The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Once the idea took hold, it could no longer be contained.

The desolation always seems to be concealed: "In the real world, I have nowhere to escape."

"But with Wasteland Era, I might still have a glimmer of hope!"

Thinking of this, the sorrowful man, who was trying to cover up his true feelings, no longer cared about the threat outside the door. He rolled away from the door and crawled to the bedside, grabbing the silver helmet from the bedside table.

I put on the helmet, and everything went black.

[Connecting to Wasteland Era...]

[Identity verification successful...]

Welcome back, player 'Sorrow Always Trying to Cover Up'.

A cold system notification sound rang out, and the familiar, noisy game environment sounds instantly enveloped him.

The desolation was always trying to hide, but when he suddenly opened his eyes, he found himself at the respawn point in the safe zone.

Without thinking twice, he took off running towards the center of the safe zone.

The grocery store! I have to get to that grocery store right now!

The streets of the safe zone were bustling with people, and the sounds of players hawking their wares and chatting filled the air, creating a prosperous scene.

But the sorrow he tried to conceal only made it more obvious, and at that moment he had no time to pay attention to these things; his heart was still in his throat.

Just as he ran across an intersection, several huge billboards made of light screens suddenly appeared on the walls of buildings next to the street, attracting a large number of players to stop and watch.

The sorrow, though seemingly concealed, was only more apparent when I glanced at it subconsciously.

With just one glance, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

At the very top of that light screen, in bold, blood-red font, was a line of large characters that sent chills down his spine.

[Mad Dog Guild's Highest Bounty!]

Below the bounty poster was a name he knew all too well.

[Looking for player "Mo Fang." Anyone providing useful information such as recent activity patterns will be rewarded with 1 Source Crystals upon verification!]

Anyone who provides their accurate location or crucial information leading to their successful capture will be rewarded with 200 million Source Crystals upon verification!

"Mo Fang."

This was his old ID.

After swindling Jin Buhuan out of that huge sum of money, he immediately changed his name to the current "Sadness Always Trying to Cover Up".

He thought that this way he could completely erase the traces of the past without anyone noticing.

But he never expected...

"A madman! That madman Jin Buhuan!"

The desolation was always trying to hide, but looking at the glaring number "200 million", he cursed out loud, his voice trembling.

"I only swindled a few million source crystals from you! Is it really worth going to such lengths to get me?!"

God knows how many people have claimed the bounty these past few days, though they try to cover up their sorrow by believing they've hidden it well.

However, he was also unsure if he might have been careless at times.

But the other party is clearly trying to use money to crush him to death!

The sadness I tried to hide only made it more obvious. Now I finally understand why I was found so quickly even when I was hiding in reality.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

With rewards of tens of thousands, or even up to two million, of Source Crystals, I wonder how many people will be tempted by money!

Even the best of relatives and friends can betray him in the face of such a huge fortune.

Not to mention those who know his former ID "Mo Fang.", those players who have seen him before, teamed up with him, or even just passed by him on the street and had a vague impression of him, would probably rush to package all his information and sell it to the Mad Dog Guild!

His true identity is probably no secret for a long time!

A bone-chilling cold completely swept over his entire body.

He was betrayed.

He was betrayed by a group of greedy strangers.

In the instant he was lost in thought, a player next to him who had just finished reading the bounty notice happened to turn his head and glance at him unintentionally.

The man suddenly exclaimed "Huh?" as if he thought the man looked familiar.

A sudden pang of sorrow gripped my heart, and without thinking further, I turned and rushed into the alleyway beside me.

Just then, a somewhat uncertain shout came from behind him.

"Mo Fang.?"

That hesitant cry, like a thunderclap, exploded in my ears, where sorrow was always trying to be concealed.

His body reacted faster than his brain; almost reflexively, he suddenly ducked down, like a startled wild beast, and plunged deeper into the alley without a care.

The player behind him was stunned by his intense reaction, and then a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

"It can't be wrong!"

"Absolutely no mistake!"

"If it wasn't the person in question, why would they be so terrified?"

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately opened his friend list, found an ID he had added a few days ago with the nickname "Mad Dog Guild - Bounty Contact", and quickly sent a message.

[Location: East District Commercial Street, alley next to the intersection with 7th Avenue! I think I've found 'Mo Fang'! He changed his name to 'Sadness Always Trying to Cover Up'! I'm running deeper into the alley!]

After sending the message, he didn't even have time to wait for the other party's reply.

Two million Source Crystals!

That's no small amount; it's a huge sum that can completely change a person's life!

Thinking of this, the random player could no longer contain his excitement. He pushed off with his legs and chased after the desolate figure at full speed!

"Don't you dare run away with my two million."

The sound of two hurried footsteps echoed through the alley, one in front and one behind, one fleeing and one chasing.

My heart pounded wildly, as if trying to conceal my sorrow, and it felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.

He could clearly hear the relentless footsteps behind him, the sound like a death knell, sending chills down his spine.

The sorrow, which was always trying to conceal, suddenly came to an abrupt halt. He turned around and stared intently at the figure chasing after him, letting out a low growl like that of a wild beast.

"Damn it! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're mentally unstable! If you're sick, don't come to me, I'm not a veterinarian!"

However, the player who had chased after him, upon hearing his angry curses, not only did not get angry, but instead grinned, revealing an excited smile that was almost distorted.

"Haha, you're getting anxious! Your anxiety just means I haven't admitted my mistake!"

As the man approached, he locked onto him with the eyes of someone eyeing prey: "You're Mo Fang! Don't think I won't recognize you just because you changed your name! With that sleazy face of yours, it's hard not to notice you!"

"Fuck your mother, you're the pervert, your whole family is perverted!" The other party's confident attitude completely shattered the last shred of hope that the desolate man was trying to cover up.

The desolation, which always seemed to be concealing its true nature, left the mind blank, leaving only the madness of being driven to the brink of despair.

He cursed loudly, "There are so many weapons in the Dragon Kingdom, why did you insist on learning the sword! You didn't practice the superior sword, you practiced the inferior sword; you didn't practice the iron sword, you practiced the silver sword, and finally you reached the state of oneness with the sword, becoming a sword-man!"

His desolation, barely concealed, was palpable as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. Seeing that the other party remained unfazed, he continued his hysterical roar: "I bet the one Zhuge Liang borrowed on the straw boats was you!"

However, the random player simply picked at his ear without paying any attention.

He didn't even stop walking; instead, the smile on his face became even more mocking.

"So what?"

"What else can we do?"