Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Only when the prompt from the panel rang out did they open their eyes, which carried a hint of regret.

Immersed in that profound experience for a long time, unable to detach themselves, a fascinating idea rose in their hearts—

Isn't this game all too realistic?

The sensation had transcended the boundaries of a game; lost in the marvelous experience where time became indistinct, what the game offered had surpassed everything else.

When did the technology of our world advance to this degree? The publishers of this game didn't boast about any groundbreaking technology, did they? Apart from being able to play while sleeping and the seamless connection of the in-game timeline with each daily login, there wasn't much hype.

For the first time, a touch of curiosity about the game itself sparked within them.
Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

["Tutorial" concluded. From the tutorial feedback, you have earned a total of 1780 combat experience points and 1290 general experience points.]

"It seems you have successfully mastered Spiritual Energy," Bai E said with a reassuring smile, noticing the faint glow of Spiritual Energy in their eyes.

Learning Spiritual Energy was just the beginning. They probably couldn't grasp those Spiritual Energy tricks on their own without any natural talent. They would have to come back and learn from Bai E.

That meant a steady influx of experience points.

Keep it up, my superheroes!

"Thank you for your guidance, my lord. We will set off now," Dai Lian said, stepping out of the lingering aftereffects of the wondrous experience, and quickly made his stance known.

Having learned Spiritual Energy and spent all their experience and contribution points, it was time to go out and strive again.

"Go ahead, you can get a vehicle from the warehouse supervisor; this time it's free," Bai E said with a smile.

Gamers act swiftly, leaving as soon as they say.

Bai E only turned to face Gilder, who had been waiting in the next room, after watching them leave.

Ever since they met, Bai E could see a desire to confide in him within the old man's eyes.

Clearly, quite a few things had happened in Black Street during his absence.

"How is Hu doing?" Bai E asked as he settled down in the room.

"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you," Gilder replied gravely. Hearing constant reports of demons' minions appearing all over Black Street was undoubtedly a sign of his inefficiency.

The day they cleared the second veteran's barracks, Xu Ruoguang reported back to him in detail as soon as he returned.

The valiant sacrifice of the old soldiers, who had unwittingly fallen into the demons' clutches but willingly accepted their fate, was tragic. However, the underlying issues it exposed could not be ignored.

"...However, fortunately, your comrade has not fallen, but now he..."

Felt a bit lonely.

All disabled soldiers who hadn't been fitted with prosthetics perished that night. The remaining veterans all had artificial limbs and functioned as the Black Street Guard.

Only Hu was left alone in the always empty yard, doing whatever manual work he could manage.

Gilder had considered using Black Street resources to procure prosthetics for Hu, but without a suitable excuse, it could easily lead to idle gossip under the present conditions of unified resource distribution.

He also knew that those veterans still had some of their resources, but it was difficult to forcefully confiscate them without cause, so he had pretended not to know.

But for some reason, those veterans were always reluctant to provide Hu with prosthetics. Before, when there were many of them, one could argue resources were insufficient and unevenly distributed. Now, with only Hu remaining, getting one set of prosthetics should have been no issue.

Black Street hadn't developed for long and faced myriad issues. Gilder believed that most problems could be resolved over time, just touching on this point when Bai E asked about related matters.

Bai E's eyes glazed over, lightly tapping his fingertips on the desk nearby.

What was the true purpose of those old soldiers?

A desire for vengeance after being abandoned by the military due to disabilities? So far, there wasn't much evidence of anti-social rebellion.

How would the prohibitions ingrained in their genes twist after being tainted by the grim reality? Even he, who shared their synthetic identities and experiences, couldn't say for sure.

Yet, fortunately, the "old captain" always was the old captain, maintaining his unique clarity even amid thorns.

"Continue to keep an eye on him..." Hu was not one to be bothered by solitude. The secure and monotonous daily life, for him, was probably a form of peaceful bliss.

If life could continue in such a tranquil manner, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"Additionally... there's something about Fernandi..."

"Fernandi?" Bai E was a bit puzzled.

Fernandi was the rat-man, who had always been obedient and sensible. What could have happened to him now?

"He said he wants to see his sister and hopes you can help him find a way," Gilder said.

Longing for family after such a time seemed only natural.

Bai E smiled, his slightly tense nerves relaxing a bit, but then he felt the complexity of the situation.

No matter who his sister was, if she could freely enter and leave the military camp, she would surely have come to find her brother already.

But if she lacked the authority, then as an officer, how much could he really do? His own pass could only be used by himself, let alone bringing a rat-man, marked as a Believer of the demons, into the military camp... that would be suicidal.

Still, he subconsciously asked, "What's his sister's name? Which unit is she with in the camp?"

"Mashati. I heard she went in as a military nurse," Gilder said.