I Have a Date with a Thousand-year-old Female Corpse-Chapter 1256: I’m Back

The boy scratched his head, clearly not understanding the meaning of the word "operations."

You changed the question: "Is anyone still playing this game?"

The boy shrugged, "’Arrogance’ shut down half a year ago. Nobody can get in anymore. But if you have money, you can buy it on the forums. It’s single-player though."

"I don’t have money. Where can I make some?" This was your only concern at the moment. This future world was meticulously clean—so much so that even the trash cans were empty.

"Hey, doesn’t it hurt to talk like that? One wrong move and you could fall to pieces. Hurry up and come inside. I’ll tell you after you’re in." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

You nodded and quickly climbed into the window, entering the boy’s home. The first thing you noticed was a fully holographic 4D television. The moment you saw it, it was playing scenes from last year’s Earth Peacekeeping Fleet military parade. Watching one battleship after another speed by like the wind, your eyes were glued to the screen. It felt as if everything was unfolding directly before you.

Noticing your astonished expression, the boy said proudly, "Never seen one before, huh? This 4D TV was modified by my dad himself. He’s amazing—he can make anything."

But you weren’t in the mood to listen to any of this. You hurriedly asked the boy, "Tell me, how can I make money?"

"Before I tell you, you need to answer a question of mine first, deal?" Seeing you nod, the boy continued, "You haven’t eaten in days, have you? Look, your face is already looking yellow."

You nodded, "Three days."

Three days ago, you caught a rat and cut its meat into slices, eating it raw...

"Look at you. You don’t even have food to eat, yet why are you thinking about playing a game?" The boy, though small in stature, spoke with surprising conviction and logic.

"Well, how should I put it... I have a very close friend inside the game. If I don’t get into the game, I’ll never find her again."

Of course, you were talking about Zhao’er.

If this were in the old "Arrogance," things would have been easier. Although finding Zhao’er would have been challenging, it wouldn’t have been impossible. But now, things were different.

The glimpse of the 4D television made it clear that in this technologically advanced world, humans on Earth seemed to have connected with alien civilizations and were sharing cutting-edge technology. In such a massive world, finding Zhao’er and five other wives was an almost impossible task.

And then there was the black-threaded post where the other party explicitly stated they would meet in the game. But now that "Arrogance" had ended, where were you supposed to find them?

"I see." The boy thought for a moment and said, "However, the new version of ’Arrogance’ started beta testing across the entire Milky Way Galaxy on the second day after the old ’Arrogance’ shut down. This game was co-developed by Earthlings and Honolulu Star People. If you really want to play, you’ll need to work hard to make money. The beta test account alone costs at least ten thousand Galaxy coins. That’s a huge sum of money, which is why most people are waiting for the open beta."

You thought for a moment and asked, "Have you played ’Arrogance’ before?"

"Of course."

"Then do you know New Mongolian Gingko Village?"

As soon as you asked this question, the boy immediately nodded, saying, "Of course. Gingko Village is a hidden quest location in the game ’Arrogance.’ It’s even rumored that the game’s final mission is there."

"I see."

You patted the boy on the shoulder and said with a laugh, "Thanks."

Then, jumping out of the window, you climbed upward like an agile monkey.

While this body wasn’t strong in combat, it was extremely nimble—a small but vital advantage for survival in this world.

"Hey, don’t wander around aimlessly! This slum is going to be demolished soon!"

You pretended not to hear, taking half a day to climb to the top floor. Exhausted and starving, you finally collapsed onto the rooftop platform.

As you raised your head to look at the sky, you froze in horror!

What loomed above wasn’t a sky—it was a massive floating landmass!

The landmass completely blocked out the sky, plunging this place into perpetual darkness, with only dim lights shining faintly from afar. In that moment, an unprecedented sense of helplessness overwhelmed your heart and refused to fade.

"Damn it... What am I supposed to do now?"

You sat down heavily on the cold ground.

"Hey, child, what are you doing over there?"

A hoarse, elderly voice sounded from above. You looked up and saw an old, decrepit wooden boat floating in the air among the steel monsters. An elderly man with white hair was leaning over to look at you. He wore a traditional felt hat with two small, faintly printed characters—Lady Ling’s Family.

You didn’t answer, but stared at the old man in confusion.

"Child, where are your parents? Are you an orphan too?" You nodded, still unsure what to say.

Outside of the game, you were free from the system’s controls. For the first time, you could fully control your own body, but now you didn’t know what to do next.

"Come home with me, then. I can’t offer much, but I can at least give you a proper meal."

The old man’s heavily wrinkled face was illuminated with a gentle smile...

And so, time passed quickly—two months blinked by. During this time, you learned a lot from the old man and came to understand much more. Sometimes, you would accompany him to sell buns and other traditional pastries, gathering stories and wisdom you had never heard before. Gradually, you began to call the old man "Grandpa," a term you had never used growing up, as the role of "Grandpa" was always absent from your family.

However, amidst the joy of familial warmth brought by the elderly man, you discovered something that terrified you—his health was worsening day by day. On several occasions, he experienced temporary bouts of choking.

While you knew you couldn’t change the inevitable, you did your best to provide him with happiness and joy.

One evening filled with festive cheer, you formally became the old man’s adoptive grandson. Overjoyed, the old man used his life savings to buy you a pair of "Arrogance" game glasses.

When the old man learned of your life in the game, he had long felt the urge to help you. However, understanding his financial situation, you had stubbornly refused his offers at the time, leading up to this two-month stay.

Now, things were different—you had family in this world. A gift from "Grandpa," his grandson could no longer refuse. And so, on that tearful night, under his loving gaze, your brainwaves were fed into the "Arrogance" gaming network system through the game glasses.

The next second, you arrived in an unfamiliar yet familiar place. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the old man discovered that his beloved grandson had suddenly disappeared. After wearing the glasses, your entire body transformed into a beam of white light and vanished.

Standing on this green land, emotions surged within you. Ignoring the strange glances of passing pedestrians, you dropped to your knees on the ground and shouted to the heavens, "I’m back!"

"Another crazy fool."

"Judging by his appearance, he doesn’t seem to be level ten yet. Why so excited?"

"Probably got killed by some boss. Looks like he’ll have to start his cultivation all over again."