Zhou You felt uncomfortable addressing the heavy implication behind the name "Martyr" and chose to remain silent.

"Look! Zhou You World is here!" someone exclaimed upon spotting Zhou You.

"Ah, that username... It must be Zhou You, right?"

"And look, the player with the ID 'Kirin' next to him must be Mr. Sha Qi!"

"Makes sense, one's ranked first, and the other third. That's impressive!"

"But why is he still here? I thought he was involved in a murder case. Is he not arrested?" another person said in excitement.

"Haven't you heard? Even the criminal police won't dare touch him. Rumor has it he's under the city lord's protection."

"The city lord? But doesn't he have ties to the Zhu family? Why would he help an outsider?"

"Our city lord is renowned for his impartiality. He probably realized the Zhu kid got what was coming to him."

"Exactly, perhaps the city lord has long wanted to deal with Zhu Shikun and was just waiting for someone to take action."

"Regardless, the Zhu family won't let this go easily. If they find out about Zhou You's identity here, they'll certainly seek revenge."

"Considering he's ranked third, his strength isn't to be underestimated. Those seeking revenge better weigh their own abilities. Besides, this is just a game. If they're so confident, let them seek revenge in reality!"

A group of attractive young players, who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen in the game, gathered around, having heard that the top-ranked player was nearby.

One of them teased, "Zhu, isn't that the guy who killed your cousin? Should we help you get revenge?"

"There are only two of them, and there are eight of us. We're bound to win," another companion added.

"Are you blind? Don't you see who's standing beside him? That's Zhou Xiao Lord's elder brother. We're better off staying neutral in any dispute between them."

Zhou Yichen retorted unhappily, "Who recognizes him as a brother? I certainly don't know him."

"Come on, what's wrong with having such a capable brother? I've heard he's quite wealthy now."

"Do I ever lack money?" Zhou Yichen chuckled, "No matter how much money he has, what does it have to do with me? I've never worried about money since I was a child."

His companions reflected upon his wealthy father and grandfather, understanding why the young master Zhou was renowned not just for his talents but also his affluence at school.

"Zhu Senior, should we make a move?" Since Zhou Yichen wasn't siding with his own brother, the others felt no reservations.

Zhu Shibao didn't harbor as much hatred as others believed. The age gap between him and Zhu Shikun was significant, and they never played together as kids. He had little respect for his reckless, talentless cousin and felt, like many others, that he had it coming.

But he wouldn't admit this in public. Instead, he commented, "This is just a game where everyone has countless lives. There's no real purpose to seeking revenge here. Plus, he's an adult and we're just a bunch of kids. Let's not overestimate ourselves."

Zhou Yichen disagreed, "In reality, we're no match for them. But this is a game where everyone starts equal. We just joined later, but in time, we will surely surpass them."

"Exactly, when it comes to online gaming competitions, we're way ahead of these old-timers."

"Then let's aim for the leaderboards. Once we surpass them, we'll decide our next move."

The group looked at the two names soaring in the top three and felt immense pressure. They'd heard that these two had only been in the game for a few days, yet their achievements were truly commendable.

Tang Jiu rode his motorbike back to the city with a gun on his back. Seeing Zhou You, he approached and congratulated, "Well done."

Zhou You smiled and inquired, "Aren't you upset?"

Tang Jiu shook his head, "Why be upset over being outperformed? But I'll try my best to surpass you."

"Great." Zhou You admired Tang Jiu's straightforward nature. Observing the blood stains on him, he curiously asked, "How many mutant beasts did you kill today?"

"Not many, nothing compared to your impressive tally." Tang Jiu was also curious about their hunting strategy. How could they be so efficient that hundreds of thousands of players across the server couldn't match them?

"By the way, have you found any martial arts techniques during your gameplay?" Zhou You wanted to gauge other players' experiences. He had intended to ask Zhang Dingshan, but they hadn't crossed paths in days.

Instead of answering, Tang Jiu shared his phone number, "I have to log off now. You can contact me later." After saying this, his in-game character disappeared.

Zhou You and his companion didn't have much time left either. They too decided to log off, removed their helmets, and exchanged smiles.

"It's too late now. We'll contact Tang Jiu tomorrow," said Shao Qi.

Zhou You noted down the number and texted Tang Jiu. Receiving no response, he set it aside.

Chapter 137: Fine Vines

Sang Liwu barged into Tang Lian's room late at night, yelling, "What happened? How did you get kicked down so fast? And by that kid?"

Fresh out of a shower, Tang Lian sat in his underwear, browsing the web. The news of Zhou You's top rank had spread everywhere; the whole city must have heard by now.

"Close the door! You're letting the heat out!"

Sang Liwu kicked the door shut and plopped down beside him, sighing repeatedly, "I knew this day would come, but not so soon. I've only reached the beginner martial artist level, just over thirty points, barely making it to the top hundred."

Tang Lian bluntly responded, "Even if you competed against them, I doubt you'd fare any better."