The next morning.

Long Ming, wrapped in a scarf, walked into the Star Wish Cafe and entered the first-floor lobby.

Even though it was quite early, the Star Wish Cafe’s first-floor lobby was already bustling with activity.

Many people were watching a live projection from Civilization Paradise.

Long Ming glanced at the counter and the surrounding area but didn’t see Xiaoqi. He took out his phone and sent her a message.

"I’m at the Star Wish Cafe."

A little over a minute after he sent the message, a reply from Xiaoqi popped up.

"Sorry, give me a minute."

"Okay."

After replying, Long Ming stood where he was and waited.

Just then, he heard a cheer erupt from the crowd watching the livestream.

Curious, Long Ming walked over to take a look.

He saw a young man in black work clothes, with various tools hanging from his body. With a carefree demeanor, he was cracking an abandoned safe while explaining to the camera.

"Bros, even though the civilization systems in each instance are a bit different from ours, the basic operational logic is the same. So things like lockpicking are universal. I’ll demonstrate for you all one more time..."

Watching the stream, Long Ming had a look of surprise on his face.

He turned to a man next to him who was diligently taking notes and asked.

"Hey man, who is this?"

"Whoa, you don’t know him?"

"Nope."

"That’s Ning Xiao, known as the Mole Rat King! He’s one of the most popular game streamers right now. He specifically streams to teach us regular people how to make money as ’rats’."

"You can stream the game now?"

"Of course. Streaming is super popular now. Lots of people are doing it. You earn money in-game, and then you can earn another chunk from gifts on the streaming platform!"

"Oh, thanks."

Long Ming nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

Long Ming turned to see Xiaoqi rushing over, her hair a bit messy, wearing pink bunny pajamas.

"Mr. Long Ming, sorry to keep you waiting."

Xiaoqi said apologetically as she reached him.

"It’s fine. But why are you dressed like that?"

Long Ming looked Xiaoqi up and down, confused.

"Sigh, I pulled an all-nighter yesterday and had just gone to bed."

"An all-nighter?"

"We added another run, and you didn’t show."

"Haha, I was busy. How was the profit?"

"Not great. The instance was dirt-poor. A team of over seven hundred people only scraped together a little over six million. After deducting the combat team’s expenses and the cut for some of the Rat Group members, there wasn’t much left."

Xiaoqi replied, her face full of resignation.

"I see."

"By the way, why are you in such a hurry to use a game pod?"

"I have plans with friends to run an instance."

Long Ming explained simply.

"Oh, is that so? Then why not bring me along?"

Xiaoqi asked with a grin.

"Well..."

An awkward expression appeared on Long Ming’s face. He didn’t know how to answer. ’If I brought her along, she’d get crushed in minutes.’

"Just kidding! Come with me!"

Xiaoqi led Long Ming toward the 6th floor.

Soon, they arrived at the door of private room 666 on the 6th floor.

Xiaoqi reached out, opened the door, and said to Long Ming.

"Go on in. As for the fee, you can settle up after you’re done."

"Thanks!"

Long Ming thanked Xiaoqi, then stepped into the room and closed the door.

He scanned the private room, then walked to the game pod and pressed the switch.

CLICK~

The lid of the game pod opened.

The faint scent of gardenia perfume wafted out.

Long Ming stiffened for a moment, then lay down inside the pod.

「A few seconds later.」

Long Ming logged into Civilization Paradise, appearing in Starry City.

As soon as he came online, a message from Qin Ye popped up on his wristband.

"Coordinates 5214, 1233, 4225."

Long Ming immediately began heading toward the coordinates.

「Starry City, West Side.」

Twenty-three fully armed players were gathered together.

Qin Ye and Qin Ying were among them, and standing beside the pair were three other young men.

Qin Ye’s gear was the most conspicuous. He wore a thick DK-01 heavy ballistic helmet, a high-grade military flak jacket, and combat boots. His tactical belt was loaded with high-explosive grenades and healing injectors. He was, in a word, armed to the teeth.

As for Qin Ying, she wore a lightweight flak jacket and red tactical gloves.

The other three men were also well-equipped, and their arrogant demeanor made it clear they weren’t hired muscle.

Just then, a handsome man with side-swept bangs and a flippant gaze asked impatiently.

"I’m telling you, Qin Ye, why aren’t all your people here yet?"

"Wang Yin, what’s the rush? It’s still early."

Qin Ye raised his wristband to check the time. It was only 7:15, fifteen minutes before the agreed-upon meeting time.

"Tsk tsk, Qin Ye, since when are you so patient?"

A handsome man with long red hair, a silver stud in his ear, and a piece of gum in his mouth remarked.

"Hmph, this young master has always been patient. Besides, your guy isn’t here yet either."

Qin Ye couldn’t be bothered to argue with Lu Xu.

"Alright, that’s enough from both of you, or you’ll start a real fight."

At that moment, a man with delicate features, somewhat messy hair, and a pair of retro glasses interjected, trying to placate them.

"Bai Xiu, we’re not fighting. We’re just killing time."

Lu Xu replied with a smile.

Just then, a deep voice sounded.

"I’m here."

Bai Xiu and the others all turned to look.

They saw a man approaching. He had a lean, muscular build, grayish-white hair, and delicate, almost feminine features, but his expression was somewhat morbid.

Qin Ye was also startled to see who it was. "Isn’t that Thrill Bro? To think they actually invited him."

"Haha! I invited him. Surprised, aren’t you? His strength is beyond question, right?"

Lu Xu said smugly.

"Impressive!"

Bai Xiu and the others all agreed.

Thrill Bro’s real name was Guardian Chapter. He was the former 7th Battalion Captain of the 2nd Regiment of the Mountain City Mountain Garrison. He was incredibly powerful, but after killing seven people in a row in Mountain City Mountain, he defected to Sinful City.

But despite his strength, Zhao Chen and the others all wore wary expressions.

If this weren’t a game, they might not have dared to team up with this guy.

His mind wasn’t exactly stable, and who knew when he might suddenly turn on you.

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

Qin Ye turned his head and saw Long Ming walking over. A brilliant smile instantly lit up his face as he announced.

"My guy is here too!"

"Whoa, nice!"

"Qin Ye, where’d you find a character like this?"

...

Wang Yin and the others looked Long Ming up and down, equally stunned.

"I paid a hefty price to hire him."

Qin Ye replied, extremely proud.

Setting aside Long Ming’s actual skill, his gear alone made him look more than worth the cost.