140. The Original Li Aozi: Is There Really Such a Harmonious Family?
"Hey, Purr!"
Li Aozi raised his hand, and the tabby cat immediately jumped off the fence. With human-like behavior, it meowed twice toward the house before trotting to Li Aozi's feet, rubbing its cheek against his boot. It seemed curious about the military boots but quickly lost interest. After circling Li Aozi twice, it made a moon jump and landed on his shoulder.
"Purr purr..."
The reason for the cat's name was obvious. Its strange purring sound was highly distinctive, making anyone who heard it want to laugh. Li Aozi scratched its chin, drawing on his experience petting Mikhail from the [Shop], which worked just as well on the cat.
"Hey! By the heavens above, look who's back!"
Just as Li Aozi finished teasing the cat, a dry, raspy male voice called out. Turning his head, Isaac's parents emerged from the house.
His father, Franz, waddled over with his large belly, panting heavily. He stopped in front of Li Aozi and looked up at his height:
"Ho, you've grown."
"Yeah, and you've gotten rounder, old man," 'Isaac' joked. "Look at you, Dad. You used to climb trees and raid bird nests. Now you look like you're expecting."
"Oh, shut up, brat. The army spoiled you, made you disrespectful," Franz retorted with a laugh, throwing an arm around his son's shoulder. "Asimov! Asimov! Come see who's back!"
A burly young man leaned out from the second-floor balcony. Isaac's younger brother, Asimov, brightened at the sight of his brother but teased:
"Didn't we just see him yesterday? Dad, your memory's slipping. You need to lose weight."
"You two really are brothers," Franz chuckled, only to receive a slap on the shoulder from Lena beside him:
"What nonsense are you spouting, old man? Don't you know if they're your own? Weren't you watching when Dr. Veylai delivered them?"
"Well, just in case..." Franz muttered. "Look at me—I was so handsome in my youth. Which of these boys inherited that?"
Li Aozi activated [Eye of Truth] and glanced over: Franz's [Charisma] was a mere 4 points, burdened by balding and the obesity debuff, leaving it at a pitiful 2 points.
"Alright, alright, today's a good day," Li Aozi smiled. "I plan to stay home for a while, rest up, and then look for work."
"Eh? You're not going to university?" his mother Lena asked, puzzled.
"Asimov's going; he's great at basketball. If he makes it to the RBA and becomes a pro star, that'll bring glory to the family," 'Isaac' said, waving dismissively. "I've got my martial skills and plan to keep pursuing the pathway. Now that little sis is gone, someone's got to take over the farm. Advancing in the pathway means living longer and passing down the family name. Isn't that better?"
"Hmph, kid, anyone would think the army taught you sweet talk," Lena said with a squint. The talk of children and family resonated with middle-aged women. Franz grumbled but grinned, seemingly satisfied with this plan.
"Come on, big bro, let's give you a proper welcome today. Your room's ready, and tomorrow we'll visit Susanna's grave."
Asimov patted his brother's shoulder, then noticed something odd.
As a basketball center, Asimov was used to collisions and was taller than his brother. But his slap on Isaac's shoulder felt like it hit an immovable wall, with no reaction at all.
'Whoa, I've heard many soldiers became [Martial Artists]. Did my brother really turn into a superman?'
That would be something to brag about. Asimov thought about learning a move or two from his brother to show off to his team's power forward, who was always full of himself for having a [Martial Artist] dad. Well, his brother could be just as impressive.
While Asimov indulged in these thoughts, Li Aozi was busy browsing the forums' matchmaking section.
No MMORPG could exist without a social system, but Qiqiao Network's implementation was awful. They relegated the friend system to the forums, making it difficult for Li Aozi to find players to help cultivate a team, forcing him to adopt a mass recruitment approach.
But players were different.
Since getting off the train, it had been less than five minutes, and Li Aozi had already found five Red Arrow player teams through the forums. Only one was a pre-made party, while the rest were casual pick-up groups.
[Next, I'll look for any traces of fakes... Fakes were the first to realize the difference between players and ordinary people. I met one on the train, so I need to stay vigilant. Clearing them out as much as possible is best. They're not too strong, and the experience gain is considerable.]
Fakes especially liked infiltrating pick-up groups. These teams were full of strangers, often without voice communication or interaction. When it came to dungeons or puzzles, they acted like social recluses, giving no clues.
In the eyes of fakes, pick-up groups were almost guaranteed team wipes once infiltrated. Every successful replacement could summon another fake, leading to rapid and disgusting reproduction.
After screening, Li Aozi found no fakes in these pick-up groups. He wasn't in a rush; even if he didn't find fakes, fighting monsters and networking with these teams was worthwhile.
However, the pre-made three-player team was more intriguing. Although there were three players, they had two NPC companions.
The players hadn't disclosed the NPCs' appearances or names, and Li Aozi couldn't see their information. After some thought, he decided not to miss this opportunity.
Those two NPCs might also be fakes.
The number of players in the Red Arrow area wasn't large. After filtering, the suspicious teams were gone, leaving just a few people.
Li Aozi sent his information to several teams. The pre-made team didn't respond, but the pick-up groups sent sparse replies after glancing at his stats:
"A level 5 [Martial Artist]? Never mind."
Oh, so they were looking down on newbies.
Li Aozi couldn't be bothered to argue. While enjoying his dinner, he waited for further messages.
The pre-made team members were offline, likely busy in real life since the game's time differed from reality.
Li Aozi spent ten days on the farm.
He visited his sister's grave, studied diligently, and even switched to his main body to submit assignments.
He cultivated, studied, drove tractors, farmed, and harvested potatoes.
Life felt fulfilling. Just when Li Aozi felt he was mastering the farmer subclass, the team finally sent a message.
"Sure, come."
Attached was a set of coordinates.
That attitude... so arrogant.