Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

According to Yan Zhao, the City of Misfortune is divided into four districts: the Beginning District, the Peace District, the Golden District, and the Extreme District.

The Beginner Zone is the newbie zone, where players from Bronze to Platinum ranks are concentrated. Unless they receive a special invitation, they are not qualified to enter higher-level zones.

Anle District is a normal urban area, and its conditions and environment have undergone a qualitative leap. Diamond and Emerald level players mostly live here, and some Grandmaster players also live here.

The Gold-Plated Zone is the wealthy area, the territory of Grandmasters and God-level players. Only the masters at the top of the food chain truly have the right to indulge in a life of luxury and extravagance.

The Arctic region is located on the edge of Doom City and is like a prison. Players who violate the city's rules will be exiled there to suffer until their sentence is served.

"However, even if you have enough rank, you may not have enough gold coins. Prices in the City of Misfortune are higher than in reality, and many people simply cannot afford it if they go to the Peaceful District."

Yi Zanglan glanced at Yan Zhao and asked very sincerely, "So when you said you could take me away from this wretched place, did you mean you were going to buy me a new house in Anle District?"

"...I only own one apartment in Anle District!" Yan Zhao was shocked by her outrageous demand. "Do you think buying an apartment is easy? The cheapest apartment in Anle District starts at 200 million, and you can't get a loan here."

Yi Zanglan's interest immediately waned, and she looked away, saying, "What a pity, the food in Qishi District is terrible."

"I understand." Yan Zhao nodded. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. Although I can't buy you a house, my house is very spacious, with three bedrooms and a living room. There's a well-lit guest room that I can leave for you."

"Shall we live together?"

"Yes, as long as you go to the system lobby to complete the special invitation procedures, I will act as your introducer, and you will be eligible to move into the Anle District."

Yi Zanglan fell into deep thought. She raised her eyes and looked at Yan Zhao again, her gaze filled with scrutiny.

"I don't accept rewards without merit," she said. "If this is a transaction, I need to hear your demands first."

Yan Zhao didn't hide anything and readily replied, "I want to see your talent panel."

"Then I'll take a look at yours too."

"OK."

Yan Zhao wore a bronze necklace with a longevity lock pendant, which was probably also one of her personal accessories.

She touched the pendant, gesturing for Yi Zanglan to come closer.

[Player [Yan Zhao]'s Talent Panel:]

Mental Strength: S+

Insight: S

Attack power: B

Agility: A

Damage tolerance: B

Luck rating: D-

Yi Zanglan studied the values ​​above, his expression somewhat subtle.

"They even have a D- rating?"

"D- is the worst rating. I've been unlucky since birth."

"Oh, that's really bad luck."

"..."

Yan Zhao knew that the person in front of him had come from a mental hospital. Although he seemed to be able to communicate smoothly, he might not actually be mentally sound.

Even if we take a step back and assume she has an S+ talent rating and is an absolute genius with no weaknesses, she can tolerate even harsh words.

Then Yi Zanglan asked again, "Now that you've finished looking, what's the purpose of your visit?"

Yan Zhao hesitated for a moment: "I'll be reaching the Emerald rank soon. The end of the month is my major promotion tournament, and someone wants to kill me in the game."

"Can they still follow you through your qualifying matches?"

"Yes, the system lobby has all sorts of outrageous services. As long as you're willing to spend money, you can do anything, including binding someone else's game."

Yi Zanglan pointed to his system interface: "I'm only Silver III."

"You leveled up five times in your very first game, your skill and awareness are far beyond Silver," Yan Zhao said. "I can take you straight into the promotion series. For a Silver player to clear the Diamond promotion series, the experience points and gold earned are at least ten times more."

The higher the rank, the more experience points are needed to level up. Many players are stuck in the Gold rank and can't get past that hurdle for a long time.

If a big shot is willing to mentor them, it presents both risks and opportunities for them.

Of course, Yan Zhao wasn't trying to take Yi Zanglan with her this time; she was asking Yi Zanglan for help.

"I watched your entire live stream. You are perfectly capable of adapting to the pace of the qualifying rounds. There's no need for you to start from the bottom and gradually build your career."

Yi Zanglan smiled slightly: "You're smart, but not good at killing. You want me to kill for you."

"...Yes." Having his thoughts exposed, Yan Zhao did not deny it. "I'm not confident, which is why I need to find a helper—as long as you agree, we can move immediately, and I will give you a reward of 60,000 after you pass the test."

Yi Zanglan remained silent, got up and walked to the table.

Not receiving a response, Yan Zhao felt uncertain and couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" Yi Zanglan turned her head in confusion. "Packing up my things. Aren't we moving?"

"..."

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Two hours later.

Yan Zhao has already completed all the formalities in the system lobby, including obtaining a residence permit for Yi Zanglan in Anle District and binding Yi Zanglan to the next Diamond Promotion Tournament.

"In theory, the system will force players to enter the game every fifteen days. If you want to gain more experience or make more money, you need to sign in to someone else's game. Usually, you can only sign in to the same rank. Only diamonds and above have the permission to bind to other ranks."

The system stipulates that there is newbie protection for players in the Bronze to Silver ranks, and high-level players cannot enter the game through binding; once they enter the Gold rank, anything can happen.

This is also why many lower-level players dare not easily provoke the big shots; if they are targeted, they really will die.

Yi Zanglan suddenly thought of a question: "What is the player selection mechanism of the Misfortune System?"

"There are many people who are desperate, trapped in dire straits, or facing death..." Yan Zhao sighed. "In short, anyone who is struggling in reality but still has a strong desire to survive could become a target for the system's recruitment."

"Once you're in, you can't get out?"

"Yes, you can get puzzle pieces by completing the game. Once you piece together a complete map of the City of Misfortune, you can return to reality and get the chance to make a wish."

Yi Zanglan recalled that after completing the game, in addition to experience points and gold coins, she had indeed received four puzzle pieces.

She clicked on the upper right corner of the system interface, and sure enough, the four pitiful fragments were scattered in a gray frame.

"It will take about a thousand pieces to complete this map."

"And there will be repetitions, with the repetition rate increasing as you progress," Yan Zhao added. "Even after all this time, I haven't heard of any players in the Gold Zone who have collected them all."

Like the cut-off mechanism of some shopping apps, it's always just a little short, never reaching 100%.

The Misfortune System constructs a world indistinguishable from reality for everyone, making them move forward for that faint hope, endlessly waiting and waiting.

No one knows when they will be able to return to the real world.