Chapter 4

Cutting the neural connection, Fēng Bùjué unlocked the game pod and sat up inside, taking a deep breath.

It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly outside.

Fēng Bùjué lived in an apartment building, on the thirteenth floor (the top floor), and he paid rent to live there alone. His parents, knowing they would not have a chance to appear in this book, angrily accepted their fate and passed away a few years ago, leaving the protagonist alone and destitute. This saved me the trouble of creating two more names, truly a case of "dying to make the story better, hiding the glory and the name."

Looking at the time, Fēng Bùjué realized he had only played for fifteen minutes. In non-sleep mode, the time perception in the game was twice that of real life, meaning he felt like he had been in the game for half an hour. In sleep mode, the neural connection was deeper, and the time ratio could reach ten to one, as the saying goes, "time does not exist in dreams." If a player stayed online, they could complete eighty hours of game content in one sleep, but this would be equivalent to dreaming for eight hours straight, and they would certainly have a headache the next day. The game pod's manual clearly stated that it was not recommended to play for more than four hours in sleep mode, and Fēng Bùjué had obviously read and remembered this...

Now, Fēng Bùjué came out of the game pod not because he needed rest, but because he had agreed to play the game with a friend. It was the first day of the beta test, and the server opened at eight in the morning. His friend had no free time during the day, so Fēng Bùjué decided to wait for him. He had just logged in to familiarize himself with the game and did not want to level up too much, which would cause their game progress to diverge.

Speaking of which, was Fēng Bùjué really doing nothing on a sunny day?

Yes, he was doing nothing...

Previously, it was mentioned that he was a detective novelist. Now, some might think, "Is this guy one of those big writers who can live comfortably without writing anything?"

Obviously, he is not...

Fēng Bùjué was somewhat well-known but far from a household name. His books were good, and each one was published, with the publisher willing to work with him. He was the type of novelist who didn't make a lot of money but also didn't starve.

He had a two-page column in a weekly magazine, serializing a detective story. He had to submit the entire month's content by mid-month, and if the quality was poor, it would be returned. He had to revise it by the end of the month, and the payment was settled monthly.

But with this income alone, he could barely make ends meet in the city of S. Therefore, he also wrote long series detective novels, which were printed and sold as physical books. Each time he completed one of these books, Fēng Bùjué could save some money, which gave him a bit of a surplus.

But why was he doing nothing on a sunny day?

This is easy to explain. In Fēng Bùjué's own words, his writing and living state could be described as: "When inspiration flows, I submit on time, and I feast on delicacies; when inspiration dries up, I struggle to write a word, and I eat a bowl of clear soup with noodles." Clearly, he was currently in a state where he couldn't write.

He was very adaptable. When he couldn't write, forcing it was pointless, so he played... not only played, but also claimed it was "collecting material."

Therefore, expecting Fēng Bùjué to submit on time was a myth.

Every mid-month, the magazine editor would come to his door, ready for a showdown. His landlady, wielding a golden-tipped spear, would use the spare key to barge in and start chopping.

Fēng Bùjué was always prepared for this day, ready for battle. He would wait for the two to arrive, engage in a fierce battle, and in the end, leave eight large characters in the sky: "No money, only a pile of drafts."

Okay, that's a bit exaggerated, but his life was indeed quite comfortable.

Now, let's talk about Fēng Bùjué's friend. As the saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together." Could Fēng Bùjué's friend be a rich and handsome guy?

Yes, he is a rich and handsome guy...

His name is Wáng Tànzhī, Fēng Bùjué's childhood friend. In the local dialect of S City, they are called "赤裤兄弟" (chìkù xiōngdì), meaning "red pants brothers." They have been classmates since kindergarten, all the way through high school. Wáng Tànzhī went to medical school, while Fēng Bùjué became a social loafer.

Their relationship can be explained in two ways: facts and assumptions. First, the facts: Why did Wáng Tànzhī go to medical school? Because Fēng Bùjué had always wanted to be Sherlock Holmes, and Holmes' assistant, Watson, was a former army doctor, so he went to medical school...

Now, the assumption: If Wáng Tànzhī were a girl, the nature of this novel would change, as Wáng Tànzhī might have already given herself to Fēng Bùjué for many years.

Given the above assumption and the wild thoughts in your heads, I must clarify: It's just an assumption. They are both men and heterosexual.

Wáng Tànzhī's family was very wealthy, and the exact amount didn't matter; he could live a good life without working. He was slightly handsome, a bit taller than Fēng Bùjué, standing at exactly 1.8 meters. He was gentle, kind, a bit weak, and didn't like to stand out, being modest and yielding.

In short, it was hard to find fault with him, forming a stark contrast to Fēng Bùjué, the eccentric. Wáng Tànzhī was a well-liked young man, while Fēng Bùjué was often described as cynical, misanthropic, moody, and a literary thug.

But the world is full of surprises, and these two became close friends.

The afternoon passed quickly, and Fēng Bùjué spent another hour reviewing some materials on the official website. Since he had already entered the game and completed the tutorial, the explanations now made more sense.

For the rest of the time, he made noodles, not because he particularly liked them, but because he saved the money he would have spent on instant noodles to buy flour...

He was a strange person. He calculated his food intake precisely, determining the exact amount needed to avoid starvation, and then used all his savings (which weren't much) to buy a game pod. The remaining money was used to buy flour and pay for utilities...

If you think he was frugal, he spent a significant portion of his budget on a luxury item (the new game pod was expensive). If you think he was extravagant, he never let himself reach the point of being unable to afford food.

...

By evening, Fēng Bùjué had finished a bowl of clear soup with noodles, solving his dinner.

Wáng Tànzhī called, saying he had already logged into the game and completed the tutorial, which had scared him half to death, leaving him in a cold sweat. He called to calm down.

Fēng Bùjué thought to himself, "I really envy you; I haven't felt a cold sweat in months."

They exchanged a few words, informed each other of their in-game nicknames, and prepared to log in and start playing.

{Piaotian Literature}