Chapter 8: Heaven and Earth

“Drawing a lottery?” Li Xin was slightly surprised; he hadn’t expected there to be a lottery in this game. But judging from the system’s message, it seemed there was only this one chance. Whether there would be another opportunity to trigger a lottery in the future was completely unknown.

One thing was certain, though: the rewards from the draw would surely be generous.

A seasoned gamer, Li Xin had experienced many draws and had gleaned some insights. In the usual lotteries, the chance of obtaining a top-tier treasure was just 1%. In the occasional lottery, this probability rose to 20%. In rare lotteries, it could even reach 50%.

Besides, he considered himself fairly lucky—sometimes even stumbling into fortune by sheer chance.

As he pondered, the scene before his eyes shifted, and a circular prize wheel appeared. There were no specific prize names, only twenty equally divided sections, randomly labeled: Common (9), Fine (5), Rare (4), and Epic (2).

“Tsk, the odds of hitting an Epic are pretty low—just 10% in theory. In practice, the odds are probably even slimmer. This is a headache,” Li Xin muttered, somewhat missing that vanished NPC. At least he could ask the NPC questions. Now, there was only the system’s curt messages and prompts—so impersonal.

Bang!

Headshot!

Li Lai excitedly claimed another kill, proudly showing off to Zhang Yufan beside him. In truth, he felt a little awkward—the expert had paused again for unknown reasons, giving him the chance to rush into his base for the kill.

He couldn’t figure it out, but he didn’t care. It was enough to score a few more kills while he could.

“Big bro? Big bro?” Zhang Yufan called Li Xin softly a few times. Seeing no response, he realized Li Xin was deep in thought and waited quietly by his side.

The two young men were full of curiosity about Li Xin. He was an enigma—his marksmanship was extraordinary, yet his behavior could be baffling at times.

Li Xin knew they were curious, but this lottery might influence the entire course of his game in the future. He had to be cautious—no, extremely cautious. He took ten deep breaths, letting the fresh air clear his mind. His thoughts gradually steadied, his breathing slowed.

“This is it!” Li Xin thought, issuing a silent command as he focused and pressed the ‘start’ button at the center of the wheel. The prize wheel spun rapidly, the panel a blur. Li Xin was tense but kept his eyes wide open, never letting the display out of sight. Most people would probably have closed their eyes by now.

The process was excruciating.

The spinning gradually slowed, the pointer lingering over each sector before moving on.

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Xin finally chose to close his eyes.

Ding!

[System Message]: Congratulations, player, you have drawn an Epic reward and obtained the special skill ‘Heaven and Earth’!

[System Message]: The reward has been added to your attributes panel and automatically fused with your system.

Epic!

“I did it!”

Li Xin shouted in excitement, startling Zhang Yufan and almost making Li Lai toss his mouse aside.

“Damn, bro, you scared me half to death! I thought you were possessed!” Li Lai grumbled, recovering.

Li Xin glanced at him and replied, exasperated, “Nothing like that. I just figured out a problem.”

“Thinking about problems while gaming? Aren’t you afraid your brain will explode?”

“Heh, it’s a habit,” Li Xin chuckled, paying no further attention to Li Lai. He turned his gaze to the bottom of the special skills panel on the right.

“Special Skill”: Heaven and Earth.

“Level”: Epic.

“Function”: With Heaven and Earth in hand, the world is mine. Heaven and Earth is Primordial Chaos, allowing the user to move freely in battle, shifting between countless forms of attack, and striking a lethal blow at any time.

“Status”: Inactive.

“….”

For a moment, Li Xin was stunned, as if he’d been petrified by Medusa’s gaze—only his eyes moved, proving he was still alive.

“Freely shifting forms of attack…” he murmured, beginning to understand. He was eager to try it right away.

“Activate Heaven and Earth!”

He issued the command in his heart, full of anticipation.

He waited a long time, but nothing happened.

Puzzled, he glanced over—the message box was flashing. He clicked it open.

[System Message]: The game is currently in cooldown; skills cannot be activated at this time.

Damn!

Li Xin almost swore out loud. So, once the game entered cooldown, he couldn’t do anything at all. He was about to say more when the screen changed rapidly; he knew the attributes panel was about to disappear.

“Damn it, I can only summon passively now. Who knows when I’ll level up enough to summon at will—that would make things so much easier.” With an awkward laugh, Li Xin looked back at the monitor. In the minute he’d been distracted, Li Lai had already shot him ten times. Still, the kid retained some honor and didn’t keep attacking while he was vulnerable.

“Li Lai, are you ready?” Li Xin grinned, his demeanor suddenly that of a devil. With a flourish, he manipulated the keyboard and mouse, transforming from a sturdy Navy SEAL into a nimble dragon, swiftly darting across the map and racking up kills.

Soon, the score was Defenders 60, Attackers 17.

A complete victory.

Li Lai was already tearing up, devastated yet exhilarated. Li Xin’s firing technique was exactly the “triple-tap burst” he had always dreamed of mastering!

Neither Li Lai nor Zhang Yufan noticed when Li Xin had left; they were still lost in awe at the mastery of the “triple-tap burst.”

The car engine roared, and Li Xin quickly vanished into the bustling traffic.

At the entrance of the Yaolan Spring Market, a pair of clear, radiant eyes watched him leave.

“Who is he?”

The soft, melodious voice belonged to a young woman dressed casually. Her long, slender eyebrows hinted at resolve, and her neat ponytail only accentuated her capable air.

“He’s really strong—stronger than many professional players. If he joined a club and trained, he’d definitely become a new gun king.” Her brow furrowed as she spoke, her words curious.

She was about to drive after him when a distant voice called out. With a sigh, she turned to leave.

“He’s a medicine dealer here to restock. He seems familiar with the place—must be a regular. I’ll just wait here for him.”

“Wait, I remember the words ‘Bai Family Herbal Garden’ on his medicine bag. Well, I’ll just go ask about him.”

She smiled radiantly, her charm dazzling, and skipped off into the depths of the medicine market.

…

Back at Mingran Pharmacy, two young apprentices rushed out to help unload. Inside, many customers were already waiting for their prescriptions. Li Xin felt a little sheepish, realizing he’d been so caught up in fun that he’d forgotten about the shop.

He apologized awkwardly to Doctor Chu, then turned to leave. He wasn’t much of a boss—profit wasn’t even his top priority.

“Tsk, it’s just a game anyway. I should focus—money really is king.”

“Heh, if only I could marry a wife and have a child soon. That would at least continue the Li family line.”

Suddenly, Li Xin’s face turned pale, a hint of desolation in his expression.

“With my current health, marrying anyone would be unfair to her,” he muttered with a bitter smile, shaking his head before heading toward the Yuxin Restaurant on the west side of the street. It wasn’t yet the usual opening hour, but he was genuinely hungry—and, if he was honest, he was a little nostalgic for the restaurant’s delicate waitress.