After Jiang Ming finished his meal and washed the dishes, he walked over to the computer and entered the URL.
As soon as the page loaded, a registration form popped up.
It asked for an ID number.
Jiang Ming quickly searched online for a usable one, entered it, and to his surprise, it worked.
[Card Master Special Affairs Forum]
Jiang Ming browsed through the forum. It was filled with videos of supernatural battles, some from foreign regions. Many of them had shocking thumbnails—gruesome, bloody, even outright disturbing.
He clicked on one of the most popular videos.
A Black man appeared on screen. Judging by his accent, he wasn't from the Canadian area, but luckily he spoke the Federal language, so Jiang Ming could understand him.
"Our tribe is saved!""A miracle has come!"
The man spun in circles, laughing and crying, eyes wide with frenzied joy.
He turned the camera around.
A woman stood on a stage, dressed in colorful local ethnic clothing. A line of tribesmen waited below her, each holding a bowl. As each person approached, the woman simply swiped her hand over their bowl—instantly, it filled with water.
One after another, the tribespeople dropped to their knees, bowing toward her and crying out in worship.
The video cut off there.
Jiang Ming narrowed his eyes. That woman's natal card must have water-related abilities—probably linked to the Mountain and Seas, granting her the power to summon or create water at will.
The villagers clearly saw her as divine.
Before he could process more, a text message arrived.
"Brother Ming, have you seen it?"
It was from Fan Huai.
Jiang Ming replied: "I watched one."
Immediately after, a video call came through.
As soon as the screen lit up, Fan Huai burst out, "Damn, Brother Ming, is your phone ten years old? The quality is terrible!"
Jiang Ming's face went flat. "Cut the crap. What do you want?"
Fan Huai composed himself. His smile faded as he spoke seriously, "Search Sanjiang City. And don't hang up."
Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow, then typed it in.
Dozens of results popped up instantly.
"The one with the most likes."
Jiang Ming tapped the top video. The thumbnail showed a wide river.
Wait... it looked like Huilong River—the largest river in Sanjiang City.
He played the video. It started from a drone's point of view, panning smoothly over the river.
A young man's voice rang out.
"Brothers, my ability is unbeatable. I can control machines with my mind. Right now, I can only control small stuff like drones, but once I level up, commanding an entire mechanical army won't just be a dream!"
Jiang Ming rolled his eyes. Just another boastful kid showing off.
But then, the drone dipped lower, its camera focusing on the river's surface.
Jiang Ming instinctively hit pause.
Something massive moved beneath the water—a shadow charging upward.
He resumed the video, then quickly paused again as the shadow broke the surface.
"A fish?"
Jiang Ming muttered aloud.
No, not just any fish. The head alone was nearly ten meters wide.
He played it again.
The massive fish burst from the water and swallowed the drone whole.
The screen went black.
Then the boy's scream echoed.
"Ahhhhh—"
End of video.
"Did you finish watching, Brother Ming?"
"Yeah."
Jiang Ming closed the video and frowned. It was obvious Fan Huai wanted him to see the fish. He asked, "Do you know where that thing came from?"
"Brother Ming, remember what's next to my house?"
"…Pet shop."
Fan Huai nodded. Fear flickered in his eyes. "Right. Last night, all the animals in that store mutated—just like that fish."
Jiang Ming's eyes widened. "Wait. You're saying they were that big?"
Fan Huai hesitated, then shook his head. "No, not that big."
"Then what?"
"Last night, I was asleep when the dog started barking. It got louder and louder until it woke me up. I opened the window to check…"
"And you got scared?"
Fan Huai yanked the quilt up around himself and shook his head. "No."
Jiang Ming raised a brow, clearly not buying it.
"…Okay, yes," Fan Huai admitted. "But you don't understand how creepy they looked. The pets were like zombies, with glowing green eyes. It was disgusting and terrifying."
"Did anyone catch them?"
"I don't know. Not long after, a bunch of guys in windbreakers showed up with the police. I stopped watching after that."
Jiang Ming set his phone down and offered some advice. "If those mutant pets ran off, they're probably not coming back. Tell your parents to stay inside for a while."
"Got it. By the way, Brother Ming, what's the quality of your awakened natal card?"
"Ordinary quality."
"Are you for real?"
Jiang Ming picked up the phone again, holding it to his face with a suspicious look. "Are you so scared you just want someone to talk to?"
"No way. I'm out. See you at school."
Fan Huai hung up.
Jiang Ming put the phone aside and continued browsing the forum, specifically looking for more videos about animal mutations.
He found several.
Mutant animals had appeared all across the Federation. But none of them looked like the zombie-like creatures Fan Huai described.
Most were just larger in size—more threatening, sure, but still recognizable as normal animals.
Nothing with glowing green eyes or necrotic decay.
Once he realized there was no new valuable information, Jiang Ming switched gears. He started looking up first aid for ankle sprains and wilderness survival tips.
He wasn't sure if his injury would still be present once he entered the game again. Better to prepare now than regret it later.
Soon, evening rolled in.
Just as he was finishing dinner, floating text appeared again—just like last time.
[Blue Star Card Master Update: Version 1.01 Patch Notes]
1. Players can now choose whether or not to enter the dungeon. Entry time is fixed at 00:00:00 every night. While in the dungeon, real-world time pauses. Upon exit, players' physical states are restored. However, death in-game will result in a random loss of experience and a refreshed resurrection point.
2. A game map and friend system have been added. You can now search for players by in-game name. Game regions are divided into 9999 zones. Players can move between zones.
3. Game Easter Egg Event: Random animals on Blue Star have mutated and increased in size. Players who defeat them will receive surprise rewards. Good luck!
Jiang Ming put down his knife and frowned in thought.
The first note confirmed it—his injury would still be there when entering the dungeon.
The second suggested that teaming up would become more important. Thankfully, he had changed his game name earlier. No need to worry about being recognized.
But it was the third update that made his brows furrow deeply.
The notice only mentioned size increase. The videos he watched earlier showed just that—animals growing larger.
So what were those zombie creatures Fan Huai described?
That wasn't normal. Not even close.
A chill ran down his spine.
He quickly typed a message to Fan Huai.
"The zombie animals you saw might've been caused by someone's natal card abilities. Stay alert."
"Waaaah, thank you Brother Ming, love you~"
Jiang Ming turned off the screen immediately. No need to traumatize himself further.
He began prepping dinner.
Same as usual—mashed potato rice.
He shoved the last bite in with a groan of frustration. "Once there's a legit trade channel for material cards, I'm selling the [Fang] card first thing. I can't take this potato rice anymore."
He hadn't dared go out for part-time work lately. The world outside was getting too dangerous.
After dinner, he leaned by the window, gazing at the neon-lit skyscrapers in the distance.
His thoughts drifted to the dungeon.
What should he do once he enters tonight?
He played out multiple scenarios in his mind, strategizing, planning.
Before he knew it, the clock struck midnight.
A clear, mechanical voice rang in his ears.
"Do you want to enter the dungeon?"
Jiang Ming answered calmly.
"Yes."