Delta: Mandel Bricks drop right at the start!

At eight o'clock on the morning of the third day, Lin Rui was woken up by a phone call from an unknown number.

The phone number's location is displayed as local, and the prefix indicates it's a bank's customer service hotline.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lin Rui?"

"Um."

"Hello, I'm Wang Lin, a customer manager at Xinghua Bank's Hongyun Road branch. We've noticed a significant transaction in your account recently. We'd like to invite you to the branch to complete the VIP customer upgrade process. Would that be convenient for you?"

Lin Rui switched his phone to his other hand and rubbed his still-sleepy eyes. "What VIP client?"

"Your current account balance has met the eligibility criteria for our Golden Sunflower Wealth Management clients. We will assign you a dedicated account manager and provide you with priority access and professional wealth management services."

The other party used very polite language: "If you have some free time today, please come to the branch, have a coffee, and sign a few papers."

"Okay, this afternoon then."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Rui opened the bank's mobile app and glanced at his balance.

Last night before going to bed, the number was 16,840,000; now it's 17,230,000.

The difference is the amount received after several pieces of equipment are sold at the auction house overnight.

He turned off the phone app and went to wash up.

As the toothbrush brushes across the teeth, the tactile sensation on the gums is amplified several times over, and the minty coolness in the toothpaste foam also differentiates into subtle layers, spreading one by one on the tip of the tongue.

He went out in the morning.

I went downstairs to the convenience store to pay this month's water, electricity, and gas bills in cash. The cashier counted the change three times when I was getting my change.

"Why does this hundred-yuan note look so new?"

"Just picked it up."

After leaving the convenience store, he turned towards the bank, passing a breakfast stall at the entrance of the residential area, where the proprietress was pouring batter onto a hot griddle.

The heat of the cooking oil, the sizzling sound of the batter forming a skin, the ratio of fermented bean paste to minced garlic in the sauce—every detail became extremely clear in his perception.

He bought a pancake with sausage and egg, and ate it as he walked.

The Hongyun Road branch has a small storefront, but the interior is decorated quite nicely.

As soon as Lin Rui entered, someone came up to greet him. It was a young woman in a business suit with a name tag that read "Account Manager Wang Lin".

"Mr. Lin, is that right? I just called you. This way, please, the VIP room is inside."

The VIP room has individual sofas and coffee tables, with freshly ground coffee and several plates of snacks on the table.

Wang Lin sat down opposite him with a tablet computer and pulled up Lin Rui's account information.

Her gaze lingered briefly on the balance figure on the screen, she leaned forward slightly, and her smile became much more genuine.

"Mr. Lin, we have verified the source of your funds. It is a conversion of game assets from Dingdian Interactive, which is compliant and legal, and there is no problem."

She turned the tablet around for Lin Rui to see, "Your current daily balance has exceeded the threshold for Golden Sunflower customers. I suggest you open a VIP account. You can contact me directly for any large transfers, financial management, or consumption needs in the future."

"Are there any specific benefits?"

"Exclusive lanes to avoid queuing, free interbank transfers, higher interest rates on large-denomination certificates of deposit, and regular events for high-end clients."

She paused for a moment, then added, "In addition, if you have plans to buy a house or a car, we can provide a fast-track approval process."

"Buying a house..." Lin Rui put a coffee bean in his mouth, crushed it, and let the bitter aroma spread in his mouth. He didn't reply.

Seeing that he didn't intend to respond, Wang Lin stopped talking and quickly completed the upgrade procedures.

The new VIP card has a matte black background with a gold-plated logo, and its texture and weight are completely different from the old, dusty card.

Lin Rui returned the old card and put the new one into his wallet.

The sun was shining brightly as I left the bank.

He stood on the sidewalk of Hongyun Road, looked down at the golden card in his hand, and then looked up at the high-rise buildings across the street.

In the distance, there is a residential building under construction, with a tower crane slowly rotating on the roof. A sign reads "City Center Large Flat, Average Price 38,000/sqm".

Based on this average price, a 150-square-meter apartment would cost approximately 5.7 million yuan.

He had over 17 million in his account. After paying in full, he still had over 10 million left.

He didn't go to see the house; now wasn't the time.

My level is not yet 15, I haven't unlocked the affix plundering feature, and I haven't figured out all the system's capabilities.

Until the upper limit is clear, buying a house can be postponed.

On his way back to his rented room, he passed an electronics store with the latest neural link virtual reality headset on display in the window, priced at 12,000 yuan.

The one he was using was an older model from last year, with significantly lower resolution and haptic feedback accuracy. After standing still for three seconds, he pushed open the door and went inside.

"Do you have this helmet in stock?"

The shop assistant was checking the bills behind the counter when she glanced up at Lin Rui's ordinary clothes and pointed to the display stand.

"We have an unsealed demo unit; you can try it on and see how it works."

"No need to try."

Lin Rui took out the newly issued black VIP card with gold emblem and pushed it onto the glass counter.

"Give me a brand new, unopened one, swipe your card."

The shop assistant's eyes fell on the golden sunflower logo on the card.

He immediately put down the bill in his hand and put on a professional and enthusiastic smile.

"Yes, sir! Please wait a moment, I'll go to the warehouse and get you the new machine!"

Ten minutes later, Lin Rui walked out of the electronics store carrying a hard-shell box.

He didn't even think much about the PIN when he swiped the card for 12,000.

Back in his rented room, he unpacked the new helmet.

The workmanship of the device is much more refined than the old model, and the inner lining is made of memory foam, which fits the contours of the face very comfortably.

The neural interface has been upgraded from four channels to eight channels, theoretically doubling the resolution of haptic feedback.

While I was setting up the helmet, my phone popped up with another bank notification.

「您尾号3367的帐户于14:23入帐2，340，000.00元。来源：顶点互动游戏资产结算。」

Another batch of equipment was sold at the auction house.

He opened his mobile banking app, and his balance was refreshed to: 19,067,300.00 yuan.

It's almost 20 million.

Three days ago, the balance was 286 yuan.

He put down his phone, picked up the new helmet, put it on, and adjusted a few parameters.

The new device has extremely high screen clarity; even the screw threads on the walls of the game lobby are clearly visible, giving the entire visual experience a fresh new look.

A system panel pops up, and a line of text appears in the center of the view:

[Current Level: 14. Remaining experience required to unlock "Affix Plunder" at level 15: 1,400.]

To gain 1400 experience points, you'll need approximately five to seven kills and one successful evacuation at Dam Zero.

Based on his efficiency these past few rounds, he can finish it within half an hour.

Just as he was about to press the match button, there was a knock on the door.

Knock knock, knock knock knock, knock. It's that "Awei who's always slacking off" next door.

"Bro! Are you there? I just saw you coming back with a big box by the window. Bought new gear?"

Lin Rui's finger hovered over the match button, but he neither pressed it nor made a sound.

The voices outside continued: "That's quite a commotion! Is it a new helmet? I heard the startup sound! The flagship model, right? It'd be awesome for Delta Force!"

"No, I won't lend it to you," Lin Rui replied, facing the door.

There was a two-second silence outside the door.

The hushed voice came through the door.

"Who borrowed from you... Did you add me as a game friend? The note said, 'Wei the Slacker,' five words, don't forget!"

Lin Rui's gaze fell on the crumpled piece of paper on the table.

The handwriting is crooked and messy.

He closed the matchmaking interface, casually opened the friend search bar, and typed in these five words.

Click Add.

Going to Dam Zero in the next round, it wouldn't be a bad thing to bring along some ready-made cannon fodder to scout ahead.