Lucky billion players, you've never seen one before / I can accumulate my own luck

Professor Chen smiled and shook his head, saying, "I do have some guesses about my own situation. There are many anomalies that other residents can't detect, but only I can... Why am I so special?"

"To answer this question, it seems like there's no clue, but in fact... within the scope of True Love City, the answer is quite obvious. I probably have some connection with that city lord who hasn't shown his face for many years."

“It seems you’ve already guessed some of the information,” Fan Xiao nodded and smiled. “This makes it easier for us to communicate.”

After a pause, he briefly recounted the information that the city lord had split his mind into three clones, and mentioned that the young Professor Chen was currently in a dominant position.

After listening, the slight doubt in Professor Chen's eyes completely disappeared.

Comparing the anomalies he had identified with his own reasoning, he believed Fan Xiao's words.

"So, you're hoping to find a way to get past the second floor from me? Or rather... a way to deal with the younger version of me?"

Professor Chen guessed the purpose of Fan Xiao and the others' visit.

“That’s right,” Fan Xiao nodded, “that’s what we need to ask about.”

"I'm sorry, I can't give you the answer to this difficult question."

Professor Chen shook his head, then changed the subject, saying, "However... you are all smart people, you should have already considered this situation, yet you still came to me under these circumstances... So, you actually know how to arrive at... or rather, deduce this answer? The prerequisite is that you obtain some information from me?"

At this point, he asked with considerable curiosity, "What information do you think the answer is hidden in?"

"..."

Sakura and Melissa felt somewhat embarrassed when they heard this question.

They came with Fan Xiao and hadn't thought about this on their own at all.

They thought that what Fan Xiao had said earlier meant... that as long as they found Professor Chen, they could directly obtain the method to pass through the second floor.

Professor Chen's question stumped them.

At this point, Fan Xiao replied, "This problem can actually be solved by analyzing the abilities that Professor Chen possesses on different floors, which will further narrow down the scope of the answer."

"For example, on the first floor, the young Professor Chen lacked attention, notice, and care from many women. His entire student life was gray, as if he were invisible, a background figure, as if he lived in another world. Therefore, he possessed the power to banish his target to an environment where no one cared about him. We speculate that the Ring of Love can counteract the power of banishment because the Ring of Love is an object formed from the affection of others, and it is at the opposite extreme from banishment. The young Professor Chen lacked attention from a large number of women."

"The young Professor Chen on the second floor, having experienced a love filled with deception and betrayal, is despairing of life and filled with self-destructive impulses. He can share... or rather resonate with these impulses in others, causing them to commit suicide. Like the teenage Professor Chen, the young Professor Chen is certainly lacking something. Once we find that thing, we should be able to fight against him."

After a pause, Fan Xiao looked at Professor Chen and said, "Young Professor Chen and young Professor Chen are both your past. You know best what you lack and what you need."

"Perhaps others are caught up in the situation and cannot see their own true intentions, nor do they know what they really want."

"But... you're definitely different. I personally think that with your level of understanding, you must have already clearly understood yourself, right?"

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Professor Chen nodded: "I am very clear about what I need... and I also roughly know how to deal with the younger version of myself. Let me tell you a story."

Upon hearing this, Fan, Xiao, and the other two pricked up their ears and listened intently—the key to breaking the deadlock might lie in the story.

Professor Chen slowly said, "Before I tell you the story, answer a question for me. When choosing a partner, do you value talent more or looks?"

"..." Sakura: "Talent."

The saintess was very talented.

Melissa thought for a moment and replied, "Talent."

Upon hearing their answers, Professor Chen smiled without saying a word, his gaze falling on Fan Xiao.

Fan Xiao replied, "Whether or not I choose a partner is irrelevant to me. Love is just a seasoning on the road to great achievements. It's best to have it, but there's no need to force it if I don't."

"..."

Melissa wanted to roll her eyes.

This guy is such a good actor!

Professor Chen shook his head: "That doesn't count as an answer."

“Since it’s a seasoning,” Fan Xiao said, “it naturally has to be a good-tasting one, otherwise how can we add flavor to the occasional dullness?”

"You're very honest."

Professor Chen smiled and said, "I have a friend named Xiao An..."

Is the friend you're talking about yourself...? Fan Xiao and the other two wisely refrained from asking that question.

In Professor Chen's narration, Xiao An's life was simply outlined.

Xiao An is a genius who has shown amazing learning ability since childhood. He entered the math Olympiad class in elementary school and ranked second in the city. Even after skipping two grades, he has consistently maintained the top position in his grade. Later, Xiao An was admitted to a national first-class demonstration high school, where his grades remained among the best.

In addition, Xiao An is also the captain of the school debate team, the host of the school radio station, and one of the top ten singers on campus.

At the age of 10, Xiao An began publishing articles in national newspapers and periodicals;

Many girls have openly expressed their admiration for Xiao An, and quite a few girls look at him with the kind of admiration one would give a genius. However, not a single girl has confessed her feelings to him, nor has any girl ever written him a love letter, knitted him a scarf, or made him a loving bento box.

A female student once heard him read a poem he wrote himself while doing a radio broadcast, and she became completely captivated by his voice and literary talent. She even went to his classroom door to secretly watch him... but the result was that she died in the light of day.

While studying abroad, Xiao An met a girl in the school library. They enjoyed discussing academic topics, as Xiao An had already finished the entire junior-level reading list in his freshman year. One day, the girl couldn't help but ask Xiao An: "Why do you like this kind of stuff so much? It's driving me crazy." Xiao An told her: "If you're ugly, you should read more..." After they became closer, the girl was willing to share many things with Xiao An, both from and outside of class, saying she learned something new every day from him, but she never developed feelings for him.

At the age of 19, Xiao An grew to 182cm, weighed 75kg, had a body fat percentage of 12%, a nominal width of over 58mm, and obtained a martial arts instructor qualification certificate.

At the age of 20, Xiao An obtained a Level 2 Sports Instructor Qualification Certificate.

Later, Xiao An met a senior from his senior class. During their New Year's Eve dinner, the senior confided in Xiao An about the sadness she felt after her breakup. Xiao An comforted her: "Although I've never broken up, I can still feel your pain..." The senior suddenly asked him somewhat urgently: "How do you maintain a relationship so well?" He replied: "I've never been in a relationship, so of course I've never broken up."

It was around that time that Xiao An met his best female friend—that senior from his university. Every time she got a new boyfriend, Xiao An's acquaintances would ask him the same question: Why don't you like her? But no one ever asked... why she didn't like him?

At 22, Xiao An returned to China and took a job in the financial field. She quickly became one of the company's best traders and achieved great success in her career in less than four years.

At 25, Xiao An finally met his first girlfriend. She said she admired his talent, which moved and delighted him, as it was the first time in his life a girl had openly expressed her love for him. She was three years older than him, leading many of his friends to believe that she didn't love him but had simply had her fun and wanted to marry a stable man. Despite the doubts from the outside world, Xiao An resolutely decided to be with her.

One day, Xiao An went to his girlfriend's house. His girlfriend and her mother were cooking in the kitchen. He passed by the window and heard his girlfriend's mother earnestly telling his girlfriend: "Daughter, no girl will like a man like Xiao An who isn't very good-looking. As long as you cherish him, he will cherish you. The most important thing for a man is not his appearance, but his ability and sense of responsibility."

In the end, his girlfriend still cheated on him. From the beginning, Xiao An wasn't the person she liked, but only the person she wanted to marry. Her claim of admiring his talent was also a lie; she only hoped that after marrying into his family, his resources and abilities would allow her to live a good life.

From beginning to end, Xiao An's "first love" was just a carefully designed scam by an experienced woman.

At 26, Xiao An's father had a longtime friend who wanted to introduce him to a girlfriend. He first met the girl's grandfather, who was very satisfied with him. The grandfather then informed the girl's father, who returned from abroad specifically to meet him and was also very pleased. Later, when the girl herself met Xiao An, she wasn't so satisfied. After dating for six months, she confessed to him that she didn't like him at all. She had only started dating him initially because her father felt his two sons were of average ability and wanted to find an outstanding young man to groom as his successor.

Many people say that Xiao An's first girlfriend lied to him because she was a bad person, and that's not wrong. A woman with good character would never stoop to lying to Xiao An. Just like that wealthy and beautiful woman who was his equal, she told him directly: I'm only "dating" you because my family likes you.

Later, the number of people pursuing Xiao An increased year by year, and their backgrounds were very diverse, including colleagues, former classmates, and many women from dating platforms. However, most of them simply realized that being handsome couldn't put food on the table, had had their fun, and wanted to find an honest man to marry.

"This is Xiao An's story."

Professor Chen said, "I have another friend named Xiaoming..."

He then began to tell Xiaoming's story.

Xiaoming is the boyfriend of the senior student Xiaoan met in college. The senior student and Xiaoan were classmates for three years, but she never liked Xiaoan. Less than three weeks after returning to China, she got together with Xiaoming.

A week later, the senior student bought Xiaoming a small luxury car without any hesitation.

Professor Chen said with a complex mix of emotions, "For a full 20 years, from age 5 to 25, Xiao An had no suitors whatsoever. Not a single one. Unlike those who have many suitors but don't treat them like human beings, he truly didn't receive any affection from any girl for a full 20 years."

"On the contrary, in the past 25 years, the number of girls who have pursued Xiaoming could form ten football teams, including many girls who felt that sleeping with him was a great deal."

"After he turned 25, there were quite a few girls pursuing Xiao An and Xiao Ming, but most of the girls who pursued Xiao An were older and more mature. They realized that being handsome couldn't put food on the table and hoped that after marrying him, he would work hard to earn money so that they could live a good life. Among them were girls with ordinary looks and girls who were stunning beauties."

"Among those pursuing Xiaoming, some bought him luxury cars after only a week of dating, some said he wouldn't have to work after marriage, some abandoned their parents and families to elope with him, and some were willing to give him half of their assets..."

"In all areas except appearance, how many levels is Xiao An better than Xiao Ming? Yet, compared to Xiao Ming, his treatment is so poor that it's no exaggeration to say he's at rock bottom."

"In the realm of love alone, which do you think is more important: looks or talent?"

"..."

Neither Melissa nor Sakura answered.

They were just talking about talent...

Sakura didn't know what Melissa was thinking, but she... had indeed lied just now.

Professor Chen continued, "If a girl tells you that looks are more important than talent, it at least shows that she is honest enough."

"And those who tell you that talent is more important than looks, more than 90% of them will not like their not-so-good-looking boyfriends like the heartthrobs in their class or school when they were young."

"Xiao Ming's looks are enough to make women fall for him without hesitation and make them give their all for him; Xiao An's talent can only make women date him after careful consideration, in order to live a better life."

"this is the truth."

At this point, he shook his head: "Reality is just that cruel. Although many women over 30 want to marry Xiao An, their feelings for Xiao An are mixed with a lot of practical factors. They won't abandon rationality and fall madly in love like they do with Xiao Ming."

"Men are boys until they die, and women are girls until they die. If there are no other practical constraints, everyone will only like the one who looks the best. Sexual impulse is the core of true love."

“Physical defects are like original sins. The guilty are innocent… truly innocent, yet they pay an unimaginable price.”

At this moment, Fan Xiao suddenly asked, "Professor Chen, you're not married yet, right?"

"Yes."

Professor Chen laughed and said, "Well, I used to long to find a soulmate, but now... my attention is no longer entirely on romance."

"As I said, a person's life should not be so unremarkable that only the love part is worth talking about. People can make many choices and thus have a colorful and rich life."

"Of course, I'm not denying the existence of love. There's another reason why I don't get married..."

After a slight pause, he, now middle-aged, spoke with a rare hint of longing in his voice: "I know that for most normal men, the greatest wish in life is to marry a beautiful woman. I also know that many men feel that they are blessed in their past lives if they can marry a rich and beautiful woman."

"But for me, the girl I want doesn't need to be very beautiful or perfect. It doesn't matter if she's ugly."

"All I want is a girl who smiles happily whenever she sees me, and whose face is filled with happiness whenever she thinks of me."

He shook his head: "What I want is true love, but unfortunately, I haven't met it yet."

“Professor Chen, your friend Xiao An… is that you?” Melissa suddenly asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Professor Chen smiled and frankly admitted, "Judging from my experience, what that young Professor Chen you mentioned lacks... is probably a girl who truly loves him."

Chapter 606 Walkthrough

Around noon, Fan Xiao, Ying, and Melissa left Professor Chen's residence and headed towards the school.

They could say they gained a lot from this trip, or they could say they gained nothing at all—the contradiction lies in the fact that they did find a way to get past the young Professor Chen, but this method… they just couldn't do it!

Melissa sighed as she hurried along, "We've figured out Professor Chen's life story, but the answer he gave... what the young Professor Chen lacks is true love. How can we give him that?"

"If the middle-aged Professor Chen can see through lies, the young Professor Chen can most likely do the same. Even if we wanted to lie... it wouldn't work."

"True love in this city belongs only to people with good looks."

"True love... It turns out the answer was given in the background description of the dungeon from the very beginning."

Sakura's tone carried a slight sigh: "The background information mentioned that the city lord was seeking true love... I never expected that this would be the key to clearing the game."

"The answer was hidden at the beginning, which was quite unexpected."

Melissa analyzed, "Logically speaking, dungeons shouldn't give players impossible tasks."

"With Professor Chen's looks, the probability of him finding a girl who only has eyes for him is really too small. I'm not looking down on him, but the chances are indeed too small."

"Perhaps we can try to force our way through Professor Chen's second floor?"

“Young Professor Chen is not someone a B-level player can handle,” Sakura said bluntly. “I’ve said this before. If Your Highness doesn’t believe me, you can try it yourself. However… whether you can survive after offending him is another matter entirely.”

This statement can be considered a warning.

She cannot reveal that she can simulate the future.

Therefore, she could only use rather offensive language to warn the other party.

"So how did you manage to gather this intelligence safely?" Melissa asked. "You can't just guess at something like this, can you?"

“This is a personal secret, and I cannot disclose it,” Sakura said. “Your Highness only needs to know that this information is accurate.”

"Is it……"

Although Melissa was curious, she wisely refrained from pressing for answers.

She came up with other ideas: "How about we... try to get Professor Chen, who is middle-aged, involved in a large-scale live-streamed matchmaking program, and let the whole city participate?"

"If we expand the sample size to all residents of the city, there's a high probability that someone who can click with Professor Chen... probably does exist, right?"

"After all, this city has at least several million residents, surely not a single one of them likes Professor Chen?"

“I admit that his theory is very universal, but it cannot explain some specific cases. We just need to find these specific cases for him.”

Upon hearing this, Sakura looked thoughtful, as if assessing the feasibility of the suggestion.

Melissa looked past Sakura and at Fan Xiao, seeking his opinion with her eyes.

Fan Xiao responded to her with a question: "How well-known do you think Professor Chen is in this city?"