Bound by Favors

Ren Yi stared at the ridiculous membership pricing on his phone screen, his mouth twitching incessantly.

He looked Zhang Qiuqiu up and down again, his tone laced with a hint of genuine awe as he couldn't help but speak up.

"So, anyway, Class Monitor..."

"Are you really that rich?"

He knew she was from a wealthy family, but was she really this wealthy?

He glanced over at Lu Zihan beside him.

Come to think of it, Old Lu here was also a young master from a family of landlords.

Strictly speaking, Ren Yi hadn't really seen much evidence of a wealth gap within The Alliance.

Even with families as wealthy as Zhang Qiuqiu's or Lu Zihan's, it didn't seem like they paved the way for their descendants by providing an unlimited supply of energy crystals.

Everyone seemed to start from scratch, following the same routine of school and work.

It was just that the content of that school and work was a bit hardcore.

As for the reason, from a micro perspective, it was likely because "value" wasn't a particularly important concept in the life of an Anomaly.

Humans would die without food, but if an Anomaly didn't consume energy crystals, they simply wouldn't get stronger.

However, under The Alliance's value-based education, Ren Yi hadn't yet met an Anomaly who was content to just slack off like that.

From a macro perspective, it was probably because The Alliance's "cake" was large enough, and there were plenty of external contradictions to divert any internal pressure.

Anyway, enough with the political musings.

So, between the business scion Class Monitor and the landed gentry Old Lu, whose family was actually richer?

He was starting to get curious.

At that moment, Zhang Qiuqiu coughed quickly, fearing Ren Yi might actually be foolish enough to pay. She hurriedly explained.

"Uh, you definitely shouldn't buy it directly here. Getting a solo subscription is a total rip-off; you'd be a complete sucker."

"You have to wait for discounts or group buys, like during the Double Four Shopping Festival and things like that."

"Besides, mine isn't a solo subscription. It's a family plan bundled with my mom's and grandmother's. I don't have to pay a cent myself."

She paused and then patiently added, "Actually, if you just want one for daily use, a standard membership is more than enough."

"My mom told me there isn't much difference between the basic identification results of a standard member and a Platinum Member. It's mostly just the scope of identification."

"Rare items or rule-level objects from worlds with exceptionally powerful power systems can't be identified by standard members. You need Platinum Member permissions to unlock those."

"So, we don't really have a use for it yet."

"And one more thing—in some Instances with strict rules, the app will be suppressed by the rules and become completely unusable regardless of your membership tier."

"But those extreme cases are rare, so don't worry too much about it."

Lu Zihan nodded along, scratching the back of his head as he chimed in. "I see. I didn't know there was a family plan. My parents never mentioned it."

"I'll ask them when I get back and see if they have a subscription. I'll just hitch a ride on their account to save myself some money."

Ren Yi nodded as well. "Then I'll go back and ask..."

Ding!

Before he could finish his sentence, a crisp chime suddenly rang out from the phone in his palm.

The screen lit up instantly, and a push notification popped up without warning, looking exceptionally bright in the dim twilight.

Ren Yi instinctively looked down.

【Respected Platinum Member, your membership has been credited. Please check your account.】

Before he could even react, several identical notification sounds rang out beside him.

Lu Zihan and Lord Cha also pulled out their phones. As soon as they opened the Anomaly Appraisal app, they saw the exact same notification.

The two looked at each other and simultaneously blurted out, "Holy crap!"

"I just got a notification for a free Platinum membership—for a whole year!" Lu Zihan's voice was filled with disbelief.

The group exchanged looks for a few seconds, all realizing something at once. A silence fell over them.

The timing of this membership was too perfect. One moment they were complaining about the price, and the next, it was credited to their accounts.

No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like the Anomaly Web had been eavesdropping on their conversation from the shadows.

Lu Zihan shook his head as if trying to force down some absurd thought, muttering, "No way, no way. A big boss like the Anomaly Web would definitely have more class than that."

"Yeah, how could it be so bored that it would eavesdrop on a few freshmen... probably."

Ren Yi stared at the screen for a few seconds, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He couldn't help but sigh with genuine feeling.

"The Anomaly Web is truly a good Anomaly."

He silently repented in his heart, offering his most sincere apologies for his previous petty thoughts about the Anomaly Web being hands-off or unreliable.

It cared! It cared very much!

Ren Yi felt that he could handle a few more of these buggy Instances in the future if this was how it went.

Simply put, the compensation was just too good.

But then a strange feeling flickered in his mind.

Why did he suddenly feel like he was bound by favors, unable to speak up against it anymore?