That night, Jiang Kai slept deeply, perhaps because he went to bed too late the previous night, or maybe subconsciously, he wanted to keep his energy levels high.

When he woke up the next day, it was already past ten in the morning.

At this moment, Jiang Kai found that he was the only one in the room.

His brother's bedding was neatly folded, indicating he had already gone to work.

On the table were two steamed buns and a cup of plain water, both of which seemed not very warm.

Under the cup was a piece of paper with Ying's handwriting, bearing four large characters.

"Second Brother, keep it up!"

As per usual, neither his brother nor Jiang Kai ate breakfast, but Ying, still growing, was required by her two brothers to have breakfast.

Those two buns seemed to be left for him by Ying.

Realizing it was late, Jiang Kai quickly got out of bed, washed up, and while munching on a bun, carefully took out three cards.

Two of them were for incomplete materials and a data watch, and the third was a Newcomer Trial certificate.

"That's thirty-three thousand Alliance Coins!" Jiang Kai thought, feeling the weight in his hands.

He carefully placed the three cards into the inner pocket of his jacket, glanced around the cramped room, and then looked at the remaining bun in his hand, squinting slightly.

"Big Brother, Ying, wait for me to come back!"

***

The Login Gate of River City was located in the city center.

Before the Era of the Beast Deities, River City was a first-tier city with an extensive subway system.

Unfortunately, it was no longer operational.

Jiang Kai rented a shared bicycle and headed towards the city center.

Passing by Zhu's house, Jiang Kai stopped, looked at the tightly locked door of Zhu's house, shook his head, and continued on his way.

The cityscape quickly receded.

In fifty years, humanity should have been able to create a more glorious civilization, but now it seemed that in River City, civilization hadn't advanced but regressed by at least twenty years.

The influx of refugees made River City increasingly crowded, filled with chaotic buildings and cramped housing.

Only when Jiang Kai approached the central mountainous area of the city did he find a different scene.

Wide roads, cars speeding by, towering buildings, and tidy residential areas; this place was a world apart from the dilapidated outskirts.

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"There are always rich people, no matter the era," Jiang Kai snorted coldly, speeding up his ride.

Arriving at the military base in River City, there were already a dozen young people lined up at the entrance, with soldiers patrolling the queue to maintain order.

Jiang Kai parked his bike and joined the end of the line.

While waiting, Jiang Kai glanced at the people in front of him. They appeared calm, with a few discussing whether the latest "God Hunter" series data watch from Golden Compass Company was better than the "Vision Realm" series from Sharp Creation.

For Jiang Kai, both data watches were beyond his reach, each priced in the six figures!

The line moved quickly, and soon it was Jiang Kai's turn. He placed his Newcomer Trial certificate under the scanner, and the machine responded swiftly.

"Certificate verification complete, facial recognition and identity binding finished, permission granted to enter."

Although the certificate could be traded, once it was bound to an identity, it meant Jiang Kai could no longer sell it.

After the verification process, a soldier led Jiang Kai into the base.

After walking for about ten minutes, Jiang Kai was brought to a sealed metal building with a peculiar design, only one story high but equivalent in height to a five-story building.

The soldier stopped in front of the building, pointed to the card reader on the door, and said to Jiang Kai, "Inside is the Login Gate. I can't go in. Swipe your certificate card, and in... thirty-seven minutes, the Login Gate will open. A superior will guide you into your Calling."

Someone had just entered the door, and the operation wasn't complicated. Jiang Kai nodded and said, "Thank you, sir."

Jiang Kai swiped his card, and the steel door slowly opened to the sides. Before he even entered, he saw that inside the vast building, hundreds of newcomers had already gathered.

What caught the eye was a two-meter-tall light gate in the center of the building, surrounded by bulletproof glass and guarded by a squad of armed soldiers, yet the white light emanating from the gate was still visible.

Words were written on the bulletproof glass.

"Login Gate No. 18"

Jiang Kai couldn't help but hold his breath, his heart racing.

That was... the Calling Login Gate!

The soldier guiding him gently patted Jiang Kai on the shoulder and smiled, "Go on in, good luck."

Jiang Kai snapped back to reality, thanked him, took a deep breath, and stepped into the building.

Among the soldiers guarding the Login Gate, a female instructor occasionally reminded everyone loudly.

"Thirty-six minutes left, check your belongings, and use this time to look over the tutorials around you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Kai looked around.

Only then did he notice several display boards set up around him, and he began examining the one closest to him.

The first board depicted a bizarre creature with a face resembling a human, glaring with lidless eyes, baring sharp teeth. Its neck was long, and its lower body resembled some kind of beast, standing on four strong limbs.

"Ghost Star Long-Necked Human-Faced Beast, body length can exceed 2.6 meters, nocturnal, possesses terrifying night vision, with a bite force equivalent to two Northeastern Tigers, excels at short-distance running, ranks third in player kills during the Newcomer Trial."

"Weaknesses: Poor climber, afraid of sunlight, not good at long-distance running."

"Kill possibility: None"

"Kill experience: No record"

The second board depicted a purple-black spotted snake, but this snake had limbs.

"Ghost Star Chameleon Land Snake, body length 20 to 36 centimeters, possesses neurotoxic venom, excels at concealment, extremely difficult to detect, locks onto targets through ground vibrations, once locked, it is relentless. Ranks second in player kills during the Newcomer Trial."

"Weaknesses: If treated within three minutes, the venom's effects can be gradually alleviated. Can create vibrations to disrupt its targeting."

"Kill possibility: Possible if its presence is detected."

"Kill experience: 1"

The third board depicted a creature similar to a cheetah on Earth.

"Ghost Star Black Panther, body length 2.4 to 4.1 meters, physical capabilities far exceed those of Earth's black panther, hunts day and night, possesses exceptional vision, smell, explosive power, and endurance, extremely difficult to escape once spotted. Ranks first in player kills during the Newcomer Trial."

"Weaknesses: None"

"Kill possibility: None"

"Kill experience: No record"

Although Jiang Kai was already aware of this information about the monsters, seeing these descriptions again made him feel a bit uneasy.

These weren't all the monsters; there were eight types of monsters in the Newcomer Trial area, each deadly!

The so-called kill rankings didn't fully reflect the terror of the wild creatures.

For example, the Ghost Star Shadowless Wolf had extremely strong individual combat abilities, and more terrifyingly, they were pack animals. The official statement was, "Once discovered by a Shadowless Wolf, there's no chance of escape."

In terms of escape probability, the Shadowless Wolf was more terrifying than the Black Panther!

Finally, Jiang Kai walked to the largest display board.

"Special Note: The development of Ghost Star is highly sought after by all countries. Seizing more Ghost Star territories means more resources and more professions."

"Current international competition focuses on pioneering new areas, but some countries also suppress the number of newcomers to limit the development of other countries."

"Generally, ordinary players cannot enter the Newcomer Trial area, but there are exceptions, such as the 'Stowaway' profession from a neighboring country. They can enter the Newcomer Trial area, kill players, steal data watches, and lower the pass rate of the Newcomer Trial."

"High-level stowaways... that's like a high-level character slaughtering newbies in the beginner area. You're dead if you encounter them!" Jiang Kai frowned.

Jiang Kai continued to study the monster illustrations, the terrifying strength of these creatures making it clear that newcomers could only hope to kill the Chameleon Land Snake and small Sting Scorpions.

And both were venomous!

Of course, there were also some harmless creatures in the Newcomer Trial area, which served as a food source for the newcomers during the seven-day trial.

While Jiang Kai was engrossed in his study, the female instructor suddenly called out.

"Ten minutes left, everyone pay attention, store your outerwear and personal items in the lockers, only bring your class change material card and data watch card, and once you're ready, line up to start the trial!"