Chapter 5: The Fifth Cup

Chapter 5: The Fifth Cup

Yi Luo holstered his gun and walked toward them. Brother Long had no sense of danger at all, assuming Yi Luo was just passing by. At this moment, he was still basking in the aftermath of his narrow escape, his eyes fixed on the abundant loot scattered on the ground.

His face beamed with the kind of radiant smile a farmer would have after a bountiful harvest. "Wow, so many things dropped! Big Boss, you pick first! Ahem..."

With a quick glance, he realized most of the items were milk tea ingredients. Scratching his head, he changed his wording, "Big Boss, why don't you collect the special materials first, then choose."

He Wuning nodded. The special materials filled his backpack to the brim, leaving only three items on the ground—an anti-control bracelet, a damage-reduction shield, and an unidentified fragment.

He Wuning's expression shifted slightly. That fragment matched the one in his backpack, which had glowed ominously before the stone giant appeared.

But its name was no longer the "??? Fragment" as he remembered; it was now the "Admin Privilege Fragment."

Without hesitation, He Wuning said, "I want that fragment."

Brother Long was taken aback. "Fragment?"

It seemed he had just noticed the peculiar fragment. The chubby kid asked curiously, "What is that? Three question marks?"

Brother Long immediately elbowed him, giving him a look that said not to ask too many questions. "Why do you need to know? If the big boss wants it, give it to him!"

He Wuning raised an eyebrow, realizing the others couldn't see the words "Admin Privilege Fragment." He didn't clarify, saying simply, "Yes, the rest you can divide among yourselves."

Brother Long looked a bit embarrassed but tried to be polite. He Wuning waved his hand dismissively.

He glanced into the distance. Yi Luo had already approached them. He Wuning squinted, sizing up the man who had outperformed him on the player leaderboard. He confirmed, "Is he Yi Luo?"

"Yes!" Brother Long was squatting down, examining the equipment. The two pieces of gear that dropped from the stone giant were of good quality, a significant upgrade for them. He gave the anti-control bracelet to Xiaoxue and the damage-reduction shield to the chubby kid. Brother Long patted his hands together, hiding his pride.

Turning to He Wuning, he explained, "Big Boss, you haven't met Yi Luo before? He's well-known in the safe zone, very approachable. Many people have been saved by him."

He Wuning nodded. "Yes, it's my first time meeting him."

He glanced at Yi Luo, noting how the dark combat suit accentuated his slim figure and long legs, exuding both beauty and strength. Even from his silhouette, it was clear he was handsome.

He Wuning casually withdrew his gaze. "He looks pretty good."

Brother Long choked, seeing Yi Luo approaching. Not knowing why he came, he assumed it was to check on them after saving them.

Looking down at the equipment beside him, he thought optimistically, _Surely he didn't come for these lousy pieces._

Yi Luo walked straight to Xiaoxue and asked, "Are you Qi Xue?"

The girl nodded, her cheeks slightly flushed. Yi Luo then turned to the others, calling out their names one by one, "Long Teng, Lin Zhang, Fu Ziqi, Zhang... Bashi?"

The chubby kid stepped forward, embarrassed. "That's me, Zhang Bashi."

Yi Luo chuckled and opened his communicator. "Lost children in Zone 13 have been found."

Brother Long seemed upset about being classified as a "lost child," but he dared not show any anger in front of Yi Luo. He kept his head down, muttering softly, "Damn, they didn't need to send Yi Luo to catch us..."

Yi Luo stood before him, looking slightly exasperated. "Where's the gun?"

Long Teng handed over the gun, head still down. Yi Luo shook his head. "Really? Do you know how worried your father was?"

Long Teng remained silent. Qi Xue nervously pleaded for him, "We didn't mean to. It wasn't Brother Long's fault. I begged him to take me out. I wanted to be useful..."

"Brother Long?" Yi Luo called him, amused. Long Teng blushed. "I'm older than them, so they call me Brother."

He Wuning felt like he was watching a public service announcement about runaway teenagers being lectured by a police officer.

Seeing his remorseful attitude, Yi Luo nodded. "Report to the shooting training department when you get back. You dare to run around with a gun without knowing how to use it? Afraid of hitting your own people?"

Long Teng looked up, surprised. "Really?"

Yi Luo smiled wryly. "Do I need to lie to you?"

Long Teng grinned foolishly, then suddenly turned. "Right, I forgot to ask your name, Level 1 Big Brother. I'll repay you someday!"

Yi Luo also looked at him, as if he knew he would say this. Confirming, "He Wuning, right?"

He Wuning raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

He stood up, signaling he was ready to leave.

Yi Luo didn't mind his less-than-friendly demeanor. He nodded calmly. "There is something. To fix your car."

He Wuning took a moment to realize what he meant. "Wait, you're..."

"Xue Xun sent me," Yi Luo nodded, confirming his guess. "I awakened today and came here for work."

He Wuning closed his eyes, feeling a touch of melancholy. He softened his tone slightly. "Condolences."

Yi Luo didn't seem particularly sad, instead showing great interest in He Wuning's car. He gathered the injured youths and led them over, planning to fix He Wuning's car and use it to return the escaped kids to safety.

He Wuning had no objections, but the eager looks from the kids made him want to keep his distance.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Yi Luo surveyed the pink milk tea truck in its pitiful state, skillfully prying open the hood. He Wuning noticed the exoskeleton armor covering his hands, but instead of high-tech weapons, there were pliers, tweezers, and screwdrivers.

Clearly, the game had a twisted sense of humor.

While Yi Luo fixed the car, He Wuning had to face the group of kids. Feeling like he was facing a formidable enemy, he asked Yi Luo, "How long will it take?"

Yi Luo paused suspiciously. "Repairing cars is a skill, it takes some time. Why don't you chat with them? They seem interested in you."

He Wuning stiffened, wishing he could burn a hole through Yi Luo with his gaze.

Yi Luo was completely unaware of the poor idea he had just endorsed. The young boys, with Yi Luo's approval, looked at He Wuning eagerly. The little fat boy spoke before Brother Long could: "Brother He, I'm your idol!"

Brother Long slapped him on the head: "Got it wrong!"

The little fat boy immediately covered his head and corrected himself: "Oh! Oh! Brother He, you're my idol!"

Brother Long also acted bashfully: "Boss, you really are He Wuning?"

If it were anyone else, He Wuning would have likely retorted, "Am I not? Are you?" But facing these young kids with their sparkling eyes, he found it hard to resist. He shifted uncomfortably and reluctantly responded with a simple "Mm."

Brother Long looked at him adoringly: "Brother He, what did you do before coming in here? How are you so amazing!"

He Wuning felt that this kid's wording was problematic, making it sound as if he had been involved in something illegal.

He Wuning propped his chin up, not even lifting his eyelids as he replied dismissively: "Hitman."

Brother Long slapped his thigh: "I knew it!"

"Brother He, your skills are beyond ordinary! You must be from the underworld!"

He patted his pocket, looking like he would have offered He Wuning a cigarette if he had one.

He Wuning stared at him for a moment: "I was joking."

Brother Long's enthusiastic smile froze.

He Wuning frowned in confusion: "Not funny?"

Brother Long remained silent, while Qi Xue whispered: "Not very funny."

Brother Long quickly covered her mouth: "My dear, can't you tell the truth now!"

Q-jing couldn't help but chuckle, clearly enjoying the situation: "Darling, you're a genius at killing conversations."

He Wuning glared and pushed Q-jing down: "Humans are talking, what's a system doing here?"

"Woof woof woof!" Q-jing struggled but to no avail.

Only then did Brother Long and the others notice the flashy thing, asking curiously: "What is that?"

He Wuning's expression soured: "System."

"Never seen such an ugly system, right?"

Q-jing clutched its heart: "Darling, you're breaking my heart!"

Brother Long saw that He Wuning didn't like it either and breathed a sigh of relief, saying openly: "Indeed, it's quite ugly... but maybe Xiaoxue might..."

Qi Xue quickly denied: "I don't like it either!"

She seemed determined not to be associated with bad taste.

Q-jing clutched its heart, heartbroken. He Wuning glanced at them and suddenly asked: "Do you have any money?"

He wasn't referring to real-world currency but in-game currency. There was a trading center within the safe zone that appeared alongside the game in a small alley. It was said to be a defunct convenience store whose land was taken over by the game.

Players could sell game items there to earn in-game currency, which they could use to purchase equipment and materials. However, most of the equipment available there was inferior to what dropped from monsters.

The official organizers set up another trading center in the original city mall for player-to-player transactions.

Brother Long nodded vigorously and pulled out some in-game coins, offering them to He Wuning with both hands.

He Wuning looked at him silently: "... I wasn't asking for a robbery, just need you to help me level up a skill later."

There was no other way; the awakened ability's level would restrict his own level. He Wuning needed to level up his milk tea shop to progress further.

Q-jing perked up: "Darling, you're finally going to run the milk tea shop! Let's name it first!"

A floating naming box appeared in front of He Wuning, and he said indifferently: "Random."

Since he didn't plan to seriously run the milk tea cart anyway.

Q-jing: "No random naming function! Sorry!"

He Wuning: "Then call it Idiot."

Q-jing: "No offensive language! Kids shouldn't say things like that!"

He Wuning: "Tch."

Q-jing: "Naming successful. You've taken the first step in running the milk tea cart. Now let's add a cute sign!"

As Yi Luo finished fixing the cart and closed the hood, he saw Q-jing fly over, and colorful flags appeared on the milk tea cart, each bearing a stern "Tch."

He Wuning: "..."

Yi Luo examined it with interest and smiled at He Wuning: "Did you name it? Quite unique."

He Wuning clenched his fists; he seemed to be mocking me.

**Author's Note:**

No-responsibility mini-play:

He Wuning: Remember this grudge, Chapter 5, mocked me.

Yi Luo: Raise objection.

He Wuning: Overruled.

Yi Luo: ... Alright.

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me with overlord tickets or watered nutrient liquid from 01:17 on July 29, 2021, to 02:22 on July 30, 2021.

Thank you to the little angels who watered nutrient liquid: Miss Cat Qi, 15 bottles; Su Qingbai, 5 bottles; Mint Tea, 1 bottle;

I am very grateful for everyone's support, and I will continue to work hard!