Han Lei pinched himself hard, and immediately winced in pain, confirming that it wasn't a dream.

"You look a lot like a buddy I had in elementary school, named Han Lei. I just came over to ask," Nie Yan said, his gaze sweeping across Han Lei's face. This guy was still the same old bear, unchanged. The mage robe on him looked particularly awkward.

"I am indeed Han Lei, so who are you?" Han Lei said, stunned. Could it be that Mad Rogue Nie Yan actually knew him?

"I'm Nie Yan," Nie Yan said with a smile.

"I know you're Nie Yan..." Han Lei's voice suddenly caught in his throat as he looked at Nie Yan in disbelief. "You're Nie Yan?!"

Nie Yan nodded with a smile.

Han Lei slapped Nie Yan's shoulder in unrestrained joy, sizing him up non-stop. The more he looked, the more it seemed right. "Damn, you're awesome, kid! Mad Rogue Nie Yan, overlord of the entire Greenland Empire, is actually you? It's unbelievable! Back then, you..."

Han Lei gestured to indicate height. Back then, Nie Yan was truly very small, but now, Nie Yan was already very tall and strong, and with every gesture, he exuded an indescribable aura of a master.

Perhaps it was because Mad Rogue Nie Yan's name was too resounding, but unconsciously, Han Lei felt a sense of reverence. However, the two were childhood buddies, very familiar with each other, and this sense of closeness dissolved the awkwardness between them.

"What about that kid Tang Yao? How's he been lately?" Han Lei asked.

"Tang Yao? You know Ya Zi?" Nie Yan said with a smile.

"Damn, that kid wouldn't be Ya Zi, would he?" Han Lei said, his eyes wide with shock. "That kid's skills aren't even as good as mine, and he's actually Ya Zi, who's been at the top of the level rankings for over half a year? What kind of world is this?!"

The name Ya Zi was also quite famous in the Greenland Empire.

Tang Yao and Nie Yan, these two childhood playmates, had both become so awesome, which made Han Lei’s brain a little overloaded for a moment.

Nie Yan chuckled. Han Lei's way of speaking was still the same as before.

"By the way, how did you recognize me?" Han Lei asked. He still felt a little mystical about how Nie Yan had recognized him.

"A feeling. Your appearance, way of speaking, and tone all have a unique charm," Nie Yan said jokingly.

Han Lei thought about it. It seemed like what Nie Yan said made a little sense, so he didn't pursue the reason.

"Interested in joining the Niu Ren Tribe (Amazing People Tribe)?"

"Of course. It's good to be under a big tree," Han Lei said with a grin, gladly accepting Nie Yan's invitation.

"But you have to pass the Niu Ren Tribe's test. I'll get you some equipment," Nie Yan said. If Han Lei was polite with him, he would feel uncomfortable instead.

"As long as I have equipment, the test is a piece of cake," Han Lei said confidently. "I also have a group of brothers."

"Let them come over too," Nie Yan said. He still vividly remembered those people from his previous team, Fatty, Spicy Babe, and Doctor. He wondered how those guys were doing.

In his previous life, they formed a team together and went through many things, finally going their separate ways. Many regrets could finally be made up for in this life. Back then, Nie Yan was hunted down by the Triumph Empire (Kai Xuan Empire), which affected the team and put them in danger. Nie Yan still felt very guilty about it.

"Great, it's great that you're willing to take them in," Han Lei said happily. With Nie Yan's words, he felt relieved.

While they were chatting, five players walked towards Nie Yan and Han Lei. They didn't notice Nie Yan, who was wearing a black robe, only exposing his head. A player wearing a white priest robe walked up to Han Lei and greeted him. "Leader Fanhua (Prosperity), how's it going? Have you sold most of the stuff?"

"Wow, no way. You haven't sold a single item," a hot, red leather-clad girl said, shaking her head and clicking her tongue.

"I told you, setting up a stall wouldn't work. Let's just put them in the auction house. Although the handling fee is a bit expensive, at least a lot of people will see them, and we don't have to negotiate prices." The priest turned his head inadvertently and saw Nie Yan's face, which startled him. He pointed at Nie Yan and said, "You... aren't you..." He couldn't say anything for a long time, and suddenly realized that his actions were a little too abrupt, so he quickly withdrew his hand.

The hot girl noticed that something was wrong with the doctor next to her, glanced at Nie Yan, and turned her head to talk to Han Lei, when she suddenly realized something and immediately shifted her gaze to Nie Yan's face.

"Niu Ren Tribe... Mad Rogue Nie Yan?" The girl had an incredulous look on her face.

The gazes of the other players fell on Nie Yan's face and could no longer be moved away, as if they had seen a ghost.

Seeing the reactions of his teammates, a slight smile appeared on the corner of Han Lei's mouth. These guys' expressions were even more unbearable than his just now. They were scared, right? Han Lei chuckled inwardly.

"Okay, be normal, don't be so embarrassing," Han Lei said, pretending to be calm.

"Ahem," a fat warrior next to him looked at Han Lei. "Leader, do you guys know each other?"

"He's my brother," Han Lei said, looking at the expressions of Fatty, Spicy Babe, Doctor, and the others with some playfulness.

"Mad Rogue Nie Yan, Leader's brother?" Fatty was a little dizzy. He looked at Spicy Babe and Doctor, still unable to believe it.

When Spicy Babe and Doctor looked at Han Lei, their eyes began to sparkle. In their impression, Han Lei was a careless guy, righteous, but sometimes he was annoying, showing off even the smallest things. But at this time, they were completely convinced. To have a friend like Mad Rogue Nie Yan, but to keep it a secret, their leader was truly low-key.

"Leader, I'm starting to admire you a little. You're so secretive," Spicy Babe said bluntly. She was quite good-looking, with a slightly open collar revealing a deep cleavage, which looked very tempting and made people's blood boil. The leather armor was relatively short, revealing her sexy belly button. Don't be fooled by Spicy Babe's sexiness, thinking she was a gentle little woman. She was a complete tomboy, more crazy than men in many ways, a total firecracker.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. Not at all," Han Lei said with a smile, feeling a little embarrassed with Nie Yan by his side.

Nie Yan chuckled. He knew Han Lei's character very well, but Han Lei was very loyal, which was what Nie Yan admired most about him, so he didn't expose him.

Nie Yan looked at the equipment on their bodies. Their average level was already over 110, but most of the equipment on their bodies was at level 90 or so, with only a few pieces of equipment above level 100. This was quite normal. There were more and more players reaching level 100, but the drop rate of equipment above level 100 was relatively low, so many players were still wearing equipment from level 90 or so.

In his previous life, when Nie Yan reached level 100, he didn't have a single piece of equipment above level 100. Han Lei, Spicy Babe, Fatty, and Doctor helped him put it together piece by piece. As a result, they were in debt for a long time. Although others also contributed, it wasn't much. Therefore, Nie Yan had a particularly good relationship with Han Lei, Spicy Babe, Fatty, and Doctor.

"Get ready. In a few days, we'll go to join the Niu Ren Tribe. When everyone participates in the Niu Ren Tribe's assessment, don't be embarrassed," Han Lei said with a smile.

"Actually, there's absolutely no problem passing that test with our skills. We'll definitely pass, but the equipment is not good. A skilled woman can't cook without rice," Fatty said a little awkwardly. There were only six of them in total, and they couldn't even form a team. There was no way to go to a dungeon. They couldn't get good equipment just by grinding monsters. As for the good equipment sold in the auction house, it was too expensive for them to afford.

"Equipment is easy to handle. I'll have my people send it over to you," Nie Yan said. He could just take out a few pieces of equipment, and Han Lei and the others would probably be ecstatic.

"That's a bit embarrassing," Fatty said, feeling a little uneasy.

Spicy Babe and Doctor also agreed with Fatty. After all, they weren't very familiar with Nie Yan, and they felt a little bad about receiving so many things from him for nothing.

If it was the relationship from their previous life, Fatty, Spicy Babe, and Doctor would definitely not be so polite with him.

Thinking of this, Nie Yan couldn't help but sigh. The kind of friendship from his previous life, where they could scold, tease, and joke around as they pleased, might be gone forever.

"Han Lei is my brother. We grew up wearing split pants together. Don't be polite with me. Just consider these equipment as borrowed, and you have to return them to me after you've used them. When you join the Niu Ren Tribe, you'll be considered people of the Niu Ren Tribe," Nie Yan explained.

Nie Yan's words moved Han Lei a little. They were still very young when they were together, and after so many years, Nie Yan had already reached such a position, but he still remembered the friendship from their childhood. Han Lei secretly vowed that Nie Yan would be his brother for life.

Spicy Babe, Doctor, Fatty, and the others looked at each other and pondered for a moment.

Doctor said, "Since Leader Nie Yan has said so, we won't be polite. If you need anything in the future, you can tell us brothers at any time."

"Yeah," Nie Yan nodded. It was temporarily impossible to make Doctor and the others as casual as they were in his previous life, so he gave up on the idea.

A moment later, a Niu Ren Tribe player came over with a large pile of equipment, all of which were at least level 100 or above, Dark Gold grade. These things were nothing to Nie Yan. The Niu Ren Tribe's guild warehouse was full of them, but for Han Lei, Spicy Babe, Doctor, Fatty, and the others, their significance was completely different.

After putting on these equipment, their leveling speed could be increased by at least five or six times, and their magic damage, defense, and so on would far exceed the standards of players of the same level. They could even go to the square and recruit people to form teams to go to dungeons themselves. When they wanted to join those ordinary teams, those teams would welcome them before they even had the chance to reject them.

Seeing these equipment, Spicy Babe, Doctor, Fatty, and the others were very excited. They knew that these things were what they had been dreaming of but couldn't get.

"Brother, thank you," Han Lei said, placing his right hand on Nie Yan's shoulder with emotion.