Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 161
Not long ago, Yin Jiujiu and Yun Xiangrong arrived at the Ancient Coin Museum and made the acquaintance of three other players.
The five of them picked up a set of indigo wristbands, strapped them on, and began exploring the museum together.
Those three had only just been promoted to S-rank. They knew no god-level players and were keenly aware of their own mediocrity, so when they came to Blue Harbor City, they never dreamed of being chosen as someone’s Shepherd.
They had merely heard that the shops and auction houses here often stocked extremely useful items and wanted to try their luck—and, if they happened to run into a reliable legion, perhaps join it.
In that context, Yun Xiangrong and Yin Jiujiu counted as “veterans”. The trio listened to the two women and the five of them got along pleasantly while exploring.
But just then, the unexpected happened—
The moment they stepped out of the museum they were greeted by the dark muzzles of two pistols.
The guns were held by two men: one about forty, the other in his early twenties. Both wore identical green wristbands.
A quick glance at the system panel told Yin Jiujiu they belonged to the Peach Blossom Legion.
The older one was Zhang Datie, the younger Shan Sheng.
Instinctively edging closer to Yun Xiangrong, Yin Jiujiu was about to whisper, “What do we do?” when she saw Shan Sheng smile at Yun Xiangrong and beckon. “Come here.”
Only then did Yin Jiujiu realize—Yun Xiangrong was a member of Peach Blossom.
She remembered it vividly: at the end of the previous instance, while the two Triune powerhouses were fighting as heaven and earth went dark, Yun Xiangrong had kept hauling her back from death—more than once she’d nearly been swept away by tidal waves or torn off by the gale, and every time Yun Xiangrong had clung to her.
Their friendship was short-lived but forged in life-and-death. Yin Jiujiu simply couldn’t bring herself to treat her as an enemy.
Yet Yun Xiangrong strolled over to Shan Sheng and calmly swapped her indigo band for the green one he handed her.
Although Shan Sheng was younger than Zhang Datie, he obviously outranked him: he could order Zhang Datie, and now Yun Xiangrong as well.
He pulled another gun from his pack and passed it to Yun Xiangrong. “You and Lao Zhang bring those four into our faction and make them collect clues for us. If anyone refuses, shoot one—make an example. I have to check the next street. This area’s yours.”
Yun Xiangrong accepted the weapon as naturally as breathing. After watching Shan Sheng’s departing back for a moment, she turned and leveled her gun at Yin Jiujiu and the others.
The three players who had explored with her were stupefied. Yin Jiujiu herself could scarcely believe it.
A stand-off formed—just as Gao Shan with the little dragon, came upon the scene.
“Jiujiu, try to understand. I was with Peach Blossom all along. Any clues we dug up together were always going to be reported back to the legion. We can still explore as a team. You’ll just wear green wristbands now—there’s really no difference, right?”
Yun Xiangrong’s face was expressionless as she met Yin Jiujiu’s eyes. “If you want to blame someone, blame the instance for blocking team chat. If I’d told Captain Shan earlier that you’d already agreed to explore with me, we wouldn’t need guns to ‘persuade’ you. We’re friends—sorry if I frightened you.”
“No difference? How could that possibly be the same?” Yin Jiujiu said. “Look, maybe I’m stubborn, but tell me this: the moment the system announces how many survivors are allowed at the end, what will your legion do with us?”
Yun Xiangrong only said, “You really are stubborn. If we truly meant to kill you, why force you to change bands? People wearing the same color can’t kill each other—remember?
“Besides, we brought a huge force this time. Do you honestly think we’d sacrifice a stack of members and start friendly-fire just to kill one Zhou Qian?”
The logic sounded impeccable—but Yin Jiujiu’s instincts screamed not to trust Peach Blossom and she was absolutely unwilling to follow Yun Xiangrong.
“Enough. I won’t listen.” She turned to the three newcomers. “Maybe you’ve heard of the Peach Blossom Legion—it’s pure evil. We can’t trust them. If—”
A sudden thought struck her; she spoke faster. “If they really meant well, why point guns at us from the start?”
“Weapons are everything here. Peach Blossom came in with advance intel, swept up most of the city’s guns. You’re unarmed. You have to obey.”
Yun Xiangrong became a bit impatient. “Don’t blame me for turning against you for not listening to me. Fifty seconds left—must I shoot someone at random to make you comply?”
Her muzzle stayed on Yin Jiujiu, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed a shadowy something hovered in front of one of the players—then vanished.
Still blank-faced, she said, “Yin Jiujiu, you pulled me out of the sea at the last second in the previous instance. I won’t kill you. But the three behind you are none of my concern.”
Hearing this, the faces of the three freshly minted S-ranks went white.
Without warning Yun Xiangrong swung her gun aside and actually fired.
The bullet hissed toward its target. The man she’d aimed at felt his pupils shrink to slits—I’m dead.
He dove, knowing it was useless. No one outran a bullet with skills disabled. Yet he wasn’t hit.
Zhang Datie was equally stunned. He trusted Yun Xiangrong’s steadiness. He’d practically been nodding off when she pulled the trigger. How could she miss?
In this instance bullets enjoyed the highest “judgment” rating—99% tracking accuracy. That S-ranker should never have dodged.
What was going on?
Only then did Zhang Datie notice a misty form before the doomed player—a shadow… or a soul?
Zhang Datie felt that word suddenly popped into his mind but felt it was unbelievable.
Blue Harbor was never supposed to spawn spirits—
Then he remembered HQ’s warning: their main enemy here was Zhou Qian, whose weapon could extract and cultivate souls.
Could that be Zhou Qian’s bone spirit?
Yun Xiangrong thought she’d aimed at a player, but the spirit blocked the shot—and bullets couldn’t hurt it.
And that bone spirit was none other than her boyfriend, Gao Shan.
So what exactly was he seeing?
Wide awake now, Zhang Datie tightened his grip on his gun and kept an eye on Yun Xiangrong.
What happened next both surprised him and, on reflection, made perfect sense—
The usually icy Yun Xiangrong lost control. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her arms shook.
“Shan Ge…” Her voice became horse, and she trembled when she spoke. “You’re… blocking me? Why?”
Gao Shan’s translucent face looked stricken. “Rong Mei, listen to me—”
“Only I can bring you back to life. Shan Ge, I love you. I’m your girlfriend,” Yun Xiangrong cut in. “Zhou Qian only uses you. You died saving him. He used you when you were alive, and now when you’re dead he still won’t let you go!”
Gao Shan frowned. “I know our feelings. That’s why you’re being obsessive—”
Yun Xiangrong interrupted him, “And what if I say I have to kill Zhou Qian?”
“You’re wrong, Rong Mei. In the ‘Last Wish’ instance you were upset and thought Zhou insulted my corpse, and ran to Peach Blossom—I get it, he gets it. If you come back now, he won’t blame you, he—”
Gao Shan continued, “I’m with Zhou Qian now, taking orders from him. Given that, do you think Peach Blossom truly trusts you?”
“At first, yes, I joined them impulsively,” Yun Xiangrong admitted. “But then I saw the Peach Blossom God resurrect a bird in the real world—do you understand? She really became a god through this game. She can resurrect you in reality!
“I know you’re too kind. I don’t need your understanding. I’ll play the villain, shoulder the deaths, but I will make Peach Blossom win and Zhou Qian die.”
Gao Shan’s form flickered, as if it was looming while she was talking.
Seeing this, Yun Xiangrong grew more agitated. Tears streamed and she drew a deep breath. “Move aside so I can kill them! How can you still shield strangers for Zhou Qian like Qi Liuxing and He Xiaowei? He’s brainwashed you all! I won’t allow it!”
She swung the muzzle again and fired at another girl—
Unexpectedly, Gao Shan blocked her once more.
Both Yun Xiangrong and Zhang Datie was stunned—Fuck, how is the bone spirit that fast?
The second deflection enraged Yun Xiangrong. “Shan Ge, move!”
Pain clouded Gao Shan’s eyes. “Rong Rong, I don’t want to see you like this. The woman I knew was kind and warm—now… I barely recognize you.”
Yun Xiangrong was utterly infuriated by those words. She raised her gun and strode forward.
The female player she had just missed with her shot was so terrified she collapsed to her knees. Gao Shan further solidified his corporeal form and stepped up to help her to her feet, his movements gentle and his voice tinged with concern.
This gesture agitated Yun Xiangrong even more. She fired several rounds in a blind rage, but every bullet was blocked by Gao Shan.
When she squeezed the trigger once more and no bullets emerged, Yun Xiangrong realized she had emptied her magazine.
She immediately turned to Zhang Datie beside her and thrust out her hand. “Give me your gun!”
Zhang Datie was momentarily stunned. Once he grasped what she wanted, he blurted, “No way! There’s no need! You saw it yourself—this Bone Spirit is that strong. He moves so fast, and when he’s fully intangible we can’t even see him. Who knows where he’ll be when we shoot? We can’t get a clean aim! Our bullet hit-detection only works on spirit bodies!”
Yun Xiangrong seemed crazed, mindlessly grabbing for the weapon. “I don’t care, Lao Zhang—lend me your gun. Next time you need help with anything, I’ll do it!”
Dodging her, Zhang Datie protested, “Hey, Yun Xiangrong, I didn’t take you for someone who’d let love scramble her brains. Take it from someone who’s been there—”
At that moment Gao Shan called to Yin Jiujiu behind him, “I’ll block the bullets—take them and run! I’ll catch up!”
Of course, Gao Shan couldn’t really outrun a bullet, especially with such powerful hit detection. The whole scene was a play he and Yun Xiangrong had wordlessly staged.
He could turn completely invisible at will, or half-transparent so he just flickered into view. By muddling everyone’s sight like this, Zhang Datie would assume Yun Xiangrong had aimed at the other players and Gao Shan had dashed over—faster than humanly possible—to intercept.
In truth, Yun Xiangrong had been firing exactly where Gao Shan had already moved. She had been aiming at him all along.
Not that it was pure theater.
When Gao Shan told Yun Xiangrong to come back and called her obsessive, he meant every word.
And Yun Xiangrong’s tears and trembling fingers were real—just not for the reason she claimed.
After covering everyone’s retreat, Gao Shan went fully transparent again.
Passing close to Yun Xiangrong, he whispered almost voicelessly, “Rong Rong, come back. Right now no one in the Peach Blossom Legion will trust you!”
Actually, the only one who distrusts her completely was Priest.
But what if he dies?
If he dies, she will have the chance to approach Peach Blossom’s true master—
A man lying in an ice coffin named Xie Huai, creator of Xie Huaying.
Such thoughts Yun Xiangrong could only keep to herself.
The gamblers she now commanded were almost entirely Priest’s men. She dared not voice these plans. On the surface she had to stay in a rage, feigning a loss of reason.
Beside her, Zhang Datie could not help grumbling, “You must’ve heard the warning, right? Bullets are scarce! How could you waste so many? How are you going to explain this to Captain Shan? Damn!”
Yun Xiangrong ignored him. She squatted down, pressed both hands over her face, and looked as though she were weeping.
Zhang Datie had no idea how to comfort a crying girl. He stood there dumbly, not daring saying another word.
Then he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw Captain Shan Sheng and the leader of another squad approaching together.
“Uh, Captain Shan, we…” Zhang Datie sighed, afraid Shan Sheng would scold them for failing the mission.
Shan Sheng merely said, “No need to explain—I saw everything. Keep searching for the others. There’s a group called the Feidu Legion claiming territory just like we are—watch out for them.”
Right after that, the other squad leader muttered in a contemptuous tone, “I used to think she had potential. Turns out… women really are useless. Don’t give her any more bullets—we can’t afford the waste!”
Hearing this, Shan Sheng glanced at Yun Xiangrong. Where Zhang Datie couldn’t see, something shifted in his eyes, as if he had seen through the act.
Yet he didn’t expose anything in front of the others. He just slung an arm around the man’s shoulders. “That’s not fair talk. If a man’s lucky enough in his whole life to meet a girl this devoted, he’s struck gold. She’s a teammate. Cut her some slack.”
“You’re not falling for her, are you?”
“Hardly. You know I like men.”
“Fuck off—get your arm off my neck!” The man shoved Shan Sheng away.
Shan Sheng rubbed his nose. “Come on—let’s search that building ahead.”
……
Elsewhere, five players wearing orange wristbands were cowering in a narrow alley.
They had only just reached S-rank. Among max-level veterans they were complete newbies.
Before Blue Harbor City collapsed, they had all been waiting outside its casino for it to open.
True gamblers at heart, they had chosen without hesitation to stay once the system announced such generous dungeon rewards.
These people were all Gamblers. After hearing that the system was giving out such generous rewards, they naturally chose to stay.
At first there were more than a dozen of them. Shortly after entering the instance they found orange wristbands together and happily formed the Gamblers Alliance.
After some exploration they realized the instance was packed with story clues. To save time, the Alliance had split into three squads to investigate.
The five now hiding in the alley were one squad.
When they finished their sweep and returned to the rendezvous point, the other two squads were nowhere to be seen.
Noting how the system’s count of orange wristbands had dropped, they knew something bad had happened.
Terrified of meeting the same fate, they moved with extreme caution. Even now, tucked away in the alley, several pairs of legs were trembling.
They weren’t simply hiding. Every so often one of them would peek toward the alley mouth, as if awaiting news—or a certain person.
At last that person appeared. All of them exhaled in relief and stared at him, hoping he brought good news.
Their squad actually had six members. Five were huddled here, the sixth and strongest served as scout.
Once he confirmed a direction was clear, he would double back, share the news, and lead them that way. Then they would find a new hiding spot while he sought the next safe route.
The strongest member was named Meng Bie.
When Meng Bie now told them the path ahead was totally safe, all five relaxed. Coming out of the shadows, they prepared to move.
No matter how frightened, they had to press on—they had to clear the instance alive and gather information.
Yet as they reached the alley mouth, a blinding white arc of light swept past. A perfectly straight Tang sword shot across the entrance, barring their way.
The blade gleamed like snow, exuding an unshakable murderous aura.
All six halted at once.
Eyes wide, they looked at the swordsman—a tall, lean figure whose very posture resembled an indomitable blade.
He lifted his gaze at them, slow and cold, and they felt as if ice had frozen them in place, unable to cross the line.
As the most powerful, Meng Bie was the quickest to reaction.
Holding up his watch, he tried to confirm the identity of the man in front of him through the system.
All he got was a code, three meaningless digits—“137.”
At the same moment he saw the man’s rank: a god-level player.
The others saw it too. A babble rose behind him.
“Holy shit, a God-level player!”
“A live one—I saw him!”
While his teammates gawked, Meng Bie stayed wary. “Who are you? Did you come to kill us?”
His voice hardened. “Were you the one who slaughtered all those orange-band players?”
The man replied, “I came to save you. There’s an ambush ahead—you can’t go that way. All of you come with me.”
His tone was anything but gentle. The icy authority brooked no doubt.
After exchanging looks, Meng Bie asked, “Why should we trust you?”
The man said nothing more, only tapped a command on his wrist device.
“I’ve lifted my identity shield in the system. Open the God-level rankings.”
In the God-level players rankings, first place had always been blank.
Whoever held that spot had hidden both name and title, keeping everyone guessing.
Now, after “137” operated his interface, not only these six but every idle player in virtual lobbies and even many inside instances erupted in commotion—
The top rank had finally been unmasked.
Meng Bie raised his left wrist to the system panel and saw the entry for number one: the name “Bai Zhou”, title “White Dragon”.
He had no time to check scores or comments; he aimed the scanner back at the swordsman, and this time the true name appeared—Bai Zhou.
Bai Zhou swept their astonished faces with a bland glance, sheathed his Tang sword, and stepped past them toward the opposite end of the alley. “The killers are the Peach Blossom and Feidu Legion. Follow me.”
“Peach Blossom? Feidu? I’ve heard how nasty they are!”
“Right behind you, boss!”
“Wuwuwu, thank you for saving us!”
Unlike the others, Meng Bie kept his head. He warned, “They worship strength blindly—I don’t. Don’t think I’ll trust you just because you’re the number one ranked God-level player. Why rescue us? What do you need from us?”
“I need you to protect someone named Zhou Qian,” Bai Zhou replied, turning his head. “He’ll lead you to win this game.”
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