Mini World Game Console

"Huh?"

Ren Suo looked at the screen, slightly surprised.

"Complete basic mission objectives—60 points."

"Technique-Oriented Player—10 points."

"Strongest King—10 points."

"Total score is 80 points, rated as Extraordinary."

"This mission's score: 80 points (Extraordinary), Highest mission score: 80 points (Extraordinary)."

"As the player has been rated as Extraordinary, meeting the hidden requirements, information on a hidden side quest of the game will be granted."

"Side quest ①: Treasure Hunter. Unveil all Destiny Cards."

"Side quest ②: Golden King favored by Destiny. In all Destiny determinations, only draw 'Hope' or 'Great Hope'."

"Side quest ③: Thorn-Striding Black King. In all Destiny determinations, only draw 'Despair' or 'Great Despair'."

"Mission evaluation upload completed, you have been awarded 30 Merit Points. Please use them wisely."

The condition for being a Technique-Oriented Player is that the player can only suffer Minor Injury, which Ren Suo naturally achieved—Disaster Girl wasn't even touched.

But why was the Strongest King achievement also completed? Ren Suo had let Disaster Girl kill several Violent Evildoers later on.

However, Ren Suo soon understood. Aside from the first two Violent Evildoers, for the rest, it was always that figure who attacked first with a sword, and then he would use the long-distance Flame Slash to collect their heads.

Under such circumstances, the Violent Evildoers naturally wouldn't have a chance to use Flash Step.

Flash Step, a skill that allows a counterattack only at the instant one is attacked, has strict judgment criteria. The most important point is that Disaster Girl must be in a state of 'Life in Danger,' similar to the legal concept of 'Unlimited Defense.'

At that time, Disaster Girl wasn't in any danger at all. With such a large human shield next to her and far away from the monsters, how could she possibly use 'Flash Step'?

So, in Chapter Four, Disaster Girl indeed hadn't missed any 'Flash Steps.' By relying on these two Flash Steps to complete her kills, she naturally became the Strongest King. Even a king who was carried to victory is still a king!

But because there were no cards and no Destiny determinations in Chapter Four, neither 'Treasure Hunter' nor 'Golden King' were triggered, which left Ren Suo slightly depressed.

He also wanted to see what a 100-point evaluation would look like.

To this day, he didn't even know what a 100-point evaluation was called.

This time, although the "Hand of Fate" beta version divided the game content into ten chapters to be played over ten days, which was a bit bothersome, it was also a good opportunity for Ren Suo to gather points. Getting 100 points in a normal game is too difficult; after all, a game's normal progression can be as short as a few hours or as long as several days, and retrying is too mentally taxing.

Ren Suo wasn't lazy; he just found it too troublesome. Even retrying might not yield a satisfying evaluation, as many achievement requirements were quite hardcore.

Effort doesn't necessarily lead to success, but giving up is much easier, right?

But this game was different, with its simple game process and achievement system. Most importantly, even if Ren Suo wasn't interested in grinding, he still had to undergo a mission evaluation ten times for each chapter, so he could still put some Effort into it.

He was quite ambitious—with a Player's ambition.

In tomorrow's game, 'Treasure Hunter,' 'Thorn-Striding Black King,' and 'Technique-Oriented Player' are the three I'm more likely to achieve, Ren Suo pondered. But 'Strongest King'... that one really depends on luck.

Not missing any 'Flash Steps' was truly quite difficult; missing one meant all previous Efforts would be wasted. So when playing, Ren Suo had to be hyper-focused, approaching the game with the same meticulous care one would use for a dental cavity, exercising extreme caution.

Ren Suo opened the "Equipment Interface" and checked Ilina—sure enough, she had already become a 4-star character.

After Manifesting Saintliness In Front of People in the skies of Tokyo, and even live-streaming the whole thing, it would indeed be unreasonable if she hadn't advanced by 1 star.

This meant Ilina, like the Collector, was now a character Ren Suo could no longer summon with "Rippling Spring Sounds."

Then Ren Suo equipped himself with "data stream" and activated it on himself, instantly feeling elated—his Cultivation had reached 95.2%!

It might seem like only a small increase, but Ren Suo had realized during his advancement from the first turn to the second turn that the closer he got to the end, the slower his Cultivation progress would be.

There were two explanations for this: one, limitations of his talent; two, his Spiritual Energy was nearing a qualitative transformation. It was like blowing up a balloon—easy and quick at the start, but becoming harder and slower as it neared being fully inflated.

If left to his own devices, this final stretch could take Ren Suo months to complete, given the limits of his talent.

Civil servants of similar talent who had started at the same time as him hadn't even broken through to the second turn yet!

If the world's Spiritual Energy maintained this level, then his talent would cap out at the third turn. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to struggle immensely to reach the third turn.

Now, by killing monsters in "Hand of Fate," he was easily overcoming these time-consuming hurdles. This meant Ren Suo's Efforts in the game hadn't been in vain.

Not to mention, Ren Suo hadn't actually killed that many Violent Evildoers himself—most of the monsters had been cleared out by Ilina.

Thinking about this, Ren Suo felt like he'd missed out on a massive opportunity. If he had cleared all four hundred-plus Violent Evildoers himself, he might have already broken through by now!

This is what happens when you don't play the game seriously! Ren Suo firmly memorized this lesson.

「Later that night」

Dong Chengling still hadn't returned, so Ren Suo had no choice but to take Little Jiu to the cafeteria for dinner.

Similarly, because they couldn't get a free meal at Dong Chengling's, they happened to run into Ren Xingmei, Gu Yueyan, Lin Xianyu, and Qin Lian. It wasn't much of a coincidence, though. Considering it was the National Day holiday and many students had left, only the third floor of the cafeteria was open, so it was almost inevitable they would meet if they came for dinner at the same time.

The six of them got their food and sat down. Qin Lian was meeting Little Jiu for the first time and curiously stroked the top of her head. Little Jiu smiled brightly and nuzzled her head into Qin Lian's palm, instantly planting a thought in Qin Lian's mind: I wish I had a daughter just like Ren Xiaojiu!

When meeting someone for the first time, Little Jiu's Charm ability could reach its peak.

"Little Jiu, how old are you today?"

Little Jiu held up one finger. "Eigh—"

She tilted her head. "Nine years old?"

Qin Lian chuckled. Noticing Little Jiu's tight grip on Ren Suo's hand and a cunning glint in her eye, she asked, "Is Little Jiu living with Teacher Dong now?"

"Yep!"

"Then what is Brother Ren to you?"

"He's Little Jiu's big brother!"

"Do you prefer living with your big brother or with Teacher Dong?"

Little Jiu eyed her suspiciously but promptly and loudly declared, "I like both!"

Qin Lian smiled; her intention hadn't been to put Little Jiu on the spot, but precisely to make her say that. "Then, why don't you live with both Teacher Dong and Big Brother Ren?"

As soon as she said this, the expressions of everyone at the table shifted.

"Is that possible?" Little Jiu was startled. She had never conceived of such a plan; Qin Lian had opened the door to a new world for her.

"Why not? What's wrong with living with the people you like?" Qin Lian blinked and asked, "Little Jiu, you're not a little kid anymore. You don't have to choose. If you like them, you should have them all!"

"That's right, Little Jiu has grown up!" Little Jiu clenched her little fists and turned to Ren Suo. "Big brother, can we all live together?"

"Little Lian, don't tease her," Ren Xingmei was the first to object. "Little Jiu, neither Teacher Dong nor your big brother has enough rooms in their homes."

This time, without needing Qin Lian's prompting, Little Jiu naturally thought of a solution. "They can sleep together!"

Then Little Jiu tilted her head. "Or they can sleep with Little Jiu? I don't mind!"

Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said with a smile, "The three of us can all sleep together!"

Qin Lian laughed. "That's right! There are always more solutions than problems. Keep it up, Little Jiu!"

Sitting next to Qin Lian, Lin Xianyu poked her and whispered, "Don't do that. Big Brother Ren will feel awkward."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Qin Lian whispered back. "Isn't Brother Ren single? It would be nice to match him up with Teacher Dong, wouldn't it?"

Qin Lian gave Lin Xianyu a playful look, then glanced at Gu Yueyan, who was silently eating beside Lin Xianyu, and whispered, "Or is it that someone doesn't want to see that happen?"

From their second meeting (the first was on the night Yu Kuangtu was injured), Qin Lian had keenly sensed that Ren Suo wasn't exactly a stand-up guy.

How should I put it? His attitude wasn't quite right, his ideological awareness was a bit lacking, and his conduct bordered on improper—everything was just slightly off, as if he were constantly teetering on the edge of disaster, making him seem very risky.

However, Ren Suo was friends with Yu Kuangtu, and since Ren Suo hadn't done anything particularly despicable, Qin Lian didn't say much, and they interacted normally.

She would just remind her friend when necessary—for instance, about a certain 10,000-word essay assigned by the Tactical Bureau...

Although she hadn't deliberately done anything, now that an opportunity had presented itself during dinner, she wouldn't hesitate to give things a little nudge.

And honestly, while she didn't particularly like Ren Suo, if she had to choose, she'd root for Dong Chengling and Ren Suo together.

So, what will you do, future playboy Ren Suo?

Under Qin Lian's expectant gaze, Ren Suo slurped down a mouthful of noodles, then turned to look at Little Jiu, whose eyes were sparkling like Little Stars. He smacked his lips and said, "Well, I don't really mind."

"Brother!" exclaimed Ren Xingmei.

"Hmph," Gu Yueyan snorted.

"Big Brother Ren, you..." Lin Xianyu began.

Negative emotion from Ren Xingmei, +233

Negative emotion from Gu Yueyan, +233

Negative emotion from Lin Xianyu, +100

"Yay, yay!" Little Jiu cheered, clapping her hands.

Then Ren Suo suddenly changed his tune. "However, Little Jiu, you know I'm usually quite free, so I stay at home all day. Unlike your Sister Ling, I can keep you company all day long."

"That's great!" Little Jiu clenched her fists tightly, very excited.

"So, I can supervise your homework all day, and your studies in Arcane Magic, painting, and programming," Ren Suo said, affectionately stroking Little Jiu's head. "Aren't you happy?"

"..." Little Jiu was speechless.

Negative emotion from Ren Xiaojiu, +999

"Little Jiu feels..." Little Jiu said in a heavy tone, "...Little Jiu needs some personal space... and the house is too small too..."

"Not at all, I think it's big enough for three. Don't worry, Little Jiu, I'll sleep with you, sharing the same blanket. I'll make sure you can't get to your phone," he assured her.

Little Jiu stopped talking and lowered her head, sullenly eating her pork chop rice.

DING-DONG. Ren Suo's phone chimed with a new message. He glanced at it and said, "Oh. Little Jiu, your Sister Ling isn't coming home tonight, so you'll have to..."

"I'll sleep on my own tonight!" Little Jiu immediately declared. "I can take care of myself!"

"...Alright then." Ren Suo shrugged. He had actually been prepared to look after Little Jiu for the night, but since she was unwilling, it saved him the Effort.

As for whether Little Jiu could spend the night alone—the Demons and Ghosts who had been oppressed by the New York Overlord, Little Nine-Tailed Fox, had already amply demonstrated Little Jiu's capabilities.

And so, the "war" was quashed before it could even begin.

Qin Lian watched this unfold, dumbfounded. In the instant Ren Suo turned back to his food, she caught a glimpse of a smile at the corner of his lips—a smile she had seen before.

When Yu Kuangtu successfully deceived Li Dan over the phone to get a day off, he wore the exact same smile.

Ren Suo actually... He's genuinely smiling just because he doesn't have to look after a child!

Qin Lian suddenly felt a pang of genuine guilt. She had actually considered trying to match the understanding, kind, diligent, persistent, and powerful Teacher Dong with Ren Suo.

She felt a little ashamed before her country, ashamed of her nine years of compulsory education.

Forget it, this is beyond me. I can't meddle. At most, I'll just give my friends a little help when I can.

I'd better focus on Yu Kuangtu first. He seems to have gotten increasingly foolish lately, and I wonder if it's because...

Qin Lian looked at Ren Suo and sighed softly.

「Later that evening, back home」

After taking a shower, Ren Suo was sitting in front of his computer when his cell phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at it and hung up.

It rang again. He hung up once more.

When it rang a third time, Ren Suo reluctantly answered. The moment the call connected, an irate voice berated him, "Did you just hang up on me!?"

"Yu Kuangtu, are you getting stupider by the day? Has being in a relationship addled your brain? Don't ask such obvious questions. You should be asking *why* I hung up on you."

"Then why did you hang up on me?"

"Shouldn't you reflect on why I'd hang up on you? Every time you've called these past few days, it's been bad news, and you're always trying to mess with me!"

Ren Suo's tone was extremely arrogant. After all, his third turn was imminent. By then, he wouldn't be outmatched by Yu Kuangtu, so he was naturally posturing in advance.

Even if I weren't at the third turn, I wouldn't be afraid of Yu Kuangtu. With Zuo Chengling on my left, Muyi on my right, and Bai Ji at my back, what's there to fear?

If it comes to a fight, so what? Yu Kuangtu definitely wouldn't kill me. A few uses of Healing Magic, and I'd be up and about again. In any case, I can't lose a verbal battle, or Yu Kuangtu will just make more ridiculous demands.

And he was still furious about that! Damn it, I vividly remember that ten-thousand-word research report!

I only found out yesterday that Yu Kuangtu deliberately set me up!

At the time, I hadn't fully processed it, but recalling it now makes me so angry I could eat several extra mouthfuls of rice!

"Tsk, you're so petty. Be careful, or you'll never find a wife," Yu Kuangtu snorted. Seemingly aware he was somewhat in the wrong, his tone softened. "Here, you talk to him."

Huh? Ren Suo was slightly surprised. It sounded like the phone had been passed to someone else. The next second, he heard a familiar voice. "Ren Suo, my phone has bad reception out here. I couldn't get through to your phone, so I asked Deputy Director Yu to call you for me."

It was Dong Chengling.

"You should have replaced your phone ages ago," Ren Suo said. Dong Chengling cared little for material possessions; she used an old smartphone model that only received 2G signals, barely meeting current communication needs. It seemed she hadn't replaced it in years.

Dong Chengling chuckled softly but didn't say anything.

"You can't come back tonight?"

"No, I'm in the outskirts on a mission."

"Little Jiu is going to sleep by herself. I've already taken her back to her place."

"Okay."

Their brief exchange ended. Ren Suo had nothing more to say, and Dong Chengling remained silent as well.

Seconds ticked by. As silence descended, two hearts, separated by a vast distance, seemed to find a shared rhythm.

"Ren Suo," Dong Chengling said softly, "the moon over the Outskirts of Lianjiang... it's actually very beautiful."