Dinner time.
Several people sat around the dining table, chatting casually as they ate.
"Second Brother, what brings you here this time?" His sister asked, picking up some vegetables and placing them into Father Eric's bowl.
Father Eric responded, "There was a virus leak in AH City. Coincidentally, Ric bought a house nearby and decided to move in temporarily."
Upon hearing this, both husband and wife looked surprised.
Not because of the virus leak—that had already been making the rounds in the news—but because Fenric actually bought a house?
"I've heard about the virus," Uncle Hao said, still a little stunned. "But Ric… you bought a house? Aren't you still in school?"
Fenric replied calmly, "Yeah. I got a pretty valuable item in the Samsara space. Sold it for a good amount."
Uncle Hao raised an eyebrow. "You can earn that much money from Samsara Space?"
"You don't get it, Dad!" Hally chimed in before Fenric could respond. "Lots of people strike it rich in the Samsara space!"
She turned eagerly to Fenric, eyes sparkling. "Brother, how did you make your money? Which instance was it? Can you share the secret?"
Fenric shook his head. "The instance I went into was too dangerous—not suitable for you."
"Dangerous?" Hally echoed. "Don't tell me it was something like Young and Dangerous or Infernal Affairs. If it's that kind of copy, I'm definitely staying away."
Fenric chuckled and steered the conversation. "You've been running instances too?"
"Yeah!"
"Which ones have you done?"
"Not that many. I've tried Charlotte's Troubles, You Are the Apple of My Eye, The Equation of Lumi, and Secret That Cannot Be Told. Nothing too risky."
Fenric nodded. "Good. Those are safer for someone like you."
He thought to himself: A little girl running a Young and Dangerous instance? That'd be madness.
(Note: The theme of Young and Dangerous is a gang fight.)
"By the way, Brother," Hally continued cheerfully, "I'm planning to do Hello Mr. Billionaire tonight. Got any tips? Pretty please~?"
She sweetened her voice so much that Fenric couldn't bear to turn her down.
"Hello Mr. Billionaire, huh?" Fenric mused. "That one's task is to help the protagonist spend over a billion yuan, right?"
"Yep!!"
"It's easy. As soon as you get in, find Wang Duoyu and convince him to start a fat insurance plan—basically, insuring people's body fat. For every pound of weight someone loses, the policy pays out 1,000 yuan. Burn enough fat, and the billion is gone in no time."
(Note: Wang Duoyu is the protagonist of [Hello Mr. Billionaire] and he must spend 1 billion yuan($150M) in 30 days, without telling anyone why, and without retaining any assets of value. If he succeeds, he will inherit 30 billion yuan. If he fails, he gets nothing.)
He remembered clearly: the mission only lasted ten days. Wang Duoyu had only come up with the fat insurance plan near the end, so most Samsaras wouldn't know about it yet.
Hally blinked in surprise, then her eyes lit up as she processed the strategy.
"Brother, you're amazing!" she said, her face full of admiration. "How'd you even come up with that?"
"Because I've already cleared that instance," Fenric replied with a smile.
Of course, he didn't mention that this strategy had originally come from Wang Duoyu himself.
He added a warning: "Keep this strategy to yourself. Don't go sharing it online."
"Got it!" Hally nodded seriously. She knew how valuable instance guides were on the internet.
"Thanks for the advice!"
"No problem."
It was just a low-risk instance in the safe zone. Sharing a tip like that wasn't a big deal—especially since it was his sister asking.
"Brother, what about the [Detective Chinatown] instance? Do you know how to get a good evaluation in that one? I heard the rewards are great—"
Before she could finish, her mother cut her off. "You little chatterbox! Can't you let your brother eat in peace?"
Scolded, Hally stuck out her tongue and smiled sheepishly. "Okay, okay. Brother, finish eating first. Come to my room afterward!"
After dinner.
True to her word, Hally immediately dragged Fenric aside.
"Brother, do you have a strategy for Detective Chinatown?"
Fenric shook his head. "That one's too dangerous for you. Focus on getting a good evaluation on Hello Mr. Billionaire first."
Hally nodded obediently. "Oh, right! Brother, what's your number in the Samsara space? Let's add each other when we go in tonight! I'll treat you to a cup of Tranquility Tea—they've got the best flavor, and the effects are amazing!"
Fenric paused.
His Samsara number was Shura's.
If she saw that… wouldn't she be terrified?
"I'll add you after you manage to earn an S-rank evaluation," he said tactfully.
"S-rank?!" Hally gasped. "Brother, isn't that asking a bit much? Do you think I'm Shura's sister or something?!"
Fenric: "…"
"Never mind. Anyway, my birthday's coming up soon. You have to come, okay?"
"Of course," Fenric agreed. How could he say no to his sister's birthday?
"Yay!" Hally cheered. "When my classmates see you, they're going to be so shocked. They'll all try to butter me up!"
She added with a grin, "I bet they'll even fight over who gets to call you brother-in-law!"
Fenric: "…I may have agreed too quickly."
—---
It was already past 8 PM when Fenric left his aunt's house.
After taking a cab home, he went straight to his room and pulled out his phone.
Online, the virus leak remained the hottest topic.
Its impact had been massive.
While the domestic spread of the Blacklight Virus had been contained, several regions abroad were in chaos.
Many netizens feared that if the situation got worse, the infected—essentially zombies—could threaten their own communities.
Some had already begun rushing into the Samsara Tower to run instances and grow stronger, hoping to be prepared in case the crisis reached them.
Due to the outbreak, prices of supplies were spiking sharply.
If not for strict government controls, things might've spiraled out of control already.
The second trending topic online was about the supernatural evaluation and bonus rewards Shura had received in last night's Three Kingdoms instance.
130,000 Samsara Points.
The sheer amount left countless players both jealous and envious.
Fenric didn't linger on the headlines.
Instead, he opened the Samsara Forum and navigated to the strategy section—specifically looking for guides on the 10th floor of the Samsara Tower.
Tonight, he planned to face—
"Final Destination."
It was time to challenge death itself.