Chapter 030: Alliance

"Did you touch my computer?"
Li Gang didn't notice the fleeting blush on Lin Yan's cheek. Suddenly, as if he realized some tremendous secret had been discovered, he hurriedly asked.
Lin Yan grinned and replied, "I did more than just touch it—I took a good look. The contents are quite... varied, and the collection is pretty comprehensive."
At her words, Li Gang's face flushed instantly. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, bowing his head like a child caught doing something wrong.
What he hadn't considered was how Lin Yan managed to find the hidden folder on his computer.
"Have you never been in a relationship?" Lin Yan's eyes grew brighter as she observed his embarrassment. Suddenly, she asked the question.
"How did you know? Just because of what's on my computer?" Li Gang was surprised.
"Exactly. Usually, if someone has been in a relationship, had a girlfriend, they wouldn't bother downloading all that stuff, especially not in such a wide variety and quantity." Lin Yan nodded, then her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Besides, I can spot that strong single-dog aura on you from a mile away."
In truth, her main clue was that anyone who spent four years in college coming to the internet café alone every night couldn't possibly have a girlfriend.
What girl in her right mind would go for someone like that?
"You're right, I've never dated—I'm a single dog. What about you, Sister Lin?" Li Gang was at a loss for words—he had no way to refute her. But looking at Lin Yan, so pleased with herself, he admitted it openly and then ventured to ask.
Lin Yan immediately stopped smiling, seeming taken aback.
The truth was, she was just like him. Four years of silent acquaintance had shown her how alike they were in certain ways—both deeply lonely souls.
Lin Yan, too, spent every night at the internet café gaming, never having been in a relationship. Looking back on her life, she realized she was also a certified single dog.
"Um, let's change the subject." Lin Yan suddenly felt she shouldn't linger on this topic. Teasing Li Gang only made her feel like she was mocking herself, so she decisively steered the conversation away.
Li Gang was secretly delighted to learn that the girl of his dreams was also a lifelong single.
Come to think of it, it made sense. She was an FPS expert ranked in the top fifty.
For four years, she played games alone through the night. Aside from the occasional voice chat with teammates, she had no visible friendships—not even any female friends.

A girl like that, never having had a boyfriend, was perfectly normal.
As Li Gang and Lin Yan ate and chatted, the tension that had always plagued him gradually faded, allowing him to converse with her naturally.
Though the food could have fed three or four people, Lin Yan only ate a normal portion, leaving the rest for Li Gang.
"Li Gang, why don't we team up?" Lin Yan asked solemnly once he finished eating.
"Alright, I'll do as you say," Li Gang replied without hesitation, making it clear he would follow her lead.
After all, if not for Lin Yan that afternoon, he would have been done for.
Even during their chat, Lin Yan had revealed that she had guided those two to attack Li Gang—partly to test if he was truly capable of being her teammate, and partly just to see him, since otherwise he would probably have run off again.
She had made it clear that if he couldn't pass the test, he wouldn't be her teammate—she would never accept dead weight.
Li Gang was slightly startled, sensing an unspoken implication: if he had failed, she might have killed him herself—or maybe he was overthinking it.
But so what?
Li Gang still agreed without hesitation, for no other reason than that he liked her—he had liked her for four years.
Moreover, he trusted his instincts: Lin Yan was someone worth entrusting his back to.
In fact, Lin Yan had predicted Li Gang would take a certain escape route, which matched the one she planned to intercept, ensuring she would meet him first.
But to her surprise, Li Gang didn't flee as she had expected. Instead, he took the initiative, confronting Jia Tianming, who was closest.
Despite a few unexpected twists today, the outcome delighted her—especially Li Gang's performance against Jia Tianming and Chen Feng.
When Li Gang took Chen Feng's punch head-on and shrugged it off, Lin Yan realized he had chosen to strengthen his physical abilities, and his stats far surpassed Chen Feng's, at least exceeding a score of 300.
Just months ago, he had been no more than an ordinary college student—perhaps even less in her eyes, for at least ordinary people know life requires striving, not just drifting along.
Yet in little more than twenty days since the start of the game, he had grown so much. Lin Yan was both amazed and reassured that she had judged him rightly—they were indeed alike in certain ways.

Li Gang, too, had the potential to achieve what most could not.
He and Lin Yan exchanged a smile, formally allying themselves in this decade-long life-and-death hunting game.
Eight-thirty in the evening, fitness center lobby.
"Just as I thought—once we've officially teamed up, our personal data and information can be shared. The foundational Guidance Technique—Speed Chapter I acquired can be shared with you, and the Physical Chapter you obtained can be shared with me. That means we now both have access to two cultivation methods: speed and physical strength.
It seems the self-proclaimed 'god' doesn't forbid players from forming teams to hunt others—on the contrary, this probably makes the game more entertaining to watch."
Lin Yan opened her enhancement page, carefully reviewing the Physical Chapter Li Gang had just shared.
Li Gang also received the Speed Chapter from Lin Yan. After skimming through it, he turned his gaze back to her, feeling happy at her obvious delight.
In truth, he was not as thrilled about sharing training methods as Lin Yan seemed to be—unless one collected all four chapters to complete the foundational Guidance Technique, having one or two made little difference to him.
His thinking was simple: each method took roughly the same time to practice and couldn't be trained simultaneously. Dividing his time between two would mean slower progress in each; rather than splitting his efforts, he preferred to focus on one and quickly maximize his strength in that area.
While this approach would create an obvious imbalance, in the present environment, it was undoubtedly the best strategy.
The barrel principle tells us that the amount of water a barrel can hold depends on its shortest stave, emphasizing the importance of balanced development.
But once you're part of a team, you can view the team as a whole. If each member maximizes their greatest strength, the team as a unit grows much stronger—this is the path to rapid team advancement.
These thoughts were Li Gang's alone; he had no intention of telling Lin Yan just yet, not wanting to dampen her current excitement.
Lin Yan carefully read through the Physical Chapter, then turned to Li Gang.
She said, "Li Gang, could you show me your basic stats?"
Though phrased as a question, her tone was more of a command.