Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 155
“Eh? This kind of elevator door… an old-fashioned model? I’ve never seen one. Let me have a look.”
Seeing Hidden Blade block the shaft entrance, Xu Feiyu immediately stepped up to him.
Off to the side, He Xiaowei’s forehead was already beaded with sweat.
He had no idea what was happening with Zhou Qian’s group below. The shaft was so deep—what if they couldn’t hear anything up here? And if they could hear but had run into ghosts and were pinned down, unable to haul up the ropes, what then?
Only by sheer will did He Xiaowei manage to keep calm. He maintained an unruffled expression as Xu Feiyu approached the opening.
The next instant he saw his Master, Hidden Blade, sidestep out of the way and let Xu Feiyu reach the gate.
At that moment He Xiaowei finally relaxed: only the rope Hidden Blade had just tied remained visible. The other lines were gone. He exhaled silently.
“Master, I never realized you’re such a daredevil—each stunt riskier than the last…”
He Xiaowei swallowed and whispered through the private-chat tool.
At a distance Hidden Blade shot him a glance. “Mainly, you have to trust your teammates.”
Right—who was down below? Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.
He Xiaowei believed he could always trust Zhou Qian.
The very next second Xu Feiyu gave a startled cry and dodged aside as something floated up the shaft: scraps of spirit-money and powdery flakes that looked like crushed bone.
“What the hell…” Xu Feiyu frowned.
Hidden Blade gave her a cold look. “I think we’d better go down and check.”
“I’ll send two men with you,” she said, motioning to two subordinates. Then to the remaining one. “You—search the office floors. And—”
She fixed Hidden Blade with a stare. “No tricks. We have ways to deal with you.”
Hidden Blade feigned puzzlement. “We’re on the same team now. We can’t attack each other. Why the threat?”
Then, as though understanding, he added, “Ah, I get it.”
Only then did Xu Feiyu realize she’d said too much: her men were present, and if she admitted having bands of other colors, she’d be telling them that once their numbers exceeded the instance limit, she might kill them.
Seeing her face, Hidden Blade said, “Since I’m in your camp I’ll help you—together with my disciple, who’s also my Shepherd. We’ll give you what you want, you guarantee we survive to the end.”
In veiled words he meant: if violet’s numbers grew too large, she must not kill him and He Xiaowei.
Xu Feiyu, pleased he hadn’t spoken openly, smiled. “You’re a god-level player; that’s your strongest bargaining chip. I value talent. After the run, you’re welcome in our legion.”
[Wristband update — Orange 9 | Yellow 23 | Green 25 | Blue 19 | Indigo 14 | Violet 25]
Eighteen floors beneath the office building.
Glancing at the notice, Zhou Qian instantly guessed what had happened—yellow was down by one, so He Xiaowei had switched to purple, and Hidden Blade had put on a band as well.
Looking away from the panel he told Bai Zhou, “Seems we should head for the underground river. Good news, though—Little Dragon’s found a lot of weapons. I’ve told it to sneak back.”
Bai Zhou had already relayed everything from the roof via private chat. He nodded and led the way. Qi Liuxing, sword in hand, took the rear.
The transport company’s building sat high.
Following the subterranean river, Zhou Qian soon entered a ravine that looked much like Purple Mist Mountain.
Keeping alert, he asked Bai Zhou, “You heard Hidden Blade the moment he noticed something?”
“Mm. His first words to He Xiaowei weren’t on private channel,” Bai Zhou replied.
Through the comm Zhou Qian mused, “And you prepared right away?”
Bai Zhou opened his mouth and shut it again. “So…?”
“So you two coordinate pretty smoothly.”
Zhou Qian dimmed his torch, shining through his sleeve to minimize exposure. While being able to illuminate the path clearly, he also tried to reduce the possibility of exposure.
He stared at bai Zhou and added, “How many runs have you two cleared together?”
Bai Zhou sensed a trap. “……”
Zhou Qian sighed theatrically. “You’re dodging me now, Zhou Ge.”
Bai Shou: “I just think your question is loaded.”
Zhou Qian laughed. “What trap? Don’t worry, I won’t get jealous.”
Bai Zhou paused. “Not many—twenty-odd. Mostly farming repeats.”
“Remembered that clearly?” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes.
Bai Zhou smiled gently. “See? Whatever I say…”
If he refused, he looked evasive; if the number was small he’d be told he remembered too well, if large it was worse. It was like that old “who would you save” dilemma—only now Zhou Qian had found a fresh angle.
“Zhou Ge, you misunderstand.” Zhou Qian’s eyes sparkled. “He’s in my legion now—we’re teammates. I need chemistry with him too. Next time I’m running twenty instances with him.”
Bai Zhou frowned and clasped his hand. “Pick any instance. I’ll go with you.”
“I want to go with Hidden Blade. We’re less in sync.”
“If Hidden Blade goes, He Xiaowei trials with him. They’ll team together.”
Zhou Qian squeezed Bai Zhou’s hand. “Why not just admit you’re jealous?”
No sooner were the words out than Bai Zhou swept his right hand and made a stroke. The Tang sword Breaking Dawn had appeared in his hand.
“Whoa, Zhou Ge, a little jealousy doesn’t call for blades.”
But Zhou Qian knew the motion meant danger ahead. Joking aside, he pulled the Rib of God from his bag. Behind them Qi Liuxing’s sword rang as he strode up, eyes locked ahead.
Someone walked toward them: a tall, slim man in a black trench coat with outstanding features. His hair was combed neatly and if you looked closely, you could see wax on it.
If he hadn’t been holding a gun in his hand and appeared in this world, he would’ve looked like he was about to step onto an idol stage, ready for his debut.
What intrigued Zhou Qian was that the system showed all his stats as “??”—he was another god-level player.
Blue Harbor’s many trial instances existed for god-level players to bond with Shepherd; there was little here worth solo grinding. A god-level came only to find a Shepherd—so where was his?
In a flash Zhou Qian saw the point.
He asked, “You’re Xu Yang? And the woman on the roof is your Shepherd? Nice feint.”
“You’re quick,” Xu Yang replied, looking at Zhou Qian. “I’ve heard of you—the Peach Blossom target. Impressive. And you—”
His eyes moved to Bai Zhou. “I’ve searched for you a long time. Never thought to meet here.”
Zhou Qian threw Bai Zhou a sidelong glance as Xu Yang went on. “Your reputation precedes you, though I’ve never seen you. For such a hidden instance… it must be quite the treasure. Chose Zhou Qian as your Shepherd, did you?”
Ignoring the gun, Zhou Qian muttered privately, “Zhou Ge, you sure collect fanboys.”
Bai Zhou: “I don’t know him.”
“I’ll poach them all to my side,” Zhou Qian said.
Bai Zhou: “……”
Xu Yang raised the gun slightly and produced three purple bands with his left hand.
“A swordsman who has accumulated a lot of experience—your power’s about to peak.
“A rising newcomer worth enough trouble for Peach Blossom to hunt.
“And the most mysterious, perhaps strongest god-level player alive—no matter how you hide, I can trace your aura…”
His gaze swept Qi Liuxing, Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou. “But so what? None of you can use skills here. Only weapons matter, and you’ve found none.
“To play in this kind of instance requires luck first—you spawned where there are no weapons. Info second—you run solo, who shares intel with you? Oh right, your legion… Level 1? Just formed. No network to feed you data.”
Zhou Qian actually knew plenty about Xu Yang; he’d studied every top‑ten legion in detail. Xu Yang had brought his Feidu Legion to a high rank in record time—indeed impressive.
As a god‑level player, Xu Yang had sensed Hidden Blade and Bai Zhou, but he’d let only Xu Feiyu appear first; while everyone thought she was the lone enemy, he waited for Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian to show themselves, creating a rear‑flank trap. In a way, his tactics echoed Zhou Qian’s own plans.
Xu Feiyu’s name didn’t show in legion lists, so when she appeared Zhou Qian hadn’t been on full alert. She was Xu Yang’s Shepherd, a hidden piece that surfaced only when needed to cover him.
Xu Yang continued, “The kid swordsman, no band—take one and put it on; you have three minutes. As for you two—
“I know you don’t truly mean to join violet. This area’s crawling with yellows. You lack weapons but surely hold many yellow bands. Hand them over. We’ll all wear purple and hunt clues. I don’t want you swapping colors and betraying me later.
“So—empty your stash, cycle through every band till they’re gone, then willingly join my side. Otherwise—”
He lifted the gun; the threat was clear.
“Xiao Qi, put on purple first,” Zhou Qian said.
“Qian—” Qi Liuxing frowned, but trusting him completely, he stepped forward and donned the band.
Zhou Qian rolled up his left sleeve and looked at Xu Yang.
As expected, Xu Yang’s eyes widened at the white band, though he masked it quickly.
Zhou Qian smiled. “You don’t know what white does either, do you? No need to destroy it—might be useful later.”
After a pause Xu Yang chuckled and turned to Bai Zhou. “Yours is yellow, right? Good—burn through all your yellow bands in two minutes, or I’ll start shooting. Reminder—
“The system banned skills and lethal gadgets, which means the provided weapons are the only ones that kill. This gun’s tracking is 99 percent accurate. Even if you blink or use props, the bullet will find you.
“So—don’t imagine you can dodge.”
Tightening his finger on the trigger, his murderous intent was obvious.
He looked back at Zhou Qian. “White, eh? I didn’t have that intel—thanks. You’re smart. When your friends are in my sights you’ll cooperate. Right, Zhou Qian?”
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