Lu Mingfei: Don't call me a loser, call me a hero.

People are in high spirits when they have good news, and Lu Mingfei had a series of good news tonight, so it was only natural that he couldn't sleep.

In the past, if he couldn't sleep, he would sneak out of the house through the window and go to the rooftop to look at the night view, and then come back to sleep after he had seen enough.

But for some reason, the chubby boy in the upper bunk couldn't fall asleep tonight, tossing and turning, so he couldn't find a chance to slip away.

Perfect timing, he can take a look at "Dragon Raja: Heroes Era".

As a teenager addicted to the internet, gaming talent is one of the few things Lu Mingfei can be proud of.

Therefore, he felt that there must be a reason why he was selected as a beta tester for Dragon Raja.

Since it's a game, we definitely need to find a pro player.

However, Lu Mingfei must clarify one point: his favorite games are real-time strategy, action fighting, and shooting games; he is not particularly fond of role-playing and adventure games.

On the one hand, he finds endless fun in fighting with others; on the other hand, his internet fee is limited and cannot support the time required to fight monsters, level up, and run dungeons.

I'm sorry, poverty limited his abilities!

"System, is it okay for me to call you that?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself.

The Dragon Raja game is not responding, which probably means it has been tacitly approved.

"Is there really no new player gift pack?"

There has still been no response.

"Surely there's a beginner's tutorial, right?" Lu Mingfei pressed. "Even the Main God Space has a newbie guide, don't tell me you don't."

You're right, but...

"Stop!" Lu Mingfei interrupted the system's chanting. "I know you're an open-world adventure game, with a level of freedom and openness comparable to the United States."

"Is there a stat panel? I can check my own status."

This time, the game didn't try to fool him, presenting him with a rather meager stat panel—

[Hero: Lu Mingfei]

[Status: Not Awakened]

[Fusion: 0%]

[Authority: None]

[Word of Power: None]

[Partner: None]

【技能：游戏Lv6、射击Lv5、跑腿Lv2、语言Lv1、王八拳Lv1】

"...No, why?"

Looking at his pathetic, almost unbearable, abstract control panel, Lu Mingfei posed a soul-searching question:

"Your game doesn't even have five-dimensional attributes, let alone professions, levels, experience, points, equipment, items, storage, and a shop?"

"With these three-no stats, how am I supposed to save the world and avert tragedy?"

Is it through haphazard punches and errands? Or through that damn awakening and fusion?

Do you think that once I awaken and fuse, I can dominate everything in the world?

Don't think you can fool me just because I don't play RPGs much!

Faced with Lu Mingfei's interrogation, the game's response was very concise:

The game is currently in closed beta testing. Players who encounter any issues during gameplay or have any suggestions for the current version can submit them through the in-game "Feedback" channel. Thank you for your cooperation.

Lu Mingfei: "..."

Then tell me where the feedback channel is!

There's no cursor, no keyboard shortcuts, and not even a single hint!

How do I play? Huh? How do I even play this game?!

Lu Mingfei really wanted to complain loudly, but if he dared to make a loud noise in the dead of night, he would definitely be punished by his aunt.

His allowance has already been halved for the next three months; he can't afford to lose any more.

Moreover, no matter how much he complains, he can only get through the game by repeating himself.

"Who developed this game? Aliens?"

Insufficient permissions to perform the query.

"And who is the Supreme Observer? An alien?"

Insufficient permissions to perform the query.

"Who will pay for the mission rewards, aliens?"

Insufficient permissions to perform the query.

Having answered all his questions without success, Lu Mingfei had no choice but to ask a few more:

"Do dragons really exist in this world? How do I trigger system quests? How do I upgrade skills? How do I awaken the Golden Eyes? What is fusion...?"

No matter how you ask, the system's answer is always the same: "Please explore on your own."

"I want to file a complaint!"

Please submit your complaint through the "Feedback" channel.

Where is the feedback channel?!

Players are encouraged to explore on their own.

"I #￥&%*……"

Lu Mingfei kept fussing until the chubby boy on the top bunk was snoring loudly, but he still couldn't find a way to give feedback.

This game is a complete amateur production; they have to figure everything out on their own. No wonder they had to do a closed beta test. If they just released it like this, the players would probably curse them to death.

Fortunately, his greatest strength is that he is good at lying flat and doesn't waste his energy internally.

Just do what you preach, and don't dwell on things you can't understand.

Whether supernatural forces exist in this world is still unknown; if we haven't encountered them, we should assume they don't exist.

Even if the sky were to collapse, there would be someone taller to hold it up; it's not up to a loser like him to act like a hero.

Instead of worrying about this and that, I should get a good night's sleep and bring my PS2 home tomorrow.

Moreover, even though Dragon Raja has a thousand flaws and shortcomings, it can't be denied that it's really generous with its money!

She's nothing like an auntie, stingy even when given pocket money.

And so, he successfully convinced himself to fall asleep peacefully, accompanied by the chirping of insects and birds outside the window and the thunderous snoring from the upper bunk.

……

"Lu Mingfei! What time is it?! Still sleeping?!"

The next morning, a thunderous roar that seemed to shatter the clouds and split rocks abruptly pulled Lu Mingfei from his sweet dream.

In his dream, he was sitting on the rooftop with Chen Wenwen, holding a brand-new PS2 and looking at the stars. The club president leaned her head on his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of laundry detergent.

The next second, the sky collapsed.

Chen Wenwen has become a gruff aunt with a face full of scars, and the cozy rooftop has been shattered into a cramped bunk bed.

Lu Mingfei shuddered in fright. He was about to blurt out, "It's the weekend today," but reason told him that muting his microphone was the best option at this moment.

"The sun's already high in the sky and you're still sleeping! You're about to be a senior in high school and you don't know how to work hard. If you keep going like this, you might not even get into a junior college!"

My aunt's voice was deafening, every word drilling into my ears.

Lu Mingfei hurriedly put on his clothes, saying "Get up, get up" aloud, but inwardly he kept wondering:

Wasn't last night's incident already over?

The watch wasn't really broken, and my allowance was already deducted, so why am I still so angry today?

He shuffled open the door in his slippers, and his aunt's large face loomed right in front of him, looking at her at first glance just like Zhang Fei, the Yan general who held the bridge at Changban Slope.

"You need someone to call you for breakfast? Why don't you just let me bring it into your room and feed it to you?"

His aunt looked him up and down, her gaze sweeping over his messy hair and wrinkled T-shirt, her disgust practically overflowing from her eyes:

"Look at you, where is the vigor and vitality of a high school student?"

Look at Mingze again, he's up early and watching the news!

Lu Mingfei glanced at the sofa subconsciously. The chubby boy was sitting upright, holding the remote control, but he clearly saw on the TV screen that just a second ago, the three Cat-Eye sisters, dressed in bodysuits, were racing against a police car.

He forced a smile and sincerely admitted that he was far inferior to Lu Mingze and would definitely learn from him next time.

His aunt then gave a cold snort and let him go.

After washing up, all that was left on the table were the cold steamed buns and soggy fried dough sticks, and the uncle reading the newspaper beside him.

But Lu Mingfei wasn't picky; he was happy as long as he had something to eat.

My aunt moved back and forth between the bedroom and the living room, changing clothes, looking for her wallet, and fixing her hair, her every move exuding a hint of anger.

"What's wrong with Auntie today?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice.

My uncle peeked half his face out from behind the newspaper, his expression enigmatic:

"She lost her money while grocery shopping this morning and is furious. Don't provoke her."

Lu Mingfei said "Oh" and continued eating his fried dough stick.

Lost money?

How much money would it take to lose as much as the allowance he lost last night?

The money was halved every three months, which adds up to a loss of more than 100 yuan. And that was just the money my aunt lost in a single game of mahjong.

Thinking about it this way, he made a few more big movements when pulling the fried dough sticks.

"After you finish breakfast, sweep the floor. Don't just play video games all day."

The aunt changed her clothes, and while changing her shoes, she didn't forget to give Lu Mingfei a lecture:

"If you put the same effort into studying as you do into playing video games, you would have already passed the undergraduate entrance exam."

Lu Mingfei nodded like a chick pecking at rice, barely daring to breathe.

"Your parents just dumped you on us and ran off. If you can't even get into college, won't people talk behind my back and say I didn't raise you well?"

After her aunt gave her a few more words of advice, she hurriedly left.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became much more relaxed. Lu Mingfei let out a long sigh of relief and chewed his food with peace of mind. Lu Mingze turned up the TV volume, and his uncle finally put down his newspaper.

"Mingfei, I'm taking Mingze to the Children's Palace to check out some extracurricular classes later. Do you want to come along?"

"Huh?" Before Lu Mingfei could answer, Lu Mingze looked displeased.

"I haven't finished watching TV yet, can't I wait a bit?"

But his uncle clearly had no intention of consulting him. Since the tigress was finally away from home, he had to act like the head of the household and order the chubby boy to turn off the TV and get ready to leave.

Lu Mingze's face fell instantly, and he slumped onto the sofa, looking like an angry fathead fish.

The conversation from last night was still vivid in Lu Mingfei's mind. He knew his uncle was giving him the opportunity to have the computer all to himself. He glanced at Lu Mingze with schadenfreude and politely declined.

"Uncle, I won't go. I have something to do later."

"Going to the internet cafe again?" the uncle frowned.

"No, no, our literary society is having an event, and I'm going to help out."

"Why is it always you running around doing all the organizing? Isn't there anyone else in your literary society?"

"Isn't this a case of the capable doing more work?" Lu Mingfei chuckled.

Seeing his proud expression, his uncle didn't say much. He urged Lu Mingze to pack his things quickly, left with the words "Take care of yourself" and went out.

Lu Mingfei watched the BMW drive out of the residential area, stuffed the last bite of his steamed bun into his mouth, finished cleaning in a hurry, and then turned around and went back inside.

He took out his key, opened his own desk drawer, and took out the metal box he used for storing money.

The box was filled with coins of all sizes, and every time Lu Mingfei saw it, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and a great river is formed from countless small streams.

Every time he received his allowance, he would put a portion of it into a metal box to save it, so that he wouldn't spend it all at once when his internet addiction kicked in, thus delaying his plan to buy a game console indefinitely.

This is all his possessions! Yesterday, that little fat guy almost knocked them out of his pocket!

He poured out all the money and counted it. Adding the hundred from last night, it came to exactly one thousand. Lu Mingfei lowered his eyes sadly.

"We'll be parting ways after today, but don't be sad or upset. You're just staying by my side in a different way, hehehehe..."

Tomorrow is Chu Zihang's birthday, and everyone is racking their brains to prepare a presentable gift for him.

On Lu Mingfei's birthday, there were hardly any gifts or even a few words of blessing, so he wanted to give his younger self a big gift.

He stuffed the money into his backpack, rushed out of the residential area, took a bus, and headed straight for the largest arcade in Binhai.

Three years ago, when the PS2 was at its peak, the arcade got three machines and they were running non-stop from morning till night. Lu Mingfei couldn't get a seat at all and could only squeeze into the crowd to watch others play.

After looking at them all summer, he had the idea of ​​buying one himself. He mustered up the courage to ask the shop owner about the price and learned that even grey market imports were incredibly expensive.

Second-hand ones are cheaper; you can buy a complete set plus pirated CDs for a thousand yuan.

Although a thousand yuan was an astronomical figure that was out of reach for him, he finally saved up enough money after all his hard work.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath at the entrance of the arcade and strode in with a proud and confident stride.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, a cacophony of noise rushed out. The store was packed with people on the weekend, and players crowded around the machines.

The PS2 is still in its old spot, and some people are playing Pro Evolution Soccer. A few scattered people are gathered around, offering their opinions, but it's nowhere near as bustling as it used to be.

Just to be on the safe side, Lu Mingfei asked a store clerk about the current market price of the PS2, and then he was completely dumbfounded—

In recent years, the price of PS2 has plummeted, and these 5000x series consoles in the store have gone from being exorbitantly priced game consoles to unwanted junk.

A complete set of used, hacked 70000 slim smartphones is only 800-900 RMB now, and they even give you a stack of game discs as a bonus.

Even the newly released slim phone, the 90000 model, can be bought for an extra hundred or two...

Eight or nine hundred?

Lu Mingfei's mind went blank after hearing that.

He buried himself in saving money for three years without mentioning it to anyone.

Firstly, he was afraid of being laughed at, and secondly, he wanted to make a name for himself by remaining silent until the very end. He wanted to prove that he, Lu Mingfei, was not so poor that he couldn't afford snacks, but that he had just saved up all his money to prepare for something big!

Reality played a cruel joke on him; he had actually saved enough money to buy a PS2 long ago, but he just didn't know it.

How can I describe this feeling?

It's like you're saving up money to buy a used Alto, only to find out at the dealership that an Audi is also selling it for the same price.

His expression became visibly complex, making it difficult to tell whether he was happy or depressed.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that the hundred yuan I saved could be used to buy a gift for Chen Wenwen, and my gloom instantly vanished.

The arcade doesn't have a slim PS2; if you want to buy one, you have to go to a computer mall in the CBD (Central Business District).

Normally, Lu Mingfei wouldn't dare go to places that look high-end, for fear of affecting the city's appearance, but in order to fulfill his dream, he had to venture into dangerous places.

He strode out, his back view resembling that of a fearless warrior.

But as soon as he lifted the curtain and stepped out, he immediately came back.

His eyes were wide open, as if he had seen a ghost.

No, it should be said to be an existence even more outrageous than a ghost.

He actually saw Chu Zihang!

Of course, if Chu Zihang had just come to the arcade on the weekend, it wouldn't have surprised him so much.

What truly made him lose his mind was the girl next to Chu Zihang.

She was a girl wearing a bohemian-style blue plaid dress. While her looks might not be considered stunningly beautiful, she was certainly more attractive than Shi Lan.

She tilted her head slightly as she spoke to Chu Zihang, a smile playing on her lips and her eyes curving into crescents.

Surprisingly, a smile appeared on Chu Zihang's perpetually icy face.

Recalling what he had just witnessed, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but feel terrified:

"Oh no, am I going to be silenced?!"