The howling wind blew on my face, bringing a biting chill.

Fortunately, Chen Nian in the game is thick-skinned and strong, and his two-meter-tall body cannot be easily shaken by a mere gust of wind.

He walked out of the spawn point of the temporary base and stepped onto the muddy ground.

After the mental battle ended, Shafla left. Compared to yesterday's escape, Alpha was much more stable today, but he still looked a bit hurried.

Chen Nian paused for a moment, then took the neural adapter and entered the game.

He opened his friend list. The name "崩查賣溜" at the top was grey, and the newly added "浴血刮皮刀" ​​and "我是大傻子哈哈" were also grey.

Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe were trapped on the abandoned detection platform, so it was impossible for them to play games. But why wasn't Shafley online? He remembered that he had casually mentioned that he would play games after finishing his mental training.

Maybe he has some important things to do.

Chen Nian didn't take it too seriously. He checked the current main quest, which was still blank like the day before. Every time a new version of the Fantasy Kingdom was released, players were required to explore the map. Only when specific conditions were triggered would the next main quest for the entire server be opened.

Similarly, the completion of the mission also requires the joint efforts of all players.

"Hasn't the main storyline been revealed yet?" he asked his friends in the guild next to him.

"Not yet. The forum has been discussing this for days. This new version seems to be more difficult than the other versions. I feel like if I can't trigger it again, I'll end up like Deepsea."

"Arctic Deep" is the 4.0.2 version launched five years ago. It is so difficult that many players failed to complete the tenth mission after completing the ninth main mission for a whole month, which ultimately led to the failure of the main mission and the entire Greenland Ice and Snow Plateau was blocked.

If this fails again, will the rest of Eastern Europe sink beneath the sea and be occupied forever by primitive creatures? Or will something unexpected happen to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?

Chen Nian couldn't guess. In the final analysis, it was because he had been playing for too long and didn't understand the game deeply enough. If Shafley were here, he should be able to come up with some more insightful ideas.

Chen Nian checked the map and was about to explore the area that had just emerged from the water when he saw someone calling him on the guild channel.

【Cai Geou】：Mono, are you free now?

【Mono】：What’s wrong?

[Cai Geou]: I originally planned to bring a friend to play together today, but I was suddenly notified that I had to work overtime. Can you take care of him for a while?

Let him guide the new players? Chen Nian was a little surprised. He had only been playing this game for a short time, but because of Shafulai's guidance and financial support, he had leveled up very quickly.

[Mono]: Can I do it?

[Cai Geou]: Sure, you can just take them around. You don’t have to do any difficult tasks.

If he is just guiding a newbie, he should be able to do the job, right?

Chen Nian replied: Okay, where is the new person?

[Cai Geou]: I'll come find you.

Half a minute later, Chen Nian saw the figure of Caigeou, and there was a dark-skinned girl following him. The girl was dressed in a sexy outfit and had big silver wavy hair. When she came closer, Chen Nian could see her facial features clearly. She was a great beauty.

The ID column above her head reads [Aurora].

Lai Geou: "This is my friend in the guild, Mono. Let him guide you first. Mono is a very nice person. If you don't understand something, just ask him directly. Don't be shy."

Chen Nian extended his hand: "Hello."

Aurora smiled and shook his hand, not showing any of the timidity and shock that others might have felt when they first met Chen Nian. "Hello, Mono. I'm going to trouble you from now on."

Chen Nian: "It's okay. I'm just having fun if I play alone."

Chen Nian answered and asked Cai Geou in the private chat interface: "Is she a girl?"

Although Aurora's appearance and name sound like something a girl would use, there are many transsexual accounts in the fantasy kingdom, so Chen Nian would better ask clearly.

"Is it important?" Laigo smiled and replied, "Yes."

Seeing that Chen Nian and Aurora quickly became familiar with each other, Lai Geou did not stay any longer.

"Okay, you guys go ahead and have fun. I'm going to go offline and move bricks." He left these words and disappeared from the spot. The name in the friend list column turned gray.

Chen Nian: "I have only been playing this game for a short time, so I still have a lot to learn. But as long as I understand the questions, I will try my best to answer them.

Orlola: "Mono, you are too modest. You must know more than I do."

Chen Nian: "I was planning to go to the new map to explore the main quest, how about we go together?"

"good."

Chen Nian checked Aurora's level, which was over fifty, so she was indeed a newcomer.

He took Orulura to Murmansk, and the city that had just emerged from under the sea was actually nothing special. The remains of mankind had long been corroded and destroyed, leaving only a quagmire.

Chen Nian: "The next main mission has not yet started. We have to hurry up and find the triggering conditions. Just walk around and take a look. There is nothing that must be done."

Aurora responded softly and looked up at the distant sky. Chen Nian followed her gaze and saw a tall sculpture of a man wearing a steel helmet and holding a rifle on his back standing on the hillside, overlooking the sky and the city.

The sculpture has been eroded by sea water and many parts are unclear, but the weight of 5,000 tons is still pressing on the ground and has not been completely destroyed by the original organisms.

"This is the monument to the Soviet Arctic defender during the Patriotic War, also known as Alyosha."

Chen Nian introduced it to her in the exact words that Shafley had introduced it to him when he first set foot in Murmansk a few days ago: "It was built in 1974, so it's already 1,300 to 1,400 years old. It's a miracle that it hasn't been destroyed by primitive creatures yet."

Aurora smiled, and that smile seemed to carry a myriad of charms. She looked at Chen Nian and said softly, "Let's go and take a look over there."

Chen Nian and Orrula climbed up the hillside. Most of the remaining marine life had been cleared away, but the muddy ground would obviously take a long time to recover.

The two finally arrived at the base of Alyosha's statue. Only when they stood at its feet did Chen Nian realize how tall the sculpture was. The sense of oppression almost made it difficult to breathe.

Countless vines clung to Alyosha's legs and body, making its surface mottled.

Chen Nian was thinking about the glory of human civilization in the past, when he suddenly heard Aurora say, "What is this?"

He looked over and saw Aurora cleaning the rattan pot off the sculpture, and unexpectedly discovered some strange patterns.

Chen Nian took out a high-pressure water gun from the tool library, pointed the nozzle at the brown-green parasites, and a strong stream of water rushed out, blowing away a large area in one go.

The full picture of the pattern finally appeared in front of the two people.

Chen Nian reached out and touched it lightly, and suddenly heard the system prompt sound.

[System]: Player Mono has triggered the side quest "The Ghosts of Unfrozen Harbor".

There is even a side quest.

Chen Nian checked the mission panel. The mission required collecting thirteen tokens in Murmansk, but there was a question mark in the reward column.

Chen Nian suddenly perked up.

There are generally two types of question mark rewards: one is very generous, and the other is a special situation. Could this mission be the key to unlocking the next main storyline?

Chen Nian: "Let's go, it's a good time to do this task."

Aurora nodded. While Chen Nian was studying the map, she looked up at the runes that appeared from under the vine pot for a few seconds, raised her hand charmingly to lift her long silver wavy hair, and turned around expressionlessly.

Aurora is a girl with a cheerful personality.

She was very smart and had a strong ability to understand. Chen Nian only needed to give her a little guidance and she would quickly understand the meaning.

Aurora: "How did Mono join Afanasi? I just checked the guild list and it seems like they haven't been recruiting new members for a long time."

Chen Nian: "I am friends with the vice president, and he brought me in. Now the headquarters is indeed no longer recruiting new members. If you really want to join, you can usually join a branch guild."

Aurora was a little disappointed. "I see. I've always been curious about what the top-ranked guild looks like. I've always thought that if I had the chance, I would definitely go in and take a look."

Chen Nian: "Actually, there is not much difference from other guilds, except that everyone is at a higher level and plays for a longer time."

Aurora nodded. "Yeah, I heard that the vice president is a famous big spender. If Mono is very familiar with the vice president, maybe I can see what a big spender looks like with my own eyes."

Chen Nian chatted with her while searching for keepsakes all over Murmansk. Time naturally passed quickly when two people who were both socially adept played together.

Who wouldn't like to have a newbie like this?

"By the way, how did you and Laggio get to know each other? Are you friends in real life?"

Chen Nian was riding a motorcycle, passing through the old buildings. Aurora was beside him, also riding a motorcycle. When she heard Chen Nian's question, Aurora was slightly startled, as if she was wondering who Laigeo was.

“We knew each other from the game.”

"Is that so?" Chen Nian didn't ask any more questions. The map showed that they were about to reach the approximate location of the sixth token.

After a search, they found the sixth token. Chen Nian was about to go to the location of the seventh token. When he turned around, he saw a familiar figure with a high ponytail of light platinum hair and a tall figure standing behind him.

Wow! Chen Nian was startled.

"When did you come here?"

"Just arrived." The colorful glasses blocked Shaflay's glance at Aurora. He crossed his arms and said coldly, "Did I disturb you?"

"That's great. You can come along too." Chen Nian ignored the strange tone in Shafley's voice and said, "We still need seven tokens. Let's try to finish them tonight."

Shafulai pursed his lips. After he went back, he wrote code for another three hours. His wrists and neck were sore from exhaustion. He had massaged Chen Nian's back with great care and responsibility. Now he felt uncomfortable but no one gave him a massage. However, Shafulai was never a pretentious person and didn't care.

Seeing that it was getting late, Shafulai thought about logging into the game to see how Chen Nian was doing. Unexpectedly, when he was teleported to the boy's side, he saw this situation.

Next to Chen Nian was a woman with dark skin and big silver wavy hair. When she saw him suddenly appear, she looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. It seemed that she wanted to tell Chen Nian something but was afraid of disturbing the big man who was concentrating on his work.

This attitude made Shafley quite unhappy.

He was working so hard on the program, and Chen Nian was playing the game with girls?

"Who is this..." Aurora asked softly.

"This is my friend, Beng Se Mai Liou." Chen Nian then remembered to introduce them to each other. "She is the new girl that Laigoo asked me to bring along. Originally, the two of them were going to play together, but Laigoo had to work overtime so he asked Aurora to follow me first."

"It turns out to be the Vice President." Aurora's eyes showed some joy. "I have heard of you from many places before, but I didn't expect to have the opportunity to meet you today."

Shaflay hummed indifferently. He knew it was childish to be angry at a newcomer in the game, but he just couldn't control his emotions.

Maybe I was too busy at work today and was really too tired.

Shafley: "What mission are you on?"

Chen Nian: "Just found it at the Alyosha Monument. You need to collect thirteen tokens from all over the city. The final reward is a question mark. Maybe it can unlock the main quest."

Shafley: “I’ll come too.”

Chen Nian pulled Shafulai into the team, and now with the information shared, Shafulai could also see the specific content of the mission.

The three of them each got on their motorcycles and set out again, heading to the location of the seventh token.

A burly, burly man over two meters tall and dressed in strange clothes was followed by two beauties. One had dark skin but exuded a wild beauty. She was dressed lightly, had long and toned limbs, and was full of the unique power of women. She reminded people of the endless tropical savannah, hot and wild.

The other one was completely different. He was wrapped tightly in clothes, even his hands were covered with tactical gloves, and goggles covered the upper half of his face, revealing only half of his high nose bridge and pale thin lips. His exposed skin was as white as snow, and he looked like a cold beauty.

Both have long, almost silver hair; Aurora's long, wavy hair is pure silver, while Shaflay's is more of a very light platinum blonde, an updated version of his real-life hair color.

Who would have thought that this was actually a man and a woman?

Chen Nian's car was in the middle, with a person on each side. Seeing this, Shafley slowed down without saying a word. He fell behind Chen Nian and Aulura, suddenly stepped on the accelerator, and the motorcycle rushed forward with a roar, directly inserting itself between the two people.

Aurora was pushed to the side of the street and had to steer the car to prevent a collision between the three of them.

Chen Nian turned his head and saw Shafulai looking straight ahead, riding his bike calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Nian: ………………

So childish.

He suddenly wanted to ask Shaflay how old he was.

Soon, they arrived at the location of the seventh token.

The mission instructions only gave a rough direction, and the exact location still needed to be searched in detail. Fortunately, there were three of them now, so they could split into two groups and save a lot of time.

Just as Chen Nian was about to make arrangements, Shafley said, "I'll go with you."

"Aurora is new, so you're just going to let her find it herself? You should at least take care of her, brother. Where's your sense of responsibility?"

Shaflay's words were cold: "She is not from our guild."

Aurora looked at Chen Nian, then at Shaflay, and roughly understood what was going on. She took the initiative to say, "Why don't I go with the vice president?"

Shafla: “…That’s fine.”

Now Chen Niancheng had to act alone, but he didn't care. It was important to hurry up and finish the task. He had classes tomorrow morning and had to go to bed early.

Chen Nian searched the first floor of the warehouse wreckage, while Shaflay and Aurora went up the stairs to the second floor together.

Aurora said softly, "Vice President, don't you have more important tasks to do? I always feel that it's a waste of your time to help us complete the side quests."

"I'm helping Mono. I can judge for myself whether it's a waste of time or not." Shafley was irritated. He didn't know why, but he always felt that there was something fishy in Aulura's words.

Aurora walked quickly forward and came to Shaflay's side from behind. She seemed to be getting closer to Shaflay intentionally or unintentionally. Her young and energetic body was full of temptation.

However, Shaflay was indifferent. He had completely regarded Aurora as a love rival. Even if she rubbed against him now, he would only feel annoyed.

Aurora: "I heard that Afanasy built a new base nearby. After today's mission is over, can you take me to see it, Vice President?"

Few people can refuse the request of a beautiful woman, but Shafley is different.

"Can't."

Aurora uttered a "oh" in disappointment and stopped pestering. She quietly searched for the token with Shaflay, but where Alpha disappeared, the ends of her hair moved quietly.

Finally, Shafley found the token in the corner outside the window sill.

The three of them met downstairs and headed to the next location. In front of Chen Nian, Aurora once again asked to visit the new base.

Chen Nian agreed immediately: "Sure, it's not a big deal anyway."

"No." Shafulai rejected it again, "Her level is not high enough, we can't just take her with us. There are many guild secrets in the new base.

"That's right." Chen Nian scratched his head, a little embarrassed, "Aurora, you are not a member of our guild yet, so it may not be appropriate to bring you in now."

"Oh, that's okay." Aurora smiled.

Even though she was rejected repeatedly, she did not show any frustration or sadness and continued to follow Chen Nian and Shafley.

Moreover, as Chen Nian watched, he suddenly felt that Aurora seemed to be intentionally approaching Shafla.

Since Shaflay came, Aurora has focused most of her energy on him, and even her search for the keepsake has become less active.

Why? Chen Nian frowned. Could it be that Beng Se Ma Liou's reputation had spread far and wide, and Aurora wanted to curry favor with him?

Looking at the dark-skinned hot girl eagerly hanging around Shaffley, she was not discouraged even though she was coldly rejected, as if she had completely forgotten that he was the one entrusted by Lagio to take care of her.

Chen Nian stood aside, looking at Shaflay and Aurora coldly, and suddenly he felt as if there was a breath stuck in his chest, neither up nor down, just stuck there.

Chen Nian simply sent a private message to Shafley: "Can you two restrain yourself a little? You're making me seem redundant."

Shafla was acutely aware of the jealousy implicit in the words, a sour feeling he was all too familiar with.

Seeing Aurora surrounding him, Chen Nian actually became jealous.

Shafulai's heart sank. He didn't understand how a newbie who had only known Chen Nian for two or three hours could make Chen Nian jealous?

He suppressed his jealousy and asked: [Do you like her? ]

Chen Nian: [? ]

【You are talking nonsense! 】

Chen Nian wasn't jealous of Aulora? Shafulai was stunned, and then he was stunned by the only other possibility left.

——He is jealous of himself.

This was an unprecedented situation for Shafley.

For a moment, Shafley was almost ecstatic. He frantically searched the contents of the romance book in his mind. What should he do at this moment?

Shafulai stopped using private chat and moved closer to Chen Nian. He stood on tiptoe and whispered in Chen Nian's ear, "If you don't want me to talk to her any more, you can just tell me directly."

"I didn't, you're overthinking it."

Chen Nian immediately retorted subconsciously. As a 2-meter-tall man, he looked down at Shafla for a few seconds and then looked away: "Forget it, you can do whatever you want, just don't delay my mission."

He is indeed a double-talking little bastard.

Shafley became more and more certain. The effects of those love tutorials were obvious. After confirming that he was sexually attracted to Chen Nian, he became much more confident.

"So what do you want me to do?"

Facing Shafley's persuasion, Chen Nian was not foolish enough to step into the trap: "I told you, just don't delay my mission."

Aurora stood aside and watched the two people arguing with each other. She couldn't see the content of the private chat, so she could only take two steps forward blankly and persuade them, "No, stop arguing."

Chen Nian and Shafley stopped arguing.

It wasn't that Aurora's advice worked, but that they realized that it was unnecessary to discuss this topic in front of outsiders.

It was already very late, and Chen Nian and Shafulai both had things to do tomorrow, so they could only collect the remaining tokens the next time they went online.

Chen Nian said goodbye to Aurora. Although some minor incidents occurred along the way, he still had to take responsibility. After all, this was a friend entrusted to him by Laigo.

Taking off the neural adapter, Chen Nian let out a long breath. Why is he messing up the game? Can't he just concentrate on enjoying it?

But...he was not angry with Shafla.

Chen Nian blinked and thought carefully. Today's Shafulai seemed to have changed a lot compared to before.

When I was frank with him yesterday, Alpha was quite devastated. How come he made such great progress in just one night?

But Chen Nian doesn't hate this.

Aurora, on the other hand, seemed to have been intentionally getting closer to Shable. From the very beginning, she asked me about the information related to the guild and Shable. Later, she shifted her attention to Shable and asked to visit the guild headquarters several times.

Maybe as a newcomer, she was just curious. After all, big guilds like Afanasy and kryptonians like Shafulai were quite rare.

Chen Nian got up, washed up, and planned to take a rest.

On the other side of the wall, Shafulai frowned. He thought carefully for a moment, took the terminal, opened the guild's chat group on the social software, and directly found Caigeou among the group members.

Bengshemailu: [Laocai, who is the new guy you introduced to Mono today? ]

It took a while for Caigeou to reply: [What?]

Bengshemailu: [That new guy that Mono helped you with all night. ]

Cai Geou: [What? What are you talking about? What newcomer? I haven't been online at all today, okay? ]

Bengshemailu: [You are not online? ]

Cai Geou: [Big brother, please consider the time difference. It's early in the morning here. I got up at seven and went to work. How can I have time to play games?]

Yes, Laigo is in Peru, which is several time zones behind Cinnabar. At this time, it should be ten o'clock in the morning in Peru.

Then why did Chen Nian say that Aurora was the new person entrusted to him by Laigo?

Shafla was confused.

Cai Geou: [Are you sure Mono is not playing a trick on you? ]

BengshemaiLiao: [I'll go ask him, you continue to work, be careful. ]

Shafulai got up from the bed, put on his slippers, and immediately went to find Chen Nian.