After adding each other as friends, Cold Moon took her leave, and Wu Shaochen quickly finished his meal and left as well, fearing who else might show up if he stayed any longer.

After leaving the tavern, Wu Shaochen wandered aimlessly around the city for a while before deciding to log off and have dinner. It was already past eight in the evening, and although he had eaten a lot in the game, he hadn't had dinner in real life yet.

Removing his helmet, Wu Shaochen went to the living room and took out the takeout he had left from lunch. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but even though he had lunch at around noon, it was now past eight, and he should have been very hungry, yet he didn't feel that way.

"Must be because I've been lying down without any exercise," Wu Shaochen muttered, shaking his head.

He took a couple of bites of the takeout and found it really unappetizing. He hadn't noticed it before, but after having a meal in the game, he suddenly found real-world food incredibly tasteless. After just a few bites, he tossed it aside, feeling a bit of a headache. How could one meal in the game spoil his taste buds like this? How was he supposed to eat in the future?

After dealing with the takeout, he intended to sleep, but it was too early, and he couldn't fall asleep. He browsed the forum for a while, and the top posts were all about his PK with Proud Heroes. He casually opened a few, and one titled "Chen Feng's Strength Analysis" caught his attention. It was an analysis of some of his attributes. He had to admit, there were countless talents in Oracle. He had only shown his skills twice in public, yet the other party could accurately analyze his attributes—health, attack, defense, and speed—with little discrepancy. Fortunately, his biggest trump card hadn't been exposed, and he hadn't used many skills; otherwise, he'd have no privacy left.

"Scary... I should try to avoid making moves in public from now on," Wu Shaochen thought to himself.

After browsing the forum for a while, Wu Shaochen logged back in. Since he couldn't sleep, he might as well go out of the city and grind for a few hours. Hopefully, he could hold out until midnight to tackle the Silver War God Secret Realm, which would significantly boost his strength.

Once online, Wu Shaochen carefully studied the map and finally decided to head towards the East Gate. Beyond the East Gate lay a rocky forest with monsters ranging from levels 18 to 23, perfect for him to grind. He dared not venture into Tiger's Roar Forest, estimating that the tiger there was likely a level 30 BOSS. He planned to seek revenge after reaching level 20 and boosting his strength further.

Along the way, he saw players grinding everywhere, mostly in small groups. Solo players like Wu Shaochen were rare. Although players could handle monsters of the same level without much pressure, having multiple classes working together significantly increased efficiency.

Wu Shaochen leisurely made his way to the rocky forest, watching other players grind and browsing the chat channel to see what everyone was talking about. Suddenly, a message caught his attention.

"A Silver BOSS discovered deep in the Bamboo Grove, coordinates xxx.xxx."

"Really? Instead of secretly taking it down, they announced it?" Wu Shaochen thought to himself. Despite his skepticism, curiosity got the better of him, and he headed in that direction. After all, it wasn't too far away, so there was no harm in checking it out.

Outside the Bamboo Grove, a group of people emerged from the forest, cursing and looking furious.

"Damn it, those Proud Heroes bastards can't change their ways. They only know how to run when facing Chen Feng, but they're all high and mighty when bullying solo players."

"Exactly, we finally found a BOSS, and they just snatched it away. I can't swallow this anger."

"I've already posted the location. If we can't have it, they shouldn't have it easy either. Jinling City isn't ruled by Proud Heroes."

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Deep in the Bamboo Grove, two to three hundred people were tensely attacking a giant python. Their attacks mostly couldn't penetrate its defense, and the few that did barely scratched it. Meanwhile, the python's tail sweep could take out a group of them.

"It's not working, boss. The Silver BOSS is too strong, the gap in strength is too wide. Even if we manage to kill this python, our losses will be huge," Ao Shi Fangyu reported to Ao Shi Tianxia.

"Hmph, let the losses be. We must take down this BOSS no matter what. If Chen Feng can kill a Silver BOSS alone, why can't our guild with so many people? Once we take down this giant python, we'll have Silver Gear too, and we won't need to fear him," Ao Shi Tianxia declared.

"Alright, I'll call in more people. This number won't do," Ao Shi Fangyu replied.

"Boss, there's a problem. Those people who just ran off have posted the BOSS location in the Area Channel, and now many are heading here," Ao Shi Jueqing reported with a serious expression.

"Damn, we should have killed them earlier. Always causing trouble. Call in more people and block the entrance. No one gets in," Ao Shi Tianxia ordered.

At this moment, countless people were rushing to the Bamboo Grove. A Silver BOSS almost guaranteed Silver Gear drops, and who wouldn't want to try their luck? The dropped gear could be snatched by anyone, and if someone got lucky, they could hit the jackpot. Even if they didn't use it themselves, selling it would bring a hefty profit.

When Wu Shaochen arrived at the Bamboo Grove, it was already chaotic. Countless players were arguing with Proud Heroes.

"Why can't we go in? You Proud Heroes are too domineering."

"Yeah, the BOSS isn't yours. Why can't we fight it?"

"Hmph, the BOSS was discovered by Proud Heroes, so naturally, it's ours. What? You want to steal our BOSS?" a Proud Heroes member retorted arrogantly.

"Bullshit, we discovered the BOSS, and you Proud Heroes stole it from us. Now you're claiming it was yours? Have you no shame?" the person who had the BOSS stolen from them retorted.

Faced with the accusation, the Proud Heroes members looked embarrassed but ultimately declared, "This BOSS is ours today. Anyone who dares to enter is opposing Proud Heroes, and we'll make sure you can't leave the city."

This threat had a chilling effect, and many people fell silent. After all, Proud Heroes could indeed make good on their threats. If Chen Feng hadn't intervened earlier, the Madmen Gang and Su Corporation would likely still be hiding in the city.

At the back of the crowd, three individuals were discussing something. They were the leaders of the three major guilds: Cold Moon Pavilion, Turbulent Times, and Endless Storm. Cold Moon Pavilion's leader was Cold Moon, an icy beauty matching her ID. Turbulent Times' leader, Turbulent Hero, was a middle-aged man with a rugged face and a masculine aura. Endless Storm's leader, Endless Starlight, was the opposite—a delicate-looking young man in his twenties lacking in masculinity, his gaze occasionally drifting towards Cold Moon. The three were discussing how to get inside.

"Well, what do you think? Should we get involved?" Endless Starlight asked.

"We finally have a chance at a Silver BOSS. We have to get involved. We can't let Proud Heroes have it all to themselves," Turbulent Hero replied.

"But if we force our way in, we'll be directly opposing Proud Heroes. Although they suffered against Chen Feng, in a direct confrontation, we don't stand much chance. Even if our three guilds combined outnumber them, we can't match the coordination of a single guild. Even if we temporarily unite, that won't change. Plus, confronting them now isn't good for our guilds' development," Endless Starlight analyzed.

"Sigh, I was hoping those solo players would apply some pressure, but they're useless. All talk and no action," Turbulent Hero said, exasperated.

"He's here...!"

Cold Moon, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.