Zhang Pingfan, sitting to the side, acted as if he hadn't heard anything, continuing to eat his meal. They knew he was a novice gamer, so this matter didn't concern him.
The meal wasn't particularly pleasant, but Zhang Pingfan did eat his fill, enjoying dishes he hadn't tasted before.
On the way back, Aunt Wang apologized.
"Little Zhang, I'm sorry. Auntie really had no choice!"
Zhang Pingfan replied, "It's fine. If you had told me beforehand, I could have figured out a way to help you deal with it. But ambushing me so suddenly, I really can't do anything!"
Li Yutong added, "I'm sorry. I don't know many men, so I had to trouble you tonight. Ah, a piece of gold-tier equipment isn't that easy to obtain!"
Gold-tier equipment?
Zhang Pingfan couldn't say he had an abundance of it, but as the village chief of the新手村 (xīnshǒu cūn - beginner village), he could certainly acquire it. But why should he help them?
Aunt Wang said, "It's okay, I'll think of another way. If all else fails, I'll have to purchase it at a high price. Yutong, keep a close eye on it in the game. If you find a way to get it, seize it!"
"Understood!"
Zhang Pingfan looked out the window. It wasn't that he didn't want to help; it was just that he felt a bit annoyed after being tricked.
Upon returning to the apartment, Zhang Pingfan didn't say much and went straight back to his room, locking the door.
In the living room, Aunt Wang and Li Yutong exchanged glances.
"I told you this wouldn't work, but you insisted. He's clearly upset!"
Aunt Wang responded, "I was afraid he wouldn't agree if he knew. It was a last resort. Who told you to spend all day playing games at home and not know any men?"
Li Yutong retorted, "Is this Zhang Kun guy crazy? I've only met him once!"
Aunt Wang sighed, "Never mind that. Let's let Little Zhang cool down. I'll apologize to him in a few days. You should go rest, and I need to get going too!"
"Okay, Auntie Wang. Goodbye!"
Zhang Pingfan heard their conversation clearly. He wasn't sure if his hearing had improved or if the soundproofing was just poor, but he heard every word.
Zhang Pingfan held the helmet.
"Forget it. What does their family's business have to do with me?"
Zhang Pingfan put on the helmet and entered the game. It was already 9 PM.
After being offline for so long, upon logging in, Zhang Pingfan felt as if he had entered the wrong place.
Stepping out of the small courtyard, he found himself in an ancient-style town.
This was no longer a village; it was clearly a small town.
[Ding! System Prompt: Level three village expansion completed. Reward: a pair of cloth shoes!]
He had expected the construction to finish tomorrow at the earliest. He hadn't anticipated it would be completed ahead of schedule. Were these players insane?
Zhang Pingfan looked at the cloth shoes in his hand. He felt no emotional response anymore.
Looking at the pair of beginner cloth shoes on his feet, he finally had something he could use.
Zhang Pingfan eagerly changed into the new cloth shoes.
They fit quite well, he had to admit!
[Ding! System Prompt: Please name the town!]
As expected, it was no longer a village but a town.
What would be a good name?
As someone as ordinary as himself, it was better to be low-key.
"Pingfan Town!"
[Ding! System Prompt: Naming successful. The village is officially named Pingfan Town!]
[Ding! System Prompt: The maximum level of wild monsters in Pingfan Town has been raised to level 30!]
[Ding! System Prompt: Pingfan Town is officially operational!]
In an instant, several system prompts left the online players stunned.
The original Beginner Village No. 88 was now history, transformed into Pingfan Town.
Furthermore, with the operation of Pingfan Town, many NPCs typically found only in major cities had spawned.
For example, equipment crafting NPCs, the auction house, class transfer mentors, and various other scattered NPCs.
Before Zhang Pingfan had confirmed the mission's completion, the entire town had been empty. Now, it was completely different.
"Damn, after a day of quests, it was finally worth the effort!"
"Absolutely. But it's all thanks to Brother Zhao Xin. If he hadn't pushed us, we wouldn't have finished the quest so quickly!"
"Yeah, that guy really worked hard. Seeing the village turn into a town, I feel a sense of accomplishment!"
"No doubt about it. This is a town we built with our own hands. I feel a sense of belonging!"
"Exactly, that's the feeling. We built it ourselves. I plan to never leave Pingfan Town!"
"Right. Anyway, the town has everything the main cities have. There's no need to compete with members of those large guilds for resources!"
The emergence of Pingfan Town amazed many players in the game.
"From a beginner village to a small town, the players from Beginner Village No. 88 have struck gold!"
"Yeah, the town has all the necessary functions. It's a shame we can't enter it!"
"I heard that the players from Beginner Village No. 88 made a fortune from this quest again!"
"Envy, nothing but envy!"
Zhang Mingfan walked through the town streets, with players greeting him everywhere.
"Village Chief, hello!"
"Mm, well done!"
"Village Chief, you've worked hard!"
"You've all worked hard too!"
Zhang Pingfan opened his character status interface.
After all, he was now the town chief. There should be some new features, shouldn't there?
However, upon opening his character status interface, Zhang Pingfan's expression immediately soured.
His name hadn't changed; he was still listed as Village Chief, though his position was now Town Chief.
This meant that players could only see the words "Village Chief" above his head, not "Town Chief."
"Seriously, couldn't you at least change my name? Village Chief is too low-tier!"
[Ding! Of course, you can change your name. It costs 10,000 gold coins per change!]
Zhang Pingfan exclaimed, "Why don't you just die? You don't have to rob people like this!"
[Ding! Lightning strike is ready. 3.2.1!]
Zhang Pingfan stood still. No matter how he ran, he would be struck. It was better to stand and take it.
"Whoosh!"
A bolt of lightning struck. Zhang Pingfan was covered in soot and emitting white smoke.
How could that hateful woman be so vengeful? If I catch you, I'll make you understand the suffering of the human world.
Apart from his name, his character status interface had undergone many changes.
His stamina and strength had significantly increased.
The attribute difference between a Village Chief and a Town Chief was a five-fold increase.
However, because Zhang Pingfan had accumulated so many free attribute points, his current attributes were terrifying.
After this doubling, Zhang Pingfan's health points had reached nearly 500,000, and his attack power was close to 100,000.
These formidable attributes made Zhang Pingfan feel invincible.
And this was just his base stats. With equipment bonuses, it would be even more terrifying.
The only problem was, why was his level still zero?