Since Su Qi had walked in, he'd heard the word "club" three times, now reiterated by Xu Linqiu, an official insider, raising his suspicions.
At that moment, Liu Yishou winked at Su Qi.
"Are your eyes dry?"
"..." Liu Yishou silently took out his phone.
"What's the matter?" Su Qi's phone vibrated slightly, and he checked it.
"Your situation is a minority; other players are normal and oblivious to the weird happenings, including our Investigation Bureau, so we're not intervening officially, but in the form of a club to make offline contact."
So that's how it is.
Because he'd encountered something weird, Su Qi was contacted by the Investigation Bureau ahead of time, disclosing a small fraction of the information.
The others must have their exceptional traits to be considered by the Investigation Bureau.
At this time.
The self-introductions began.
Of course, listing everyone's introduction in a group of over ten people would end this chapter.
Let's just mention a few notable ones.
A shy-looking young man sitting across from Su Qi, a broadcaster on a gaming platform, rubbed his head sheepishly after being recognized: "I'm no gaming god, just enjoy constantly challenging myself. My game ID and platform name are the same, both known as 'Old Tomato.'"
Sitting to the right of Su Qi was a youth wearing glasses, his eyes deep with calm and wisdom shimmering, speaking succinctly: "I hold the speedrun record for escape rooms. My gaming name is 'Jun Mowen.'"
On the left, a young man in a duckbill cap adjusted the brim, revealing a smirk: "Interesting, it seems we're all experts or top contenders in our fields. My name is 'Night Watch'...."
Before he could finish, someone nearby spoke up with a hint of confusion:
"Wait, you seem familiar. Are you the adventure god known as 'Night Watch,' who explores abandoned houses and cemeteries at night hunting for the supernatural?"
The young man in the duckbill cap smiled and nodded: "I don't have many strengths, but I've got guts."
Finally, it was just the girl in the dress and Su Qi left.
Due to extreme tiredness, she just yawned and said: "My name is 'Milk Tea with 70% Sugar.' I don't excel in any field; sorry, pulled an all-nighter playing games."
The others didn't seem to recognize her.
However, Xu Linqiu was looking at something in the files, his gaze flickering slightly.
Su Qi felt there was something off about the fengshui where he sat. Despite the seating being random, he was the last to introduce.
But when it was his turn, he had to say something. Everyone else was a master in their respective fields.
"Gaming nickname: 'Su Buxian.'"
Su Qi started: "I'm good at playing instruments and singing. My achievements aren't too few or too many; just last half-year, I won the local shuttlecock competition and during my stint as a community service volunteer, successfully solved a neighborhood adultery case—Uncle Wang cheated on Uncle Li. Then two months ago..."
People paused, his resume was extensive but seemed disconnected.
Liu Yishou, who knew the scoop on Su Qi, couldn't help but widen his eyes. What the hell are you talking about?
And that sounded indeed like reality.
You've been slacking up till now, huh!
"This concludes my self-introduction," Su Qi said modestly, "Thank you, everyone."
"Uh...."
Old Tomato scratched his face, looking around at the silent crowd, and offered a sympathetic chuckle: "Brother Su's resume... seems quite extensive indeed."
"Forcing praise only makes things weirder, my friend," Night Watch laughed. "But, you're not wrong; Brother Su, true to his name, really can't sit still."
"No trouble at all," Su Qi responded with a light-hearted smile.
No trouble my ass.
Liu Yishou sighed. He almost couldn't resist pulling out a cigarette from his pocket. This guy had just taken down a murderer a few days ago, far more ruthless than these so-called masters of various domains.
Xu Linqiu didn't respond, although he wanted to make a comment while Su Qi was speaking, he wasn't here today to represent the official stance; he was merely the president of a gaming club. He gently tapped on the table.
"Everyone has introduced themselves. Those capable of being here today all have their strengths. Thank you for accepting the invitation to join my club and I hope, in the game 'Abyssal Paradise,' you can find what you're looking for."
After saying those meaningful words, Xu Linqiu paused, "As president and also an internal tester in the game, if any of you have questions, I'll provide answers as best I can and each official club member will receive a piece of equipment issued by the club."
"Equipment? What Quality?"
Some faces showed visible emotion.
"Ordinary Quality, with a specific attribute or ability that should be of great help to you right now."
"Ordinary Quality?!"
Most people showed an excited, surprised expression, clearly understanding the potential of this game and just how valuable the equipment was.
Su Qi was stunned.
Why was everyone so excited? Was he the only one who didn't know the value of the equipment?
It made sense... He seldom read forums, nor had he actively searched for any game strategies.
His main approach was to skip, to play first and ask questions later.
Nothing much of importance followed.
Everyone ordered food and enjoyed a joyful, offline meet-and-eat.
The masters earlier had naturally attracted others to initiate conversations with them. The renowned and the unknowns were treated differently, as was the case everywhere.
At this moment, Su Qi was quite comfortable eating, while he took out his phone and logged into the official forum.
Although the open beta had just started yesterday,
The forum was already bursting with discussions. Many who played felt the game was extraordinary, unmatched in immersion and realism by any other game in the market, continuously sharing their experiences.
Of course, there were also those showing off their scores, with new players rarely scoring above 80 even on ordinary difficulty.
And many posts read, "Buying equipment and skills at high prices, PM to discuss."
Su Qi scrolled through.
Many savvy big-time players or wealthy gamers had seen the potential in this game, constantly buying up various items—equipment, skills, even Game Coins—at high prices, as the game had yet to implement a recharge and trading system, forcing many cash players to spend real money.
An Ordinary Quality piece of equipment could sell for tens of thousands of yuan.
This made Su Qi think of his Evil God's Eye and Ancient God's Heart; both items were extraordinary and beyond valuation, especially since the former should not be discussed with outsiders.
"And the means of transaction currently is through duo queue, to exchange items within game instances, right?"
Su Qi seemed to smell hints of underhand dealings.
But that wasn't any of his concern.
At the same time, Su Qi realized why these people were so ecstatic—an Ordinary Quality piece of equipment, worth tens of thousands of yuan, just for becoming an official club member. It was a complete steal for them.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Liu Yishou.
?
Why the ambiguity? Why a message when he's so close?
Liu Yishou: "You've seen it, most here are on the assessment list, gathered together...to meet each other, and besides you, there are others who've experienced strange occurrences."
"Don't you want to know who the other person who encountered something strange is?"
Su Qi looked at the messages popping up on his phone and replied, "Although you're beating around the bush, I've known it since I walked in the door."
Liu Yishou was slightly taken aback.
Su Qi had already turned his gaze to the girl who had fallen asleep at the table next to him: "Those who don't know your identities wouldn't acknowledge when I mention the word 'police officers.'"