Chapter 13: Foodie Criminal Syndicate

Chapter 13: Foodie Criminal Syndicate

Dizhong Village, Underground Space.

Qi Sheng sat cross-legged on the Primordial Altar, his mind flickering through the Guide’s feedback on the real-world network as he searched for suitable candidates to recruit.

He already had a clear direction for the third round of recruitment.

The first and second batches of players entering Monster World shared a common trait: they either never spent money in the game or invested minimal amounts, often relying on grinding to earn in-game currency.

Players from the Emperor of Grind Clan, in particular, treated gaming as a source of income, playing not just for fun but to make a living.

This time, Qi Sheng planned to recruit players with the financial capacity to spend freely. Strengthening the in-game economy would accelerate the circulation of items and Sacrificial Power.

Only by resolving the real-world financial struggles of these Gold Farmers could they continue playing and generating more Sacrificial Power for him.

...

11:00 PM.

Foglamp City.

A coastal metropolis, it was a crucial port city for the Human Federation. Named for the perpetual sea fog that once blanketed its waters, requiring lighthouses to guide navigation.

Under the hazy night sky, sleep eluded some.

Inside a luxurious villa in the northern district, Li Siyu sat curled on her bed, clad in pajamas, her tablet clutched tightly as her eyes fixated on the countdown timer for the Darklands official site.

"Please, let me make it this time..."

She clasped her hands in prayer, her expression earnest.

Time crawled. Her tension mounted, sweat beading on her palms.

Suddenly, the countdown hit zero.

Her fingers, poised like a marksman’s trigger finger, flew across the screen in a blur. But a pop-up shattered her hopes:

【Registration for this round has closed. Unfortunately, you’ve failed to secure a purchase code for Darklands.】

"Damn it!"

Li Siyu roared in frustration, hurling the tablet onto the bed.

This was her third failed attempt to buy the game. Each time, she hadn’t even reached the payment page.

She’d been desperate to play Darklands.

Before its release, she’d sold her old account for the game Conquest at a bargain price, intending to pour all her energy into Darklands.

But now, she’d stumbled at the starting line.

With a human population of 20 billion, even the steep price of 128,888 credits couldn’t curb demand. Worse, the game’s distribution platform linked directly to the official site under Lunar Eclipse Clan’s supervision—no backdoor deals, no exceptions.

Every purchase required real-name ID binding, making resale impossible.

Money alone wouldn’t cut it; luck was the real gatekeeper.

After venting, Li Siyu grabbed her tablet again, navigating to the contact list’s bottom-right corner and opening a group chat.

【Foodie Criminal Syndicate (Online: 21)】

Li Siyu hesitated, her curiosity piqued. She checked Welfare Officer's profile, but to her surprise, no IP address was displayed. In an era where online ID authentication was the norm, this was highly unusual. Moreover, the group's privacy settings should have prevented such a breach.

"Could this person have hacked through Lunar Eclipse's security to join the chat?" she wondered, intrigued by the technical prowess this would imply.

Despite her skepticism, Li Siyu's curiosity got the better of her. With digital safeguards in place, she clicked the link.

The page that loaded was peculiar—a blank white screen with only a downloadable zip file in the center. The simplistic design and the blatant scam attempt only fueled her intrigue.

"What's the purpose of this elaborate setup?" she mused. "Is this some kind of elaborate joke?"

Driven by curiosity, she initiated the download.

A progress bar appeared in the top-right corner of the screen.

At the stroke of midnight, the download completed. Li Siyu transferred the file to her limited-edition obsidian Gaming Pod and waited.

Three minutes later, the Pod's green "Ready" light signaled its preparation.

Li Siyu, clad in her gaming suit, slid into the Pod and launched the game. The semi-transparent lid sealed her within.

"Let's see what this is all about", she declared, determined to uncover the mystery.

Night Owl & Snacks: I'm frustrated too. My eyes are killing me from staring at the screen. I tried refreshing the page a minute early, but it was no use. I almost smashed my keyboard! Lunar Eclipse is being so stingy with access, like they're doling out candy. Their servers could easily handle more players, so this scarcity is just pure greed.

Beaverbeats: Another missed opportunity. The next round is days away, and by then, early adopters will have a huge head start. My dream of leading the top guild is slipping away.

Word Duck: Limited copies are bad enough, but tying them to Ids and preventing resale? They're making it so difficult for gamers. Why can't they just let us play?

Slacker Salted Fish: This is ridiculous. I've been waiting years for this game, and now I can't even get my hands on it. I'll give it a few more tries, but if I fail, I'm done. Back to Conquest it is.

As the group vented their frustrations, a mysterious newcomer appeared.

【Welfare Officer joined the group.】

The chat fell silent. The Foodie Criminal Syndicate hadn't welcomed a new member in years, and they had strict protocols against strangers.

The unexpected arrival of an uninvited guest set off alarms. But before anyone could react, Welfare Officer sent a message:

Welfare Officer: Heard you're all eager for Darklands. I've got free cracked versions. Check the link below. (Link: ...)

And then, just as abruptly, they were gone.

The group was stunned.

"Another scammer", they thought. "Sending phishing links right after joining? How gullible do they think we are?"

But Li Siyu hesitated. Something felt off. She checked Welfare Officer's profile, but strangely, no IP address was displayed. In an era of universal online ID authentication, this was highly unusual. Moreover, the group's privacy settings should have prevented such a breach.

"Could this person have hacked through Lunar Eclipse's security to join the chat?" she wondered. "They must be incredibly skilled."

Despite her skepticism, Li Siyu's curiosity got the better of her. With digital safeguards in place, she clicked the link.

The page that loaded was bizarre—a blank white screen with only a downloadable zip file in the center. The primitive design and the obvious scam attempt only fueled her intrigue.

"What's the point of this theatrics?" she wondered. "Is this some kind of prank?"

Curiosity getting the better of her, she initiated the download.

A progress bar appeared in the top-right corner of the screen.

12:00 AM.

Ping! The download completed. Li Siyu transferred the file to her obsidian Gaming Pod, a limited-edition model, and waited.

Three minutes later, the Pod's green "Ready" light illuminated.

Li Siyu, dressed in her gaming suit, slid into the Pod and initiated the game. The semi-transparent lid sealed her inside.

"Let's see what this is all about", she said, determined.

Night Owl & Snacks: What do you think? My eyes are burning from staring. I spammed the refresh button a minute early, but still got rejected. Felt like breaking my keyboard.

Lunar Eclipse is artificially restricting access, treating it like a candy ration. Their servers could easily accommodate more players, so this deliberate scarcity is just pure greed.

Beaverbeats: Sleep time again. Another missed chance. Next round’s days away—by then, early adopters will be a week ahead. My dream of leading the top guild is crumbling.

Word Duck: Limited copies are bad enough, but tying them to Ids? No resale? They’re cutting off options. Why’s gaming gotta be this hard?

Slacker Salted Fish: Crap game. Waited years for this, and this’s the welcome? I’ll try ten more rounds—if I fail, I’m going back to Conquest.

As the group ranted about Lunar Eclipse’s tactics, a stranger suddenly joined.

【Welfare Officer joined the group.】

The chat froze.

The Foodie Criminal Syndicate hadn’t added a new member in two years—the group had strict stranger blocks.

Seeing an uninvited guest with no referral tag sent alarm bells ringing.

Before anyone could react, Welfare Officer sent a message:

Welfare Officer: Heard you’re after Darklands. Got free cracked versions here. Link dropped below. (Link: ...)

And just like that, they left.

The group stared, stunned.

First thought: Another scammer. Sending phishing links seconds after joining? An insult to their intelligence.

No one in their right mind would fall for it.

But Li Siyu hesitated.

She checked Welfare Officer’s profile—no IP address displayed.

In this era of universal online ID authentication, IP visibility was standard. Even stranger, the group’s privacy settings should’ve made this impossible.

Breaking through Lunar Eclipse’s security to enter the chat? Whoever this was, they were technically elite.

"Could this actually be a real Darklands crack?"

The absurd thought made her shake her head.

Lunar Eclipse’s tech was legendary—none of their previous virtual games had ever been cracked. Darklands’ upgrades made hacking unthinkable.

Yet Welfare Officer had sparked her curiosity.

With idle curiosity and digital safeguards engaged, she clicked the link.

The page that loaded was stark—a barren white void, with only a downloadable zip file centered.

Such a primitive design, paired with a scam so obvious it insulted her intelligence, only deepened her intrigue.

Why the theatrics? Was this a prank?

She clicked the download.

A progress bar materialized in the top-right screen corner.

12:00 AM.

Ping!

The download completed. Li Siyu swiped the file across her tablet, wirelessly transferring it to the obsidian Gaming Pod in the room’s corner—a limited-edition model.

Three minutes later, the Pod’s green "Ready" light blinked on.

Li Siyu rose from the bed, changed into her gaming suit, slid into the Pod, and pressed "Start." The semi-transparent lid hissed shut.

"Let’s see what the hell you’ve got in store!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end