Chapter 18: Simply Missing My Family

After Li Gang finished the hearty dinner he had prepared for himself, the sun outside had yet to set. The bright afterglow of the evening sun streamed through the window, bathing his body in warm light, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort and ease.

He gazed out through the window, his eyes sweeping into the distance. With no one in sight, the city seemed tranquil, undisturbed by dust, the far-off mountains and the nearby urban skyline weaving together in the twilight, lending an ineffable sense of peace and clarity.

Li Gang stood quietly, his mind gradually settling into serenity as he took in the view.

Many thoughts crossed his mind. He remembered how, just half a month ago, he was holed up at home, playing games and watching movies. Though his world had consisted of only himself, he hadn't felt much discomfort—he had thought muddling through life alone wasn't so bad.

When the deity announced the commencement of the game, he had instinctively resisted. But there was no choice; the deity had not given anyone the power to refuse, unless they chose death.

Thus, he passively began to strategize how to survive the game. His goal was simple: at the very least, he would not be among the first to be eliminated—a matter of pride more than anything else.

It was the same as it had always been for him—never an outstanding student, not even average, but certainly never the worst.

So, he trained methodically each day, resting when he was tired.

What truly changed him, what made him begin to train in earnest and strive for strength, was the message about the game’s rewards from the deity.

In that moment, he was seized by an intense desire to win, for he longed for Prize One.

Li Gang had no ambition to be a hero. He simply missed his family, yearned for life as it had been a month ago, wanted to hear his mother’s daily nagging. Yet, in the end, he only wanted to muddle through, living the idle life of a reclusive young man.

He did not linger long at the window before heading off to practice his marksmanship.

After half an hour of shooting practice, he began his physical training, pushing himself until every last ounce of strength was spent. When he could go no further, he collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath, bringing the day’s training to an end.

By now, it was already eight in the evening; the sky outside had turned pitch black.

Li Gang lay there awhile, regaining some strength. He rose slowly and moved to the window.

Outside, aside from the faint glow of streetlights, the world was shrouded in darkness. The sky was studded with stars, and in one corner, a crescent moon hung suspended.

A nightscape such as this had been a rarity in the city a month before—back then, every corner was ablaze with lights, making such scenes hard to come by.

He stood for a while, savoring the night and feeling his strength return. Then, catching the odor of sweat on himself, he went to enjoy a soothing shower before heading to the rooftop of the gym.

On summer nights in WF County, the air was not hot. With a quilt beneath him, Li Gang lay alone on the rooftop, gazing at the night sky. The occasional breeze brought a pleasant coolness.

Perhaps it was due to the mountain city setting, or perhaps the absence of car exhaust and human activity, but the air was far fresher than before.

All around, except for the croaking of frogs and the chirring of insects, there was no other sound.

As he gazed upward, Li Gang’s eyelids grew heavy. He pulled a blanket over himself and soon drifted into sleep.

The summer night was brief.

Before six in the morning, the first rays of sunlight caressed his cheek.

He slept well, awakening refreshed, all fatigue from the previous day’s strenuous training vanished.

After a quick check of the tracking function and that particular person’s status, he did not look at his own personal stats panel—he usually did so only every three or four days.

He washed up, prepared a simple breakfast, and began a new day of training.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

During this time, the number of game participants had dropped by more than forty, indicating that the hunting had become more frequent. Many had already been eliminated, and quite a few had received the mysterious gifts for their first successful hunt.

For the two times he could choose a reward for every ten players eliminated, Li Gang had selected enhancement boosts each time, but he had yet to use them, instead storing them up and waiting until all four of his base stats surpassed the average for adult men on Earth.

Currently, he had three enhancement boosts and one full-body repair unused.

The one who had previously tried to track Li Gang was still lingering in YD County, showing no sign of leaving.

On the morning of the third day, the eighteenth day since the game began, Li Gang checked his personal stats panel again.

Compared to the last time, his endurance had increased by six points to 105, his strength by eight points to 95, his mental power by five to 78, and his speed by two to reach 80.

His endurance had now surpassed the average of 100, and his speed had reached the mean value. The other two stats were not far behind.

Li Gang was not surprised that his rate of endurance improvement had slowed, increasing by only six points.

He had expected that as his stats rose above average, even without any extreme limits, simple repetitive training would naturally yield diminishing returns, despite the influence of Rule Two.

His combat power had increased by two points, now at 80.

This, too, did not surprise him, since he had only been training, without any real combat experience to draw upon.

In truth, Li Gang was not especially clever or one to plan several steps ahead; typically, he thought only a step or two forward, solving new problems as they arose.

He did not dwell on this for long and continued with his planned training.

His idea was simple: once all four basic stats had exceeded the average and his endurance had been enhanced, he would then consider his next move.

Meanwhile, on the moon—

Within the hundred survival bases, the sky outside remained thick with countless virtual screens. For a base population of ten thousand, the loss of just over forty was imperceptible, the size of each virtual screen barely changed.

Inside the bases, people clustered in groups of three or five in the main halls, discussing the players they were watching.

Most were focused on those who had already encountered each other and were locked in combat, while many watched the players who had succeeded in their first hunt.

Conversations were lively, with everyone smiling.

“Haha, I don’t think this guy will last a month. Look how timid he is—every time another contestant approaches, he flees in panic,” a blond man laughed as he watched his screen.

“Number 685, she’s so beautiful. It’s a shame we can’t see her in the shower. Damn that deity for putting mosaics over everything—it really ruins the viewing experience,” grumbled a middle-aged man, eyes fixed on a female contestant.

If there were a complaint option for viewers, he would have been the first to lodge one.

“I think she’s just a pretty face with no brains. She put all her enhancements into mental power—she won’t last long,” another man chimed in.

“That white guy from America is incredible—he’s already killed two people and is heading straight for a third. So aggressive! I think he has real potential,” an Asian man said excitedly to his companion while watching his screen.

Comments like these could be heard throughout every base.