Alternate Dimension Game: Happiness is all that matters!

"Of course, think again," Wang Hao said smilingly, "We have indeed made contact before, but we've never met face-to-face."

"Oh?" As the former leader of the Abnormal Foundation, Lan Jin had an excellent memory. He furrowed his brows and started to meditate hard; soon his eyes lit up as he found a familiar voice within his memories.

The realization almost made him jump off the boat in surprise, "Could you be... that person in the tunnel? You didn't die?"

"Since you didn't die, of course I didn't either," Wang Hao replied with a smile, then noticed another fish biting and energetically lifted his rod. With a gentle "whoosh", this time he actually caught a plump, fiery-red fish with sharp teeth!

The fish was extremely lively, weighing a whole 10 pounds. It had just been caught when it suddenly bounced around the boat, trying to jump back into the lake. However, it couldn't cause much trouble in front of Old Wang.

"Don't be in a hurry to release it, sir. I've been fishing for many days just to catch this one," Lan Jin explained hastily, "This is known as a Gluttonous Fish. Affected by the power of 'Moon of Illusion', it has undergone a slight mutation. If left unchecked, in three to five years, it will devour all the fish in the lake and grow into a mutated creature, reproducing thousands of offspring. However, its meat is delicious, a true delicacy."

"That would make a great late-night snack, Mr. Lan Jin, won't you invite us over?"

"Nothing would please me more!"

They brought the two small wooden boats ashore, where Wang Hao and the other man shook hands.

"This is..." Lan Jin turned his head to look at the bespectacled pretty girl.

"My cousin, she loves fishing but is terribly bad at it," Wang Hao observed Ai's frustrated expression and laughed teasingly, "Are we leaving? What are you waiting for? You look like a statue, still doing your math equations?"

"I still want to fish." Ai's mind was filled with calculations of her chances in the Game, and seeing the large fish in Wang Hao's hand... Could it be that the Captain had cheated?

Wang Hao paused, as it was the first time the artificial intelligence made such a request, but seeing the darkness around, he quickly refused, "A girl shouldn't stay here alone to fish. Let's go find a place to have some late-night snacks."

Left with no choice, Ai had to follow behind them, listening to their conversation.

"How did you survive?"

"I woke from unconsciousness to find myself lying by the lake, and as for how I survived, who knows... maybe some Demon God took pity on me?" Lan Jin explained.

"At that time, it was raining. The raindrops shattered on the lake, causing ripples. Each ripple traced a source of sound, and millions of ripples formed a canvas, depicting leaves, treetops, the ground, mountains, houses, rubble, plants, and animals fleeing in the rain—it must have been the art of natural life."

"At that moment, I had some vague realizations and decided to just live a leisurely life in this small town, then started writing articles, essays, poems, and novels online..."

"So you've become a writer? You're not working with the Abnormal Foundation anymore?" Wang Hao asked, somewhat surprised.

"If needed, I would help, but now Blue Star is developing well, so there's nothing much to help with. Every society is like this, missing one person doesn't matter, and furthermore, I have already dedicated myself to the world once. It's better to settle down and do something I love."

"That's a great idea, writing is also a fun job, and of course, fishing isn't bad either."

"May I ask about your fishing method, sir?"

Wang Hao laughed, "Haha, apart from luck, of course, there are some skills..."

Ai immediately perked up her ears, eager to listen.

Though their past intersections weren't many, at this moment they spoke as if they were long-time friends, chatting delightedly.

Before long, they arrived at a two-story brick-and-tile house surrounded by a small town. In the early hours of the morning, some people were still out barbecuing in the streets.

In front of the house was a small courtyard with a pond that housed many caught fish.

For a fishing enthusiast, this pond was their life!

Seeing that Mr. Lan Jin's living conditions were quite decent, Wang Hao was relieved; after all, he was a former leader of the Abnormal Foundation, a hero who had saved the world—he wouldn't be living too shabbily.

"Do you live here alone?"

"I got a girlfriend last year, a loyal reader of mine... we're registering for marriage next month." Mentioning his personal life, the young man was a bit shy.

"That indeed calls for congratulations!" Wang Hao laughed, placing the ten-pound fish on the cutting board, "May I borrow your kitchen for a while? That won't be a problem, right?"

"Sir, you are an honored guest, how can you cook yourself?" Lan Jin hastily said.

"You don't know my cooking skills... With such good ingredients, we can't let them go to waste. We've been through life and death together, no need for formalities, right?"

Lan Jin was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Then may I trouble you, sir... I will go out to buy some late night snacks, and some liquor, not stopping until we're drunk!"

"Haha, not stopping until we're drunk!"

…

…

Wang Hao picked up the kitchen knife and began to dissect the strange fish, while also turning on the gas stove to heat the pan.

"Xiao Ai, come and lend a hand, just chop the green onions into small pieces and stir the starch a little," he instructed.

Although Xiao Ai, as an artificial intelligence, could access any cooking method from the database, her actual actions were clumsy.

"Captain, what kind of wish would you like to fulfill for him?"

"He hoped to save the world, but now he has no wishes left," Wang Hao replied. "Isn't it nice to maintain simple friendships?"

Right after that, Old Wang laughed again: "You're in for a treat today. If Xiao Yue finds out, she'll surely be envious and resentful. With this fish, I'm going to give it my all! Xiao Yue has been with me so long, yet she has rarely seen me give a hundred percent."

The fish looked quite strange, with a texture that was both tough and silky, as if it still retained some mysterious power.

Wang Hao's knife skills were also quite impressive, with each slice of fish gleaming like pieces of jade.

The moment it hit the pan, a burst of white steam shot upward.

Colorful halos circulated in the pan.

The ordinary salt grains, looking like sparkling gems, shone like stars.

This was an indescribable mysterious artifact!

And also priceless divine meat!

At the whiff of that fragrance, Xiao Ai's face turned red instantaneously, and she involuntarily swallowed.

It was tantalizing!

As an artificial intelligence, she didn't actually eat; she soaked in nutrient fluid after the Captain's day ended.

But now, she couldn't resist the craving.

"What's with that look? You look like a starving tigress. I suggest you collect some of this fragrance and put it in a perfume bottle to sniff whenever you feel the craving."

Xiao Ai immediately felt extremely embarrassed.

…

…

"Xiao Xiang, out buying supper so late? Didn't you say that eating late at night isn't good for your health? Had a change of heart recently?"

The few regulars at the night stall laughed in unison, "How about we all have a drink together!"

"A distinguished guest has come to my home," Blue Jin explained with a smile.

The town, located at the edge of the city, wasn't very safe; many of its inhabitants were ex-military with martial skills.

He ordered some supper, preparing to take it back home.

"Eh, what is this amazing smell?" one of the old guys sniffed and said somewhat intoxicatedly, "So fragrant!"

Their cravings had all been triggered.

"Could it be the legendary Tang Monk meat from Earth's legends?"

But after a short while, that unique strange fragrance disappeared.

Blue Jin had a faint suspicion; it seemed that the unusual fragrance had emanated from his house.

Of course, he also knew that the mysterious Mr. Zhao, who could suddenly go to the Moon spaceship and seal the Moon of Illusion with him, must be an extraordinary person. And since the other claimed to be a friend, he took him as a friend without any worries.