Chapter 51: The Young Girl is About to Overheat

After leaving the office, Cao Yu felt a wave of emotion stir within him... He never expected to encounter workplace bullying right after reporting for duty. It seemed injustice permeated every corner of society.

Fortunately, Captain Ding Ge of the East District Office was a humble and courteous man who readily accepted all his suggestions.

Since this would be his future workplace, Cao Yu hoped for a harmonious environment where everyone could treat each other kindly.

Yes, he found himself somewhat looking forward to the atmosphere once officially employed... Gathering his thoughts, Cao Yu glanced at Xiao Qi perched on his shoulder.

After the recent battle, Xiao Qi had grown a bit restless, propping up her snow-white cheeks and trying to blow bubbles with her mouth.

This real combat had proven the fighting prowess of the “Decree Immortal Avatar” technique—very impressive!

It was no surprise that a life cultivated through an Immortal-grade technique possessed such strength. The invisibility characteristic below B-rank, combined with the “Immortal Severing Curse” and “Eternal Wound Curse,” created a synergy greater than the sum of its parts.

At the same time, this served as a reminder for Cao Yu—the “Decree Immortal Secret Record” was a specialized functional technique, largely neglecting offense and defense. If he switched to those combat-oriented Immortal-grade techniques... he had to admit, the immortal players in the Federation were somewhat provincial.

This was probably the distinction between the grand sect’s true heirs and the prodigies of minor sects.

Of course, it wasn’t without flaws.

“My evolution level is still too low; my reaction speed can’t keep up. Xiao Qi’s reaction speed matches mine, so when those six giant wolves charged at me earlier, she couldn’t finish them off quickly and I had to intervene...”

“Also, the danger perception of D-rank players seems quite sharp. Though invisible, they sense danger. If it were any more acute, I might not have had the chance to get close.”

Cao Yu swiftly assessed the strengths and weaknesses of his attack style.

At that moment, Zhou Fan, standing nearby, spoke up:

“Brother Cao, looks like we’re firmly tied to the Zhao siblings’ faction now. Today, Zhao Ling stepped in to resolve the issue for us. Next, we’ll have to help her deal with her troubles.”

A hint of concern laced his tone.

“Don’t worry. Zhao Ling seems reliable to me. She probably won’t assign us any overly dangerous tasks.”

Cao Yu patted Zhou Fan’s shoulder reassuringly and continued:

“But about that dungeon invasion incident she mentioned earlier... I’ve heard that some invasions aren’t just monsters escaping from dungeons. Parts of the real world are being eroded and consumed by dungeons, with rules directly mutating.

“To tackle such crises, killing monsters alone won’t do. We might have to venture deep into the corrupted zones, interact with the dungeons, and clear them as players.”

Zhou Fan caught the eager tone in Cao Yu’s voice and asked,

“Brother Cao... are you thinking about entering a dungeon?”

Cao Yu did not deny it.

Indeed, he wanted to enter one again—after one more dungeon run, he would meet the condition of “three E-rank dungeons” and unlock further evolution level upgrades.

He was keen to test whether raising his evolution level to 11%, thus entering the D-rank bracket, would trigger a system level-up.

And whether his superpower could counter the new killing curse.

However, Cao Yu added,

“It’s not certain there’ll be an opportunity to ‘slack off at work’ by entering a dungeon. Let’s wait for Director Zhao’s notification. When the time comes, you’ll come with me.”

“Got it!” Zhou Fan responded excitedly.

Most players feared dungeons.

But if a strong leader took charge, the situation changed entirely.

Though Zhou Fan found it a bit odd to think of “solving dungeon invasion crises” as “slacking off at work,” such thoughts were better left unspoken.

Cao Yu smiled. Although he appeared casual in making friends, he actually held strict standards.

For instance, in the office earlier, only those who truly trusted him and were willing to watch his back would respond to a subtle glance from him and confront his direct superior.

Zhou Fan undoubtedly trusted him.

“I’ll ask my second sister-in-law about renting a place for you.”

Cao Yu took out his phone and contacted his second sister-in-law.

Low-income families in the Charm Mountain area generally rented out any vacant properties and often supplemented their income by driving for ride-sharing services. As a middle-class individual owning a four-story building in the city, his second sister-in-law knew many peers who rented out spare rooms. She was the perfect contact for housing.

After sending his requirements, Cao Yu quickly received a reply and forwarded Zhou Fan’s chat ID.

At that moment, An Li suddenly sent a message:

“I’m at your place. Come back quickly.”

Cao Yu: “?”

How did she get to his home so fast?

Surprised, he recalled how long it had been since the last dungeon run and suddenly realized he had stood An Li up for days.

They had agreed he’d visit her after the dungeon, but he had gotten caught up in training and forgotten.

Moreover, he hadn’t slept for nearly four days.

“Immortal players are terrifying! I still don’t feel sleepy... truly, cultivation means never needing rest.”

Cao Yu wasn’t surprised An Li knew his address—it was information he had willingly provided.

No need to hide such things.

His details were public—name, graduate of the Fourth Academy... With just that, An Li could easily dig up his personal information.

“Let’s go,” Cao Yu said, leading Zhou Fan away from the office.

...

At two in the afternoon.

Zhou Fan had contacted a landlord and was busy arranging the rental.

Cao Yu returned home and found An Li seated elegantly on the sofa in the second-floor living room.

Her posture was impeccable, clearly a product of etiquette training.

Yang Jian and the second sister-in-law were occupied with gym affairs, so Yang Chan was hosting An Li.

The coffee table held sliced fruit and tea. The two young women sat apart in silence.

Although a variety show played quietly on the television, the living room felt enveloped in a heavy silence.

Cao Yu felt a bit oppressed as he entered.

“What time did you arrive?” he asked An Li.

“Twenty minutes ago,” she replied. “I’ve prepared the money. The balance will be transferred after the transaction.”

“?” Yang Chan perked up.

Money? Balance? What did that mean? Sponsorship...!?

“By the way...”

Seeing that Cao Yu made no effort to have Yang Chan leave, An Li guessed this girl was someone he trusted.

Without hesitation, she said:

“Those two items of yours are valued at about 1,500 each—that’s black market pricing. If you go through official channels, you can get a better price.”

“Skip the official channels,” Cao Yu said, stepping forward and handing over the “Earth Spring Stone Sword” and “Radiant Shield.”

These two items obtained by killing Liu’s family no longer felt like hot potatoes to him.

After all, he had powerful backing now.

His own strength had solidified.

Still, not fearing trouble didn’t mean deliberately inviting it.

Moreover, these items were practically useless to him, and he couldn’t give them to others... better to sell them on the black market.

“I won’t take a cut from you,” An Li said as she stored the items in her reserve space.

She then rolled up her sleeve, revealing a pale arm with her player ID displayed.

Cao Yu revealed his player ID as well, aligning their arms side by side with about ten centimeters between them.

Three seconds later, Cao Yu received a notification that evolution points had been credited.

He summoned his player panel for a quick glance:

[Nickname: What’s the Difference Between Me and That Scoundrel Cao]

[ID: C09009233333]

[Item: Spirit Guard Wand (D)]

[Rank: E]

[Superpower: Seven Kill Empress (ID ???)]

[Super Evolution Level: 10%]

[Immortal Evolution Level: 10%]

[Evolution Points: 13,050]

Now he was truly prosperous!

Closing the panel, Cao Yu looked at An Li with a newfound gleam, almost filled with desire... She was like a god of wealth!

Yang Chan noticed the subtle change and tensed but said nothing.

An Li glanced at the eavesdropping Yang Chan, then withdrew her gaze and said:

“I won’t be able to enter dungeons with you anymore.”

Yang Chan: “?”

She was shocked to learn they had dungeon runs together behind her back!

She felt herself turning red with embarrassment.

Cao Yu replied, “So you’ve been running dungeons these few days?”

“You messaged me, but I didn’t reply, so I went on alone,” An Li said. “My evolution level has reached 11%. Next, I need to match a D-rank dungeon to ascend to D-rank player.”