Piper let out a cold snort. "Who knows if this is just one of those tricks? I'm not falling for that." She stood up abruptly, ready to leave. "But, uh… we haven't paid the bill yet." Martin hesitated. Heaven & Earth wasn't cheap. Each visit easily started in the four digits. "I already paid five thousand for your hospital deposit, didn't I? You should still have some left." Piper replied coolly, "You can cover it for now." Martin's face darkened. "That's my emergency money. And there's barely anything left." He forced a pained smile. "Of course, it's not that I don't want to help… It's just that if I pay again, you'll feel bad, right? You're too kind for your own good." "No worries," Piper said impatiently. "Aiden bought me a few designer bags I've never even used. I'll sell one tomorrow and pay you back. Think of it as a loan." Martin's expression eased instantly. "That works." He still felt reluctant, but he knew Piper wasn't actually short on cash. Aiden had always been generous. As long as she batted her eyes a little, money would flow like water. Just her expenses over the past two years probably topped a million. In the end, Martin went to settle the bill. Before leaving, he couldn't resist reminding her, "It came to twelve hundred. Remember to pay me back once you've got the cash—I'm counting on it to stay alive." "Don't worry, you'll get every cent," she replied indifferently, though inwardly she found his nagging increasingly annoying. When had Martin turned into such a whiny man? "Piper, isn't Aiden coming to pick you up today?" One of her classmates came over carefully. They didn't know the details—only that Aiden would normally have a car waiting for her at this hour. Now, there was nothing. Just the cold wind biting through their coats. Hearing that, Piper grew even more irritated. She sneered. "Who cares if he comes or not? Does he think the world stops spinning without him?"With that, she left with a frosty look. We'll see who ends up needing whom. Aiden's little "playing hard to get" act was downright pathetic. When he came crawling back to apologize, she'd make him kneel before forgiving him—if she felt generous enough. What Piper didn't know was that Aiden had already blocked her on every platform imaginable. Apologize? If he didn't have more pressing things to handle in "Doomsday," he'd have given her a good slap or two by now. Still, before "Doomsday" officially launched, Aiden had already contacted his lawyer. They were gathering evidence and filing records. In a few days, every gift Piper had ever taken—every cent—would have to be returned in full. … The next morning, sunlight streamed across the city.Aiden logged into "Doomsday" as usual. Compared to yesterday's emptiness, Spawnpoint 9527 was now several times livelier. Most newcomers had been drawn in by the buzz on the gaming forums. A smaller number, however, were official personnel sent by Kroger's authorities. No matter who they were, everyone approached "Doomsday" with a hint of awe. The rumors weren't confirmed yet, but with people reportedly dying in droves, not even global governments could keep the truth completely buried. 'Level 1 zone, need a cleric. No newbies without experience.' 'Looking for a cleric—top-tier player from Glory Guild leading, currently 8 players waiting for one.' 'Elite team recruiting level 2+ players…' The shouts filled the air. Aside from a handful of overconfident experts, no one dared to grind alone anymore. Aiden watched the familiar chaos unfold and couldn't help feeling nostalgic. This—this was the true "Doomsday" experience. "Holy crap! A level 10 player?!" "He's number one on the leaderboard! How did he even level that fast?" "Bro, team up with us! We've got a whole squad of cute girls!" "Bro, take me with you… I can show you something fun!" The moment Aiden appeared, the entire spawn point erupted. Even though he'd masked his face, that glowing "Lv. 10" above his head couldn't be hidden. Hundreds of team invites flooded his screen until his head spun. He quickly switched to block all incoming requests, then strode straight for the gates. Seeing how decisively he moved, the players who'd planned to tail him and uncover his secrets immediately gave up. The area he was heading toward was crawling with level 5 elite monsters—one wrong move there meant instant death.No one was brave—or stupid—enough to take that risk. "Man, that guy's insane. Going into a danger zone like that? No wonder he's leveling so fast." "Some people are just built differently." They watched Aiden's silhouette vanish into the distance, sighing with envy before turning back to their own parties. Meanwhile, Aiden, with his 55 agility and uncanny movement patterns, weaved through the monsters with precision, never taking a hit. Without killing a single creature, he made his way to a massive ruin looming in the distance.