Chapter 1, The Disappearing Character

I once promised my parents that I would make something of myself, but what have I achieved in the past five years

Zhou Zheng, full of energy as if invigorated, controlled a level 200 rogue character, wielding the top-tier artifact, Black Light. Standing atop the highest rock on Titan Mountain, dressed in flowing black attire, he looked down upon the masses. After claiming the title of the world's number one, he slowly recited the poem "The Swordsman" by the Tang Dynasty poet Jia Dao in a pretentious tone.

After confirming this fact repeatedly, Zhou Zheng collapsed into his chair, unable to contain himself. If one were to describe Zhou Zheng's feelings at this moment, it could aptly be expressed as "there is no greater sorrow than the death of the heart." The role he had worked so hard for over five years, at the peak of his success, had suddenly turned into this after the power outage.

At this moment, nothing is more fitting than this poem to describe the current situation.

Over the past five years, Zhou Zheng has logged into this screen countless times, naturally becoming extremely familiar with it. The mouse almost instinctively moves to the option to enter the game within 0.1 seconds, and with a slight tremor of his finger, he is ready to press down firmly.

It was only when the protagonist's gaze swept over the character that both eyes suddenly bulged out, almost unable to believe what they were seeing

Zhou Zheng abruptly sat up straight, exited the game, and logged in again... After repeating this process more than a dozen times, the account was indeed correct, but the character had truly disappeared.

Five years of endurance was all for this moment... Yet now, such a situation has arisen, how can Zhou Zheng not complain?

Is there a power outage

After successfully rebooting the computer, Zhou Zheng immediately launched the game icon for "Sky Continent." In the game login screen, he clasped his hands together and said: "Amitabha, all the gods in the sky, bless me with all the divine artifacts, so that I can withstand their blades and swords."

Zhou Zheng was almost driven to smash the mouse in his hand, precisely at the peak of his life, yet such a situation arose. The applause like water at the summit of Huashan had not yet been dedicated to him; the screams of female players and the jealousy of male players were all set to enjoy, but suddenly the screen went black. Anyone in his position would be spitting blood in frustration.

Damn the power company

One can imagine that, in their shock, there followed a tide of invitations

Upon receiving this message, Zhou Zhengmeng was taken aback, sitting in his chair in a daze

Several hours later, Zhou Zheng rushed into the cabinet like a madman, took out a bottle of Erguotou left behind by his father, and while crying, continuously poured the fiery liquor into his mouth. Having never drunk alcohol before, he only wanted to use the alcohol to numb himself, allowing himself to sink into oblivion.

Just as Zhou Zheng was singing the song "The Proud Smile," the computer screen suddenly went black, displaying a no signal message

After some time of deliberation, Zhou Zheng could not identify any issues and could only attribute it to the instability of the voltage, which caused a weak electrical phenomenon that led to the computer restarting

In the world of martial arts competitions, Zhou Zheng, a level 200 thief character, defeated all competitors and stood out as the sole champion

The above conveys the meaning of this poem. Zhou Zhengze implies that anyone who is unconvinced can certainly try the top-tier artifact, the Black Light Gundam, with an attack power of 12,500 points, to experience what it feels like. Zhou Zheng does not mind letting them know what it means to achieve a one-hit kill and the might of an artifact

After the file is loaded, it quickly transitions to the account login screen

It felt like a century, yet also like the blink of an eye, and the world of Zhou Zheng turned dark.

Recalling that scene, Zhou Zheng could not help but sing aloud: "My triumphant smile, oh my triumphant smile..."

I only see the no signal character on the screen, it should not be a power outage

Since the death of his parents, Zhou Zheng has been using games to numb himself, trying to wash away the pain of losing his loved ones

Zhou Zheng held his head, his eyes vacant, staring intently at the screen

However

However, now Zhou Zheng realizes that not only have his relatives disappeared, but also the games he has relied on for the past five years have vanished as well. His heart feels so empty, as if the past five years at m.hetushu.com have been nothing but a dream, and he has never felt such profound loss before

Although the thief character has a defense of up to 20,000 and a health of 80,000, it still takes at least 1 minute from the power outage to log into the game. One minute is enough for many people to accomplish a lot. Those who can reach the peak of Titan to participate in the competition for the number one in the world are all top experts among experts

What is going on?

Now Zhou Zheng truly understands what it means to be struck by five thunders, feeling utterly despondent. This is simply not giving anyone a way out. What does it mean to have never established any character? Does it mean that in his five years in the game, they have no records at all?

The screen transitions to the character selection.

After a moment of daze, Zhou Zheng began to seek out the customer service of the operator, as the current situation must be explained by the operator.

The highest level of each profession, which is merely 156, becomes insignificant in the face of level 200, rendering everything as mere illusions

People experience joy and sorrow, reunion and parting; good fortune does not come in pairs, and misfortune does not come alone. This statement is invariably true

Ah ... ...

Looking down at the various heroes below, all of whom were dumbfounded, Zhou Zheng felt as if every pore in his body was being gently stroked, a sensation that was utterly refreshing. He put down his hand that was gripping the mouse, rubbed his hands together, and grinned widely: "Let you bunch of hetushu.com grandsons talk about dominating the world; now you’re all dumbfounded, aren’t you?"

The first reaction is just like this

Since entering the game "Sky Continent," Zhou Zheng has remained inconspicuous, diligently training his character's level. While others in the outside world vie for fame and fortune, he has been battling monsters in the deep mountains and forests. Although he did not spend ten years honing a sword as the poem suggests, it still took him five years to be the first to reach the maximum level.

A bottle of Erguotou, Zhou Zheng merely took a moment and downed it all in one go.

Upon verification, your account has not created any characters in "Sky Continent". Thank you for your call, and we wish you an enjoyable gaming experience. Goodbye

It has taken ten years of effort to hone this treasured sword, yet the blade, sharp as frost and snow, has not yet been tested. Today, I present it before you; please tell me who has encountered an injustice

A mournful howl echoed in the bedroom, its decibel level so high that it could overshadow even the world's top tenors.

Under the influence of alcohol, Zhou Zheng felt as if he was continuously spinning, as if he had entered a black hole

With a blink of the eye, the scene revealed only a solitary ancient pavilion, devoid of any trace of human presence.

Now that the merits have been fully realized, it coincides with the grand martial arts event in the game. Zhou Zheng has remained silent for five years. If he does not bring out his max-level thief character from https://m.hetushu.com and showcase his full set of divine artifacts, would it not echo the saying: "Wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown is like wearing brocade at night"? What has he worked hard for over these five years, if not to one day make a name for himself in the world?

After ten years of honing a sword, its frost blade has yet to be tested. Today, I present it to you; who among you has grievances to address

"Impossible, this is impossible, this is absolutely an illusion." Zhou Zheng would never believe that it was merely a weak electrical computer reboot; his character in "Sky Continent," a level 200 rogue, had vanished without a trace. ... What ...? ... What kind of international joke is this?

When Zhou Zheng first entered the game, his thoughts were much like they are today. It is not that Zhou Zheng is merely enduring; rather, he possesses a heart full of ambition. What he enjoys most is the exhilarating feeling of making a stunning impact, one that can terrify others without consequence. ... Thinking of the heroes of the world, none are untouched by the fear instilled by Zhou Zheng alone; this feeling, ah...

The burning sensation in the throat was accompanied by a tumultuous churn in the stomach, followed by relentless vomiting, expelling every last bit of instant noodles from his stomach, leaving no bile untouched. Zhou Zheng collapsed onto the floor, his two bloodshot eyes fixed steadily on the ceiling

You must hold on firmly!

Quickly and skillfully entering his account, Zhou Zheng pressed the Enter key with a "bang".

No, it must be that the wrong account was logged in