Online game: Basic attacks increase strength; the greater the power, the more powerful it is!

The two remained in that position, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Jiang Mingyue could clearly see the curve of Jun Heng's eyelashes and the mischievous smile in his eyes.

Her cheeks flushed visibly, spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down her fair neck.

"You...you let me go!"

She finally came to her senses and pushed Junheng's chest hard.

But Junheng's arm was like an iron band, completely still.

"I won't let go." His voice was tinged with laughter.

"If I let go, you'll fall."

"I...I can stand on my own!"

Jun Heng looked down at the blushing face in his arms.

"Can it really stand firm?"

"certainly!"

Jiang Mingyue nodded vigorously, her eyes darting away, avoiding his gaze.

Jun Heng smiled and slowly loosened his arms.

As soon as Jiang Mingyue was freed, she immediately took two steps back to create a safe distance between herself and Jun Heng.

She straightened her slightly disheveled collar and casually glanced around.

"Ahem... This house is really nice, with good natural light and plenty of space..."

As she spoke, she quickly walked towards the stairs.

"I'll go upstairs and check the bedroom!"

Watching that hastily fleeing figure, Jun Heng's smile deepened.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Junheng opened the door, and three deliverymen in uniform were standing outside.

"Hello, are you Mr. Junheng?"

"Your two gaming pods have arrived. Would you like them installed now?"

The lead deliveryman smiled and showed a delivery slip.

"Please come in."

Junheng stepped aside to let the doorway open, and three deliverymen filed in.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Mingyue poked her head out from the stairs.

Upon seeing those two enormous boxes, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

"Junheng, this is...?"

"A gaming pod." Junheng looked up and smiled at her.

Jiang Mingyue ran downstairs and circled around the two boxes.

As a seasoned gamer, she naturally coveted the game pod.

However, the exorbitant price made it something she never dared to even dream of.

Seeing Jiang Mingyue's obvious delight in the item, Jun Heng couldn't help but smile.

"Don't look at it yet, let the installers do it."

"Let's go get some dinner, and we can use it right away when we get back."

"Um."

Jiang Mingyue nodded, and the two walked out of the room side by side.

They grabbed a quick bite outside the residential compound and then hurried back inside.

The delivery drivers worked quickly and efficiently, and in just over an hour, they had installed and tested both game consoles.

When Jun Heng returned to the game room after seeing his master off, Jiang Mingyue was squatting in front of a game pod, looking like a child who had received a new toy.

His fingers gently traced the streamlined outer shell, his eyes sparkling.

"Stop looking, you can use it every day from now on."

Junheng leaned against the door frame, a smile playing on his lips.

Jiang Mingyue looked up, a rare hint of embarrassment on her face.

"I just... feel a little unreal."

"Yesterday I was worrying about rent, and today I'm living in a big villa and even using a gaming pod..."

She stood up, her voice tinged with emotion: "It feels like a dream."

Jun Heng walked over, stopped in front of her, and looked at her earnestly: "It's not a dream, it's real."

"We'll have a better life from now on, I promise."

Jiang Mingyue looked into his determined eyes, and her heart skipped a beat again.

"Okay, okay, I know."

"Go online soon and try out what the game pod feels like."

"it is good."

Junheng lay down in the gaming pod, the pod lid slowly closing.

A cool liquid flowed into the cabin, completely enveloping his body.

Unlike the simple neural connections of gaming headsets, the immersion provided by gaming pods represents a qualitative leap.

He could clearly feel the touch of every inch of his skin, the rise and fall of his chest with every breath, and even smell the fragrance of grass and trees in the virtual world.

[Neural connection successful, verification passed, welcome back to *Alien Invasion*]

A flash of white light appeared, and Jun Heng's figure appeared in the resurrection square of the beginner village.

It was evening, and the number of players in the beginner village had noticeably decreased.

Most active players have reached level seven or eight and are scattered across various leveling spots.

Only a few casual players and newly registered users are still lingering at the village entrance.

Jun Heng did not linger and walked straight to the teleportation array in the center of the village.

There stood an elderly man with white hair and beard; he was the village chief of the beginner village.

"Young man, are you here to complete the procedures for traveling to a second-tier town?"

When the village chief saw Jun Heng, a glint of light flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"Yes, village chief." Junheng nodded.

"well……"

The village chief took out a bronze-lustered token from his pocket and handed it to Jun Heng.

"This is your teleportation pass to Dawn City. Take it and stand in the center of the teleportation array."

Jun Heng took the token and stepped onto the teleportation array.

The stone slabs beneath their feet glowed with a pale blue light, runes began to circulate, and a strange energy fluctuation permeated the air.

"Young man, the outside world is far more vast than the starting village, and also far more dangerous."

The village chief's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of admonition.

"Dawn City is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with various factions vying for power. Remember to be careful with your words and actions."

"Thank you for the reminder, village chief."

As soon as Jun Heng finished speaking, a burst of light suddenly erupted beneath his feet!

A feeling of weightlessness washed over me, and the scene before my eyes began to distort and blur.

It felt like a moment had passed, yet also like a very long time had gone by.

When his vision cleared again, Junheng was standing in a completely different city.

[Ding! You have entered a level-two town: Dawn City]

Jun Heng stood in the center of the teleportation array, looking around.

Unlike the rudimentary starting village, Dawn City already possesses a certain degree of prosperity.

The streets were lined with shops: blacksmith shops, pharmacies, general stores, mercenary guilds...

It has all kinds of functional buildings.

Occasionally, a few NPC pedestrians would walk by, hurrying along, each busy with their own affairs.

He took a deep breath, taking in the atmosphere of this second-tier town.

Shuguang City, a second-level town under the Jianghai City war zone, will also be his main area of ​​activity for the foreseeable future.

According to the clues provided by Master Hogan, Hawke's blacksmith workshop is located in the eastern district of Dawn City, near the city wall.

And the traitor suspected to be Lost was hiding there.

Junheng walked around the East District and quickly found his target.

It was a two-story stone building with a faded wooden sign hanging at the entrance that read "Hawker Blacksmith Workshop".

The blacksmith shop wasn't large, but through the open wooden door, you could see the furnace burning brightly inside, with the clanging and hammering sounds filling the air.

Junheng didn't rush in, but sat down at the tea stall across the street and observed slowly.

There were three people inside the blacksmith's shop.

A burly middle-aged man, shirtless, revealing his solid, iron-like muscles.

He was swinging a hammer, intently hammering a red-hot iron blank.

Each hammer blow was precise and powerful, clearly the work of a seasoned blacksmith.

This person must be Hawke.

The other two were young apprentices; one was thin, dark-skinned, and looked honest and unassuming.

The other was tall and handsome.

Although he was dressed in coarse cloth, his every move exuded a composure that seemed out of place for his status.