The King's Avatar

Chapter 3: Full-Time Night Shift

Chen Guo was momentarily stunned. The appearance of the two characters "victory" flashing on the screen was the iconic victory symbol in the arena, equivalent to a "k.o."

However, she had only been away for a short time. 40 seconds? 50 seconds? Chen Guo checked her watch; it was definitely less than a minute. What was the result? The opponent she had just lost to 52 times was defeated by this person in less than a minute?

Chen Guo even forgot to rush up to reclaim her account. She hoped that this person could play another round so she could observe, but he skillfully exited the game. Stretching lazily, seeming disinterested in the computer, he looked around. As he turned his head, he caught Chen Guo staring at him with wide eyes and hastily explained, "You hadn't quit the game yet when I sat down, and the battle had already started. I helped you win. Don't worry!"

"How long did it take?" Chen Guo asked.

"About 40 seconds!" Ye Xiu said.

Chen Guo opened her mouth wide, and he added with a hint of regret, "My hands were freezing; otherwise, 30 seconds would have been enough."

30 seconds... To defeat an opponent whom she couldn't win against in 52 rounds in just 30 seconds, who could this person be?

Could it be a professional player from the Jia Shi team? Chen Guo suddenly thought. She knew that the Jia Shi Club was not far from her internet cafe. But then she thought again, she should be able to recognize the players from the Jia Shi team! Unless this person was that mysterious expert Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu! The moment Chen Guo thought of this name, she got excited. However, considering that this expert was known for keeping a low profile, she hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, Chen Guo suddenly remembered something and hurried back to the front desk.

"The customer at machine C47, what name did they register?" Chen Guo asked the front desk attendant.

"Ye Xiu," the attendant replied.

"Ye Xiu... Ye Qiu, right?" Chen Guo exclaimed. In her opinion, this was too much of a coincidence. If this person wrote down Ye Qiu, she wouldn't believe it!

"Hehehe..." Chen Guo's smile was sly. She was already prepared to collect everything she could find to ask this person for an autograph. An autograph from Ye Xiu! Who had that? No one!

Just as she was thinking, the front desk attendant added casually, "He forgot his ID."

"ID?" Chen Guo was startled, realizing she had gotten carried away in her excitement. Internet cafes required real-name registration, and people had to show their ID. Who would register with a fake name?

"Where's the ID? Let me see." Chen Guo took the ID from the attendant and looked at it. It indeed had the name "Ye Xiu" written on it. She felt a bit disappointed, almost tempted to change the "Xiu" to "Qiu" right there.

After learning that this person wasn't the low-key expert she admired, although she was still curious about his skills, her interest had diminished significantly. Chen Guo reluctantly returned to machine C47 and handed Ye Xiu his ID, saying, "You forgot your ID."

"Oh, thanks." Ye Xiu quickly took it back. "Are you from this internet cafe?"

"Yeah, I'm the owner," Chen Guo replied.

"Oh? That's great. I saw on your internet cafe's website that you're hiring a network manager, right?" Ye Xiu asked.

"Ah... yeah..." Chen Guo didn't expect him to bring it up so suddenly. She was thinking of finding an excuse for him to play a round with her, and this was a perfect opportunity.

"I checked it out, and I think I meet all the requirements. I have no issues with the job and the salary. What do you think? Consider it, boss," Ye Xiu said.

"Oh, you have to win me in a Glory duel first," Chen Guo said.

"What? Is that a requirement?" Ye Xiu turned around to look.

"No need to search; I added that just now," Chen Guo said.

Ye Xiu was stunned for a moment, then he understood that his professional performance in the previous round had sparked the boss's curiosity about his skills. Unfortunately, he smiled wryly and shook his head, "I can't win against you."

"Why?" Chen Guo was surprised.

"Because I don't have an account that can beat you," Ye Xiu said.

"Account... What level is your account? What equipment?" Chen Guo asked.

"No level, no equipment," Ye Xiu replied.

"Really?" Chen Guo found it hard to believe. To defeat an opponent she couldn't beat in 52 rounds in just over 40 seconds, this person must have a new account without levels or equipment. How did he develop such skills?

"The original account was given away," Ye Xiu could only say that.

"Oh, I see... Are you planning to play in a new server?" Chen Guo asked.

"New server?" Ye Xiu was surprised, then he looked at today's date and suddenly realized.

Tomorrow was the tenth anniversary of Glory's operation. Since the second-anniversary celebration, a new server would open at midnight every year on the anniversary day. The sale of the tenth version account cards started three months ago. Many veteran players who had a hard time in the old server and newcomers preparing to enter Glory were looking forward to this day.

The current open server was Glory's Tenth Server. Back when Ye Xiu played, it was the First Server. Later, during the update to Glory's fifth chapter, the Realm of the Gods, he and many top players reached the required standards, completed the skill challenges, and became the first players and accounts qualified to enter the public map of the Realm of the Gods.

Now, Ye Xiu had left the professional scene, and his Glory career had come to an end. However, coincidentally, he encountered the annual new server opening. The memories of his ten-year journey suddenly surged up in his heart.

"The new server?" Ye Xiu muttered to himself.

"I remember you could transfer servers before the new server opened, right?" Ye Xiu suddenly asked Chen Guo.

"Only level 1 empty accounts can transfer," Chen Guo said.

"Let me try." Ye Xiu said, taking out an account card from his pocket and quickly accessing the transfer application page in Glory. Chen Guo looked at the account card in surprise, "Isn't this the first edition card?"

"It's the first edition card," Ye Xiu smiled. Glory's account cards were updated every year, and the first edition card was almost ten years old.

Looking at the card, Chen Guo asked in astonishment, "How many years have you been playing Glory?" The card was dead, but people were alive. The card had ten years, but the person might not.

"Almost ten years," Ye Xiu answered, confirming that he was both a person and a card.

Chen Guo, who had considered herself a veteran player after five years, was surprised to find that this guy was twice as old as her in terms of game experience. Ten years represented the first batch of Glory players. Being able to play continuously until now and still having the enthusiasm to join a new server, what kind of spirit was this?

While chatting, the page already showed "Transfer Successful."

"Done." Ye Xiu withdrew the account card, holding it in his hand, memories of the little bits contained in this first edition card flashed before his eyes.

"You said you want to be a network manager?" Chen Guo suddenly brought up the topic again.

"Yes." Ye Xiu quickly returned from his memories to reality.

"Which one did you check?" Chen Guo asked.

"The night shift one," Ye Xiu said.

"Oh, are you okay with it?" Chen Guo was surprised. The night shift was from 11 pm to 7 am every day, with a monthly salary three hundred yuan higher than other shifts. However, few people applied for it because not everyone liked staying up all night. Thus, they had a rotation system in place, and if someone applied for the night shift, it would be a relief for everyone.

"It's fine, I like being busy at night," Ye Xiu said.

Chen Guo carefully looked at the person in front of her. His hair and beard seemed to have gone untrimmed for at least half a month. His face, although fair, had a sickly paleness, and his eyes were staring at her with some lack of energy. She had seen this look many times. The young boys who frequently stayed overnight at her internet cafe often looked like this. This guy wasn't young, but he still looked so dispirited. She felt a bit contemptuous.

Contempt aside, if someone was willing to be a full-time night owl, Chen Guo welcomed it. Moreover, she was curious about the skills of this person who had been playing for ten years. She immediately made a decision, "Alright, you're hired."

"Thanks, boss."

"You've seen the conditions, just follow that," Chen Guo said.

"No problem."

"Okay, come with me!" Chen Guo was decisive. After hiring Ye Xiu, she immediately put him to work, instructing him to move a pile of new keyboards that had just arrived today to the storage room on the second floor.

Chen Guo's internet cafe was called "Xingxin Cyber Cafe," relatively high-end with over a thousand machines spread across two floors. The second floor, though smaller, was noticeably more luxurious, designated as the high-end area. Inside, there was a hidden gem – a two-bedroom suite. The storage room was also located in this suite. Ye Xiu had already checked out the place while working. The recruitment notice mentioned "meals and accommodation included." This suite seemed to be the place where he would be staying. Although the decoration was simple, it was clean and neat—quite good. Ye Xiu was satisfied, thinking about it while moving the last few sets of keyboards and placing them neatly.

"Alright, this is your place." After Ye Xiu finished his work, Chen Guo pointed to the low bed crowded in the storage room.

"Huh?" Ye Xiu was surprised. He had imagined staying in the bright suite outside, even a sofa in the living room would have been better. This room... Ye Xiu looked up and saw that there was a small window at the top of the west wall, seemingly directly facing the street lamp on the road outside. When the room light was turned off, the small window immediately dimmed, and it felt a bit eerie, like a haunted place.

"Uh, it's a bit lacking, but you'll have to make do for now... In fact, we don't really need more staff in the internet cafe right now. The recruitment you saw was posted quite a while ago," Chen Guo explained.

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine. This is good," Ye Xiu immediately reassured her. He didn't mind the small room. For him, who had just left the club and hadn't decided on the next step, having a place to stay and eat was like arranging a foothold. He suddenly became interested in the position of a network manager.

"Now, when you're free, just play some computer games downstairs. It's okay; you won't be charged since you're one of us," Chen Guo said.

"Boss, you're really generous!"

"Cough, with over a thousand computers, what's one more?" Chen Guo said.

"During regular hours, how's the customer flow?" Ye Xiu asked.

"It's pretty good; I'm satisfied. Of course, night shift people are relatively scarce. Most of them are college students from nearby universities coming to stay overnight. You won't have much to do, just keep an eye on the place," Chen Guo explained.

"Understood."

"How about it, to adapt to your new job, how about pulling an all-nighter tonight? I also want to see your ability to stay up all night," Chen Guo suggested.

"No problem, my ability is maxed out." Ye Xiu gave Chen Guo two thumbs up, indicating that staying up all night was indeed his strong suit.

"Okay, let's go downstairs. I'll treat you to a late-night snack," Chen Guo said.

"Oh? What are we having?"

"There's probably a small restaurant across the street that's still open. Go check it out and buy some dishes. I don't eat celery," Chen Guo said as she pulled out two hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to Ye Xiu.

"It's snowing!" Ye Xiu remarked.

"Just cross the road; it's not far. How much snow can you get on you? Hurry up," Chen Guo urged.

Ye Xiu, feeling helpless, went out to cross the road to buy late-night snacks. Just as he changed jobs and was consecutively ordered around, he didn't feel particularly annoyed. This woman, talking with anyone as if they were old friends, made him quite comfortable. At that moment, Ye Xiu suddenly realized that he hadn't even asked for the name of his new boss.