Chapter 50 Aesthetics vs. Economy or Solidity?

In high spirits, Gu Yunqing began to organize information about the new instance and started to arrange the first appearance of "Wu Jueji".

He needs to let this new identity blend naturally into the team, especially... to attract the attention of a particular teammate.

After experiencing these trials, Gu Yunqing's mental strength has greatly improved, and she is now able to skillfully split her soul and control both her alternate identity and her original body.

The appointed time arrived quickly.

At the designated meeting point for the Pure White World instance, figures began to arrive one after another via teleportation.

Gu Yunqing arrived neither early nor late.

He still had that refined and gentle appearance, standing alone in the corner, seemingly waiting quietly, but in reality, he had already taken in the surrounding environment through the system's perception.

Jun Xiangbei and his teammates arrived at almost the same time.

As soon as Jun Xiangbei appeared, his gaze swept over Gu Yunqing's direction almost imperceptibly before shifting away indifferently, as if it were just a casual glance.

His teammate, dressed in a simple monk's robe, with a shiny bald head and a peaceful face, stood quietly beside Jun Xiangbei, like a shadow with no presence.

"Yun Qing, this is my temporary teammate, Wu Yan."

Gu Yunqing looked at the handsome monk and nodded slightly.

The silent monk gave Gu Yunqing a simple, honest smile, which served as a greeting.

At this moment, the chat in Gu Yunqing's live stream was flooded with comments:

"The God of War has arrived, and he's still as handsome as ever!"

"Is that Wuyan over there? I heard he has incredibly strong abilities, but there are some limitations to using them..."

"Haha, you're going to save face for him upstairs."

Immediately afterwards, a soft yet undeniable light flashed by.

A blonde, blue-eyed girl dressed in a pure white holy robe appeared, surrounded by a male and a female devout believer.

Her features were exquisite, like a doll's, and her expression carried a sacred sense of compassion for all humanity, as if she were surrounded by a faint halo. She was none other than Elena, the saintess of the Temple of Light.

Viewers in Gu Yunqing's live stream discussed it again:

"It's Saint Elena, the symbol of the Guild of Light."

"Is it true that she can summon gods to fight for her?"

"Under the holy light, all beings are equal; her superpowers are incredibly powerful."

Almost simultaneously, a vibrant young girl wearing a pretty Lolita dress and pigtails skipped and hopped over.

She looked around curiously, a bright smile on her face.

From another direction, a man wearing a floral shirt with slightly curly hair and a shrewd yet lazy look in his eyes appeared. He had a blade of grass between his teeth and casually looked at everyone.

Gu Yunqing immediately recognized the two people in her live stream:

"Han Chunhua's special ability seems to be flowering; the flowers she grows are very beautiful."

"Ji Changyu, a gambler by origin, possesses the ability to modify probabilities—this ability is heaven-defying."

"This dungeon feels like it's full of hidden masters."

"Luckily I didn't come to this instance, otherwise I would have quit if I had faced them."

Besides these few, there were five other players with relatively ordinary equipment. They stood in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones.

Just then, a slightly dragging sound of footsteps came from behind.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man wearing an ordinary gray T-shirt, with his hair tied messily back and a stubble on his chin.

The middle-aged man walked over slowly with droopy eyelids. He looked listless, as if he hadn't woken up properly, and exuded a decadent aura.

He walked straight to Gu Yunqing's side, leaned against the wall behind him very naturally, yawned, and didn't even bother to fully lift his eyelids.

The sudden appearance of this uniquely charismatic middle-aged man immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Jun Xiangbei's gaze swept over again, this time lingering a moment longer on Gu Yunqing and that dejected middle-aged man, his brows twitching almost imperceptibly.

Gu Yunqing seemed to only then notice the person beside her. She turned her head, gave the disheveled middle-aged man a slightly helpless smile, and then turned to Jun Xiangbei, who was looking in their direction, and introduced him naturally:

“Mr. Jun, this is Wu Jueji, my friend. He will be accompanying us on this dungeon run.”

Wu Jueji didn't even nod, only letting out a barely audible "hmm" as a greeting. His half-closed eyes lazily swept over Jun Xiangbei, with a hint of scrutiny and indifference.

Jun Xiangbei looked at Wu Jueji's decadent and unruly appearance, and then at Gu Yunqing's natural expression, and understood.

This is probably another member of Gu Yunqing's "mysterious organization".

He nodded slightly in response, without asking any further questions.

People in Gu Yunqing's live stream began to wonder:

"Wu Jueji? That's a strange name."

"He seems so lazy, is he reliable?"

"The people Gu Yunqing knows must be extraordinary."

Just then, the space in the center of the assembly point twisted, and three huge doors with different styles and different lights slowly condensed into shape.

The door on the left is ornately decorated, inlaid with gemstones and reliefs, shimmering with light and color, and the word "beautiful" is written on the lintel.

The central door, heavy and unadorned, was cast from an unknown metal and gleamed with a cold, hard luster. The word "Sturdy" was inscribed above the door.

The door on the right looks very simple, as if it were randomly pieced together from rough wood, and you can even see the gaps. The word "Economy" is written on the lintel.

A cold, robotic system notification sounded in everyone's mind:

The dungeon 'The Three Little Pigs' is about to open.

Please choose a door to enter before the countdown ends.

Your choices will affect your starting location and subsequent missions.

[Countdown: 60 seconds.]

The choice instantly became the focus.

Elena spoke almost without hesitation, her face serene and her voice ethereal: "Beauty is both an outward appearance and a reflection of the inner self. I choose [beauty]."

Without the slightest hesitation, she walked straight toward the most magnificent door.

Seeing this, Elena's two followers immediately followed, clearly showing their complete obedience to the saintess.

Han Chunhua blinked her big eyes, looking at the beautiful door with delight: "Wow, that door is so pretty! I'll choose this one too!"

She ran over happily.

Ji Changyu, with a blade of grass between his teeth, glanced at the three doors before finally settling on the "Economics" section, a glint of a gambler's eye flashing in his eyes.

"You get what you pay for, and good stuff isn't cheap? Hehe, I'm going to gamble on the 'economy'!"

He swayed and walked to the right.

The silent monk clasped his hands together, his expression still blank. He looked at Jun Xiangbei, then at the "sturdy" door, as if assessing something. Finally, he muttered something under his breath and walked towards the "sturdy" door.

The remaining five players seemed somewhat hesitant.

One person felt it was safer to follow the Holy Maiden, so they chose "Aesthetics"; two people thought "Sturdy" sounded more reliable, so they went in the middle; and another person, perhaps considering the cost or wanting to take a gamble with Ji Changyu, chose "Economy".

All eyes were drawn to Gu Yunqing and Jun Xiangbei, who had not yet made their choices.

Jun Xiangbei's gaze swept over the three doors; perhaps the sturdy one was the safest choice.

But he subconsciously looked at Gu Yunqing first.

Gu Yunqing still wore that harmless, gentle smile. He didn't seem to have given it much thought. His gaze lingered for a moment on the simple wooden door to the "Economics" department before he walked over, his tone relaxed:

"I'll choose this one; it'll save some resources."

His choice surprised some people.

[Economy] seems to be the worst option, meaning the initial base may be rudimentary and poorly defended.

But Gu Yunqing had her own considerations.

One reason is his low profile. He has the "50/50" rule-based alias Wu Jueji, which allows him to use his superpowers to maneuver even when the stronghold's defenses are weak and he encounters danger. It also increases the trustworthiness of his alias.

Secondly, he is accustomed to efficient clearance and rapid accumulation of resources. The "economic" housing may seem simple at first glance, but if it is linked to the economy and operated properly, it may well be able to catch up and surpass others.

He remained calm, as if he had simply chosen the most ordinary option.

When Jun Xiangbei saw that Gu Yunqing had chosen the "Affordable" apartment, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Although a hint of worry flashed through his mind, Jun Xiangbei did not interfere.

He trusted Gu Yunqing's judgment and abilities.

"I choose [Sturdy]." Jun Xiangbei's cool voice rang out, making the choice that best suited his personality and logic.

His consistent style is characterized by prudence and defense.

As the last two made their choices, the countdown reached zero.

The three doors simultaneously emitted a dazzling light, and a powerful suction force emanated from them, drawing the fourteen players present into their respective doors.

The light faded, and the meeting point was deserted.

The three large doors slowly faded into the background and eventually disappeared.

The dungeon "The Three Little Pigs" is now officially open!

A series of comments flashed across Gu Yunqing's live stream:

"Let's begin! Let's take a look at this new instance."

Why did Gu Yunqing choose economics? I don't understand.

"Gambling addict Ji Changyu is also in the economics group, that's interesting."

After a brief period of dizziness, Gu Yunqing found herself standing in an... extremely rudimentary space.

The ground was made of compacted earth, the rough wooden walls had obvious cracks, and the thatched roof seemed to leak at any moment. Apart from a broken wooden table and a few stools made from tree stumps, the house was almost empty.

This is the initial foothold provided by the "Economy" housing—a thatched hut that can only be described as bare.

Ji Changyu and the ordinary player who were teleported with him were also dumbfounded. Looking at the dilapidated house, their expressions were not good.

The ordinary player was filled with regret, feeling that he had made the wrong choice.

Only Wu Jueji remained in his dejected state. He pulled out a crumpled cigarette case from somewhere, put a cigarette in his mouth but didn't light it, and mumbled, "Tsk, how 'economical'! There's not even a decent bed."

He found a relatively clean corner, slid down and sat down, closing his eyes to rest, as if he had nothing better to do than make the best of it.

Ji Changyu cursed and started banging on the walls, seemingly trying to find hidden mechanisms or reinforce them.

Gu Yunqing, however, remained calm.

He walked to the broken wooden table and found a yellowed parchment on it—the Outpost Management Manual.

He picked up the manual and quickly browsed through it, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The game has begun.