Chapter One: The Mandate of Heaven

  "The fully virtual game 'Tianyun' developed jointly by countries including Z, M, Y, F, D, and R will officially start running in three days. 'Tianyun' brings together the latest technological advancements from various countries, replacing traditional keyboard and mouse controls with virtual devices that allow brain waves to control gameplay, providing players with a truly immersive experience. The person in charge of 'Tianyun' claims that this has transcended the concept of gaming. Players entering the virtual world are not just playing games, but experiencing life within it. ...Today, 'Tianyun' began selling virtual devices, and the long lines at sales points are already beyond explosive... If you're interested, be sure to buy a virtual device and experience this new way of living for yourself."

  Looking at the screen advertisement on the building, Chu Rui's mouth corner involuntarily revealed a sly smile.

  A faint vibration came from the pocket of the clothes, and when I took it out, a special symbol was displayed on it.

  "Isn't it being considered anymore?"

  The line connected, and after a moment of silence, a voice finally came through. It was soft and subtle, but enough to drive all men crazy.

  "I've already thought it through!"

  Chu Rui smiled lightly and didn't seem entranced by the voice at all, saying calmly.

  "Is that so!... Can you tell me what you're going to do?"

  After a moment of silence, the woman on the other end of the phone spoke up.

  "What's up?" Chu Rui looked up at the huge screen that was still advertising "Tianyun" and smiled softly, "Maybe it's time to enter Tianyun! After being tired for so long, I should finally relax properly."

  "I see! I understand now!... Farewell, Blood Shadow!"

  Hearing the dial tone on the phone, Chu Rui lifted his head and let out a soft sigh. His career as an assassin had finally come to an end after all these years.

  That's right, Chu Rui is a killer, known as the super killer "Blood Hand Ghost Shadow". He is currently the supreme in the world of killers, with a 100% completion rate for his tasks. Even the Secretary of State of Country M and the Prime Minister of Country R have been assassinated by him, the king of killers. However, all this has become history. The current Chu Rui is no longer the killer king "Blood Hand Ghost Shadow", but just an ordinary person who yearns for a normal life. Back then, he became a killer only because of certain reasons. Now that he can finally break free from his past, he naturally wants to live a normal life. After completing his last task, he immediately returned to his home country.

  He hung up the phone and threw it into the trash can. Now that he was no longer a wanted man, there was no need to keep the phone anymore. The woman who had just called was the intermediary who had been in contact with him. Since the promise had been fulfilled, he had regained his freedom and could do whatever he wanted from now on.

  Dragging his luggage, Chu Rui arrived at a real estate sales center. With money, ghosts can grind mills, and he quickly settled his housing problem.

  A small district, an ordinary two-bedroom apartment, Chu Rui furnished it and left some living expenses for himself, then donated all his savings. As a young orphan, he was once taken in by an orphanage to survive, and now he still feels grateful for that. After being an assassin for so many years, killing so many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen, the rewards he received were very generous. The amount he donated was at least hundreds of millions, in US dollars. However, he didn't care about these things. From his past experiences, he knew how desperate it was to be an orphan. Now that he had food and a place to live, that was enough. It was more meaningful to donate the money than to let capitalists use it in banks.

  After completing a certain operation, Chu Rui looked at the five-digit savings on his account displayed on the computer and smiled faintly. He took out a gold card, glanced at it, and put it in the bottom of the drawer. This was a Swiss bank's overdraft card, which could be overdrawn up to $10 billion. However, if he used this card, many people would likely know his location.

  "Right, and then there's also gaming equipment and tuition fees. Wipe this amount of money enough?"

  Suddenly, two things came to mind, and Chu Rui couldn't help but slap his forehead, his face slightly twitching. From the age of 15 when he became an assassin, until now at 18, he had never truly experienced school life. This time back in his hometown, he didn't want to leave any regrets for his own life, so he wanted to experience university life. However, it was currently summer break, and the new semester wouldn't start for over a month, which meant there was still some time left. The most pressing matter that needed to be resolved was his gaming equipment.

  Thinking of this, Chu Rui put on his clothes and immediately went out.

  Withdrew 10,000 RMB from the bank and rushed straight to the game console sales point.

  Looking at the long queue in front of him, Chu Rui couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. Is this for real? It's so exaggerated! The traffic is even jammed because of it. Damn, does SH really have that many people?!

  He cursed under his breath, and Chu Rui also had no choice but to line up. Looking at the people inside the sales point, he couldn't help but feel envious. "Damn it," he thought, "it's so hot outside, and those people in line at least have air conditioning blowing on them. Unlike us, standing tragically under the scorching sun." He wiped his sweat lightly, and even with Chu Rui's endurance, he was still unbearably hot. Those who were less physically fit were even more miserable, and frantically pouring ice water into their stomachs was of no use. Some people had already fainted from heatstroke.

  It took nearly three hours of queuing to finally enter the sales hall. Looking at more than 20 sales points, Chu Rui suddenly had a headache. Damn it, with so many sales points and still queuing for so long, how many people are there?!

  He took a deep breath and calmed his restless heart. After waiting quietly for about twenty minutes, it was finally his turn.

  "Hello sir, which device do you need?"

  The salesgirl at the counter asked with a smile and very politely.

  "Hmm, I'm not very clear about this, what types are there?"

  Chu Rui was taken aback, awkwardly rubbed his head and asked.

  "There are three types of gaming devices. The standard type costs 2,000 RMB with a virtual reality level of 90%; the mid-range type costs 5,000 RMB with a virtual reality level of 93%; the high-end type costs 10,000 RMB with a virtual reality level of 95%; and the top-of-the-line type costs 100,000 RMB with a virtual reality level of 98%. Which one do you need?"

  "Give me a high-end one!"

  Chu Rui smiled helplessly and handed over 10,000 RMB he had just withdrawn from the bank.

  "Alright! Would you like to pick it up now or have our staff deliver it to your home?"

  "Let's take delivery now!"

  Filled out a form, took one **, Chu Rui left the sales point with a box in his arms.

  Went to the bank again to withdraw some money, bought some daily necessities, and then returned home.

  After putting away the daily necessities in the fridge and bathroom, Chu Rui returned to his room, turned on the air conditioner, and opened the box with great anticipation.

  An exceptionally exquisite helmet similar to a motorcycle helmet, with a silver-white body shape that is very dazzling. Picked up the manual, took a look, connected the wires according to what was said on it, and Chu Rui directly put it on and turned on the power source.

  Everything went black before Chu Rui, and he seemed to have directly entered a pitch-black space-time. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, with stars twinkling above, making it seem as if he was in the midst of an endless universe. After floating for a while, there was suddenly a bright light before his eyes, and a strong beam of light came forth, causing him to involuntarily close his eyes.

  A fragrance wafted over, causing Chu Rui's nose to move involuntarily. Opening his eyes, Chu Rui was astonished to find himself in a small valley that seemed like a paradise on earth.

  "Hello, welcome to the world of 'Tianyun', the game is not yet open, you can create your own profession!"

  A sweet and beautiful female voice entered Chu Rui's ears, causing him to pause for a moment. Although this electronic synthesized voice was sweet and pleasant to listen to, it lacked a bit of human touch, which was really disappointing.

  "What careers can I choose from?"

  "Heavenly Fate" is divided into the usual seven major occupations - Knights, Warriors, Mages, Thieves, Archers, Summoners and Clerics.

  As the electronic synthesized voice sounded, a seven-star halo appeared in front of Chu Rui, with carvings of seven figures on it. A proud knight riding a fine horse, guarding everything; an iron-blooded warrior charging forward with a large knife; a high and mighty magician surrounded by elemental spirits; a charming thief dressed in black, holding a dagger, lurking in the darkness; an agile archer standing among the trees, drawing his bow and arrow; a summoner with a fierce beast crouching beside him and a strange bird flying above his head; a priest wearing white robes, holding a staff, radiating holy light all over his body!

  Here is the translation:

  One by one, looking at the introductions under various professions. Knights are good at defense and belong to meat shield professions; Warriors are good at charging and belong to mediocre professions; Mages are remote professions and can even reverse the sky in the later stages, but they are relatively weak; Thieves are stealthy and agile, with skills such as sneak attacks and ambushes; Archers are also remote professions, but unlike mages, archers are physical ranged attackers with excellent agility and can set up traps for themselves. Summoners summon monsters to fight for themselves through contracts, their own abilities are not outstanding, most of them have skills that give buffs to themselves or their summoned creatures; While Clerics are nannies who can give buffs to teammates, the most important thing is their healing ability!

  Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Chu Rui flipped through the pages one by one. When the thief's carving lit up, he raised his head and looked at the black figure that seemed to have come back to life. His heart was stunned by the pair of blood-red eyeballs staring straight at him, and the ferocious dagger in his hand seemed to be calling out to him with an insatiable thirst for blood.

  It seems that even if I'm no longer a killer, my body and mind can't get rid of it!

  A helpless smile, Chu Rui had made up his mind to become a thief!

  "Congratulations on choosing a career successfully! The following will scan your physical strength and determine your growth attributes!"

  …………