Chapter 342: 342 Formal Area

Bai Jinxuan had accompanied Chen Xu in the game for over a month, but in reality, only about an hour had passed.

In fact, she was also very busy. When she received the invitation to enter the game, she was recording a show. Then, claiming she was tired and needed a rest, the production team announced a break.

She had put aside important work to join Chen Xu, mainly because they had too little time to see each other and thus treasured every moment doubly so.

As for whether there would be rumors of her acting like a diva in the future, she couldn’t care less.

However, she couldn’t just leave the production team hanging there indefinitely, and an hour was long enough; dragging it out any longer would be inappropriate. So despite her reluctance, she decided to leave the game.

Upon her departure, Chen Xu also exited the game. He felt somewhat helpless, having intended to enjoy a relaxed and comfortable life with them, but they turned out to be busier than one another, leaving him with the most free time.

In the end, he was faced with the prospect of staying in the game alone, without anyone’s company. How could he explain such a situation?

He still had plenty of time, enough to stay until the next morning, over ten more hours. Thus, he chose another game to enter.

He wasn’t very interested in the mainstream level-up monster-battling games; he preferred trying different genres like shooter, fighting, and various sports games…

“Your points have reached the required standard, and you will now enter the official gaming area. Countdown beginning, three, two, one…”

As Chen Xu lay on a surfboard beside a beach, struggling to paddle toward a huge wave, he was startled by the notification. The scene before his eyes shifted, and he had automatically exited the game.

He found himself in a larger square that looked more majestic and was more populated. It could scarcely be called a square, for it was too vast, stretching beyond his line of sight.

He glanced around curiously and realized that, perhaps because the space was so large, it didn’t seem too crowded.

Thinking of Shang Mu, he sent a message, “I’m here.”

After a while with no reply, he knew that the guy was probably engrossed in a game.

They had added each other as friends, and if both were on the square, they could send messages anytime. But if one was inside a game, messages couldn’t be received.

However, before entering the game, Shang Mu had informed him of the game’s name.

He didn’t rush to make a decision. Instead, he began contemplating. In the newbies’ area, he had enjoyed experimenting with various games, but upon reaching the official area, he needed to start considering how to earn credit points.

The monthly internet fee was three thousand, meaning he had to earn at least a thousand credit points a day on average. This total would need to account for the initial period when he had just joined the game and making money wasn’t easy with a low level.

“Which game to choose?”

He recalled forum posts that advised aspiring professional gamers on how to select games.

More than a hundred million games were still in operation within the dream equipment system. For any category, the top ten most popular games surely offered the most money-making opportunities, and they also had the highest concentration of professional gamers.

For a newcomer, these popular games weren’t the best picks, as they had usually been running for a while. The professional gamers within had been playing for a long time and would have very high levels and gear. As a newcomer, just catching up to their levels would take a considerable amount of time, and initially, one would only earn a modest sum for hard labor.

The competition was too fierce.

Hence, the best option would be to choose a game that suited one’s talents and had the potential to become very popular. If one had good judgment, when the game became popular, making money would be easy.

Even if the game didn’t become a hit, becoming one of the top players in a game ensured money-making opportunities.

Of course, if the game failed and shut down, that would be a real loss.

As for the game Shang Mu chose, it was a long-term number one hit in its category and had just opened a new area.

This was a common practice for popular games: a well-known game, serving as a quality IP, launching a new area was akin to shooting a sequel to an once-popular movie low risk, high reward.

The game had been popular for many years and boasted longevity. This time, it was the fifty-third division. One could imagine how impressive this IP was.

After some thought, Chen Xu decided to join Shang Mu in this game. In terms of foresight, he felt he certainly couldn’t compare to Shang Mu, who had long been determined to become a professional gamer and was far more knowledgeable about games than he was.

Moreover, their cooperation had been enjoyable before, and gaming together provided them mutual support.

Once he had made up his mind, he didn’t linger for an extra minute and immediately chose to enter the game.

…

When Chen Xu opened his eyes, he saw the azure sky.

He stood up amidst a grassy area, with two bodies lying nearby. Judging from the wounds, they were likely killed by a wild beast.

“Am I a police officer?”

He guessed internally; this was the identity the game had assigned him.

[Newbie Task: Kill a Mutant Black Wolf. Success rewards you with 50 experience points; failure results in death.]

This game was multi-genre, meaning whatever type of player you were, you could find something you liked in this game.

For those who liked to fight and kill, the game would assign you an appropriate identity and through various missions, you would continually slay monsters and level up.

Here, you can fight solo, team up with others, and even enter instances where you command large troops of NPCs in battle.

For fans of fighting styles, there were fighting tournaments. For music lovers, music competitions. For sports enthusiasts, sports matches…

In short, in this game, there was nothing you couldn’t find, only what you couldn’t imagine.

This game also had another name, “Second Life.” Players could treat this place as a second life. It was said to have a history almost as long as that of the dream equipment.

For a long time, this game had the highest number of players online.

Upon entering the game, it would assign you a background based on your talents.

For someone like him, with precise throwing skills and a keen sense of danger, being assigned the role of a police officer made perfect sense.

Chen Xu cautiously surveyed his surroundings, hand already drawing the gun from his waist.

Roar–

Suddenly, he sensed an alert in his heart, turned his head, and saw a massive black shadow pouncing toward him. His gun was already firing–a loud bang–and the shadow collapsed to the ground.

[Task complete: One Mutant Black Wolf killed, 50 experience points obtained.]

Seeing the notification, he let out a slight sigh of relief.