Chapter 365 An Invitation from One Side

Chapter 365 An Invitation from One Side

Su Bai, of course, still remembered the name Qin Ge. After all, he was one of the first fellow travelers Su Bai encountered when he took the Route 444 bus again after his rebirth. Moreover, every time Su Bai met Zhang Yibu in the real world, Zhang Yibu would chatter about Qin Ge's various exploits. Thus, Su Bai learned that Qin Ge had grown from an ordinary member of the "Missing Persons Investigation Team" to an important figure in a high position.

This matter concerned Su Bai somewhat.

Because in the script of his previous life, the name "Qin Ge" did not exist in the story of players fighting against the nightmare world.

In his previous life, Su Bai entered the nightmare world a year later than in this life, yet he was the first player to survive the Route 444 bus. Although player statistics were not 100% accurate, Su Bai remembered that he only heard about the existence of player forums more than half a year after becoming a player. At that time, the forums had no other substantial functions besides gossip and chatting, and he had never heard of any relevant departments in the real world trying to establish an official player team.

Su Bai was almost certain that Qin Ge and Zhang Yibu did not survive the last bus of Route 444 in his previous life.

This meant that when Su Bai entered the nightmare world in his previous life, "Qin Ge" was no longer part of the investigation team of the relevant departments, the establishment of the player forum was not led by Qin Ge, and there would be no official player team led by Qin Ge.

The future seemed to have undergone some changes, whether good or bad, without anyone realizing it.

"Actually, some players who joined the official team have experienced even more nightmare games than Captain Qin, but Captain Qin has a... peculiar charisma, doesn't he? It always feels like as long as you follow Captain Qin, even in the chaotic nightmare world, you can find a sense of order," Zhuang Anping mused.

"Yes, it's a peculiar sense of order," Zhuang Anping said, a longing expression on his face. "Now, more and more player teams and factions are forming, which even makes someone like me, who has always been a lone wolf, unable to resist. After much consideration, I still feel that the official player team is the most suitable for me."

"However, because I'm still just a reserve member, and my abilities are only average, and Miss Chen Xi is the sister of that famous Candlelight Society president, I didn't dare mention this in front of her before," Zhuang Anping said, scratching his head a little sheepishly. "I was just afraid of embarrassing Captain Qin and our team in front of the Candlelight Society."

"Why do you think the official team is the most suitable? Besides the nameless society that permanently resides in the nightmare world, Chen Hai's Candlelight Society, and the official team, there should be many other teams and factions," Su Bai had always been a solo player, neither particularly liking nor disliking any faction. In his previous life, there were no officially organized player teams, but he knew that while relevant departments maintained order, it also meant more rules and restrictions, which were not suitable for most players whose mindsets changed after gaining power.

"Perhaps it's stability?" Zhuang Anping didn't hide anything from Su Bai. "Not long after I became a player, I lost my job. My former boss planned to lay off staff due to poor performance, and after I was absent from work because I was caught up in a nightmare game, he didn't hesitate to fire me. I still haven't told my wife and daughter about this."

"My age and the fact that I occasionally need to enter the nightmare world make it difficult for me to find another stable job. I'm not like the young people on the forum who are quick-witted and have various ways to make money, and my own abilities aren't suited for making money. The hard-won items I have are crucial for survival, so there's no way I could use them to exchange for money..."

"Under these circumstances, the official player team is truly the most suitable stable job for me." Zhuang Anping tossed out a few homemade ropes, helping the busy black dog restrain a few strange people who wanted to sneak away, his tone still calm and composed. "I go to work and come home every day as usual. Although the physical training is tiring, it is much more meaningful than sitting in front of the computer all day. The salary is about the same as before I was laid off, so I really have nothing to complain about right now."

"In addition, Captain Qin is truly an outstanding and capable person. He has a special charm that can unite all the members into one, which makes even an old man like me want to do something for everyone." Zhuang Anping's accuracy in throwing the rope did indeed seem to be specially trained. He hadn't been exhausted even after running around the streets with Su Bai for a while, which should also be the result of training under Qin Ge.

"Moreover, relevant departments have recently discovered that there are strange things similar to those in the nightmare world in the real world. Even for us reserve members, every day is quite fulfilling. Occasionally, we can even go on external assignments to other cities, and there are special allowances for external assignments," Zhuang Anping said, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, his voice gradually rising. "As long as I tell my family it's a business trip, it won't arouse any suspicion."

"So..."

Zhuang Anping looked directly at Su Bai, his tone tinged with a hint of nervousness and anticipation, finally returning to the main topic after such a long detour—

"Why don't you join us too? With your abilities, you might even be able to skip the reserve stage and become a full member directly."

Zhuang Anping looked at Su Bai, his eyes full of earnestness. He knew that Su Bai's strength was extraordinary, and he hoped to persuade Su Bai to join Qin Ge's player team. This would undoubtedly be a great boon for them.

Seeing Su Bai remain silent, Zhuang Anping tried again, "Actually, there's no need to decide whether to join or not so soon. You can go to our workplace to learn more. Captain Qin always welcomes interested players to visit. By the way, if this game goes smoothly, my team is going to Qingliu City next door. I heard the situation there is terrible."

"If Captain Qin agrees, you can come with our team to take a look."

Qingliu City?

Since his rebirth, Su Bai had only ever traveled between the nightmare world and Honghuai City in the real world. When he was in the nightmare world, he searched everywhere for a way to repair his mother's soul, while in the real world, he had never left Honghuai City because he was preparing for his entrance exams.

Mentioning Qingliu City, Su Bai couldn't help but recall the university he had always wanted to attend in his previous life but couldn't.

After a moment of thought, he replied, "Next time, for sure."

Then, he continued forward with the black dog, tracking the strange people, neither agreeing nor immediately refusing.

Night enveloped the city, the streetlights dim and yellow. The black dog beside Su Bai agilely weaved through the shadows, keenly catching any abnormal movements. The black dog's low growl echoed in the night sky, and the value of the strange resurgence displayed on the commercial street's large screen was also decreasing at a visible rate.