19: Huo Yin

When Liu Yan and Zhao Chuang reached the classroom door, they ran into Teacher Qi, who was about to push the door open.

Liu Yan briefly presented their request to Teacher Qi to enter the Third District.

"Alright, I'll take you there now." Teacher Qi nodded with satisfaction.

Zhao Chuang, who usually disliked Liu Yan the most, being able to team up with him to enter the Third District for cooperative work between students, was exactly what Teacher Qi wanted to see.

The three of them went to the entrance of the Third District together.

After Teacher Qi gave them a brief instruction, he confirmed with Liu Yan whether he wanted to continue broadcasting the screen publicly this time and then left.

"Brother Yan, do you really want to make it public? I'm a little nervous." Zhao Chuang, nearly two meters tall, actually seemed a bit flustered at this moment.

This couldn't be blamed on him; after all, not everyone could withstand the pressure of a group of people gathered together, watching their every move.

"You get used to it. It's just a pity we can't interact, otherwise, maybe we could even ask for some gifts."

After speaking, Liu Yan stepped into the mist behind the door first. Seeing this, Zhao Chuang could only brace himself and follow.

After the two entered the mist, the sounds of various stalls hawking their wares came again.

"Almost brand new Level 4 bulletproof vest, only one bullet hole in the back, negotiable!"

"Selling a dancing girl!"

"What's so special about a broken dancing girl? It's just a decoration, only sells to people with collecting fetishes."

"What do you know? This dancing girl has an original scent on it!"

With that, the old man at the recycling stall even gave the other party a knowing look.

Liu Yan recognized the old man at a glance and thought to himself:

This dancing girl... it couldn't be the one he stuffed into his pants and brought out, could it?

"Stall owners nowadays are getting better and better at false advertising!"

"Besides gunpowder, what other smell could items brought out of the Third District have?"

Zhao Chuang had always disliked scams and was about to go forward to argue with the old man.

This scared Liu Yan beside him. If they really started arguing and the old man recognized him, what then?

Thinking of this, Liu Yan stopped Zhao Chuang with lightning speed.

"Why bother with him? Don't forget our main task!"

"But he..."

"But what? We have to earn enough money for the deposit match before 4 PM. Don't waste time!" Liu Yan said, allowing no refusal.

Seeing this, Zhao Chuang had to compromise, but before leaving, he memorized the old man's appearance.

When he had a chance in the future, he would definitely go up and have a good talk with him.

The two followed the signposts and walked in the direction of Longbow Stream Valley.

Liu Yan hadn't forgotten that a joint school Sniper Elite Competition awaited him three days later.

This was a good opportunity to familiarize himself with using a sniper rifle.

On the way, Liu Yan took out his phone and called Fuji.

"I need your help with something."

"If there's money to be made, I'll wait for you at the entrance of Longbow Stream Valley."

"Of course you're buying. Including you, there are three of us. Help me buy a sniper rifle. The bullets need to be Level 5. No helmets or armor."

In games, bullets above Level 4 couldn't be brought into regular matches.

However, there was no such restriction in the Third District, which Liu Yan only learned after reading the textbooks there.

Seeing Liu Yan hang up the phone, Zhao Chuang on the side asked:

"Brother Yan, is that the guy with the middle-parted hair who teamed up with you yesterday?"

Liu Yan nodded.

"That person is indeed good, very righteous!" Zhao Chuang gave a thumbs up, showing his approval.

"Honestly, yesterday when you two were supporting each other at the end, it almost made me cry."

Liu Yan nodded. He also had a very good impression of Fuji.

Meeting for the second time, he was willing to trust him, lend him equipment, and in the end, didn't abandon him to retreat alone.

The original Liu Yan's experiences led Liu Yan to subconsciously believe that most people in this world would abandon their teammates to save money.

After all, virtual currency in games often revealed much about human nature, let alone when it was replaced by real cash.

"He is indeed a good person, but we weren't supporting each other. At that time, he was completely dragging me along," Liu Yan added.

As the two chatted, they had already arrived at the entrance of Longbow Stream Valley.

Unlike the style at the entrance of Dam Zero,

almost everyone at the entrance of Longbow Stream Valley was in plain clothes, each carrying a sniper rifle on their back.

Compared to Dam Zero, the terrain of Longbow Stream Valley was also wider with fewer covers, making it a well-deserved sniper's paradise.

Moreover, with high-level sniper rifle bullets, helmets and armor provided little help.

At the same time, heavy helmets and armor would reduce mobility, which was unfavorable for sniper battles requiring frequent repositioning.

This was also the main reason why everyone didn't wear helmets and armor. Of course, the mentality of taking small risks for big gains accounted for more factors.

"Over here." Liu Yan waved in the direction they came from, then turned to introduce Zhao Chuang:

"This is Fuji, nicknamed Brother Ji. He has been practicing in the Third District for two and a half years."

Not far away, Fuji, carrying a large bag, wailed with a look of complaint.

"I'm fed up. Why didn't we meet in the trading zone?"

After walking over, Fuji laid out the firearms from his backpack in front of Liu Yan and Zhao Chuang.

An R93 sniper rifle with a scope, and two semi-modified Warrior submachine guns.

Plus three sets of chest rigs and backpacks, and three sets of medical supplies.

"Here's the sniper rifle you wanted. The scope is a 6/12 variable magnification one." Fuji handed the R93 sniper rifle to Liu Yan.

After reluctantly glancing at the golden Level 5 bullets, Fuji finally handed them to Liu Yan.

"And the Level 5 bullets you wanted, only 10 rounds. Use them sparingly, they're expensive as hell!"

Then, Fuji picked up a semi-modified Warrior submachine gun and handed it to Zhao Chuang.

"Brother, what do I call you?" Fuji squatted on the ground, looking up and asking Zhao Chuang politely.

Zhao Chuang took the Warrior submachine gun and patted his chest, replying:

"Brother Ji, you are indeed righteous. Just call me Zhao Chuang."

Fuji waved his hand after hearing this, modestly saying:

"Your accent is quite heavy too. Just call me Fuji, no need to call me 'Brother'."

After the three distributed their equipment, they embraced and walked together towards the entrance of the regular Longbow Stream Valley.

Buzz buzz buzz — — — —

After entering the portal, the three appeared simultaneously in a helicopter.

Inside the helicopter, the monotonous broadcast voice sounded again.

"We are about to land. Reconfirm your mission objectives, and remember the upcoming arrangements..."

This time, Liu Yan finally couldn't hold back.

In games, appearing in a helicopter and listening to the worn-out dialogue every time upon entering was understandable.

But why was it still like this every time when it came to reality?

With this question, Liu Yan turned to Fuji and asked:

"Brother Ji, do you know why we're always in a plane every time we enter the Third District? And why does that sentence always play?"

As he spoke, Liu Yan pointed above his head.

Fuji was first stunned, as if he hadn't expected Liu Yan to ask such a question. After a moment of recollection, Fuji said:

"In a sense, the Third District is not part of this world."

"And for us to enter the Third District is equivalent to stepping into another world."

After hearing this nonsense, Liu Yan showed a speechless expression.

"That doesn't seem to be related to what I asked, does it?"

Fuji shook his head.

"It is related. Every time we enter the world of the Third District, it's a fixed timeline. In short, it's a loop."

"It's like the protagonist of a movie who, after midnight or death, wakes up again at a fixed time."

Hearing this, Liu Yan generally understood, but still raised another question:

"Since it's a loop, why are the scattered items I find in the same place different each time?"

"And our landing position is also different each time."

Fuji scratched his head, trying hard to recall, then said:

"It's just that there are countless such worlds, but their timelines are all the same."

Liu Yan was startled, then suspiciously asked:

"How do you know all this?"

Fuji showed a proud expression.

"Of course, the experts in the news said so!"

Zhao Chuang immediately added after hearing this:

"Right, right, right, I've seen it too. That crooked-neck expert is called Huo Yin!"

"Brother Yan, don't you usually watch the news?"

Hearing Fuji's last sentence, Liu Yan felt that everything he had heard before was useless.

And, what the hell is Huo Yin? Are you trying to pull a Gold and Silver Horn stunt on me?