Chapter 1

"Brother is going to look for a job, you stay at home and do your homework well. Here’s ten yuan, don’t forget to go out and buy something to eat for lunch," said Lu Li, patting the little girl’s head and affectionately rubbing it again and again. It was such a relief to see his sister so healthy and lively!

"Brother, I know," the little girl pouted, complaining, "don’t mess up my hair, you’ve already messed it up."

Sister Lu Xin, very considerate, helped Lu Li tidy his clothes and, like a little adult, reminded him, "You must work hard, Brother. I believe you can find a job this time, since you are so hardworking."

"Don’t worry, Brother will definitely find a good job, earn a lot of money, and let Xin Xin live a good life," Lu Li hugged his sister, silently adding in his heart, "and I won’t have to watch you lose your life because of a lack of money."

"When Xin Xin grows up, I’ll also earn a lot of money," the little girl wriggled in Lu Li’s arms, making a solemn promise with her small fists.

No matter how reluctant, Lu Li still said goodbye to his sister.

On the bus, his hand in his pocket paused, and he couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

The ten yuan he had given his sister for lunch had returned to his pocket. He should have expected this little girl to do this; she was so obedient that it made him feel heartache.

It was the 23rd century, and technology had developed infinitely, with various intelligent technologies permeating every corner of the world. This development had brought a rapid advancement to people’s lives, but it also reduced the demand for human labor to the minimum.

Unemployment was no longer a rare thing, especially for someone like Lu Li, who was at the bottom of society. Finding a stable job was a luxury.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would remain unemployed.

Until, by chance, he joined a gold farming team of a gaming guild, which stabilized his life. However, since he entered the game "Dawn" when it had already been open for nearly a year, his level was far behind, and he never managed to become a top player.

Two years later, his sister Lu Xin was diagnosed with a serious illness during a school health check-up.

Without the money to pay the exorbitant medical bills, which amounted to millions, and being constantly hunted by several guilds in the game, he could only watch helplessly as his only family member grew weaker day by day.

The pain was worse than being cut by a knife, and Lu Li had more than once cried bitterly while hugging his sister.

However, fate took a turn.

On the day he received the critical condition notice, after crying for a while, Lu Li fell asleep by his sister’s bedside. When he woke up, he found himself reborn, three years in the past.

While he was happy that his sister was still healthy, he knew he had to earn money, a lot of money.

With money, he could treat his sister’s illness as soon as possible, and only with money could he ensure that she lived the happy life that a young girl should have, just like her peers.

With money, he would be able to hold his head high and never be inferior to anyone!

The lottery was the easiest way to make money, but unfortunately, Lu Li hadn’t thought about being reborn and thus didn’t know any lottery numbers. Stocks could also make money, but a poor boy like him had no access to such things, and the stock market was too volatile for someone without capital to play with...

After much consideration, Lu Li reluctantly realized that even with his rebirth, becoming a rich person wouldn’t be easy.

The only thing he could do was play the game "Dawn," which he had played for over two years, and which was set to open in just a few days.

Lu Li had already given up on finding a proper job and went directly to the headquarters of the Star Moon Guild, where he had worked in his previous life.

The Star Moon Guild wasn’t one of the top ten guilds in the game or even among the top four in China. It was a game alliance formed by a group of college students, and its leaders were wealthy second-generation rich kids who were willing to spend money, which allowed the guild to develop quite well.

The Qinghu Residential Area, located next to the university town, was the most picturesque place in the area, with mountains and water, and cherry blossoms everywhere. The front was an office building, and the back was a villa area, where only those with substantial financial means could establish a company.

The receptionist, a beautiful woman, looked at Lu Li’s attire with some disgust, dialed a number, and then informed him that he could go in for the interview.

"We are currently only recruiting for the suicide squad, not for gold farmers," the woman in charge of recruitment, dressed in the latest fashion, said without looking up as she painted her nails.

The so-called suicide squad was essentially cannon fodder, and dying a dozen times a day was quite normal.

The reason Lu Li wanted to join a studio was to use the studio’s game helmet for free. Although being a gold farmer had no future, at least it allowed for leveling up. The suicide squad, which was destined to level up with great difficulty, was not what he wanted, as dying in the game would result in experience loss.

"I’m actually quite good at gold farming," Lu Li couldn’t give up. If he became cannon fodder, his plan to earn money would be severely hindered. He took a deep breath and said, "You can hire me to farm gold for you, and I can guarantee to turn in at least 20 gold a week..."

"What, 20 gold!" The nail polish suddenly smeared on her face, and the woman shrieked like a cat that had been stepped on.

"Dawn" represented the most advanced virtual technology and had the best design team in the world, but it wasn’t so confident as to launch without internal testing. The test content was limited and distributed, and it wouldn’t affect the normal game.

The short test left the most profound impression on players: gold was hard to farm, and there were too many places to spend money.

In the early stages of the game, players were basically in a state of not breaking even, and experienced gold farmers could barely save a few silver coins a day.

Veteran professional players estimated that to save up 20 gold to establish a guild, a hundred-person gold farming team would need at least a week, or even more, to farm the right monsters, after deducting the costs of repairing equipment and buying potions. This was under the condition that the gold drop rate was relatively high before the third system update.

And this boy in front of her was promising to turn in 20 gold in a week!

20 gold, that’s 200,000 copper coins.

"Have you participated in the internal testing? Did you find some kind of money-farming bug?" The recruitment lady was intrigued and asked suspiciously.

Lu Li smiled without answering, looking extremely mysterious.

"Ao Jian, I have something here, come over... Yes, someone came to apply as a gold farmer and said he could turn in 20 gold in a week. I suspect he has a money-farming bug," the recruitment lady had no choice but to call the higher-ups quietly.

Soon, they heard hurried footsteps, and when they turned around, Lu Li was a bit surprised.

In addition to the leader of the Star Moon Guild, Ao Jian, several other people followed. Lu Li had worked in the Star Moon Guild for two years in his previous life and recognized most of them, all of whom were high-ranking members of the guild.

"Wow, don’t tell me the one who can get 20 gold in a week is this guy," the short man walking next to Ao Jian couldn’t help but groan. His in-game name was Half a Cigarette, and he was the leader of the Star Moon Guild’s thief team, a very impulsive person.

"Is what she said true? Can you really get 20 gold in a week, and are you sure it’s for the game 'Dawn'?" Ao Jian’s expression wasn’t good. He had hoped for a slim chance, but seeing Lu Li’s appearance, that hope was gone.

Lu Li had an ordinary appearance, a sallow and dark complexion, and his clothes were wrinkled and worn, clearly showing signs of wear and tear. It was obvious that he was someone who had struggled at the bottom of society.

"Words are cheap. Even if you can’t do it, you won’t lose much, right?" Facing the imposing and well-supported social elites, Lu Li showed no signs of being a small, lowly person. He smiled faintly, and his calm gaze seemed to be filled with endless confidence.