After emerging from the dark alley, Jiang Kai glanced around as if searching for someone.

Before long, a tall figure stepped out from the shadows.

Yuan Zhu had been waiting for him there all along.

Even if they had their disagreements, Jiang Kai knew that guy would never leave him behind.

"Did you get the materials?" Yuan Zhu asked, seeing Jiang Kai's expression, which likely signaled good news.

Jiang Kai pulled Yuan Zhu along. "Let's talk about it when we get back."

Once they had left the dark alley behind, Jiang Kai finally told Yuan Zhu about purchasing the materials.

"There really are incomplete materials!" Yuan Zhu exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.

Jiang Kai chuckled, "Although I found out earlier that some of the earliest players to enter 'Calling' lived in the West District, I didn't expect to actually buy any."

"Still, even with incomplete materials, we can't be sure of the final outcome," Yuan Zhu said worriedly.

Jiang Kai sighed lightly. At this point, the more he thought about it, the less confident he felt.

"Let's not overthink it. Since we've decided to take a gamble, let's go all in. I don't have any other options."

"By the way, if you're going to sell the certificate, make sure to get up early tomorrow," Jiang Kai reminded Yuan Zhu.

Yuan Zhu lowered his head, "Jiang Kai, are you mad at me? We agreed to go to 'Calling' together, to buy the incomplete materials together, but in the end..."

Jiang Kai laughed, giving Yuan Zhu a hearty slap on the back. "Do you think I'm that petty? Besides, I only just found out that incomplete materials are almost extinct now. Who knows if we can even find two sets."

Hearing Jiang Kai's words, Yuan Zhu felt a bit better.

Unknowingly, they reached the shantytown in the Old Town, where they parted ways to head home.

***

As Yuan Zhu approached his house, ready to go inside, he suddenly noticed a shadow moving beside the woodpile by his door.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhu was scared out of his wits, his large frame shrinking instantly.

"Could it be a beast...?" Yuan Zhu whispered, eyes wide as he cautiously observed.

Since the Era of the Beast Deities began, the word "beast" had become synonymous with destruction and death.

However, River City had steel walls and a large military presence, so beasts shouldn't be able to sneak in.

If it were anywhere else, Yuan Zhu wouldn't have bothered to find out what that shadow was; he would have run away long ago. But this was his home, and his mother was inside!

Thinking of his mother's safety, Yuan Zhu mustered his courage and moved forward step by step.

It seemed to be a human figure!

"It's... it's you..." The person's eyes shifted, recognizing Yuan Zhu first and speaking with difficulty.

Hearing the voice, Yuan Zhu was startled.

But after speaking, the person fell silent.

After waiting for a long time, Yuan Zhu gathered his courage again and cautiously approached.

Under the moonlight, Yuan Zhu finally saw the person's face clearly.

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"Huh? Isn't this the person who was being chased in the dark alley? Oh my god, could he be dead?"

***

Jiang Kai's residence was a dilapidated bungalow, barely over ten square meters, yet it had to accommodate his elder brother Jiang Lan, himself, and his younger sister Jiang Ying. When Jiang Ying was younger, it was manageable, but now that she had grown up, Jiang Lan had found an old bed sheet to divide the room.

But with the room divided, the already cramped space became even more crowded.

It was already past eleven at night, and the room was still lit by candlelight.

Elder brother Jiang Lan worked three jobs and was still at work at this hour, so it seemed Ying hadn't gone to bed yet.

Jiang Kai pushed the door open and entered, finding a girl with a ponytail studying by the flickering candlelight at the wooden table by the window.

"Ying, still up?" Jiang Kai asked softly.

Hearing the noise behind her, Jiang Ying turned her head and frowned upon seeing Jiang Kai. "Brother, why are you back so late!"

Jiang Kai grinned, tapping Jiang Ying on the forehead. "What, do I have to report to you if I go on a date? And you, why aren't you asleep yet!"

Jiang Ying brushed Jiang Kai's hand away, her brow furrowed in seriousness. "A date? With Yuan Zhu?"

Jiang Kai was momentarily speechless, rolling his eyes at his sister. "Me, on a date with Zhu? Only you could think of that."

Jiang Ying asked with a frown, "You have the Newcomer Trial tomorrow afternoon, and you're coming back so late. Aren't you going to rest properly?"

"It's not until the afternoon, there's time," Jiang Kai said, tossing his jacket onto his bed.

Jiang Ying sighed, she took a card from the drawer and handed it to Jiang Kai. "Here, this is from big brother before he went to work. He said passing the trial is too difficult for ordinary families. Unfortunately, you can't wear equipment for the Newcomer Trial. The only thing you can bring is a Data Watch, and we couldn't afford a high-end one, so we got this beginner's version."

Jiang Kai's eyes widened. In Ying's hand was a Data Card, depicting a simple electronic watch labeled "Fearless One Data Watch," with the words "Golden Compass" below it, followed by a barcode.

This was a Data Watch developed by the Golden Compass company. In reality, it was just a card, but once players entered the Login Gate, the card would activate and materialize, binding to the character's wrist as a Data Watch.

"The Fearless One, that costs three to four thousand Alliance Coins!" Jiang Kai exclaimed excitedly. "Where did big brother get so much money!"

Jiang Ying replied, a bit embarrassed, "It's not that expensive. There was a promotion, only 2999. We had some savings, big brother borrowed some from colleagues... I did some tutoring and collected resources at the recycling station to save up."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Kai jumped up in anger. "How much can you earn from recycling? Whose house did you tutor at? Was it Huang Hao's?"

Seeing her brother's anger, Jiang Ying quickly lowered her head, mumbling, "No, no..."

Seeing his sister's reaction, Jiang Kai knew she was lying.

"Don't you know Huang Hao's dad is no good? Last time he tried to touch you, and if I hadn't come to pick you up, he would have done worse. And you still went!"

Jiang Ying lowered her head, speaking softly, "Brother, please don't be angry..."

"How can I not be angry? That man has no good intentions, and you know it!"

"Brother, Huang Hao's dad went on a business trip to Hedong City. Huang Hao said if I tutored him, he'd let bygones be bygones, so I agreed."

Jiang Kai retorted angrily, "Who needs his forgiveness? I'm not afraid of him! The Huang family is all the same, scum. You don't really think he's eager to learn, do you?"

Jiang Ying said, feeling wronged, "Brother, I insisted on tutoring at school, and he agreed, so I consented... I know the success rate of the Newcomer Trial. Even if you're excellent in every way, the hardware gap is too big. We can't afford the class change materials, I just wanted to help you... After buying the Data Watch, I won't have anything to do with them."

Seeing Ying's aggrieved expression, Jiang Kai's heart softened.

Ying had always been a top student; she couldn't be so naive as to not see what kind of person Huang Hao was. She was doing it all for him...

Everyone who knew he was participating in the Newcomer Trial told him the chances of success were slim.

Yet Jiang Lan and Jiang Ying never opposed his decision; they just supported him with everything they had.

With a soft sigh, Jiang Kai gently patted his sister's head. "Alright, it's late. Go to bed."

After washing up, Ying went to sleep.

Once Ying was asleep, Jiang Kai stood by the bunk bed.

His elder brother was small in stature, but because he came home late every day, he slept on the lower bunk to avoid waking Jiang Kai.

Jiang Kai sat on his brother's bed, carefully arranging the bedding.

After a moment's thought, he lifted his brother's mattress and took out a stack of medical records.

He remembered discovering these medical records four months ago when he secretly followed his brother and overheard the doctor's final ultimatum.

Kidney failure. Within six months, Jiang Lan would either need a kidney transplant or have to replace it with an artificial organ.

The three siblings weren't related by blood, so a transplant was impossible, and the cost of an artificial organ was three million Alliance Coins, with initial expenses reaching eight hundred thousand!

The news hit Jiang Kai like a bolt from the blue, making him feel like the sky was falling.

Now four months had passed, and his brother only had two months left!

The medical records hadn't changed, indicating his brother hadn't gone for a follow-up.

Under the stack of medical records, Jiang Kai found an additional letter.

He carefully opened the envelope.

The letter was Jiang Lan's farewell to Jiang Kai and Jiang Ying.

[When you read this letter, I should no longer be here.]

[I'm sorry I never told you about this. Everyone dies eventually, so don't be sad for me. Live well.]

[Time flies. I've been busy working all these years, and suddenly I realize you two little brats have grown up.]

[Kai, I remember pulling you out of the ruins in Jiangnan City when you were just a baby in split pants, and now you're half a head taller than me.]

[That year I was seven, having just escaped to Jiangnan City, which then faced a beast tide. The once-glorious city was destroyed, and your parents shielded you from falling beams with their bodies. I can never forget that scene.]

[I once thought living in such a world was too exhausting, too difficult, too lonely, and had lost faith and motivation. But when I saw your parents protect you with their lives, I suddenly found the motivation to live.]

[In the Era of the Beast Deities, humanity struggles to survive, but as long as there's hope, even death becomes less terrifying! People, even in death, must hold onto that hope.]

[Two years later, we found Ying in Jiangdong City. I hesitated to take her because I was already struggling to feed you, and I feared I couldn't support both of you.]

[Just as we were about to leave, Ying reached out her little hand, wiped the dirt off my face, and giggled at us. Seeing her, I understood one thing.]

[Ying was destined to be part of our family!]

***

By the time he put the letter down, Jiang Kai's eyes were blurred with tears. He carefully placed the letter back in the envelope and returned the medical records to the mattress.

Their home was so small that they couldn't even hide anything...

"Brother, why aren't you asleep yet? What are you doing?" came his sister's questioning voice from the other side of the sheet. Jiang Kai quickly climbed to the top bunk, composing himself. "I'm sleeping, I'm sleeping. You're so annoying... Stay away from Huang Hao!"

"Got it! You're the annoying one!"

Lying in bed, Jiang Kai's eyes remained wide open.

He didn't plan to tell Ying about their brother's situation, nor did he intend to tell his brother about Ying's.

Now, he was silently determined that if there was even a sliver of a chance, he would fight with all his might to change his family's fate!

"I must pass the Newcomer Trial!" Under the covers, Jiang Kai clenched his fist tightly.

Tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day the answer was revealed!