Chapter 27: The Player Center

Yu Deng looked at his miserable-looking legs and angrily stomped on Cheng Zhaolin's lower abdomen. However, he was feeling quite unwell, his legs still trembling, and the force of his stomp was not even as heavy as a kitten's scratch.

Yu Deng shed a few more tears and commanded fiercely, "You're the worst... hurry up and clean this up for me!"

Cheng Zhaolin nodded slowly. "Alright."

Although he hadn't managed to stain Yu Deng inside and out with his essence, this could still be considered a mark.

"Baby..."

The evil spirit gazed at Yu Deng obsessively, his eyes tracing the delicate, vivid features, as well as the fair waist and legs, inch by inch.

"...Hurry up," Yu Deng urged impatiently.

Cheng Zhaolin complied, gently and meticulously helping Yu Deng clean up—though in his heart, the evil spirit didn't really want to wash away these traces.

Yu Deng was still in some pain, so he aggrievedly scolded Cheng Zhaolin a few times. Knowing how carried away he had been just moments ago, Cheng Zhaolin felt guilty and coaxed Yu Deng for a long time.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I will be more careful next time."

...If, that is, there were a next time.

The black mist carefully leaned in, healing the small abrasions on Yu Deng's skin. Fortunately, the black mist was cool, which made Yu Deng feel a bit more comfortable.

【Host, you have overstayed by five hours. You may now exit the instance.】

Yu Deng wiped his damp eyelashes, his voice soft and hoarse. "Cheng Zhaolin, I’m leaving."

"...Alright." The evil spirit pleaded, "Please, my lady, do not forget me."

The evil spirit was willing to be tamed by Yu Deng, to be an obedient, loyal hound.

Yu Deng looked up. "Hmm." He would try his best to remember.

Cheng Zhaolin kissed Yu Deng’s eyes lightly. "I submit to you."

The pale golden thread appeared once more, emitting a faint glow as it circled them together. Cheng Zhaolin transformed into black mist, enveloping the fading figure of Yu Deng in a gentle embrace.

"Farewell, my lady."

Not a sound could be heard in the ruins any longer, and the evil spirit had vanished.

The ferocious evil spirit belonged only to Yu Deng.

...

Yu Deng felt a sense of vertigo, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a small studio apartment of about twenty square meters. The room was well-lit, fully furnished, and had an en-suite bathroom.

"Huh, is this... where I'll be living from now on?"

【Yes, this is your current residence. Welcome to the Player Center. It is safe here; you can rest assured.】

Yu Deng immediately relaxed completely.

After leaving the instance, the minor wounds he had sustained had vanished. He checked himself briefly to ensure he was unscathed before collapsing onto the bed. He was exhausted to the point of not wanting to think anymore, and he lacked the strength even to bathe. His eyelids grew heavy, and they closed after only a few seconds.

【Ding, calculating points for the 'Cheng Mansion' instance.】

【...】

Yu Deng was already fast asleep and heard nothing. He curled up in the center of the single bed, wrapped tightly in his quilt, looking tiny. His sleep was restless, and from time to time, he would frown and mumble in his sleep, the word "brother" vaguely audible.

System 01 fell silent and quietly pulled the curtains of the small room shut.

【Sleep now.】

...

Yu Deng slept for nearly an entire day. He dreamt constantly, the images bizarre and surreal, but he could feel himself caught between two men, both of whom were circling him.

Yu Deng opened his eyes abruptly, his head still foggy.

Oh, right, he was in the Infinite World now.

Yu Deng sat there blankly for a while, slowly processing the reality. He had actually survived an infinite instance and was now in a safe place. But he was all alone here... he missed his older brother and younger brother so much.

Feeling low, Yu Deng slowly drew a bathtub full of water and soaked himself in it.

【Host, you can proceed with the point settlement now,】 the system reminded him.

"Oh? Then let's do it."

A pale blue interface projected before Yu Deng, and an electronic voice sounded simultaneously.

【Player Yu Deng, ID A3270, your performance in this instance is as follows:
Main quest completion: 100%, reward: 10,000 points. Due to the instance upgrading to Hard Mode, points are doubled.
Side quest completion: 100%, reward: 20,000 points.
Special quest completion: 100%, reward: 50,000 points.
Instance exploration: 100%, overall contribution ranked first, point multiplier of 3.
Additionally, live stream viewer tips converted at a ten-to-one ratio: 150,000 points.
Total points earned in this instance: 420,000 points.】

【Congratulations, Player Yu Deng, your rating for this instance is S.】

Yu Deng was stunned.

How many thousands? What rating??

After buffering for a moment, Yu Deng’s eyes lit up.

So many points, such a high rating—he was amazing!!

"So, overall contribution actually affects points," Yu Deng muttered, scrolling through the settlement interface. No wonder the veteran players always told them to look for clues.

【Yes, points are linked to contribution, and a key indicator of contribution is exploration,】 the system said. 【Players with higher contribution have a higher probability of obtaining drops within the instance. Therefore, it is best for players to participate actively in tasks.】

Yu Deng, who had been hoping to be carried by a pro player: "..."

Boo hoo, stop scolding me.

【By the way, you also obtained an item and activated a skill in this instance. You can click to view them.】

Eh?? There are items and skills too?

Yu Deng hurriedly clicked to view them, starting with the skill.

【Active Skill: Prison.
Rank: C (Upgradeable).
Effect: Deploys a domain to imprison all creatures of equal or lower rank within a one-meter radius for ten seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours. This effect is a law of causality.】

Yu Deng blinked. Hmm, this skill felt a bit like the special power he had used in the first instance. It seemed quite powerful.

He couldn't think of how to use it just yet, so he turned to the items. The next second, two paper figures popped up in front of him, along with a description.

【Item Name: Paper Figures 2.
Rank: B (Upgradeable).
Function: These little paper figures can do many things: scouting, disguising as people, and most importantly, scaring others. Of course, there may be other functions that require the player to explore on their own.】

The two paper figures that appeared looked like miniature versions of the ones he had seen in the mansion—their features were vivid and lifelike, one wearing red and the other green. As soon as they appeared, they realized they were in a bathtub full of water, so they hurriedly shook themselves dry and scrambled away in a panic.

Yu Deng stared at them for a while, feeling they didn't seem very bright. "Can you really do many things?"

The little paper figures were only the size of a palm, but their rank was currently higher than his skill rank.

The red-clothed figure heard its master's doubt and sulked for a few seconds. To show off its ability, it hopped over to a chair in the corner of the bathroom and snapped off a leg with one punch. The perfectly good chair lost a leg and clattered to the floor.

Yu Deng was stunned, unsure how to react.

The green-clothed figure seemed more reliable; it punched the red one and then busied itself bending over to press the chair leg back into place. After finishing, the two paper figures stood side-by-side in front of Yu Deng like elementary school students waiting to be scolded.

Yu Deng stammered, "You seem... quite capable... but you’re so scary." Whenever he saw them, some unpleasant memories started to surface.

The red-clothed paper figure looked heartbroken and was about to collapse.

"Can you make your features look less like real people?" Yu Deng asked.

The two little paper figures looked at each other and hesitantly changed their appearance; the features on their faces turned into cartoon versions.

Yu Deng breathed a sigh of relief. "That looks much better."

The red figure was very satisfied with its new look, while the green one remained motionless, like Brainless and Unhappy.

"Do you not have names? I'll call you Little Red and Little Green, then."

Little Red was jubilant and very happy with the name, while Little Green gave a solemn nod.

Yu Deng's mood improved, so he simply swiped through his personal player panel to check everything he had after clearing the instance. Oh, he also had a Contract Illustrated Guide.

【Player Cheng Xiao: Contract signed.】
【Evil Spirit Cheng Zhaolin (from "Cheng Mansion"): Contract signed; currently in a sealed state.】

So, it was a record of his special quest targets. He just didn't know what the purpose was.

【Host, the System Store has opened. Would you like to check it now?】

"Let's see!"

The System Store interface appeared before Yu Deng. The items were dazzling—all kinds of daily necessities, various foods, and even more, all sorts of items and potions.

Yu Deng focused for a while, then scanned down to the prices. Even the cheapest medicine cost 10,000 points; low-level items were generally 30,000 to 50,000 points; mid-to-high-level items started at six figures; and even daily necessities and food cost a few thousand.

Oh, he also saw the rent. Staying in the Player Center for one day cost 1,000 points.

Yu Deng was stunned by the prices and fell into silence. The System Store could clearly just rob players of their points, yet it still gave away a few things.

"System, sometimes I really want to file a complaint..."

【.】 The system expressed understanding and changed the subject. 【After the novice instance, you are allowed to stay in the Player Center for five days. You can rest or go out for a stroll.】

Yu Deng became interested in the idea of going for a stroll.

【Host, fighting is not allowed in the Player Center, so you can go out with peace of mind. However, your appearance is too conspicuous, so I suggest you disguise yourself.】

...

Although it was called the Player Center, it was actually a massive city. It was arranged in concentric circles, with the outer ring for novice players surrounding the central district.

The streets here looked no different from the real world, with all kinds of shops along the way—a hotpot restaurant among them smelled particularly delicious.

Yu Deng, wearing a cloak and a little fox mask, walked slowly along the street, stopping occasionally to observe his surroundings. Yes, he had spent a fortune of 3,000 points to buy a cloak and a fox mask that looked relatively smart to disguise himself.

Yu Deng had been worried that dressing like this would be too strange, but after walking a few steps, he realized that many others were dressed just as heavily as he was.