Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Heading to the Big City, A New Chapter Begins!

“So strange!”

The mont Ye Qiu stepped out of his ,aster’s shop, his entire state of mind shifted.

The earlier heat and restlessness vanished completely.

“I consider myself morally upright, like Liu Xiahui who remained composed with a woman in his lap. So why was I just now constantly sneaking glances at master’s wife?

“And more than that… why was I thinking those kinds of thoughts?

“That’s not who I am!”

Ye Qiu believed himself to be a gentleman, soone who looked down on indulgence in beauty. Yet just now, he’d felt an inexplicable urge to get close to master’s wife… and had even entertained impure thoughts!

“No, no! I’ve got to stop thinking like that!”

Ye Qiu cald his mind and took one last deep glance at the pharmacy behind him.

He had the strong feeling that this Novice Village still held many secrets and hidden quests yet to be uncovered.

But now, it was ti to head to Zhouxing City.

At the teleportation array, Ye Qiu paid 1,000 gold coins and stood on the formation alongside another player.

Swoosh!

A flash of light enveloped them, and in the next instant, their surroundings changed completely. They had left the Novice Village.

“That fast?!” the female player beside Ye Qiu exclaid in surprise, looking around with wide eyes, amazed by everything she saw.

And when she turned around to see the massive, towering city walls behind them, her eyes practically popped out of her head.

“This ga is incredible! I thought the Novice Village was realistic, but the big city is even more stunning!”

She was a level 10 player. Female, with an average appearance: chubby cheeks, a round face with freckles near her nose.

Her class was actually Warrior, and she carried a massive battle axe on her back. Given her gender and build, she was a rare sight among warrior players.

Ye Qiu, on the other hand, remained calm. But in his eyes, there was a flicker of long-lost emotion.

“Zhouxing City… we et again.” he murmured in his heart.

At that mont, a city guard approached with several soldiers in tow.

Heavenly Eye!

Information about the guard and soldiers appeared:

[Na: Wang Dayong]

[Role: City Guard]

[Level: 51]

[Na: Li Jieyue]

[Role: City Soldier]

[Level: 34]

Other soldiers were around level 30.

“Welco, you two. You should already know the rules, right?” Wang Dayong said with a smiling face that looked warm and approachable.

But Ye Qiu knew better. This guy was a classic smiling tiger.

So long as you obeyed the rules, even if you were level 0, he’d treat you like an old friend.

But if you broke the rules and weren’t stronger than him, he’d kill you without hesitation.

In his past life, many players were slaughtered here by this very man’s order for not following the rules.

One ti, an entire group of players clashed with the city guards.

All the players were wiped out, three guards died, and Wang Dayong was only lightly wounded. The attacking players were all marked as red nas by the system, unable to enter the city until they cleansed their status.

Most players couldn’t adapt to the world of Trial City at the beginning.

It wasn’t until the ga rged with reality and the resurrection altars stopped working that people started taking the ga seriously.

“What rules?” the round-faced girl asked, completely lost.

Ye Qiu reminded her, “Check the forum.”

She imdiately pulled it up and found several pinned threads about Zhouxing City.

One in particular detailed that players who arrive in the city must pay 100,000 gold coins to obtain an identity token, which grants them a legal status inside the city.

Without it, they’d have to unequip all gear and stay far away.

“Ah?!” After reading, the girl’s eyes widened in shock. “I worked so hard just to save up 1,000 coins! And now I need 100,000?! Might as well just kill !”

Wang Dayong’s expression changed at her words, his smile fading into a stern frown. “What do you an by that?”

The girl quickly grabbed his arm and began shaking it.

“Co on, NPC uncle! I’m broke, okay? Can’t you cut a break? I’ll pay you back as soon as I earn it!” She even twisted her chubby body seductively.

Wang Dayong imdiately looked disgusted.

With a cold face, he said, “Either pay, or take off your gear and be exiled from Zhouxing City!”

The girl asked, “Is there no other way?”

Wang Dayong pointed not far off, where several players were laboring.

“See them? The n who can’t pay work as laborers, hauling bricks and rebuilding city walls. That’s how they earn money.

“As for the won… they either haul bricks like the n, or… well, you will be hauling bricks.”

He glanced her up and down, then added that final sentence with a look that pierced straight through the heart.

But the round-faced girl held her head high.

“Don’t look down on ! I put all my stat points into stamina. I’m stronger than most male players!”

In real life, she may not match up to n. But in the ga, she had no reason to be inferior.

“You better be,” Wang Dayong replied dryly, then had the soldiers lead her off to work.

Then he turned to Ye Qiu. “And you?”

But before he could finish his sentence, his expression brightened again.

Ye Qiu had already handed over 100,000 gold coins in a trade.

From killing the Split Demon, he’d received a system reward of 100,000 coins.

“Young man, welco to Zhouxing City!”

Wang Dayong grinned and threw an arm over Ye Qiu’s shoulder, suddenly treating him like a VIP.

He handed over a wooden identity tag.

[Identity Tag (Common)]

[Na: Ye Qiu]

[Status: Civilian]

[Authority: None]

[Permissions: One free entry/exit from Zhouxing City per day.]

Just then, more players arrived via teleportation. Wang Dayong was about to welco them, but…

“Just a common wooden tag?” Ye Qiu suddenly spoke up, stopping him.

Wang Dayong paused, smile still on his face, and looked back.

“Young man, everyone who first joins Zhouxing City gets a common tag. If you want a higher-level tag, you’ll need to make contributions. Once you earn enough, we’ll upgrade your tag.”

Ye Qiu didn’t respond. He raised the tag in his hand and…

Crack!

With a firm squeeze, the wooden tag shattered into splinters in his palm!

“What’s the aning of this, kid?” Wang Dayong’s smile vanished.

His eyes turned cold and murderous as he placed a hand on the hilt of his blade.

The nearby soldiers also shifted aggressively, eyes sharp and ready to strike at any mont.