Heroes' Prison

Chapter 960 - 908 Past

"Boss, a bowl of spicy snails, a bowl of crayfish, and a case of beer." Li Qiang said to the owner of the food stall, leading Huang Yi and Monkey to find a spot by the river to sit down.

It wasn’t long before the owner personally brought the supper over.

The snails were steaming, fragrant, with plenty of red chili. The snail meat was dripped with chili oil, reflecting an enticing sheen, making it perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

"Come on! Suck the snails!" Li Qiang swallowed his saliva and directly reached for a snail, putting it in his mouth to suck.

His movements were skillful, and with a gentle suck, the snail meat responded by entering his mouth, leaving just an empty shell, which he casually tossed into the river.

Huang Yi and Monkey, hungry for half a day, their stomachs rumbling, each grabbed a snail and started to suck as well.

Huang Yi rarely ate snails, but these were made very well and were easy to suck out. The meat was well-seasoned, just the right amount of spiciness, tender and chewy.

Li Qiang skillfully opened three bottles of beer, handing one each to Huang Yi and Monkey, saying, "Come, cheers!"

The three of them clinked their bottles, making a clear clinking sound, and drank directly from the beer bottles.

The cool river breeze blowing by, along with the chilled beer, drove away much of the summer heat at once.

"Brother Qiang, are you going to stay up all night tonight?" Monkey asked while putting down the beer bottle.

Li Qiang nodded and replied, "All night, yes! I’m going to join the army tomorrow, got a train ticket for eight in the morning, so tonight I’m going to play Legend one last time before I can’t play after joining the army."

"You’re leaving tomorrow?" Monkey was slightly surprised, his hand reaching for the crayfish stopping mid-air, staring at Li Qiang.

"Yeah!" Li Qiang’s expression turned somewhat somber, "I don’t have credentials, I’ve been doing odd jobs for the past few years, it’s not going anywhere like this. Joining the army is at least a path."

"Then I might as well stay up all night, spend one last night with you," Monkey said, turning to Huang Yi, "Brother, are you staying up all night tonight?"

Huang Yi sucked down a snail and nodded, "Sure! Whether it’s Legend or World of Warcraft, I’m cool with it."

Li Qiang took a big gulp of beer, looking at the vast river water, sighed, "I’ve played Legend for five years, wasted my youth, and I can’t play in the army. When I come back, I don’t know if Legend will even be around. By then, I’ll have to find a wife, get married, have a kid, and work hard to earn money."

Monkey chuckled, "Even if Legend is still around, who knows what it’s turned into, domestic games are all about making money. Still, World of Warcraft is good, a few cents an hour, everyone’s on equal footing."

"That’s true, now playing Legend, it doesn’t feel as fun as before," Li Qiang said, with a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, "Back then, killing monsters, lighting candles, holding the Eight Wilds, wearing a 1-1 helmet, a 0-1 outfit, drinking from a bottle, but playing with passion. Now, if you’re willing to spend money, you can get any legendary equipment, no fun at all."

"People playing games now are also very utilitarian. When I played games in the past, people were very good to each other," Monkey sucked out a snail, looked at Li Qiang and asked, "Brother Qiang, what’s your most unforgettable experience in Legend?"

"The most unforgettable experience, huh!" Li Qiang looked at the river water under the night sky and said softly, "My most unforgettable experience was many years ago. I remember back then I was just a level 31 little mage, killing monsters in Demon-Seal, and a level 22 young female mage came along, she was called Little Ce Ce. Her account was weak and often got killed by black maggots. She would die constantly, and constantly come back, from Demon-Seal City to the Hall of Overlord, how far is that! Yet each time she got killed, she would run back and start again. Later, I took her leveling up, she followed me for two days and nights, I liked her a lot, we fell in love in the game, that was my first online romance. But then one day, she never came online again. All these years, every time I log on, the first thing I check is if she’s online, but I’ve never seen her. Now, I miss her so much! That was in 2001, hehe! Those were the days, I really miss that girl called Little Ce Ce."

The dim yellow light from the food stall shone on Li Qiang’s face, his gaze fixed on the river, seemingly lost in long-past memories. A gust of night wind blew, rippling the river water, much like Li Qiang’s gaze.

Monkey also seemed to be drawn into memories of the past, saying, "When I first started playing World of Warcraft, I was only over ten levels. One night, I saw online that you could run The Deadmines, so I ran to the outside of The Deadmines, wanting to team up for a dungeon. Clicking randomly, I actually teamed up with a level 60 max-level priest! The priest didn’t talk much, knowing it was my first time running a dungeon, he guided me, and in some dangerous places, he would briefly point out what to watch out for. Just like that, he and I ran the dungeon all night. The next morning, I said see you tomorrow when going offline. He replied there wouldn’t be a next time; he was leaving the game. He said if we were meant to be, he gave me all his gold coins. The next day, I didn’t see him online, and never saw him again. Because of this, every time I see a priest player, I feel something special. I’ve been playing World of Warcraft for so long, tried every class, but never played a priest, I can’t really explain why."

Li Qiang withdrew his gaze, opened another bottle of beer, and said, "Come, let’s toast. Tomorrow I’m leaving, let’s enjoy tonight. Once I get back from service, you, Monkey, should be off to college, who knows if we’ll see each other again."

With that, the three of them took another drink.

Night deepened, the food stall was already empty, the table in front of Huang Yi and his friends was covered with empty beer bottles. The bowl of snails and crayfish left only some leftovers, the three of them were full and satisfied as they sat on plastic chairs.

"Full and satisfied, let’s go!" Li Qiang said, turning to look at Huang Yi and Monkey, "You two go back to the internet café first, I’ll go pick up my luggage, then I’ll join you at the café, we’ll stay up all night till morning, and then I’ll leave with my stuff." With that, he stood up to settle the bill with the owner.

Huang Yi and Monkey, on the other hand, stepped towards the internet café under the streetlights.

The night was already very deep, the roadside night snack shops had long since closed, their footsteps echoed down the quiet night.

Few cars passed by on the road, and when one occasionally drove by, the bright headlights made their shadows flicker, resembling a scene from a dream.

"There exists a peculiar merchant, selling absurd dreams, comforting the discontented, listening buyers rush. Ask not when dreams awake, joy lies within dreams, what is life? A hundred years, a dream." Monkey suddenly recited a poem, looking at the empty street, "Sometimes, I really wonder, is there truly a parallel space in this world, where everything remains the same. Like the Emerald Dream in World of Warcraft, preserving the game’s original state, all our memories are there."

"Parallel world... Emerald Dream? There’s such a place?" Huang Yi was stunned, turning to look at Monkey.

"Yes, the Emerald Dream, a legendary place in World of Warcraft," Monkey nodded, "In World of Warcraft, we call it Azeroth Continent, in the Emerald Dream, there’s an identical Azeroth Continent. However, the Azeroth Continent in the Emerald Dream hasn’t been interfered with by players, everything remains in its original state."

Huang Yi’s heart stirred, thinking of Sharp Sword.

He had been pondering how Sharp Sword could possess the ability to enter another server to obtain those Legendary Epic equipment.

Now it seems, if The Second World also has a place similar to the Emerald Dream, even more complete, more complex, more like a real world, and if Sharp Sword knows the entrance to such a place, he could acquire the same equipment!

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Some have asked if these Chapters are my gaming experiences over the years. Some indeed are my experiences, but some are stories of others’ gaming experiences I found online. Actually, I’ve hardly played Legend and World of Warcraft, especially Legend; I’ve only been in once. My highest level account in World of Warcraft was just over level 60, and that was with someone else carrying me.

The depictions of Legend and World of Warcraft in the text, including place names, skills, class names, etc., were written with me checking data while writing. I personally think they should be quite realistic and accurate; I’m not sure if there are any factual errors. Some friends might be very familiar with these two games, and if they notice any mistakes, please forgive me.

The experiences of Monkey and Li Qiang were ones I found online, reminding me of my memories playing other games, so I wrote them in. Although the games we played were different, the feeling was the same. People who haven’t played many games might not understand that feeling, playing with friends slowly leaving, the scenery is still the same as it once was, but the people are gone. I once wrote an article about my gaming experiences called ’A Game for One,’ which I posted in the related works section. Interested friends can check it out.