The King of Black Fog

At night, after the rain ceased, the temperature began transitioning from summer to autumn.

The sun had set, yet the sky wasn't fully dark, a bluish hue with the moon hanging on the horizon.

At this time, the moat around Ming City had a touch of ancient boundless romantic scenery—provided there was no accompaniment of square dancing to the tune of ""Lotus Pond Moonlight"" by Phoenix Legend.

Amidst the faint sounds of ""I'm like a fish in your pond ~,"" Yang Qinglan walked into the siblings' yard.

Li Qianxia, dressed in a sports tank top and shorts, wielded a blood-colored steel spear with a casual single thrust, tearing through the air with a valiant grace, appearing both like a dashing female knight and a modern vital maiden.

Li Changzhou performed a handstand, this time not on a single finger, but with his entire right fist planted into the ground, exuding an aura as if to pierce through the earth.

"Qing Lan!" Li Qianxia greeted her upon seeing her, retracting her spear.

Yang Qinglan waved her hand at her and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet," Li Qianxia wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm, "I was afraid eating while Zheng Qing was here would be uncomfortable, thought I'd wait for her to leave before dining."

Yang Qinglan nodded and looked toward Li Changzhou, who also returned the gaze.

"What's with this?" Li Changzhou, his right fist still supporting him on the ground, pointed towards her slender legs with his left hand.

Under the day dress she had worn earlier, she had added a pair of black tights, encasing her symmetrical and well-proportioned legs.

Yang Qinglan glanced down at her calves, "It got cooler, for warmth. What about it?"

"Feeling a surge of excitement," Li Qianxia mockingly jeered.

"Nonsense," Li Changzhou retorted with disdain, "Miss Yang, you must remember, in case of a fire, the first thing to do is to remove the stockings. They are highly flammable."

"Seems like you're the one about to catch fire," Li Qianxia added.

"Li Qianxia, let me tell you, I've been tolerating you for a long time."

"I've been tolerating you for a long time as well," Yang Qinglan eyed Li Changzhou calmly, "How long do you plan to stay upside down in front of a lady wearing a skirt?"

"Sorry, seriousness is one of my many virtues," Li Changzhou said as his feet touched the ground and he stood up.

The three sat under the apricot tree, discussed the base for a bit, and agreed to shop for supplies on Monday. On Wednesday—when they had no afternoon classes—they planned to check out Boss Lou's gym.

"I just thought of something," Li Qianxia smirked playfully, "If the apocalypse happened and it was just the three of us at the base, wouldn't you two be like Adam and Eve, responsible for repopulating? "

Li Changzhou eagerly "Oh!"d in anticipation, the siblings teaming up to tease Miss Yang.

Miss Yang wasn't shy; she replied calmly and straightforwardly, "If the whole world really came down to just us three, then there would be no other choice."

"Brother, show your charm, win her over with a sentence."

"Hmm," Li Changzhou declared seriously, "starting today, the world shall fall."

"6 points, still lacks something," Yang Qinglan critiqued.

The casual chatter continued, and they chose the entrance to their base—Li Changzhou's room, convenient for his late-night digging.

Li Qianxia naturally teased him for a while about sneaking through the tunnel to Yang Qinglan's yard in the wee hours.

It wasn't until almost 8 p.m. that Zheng Qing appeared before them, looking exhausted.

"Hard work," Li Changzhou said.

Zheng Qing waved her off, too weary for pleasantries, and collapsed onto a chair with a sigh.

"Here's the money," she took out a Ming City bank card, "Don't lose it. Future mission rewards will be deposited there, the password is six zeros."

Li Qianxia took the card, her eyes shining with excitement, "A hundred thousand! A hundred thousand! I'm going to buy a ten-thousand-dollar bag!"

"That's for buying materials," Yang Qinglan reminded her.

Li Changzhou wasn't concerned about the money and asked Zheng Qing about the intelligence briefing.

"I need a glass of water first; I've been working on reports all day since the mission ended this morning and haven't had a sip of water."

Li Changzhou poured her a glass of snow mountain mineral water.

Zheng Qing paused upon tasting the water, then quickly finished it in one go.

"What water is this?" she asked, wiping her mouth, her eyes fixed on the empty cup.

"Just regular mineral water. What about the intelligence briefing?" Li Changzhou refilled her cup as he asked.

She wasn't a pretty college girl sitting just three centimeters above the chair with her hair floating, and he had no interest in idle chatter.

"I have good news," Zheng Qing sipped water again, "you've been listed as top talents, and certain intelligence will be fully disclosed to you."

"If it involves taking on responsibilities, forget it," Li Changzhou stated his position.

"Don't do evil, and help the country within your capacity, it's not difficult, right?"

"Not difficult at all, by the way, the reward... it won't be less, right?" Li Qianxia asked.

Zheng Qing realized these siblings were indeed cut from the same cloth.

"You'll get what you're due," she replied, "Now, let's talk intelligence. First, skills that add attributes aren't that precious—it's the special effects that are most important."

"Because the attribute cap is 10 points?" Yang Qinglan guessed.

The evening-yellow light illuminated her, like roses on a wall under a delicate street lamp, whisked by the evening breeze.

"Yes. Also, once any single attribute among Strength, Agility, Constitution, or Perception reaches a full 10 points, you can break through the limit. After breaking through, these four attributes vanish, new attributes emerge, and your body undergoes a fundamental transformation, even a life-level change, with an increase in lifespan."

"New attributes?" Li Changzhou asked.

Zheng Qing looked at him curiously, "You haven't broken through the limit? The destructive power you showed today exceeds 10 points in Strength."

"Special skill."

Zheng Qing nodded, not probing further, and continued.

"Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Perception disappear, to be replaced by two new attributes—Origin and Ability.

"Origin determines your natural talents;

"Ability, the omnipotent force, which could be likened to 'Mana', 'Spiritual Power', or 'Magic Power', is easier to comprehend. This energy can cure diseases, enhance physical condition, resist cold and heat, amplify instinct and skill prowess-essentially, it's an all-purpose power."

Having delivered this lengthy explanation, she took another sip of water.

After finishing, finding it still delicious, she realized it wasn't just ordinary mineral water—it wasn't the thirst that made it taste so good.

Continuing, she said, "Origin determines Ability; the original Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Perception influence Origin. If only one attribute reaches 10 points, the resulting Origin will be quite low."

"I have a question," Li Qianxia raised her hand, "If all four attribute points are maxed out, wouldn't everyone have the same Origin and Ability? Would the game allow that to happen?"

"It may, but it won't be easy," Zheng Qing said.

"The higher the attributes, the closer to all maxed out, the more difficult the instance?" Yang Qinglan asked.

"Hmm, before it was all down to luck, but now it's up to you. It's about whether you dare to and can challenge the instance."

"How hard could it be?" Li Qianxia hurriedly asked.

"It's like throwing a person into the deep sea, driving fish onto land, stuffing flying creatures into caves, and besides, every time you level up, you need more experience, and your opponents are all high-attribute players."

"Interesting," Li Changzhou said with a laugh.

The three of them looked at him.

He stopped laughing and nodded, "I accept the challenge."

"No one's challenging you," Li Qianxia said, unamused.

"The state hopes you can maximize your origin and abilities," Zheng Qing said. "Also, once you break through, you can no longer use the bus ticket, you must use the subway ticket."

They all had subway tickets, but after some discussion, they didn't use them rashly.

As per Li Changzhou's principle: First do not touch anything you don't understand. Retreat to a safe place and watch to see if you can use someone else to cross the river.

His Constitution was maxed at 10 points, but he hadn't broken through yet, precisely for this reason.

"The bus ticket means different scenarios. What about the subway ticket?" Yang Qinglan asked.

Zheng Qing smiled, "That information doesn't relate to your development or life safety. It requires a trade."

"Then forget it," Yang Qinglan said indifferently. "If it doesn't affect our progress and it's something we can find out sooner or later, it's not worth trading for."

Zheng Qing was momentarily at a loss for words and really wanted to ask her, don't you have any curiosity? Don't you want to know?

Li Qianxia was actually quite curious, but since Yang Qinglan had decided, she could only suppress her own curiosity.

"One last piece of information, after filling six skill slots, you can replace them. But if you don't understand them completely, you'll completely forget the skill after replacing it."

Zheng Qing looked at Li Qianxia and explained using an example:

"Your 'Wolf Howl' comes with the special effect of 'Intimidation.' I have a superior who was very intimidating even before the Value game. He learned 'Wolf Howl' and quickly mastered 'Intimidation.' After filling six skill slots, he chose to forget 'Wolf Howl,' but not only could he continue to use 'Intimidation,' it was even more powerful due to his abilities."

"Then I'm out of luck, I'm too approachable and friendly," Li Qianxia said discouraged.

Li Changzhou was about to say something, but Yang Qinglan spoke first: "You can practice on your brother. You're quite intimidating to him."

"Right!"

"I'm the practice target?" Li Changzhou asked.

"Hmm?" Li Qianxia glared back. "You have a problem with that?"

"...Considering you're my sister."

"How is it?" Yang Qinglan asked.

"I'm starting to feel it," Li Qianxia nodded thoughtfully.

Feel it, my foot!

Li Changzhou could figure out with his toenails what Li Qianxia was aiming for now—using the excuse of practicing her skill to force him into submission.

But what could he do? She was his dear little sister. He had to tolerate her!

If he really had to set a time limit, ten thousand years at most. Not a single hour more after ten thousand years.

Zheng Qing observed Li Changzhou. A person's attitude towards family might not represent his whole character, but it could at least represent a part of him.

That part included his sense of belonging to his ethnicity and his views on the country.

No matter how you looked at it, this man was very handsome... no, very reliable.

"Would you three reconsider joining the Special Warfare Bureau? The resources the state has are beyond what you can imagine," she said.

"I'll follow my brother's lead," Qian Xia said immediately, previously full of intimidation.

"I'm more of a loner; I'm not good at dealing with complex interpersonal relationships," said Yang Qinglan in a very tactful way.

Zheng Qing had almost given up hope but still waited for Li Changzhou's response.

"Well, about that, I'm not mentally strong enough," he said.

"You're not mentally strong enough?" Zheng Qing couldn't contain her emotion.

A man who played rough with mosquitoes, a high-level player in the Value game, claiming he's not mentally strong enough?

"I'm susceptible to beauty; just a petty hoodlum," Li Changzhou said nonchalantly.

"..."

Li Qianxia giggled and leaned over to Yang Qinglan, whispering, "What do you rate that statement out of 10?"

"6," Yang Qinglan whispered back.

"That low?"

"Not low," Yang Qinglan assured her.

"You're throwing your life away; don't you have a goal?" Zheng Qing asked, utterly baffled.

"I do," Li Changzhou said.

"What is it?"

"Keeping fit and healthy."

"Yes!" Li Qianxia stood up to vouch for her brother, "He's a lustful man who lacks self-control. The doctor told him he's suffering from kidney deficiency, but now with a strong body, he can do whatever he wants."

"..."

True to being the woman who had sneakily learnt the secret under Li Changzhou's bedsheets, her speech was unique.

Zheng Qing left with a silhouette that seemed more tired than when she arrived.

As soon as she left, Li Changzhou started to scold Li Qianxia, "What did you just say? Who's lustful? Who lacks self-control? Who has kidney deficiency?"

Li Qianxia hid behind Yang Qinglan, her mouth still defiant. "You called yourself lustful! Are you self-controlled? You exercise all day long, and you were still doing handstands when Lan arrived!"

"And kidney deficiency?!"

"If I don't call it kidney deficiency, should I tell them you have another white Identity Card? Idiot big brother!"

"Miss Yang, step aside," he said.

"You're going to hit her?"

"No, I'm going to teach her Great Strength Bull Fist."