Chapter 7

Chen Bing had already left the hospital. He didn't know that shortly after he left, his discharge certificate mysteriously caused problems, leading to a major celebrity being in trouble.

The discharge certificate brought up some unpleasant memories, and Chen Bing didn't plan to use it. However, when he got to the hospital, he realized that if he paid for the examination, he wouldn't be able to afford next month's rent.

A hero can be brought down by a lack of money. Chen Bing didn't want to make things hard for himself, so he decided to take the free health check-up, which was his rightful benefit.

"You're robbing me!"

Chen Bing leisurely returned to the old district of Haizhong City, turned a corner, and walked to his rental building. He heard an old man's angry shout.

Haizhong City was very developed, but when the city initially planned to develop the old district, it faced unprecedented pressure. There were stubborn residents who refused to move, and urban villages with sky-high land prices, which led to the city temporarily abandoning the development of the old district.

Now, over a decade later, the old district had become the most backward area in Haizhong City, with a huge gap compared to the new district.

However, there were some benefits. Compared to the new district, the old district was quiet and pleasant, and the rent was cheaper.

"Old Luo, what's wrong?"

Chen Bing walked over. The one shouting was Old Luo, who lived on the fifth floor of the same building.

"Xiao Chen, you tell me. My granddaughter bought me a washing machine online for less than a thousand yuan. When they delivered it, they asked for 200 yuan to carry it upstairs. Isn't that robbery?"

Old Luo, seeing Chen Bing, immediately said angrily.

"We are logistics, not delivery. We don't deliver to the door. This washing machine is too heavy, and your building doesn't have an elevator. 200 yuan is a labor fee. If you think it's expensive, you can have someone else carry it!"

The two delivery men glanced at Chen Bing and said firmly, clearly thinking that without them, the washing machine wouldn't get upstairs.

Chen Bing didn't say anything. He walked to the washing machine and shook it with his hand.

Chen Bing didn't recognize the brand of the washing machine, but he knew that Old Luo's granddaughter wasn't telling the truth. The washing machine was very heavy and sturdy, weighing at least 200 pounds. This weight wouldn't be affected by shaking, making it very quiet and effective for washing clothes. However, it definitely wasn't worth just a thousand yuan; five or six thousand would be considered cheap.

Old Luo's granddaughter had put a lot of thought into it. Old Luo was usually very frugal. If he knew the washing machine was so expensive, he wouldn't have accepted it and would have returned it.

"Big brothers, you've worked hard. I'll carry the washing machine upstairs."

Chen Bing smiled at the two delivery men, signed for the washing machine, tore off the receipt, and handed it to them.

"If you need our help again, it won't be this price."

One of the delivery men took the receipt and said casually, not in a hurry to leave, waiting to see Chen Bing's embarrassment.

Hearing this, Chen Bing didn't say anything. He grabbed the 200-pound washing machine with both hands, lifted it onto his shoulder without bending his waist, and walked briskly towards the stairs.

The two delivery men looked at each other in shock. How much strength did he have? They were both stronger, but if they fought, they would probably be knocked down with one punch.

...

"Xiao Chen, thank goodness you're here. Otherwise, those two would have driven me crazy. Come, sit down and have a cup of tea."

Chen Bing carried the washing machine to Old Luo's balcony and helped install it. Old Luo said warmly.

"It's no big deal, Old Luo, you're too kind." Chen Bing smiled.

He knew Old Luo's temper and didn't refuse.

"Xiao Chen, do you have a girlfriend? How about I introduce my granddaughter to you? I'm not boasting, but my granddaughter is a beauty. She's just picky, and at 25, she hasn't found anyone suitable. But I think you're a perfect match. You're a good person, a veteran, and have a great personality. My granddaughter can't find any faults with you!"

Chen Bing, who had just taken a sip of tea, almost spat it out. Old Luo was too direct, at least give him some mental preparation!

"Cough, cough, Old Luo, I just remembered, I have something to do. I'll talk to you next time!"

Chen Bing made a quick decision, drank the rest of his tea, stood up hurriedly, and fled.

He was worried that if he didn't leave, he might have to meet Old Luo's granddaughter.

Of course, a beautiful girl is great, but it requires time and money, both of which Chen Bing lacked, especially time. Even if he wanted to be a kept man, he couldn't spare the time.

Chen Bing lived on the top floor, the 7th floor. Before he opened the door, he saw a small note stuck on it.

Hmm, a note from the landlord demanding rent.

He could still afford next month's rent, but after paying the rent, he would have trouble buying food.

"Ask my old man for money? No way. Not only would I lose face, but he would probably fly over tomorrow to force me to go back and get married and have a bunch of grandchildren to pass the time. Sell the three sunflower seeds I got from the game? But selling seeds is a loss. Planting sunflowers can produce a continuous supply."

Chen Bing thought as he opened the door and entered his apartment.

The room was very tidy, with everything neatly arranged. The habits formed from five years in the military weren't easy to change.

"Advanced planting techniques aren't easy to come by. If it doesn't work out, I'll have to sell the sunflower seeds. If there's no progress in three months, I'll have to work honestly. But before selling the sunflower seeds, I can try my luck."

Chen Bing remembered the three pet incubators he had and decided to hatch some pet eggs to try his luck.

If he hatched a low-quality pet, he would create a game character for Old Luo and his neighbors and transfer the pet to them. They weren't interested in the game and would be happy to help him out.

If he hatched an excellent pet, it would cover his living expenses for the next two to three months.

He had three chances to hatch, and the probability of getting an excellent pet was low, but one should always have dreams. What if he got lucky?

He still had the sunflower seeds as a backup, so he could take a chance without losing anything.

With this in mind, Chen Bing picked up the virtual helmet, put it on, and entered the game.

[Home Assistant: Welcome back to 'Home'!]

Chen Bing's character appeared in a ruined city.

This ruined city belonged to Chen Bing and was his 'Home.'

Chen Bing's home currently had four buildings: the Home Store, Home Warehouse, Home Teleportation Array, and a Slime Factory.

This wasn't due to good luck. The Home Warehouse, Home Store, and Home Teleportation Array were standard for all players, and the Slime Factory was obtained by completing the game tutorial.

The home area was large, with ruins everywhere, but these ruins contained no valuable items or props.

Chen Bing walked straight to the edge of the city and entered a building that looked like a greenhouse.

The Slime Factory sounded nice, but a Level 1 Slime Factory was just a greenhouse with a population limit of five. The slimes hatched could only help with tasks like weeding, watering, and cleaning.

However, to weed and water, he needed cultivable land and seeds, and to grow plants. Chen Bing didn't have any of these, so the Slime Factory hadn't hatched a single slime yet. The five slime eggs given by the system were still in the incubation slots.

Chen Bing came to the Slime Factory to hatch the slime eggs.

Slime eggs could be hatched directly in the factory, resulting in slime workers, or as pets, resulting in various types of slime pets.

As the most basic pet that every player could have, slimes could hatch into a wide variety of pet classes.

These classes ranged from ordinary to excellent. Warrior Slime, Priest Slime, Assassin Slime, and Knight Slime were ordinary classes, while Hero Slime, King Slime, Princess Slime, and Angel Slime were excellent classes.

However, even if an excellent class slime was hatched, it might not be usable.

Pets also had different qualities: ordinary, good, elite, silver, gold, dark gold, platinum, and legendary. The attributes and abilities of pets of different qualities varied significantly.

An ordinary quality slime, even if it was an excellent class, was only good for looking at and had no value for cultivation.

As a basic first-stage pet, the level cap for slimes in the game was only 30. At least a dark gold quality slime with an excellent class was needed to have any value for cultivation.

The probability of hatching a high-quality pet from a low-stage pet egg was very low. For a slime with many classes, the probability of hatching an excellent class and high quality was extremely low.

Of course, this was the probability of hatching a truly excellent pet. In reality, because few players hatched slime pets, even a gold quality pet would be wanted, and if the class was slightly better, it could be sold for a good price.

Slimes were of a low stage, but low stages had their advantages. Different games had various restrictions, and low-stage pets had fewer restrictions. Chen Bing wanted to take a chance, and it wasn't entirely hopeless.

[Home Assistant: You are performing a gambling operation. Do you want to use the 'Time Rewind' skill?]

Chen Bing picked up a slime egg, ready to use the pet incubator, when a prompt sounded in his ear.