This villain is too popular.

Chapter 422: A Game Titled 'Reality'
[Nighttime, in an unnamed cave on Changsheng Island]

The grease from the roasted animal leg dripped onto the fire, making a soft sizzling sound. The orange-red flames danced on the cave walls, casting the shadows of the two figures into varying lengths.

Chen Kong squeezed the bandage on his arm; the cotton fabric carried a faint herbal scent.

That wasn't the pungent smell of star energy potions; it was more like the fresh fragrance of some wild plant, which Mi Yao had obviously picked nearby.

He picked up the animal leg from the banana leaf. The outer skin was roasted until it was crispy and fragrant, but the meat inside was surprisingly tender and had a slightly salty taste from the sea.

After a period of rest, the dizziness caused by the toxins in Chen Kong has subsided considerably.

But the spot on his back where the rotting vine corpse had hit him was still throbbing with pain, and every movement pulled at his ribs, making him frown involuntarily.

However, compared to these things, Chen Kong was actually more concerned about the situation at the landing point.

He clearly remembered that shortly after he left, a huge commotion came from the landing point.

Although he knew that the Heavenly Dao's current strength far exceeded his imagination.

But Wilfer's strength is also undeniable.

Thinking of this, Chen Kong's thoughts slowly drifted away.

Not far from him, Mi Yao leaned against a rock at the deepest part of the cave, headphones around his neck, holding a game console in his hands, playing intently.

Halfway through the game, Mi Yao caught a glimpse of Chen Kong's worried expression out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but be sarcastic: "Don't frown like an old man. So what if you haven't fought some level two star beasts before? It's not a big deal."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong first came to his senses, then immediately retorted, "It's not that I haven't fought before, I was just poisoned."

As Chen Kong spoke, he took a big bite of the roasted beast leg in his hand and said in a muffled tone, "Besides, you know how troublesome those rotten vine corpses are. Unless you destroy the core in their chests, those guys can't die at all."

Upon hearing this, Mi Yao put down his game console and started playing with the 'resurrection coin' in his hand.

The resurrection coin was engraved with intricate pixelated patterns and shimmered with a pale purple light under the firelight.

"Compared to those rotting vine corpses, that old guy at the landing point is clearly much more troublesome."

Mi Yao paused, then pressed his temple with his finger.

"First came the mysterious, calamity-level elder, then the eerie gray fog and the troublesome monsters."

"No matter how you look at it, this Longevity Island is no simple trial ground. This trip may not be easy for us."

Looking at Mi Yao, who was also extremely troubled by this trial.

Chen Kong asked a question that had been bothering him.

"If that's the case, then how did you find me not long ago?"

Mi Yao held up the game console in his hand and showed the screen to Chen Kong.

On the game screen, not only did two little figures resembling them appear, but in the upper left corner of the map, there were also many red dots symbolizing dangerous creatures, as well as simplified patterns of some terrain features.

“My ‘game console’ can play not only the ‘games’ that are already on the market, but also some ‘games’ that I have customized myself.”

"Reality is part of the content I customized. After exploring the surrounding area to a certain extent, the gray fog you mentioned has become something similar to the 'fog of the map' in the game in my eyes."

"The location of the rotten vine corpse will also be displayed as a red dot in my 'game screen', providing real-time information."

Chen Kong looked up in surprise, so much so that he forgot to chew the meat in his mouth.

After a moment, he asked curiously, "Besides these, what other functions does your 'game console' have?"

"Even if I did, do you think I'd be stupid enough to tell you?" Looking at Mi Yao's eyes, which seemed to look at him like he was an idiot, Chen Kong realized that he had said something foolish.

Just like he never talks to anyone about the 'white void' deep in his soul.

Mi Yao's Star Source: Gaming Master clearly has many unique abilities that he hasn't yet shown.

And Mi Yao is not the only one with similar secrets.

Having experienced the 'Sea Concert Hall' storyline, Chen Kong clearly understands that when Jing Liuli called them over, she was actually asking them to help her break through to the next level.

Although they didn't play a significant role in the process.

But through some casual conversations afterward, he realized that Jing Liuli had clearly undergone some significant changes after that New Year's Eve concert.

If Jing Liuli is like this, then Tiandao, Caroline, and his sister Chenxing must also have their own trump cards and secrets that outsiders don't know about.

Without discussing this topic further, Chen Kong simply skipped it and asked about other things.

"Since your 'game console' can draw a small map of the surroundings and sense the presence of life around you, can you find other people? Just like you found me."

The more people there are, the greater the power.

This is a principle that Chen Kong heard from the Heavenly Dao when he was a child.

Although Heaven itself has never done that.

Mi Yao's answer, however, surprised Chen Kong.

Sorry, I can't find it.

Mi Yao explained, "My interface can only display 'hostile targets' and 'safe zones'; live signals are blocked by the gray fog."

"Unless they actively use the Star Source, the resulting energy fluctuations will only mark a temporary red dot on the map, but that might attract even higher-level monsters, and I don't want to take that risk."

Not long after Mi Yao finished speaking, several roars of the rotting vine corpses suddenly came from outside the cave where they were.

The sound was distant and indistinct, like it was chasing some prey.

Hearing these roars, Chen Kong subconsciously tried to stand up, his expression solemn.

In contrast, Mi Yao casually picked up his palm-sized 'game console' and opened it, which displayed a simple island map.

The map showed a dense cluster of red dots on the south bank, with a green 'safe campfire' icon marking their location.

"Don't panic, this cave has the 'terrain concealment' bonus, those stupid guys can't smell our scent."

While controlling a strange little character on the screen to move around on the map, Mi Yao calmly said, "The reason I was able to find you is because when you were knocked away by the Rotten Vine Corpse, the star energy fluctuations exploded like fireworks, making it hard not to notice you."

Upon receiving this answer, Chen Kong's tense mood completely relaxed.

And considering what Mi Yao said, that reality is also part of his 'game', Chen Kong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then what kind of game is Changsheng Island in your eyes?"

After thinking for a moment, Mi Yao gave a vague, yet surprisingly apt, answer.

"Survival game, difficulty: medium to high."

"Only slightly above average?!"

(End of this chapter)