Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

The hatch slid open slowly.

Wu Feng opened his eyes, sat up, and jumped out of the game pod, using the edge as leverage.

When both feet landed, their joints made a series of soft, cracking sounds.

He stretched his limbs, extending his arms upwards, and his spine cracked a series of times.

I picked up my phone from the table and glanced at it—9:52.

It's almost 10 o'clock. At this time, most restaurants are closed, but late-night snack shops are still open.

Wu Feng put his phone in his pocket, grabbed his keys, and pushed open the door to leave the room.

An evening breeze blew through the courtyard, carrying the unique coolness of the night.

He hopped on the electric scooter parked at the door, turned the handle, and slowly rode out of the yard.

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish light, casting patches of light and shadow on the ground.

The evening breeze caressed my cheeks, bringing a sense of comfort.

After riding for seven or eight minutes, he parked his bike in front of a barbecue restaurant.

This shop has been open for several years and business has always been good.

Several rows of plastic baskets were set up at the stall at the entrance, filled with various skewered ingredients.

A charcoal grill was set up at the entrance, and the owner, wearing an apron, was flipping the skewers. Smoke rose up, mingling with the aroma of meat and cumin.

Several tables of guests were already seated under the awning, their voices filled with the sounds of drinking games and laughter.

Wu Feng parked his car, walked to the stall, picked up a plastic basket, and began to select ingredients.

Take ten skewers of beef tallow, ten skewers of lamb, two lamb kidneys, five skewers of beef tendon, five skewers of chicken feet, and five skewers of snail meat.

Take two skewers of cabbage, two skewers of garlic sprouts, two chicken feet, and two skewers each of roasted sweet potato slices and roasted taro slices.

Take two chicken wings, one eggplant, two skewers of water spinach, a small handful of enoki mushrooms, one roasted corn, a few skewers of dried tofu, and a few skewers of whiteboard.

After you've made your selections, hand the plastic basket to the shopkeeper.

"Sweet potato chips and taro, made with salt."

The boss took it, glanced at it, and replied with a smile, "Okay! Just a moment, handsome, it'll be ready soon!"

As he spoke, he placed the ingredients one by one on the grill. The heat from the charcoal fire instantly enveloped the skewers, and the oil dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling loudly.

Wu Feng turned around and sat down at an empty table to the side.

Just as I sat down, a young female employee in an apron came over with a basket of beer in her hand and placed it on the table: "Handsome, would you like a few beers?"

Wu Feng nodded: "Two bottles will do."

The shop assistant put down the bottle, opened it, and said with a smile, "Enjoy your drink. Call me if you need anything." Then she turned and left.

Wu Feng took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and opened the official forum for "Jianghu Dream".

With a swipe of my fingertip across the screen, I scrolled down through the forum's homepage posts one after another.

It was the same old faces: some were showing off their gear, some were complaining about how difficult the quests were, and some were debating which sect was stronger.

I flipped through a few pages, and it was all content that wasn't very informative.

He exited the thread and glanced at the number of online users in the upper right corner: 196,873,452.

It's almost 200 million.

Wu Feng looked at the number and gently shook his head.

This game has only been online for a short time, but its growth rate is indeed becoming increasingly alarming.

At this rate, it won't be long before it breaks 200 million.

He closed the forum, put his phone on the table, and looked up to glance around.

The area under the shed was packed with people, some sharing tables, some sitting alone, all waiting for their skewers.

The food hasn't been served yet, so there's no point in just waiting.

Wu Feng picked up his phone again and opened a live streaming platform app.

The homepage recommended several live streams of "Jianghu Dream", and he randomly clicked on one with high popularity.

Upon entering, one sees young people strolling through the streets and alleys of Kaifeng Prefecture, interacting with the audience as they walk.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments, and gifts kept appearing.

Wu Feng watched for a while, then his gaze fell on the panel next to the streamer.

However, looking at his martial arts skills, most of them are at the proficient level, with a few at the minor mastery level, but none at the major mastery level.

He was probably just trying to create a dramatic effect for the show, otherwise his martial arts skills wouldn't be so bad.

Wu Feng pursed his lips, left the live stream, and opened another one.

The streamer is grinding monsters in the wild and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with a bandit boss.

The controls were okay, but the playstyle was too reckless; I almost got killed by the boss several times.

The live chat was filled with exclamations, and the gifts were sent even more enthusiastically.

Wu Feng watched for a while, then switched to a few more live streams.

It has been discovered that many of the popular and high-spending streamers have indeed reached the level of second-rate martial artists.

However, their martial arts skills are generally not high; most are at a proficient or minor level, and those who have achieved great skill are rare.

These people prioritize the entertainment value of their live streams and frequently undertake high-risk challenges, so they probably don't have much time to calmly cultivate their skills.

Wu Feng shook his head and continued scrolling down.

He scrolled to a live streamer broadcasting from Kaifeng Prefecture, and his fingers paused.

The scene shows a street view of Kaifeng Prefecture, where the streamer is standing in front of a shop chatting with an NPC.

The streamer responded to all the questions in the live chat.

Wu Feng stared at the screen for a moment. Through the anchor's perspective, the situation in Kaifeng Prefecture was clearly visible.

The pedestrians on the streets, the patrolling soldiers, and the occasional NPC passing by can all be seen clearly.

He narrowed his eyes, pondering to himself.

It's okay to check remotely.

Once things are settled here, we should think about what to do next.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

That area is Liao territory, where the Khitans roam freely.

Conquering that side won't be easy. After all, the Liao Kingdom is no weaker than the Song Dynasty now, with a strong military and many skilled warriors.

It's quite troublesome to bring those places back.

A direct confrontation won't work; we need to take it slow.

Wu Feng tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his gaze fixed on his phone screen, but he wasn't watching the live stream.

He was already planning his next move.

First, find a stronghold nearby and develop your own power.

Once we've established our power, we can proceed gradually. We can't rush things; haste makes waste.

Just then, the waitress came over with a tray and placed the grilled skewers on the table.

"Handsome, this is the first batch: beef brisket, lamb skewers, lamb kidneys, beef tendon, chicken feet, and snails. The rest are still being grilled and will be here soon," she said, listing the dishes as she set out the food.

Wu Feng nodded, put his phone aside, and picked up a skewer of butter.

The buttery edges are grilled until crispy and fragrant. Take a bite, and the fat bursts in your mouth, releasing a rich meaty aroma and the fragrance of cumin.

He picked up another skewer of lamb, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with juicy and fresh meat.

We ate and drank at the same time; the beer was ice-cold, which diluted the spiciness.

While we were eating, three young people, who looked to be in their early twenties, walked over from the next table.

One of them chuckled and said, "Hey bro, you play Jianghu Dream too? What level are you? We're three of us and we're missing two teammates, wanna join us?"

Wu Feng looked up at them, put down the skewers in his hand, and coughed lightly: "Sorry, there's already a queue."

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances, but didn't press the matter further. They said a few words like "Okay" and "Sorry to bother you," then turned around and went back to their own table to continue eating.

Wu Feng shook his head, picked up his beer, and took a sip.

Team up? He now has enough NPC companions to form a team.

Teaming up with others is a complete waste of time.

I've played games before and even formed fixed teams, but in the end, it was always about waiting for someone. Today I'd wait for this person, tomorrow I'd wait for that person—it was so annoying.

So he prefers to work alone rather than find someone to work with. It's too tiring.

We ate slowly, waiting for the second batch of skewers to arrive.

Cabbage, garlic sprouts, chicken feet, sweet potato slices, taro slices, chicken wings, eggplant, water spinach, enoki mushrooms, corn, dried tofu, and white bread were all laid out on the table, steaming hot and fragrant.

Wu Feng picked up a skewer of grilled chicken feet and gnawed it clean.

The chicken wings were gnawed down to the bones. The eggplant was soft and tender, the aroma of garlic permeating the flesh. The water spinach was refreshing and helped cut through the richness.

After eating and drinking to our hearts' content, we finished all the skewers on the table and drank both bottles of beer.

He took out his phone, scanned the QR code to pay, stood up, greeted the shop owner, and rode back on his electric scooter.

The evening breeze was still slightly cool, and felt especially refreshing on my face.

Back at my place, I parked the car and went inside.