Three days later, on a street in a small town in the southern Huan Country.
The gunman player Wu Bin, who originally wore a military coat, had already changed into the common local gray short outfit and had styled his hair into a bun. He changed his clothes to hide his identity, and hiding his identity was due to the disastrous defeat in the battle a few days ago. He dared not return to Lv Country to report and felt that his future path to clearing the game seemed bleak.
"Damn... Do I really have to cooperate with that person? Heās so terrifying, just staying by his side for a second is very dangerous..."
What Wu Bin was most conflicted about was that his path to assist Lv Country in dominating the world seemed unfeasible, and he couldnāt even stay long in Huan Country, which was currently allied with Lv Country. Yet, he had no idea where to go next, except for the realm controlled by that man who scared him.
"Tiger covers the land."
Suddenly, a voice came from the alley he was passing by. He immediately approached the alley cautiously and peeked inside, not finding anyoneās silhouette, but there was a leaf that happened to fall in the middle of the alley.
His interest was piqued, and he carefully walked over to pick up the leaf, finding tiny numbers and letters written on the back of it, indicating a location only players could understand.
"It should be Mr. Zhu and the others... They havenāt left Huan Country yet?"
After reading the text on the leaf, Wu Bin thought for a bit and after a moment of hesitation, decided to go to the location indicated by the text. It was the place where he first met the group of players with Mr. Zhu.
Before long, in an inconspicuous hotel room in this small Huan Country town, Wu Bin indeed met several friends whom he hadnāt seen for almost a month. They were his first companions when he initially entered the instance, but later, due to differing opinions, they each went their separate ways. Little did they know they would have the chance to gather again today.
"Mr. Wu, earlier Huanghair said he saw someone on the road that looked like you, and I didnāt believe it. I canāt believe we actually ran into you... Didnāt you go to mix in Lv Country? Why are you in Huan Country now?"
A man in his thirties dressed in cloth stood up and spoke to Wu Bin as he walked through the door, his eyes showing curiosity.
"I couldnāt make it in Lv Country, and Iām looking for a new place to go."
The young Wu Bin didnāt mind how this person addressed him and responded listlessly, while simultaneously closing the door behind him.
"Well, youāve come to the right place today. Weāve been scouting for the past two months and are planning to go somewhere. If youāre interested, we can all go together."
A young man with bean-sprout-like physique and blue-framed glasses spoke up immediately, conveniently pulling over a chair for Wu Bin to sit.
"What good place?"
Wu Bin was immediately intrigued, taking the chair offered by the bean-sprout young man and sitting down, sparks of hope gleaming in his eyes.
"Huang Country, a very powerful nation in the southeast. I wonder if Mr. Wu has heard of it."
The bean-sprout young man didnāt keep the secret and directly revealed the answer.
"I seem to have a vague impression... But isnāt this country far away... How did you get information from there?"
Wu Bin raised his hand to touch the back of his head, digging a bit of relevant information from his instance memory from the past few months, then asked again.
"Hehe... The information wasnāt found by us; it was intentionally sent to us."
A yellow-haired young man leaning against the window spoke up next, his smile tinged with mystery.
"Enough chit-chat, weāre short on time! To put it simply, thereās intelligence proving that the king of Huang Country is actually a player! Heās interested in recruiting us into his camp. Are you interested in joining him?"
The cloth-dressed man in his thirties spoke straightforwardly, his eyes focused on Wu Bin, who was seated, showing concern for his thoughts.
Wu Bin was momentarily startled upon hearing this, then gently shook his head.
"Arenāt you afraid that this player would use NPC subordinates against other players who join him? I think aiding promising NPCs is more reliable."
What Wu Bin was concerned about was security, expressing that it wasnāt beneficial to join an overly powerful player.
"Mr. Wu, arenāt you curious why that player is the king of Huang Country? We were all surprised when we first heard!"
The bean-sprout young man did not express any opinion about Wu Binās concern but instead commented on his unusual reaction.
"Mr. Wu, could it be that you knew about this earlier than we did?"
The cloth-dressed middle-aged man chimed in, sensing their friend they hadnāt seen for about a month had too calm a reaction and might have received news before them.
"I donāt know if the king of Huang Country is a player... But I know the king of another country definitely is."
At this point, Wu Bin pouted slightly in response, his expression mixed with helplessness.
"Other players have become kings too? This instance is truly outrageous! Why doesnāt the instance arrange for me to have those palaces and harems, hehe..."
The yellow-haired young man, who was originally leaning against the window, was instantly surprised upon hearing this, thinking that players becoming kings perhaps entailed special privileges.
"Mr. Wu, just tell us which countryās king is also a player. We might consider going there."
The cloth-dressed middle-aged manās eyes lit up. He was not averse to hearing such intel.
"Itās the Feng Country to the north, the one that recently conquered several neighboring countries. Iāve seen their king in person, and even clashed with him."