Chapter 30: Material Story – Sheng Wen, the Middleman

S-God was number one on the point rankings, so it was easy to guess that the person belonged to the Upper City District.

However, it was impossible to travel between city districts.

Lin Kuo looked at Sheng Sheng, unable to understand how S-God’s influence had reached the Lower City District’s B-zone, or how he could be protecting others.

Sheng Sheng saw the suspicion in Lin Kuo’s eyes and explained, holding back tears of grievance.
“I… I’m not lying.”

“Tell me everything that happened, from beginning to end,” Lin Kuo said.

Sheng Sheng lowered his head.

“After Brother Lin Kuo went into the instance, I wanted to go out and find something to eat. Brother Guan Miao told me I needed to go to Building 1, Room 3-301 to exchange for food. So… I went.”

Lin Kuo stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

“There were a lot of people outside the exchange point at Building 1, 3-301. They kept walking back and forth. I didn’t know at the time that they were waiting to snatch things. After I exchanged my points for food, they stole it. An older sister told me it’s best to go with three or four people when exchanging things because a lot of people try to preserve their points by robbing anyone who’s alone. But I was too hungry… I thought maybe they’d leave at night, but they didn’t…”

At this point, Sheng Sheng trembled like a leaf.

“They made me use my phone to transfer my points to them. Otherwise, they said they’d beat me. My mom told me that if I didn’t have enough points to pay the daily fees of the Walled City, I would die. So… I didn’t want to transfer my points to them…”

Lin Kuo understood now. He didn’t need Sheng Sheng to say more.

A child had no way of fighting back against others.

It was a blessing that he was unharmed.

“Give me your phone,” Lin Kuo said.

Sheng Sheng hesitated before handing it over.

Lin Kuo found his personal information.

In the “Point Info” section, it showed:

Points: 0
! You are two days in arrears.

Lin Kuo frowned.

“Does your mom know?”

Sheng Sheng shook his head.
“I… I didn’t dare tell her. I didn’t want her to worry.”

He actually hadn’t wanted to tell Lin Kuo either, but the injuries on his body were too obvious to hide.

Seeing Lin Kuo remain silent, Sheng Sheng tried to lighten the mood.
“I’ve boiled some water. Brother Lin Kuo, are you really not hungry? I can make you instant noodles. The ones I make are delicious.”

Lin Kuo stared at him for a long while before finally speaking.

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Sheng Sheng shook his head—then nodded.

He was still young. Death wasn’t a concept he fully grasped.

To him, the most important thing was not worrying his family.

He stole a glance at Lin Kuo.

Lin Kuo was tall, and he hadn’t realized his sneaky look was clearly visible.

When their eyes met, Sheng Sheng abruptly looked down, heart pounding.
For some reason, Lin Kuo gave him a strong sense of pressure.

“What’s the deal with S?” Lin Kuo asked, softening his tone.

But having just returned from a particularly draining instance, the chill clinging to him hadn’t yet melted.

Sheng Sheng’s grievances remained stuck in his chest.

Because he knew Lin Kuo had no obligation to care for him, every word he said was cautious.

“I… I heard them say that with points, you can contact S-God for help with instances.”

His words were vague.

Lin Kuo, unfamiliar with the Walled City’s point economy, didn’t quite understand what that meant.

Just then, a Weixun message arrived from Ah Wen:

[Like Sweet Wind]: Brother, congratulations~

[Lin Kuo]: Thank you.

Lin Kuo quickly checked the donation channel for the item Numb—a level-one item that could block a streamer’s senses temporarily. It wasn’t very effective.

Its value? 999 points.

Lin Kuo: “…”

Then there was the 7-hour video call. First 10 minutes: 50 points. After that, 5 points per minute. That added up to 2,100 points.

He had earned 1,000 points for passing the solo instance.

Even if he gave all of them to Ah Wen, he would still owe 2,099 points.

Combining it with his earlier debts…

Total debt to Ah Wen: 11,039 points.

Lin Kuo felt a wave of shame. How do I even begin to repay that?

More messages arrived:

[Like Sweet Wind]: This live stream earned 3,000 points.
[Like Sweet Wind]: I’ll take one part, you take nine. See if it’s arrived.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Hmm? The main god system should’ve made the payment. How about next time?

[Lin Kuo]: …Okay.

[Like Sweet Wind]: The instance was draining. Brother, you should rest.
[Like Sweet Wind]: Poke me when you’re rested. I’ll give it to you.

[Lin Kuo]: Ah Wen, I have a question.

[Like Sweet Wind]: Go ahead, brother.

Lin Kuo wanted to ask what contacting S-God for help with instances meant. But remembering that Ah Wen might know S-God personally, he hesitated.

Instead, he sent:

[Lin Kuo]: Can S help with instances?

[Like Sweet Wind]: …

[Lin Kuo]: It’s okay if it’s inconvenient to answer.

[Like Sweet Wind]: It’s not that. How should I put it… It’s true. But brother, don’t you have some opinions about S? Why ask now?

[Lin Kuo]: I’m just asking. Don’t misunderstand.

Sheng Wen looked at the conversation on screen, frowning with unease.

Most of his points came from instance side jobs.

In his high-level city district, he could watch a lot of live streams. That gave him the right to send streamers gifts.

So Sheng Wen acted as a middleman.

Take fireworks, for example—setting them off cost 2,000 points per person per the main god system.

Sheng Wen would charge 3,000 to 4,000. Sometimes more, depending on his mood.

After the streamer safely completed the instance, they would pay Sheng Wen.

Even if no item was used, the streamer would still pay him a “viewing fee.”

His highest-priced item? The Clue Card.

These came in two forms: those auto-generated by the live stream based on the instance, and hints provided by outside donators using their judgment.

Sheng Wen’s Clue Cards were sold at sky-high prices.

Most people couldn’t contact him directly. Transactions were done through layers of go-betweens, and the final price was often severely inflated.

People desperate to survive would scrape together points and spend a fortune for a chance at survival.

In the Walled City, saving points was grueling.

Many robbed others just to reduce their own point expenditure.

Of course, whether Sheng Wen accepted a request depended entirely on his mood.

Lower city instances had low rewards. Even completing ten of them might not buy a Clue Card.

So Sheng Wen rarely took orders from the Lower City. His clients were all from the Upper City.

They wanted to survive. He wanted points.

It was simple supply and demand.

Sheng Wen eventually explained the basics to Lin Kuo.

Lin Kuo told him about Sheng Sheng.

[Like Sweet Wind]: There are thousands in the Walled City. S can’t save them all. It’s better to just be honest about the transactions, don’t you think, brother?

[Like Sweet Wind]: As for what you heard—S protecting people—it’s a fantasy. S isn’t a god. He’s protecting one person right now, and it’s not some robber. It’s his future wife.

[Lin Kuo]: It’s mutual. I understand. I was just asking about the process.

[Like Sweet Wind]: Good. You should rest.

[Lin Kuo]: I have one more question.

[Like Sweet Wind]: Hmm?

[Lin Kuo]: How do I submit a resurrection request to the main god system?

[Like Sweet Wind]: Already submitted it for you.

[Lin Kuo]: !

[Like Sweet Wind]: o(￣︶￣)o

[Lin Kuo]: I owe you so much… I don’t even know what to say.

[Like Sweet Wind]: I have a suggestion.

[Lin Kuo]: Okay.

[Like Sweet Wind]: You didn’t even listen yet! What if it’s selfish?

[Lin Kuo]: I’ll still agree.

[Like Sweet Wind]: So sweet~ I’ll think about it carefully. Rest well. Bye-bye.

[Lin Kuo]: Wait… Ah Wen, can you tell me which city district you’re in?

No reply.

Lin Kuo set down his phone.

He couldn’t quite explain the emotion inside him.

Was it a disappointment? But why?

He had no strong feelings.

When Sheng Sheng’s mother asked him to take care of the boy, he refused. He knew promises were too heavy.

But he could help within his ability.

S earned his points through skill. Others had no right to criticize.

The real villains were those who robbed others.

There was no order in the Walled City.

All Lin Kuo could do was not harm others—and not be harmed by them.

Then his phone vibrated:

[Like Sweet Wind]: Upper City District, C-zone.

Lin Kuo looked at Sheng Sheng again.

The kid always reported good news and hid the bad.

He thought for a moment and said, “Pick an instance. I’ll go with you.”

His own points were in the negative.

Transferring them would incur fees. It was better to enter an instance together.

Everyone in the Walled City had to go through instances eventually.

Sheng Sheng blinked. “I can ask my mom to transfer points. You don’t have to—”

“It’s not taking, it’s accompanying,” Lin Kuo corrected him.

He coughed.
“I want to go to the Upper City District.”

B-zone was only separated from Upper C-zone by A-zone.

Sheng Sheng, realizing Lin Kuo was serious, pulled out his phone.

Despite his age, he could read fairly well.

“‘June Blood,’ two-star supernatural instance. 8 participants,” he read.

“Reward?” Lin Kuo asked.

“300.”

Lin Kuo remained silent.

Sheng Sheng quickly flipped to another.
“‘Material Story,’ two-star casual instance. 13 participants. Top 3 earn 800, 500, and 200. Also has bonus rewards.”

Lin Kuo checked his own instance list.

Material Story was there.

His last two instances were also two-star. Though Death Password had many traps, it wasn’t hard in hindsight.

Now that he had experience dealing with bad teammates…

“Let’s go with this one.”

“You’re entering an instance. Let your mom know,” Lin Kuo added.

Sheng Sheng nodded.

After informing his mother, he clicked Material Story.

Their screens went black.

Text appeared:

Waiting for 7 more players. If insufficient after 30 minutes, participants will be randomly selected from the real world.

Lin Kuo frowned.

He wanted to know why he’d been brought to the Walled City.

After Sheng Sheng joined:

Waiting for 3 more players. If insufficient after 10 minutes…

They waited.

After ten minutes, the screen changed:

[Personal live stream established]
[Bullet comments, donation channel opened]
[Instance “Material Story” loading…]