“Kid, judging by your voice, you're not too old. Don't go astray. The country is now forming a special department to deal with 'players'. Working for the government is not only legal, but the benefits are amazing, okay?”

In front of the middle-aged man, a person wearing a half-mask with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth was slumped on the ground.

From the half of his face that was exposed, one could still see a hint of youthful immaturity.

“If you want to catch me, then catch me. I won't join you. I am the chosen one, I am the protagonist!!”

The man couldn't help but shake his head at the other party's somewhat delusional behavior. Then, he took out a pair of 'silver handcuffs' from his lower back and approached the masked man on the ground.

“I think you're just having a fit. You're so young, yet you act without considering the consequences. I'll take you back for some education first, and then notify your parents.”

But just as everything seemed to be settled, danger quietly arose.

“Thwack~!”

A sound like a plucked string suddenly rang out from the reeds nearby, followed by a cold, gleaming crossbow bolt that flew quickly towards him.

The man, who appeared to be an official, reacted quickly and dodged to the side, but the sudden attack still left a considerable wound on his side.

The middle-aged man winced in pain and half-squatted down, clutching his wound.

“Damn it, playing sneak attacks, who are you?!”

The masked youth was also stunned for a moment, then said in confusion, “There's actually another person here?”

The black-clad figure who had suddenly appeared raised a long sword and pointed it directly at the injured man, then a deep voice came.

“Kid, I see you have extraordinary bones. Why not join our Co-Aid Society? The official organizations are not as free as we are.”

Hearing these words, the man's expression changed.

“The Co-Aid Society?!”

However, before any further action could be taken.

The black-clad man's movements faltered, then he turned his head to look at the end of the other side of the boardwalk.

His actions naturally drew the attention of the other two people present. After their gazes followed, they discovered that there was another person in the darkness at the end of the boardwalk.

“Tap~ Tap”

Under the gaze of the three, the figure approached step by step. As the distance shortened, the three could finally see the person's attire.

Wearing a tricorn hat, dressed in exquisite medieval attire, with a long sword at his waist.

If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, he would look like someone attending a comic convention. The person was none other than Wang Xun.

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“Are there other high-level ‘players’ in Rong City?”

But at this moment, a voice echoed in the black-clad man's mind.

“Huh? You're a pursuer!”

Seemingly receiving shocking news, the black-clad man suddenly raised his left hand, firing a crossbow bolt, then turned to flee.

Wang Xun's eyes narrowed slightly, and he picked up the long sword in his hand, skillfully using the Wave-Breaking Sword Technique.

In an instant, sword light flashed, and the crossbow bolt was deflected.

Then, with a shift of his body, Wang Xun shot towards the black-clad man like a cannonball. This was the first time he had gone all out after using the template.

In the eyes of the other two, all of this happened in an instant. The previously imposing man in black suddenly turned to run, and then the newcomer rushed in front of him like a ghost.

“Puff~Puff”

The black-clothed man's movements suddenly froze, followed by the sound of cloth tearing.

His body then fell apart, leaving only a pile of block-like objects like building blocks.

Then, in the horrified eyes of the remaining two, the figure like a Shura turned and looked in their direction.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man, with a pale face, barely propped himself up to stand in front of the masked youth.

But to his surprise, the other person just sized him up and then turned to leave.

Seeing that the danger seemed to have passed, the middle-aged man finally couldn't hold on and fell to the ground.

The masked youth on the side also came back to his senses and helped him up.

“Uncle? Uncle, are you okay!”

“Damn it! Don't fall asleep!”

......

The next day, the sun awakened this city located in southwest China.

“Beep~Beep~Beep”

“Nurse, nurse, please come and see how he is doing?”

“Why are you so dumbfounded? Did you hit your head?!”

Listening to the somewhat noisy voices around him, Zhao Fang slowly opened his eyes.

As his eyes adjusted to the light in the environment, he realized that he was lying on a hospital bed. However, the wound on his abdomen clearly indicated the danger of last night.

Turning his gaze to the side, a middle-aged man with a worried expression was leaning in to look at him.

“Team leader, it seems like I might need to rest for a while.”

After briefly asking Zhao Fang about his experience last night, Jiang Huajun was ushered out by the nurses on the grounds that the patient needed rest.

Looking through the recorded information in his hand, Jiang Huajun sighed and then said to the person beside him.

“The plan has changed, Siyi. The construction speed of the Rongcheng team needs to be accelerated. The Freemasons' shadow has also appeared in Rongcheng.”

“Find out that person's information and send an invitation letter first.”

“Yes!”

......

On the other side, after leaving the riverbank, Wang Xun carefully avoided the surrounding crowds and cameras.

After returning to his room and canceling the character template's reality manifestation, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Damn it! I actually killed someone?!”

Thinking about how a living person was dismembered by his own sword in front of him tonight, Wang Xun's heart was pounding, and his legs even felt a little weak.

But at the same time, Wang Xun had a deeper understanding of the function of the character template's reality manifestation. It seemed to directly grant him all the abilities that the character's background possessed.

This was most evident when he killed someone. After all, for a college student living in a peaceful era, killing and seeing blood was something far removed from his reality.

But tonight, when he drew his sword, he felt a sense of exhilaration instead.

This feeling continued until he canceled the template's enhancement, and only then did his state resemble the reaction of an ordinary person after killing and seeing blood.

“If I use these templates for too long, will my personality shift to resemble those characters?”

After resting for a while, Wang Xun looked at his phone, lost in thought.

Although he wasn't sure about his guess, he decided to use this state as little as possible unless absolutely necessary.

The night passed without incident.

The new day began, and early in the morning, Wang Xun opened 'Age of Exploration' to continue playing.

【Game is launching...】

【You awaken from the cabin of a merchant ship. It seems today you will reach your destination, 'Saint-Malo'.】

【Looking into the distance, a huge port city appears before you. It's much more luxurious than that small place, Ao Port.】

【The scale of the port alone is much larger, and more importantly, several ironclad battleships armed to the teeth are docked here.】

“Hmm, a new place, a new atmosphere. Let me see what's here.”

Wang Xun looked at the detailed background illustration on the screen, feeling a surge of excitement.