4: join the army

"Th-this is Heye Township?"

Lin Yue gaped, staring at the city towering over ten meters high, looking majestic and grand in the setting sun!

Lin Yue carefully checked the map, then rubbed his eyes, gazing at the imposing and magnificent city before him, confirming multiple times that he hadn't taken the wrong path.

Just how big was this game? A mere township had such a large city? How big would a county city be then?

Outside the city, traffic flowed like a river, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream. Lin Yue pondered for a moment and then followed them.

The city looked close, but the walk was long. Finally, just before the sun set, he reached the city gate.

Three large characters were carved on the city gate: Heye City!

And below the city gate, several long queues had formed, waiting to enter the city.

"Hurry up, everyone!"

"Get your identity documents out in advance; don't delay the people behind you!" a Soldier at the entrance shouted.

Some people in the queue chattered incessantly, while others moved forward silently.

"Where is your identity document?" the Soldier asked the woman in front of him.

"What identity document?" The woman was a bit surprised and asked in confusion.

"You don't even know what an identity document is? Men, seize her!" The Soldier waved his hand, and several Soldiers rushed over from behind, pinning her to the ground.

"What are you doing! Do you know who I am?"

"You're finished, I'm telling you, you're finished!"

"This game shows no respect for women at all! I'm going to report you!"

The Soldier chuckled and said in a deep voice, "Take her away!"

Upon hearing the order, those Soldiers ignored the woman's shouts, lifted her, and escorted her elsewhere.

Immediately, there was a commotion in the crowd—surprise, mockery, and even panic.

"Next!"

"Show your identity document," the Soldier continued to shout.

"Sir Soldier, is it this?" a man asked with a smile.

He usually played virtual reality games and was an experienced player, so he wasn't flustered.

After all, games now weren't like those from decades ago, where every NPC only had fixed choices or dialogue. Now, game NPCs were becoming more and more human-like, and there were always different ways to pass levels.

The Soldier weighed a string of copper coins in his hand and grinned.

"My humble name is Futhi. May I ask Sir Soldier your name? Perhaps I could treat you to a drink after entering the city?" Seeing the Soldier's reaction, the man knew he had passed, so he asked another question.

In the game, there were many hidden Easter eggs or clues that players needed to discover themselves. Besides, there was no harm in asking an extra question.

At the same time, he couldn't help but despise the player who had been before him. She was probably a bandwagon-jumping 'game vixen.' Sometimes, veteran players would play with them too, but she was the first to 'punch' an NPC!

"Me, huh?"

"I am your father!"

The Soldier directly knocked the man unconscious with a saber. The man saw stars and was dazed as he was escorted away by the Soldiers.

But his last thought in his mind was, "It's too real! Too real! Even the pain is so real!"

"Next!" The Soldier silently tucked the string of copper coins into his embrace, clearly in a much better mood.

Suddenly, three or five people in the crowd simultaneously ran backward. Lin Yue was about to turn and follow, but unexpectedly, with a few "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sounds, several arrows directly shot into the backs of those few people, pinning them to the ground. Their lives were unknown!

Looking up, a line of Soldiers on the city wall held crossbows, aiming with expressionless faces.

"Those who flee without reason shall be killed!" the Soldier shouted, then gave a sinister laugh.

Lin Yue silently retracted his steps and slowly walked forward, gritting his teeth.

As some people entered the city safely and players were constantly being arrested, no matter how much Lin Yue didn't want to take another step forward, it was still his turn.

"Young man, where is your identity document?" the Soldier asked.

Helpless, Lin Yue could only silently hand the young man's identity document to him, hoping it wouldn't be exposed.

The Soldier looked at the identity document, then suspiciously stared at Lin Yue, his gaze like a knife scraping, making Lin Yue feel a pang of unease.

"Lin Yue?"

"Yes," Lin Yue nodded.

"From Xiao Cang Village?"

"Yes."

"Sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a handsome face, that matches. But I observe your height seems to be eight feet, why does this identity document state seven feet?" the Soldier asked, staring at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue's heart trembled. That young man was indeed a head shorter than him. Already feeling guilty, he didn't know how to answer after the Soldier's question!

"I..."

"Young people just grow fast." The Soldier laughed heartily and patted Lin Yue's shoulder, then shouted to a gray-clad old man below the city gate: "Record Keeper, the last person is here!"

"What last person?" Lin Yue thought to himself, following the sound. He saw an old man inside the city gate, upon hearing the Soldier's words, getting up from his reclining chair. After stretching his limbs, he walked towards them.

Lin Yue's heart tightened. He only wanted to enter the city to find a place to stay, but before he even entered the city gate, troubles came one after another.

"Why are you just arriving? You're the only one left. After sunset, you'll be considered overdue, and then..."

"Oh, young man, you're quite handsome. Where's your official document?" After the old man got closer and saw Lin Yue's face, his tone changed. His already wrinkled face smiled like a chrysanthemum, becoming enthusiastic.

"Record Keeper, look at this young man, he's covered in sweat. It's clear he was delayed on the way and just rushed here," the Soldier said with a smile, helping to smooth things over.

I get it! It must be my talent!

"Uh-huh, my apologies, is this it?" Lin Yue, having understood, handed the letter from his bundle to the Record Keeper.

The Record Keeper carefully examined it, then tucked the identity document and official document into his embrace.

"Alright, come with me. You're the only one left," the Record Keeper said, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked out.

"Yes." Although Lin Yue didn't know where he was going, to avoid revealing his true identity, he could only follow.

"I'll take you to the Military Camp first, for a month, and then you can officially enlist."

"You'll serve for a total of two years, and then you can return home. Of course, if you perform well, you can continue to stay here."

"You should have understood this before you came," Feng Cai said as he walked.

"Serve in the army?" Lin Yue exclaimed. Wasn't this a lord-conquering game? How could there be this kind of gameplay? Was the freedom level really that high?

But in a lord-conquering game, why should he serve as a Soldier for others!

"Yes, why, are you unwilling?" The Record Keeper frowned upon seeing this, then his expression became somewhat displeased, and he said in a deep voice: "Young man, let this old man remind you, a deserter has only one path, and that is death! You must think carefully."

"Besides, serving in the army can reduce your taxes, and your family can also benefit from it. What's wrong with that?"

"I don't have a family," Lin Yue said sincerely, recalling Lin Yue's words.

"Hmm..." The Record Keeper was speechless, feeling he had accidentally touched upon his sad past, and could only pat his shoulder.

The journey was silent... Lin Yue kept thinking about how to escape, but the Record Keeper had mentioned the consequences of escaping. This game also had the identity document mechanism. Unless he hid in the deep mountains and old forests, he would be hunted down endlessly!

"This game, with such high freedom, is not free at all," he thought to himself.

He still blamed himself for being uncultured and not understanding the official document; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but hit his head. He should have known to exchange for a Minor Seal Script proficiency in the mall panel earlier!

Upon reaching the Military Camp gate, the Record Keeper stopped and said to him: "I'll take your identity document. The yamen will make you a new one that matches your current appearance, and I'll send it to you in a few days."

"Good." Lin Yue cupped his fists in gratitude. With a new identity document, he wouldn't have to worry about being checked in the future!

"Go on, this is the Military Camp. This old man still needs to go back and write official documents." The Record Keeper turned, waved his hand, and his figure disappeared into the darkness.

Lin Yue turned and stepped into the Military Camp, and a game prompt sounded in his ears.

[Congratulations to the player for joining the Great Qin Empire army!]

[As the first player with the identity of a Soldier, the player is rewarded with the Heaven-tier cultivation technique "Killing God Art"]