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One crucial point is that all the gear in Wang Qi's Private Server can be obtained by defeating monsters. Even the junk gear from the store in the city can handle elite monsters, with a drop rate of 0.001%. As for the major bosses, the drop rate is slightly higher, around 0.01%, which is almost nonexistent. Wang Qi couldn't help but admire Liu Chao's luck. With such low odds, he managed to get so many items. Wang Qi even considered suggesting Liu Chao try his luck with the lottery. Looking around, a few people were playing Counter-Strike, while the rest were engrossed in their own Legend Private Servers. Wang Qi was quite satisfied with this outcome. He unlocked the auto-play feature and started coding while also connecting to the server. For now, the internet café's server could handle the current load, but Wang Qi knew that if things continued to grow, it would become unplayable in just 2 or 3 days. Soon, Wang Qi found a reputable company online. After some negotiation, he managed to rent server space for six months at an acceptable price, even though the company's minimum rental period was usually a year. Wang Qi was breaking new ground here. A year? Completely unnecessary. In the near future, Wang Qi planned to sell his Private Server package. While money wasn't an issue, he wasn't going to spend unnecessarily. After wiring the payment, Wang Qi returned to the café to continue tweaking the code. He also helped Liu Chao with some in-game items, which made Liu Chao so happy he could have jumped up and bitten someone. "Hey, what's going on? Why is there maintenance now?" "Man, I was just about to beat the boss, and I got kicked offline." As soon as Wang Qi finished everything, shutting down the current server and uploading data to the new one, the internet café erupted. All the players started shouting. "Mr. Qi, what's this about..." Even Liu Chao looked at Wang Qi with disappointment. "I added some new features and switched to a new server. You wouldn't understand even if I explained, so just think of it as fixing the game's lag," Wang Qi replied. "Awesome. So, Mr. Qi, when will the server be back up? I'm in the middle of a guild war. Let me tell you, this new armor set is insane. They couldn't take me down even with seven or eight people," Liu Chao said, grinning from ear to ear.

After heading out to send the money transfer, Wang Qi returned to the gaming café to continue revising the code. While he was at it, he helped Liu Chao grind out a few things, making Liu Chao so happy he looked like he might jump up and bite someone. "Hey! What's going on? Why is it going into maintenance?" "Damn it! I was about to kill the monster. Why did it kick me offline?" By the time Wang Qi finished everything, shut down the current server, and uploaded the data to the new server, the gaming café erupted. Players started shouting all at once. "Mr. Qi, what are you doing?" Even Liu Chao looked at Wang Qi with a disappointed expression. "I added some new gameplay and switched to a new private server. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it, so just think of it as me fixing the lag," Wang Qi said. "That's insane. Mr. Qi, when is it going back online? I'm in the middle of a war with a guild. I'm telling you, this Celestial set is way too strong. Seven or eight of them still couldn't take me down," Liu Chao said, grinning as he talked. "Nice, keep it up. But it's time for us to head home and get some sleep." Noticing it was already past 9:00 p.m., Wang Qi knew if he didn't say anything, Liu Chao might end up pulling an all-nighter again. "Hey! The server's back up. The leaderboard. Damn, Liu Chao is ranked first in power." "What leaderboard? Damn, Liu Chao, you're amazing. Even the leader of the Blood Fury Brotherhood is behind you." "Guys, after the maintenance, it's running smoother than the official server." Just as Liu Chao was about to leave the café with Wang Qi, he heard someone shout that the server was back up, and he immediately refused to budge. "Heh heh. Mr. Qi, how about you head home first? I just want to play a little longer," Liu Chao asked with a grin. "Come on, you have a computer at home. Go play there," Wang Qi said, rolling his eyes. "Home doesn't have the same vibe as a gaming café. Don't worry, I'll just play for another hour," Liu Chao said, pressing his palms together in a gesture of promise. "Do you want me to delete your character right now?" Wang Qi asked, raising an eyebrow teasingly. "No, no, no, I'm leaving, I'm leaving." Liu Chao's face turned pale at the threat, and he quickly logged off and left the café with Wang Qi. As he entered the house, Wang Qi saw the living room lights still on. His young parents were chatting on the sofa, and his heart tightened with emotion. In his previous life, he had never been able to give them a comfortable retirement, and the guilt had followed him for years. Now that life had given him a second chance, he was determined to make sure they lived well this time. "Dad, Mom, you're still up?" Wang Qi asked. "Oh, our young master Qi is back. Where have you been?" his mother, Li Fengxia, asked with a playful smile. "What else? Of course I was at evening study," Wang Qi replied, lying without missing a beat, a skill he had practiced since childhood. "You're full of it. If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll think you can do whatever you want," Li Fengxia snapped, springing up from the couch and pointing at Wang Qi. "Wang, get him."

Following his wife's command, Wang Qi's father, Wang Zhong, stood up and reached for his belt. Uh-oh. The belt was right there. "Wait, wait, Dad, hold on. I'm eighteen now. You can't just hit me without a reason," Wang Qi said, quickly backing away with a sheepish grin. "Sleeping in class, skipping study hall. What's gotten into you, young man? Your mom and I work tirelessly to send you to school, and this is how you repay us?" Wang Zhong's expression was stern, his belt tightly gripped in his hand. It must have been Lee Yan who came for a home visit. No wonder his parents were still up, waiting in the living room at this hour. If nothing changes, he's definitely in for a beating today, and that's just not right. "Come on, Dad, let me explain. You send me to school so I can get into a good college, land a great job, and make lots of money for a better life, right?" Wang Qi pleaded, continuing to back away. "You still remember, huh? Not studying, wanting to end up like your mom and me, working ourselves to the bone for barely any money?" Wang Zhong advanced, threatening, "Stop right there. You dare run from me?" "Dad, I admit I skipped school and slept in, but I was out making money. Can I at least explain?" Finally cornered, Wang Qi had no choice but to grin sheepishly and grab Wang Zhong's hand, trying to defend himself. "Making money? Our family doesn't need you to make money. Let go of me, let go," Wang Zhong said, not giving Wang Qi a chance. Before long, the two were wrestling, and Wang Qi seized the opportunity to lay his cards on the table. "Are you telling me you're rolling in cash now? Kid, do you even know what you're saying? Your mom and I can't save $10,000 in a year, and you're saying you've got tens of thousands in your account?" Wang Zhong was skeptical of Wang Qi's claims. "Hand me your phone. Let's check the account." With that, Wang Qi reached into his dad's pocket, pulled out the phone, and started fiddling with it. Back in 2003, online and phone banking weren't available yet, but with the spread of cell phones, there was a service to check balances via text, though it cost $1 each time.

If nothing unexpected happened, it looked like he was going to take a beating today, and that was not right.

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