3: Chapter 3: Watch Me Dominate the World!

The echo of the system notification had not yet faded when Chen You eagerly pulled up his inventory interface.

A golden, utterly gaudy gift box icon lay quietly in the first slot, seemingly beckoning him wildly.

This was it!

The thing worth six million—no, the thing worth eight hundred and eighty-eight gold coins!

Chen You’s finger trembled slightly as he tapped the icon.

"Do you wish to open the 'Novice Grand Gift Pack'?"

"Yes! Yes! Hurry up!"

He almost roared internally.

The gift box icon instantly burst open, transforming into a brilliant cascade of light. Then, several items replaced its original position, quietly arrayed in the empty slots of the inventory.

"Acquired: novice iron sword"

"Acquired: Novice Cloth Top (Upper Garment)"

"Acquired: Novice Cloth Pants (Lower Garment)"

"Acquired: Novice Straw Sandals"

"Acquired: Small Bottle of Life Potion x 10"

Chen You’s breathing momentarily stopped.

There weren't many items; in fact, they could be considered rudimentary.

But when he clicked open the attribute panel for these pieces of equipment, his spirit instantly lifted.

"novice iron sword"

"Quality: Normal"

"Attack Power: +10"

"Description: An iron sword with very low attack power, but at least it's more useful than your fists."

"Novice Cloth Set"

"Quality: Normal"

"Defense: +20"

"Set Effect (3/3): Max HP +50"

"Description: The basic safeguard for a beginner setting out; it ensures you don't hurt quite so much when you get hit."

Plus twenty Defense! And an extra fifty HP!

His original stats were only two Attack, three Defense, and twenty Health.

This instantly increased his power by an unknown multiple!

Chen You clearly remembered that when that giant chicken pecked him last time, his health bar plummeted significantly—that was definitely a defense penetration.

With these twenty Defense points now, would the situation be completely different?

At least staying alive should no longer be an issue!

He hesitated no longer and immediately chose to equip everything.

A faint light enveloped his body. When the light dispersed, he was already wearing a full set of gear.

Gray cloth top, gray trousers, and a pair of seemingly flimsy straw sandals on his feet, while holding that unremarkable iron sword in his hand.

His appearance was a bit rustic, exactly like a greenhorn just stepping out of the Novice Village.

But within Chen You’s heart surged an unprecedented sense of security.

This set of equipment was the talisman he had exchanged six million for!

He gripped the iron sword in his hand. Although the sensation in the game was virtual, the feeling of weight was exceptionally real.

Good.

Chen You raised his head and cast a cold gaze toward a giant old hen digging the ground not far away.

The chicken seemed to sense his fighting intent, stopped its actions, and its scarlet eyes turned over, locking onto the tiny human.

Enemies meeting, their eyes burn with rage.

"Come on, beast!"

Chen You let out a low shout and proactively charged forward.

It was the familiar screech, the beak as formidable as a siege ram.

The giant chicken suddenly stomped the ground, its massive body stirring up a gust of wind, rushing straight toward Chen You.

Chen You’s heart rate suddenly accelerated; the memory of nearly being instantly killed last time surged into his mind.

But he did not retreat. He gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands, held the iron sword horizontally in front of him, and adopted a less-than-standard blocking posture.

Bang!

A dull thud.

The excruciating pain of being sent flying, which he had anticipated, did not arrive. Only a moderate force was transmitted from the blade to his arm.

A green number popped up above his head.

"-1"

Chen You froze.

Damage... only 1 point?

It felt like being tickled!

The giant chicken also seemed stunned for a moment, apparently not understanding why this fragile creature that looked so weak was so tough.

It let out an angry cry, spread its wings, and pecked over even more fiercely.

"-1"

"-1"

"-1"

A string of single-digit damages floated densely above Chen You’s head, barely scraping off a bit of his health.

Defense penetrated, but not fully.

"Hahahaha... Hahahaha!"

Chen You was first taken aback, then burst into uncontrollable, wild laughter.

Was this the power of money?

Was this the strength of six million?

It felt amazing!

"Now, it’s my turn!"

He stopped passively defending, shifted his body to dodge another peck, and swept the novice iron sword forward in his hand, stabbing fiercely into the giant chicken’s neck.

Splat!

A large, bright red critical hit number exploded above the giant chicken’s head.

-158!

The giant chicken’s movement abruptly stopped. Its massive body swayed, its health bar instantly emptied, and then it crashed to the ground.

"Killed 'Novice Village Chicken' x1, Quest Progress (2/10)"

One sword!

Instant kill!

Chen You stood in place, holding the sword, savoring the supreme thrill of instantly killing a formidable enemy.

The terrifying monster that had previously chased him until he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, forcing him to exhaust all his health potions just to slowly grind it down.

Now, it couldn't even survive one exchange under his sword.

This huge reversal in strength and weakness made every pore on his body relax.

It turned out that the game’s numerical designers hadn't broken their brains; it was just that he himself had been too poor.

"Eight more to go."

The corner of Chen You’s mouth curved into an exaggerated smile. He carried his sword and actively walked toward the next target.

What followed could no longer be called a battle; it was a one-sided massacre.

Hand raised, sword falls, one giant chicken down.

Charge forward, sweep sideways, two giant chickens dead.

On the grass of the Novice Village, Chen You’s figure was like a phantom; every sword strike was precise and fatal.

The monsters that once seemed like primeval beasts in his eyes had now become moving experience packs and quest items.

In less than a minute.

"Congratulations on completing the Novice Guidance Quest."

"Quest Reward: EXP +100, Copper Coins +10."

...

In the real world, inside the rest room of the police station.

The air was somewhat oppressively quiet.

Director Li Guoan sat on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knee, his entire being sunk in deep thought.

From time to time, he glanced at Chen You, who sat with his eyes closed and his body motionless, and then looked at the clock on the wall.

Thump, thump, thump—

The Assistant entered again and walked quickly to Director Li Guoan's side, lowering his voice.

"Director Li, we have news from the central bank."

Director Li Guoan stopped tapping and looked up.

"Speak."

"They... they confirmed it."

The Assistant's Adam's apple bobbed; he seemed to be organizing his words.

"The account Chen You provided did indeed show a decrease of six million in funds two minutes ago."

Director Li Guoan’s reaction was calm; this was within his expectations.

"However,"

The Assistant changed his tone, and his voice carried a note of incomprehensible confusion.

"With all our current available methods, we cannot trace where the money went. No transfer record, no consumption record, no electronic voucher of any kind."

"It just... just vanished into thin air."

Director Li Guoan said nothing, just listened quietly.

This phenomenon, which surpassed the existing technological framework, once again confirmed that this 'game' was extraordinary.

Just then.

Bang!

A loud crash of a heavy object falling to the ground exploded without warning in the quiet rest room.

The sound was dull and solid, carrying a strange sense of physical impact.

"What was that!"

The Assistant had received rigorous training, and his reaction speed far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Almost the instant the sound occurred, he took a stride to block in front of Director Li Guoan, his right hand flashing toward his waist, gripping the handle of his gun.

The two of them looked toward the sound.

In the center of the rest room, on the polished floor, a behemoth had appeared out of thin air.

It was the corpse of that giant old hen, nearly two meters long and ferociously shaped.

It appeared abruptly, smashing onto the floor and splashing a few drops of dark blood that had not yet coagulated.

The Assistant was completely tense, his mind blank.

What happened?

Where did it come from?

Director Li Guoan’s pupils also constricted sharply. He stared fixedly at the chicken corpse, his mind racing.

However, this was only the beginning.

Bang!

There was another loud crash. Another identical giant chicken corpse appeared next to the first one, smashing heavily onto a solid wood coffee table.

With a crack, the sturdy coffee table shattered, sending wood splinters flying.

"Director Li, fall back!"

The Assistant shouted in horror. He had already drawn his pistol, but he didn't know where to aim the muzzle.

Who was the enemy?

Where was the enemy?

Bang! Bang!

The answer to him was a series of denser falling sounds.

The third, the fourth!

One smashed into a potted plant against the wall, scattering soil and broken ceramic shards.

One landed on the sofa, causing the soft sofa to instantly collapse into a large crater.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound seemed to transform into dense drum beats, frantically hammering the hearts of the two men present.

Giant chicken corpse after giant chicken corpse squeezed out of the air illogically, then smashed heavily into every corner of the rest room.

The entire room vibrated slightly under the continuous impacts.

The Assistant was completely stunned, standing there holding his gun.

Watching the rapidly filling space, which wasn't that large, with giant corpses, and smelling the instantly thickening scent of blood and a strange avian odor in the air.

He felt like his brain didn't quite know how to process things anymore.

Director Li Guoan was shielded behind the Assistant. He didn't move, just stared fixedly at this absurd 'corpse rain'.

The last chicken corpse landed heavily on the floor less than a meter from Director Li Guoan, right in front of him.

That giant eyeball, which had died with its eyes wide open, was staring directly back at him.