Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 158
The mountaintop was still shrouded in gray haze. History itself had collapsed. Even the plants on the mountain were tinged with strangeness, growing in unusual ways.
Take the pines, for instance—far taller than normal, most likely because in this timeline there were fewer people, so the vegetation had never been polluted or over-logged and could grow without excessive human interference.
Right now a half-transparent figure and a half-transparent little dragon were streaking between the pines and shrubs. Both moved so fast that they vanished in a blink.
The figure was, of course, Gao Shan, and Little Dragon had come along to run interference so the two could work together to complete their task.
The area around Zhou Qian was being encircled by the green and violet factions gathered by the two legions. Soon no one would be able to get in—or out.
Yet such a cordon could not stop a ghost who could turn completely invisible at will, nor a lightning-quick little dragon adept at hiding itself and even transforming into a mere scale whenever it wished.
In no time the two translucent shapes disappeared into the vast mountainside.
A while later, Zhou Qian lifted his left wrist and saw that the system had sent two consecutive messages, both about changes in wristband counts:
[Orange – 9; Yellow – 21; Green – 25; Blue – 13; Indigo – 12; Violet – 25]
[Orange – 8; Yellow – 21; Green – 25; Blue – 10; Indigo – 11; Violet – 25]
Two simple notices, yet they revealed something extraordinary.
Before Gao Shan left, there had been seventeen blue bands. In so short a span four more disappeared, then another three.
How like what happened to the orange bands at the very start!
Most likely four players refused to obey—or didn’t believe their captors would really shoot—and were killed on the spot.
Since the Peach Blossom and Feidu legions had already decided to kill, and the instance had a “maximum number” rule, there was no difference between using limited ammo early or late.
“Zhou Ge, I always thought I wasn’t a good man, but after coming into this game I’ve found people far worse than me. With Xu Yang and the Peach Blossom Legion, we can only fight violence with violence.”
Zhou Qian spoke up. “Looks like another four died. I hope Gao Shan can make good use of that.”
Bai Zhou pinched Zhou Qian’s shoulder, then stood. “I have to head out again.”
Hidden Blade, Qi Liuxing, and He Xiaowei had to risk infiltrating the violet faction for information; Gao Shan had to persuade stray players—or even those already recruited by the two big factions—to side with Zhou Qian’s currently powerless yellow faction…
For them, the missions were unprecedentedly perilous. Even if they succeeded, getting back alive was another question.
But looking around, they were surely sealed in tight. Unlike Gao Shan, Bai Zhou couldn’t turn fully invisible, and with his skills gone, how could he break through unscathed?
Zhou Qian rose at once, worry showing in his eyes.
Bai Zhou said, “They trust you. You don’t say it, but I know you’ve promised yourself you’ll keep them alive, and I know you worry about them.
“So—they carry out the tasks you’ve given, and I’ll bring them back to you unharmed.”
He Xiaowei, Qi Liuxing, even Gao Shan could trust Zhou Qian without reservation.
And Zhou Qian could trust Bai Zhou the same way.
Under the gray sky, Zhou Qian watched Bai Zhou for a long time, then opened his arms.
Bai Zhou let his right hand with the tang sword fall and pulled Zhou Qian close with his left arm around his waist.
The two clung to each other for a few heartbeats in this deadly moment.
With his lips at Bai Zhou’s ear, Zhou Qian’s voice came out a little raspy: “You’re not just my general. You’re my God—my king. Who says one mountain can’t have two kings? I’ll wait here for your return.”
With that he handed over their only gun. “Take it.”
Bai Zhou refused at once. “If the people outside the cordon come searching and find me gone, you’ll be alone in here. That’ll be bad for you. Keep it.”
“I don’t need it.” Zhou Qian looked up at him for a moment, then smiled. “You forget the strange pollen on you. If I’m in danger, I’ll jump straight to your side. The gun will do best in your hands.”
Zhou Qian still didn’t know the legions’ exact numbers, but he could make a rough estimate.
A hundred players had entered the instance.
Many chose to stay, tempted by rich rewards.
Peach Blossom and Feidu came with clear goals, but most ordinary players had no idea Blue Harbor’s collapse would mean such brutality.
Of the hundred, system notices indicated nine deaths; at most ninety-one players remained.
Orange had fallen by seventeen—five dead—so twelve had shed orange bands and been absorbed by violet or green.
Blue had fallen by fifteen—four likely dead—so eleven absorbed.
Indigo was down fourteen—fourteen absorbed.
Thus of the ninety-one still alive, thirty-seven were already absorbed.
Of the remaining fifty-four, subtract Zhou Qian’s people and the two legions, and those were the players he wanted.
No telling how many the legions had brought, but since they’d learned of the “max value” beforehand, the number shouldn’t be huge—especially for Peach Blossom.
Feidu was growing fast but still small, ruled by Xu Yang alone. Bringing a bunch of cannon fodder in and quietly killing them later was viable—evident from his bringing only five confidants to meet Zhou Qian.
In contrast, the three with his sister Xu Feiyu were the fodder. When facing Hidden Blade she’d clearly feared he might expose the truth, and she’d covertly promised not to kill him. Hidden Blade “co-operated”, said nothing, and Xu Feiyu was satisfied.
Peach Blossom was different.
Large legion had complex power structures. They’d come with the special mission to kill Zhou Qian, so their members were likely elite and relatively few. If they truly knew the max value ahead of time, their numbers should be very close to it.
“Zhou Ge, once you’re out there, note Peach Blossom’s head count—it’s crucial. If they’re few, they’re basically handing us the answer.
“If they’re numerous, they didn’t know about the cap in advance and don’t know the number. In that case—”
Zhou Qian lifted his eyelids, a smile curling his lips. “Why would the system make us kill more people yet not reveal the number at the start? The motive behind that is worth pondering.
“I suspect the answer… will be very interesting.”
“Mm. I understand. Be careful while you’re alone.”
Bai Zhou pressed his thumb to Zhou Qian’s forehead, kissed him solemnly, and then turned to leave.
Zhou Qian never looked away from his back as he descended.
Even without skills, Bai Zhou moved fast—like a blade sharper and tougher than the tang sword in his hand.
……
Elsewhere.
Xu Yang strode on with a dark face, five confidants at his heels, and the ever-irritating Qi Liuxing in tow.
Along the way he ran into a subordinate who should have been with his sister Xu Feiyu.
The man passed along Xu Feiyu’s message: she was still exploring the office building with Hidden Blade and company; once done she would take them to the violet base. Depending on what areas still looked tough, she’d send Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei there—essentially assigning the master-apprentice pair to all the problem spots.
Xu Yang nodded, then told him, “I’m heading back to camp with the others. Stay with Feiyu and tell her those two are dangerous. Don’t let them talk to anyone. They’re expert liars. This instance is making us kill each other, so don’t believe a word they use to sow discord!”
The subordinate took the order and left.
Xu Yang moved on.
Once inside violet-controlled territory he called two confidants over. “I’m going to check on the search teams. You two take Qi Liuxing to base. There’s a dungeon underneath—lock him up tight. You guard him yourselves. No one else may approach or speak to him.”
He gave Qi Liuxing a mocking look. “Trying to spy on us? Dream on. You won’t leave here alive. Never seen anyone so eager to die—a pack of Zhou Qian’s fanatics!”
With that he left with three men.
The other two kept their guns pressed to Qi Liuxing’s head. Even though everyone wore violet bands—so firing would kill themselves—they kept the pose for intimidation.
A short way on, one more street to cross and they’d reach the old manor that served as base.
Most troops were out—encircling Purple Mist Mountain or scouting—so the base was light on manpower and served mainly as a rally point.
The street was so quiet that when a lone man appeared, the two guards noticed at once.
They first assumed he was violet—after all, violet’s territory was expanding. Lone players were forced to join, key spots had guards, and the base’s vicinity had been swept clean.
But when the man raised his arm to show a green band—and leveled a gun—the two were stunned. At the same moment they swung their barrels from Qi Liuxing to the newcomer and barked, “Who are you?” “Peach Blossom? Looking to die?”
Stunned too was Qi Liuxing—for the newcomer was Ke Yuxiao.
The shock lasted only a moment before Qi Liuxing’s face returned to calm, eyes dark and unreadable.
Ke Yuxiao smiled easily at him. “Your heart isn’t flesh anymore, just cold metal. I thought someone like that wouldn’t stay loyal to Zhou Qian. Why go this far for him?
“Betrayed by me, you ought never trust anyone. How can you trust Zhou Qian? Xiao Qi, you fascinate me more and more.”
Qi Liuxing’s expression didn’t change. The two guards exchanged glances and asked Ke Yuxiao, “You know him—trying to spring him?”
Ke Yuxiao laughed, as if amused. “‘Spring’ isn’t the word. Last time we met, I chopped off his head, diced his body, and tossed the bits in a soup. I’m only here to take him away.”
These two had done plenty of dirty work with Xu Yang, but hearing such words delivered with that smile still made them uneasy.
“Enough talk. You’re not taking him.”
“He’s violet now—our boss will deal with him personally.”
“Wait,” Qi Liuxing interrupted, staring ahead at Ke Yuxiao and speaking to the two guards. “Think it through. To your boss I’m trouble. He set you to watch me so I can’t reveal his future betrayal.
“You claim you know the max value and tell everyone it’s much larger than they think, so if they join violet the ending will be perfect, right?
“But you can’t be sure I won’t find another way to get the word out and raise havoc—non-lethal items still work here. Plus your boss loses by keeping two top men guarding me instead of scouting. So—”
His eyes flashed. “Letting me go to Peach Blossom with him is your best option. No need to obey blindly or waste bullets dying with that guy.”
…..
At the same moment, on Purple Mist Mountain’s side.
Zhou Qian was, for once, quietly seated on a boulder.
The instance even blocked basic chat channels. He had no way to contact anyone—their actions relied solely on tacit understanding.
All at once, under a nearby pine, a lone lantern drifted into view.
Its light under the gray sky looked spectral, announcing that the visitor came with ill intent.
Next appeared a man carrying the lamp.
It was the item [Image Transmission Lantern], able to send your likeness a thousand miles, as if meeting face-to-face—Ke Yuxiao had used it before.
The figure before Zhou Qian, however, was a stranger.
Handsome features, but with a touch of old-fashioned sternness—like a rigid preacher.
He stood beneath the pine holding the lantern, eyes misted by the gray heavens.
Facing Zhou Qian, he smiled and spoke. “Zhou Qian, nice to meet you. Hello. I’m Priest.”
The author has something to say:
He Xiaowei, Qi Liuxing—and even Gao Shan—can trust Zhou Qian unconditionally now.
And Zhou Qian can trust Bai Zhou unconditionally in turn.
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