ground, and his muscles looked as if they were about to collapse.

As soon as he stepped out of the teleportation point, Zhou Yian heard the system's voice.

[System Alert: Multiple organ damage detected, severe skin damage observed. Do you want to activate the emergency medical pod?]

Zhou Yian's injuries were no longer life-threatening, but his skin had yet to recover. It still looked as if he was afflicted with mange, layers of skin piling up on his body with clearly visible, unhealed cracks.

The emergency medical pod was expensive, but Zhou Yian couldn't bear the thought of appearing anywhere else in his current condition.

He chose "Yes."

For clearing this instance, although it was a level-one dungeon, probably because he killed a parent NPC (akin to a mini-boss), his grade wasn't low. He received a B ranking and over three hundred bonus points, whereas activating the emergency pod required at least one hundred points per second.

Inside the medical pod, Zhou Yian chose the lowest intensity for surface treatment and stopped it after just two seconds, unwilling to spend all his points.

When he stepped out, his skin had significantly improved and was at least adhering to his own body.

Although it still looked loose and the scars resembled centipedes crawling on him, he was at least presentable now.

Zhou Yian donned his hoodie and lowered his head.

He looked up, trying to figure out the direction to the nearest medical room. One good thing about Zone D was its abundant, affordable healthcare, thanks to the zone's elf lord whose kin had a natural affinity for healing.

One hundred points would be enough to treat his other injuries.

What Zhou Yian hadn't expected was the first thing he saw upon looking up: two players standing not far away.

Despite looking different from his kindergarten days, Jie Fangcheng had an unforgettable face.

That uniquely bewitching look, accompanied by a guy who looked utterly naive and simple—like a country bumpkin.

Jie Fangcheng, Zhan Xiaoming.

Zhou Yian's expression became incredibly complicated in an instant.

He, of course, understood what Zhang Siqan had said.

Zhou Yian always felt Jie Fangcheng was cruel towards him. Someone as powerful as Jie could easily eliminate Zhou Yian's "parents" and lend him a helping hand, yet from beginning to end, Jie Fangcheng remained indifferent to him while being amicable with other players.

After being chastised by Jie Fangcheng, it was impossible for Zhou Yian to harbor no resentment. Yet, the words Jie Fangcheng spoke were so piercingly true that Zhou Yian couldn't help but admit their validity.

Later on, what Zhang Siqan had said filled Zhou Yian with a complex mix of resentment and an inexplicable sense of gratitude.

Killing him would be easy for Jie Fangcheng, yet he had refrained, hadn't he?

Not only had he spared him, but Jie Fangcheng, a man of impeccable cleanliness, had even come close to Zhou Yian's then-repulsive form to manually extract the parasite from his heart.

So, in a way, hadn't he saved Zhou Yian's life?

It wasn't just this one instance. During his hospital stay, Zhou Yian had been continually mulling over the events since entering the instance, and it dawned on him that the first person Jie Fangcheng had saved was actually him.

At that time, Zhou Yian was being chased by a ghost from the ceiling, and it was Jie Fangcheng who had banished it with a single strike.

So now, Zhou Yian, who had initially harbored only resentment and vague notions of revenge, found himself entangled in a web of complicated emotions.

Thus, with mixed feelings, he hesitated for a moment before finally walking over to Jie Fangcheng.

Zhan Xiaoming stood beside Jie Fangcheng, looking constipated, and whispered to him, "Jie, is it because his face is scarred that I can't read his expression? He seems really weird, doesn't he?"

Jie Fangcheng had no inkling of the twists and turns going on in Zhou Yian's mind. He too was looking around, not just whispering.

The player hall was filled with trees, true, but these were thick trees, ill-suited for use as cudgels.

So what to do?

Jie Fangcheng was becoming slightly anxious. Zhou Yian looked dirty, and emergency medical pods only healed injuries, they didn't offer an instant wardrobe change.

The condition of Zhou Yian's skin was not just bloody; there were traces of pus on his face and body!

Jie Fangcheng couldn't possibly go after him bare-handed, could he? The thought was suffocating.

Upon reaching them, Zhou Yian silently looked at Jie Fangcheng.

Jie Fangcheng threw a weak punch into the air, "What are you looking at? Want a beating?"

Zhou Yian's mind was spinning.

Indeed, Zhang Siqan was right.

This man... he had actually been quite kind to him.

Just look at him now: although he verbally threatened to hit Zhou Yian, he had actually taken a half-step back.

Zhou Yian felt emotionally balanced.

"If..." Zhou Yian hesitated before asking, "we meet again in the next instance, would you help me?"

"Huh??" Jie Fangcheng was genuinely puzzled about what Zhou Yian was thinking.

Zhou Yian cast a hesitant glance at him: "Goodbye."

“？？”

After Zhou Yian walked away, Jie Fangcheng felt as though he'd swallowed a fly, a lingering discomfort in his throat.

"What was that about?" Jie Fangcheng inquired.

Zhan Xiaoming was even more perplexed: "What was he saying? Why do I feel like I didn't understand a word?"

Both were puzzled by Zhou Yian's unexpected behavior.

Jie Fangcheng found himself thinking that if Zhang Daoan were there, he'd be able to decipher Zhou Yian's inscrutable demeanor instantly.

He wondered when Professor Zhang might join the game. Would they truly meet again?

If they couldn't, at least Professor Zhang still existed in that smaller world, right?

Perhaps he could return there someday?

After mulling over these thoughts, Jie Fangcheng paused, puzzled by his own contemplations, and subconsciously touched his ear.

Meanwhile, Zhan Xiaoming had completed his quest to summon people.

He resisted his impulses, added Liu Feiyao as a friend, and planned to engage in a thorough conversation with her—badmouthing Zone C while praising their own Zone D.

Although the game had six zones labeled ABCDEF, the order didn't correspond to their strength. However, over the years, distinctions had emerged.

It was universally acknowledged that Zone A was the strongest. After all, the six "Founders" resided there. Even though they hadn't been seen for centuries, their managerial authority was unquestionable.

Alongside the six major guilds in A1, the stories of Zone A were legendary, even to the residents of Zone F. Zone A was the core among players, forever in a league of its own.

After Zone A, which had consistently remained powerful, Zone C had been considered the strongest among the other five for the past decade, thanks to its martial ethos and the formidable "Sky Emperor."

Following that were Zones B, D, and E.

As for Zone F, it was rather peculiar, consisting only of a single district.

"For instance, our Zone D has 126 sub-zones, ranging from D1 to D126, each formed from a collapsed mini-world. The world our D19 zone is based on was a zombie apocalypse world. The lack of food led to its downfall. After reclaiming D19, the Elf King sowed 'seeds' of new life into it. Now, the architecture in D19 may be modest, but it's rich in species and food variety. It's hard to explain, but you'll see for yourself once we return to D19 via the player hall's Star Cloud Jump," Zhan Xiaoming elaborated.

While they were talking, a flash of white light appeared in the teleportation area.

Liu Feiyao and her two companions materialized in front of them.

Zhan Xiaoming excitedly waved his hand: "Over here!"

Finally united, the group of five chatted about their dungeon-clearing ratings and rewards.

Liu Feiyao was rated A, Zhan Xiaoming and Han Ruihang both received a B, while Pei Xiaodong got a C.

"Let's get our items appraised later!" Zhan Xiaoming was ecstatic. "I also acquired an item with a special ability!"

As the lowest-level dungeons, Level-1 instances generally offer basic rewards. Items with special abilities or higher quality grades are rare.

However, given the 100% survival rate, everyone at least has one unidentified item of a superior grade, a pleasant surprise.

Initially, Jie Fangcheng didn't have much interest in such items; he didn't particularly need them.

But what he didn't need, Professor Zhang certainly could use.

Jie Fangcheng considered the possibility that the next time he met Professor Zhang, it might still be within an instance, where the professor could still be an NPC.

If that's the case, and he couldn't bring him out, at the very least, he could leave some powerful items for him to use, something to help him hold on until a solution is found.

With this thought, Jie Fangcheng found himself momentarily lost in contemplation.

Just then, Pei Xiaodong beside him suddenly widened his eyes as if he had discovered something.

"Look!"

Sensing something, Jie Fangcheng lifted his head.

What he saw was a white dragon leisurely swimming in front of the galaxy that was obscured by leaves.