45: Chapter 45 Daily Life: Casual Chats in the Cafeteria

The bus engine emitted a monotonous hum, like a giant bee trapped in a tin can. The scenery outside the window gradually transitioned from the wasteland-style subway station to a normal city streetscape; the glass curtain walls of the high-rises reflected the afternoon sun, stinging one's eyes.

Most of the students in the bus were slumped over. Some were excitedly exchanging loot drops, some were checking new skills on their panels, and others were simply slumped in their seats, asleep, with drool running from the corners of their mouths onto the shoulders of the person next to them. The three members of the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad belonged to the last category.

Hu Jinsi leaned against the bus window. His Raccoon City police uniform still retained the unique stench of Raccoon City—a peculiar "fragrance" mixed with the body odor of zombies, gunpowder smoke, and the moldy smell of sewers. Smelling it for too long could induce hallucinations, making one feel as if they had also been infected. He tilted his head toward the window, the glass vibrating slightly from the engine. With his forehead pressed against the cold glass, he fell asleep in less than thirty seconds.

Lin Rui sat beside him, resting his chin on the edge of his riot shield. His eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted into a dream.

Su Wan sat on the other side of the aisle. She was too tired to even adjust her posture. Her throat was still aching, and the throat lozenge had dissolved long before she boarded the bus. She turned her head, her gaze falling on the telephone poles flying backward outside the window. By the time she counted to the third one, her consciousness had gone blank.

The journey was silent.

When the bus pulled into the school parking lot, Teacher Fan stood by the door with a megaphone, shouting: "Every class return to the classroom to assemble, take attendance, and then disperse! Notifications for next week will be announced later!"

The students rubbed their eyes as they climbed out of their seats, dragging their exhausted bodies toward home. The Jack-of-All-Trades Squad walked together on the way back to the residential complex. They glanced at each other; their states were about the same—disheveled hair, dusty school uniforms, and a faint, lingering odor clinging to them.

Hu Jinsi got on his bicycle. The evening breeze poured into the collar of his school uniform, blowing away some of the stench on his body. On the way home, he pedaled with his eyes almost closed, relying entirely on muscle memory and his perception attribute to avoid pedestrians and vehicles on the road.

"I strongly suggest providing a sanitization and cleaning service at the dungeon entrance. I'd even be willing to pay for it," Hu Jinsi waved his hand. "As for tonight, don't contact me. Let me sleep until I'm dead to the world."

"Mm," Lin Rui nodded, hoisting his riot shield onto his shoulder. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Don't forget about lunch tomorrow," Su Wan reminded him. "The Gunpowder Squad scheduled it for tomorrow."

"Won't forget," Hu Jinsi turned and walked toward the stairwell. "I'm heading off first. I can't even stand the smell on myself."

The three parted ways and returned to their homes. When he arrived at his door, he almost walked headfirst into the anti-theft door.

Washing up.

This was a long and solemn ritual. Hu Jinsi stood under the showerhead, the hot water washing over the bruises left by the rocket shrapnel on his back. The sensation, both painful and satisfying, made him grimace. He used up half a bottle of body wash, a whole bar of sulfur soap, and a small bag of baking soda he found in the kitchen—it was said to be highly effective at removing odors.

After washing, he stuffed the Raccoon City police uniform he had been wearing directly into the trash can. That piece of clothing was beyond saving, and he had plenty of sets anyway.

Changing into a clean tracksuit, Hu Jinsi sprawled on the sofa and opened his panel.

The number in the profession experience column perked him up. The amount of monster grinding in Raccoon City this week was terrifying—twenty thousand zombies. Although most of the kills were credited to Su Wan's Requiem Chant, the acquisition of professional experience had never been related to kills. As a main participant, the professional experience Hu Jinsi received far exceeded expectations. Of course, most importantly, Hu Jinsi had confirmed that Lin Rui's level 9 experience was full.

"Upgrade."

[Level up: Level 9]

A warm current spread from the panel throughout his body. The soreness in his muscles subsided somewhat, and the stiffness in his joints was relieved. Hu Jinsi felt the changes in his body, a smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Almost level 10..."

Level 10 meant a new specialty, and more importantly, a new school choice granted by his talent.

Hu Jinsi leaned back on the sofa, calculating rapidly in his mind. At level 10, what school would best complement his current system? The remaining 2 specializations from World of Warcraft were nice, but they weren't the kind that provided an immediate boost to combat power. The high-intensity ones would be the Nephalem Monk. With a set of Inna's Mantra on, Hu Jinsi would dare to solo the Coilfang Reservoir next to Wei City himself—though that was likely a dream. Hu Jinsi only prayed that the result of his one-out-of-three choice wouldn't be too bad. As long as he didn't get something like a Monk Soldier school, he could accept anything else, even the Four Symbols Sect school that was firmly in the sewer tier.

"At level 10, I'll quietly take a hidden school through my talent, and at level 11, I'll openly choose a public one..." Hu Jinsi got more excited the more he thought about it, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. "With two schools in hand again, my future self will be terrifyingly strong."

(On Water Blue Star, most professions can choose an elective school at level 11 to determine the orientation of future skills and obtain corresponding specialties. Information on public schools is available online; anyone can obtain it upon application. Hidden schools that have been passed down require obtaining the corresponding knowledge before they can be chosen. Similar examples include the Druid's Circle, the Barbarian's Primal Path, and the Bard's College directions, etc.)

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, performed two rounds of meditation to restore his Qi pool, and then collapsed onto the bed, his consciousness instantly sinking into darkness.

The next day was Friday, still a rest day. But Hu Jinsi spent the entire morning in a meditative state, adding bricks and mortar to his level 9 specialty.

[Li Hao: The dining location is set. Simo Meat Sauce Pancake Buffet. Address sent to you. Eleven o'clock, don't be late.]

Hu Jinsi replied with a "Received" and shoved his phone into his pocket.

The Simo Meat Sauce Pancake Buffet restaurant was located in the downtown commercial district. The sign wasn't large, but the lights were bright. Pushing the door open, a rich aroma of cheese and the sweet and sour scent of tomato base sauce rushed at him. The interior of the restaurant was typical of a Western chain style, with red and white tables and chairs, huge close-up posters of meat sauce pancakes on the walls, and one could see the chefs tossing dough in the open kitchen.

The six of them chose a corner spot by the window. The round table was big enough, and the chairs were soft enough, suitable for sitting and chatting for a long time.

By the time Hu Jinsi arrived, Lin Rui and Su Wan were already there. In front of Su Wan was a cup of hot lemon water, her fingers tapping the tabletop unconsciously, clearly still in the exhaustion of the recovery period. Lin Rui was holding his phone, seemingly browsing something.

Not five minutes later, the three members of the Gunpowder Squad pushed the door and entered. Chen Yu walked at the very front. He was half a head shorter than Hu Jinsi, but his shoulders were very broad. He had both hands in his pockets, looking like a slacker. Zhou Hao followed behind, with a chubby build, round face, and round eyes. When he smiled, he naturally had a kind of affability that made people relax. Li Hao walked at the end, tall and thin, wearing rimless glasses. The eyes behind the lenses were habitually squinting, as if observing something.

"You're here." Lin Rui put away his phone and nodded at them.

"Late, we're late," Zhou Hao sat down with a thud, the chair letting out a squeak of protest. "A trip to the Profession Mall this morning, almost didn't make it."

"You guys go get food first," Chen Yu waved his hand. "We can talk while we eat. I'm starving to death. I only ate biscuits and beef jerky for three days in the dungeon."

The six of them stood up and headed to the food pickup area.

Hu Jinsi grabbed a plate and first picked up two slices of thin-crust cheese meat sauce pancake—the classic style with crispy edges and a center covered in mozzarella and pepperoni. He also took a small dish of fried chicken wings and a Caesar salad to balance the grease. Finally, he got a glass of iced cola from the beverage machine. Bubbles clung to the side of the cup, making a faint sizzling sound.

Lin Rui's plate was piled high with meat: Hawaiian-style meat sauce pancake, Roman-style spicy sausage meat sauce pancake, and three pieces of charred, fragrant ribs. Su Wan was more restrained, taking a small piece of vegetable pizza and a bowl of pumpkin cream soup, accompanied by a few slices of garlic bread.

The three members of the Gunpowder Squad weren't so particular. Zhou Hao's plate was piled like a small mountain with various foods. Chen Yu took a whole plate of meatball pasta and two slices of cheese waterfall meat sauce pancake. Li Hao only took a small piece of Margherita meat sauce pancake and a cup of coffee, looking like his mind wasn't on eating.

Everyone sat down and stuffed a few mouthfuls of food into their mouths. The sounds of chewing and swallowing rose and fell. After the initial few minutes of hunger, the rhythm at the table finally slowed down.

"Alright," Hu Jinsi leaned back against the chair and took a sip of cola. "Gossip time begins. You guys first or us first?"

"You guys first." Chen Yu stuck his fork into his plate. "That rocket launcher of yours was too shocking. Let me calm down first."

"Fine, then we'll go first." Lin Rui placed his phone on the table, screen facing everyone. "Simply put, on the afternoon of the third day, at the police station entrance, when our total zombie kills exceeded twenty thousand, we triggered an Armed Tyrant. The difference from a normal Tyrant is that it carried a rocket launcher on its shoulder."

He showed the screenshots on his phone to everyone.

Li Hao leaned in, pushed up his glasses, his eyes full of scrutiny. Zhou Hao's fork stopped in mid-air, his mouth wide open. Chen Yu's eyebrows raised.

"What presence!" Li Hao's voice was tight.

"But it's actually not that strong," Lin Rui said calmly. "The first rocket is pre-loaded. Anyone under 300 HP gets killed instantly upon direct hit. But the subsequent ones require the Tyrant to reload itself. You can finish it while it's reloading. The key is how to avoid the first shot."

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became heavy.

"We killed it and it dropped this rocket launcher," Lin Rui continued. "We reported it to Teacher Fan immediately. According to our judgment, this dungeon might not be open to students next week."

"Of course, there's another possibility," Hu Jinsi interjected. "Adding an inspection layer when leaving the dungeon to check if you're bringing out dangerous weapons. But regardless, the risks inside the dungeon are objective."

The three from Li Hao's group were silent for a moment.

"Then let's talk about our progress," Li Hao cleared his throat and shifted the topic. "You know, we triggered a Tyrant this week too."

"Oh?" Su Wan looked up.

"We were a bit cunning," Chen Yu grinned. "At the dungeon entrance, you should have heard our story. We modified the mall entrance in advance, leaving only one door for zombies to enter and exit. The Tyrant could only come in through that door, and it ended up stepping on a remote-controlled landmine we planted the day before."

"Boom—" Zhou Hao made an explosion gesture cooperatively. "The whole ground was shaking. The Tyrant was blown two meters into the air!"

"And then?" Hu Jinsi asked.

"Then we just finished it off," Chen Yu shrugged. "The landmine blew away more than half of its health. The landed Tyrant didn't have much mobility left. The three of us used rifles and homemade Molotov cocktails from a distance to take it down."

"What was the loot?" Su Wan asked.

"A badge that increases deterrence level, and some scraps of materials," Li Hao's expression was a bit helpless. "Deterrence is a bit awkward for us. We have guns and explosives, why would we need deterrence? To make the zombies afraid of us?"

Hu Jinsi almost spat out the cola in his mouth.

"That's it?" Lin Rui asked.

"That's it," Li Hao nodded.

"Then take a look at ours." Hu Jinsi handed his phone to Li Hao. On it was a recording of Su Wan cleaning up two thousand zombies in the stadium using the Requiem Chant. Golden sound waves spread across the stands, and points of light rose in patches like a retrograde meteor shower.

After watching the video, the expressions of the three from Li Hao's group transformed from shock to a kind of indescribable complexity.

"So..." Zhou Hao's voice trembled slightly. "You just used one skill, stood there singing, and cleared out thousands of zombies? While we were in the dungeon modifying the mall, planting mines, making Molotov cocktails, and risking our lives..."

"Su Wan's throat lozenges cost about a few dozen credits a week," Hu Jinsi added, his tone as innocent as if he were stating the weather.

Li Hao's complexion changed instantly.

"I finally got through the low point of a D-rating upon awakening!" He almost shouted. A few customers in the restaurant turned their heads to look at him. "I thought the last two weeks were my highlight moment, but it turns out I'm the clown! The effect we worked so hard to create isn't even as powerful as someone else's single skill! This world is so unfair!"

His voice carried a heartfelt sense of grievance and despair. His fork stabbed into his plate, shredding a piece of innocent meat sauce pancake.

Hu Jinsi patted his shoulder, interrupting his self-pity.

"Brother, Huanhuan, you're overacting. Roaring-style acting isn't popular anymore. Besides, Requiem Chant isn't a skill Su Wan got from leveling up; it dropped during our exploration of the dungeon. Your professions might not lack powerful damage skills adapted for the dungeon; perhaps it's just that your exploration of the dungeon isn't enough."

Chen Yu nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

"Actually, you're right," he put down his coffee cup. "I've been paying attention to similar skills recently. The Mechanic really does have a [Machine Gun Sentry] skill, but the price is a bit touching. I haven't made up my mind yet. After all, we're about to be level 10. What if one of the new skills we get at level 11 is similar? Then the money I spent this time would be wasted."

"Then why don't you try the Cold Plains?" Su Wan suddenly spoke up. She took a sip of pumpkin cream soup and put down her spoon. "There's an achievement called [Proof of a Rookie] in the Cold Plains. You trigger it by killing all the boss monsters in the Cold Plains for the first time. The reward is a random skill, one for each person. Anyway, it's just wasting a week's cooldown. Three people, each drawing one skill, you can't lose, right?"

"Huh?!" The three members of the Gunpowder Squad turned their heads at the same time, their eyes lighting up.

"Proof of a Rookie?" Li Hao pressed.

"Yes," Su Wan nodded. "We triggered this achievement last week. Our class told you about it last week, right? Requiem Chant also dropped from the Cold Plains dungeon."

"Freebie?" Zhou Hao's voice went up an octave.

"Freebie," Hu Jinsi confirmed.

The three members of the Gunpowder Squad looked at each other. Calculation flashed in Li Hao's eyes. Chen Yu had already started counting time on his fingers, and Zhou Hao directly took out his phone to mark it on the calendar.

"Not going to Raccoon City next week," Li Hao decided. "Going to the Cold Plains to grind the achievement."

"Just what I thought," Hu Jinsi stuffed a chicken wing into his mouth. "It just so happens that those elite monsters in the Cold Plains aren't difficult for you. Blood Raven, Bishibosh, and Rakanishu all counter melee, but you all happen to be ranged professions. The melee counter doesn't pose a threat to you. Just make sure to prepare the strategy in advance."

"As for Raccoon City," Hu Jinsi's expression turned serious, and his tone shifted from teasing to earnest, "anyway, you have already started triggering the Tyrant. Given everyone's abilities, the efficiency will only get higher. Now we have already encountered zombies carrying rocket launchers, and there is no achievement prompt after killing them. It is clearly not the final form; there will definitely be other models or even evolved forms later."

He paused and looked at Li Hao: "We were very lucky to win this time; the battle took place at the police station, and there happened to be a high-strength cover that blocked the first rocket. What if it gets triggered in an open area next time? You have all seen the attributes of that rocket; that first shot would definitely take out at least one of us."

The atmosphere at the dining table grew even heavier.

"The three of you are all ranged classes," Hu Jinsi continued, "when things get dangerous, you can't expect Li Hao to drink potions and go berserk to fight the Tyrant head-on, right? Having an Alchemist fight a Tyrant with a rocket launcher in melee—that scene would be just too cruel."

Li Hao imagined the scene, the flesh on his chubby face trembled, and he silently stuffed a large bite of meat-sauce pancake into his mouth to calm his nerves.

After Hu Jinsi finished speaking, the rest of the people at the dining table stopped eating in unison.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously, while he quickly reviewed the experiences from his previous life in his mind.

He had watched many others play the Resident Evil series of games, and he had a rough impression of the map structure of Raccoon City.

The dungeon's design was logical; if exploration on the surface had reached a bottleneck, then the answer was very likely to be underground.

"Actually, I think," he said slowly, "our exploration direction might be wrong."

"Hmm?" The other five looked at him simultaneously.

"This is purely my personal judgment," Hu Jinsi raised a hand, making a disclaimer gesture, "the entrance to the dungeon is a suddenly appeared subway entrance, and inside the dungeon, we also appeared near the subway entrance. So, doesn't that mean the exploration direction of this dungeon should be underground in the city? Going deep along the subway tunnels will lead to unexpected discoveries, rather than grinding hard on the city surface like we are doing."

Su Wan put down her spoon and replied: "If we go through the subway, the magnitude of Zombie Rats inside the subway is on a completely different level from the zombies on the surface. Killing a few thousand humanoid zombies is already the limit for us in a day, but for a squad equipped with weapons like flamethrowers, they could probably clear ten thousand Zombie Rats in half a day."

"Yes," Hu Jinsi nodded, "that is also what I wanted to say. This time we eliminated twenty thousand zombies, and Su Wan's throat and stamina are already exhausted to this extent. Even if we could trigger the next stage of the Tyrant, that would be the end of it. It is evident that our path from the beginning was wrong."

Lin Rui pondered for a moment: "You mean, the Tyrant was never intended for surface clearing squads?"

"Yes," Hu Jinsi said, "we mostly fight the Tyrant by exploiting its weaknesses. Large size, slow turning, vulnerable to terrain constraints. But think about it, if the Tyrant's size appeared inside a subway tunnel, its attacks would become very lethal to us. There would be absolutely no space for us to maneuver; wearing bulletproof armor, it would only need to charge forward blindly."

He paused, his voice dropping lower: "The later rocket-launcher type Tyrants are even more outrageous. In a confined space like a subway tunnel, there is simply no way to dodge a rocket. Getting hit means death, and even if you luckily miss, the shockwave from the explosion is enough to blast a person half to death."

After listening to Hu Jinsi's analysis, the others calmed down to think.

Li Hao pushed up his glasses and said: "Jinsi is indeed making sense. The trigger number of 15,000 is very sensitive. Except for squads like ours and yours that possess area-clearing capabilities, other squads like the Nature Squad and Pear Garden Squad that rely purely on slashing one by one, it is completely impossible to reach this number. Even those S-rank twins from No. 3 High School, I don't believe they could reach a kill count of 15,000 in a single run without external assistance."

He paused: "But if we change the enemy to Zombie Rats, relying on weapons like flamethrowers, meeting the conditions would be very simple. In that case, the correct way to play is actually to go underground, and the surface is just a supplement, or rather, another route of the dungeon."

"Then have you explored the subway?" Su Wan asked.

"No." Chen Yu from the Gunpowder Squad shook his head, "Our three combat styles all require bright visibility. There is absolutely no power on the subway side; it is pitch black, and we can't see our own fingers. We didn't dare to go too deep at all."

"We haven't been there either," Lin Rui said, "we haven't even checked the subway entrance platform carefully."

"Then this matter cannot be discussed." Hu Jinsi spread his hands, "If everyone is free now, send messages to friends you know, ask middle school classmates or other friends if anyone has explored the underground; perhaps there will be new information."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other five at the dining table all picked up their phones and started frantic socializing. Once this kind of curiosity is ignited, it would be very uncomfortable to sleep tonight without getting to the bottom of things.

Hu Jinsi was also scrolling through his contact list on his phone. He didn't know many people, and the few middle school classmates he knew were all casual acquaintances. He sent a mass message with cautious wording: [Has anyone explored the subway tunnels of the Raccoon City dungeon? Seeking intelligence, will pay.]

About ten minutes later, responses started appearing on his phone. Most were nonsense like "haven't been there" or "it's too dark, didn't dare to enter." But Lin Rui had some gains.

"I have news here." Lin Rui raised his head and turned his phone screen toward everyone, "My childhood friend from elementary school replied; the subway carriages can be started. After starting, it will take people to an unknown location."

"What location?" Hu Jinsi leaned over.

"Without a map for reference, they don't know where it is either. But it feels like some kind of large underground laboratory." Lin Rui read out, "It's different from the surface; not only are the power facilities still maintained, but there are also a significant number of zombies, as well as automatic defense weapons deployed within the base. They tentatively attacked a few times, found that it wasn't something they could handle, and left the way they came."

"Also," Lin Rui's expression turned solemn, "they specifically warned that the journey in the carriage from the subway station to that laboratory is not safe. Lickers will climb up from the tunnel, jump onto the roof of the carriage, and attack the people inside. They almost lost a member because of this."

The dining table was silent.

As expected. Hu Jinsi silently confirmed his conjecture in his heart. The underground laboratory must be the secret research facility of the Umbrella Corporation. Even without going to that laboratory, in the movie, one should be able to find the T-Virus stock solution and the antidote in the subway carriage. It's just that they didn't search carefully at the subway platform before; those things might only be on the platform on the side of the laboratory.

These were all deductions based on his experience from his previous life, which he couldn't say out loud. But his heartbeat did accelerate a bit; what attributes would the T-Virus stock solution become in the dungeon? If it were an enhancement serum...

"Thinking so much is useless." Hu Jinsi suppressed his inner excitement, his tone returning to its usual casualness, "In the current situation, it's hard to say whether this dungeon will be allowed to be entered next week. After we reported it, the news was like a stone sinking into the ocean; we haven't received any reply today."

Li Hao appeared quite optimistic: "I don't think it will be as serious as you imagine. Currently, there aren't many squads in the city capable of grinding to twenty thousand. Most people can't even reach fifteen thousand, so the rocket-launcher version of the Tyrant almost doesn't exist for them."

Zhou Hao added: "The biggest possibility is that they will add an inspection layer when exiting the dungeon to see if any dangerous weapons have been obtained, and if so, file a case. This stuff is nothing to professionals at level twenty or thirty; with agility and reaction increased, and under the blessing of various specialties, dodging rockets is too simple. This is also the reason why there are fewer gunpowder-type classes as you go higher up."

"Not to mention anything else," Zhou Hao picked up a slice of pizza, took a bite, and said indistinctly, "just look at the pistol we got in Raccoon City; Chen Yu fixed it, but the damage is still 1-6 after repair. It's not even as high as the damage of your Monk's fists, Jinsi. This kind of thing can't kill people, so circulation is naturally fine. A few hundred years ago, this kind of thing was called a regulated weapon. Nowadays, it just sounds a bit better, but actually, the damage to people is not even as high as a slingshot with better materials. But the rocket launcher is different—anyone with less than 300 HP will die. Now everyone is under level 10; who can stack HP to over 300?"

"So the school will definitely issue a warning," Zhou Hao summarized, "reminding everyone to stay vigilant and pay attention to the kill scale. The death quota for this semester has already been used; if a few more students are taken away because of this, the teachers at No. 1 High School can forget about their bonuses this year."

Hu Jinsi smiled and raised his cola cup to clink with Zhou Hao.

At this moment, Lin Rui took out a few items dropped from the dungeon from his backpack and placed them on the table.

"Almost forgot the important business." He pushed the [T-103 Concentrated Virus] and a few [Tyrant's Flesh Samples] in front of Li Hao, "Do you want these things?"

Li Hao's eyes instantly lit up.

"Want! I want them all!" He grabbed the test tubes and sample bags, as if afraid someone would snatch them away, "My class inherently has research needs; before, I was even complaining that the materials from only our squad weren't enough. From now on, give all such items to me; I want them all!"

Lin Rui then took out the [Tyrant's Binding Trench Coat]: "What about this one?"

"Want!" Li Hao nodded like a pounding pestle, "The Treasure-Abundant Boy is truly as famous as rumored."

"Treasure-Abundant Boy?" Su Wan chuckled, "Where did this nickname come from?"

"It was said when chatting with Zhen Kai and the others." Li Hao was a bit embarrassed, "They said Sun Yao bought quite a few skills from you; everyone doesn't even have enough for themselves, but you guys sell them out every week."

"Then you have to look at our class composition," Hu Jinsi said irritably, "Monks don't wear armor, Bards only wear light armor and also have their weapon slots occupied by musical instruments. In our squad, only Lin Rui can wear and use them; after satisfying him, we can only sell the rest. It's not that we enjoy being resellers; we are forced by this class."

"Right, right, right." Li Hao laughed and brushed it off, "Anyway, no one is arguing with you at this time; one shouldn't talk about bald donkeys in front of a monk."

In the end, Li Hao bought the equipment and materials for 6,000 credits, and additionally made up the price difference with a [lickers leg bind].

[lickers leg bind]

[Type: Leg]

[Vertical Sprint: After wearing, you gain climbing speed, the value of which is equal to your walking speed. You can move freely on vertical walls and ceilings, and both hands remain free (no need to use hands for climbing).]

[Item Description: This dark gray, cloth-like leg binding with fine scaly texture is made from the exceptionally developed tendons and adhesive skin of a Licker. It is as light as nothing, yet it allows the wearer to gain vertical mobility like a mutated creature.]

Hu Jinsi took the leg bind and weighed it in his hand. The fabric was light and airy, feeling like the skin of some reptile, and upon closer inspection, it had a fine, dense scaly texture. The item description was indeed a bit hair-raising; "Licker's tendons and adhesive skin"—wearing it on his legs gave him a strange sensation.

"You two split the credits." He folded the leg bind and stuffed it into his backpack, "I will go ask Mother Su for help with this thing, and let her add a layer of cloth outside to cover it up."

Su Wan nodded: "I will tell her."

The transaction was completed, and the topic at the dining table finally turned to a lighter direction.

"It's almost December," Su Wan glanced at the sky outside the window, "there's only a little over a month until the vacation; what plans do you all have for the holiday?"

Most of the people present indicated that they were going to other places to visit relatives. The establishment of Wei City itself was to resist the several World Cancers nearby and prevent them from expanding. Therefore, most of the residents of Wei City were outsiders, and there were very few locals. During major holidays, those who could leave their posts would mostly choose to return to their families to spend the time together.

Seeing that Hu Jinsi didn't speak, Zhou Hao asked with some confusion: "Jinsi, what are your plans for the holiday?"

Hu Jinsi didn't mention the fact that he was an orphan. He just said: "I might consider soloing a few dungeons. According to the current trend, the probability of reaching level 11 before the holiday is very high. By then, I should have the ability to solo dungeons like Goldshire and Cold Plains."

Lin Rui and Su Wan looked at him with some worry, but they didn't mention the fact that his family was no longer around in front of the Gunpowder Squad.

"You don't have to work so hard." Zhou Hao shook his head, "It's too dangerous to go to a dungeon alone. There must be many classmates in the class who won't be going out during the winter break; you can definitely find them to form a temporary party, just treat it as going into a dungeon to see the world; that's pretty good too."

Chen Yu also interjected at this time: "I heard from a friend in a neighboring city before that their newbie dungeon has a place called Bloodhoof Village, which is a large grassland with various animals and beasts. Putting aside anything else, the scenery and view are quite excellent. If you are not interested, you can also try Kharanos, which is completely in the snow; the snowy mountains and ice lake scenery are also great. Even if you don't kill monsters, it's quite nice to just treat it as a 72-hour trip."

He paused and continued: "If you are not interested in these, there is another place a bit further away, about a half-day's drive; in Daibei City, there is a newbie dungeon called Wandering Isle. It is said that the style inside is similar to the Eastern style of our current world, and I heard it drops some skills and equipment related to Monks or other Eastern classes. I have many friends with Eastern classes, and they all say they want to visit it during the holiday."

Hearing the three words "Wandering Isle," Hu Jinsi sat up straight abruptly.

Goldshire had already become a fragment and arrived here, so other places might also become fragments one after another, being absorbed by Water Blue Star and transformed into dungeons. This Wandering Isle, if he guessed correctly, was the prototype of the Pandaren starting village in a certain famous game world. The birthplace of the Monk, the hometown of the three major schools: Mistweaver, Windwalker, and Brewmaster.

And Hu Jinsi's current situation was precisely a severe lack of skills for the Mistweaver School. The Mistweaver skills visible on his panel could be counted on one hand, which was a far cry from the way his skill bars were stuffed full in the game in his previous life. If Wandering Isle could really drop skills and equipment related to Eastern classes, it would be a godsend for him.

Wandering Isle. The top of his must-visit list.

Hu Jinsi slapped Chen Yu's shoulder hard, with enough force to almost knock the fork out of Chen Yu's hand.

"Brother," his voice carried a kind of heartfelt excitement, "this news comes at the perfect time. Thank you."