After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

Winters in Linhai City are characterized by a damp chill.

But for Shen Yi, this winter vacation of more than a month was the warmest and most reassuring time she had ever experienced in her life.

The annual holiday passed in the blink of an eye; the red lanterns on the streets hadn't even been taken down yet, and the return date had already been set.

The night before leaving Linhai, the family had dinner and, as usual, sat in the living room watching TV.

Zhou Qiaoyun sat on the sofa, handed the peeled orange to Shen Yi, and then casually broke off half of it and stuffed it into Lin Ye's hand, chatting about recent events among relatives.

"Speaking of which, Su Nian is really promising." Zhou Qiaoyun's tone was full of admiration and praise. "This afternoon, when I was chatting with some relatives, Su Nian's mother said that Su Nian is going to study abroad. She said that Ningchuan University's law school and a top university in Shuanglu Wulie have a very high-level joint training program. The places are very limited, with only one or two in the entire school."

Lin Changhe, holding a teacup, chimed in, "This shows that the girl is outstanding. Her grades in her major courses are said to be far ahead of the rest of the class. The college leaders personally spoke with her and her parents."

Zhou Qiaoyun nodded: "Yes, I heard that I don't even have to go through the complicated study abroad procedures myself. The school has given me the green light and handled everything for me. It's just a matter of a few days before or after the Chinese New Year. As soon as the visa is processed, I'll fly directly to Ukraine. I definitely won't be back for a while."

The elders discussed this as a joyous occasion for the younger generation of the family to bring honor to their ancestors.

In early spring, Ningchuan City is still cold, but the city has returned to its usual hustle and bustle.

Back in her rented apartment, Shen Yi resumed her nine-to-five study and work routine.

After a winter break, Shen Yi was radiant. She managed her internship at her new company very well, working diligently in her small space every morning and evening, while keeping her home clean and tidy as well.

That afternoon, Lin went out to throw out the trash. As he passed through the corridor, his gaze inadvertently fell on the security door across the hall.

That door had been closed for a long time, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the doormat outside.

It seems that Gu Qingxin has already moved away.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Lin Ye's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to a day after his battle with Chu Changqing before the Lunar New Year.

Gu Qingxin sat on the sofa in his living room, and Lin also asked about their relationship in "Star Abyss" and what they had experienced.

She remained as gentle and serene as ever, telling Lin Ye that the early days of "Star Abyss" were a world without any newbie protection, filled with strangeness and danger.

At the time, she was just a novice who knew nothing. When faced with things that defied common sense, she could do nothing but run away in fear.

In those most dangerous moments, it was Lin who pulled her back from the brink of death.

He not only saved her life, but also taught her many survival skills in that world.

That's why they became friends and maintained close contact in the game.

Lin also withdrew her gaze, turned around and walked back to the rented room, which was very quiet.

He walked to the sofa and sat down, his gaze falling on a water glass, his eyes gradually losing focus.

In the past few days, with Gu Qingxin's departure, strange images have begun to frequently pop into his mind.

The image depicts an ancient castle built of massive stones, its walls covered with an unidentified, lush green vine.

The surrounding colors were bright and vibrant, almost unrealistically beautiful.

Inside and outside the castle, many villagers dressed in retro coarse cloth clothing gathered, and everyone's face was filled with a simple and heartfelt happy smile. Some were playing cheerful musical instruments, while others were throwing colorful flower petals into the air.

A grand wedding is taking place here.

The newlyweds stood at the very center of the crowd, receiving blessings from everyone.

One was himself, and the other was the gentle-looking Gu Qingxin.

Each flashback in the past few days left Lin feeling confused and bewildered, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was all just his imagination.

Lin also took out his phone, and the screen immediately lit up: "Contact Gu Qingxin for me."

The voice of the Queen Mother of the West immediately came from the phone's speaker: "Mr. Lin Ye, the system has found that your terminal device does not have Gu Qingxin's valid contact number saved. We cannot establish a voice communication for you based on your name alone."

She continued to explain the reason: "According to Article 72 of the Supplementary Regulations of the Xiamen University of Commerce Citizens' Privacy Protection Act, in order to avoid malicious harassment of citizens in their daily lives, any private remote communication must be based on a contact number."

It was only then that Lin realized that although they had been neighbors for a month or two, they had not exchanged phone numbers.

The next moment, his figure sitting on the sofa disappeared into the rented room.

The riverside square in Ningchuan City.

In the open space in the center of the square, Zhao Qishan held a badminton racket and hit a shuttlecock towards the other side.

The young man Song Jing, standing opposite him, took a half step back, his racket leaving a blur in front of him as he blocked the shuttlecock.

The two of them came to Ningchuan before the Lunar New Year and spent most of their time in the city, except for the Lunar New Year holiday when they stayed in Linhai.

As the name "Muye" is recalled by more and more people, the two cities of Ningchuan and Linhai seem to have become the center of some kind of huge vortex.

Over the past few months, players of the Chen level from all over the world and belonging to different factions have been flocking to Lin Ye like moths to a flame.

Most of those people acted without any restraint. In order to prevent these high-risk individuals from causing trouble in the city, Zhao Qishan and Song Jing, as the top combat forces of Tian Shu, stayed in these two cities for a long time to keep order.

Lin also appeared at the riverside square. He knew that these two had arrived in Ningchuan at the same time as Gu Qingxin, and were most likely also from Tian Shu.

Just as Zhao Qishan was about to retaliate with a spike, he seemed to sense something and stopped moving with Song Jing, their gazes turning to the boy at the edge of the square.

"Do you know where Gu Qingxin went?" Lin asked bluntly.

Zhao Qishan slung the badminton racket over his shoulder: "She's gone on a mission."

"Where did you go?" Lin also pressed.

Zhao Qishan made no attempt to hide anything and readily uttered two words: "Fusang" (Japan).

A brief silence fell over the air. Zhao Qishan asked, "What do you want with her?"

Lin didn't answer, but instead asked, "Is there any way to contact her?"

Zhao Qishan was taken aback by this disregard, but being a seasoned veteran, he did not show any dissatisfaction. He frowned and pondered seriously for a moment.

"She is not currently within the territory of Xia Shang. Cross-border communications are already under close surveillance by various forces. In addition, the environment she went to this time is extremely special. To ensure secrecy and safety, most of the conventional means of communication have been cut off, making it impossible to easily contact her."

At this point, Zhao Qishan paused, then added a sentence that was half a suggestion and half a tentative one.

"If you have something very important to do, we can take you to her."