Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 37

In the midst of a ruined wall, thousands of enemy soldiers lay defeated. They had once ravaged this land, and now they repaid it with their own flesh and blood. The resentment of countless ghosts was appeased, and the dark clouds that had lingered dispersed. Above the sky, stars and the moon reappeared. Beneath this starry canopy, Jiang Yuqing stood tall, revealing an exceptionally handsome and pleasing face.

After a while, Jiang Yuqing felt warmth in his palm. He quickly let go, then swiftly grabbed Zhou Qian’s hand, finding the bandage on his wrist soaked red with blood.

Jiang Yuqing frowned immediately. “Bei He, you’re injured!”

Indeed, Zhou Qian was suffering. Having stormed his way here, his stamina was completely drained. Moreover, intentionally dropping his health to below 10%, the excessive blood loss made his head spin.

At this moment, he had a deeper realization about his ultimate ability—he was literally burning his own life force to summon the power of vengeful spirits.

With the support of his ultimate ability, Zhou Qian could still walk and shoot. But now, its effect had ended, and he was struggling. Feeling drowsy, Zhou Qian unconsciously leaned forward, but Jiang Yuqing took a step and steadied him, allowing Zhou Qian’s head to rest on his shoulder.

As Zhou Qian’s consciousness faded amidst a haze of red, he still managed to ask with a smile, “Hey, you could barely stand, and yet you’re supporting me?”

Elsewhere. Inside a gaming room booth. In front of a flat screen.

Mu Sheng watched everything unfold with a nearly malicious grin on his lips. “Ha, as I expected! Sacrificing one’s own health for power… Foolish. Do you think it’s over?”

Hearing this, Priest, who was next to him, raised an eyebrow and calmly responded, “If it followed the original settings of this level, it would have ended.”

“It’s different now that I’m here! It’s not over! I’ve been waiting for this moment! Zhou Qian… your health is at 9%, and your teammate’s mana is almost depleted! I want to see how you can win now!”

“No one can take away my sister. I want you dead! You’re going to die!!!”

With that, Mu Sheng quickly pressed a button on the screen, accessing the system menu with the privileges of a high-level gambler, and opened the item bar.

[Advanced Gambler Mu Sheng used the item: Joyful Modifier]

[Effect: Can forcibly change the storyline; an extremely rare item.]

[Note: Please follow system instructions and input your desired changes within a minute.]

[Advanced Gambler Mu Sheng used the item: NPC Loader.]

[Effect: Can load your consciousness into any NPC; an extremely rare item.]

[Note: NPCs have a hard life. Choose wisely; you have 30 seconds to change your mind.]

……

Seeing Mu Sheng’s actions, Priest frowned. “I advise you to consider carefully. After all, you’ve never been a player, never been to the real game world. Do you really think… you can adapt?”

Mu Sheng replied, “Now is the perfect chance to kill Zhou Qian. I can’t miss it! Zhou Qian, I will repay you in your own coin!”

Priest sighed softly. “Mu Sheng, I think you’ve truly gone mad.”

Before loading into the game, Mu Sheng turned to Priest with manic eyes. “I’ve gone mad, just as you’d like, right?”

……

Inside the game.

The entire playground had turned to ruins.

In the center of this destruction, two figures leaned on each other, resembling the most trusting of comrades or the most intimate of lovers.

Zhou Qian felt more and more dizzy.

After a while, he heard He Xiaowei’s voice. “Qian’er, hey, I’m here. Are you okay? I have a tiny bit of mana left, enough for a basic healing skill. It doesn’t heal much, but it’s better than nothing. Let me try! Wait… Oh my god! What… What is that?!”

Yun Xiangrong’s voice deepened. “My God…”

Situ Qing, usually composed, exclaimed in shock, “How can this be?!”

The voices of his teammates filled with extreme surprise and profound fear echoed around. Zhou Qian blinked tiredly, and then a deep rumbling noise surrounded him, reminiscent of distant thunder. This thunderous sound carried a dangerous aura, like the deep roaring from the sea before a terrifying tsunami.

Raising his head with difficulty, Zhou Qian looked over Jiang Yuqing’s shoulder and gazed ahead.

The situation had indeed changed.

Countless corpses of the S Army, whether intact, twisted, or fragmented, surprisingly stood up under the influence of some invisible force.

The scene was incredibly bizarre because it didn’t conform to the settings and logic of the instance.

In a reasonable game, hints for passing the level would be discreetly embedded in advance. Players could find ways to pass by searching for clues and understanding the storyline. It shouldn’t suddenly introduce a life-threatening monster without any prior clues or methods to defeat it.

So… What on earth was happening?

The next moment, an even stranger event unfolded before the four players.

After countless S Army skeletons stood up, they rapidly converged mid-air, forming a tremendously large humanoid monster.

This creature was made of a pile of corpses, so immense that it seemed to step on the ground and touch the sky. Surrounding it was a gray mist-like substance—the spirits of the deceased S Army!

He Xiaowei couldn’t help but exclaim, “What the… What the hell is this?!”

Yun Xiangrong was almost holding her breath. “This skill looks like Zhou Qian’s! It’s as if… someone copied Zhou Qian’s skills and power?!”

“But that’s impossible. I’ve cleared so many instances and never encountered this,” Situ Qing began, her face turning pale as she seemed to recall something, clenching her fists tightly.

Soon, the giant monster began to move. It twisted its grotesque and incredibly heavy head from side to side, then fixed its gaze on the players. With a menacing intent, it took heavy steps toward them. Each step was accompanied by a loud rumbling sound, shaking the ground as if the entire city would be destroyed beneath its feet!

“This isn’t logical!”

“What’s happening?”

“It’s raising its hand!”

“It seems to be targeting Zhou Qian! It’s going to attack him!!”

Amidst the cries of his teammates, Zhou Qian seemed somewhat indifferent.

He looked ahead, his eyes cold as ice, but he didn’t move.

He truly had no strength left.

Zhou Qian had no ability to counter such a monster. All he could do was think quickly and consider any possible means of survival.

But he couldn’t think of any.

Before the game started, he had observed the trading hall for a long time and hadn’t bought items like the [Universe Teleportation Mirror] that could allow him to teleport instantly. Even if he had, it wouldn’t be of much use against such a gigantic beast.

The teleportation range usually didn’t exceed a thousand meters, which was a distance that the giant monster could catch up with within a few steps.

He Xiaowei was always loyal. He quickly ran to Zhou Qian’s side, holding his guqin. Despite his fear, he said, “Qian’er, I’ll try to heal you. I also have protective items like cloaks and arm guards. Hold on, I’m giving them to you now.”

Yun Xiangrong, standing behind He Xiaowei, turned completely pale.

It’s useless. Zhou Qian’s ultimate skill is limited. With only 9% health left, if he can’t kill the monster instantly, he’ll be killed by it.

He Xiaowei knew this too. As he looked at Zhou Qian’s pale face, tears welled up in his eyes. With a swift pluck of the guqin’s strings, he used up the last of his mana.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP restored to 13%]

It’s over.

Zhou Qian is finished.

All of us are probably done for.

Suddenly, He Xiaowei noticed a figure with a rifle rushing to the front from behind him.

It was Situ Qing!

Compared to the gigantic monster formed from thousands of spirits and corpses, Situ Qing seemed utterly insignificant, as tiny as an ant or even a speck of dust. Yet her advancing figure seemed fearless and determined, as if she was ready to fight this immensely powerful creature to the death!

This act clearly enraged the giant creature.

It roared, causing the entire ground to shake violently.

The monster then raised its palm, and a whirlwind formed in its grasp, striking fiercely towards Zhou Qian.

In that moment, it seemed as if the gods, in order to punish the criminal who committed a heinous crime, unleashed a wrathful force from the heavens, intending to obliterate him with a single strike.

Under such divine might, no one could find redemption.

He Xiaowei’s heart thudded wildly, as if about to burst. Realizing something, he quickly turned his gaze to Zhou Qian, wanting to assist him in his last moments. After all, it was thanks to Zhou Qian that he had come this far.

But then, an unexpected event occurred!

At a glance, He Xiaowei saw Jiang Yuqing, seemingly dead, devoid of any life force, collapsing backward unexpectedly.

Ignoring Jiang Yuqing’s situation, He Xiaowei rushed to support Zhou Qian by the shoulder, trying to prevent further damage from a potential fall.

Suddenly, the earth trembled even more violently!

Weak and exhausted, Zhou Qian could no longer withstand the shaking and passed out. Seeing this, He Xiaowei instinctively shielded the unconscious Zhou Qian with his body. As the palm formed by the vast grudge force brutally descended, he couldn’t help but let out a desperate scream, which was immediately swallowed by a terrifying storm.

However, moments later, the anticipated divine-like destructive power didn’t arrive.

Surprised, He Xiaowei quickly straightened up and looked up. Along with the shocked cries of Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing, he saw a dragon!

Its origin was unknown.

Hovering high in the sky, it resembled a deep blue lonely moon, casting a faint blue veil over the entire sky and land, fluctuating with the wind.

The dragon’s tail was incredibly long, covered in deep blue scales, reminiscent of a flowing galaxy or the most beautiful ribbon floating in the air.

With a slight movement of its tail, a strong gust formed into the shape of a blade. This blade faced the storm created by the monster and split the black whirlwind in half, vanishing it in an instant; the next moment, the blade whirled forward and hung over the creature’s head for a split second before slashing down—

The monster was literally bisected alive!

“Roar—!”

The severed beast howled and, under the resentment, quickly reformed. It leapt towards the dragon in the sky.

The dragon, still hovering high, simply swished its tail again, creating another blade of wind. This time, the sharp blade struck the monster head-on. In an instant, the massive creature, formed by countless corpses and spirits, as well as the many buildings and trees behind it, were all turned into dust! Large sections of the city’s ground were lifted, inch by inch!

Even the vast ocean in the far west was affected by the wind blade, as giant waves surged and countless ships were caught in the waves, on the verge of sinking…

This was the true thunderous force—a nearly world-ending power!

In the nick of time, staring at the rising waves in the far west, the dumbfounded He Xiaowei realized something and shouted at the dragon in the sky, “Stop! We still need the ships to clear the level!”

The wind ceased.

The monster vanished, and all the corpses of the S Army turned to dust. Most of the city was completely leveled.

The world fell into silence.

After a while, the dragon in mid-air lowered its gaze, seemingly looking at the center of the playground.

Sensing something, He Xiaowei quickly embraced Zhou Qian again, guarding him closely. Feeling the responsibility of being the only “healer” on the team, he watched the massive dragon warily.

Although it seemed to have helped them earlier, who knows the real intention behind such a terrifying creature?

Suddenly, the dragon vanished from the sky, only to reappear right in front of He Xiaowei. The luminous tail swiped towards him, but without any force, simply nudging He Xiaowei’s hand away.

The moment He Xiaowei touched the frosty dragon tail, his whole body shivered, and he was immediately repelled by an invisible force, landing on his ass in a nearby pit.

Brushing off the dirt as he stood up, just as He Xiaowei was about to question the dragon’s intentions, he saw it coil its tail on the ground of the playground, then wrap Zhou Qian entirely within its lengthy tail.

It was at this moment, due to the close proximity, that He Xiaowei realized it wasn’t entirely a dragon. Its body and tail resembled a dragon, but its ears didn’t. Instead, the ears looked like those of elves from Western fairy tales.

The horns on its head didn’t seem to be those of dragons either. Those twin horns were incredibly sharp, shining coldly in the night, as sharp as knives.

So, it’s not a dragon but rather a dragon-like… monster?

At this moment, Zhou Qian seemed both awake and sleepwalking.

He unconsciously raised both hands, continuously sliding them over the dragon’s scales, occasionally pinching one and flicking it as if intending to rip it out. After playing with the scales in one area, he moved on to another, seeming to enjoy himself immensely.

Zhou Qian’s actions made He Xiaowei’s heart race.

The dragon would feel pain if played with like this, right?

What if it gets angry? Wouldn’t it annihilate us in seconds?!

Yet, the dragon seemed very patient. Regardless of how Zhou Qian toyed with it, its icy-blue eyes merely gazed at Zhou Qian with a gentle expression.

After a moment, its tail wrapped tighter, bringing Zhou Qian up to the area around its neck. In his drowsy state, Zhou Qian naturally leaned in and hugged its neck tightly.

Then the dragon did something that almost made He Xiaowei’s jaw drop.

It bowed its head, gently pressing its lips to Zhou Qian’s forehead, as if tenderly kissing him.

He Xiaowei immediately exclaimed, “Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?! Zhou Qian! Qian’er, wake up! You’re being taken advantage of—”

Suddenly, a cold gaze from the dragon swept over. He Xiaowei found himself unable to speak. The next moment, a chunk of wall flew from somewhere, embedding itself into the ground before him, blocking his view completely.

He Xiaowei: “…………”

……

Zhou Qian felt as if, in a daze, he had fallen into a sweet dream.

It was as if he were sinking deep into the sea or floating among the stars.

He was surrounded by deep blue. The blue should have been cold, but Zhou Qian felt safe.

Zhou Qian often felt exhausted.

Always having to think, always being on guard against others. But now, he felt relaxed. There were no schemes, no guards up; he just needed to sleep peacefully. He wasn’t sure where this sense of safety came from, but he instinctively let down all his guards.

It seemed Zhou Qian dreamt of playing with stars. After some time, a cool yet gentle sensation touched his forehead, and all his pain was healed in that instant.

……

In the virtual game hall.

Mu Sheng was ejected from the system, collapsing on the ground, bleeding from all his orifices. However, only his spirit had entered the game hall, so he wasn’t dead yet, giving Priest a chance to temporarily save him.

Priest gave Mu Sheng a pill and sighed. “You could have been a talent if you weren’t so obsessed. Such a pity…”

As Mu Sheng coughed up blood, he grabbed Priest’s wrist. “What… What power is that?”

“It’s the power of a God Rank player,” Priest said. “A God Rank player entered the instance as Jiang Yuqing. He’s selecting his shepherd.”

Priest sighed again. “There’s a game rule. To select a qualified shepherd, a God Rank player can create some challenges for players without violating the original character design, game plot, rules, and settings. However, they are not allowed to help the players or go out of character.”

“In other words, they can only increase the game’s difficulty, but not reduce it. But there’s an exception—”

“That exception is, when someone outside the game uses an item to forcefully change the game’s plot and significantly increase the difficulty, God Rank players can help the players with their own power. That’s why I said… you really brought it on yourself.”

Priest laughed, glancing mockingly at Mu Sheng. “But I should thank you. Thanks to your actions, I now know who the God Rank player interested in Zhou Qian is.”

Mu Sheng, who had fallen to the ground, coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. He clutched Priest’s calf with both hands. “I promise you. I’m willing to go to Zone X. I’ll accept the transformation! Let me… let me become a God Rank player! I can’t stand being just a gambler hiding behind the scenes! I want to be a player!”

……

Inside the game.

When Zhou Qian woke up, the sky was already tinged with the rosy hues of dawn, marking the end of this lengthy night.

As he stood up from the playground, he felt slightly dazed and somewhat lost. Frowning, he opened his palm and saw a deep blue, shiny scale.

Hmm, so that dragon… wasn’t just an illusion.

It saved him again.

After staring at the scale for a while, Zhou Qian put it away. Looking up, he saw He Xiaowei treating Jiang Yuqing’s leg wound nearby.

The bullet hadn’t hit the bone but had passed through the calf, making it relatively easier to deal with.

Not too far on the other side, Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong were both lying on the ground, asleep. They must’ve been exhausted, not minding the fact they were resting amidst piles of corpses.

Zhou Qian looked to the west and noticed that a significant portion of the city had been destroyed. Tall buildings that once stood tall were now reduced to mere rubble.

The battlefield was in disarray, but at least the enemy was completely wiped out.

The city awaited the people who could breathe life back into it.

Zhou Qian then approached He Xiaowei and Jiang Yuqing. On seeing him, He Xiaowei exclaimed, “Qian’er! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Zhou Qian replied, then asked, “What happened… while I was unconscious?”

At that moment, He Xiaowei really wanted to blurt out something he had been holding back.

“Qian’er, it seems you were molested by a dragon… ah, no, rather, a monster! It’s weird; there were two beautiful ladies there, but the creature didn’t even glance at them. Why did it go after you, a man? I must tell you, that was no ordinary dragon…”

But recalling the look the dragon gave before it disappeared, he refrained.

So, He Xiaowei simply said, “A dragon appeared and saved us! What the hell is this instance? Or what’s going on in Jiang Yuqing’s consciousness? In any case, the strange monster made up of thousands of S Army corpses was defeated by the dragon. None of us were harmed… Maybe it was some cutscene in the game? Anyway, it doesn’t matter to us clearing the game, right? Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense!”

Thinking of the scale in his hand, Zhou Qian didn’t say much but cast a thoughtful glance at Jiang Yuqing. Then he asked, “Mr. Jiang, are you alright?”

Jiang Yuqing nodded. His pale face still showed signs of weakness. He whispered, “Thank you, Bei He. I’m fine now.”

Zhou Qian smiled at him. “I’m glad we managed to save you. Let’s rest a bit and then take you to the west pier.”

An hour later, He Xiaowei, Situ Qing, and Yun Xiangrong were walking ahead while Zhou Qian, supporting the injured Jiang Yuqing, followed.

After another two hours, they reached the sea.

The clouds over the sea had completely dissipated. The dawn was glowing red, and the vast sky and boundless sea were painted in layers of red and blue, blending into different shades of purple, ultimately merging with the horizon in a distant gray ribbon.

While the other teammates went in search of an intact boat, Zhou Qian and Jiang Yuqing sat on a rock by the sea.

Zhou Qian turned to him. “He Xiaowei told me that when the dragon appeared, you passed out. He was scared and thought you died.”

Jiang Yuqing seemed to not understand, lost in the game’s character setting. He replied, “Thank you, Bei He, and the Falcon Squadron, for everything you’ve done for me and our people.”

Zhou Qian added, “After looking into your eyes, I’m even more convinced that you resemble someone I know.”

Jiang Yuqing blinked as if he still didn’t comprehend.

Turning his gaze back to the vast sea, Zhou Qian said, “This dungeon was really dangerous. But I vowed to get out alive. I dug up his ashes and even took down his tombstone. So, I must live to see if the tombstone I ordered has been prepared, so I can give him a proper burial. Otherwise, if I meet him in hell—”

 Zhou Qian turned back, looking deeply into Jiang Yuqing’s eyes. “What if he blames me?”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 36

In the narrow alley under the night sky.

The streetlight cast a sinister silhouette of the high-ranking officer from the S Army, making him appear like a viper slithering in the darkness.

Inside a nearby single-story house, the four players could only hold their breath, waiting for him to leave the alley. They refrained from taking any shots, not wanting to raise an alarm prematurely.

The area could be full of ambushes. With the assistance of the ghosts, they had cautiously made their way here, and they couldn’t afford to act recklessly now.

Only after the man was out of sight did the four emerge, one by one, jumping from the windows. They then circled back to the rear gate of the school.

The vast playground was brightly lit, and countless skeletal remains, glaring eerily under the illumination, seemed restless in death, as if yearning for revenge. Regrettably, their restless spirits were sealed by numerous talisman papers, rendering them unable to escape.

In the middle of the playground, there were about thirty wooden stakes with dark, dried blood visible on them. It was clear that many had been tied there and lost their lives. At the moment, 27 people were being herded under gunpoint and subsequently tied to the stakes. Through binoculars, Zhou Qian could see Jiang Yuqing prominently positioned at the center.

Once everyone was tied, a soldier approached Jiang Yuqing and spoke to him. Due to the distance, Zhou Qian and his team couldn’t hear the conversation, but they could guess that they were threatening him for some formulas or something similar.

About half a minute later, a series of explosions reverberated. The outskirts of the city’s core were under attack, with buildings being destroyed as the S Army advanced.

Now that Jiang Yuqing had been located, they didn’t hold back. Their intent was clear: destroy every possible hideout of the Falcon Squadron and, ideally, annihilate them.

Zhou Qian looked back to see half of the city ablaze.

However, upon closer inspection, the S Army had spared parts of the city. They probably didn’t want to damage the talismans and dog’s blood set up in haunted areas to avoid unleashing hordes of ghosts.

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes slightly, then waved at his teammates, leading them back into the single-story house.

“Damn it! So frustrating!” He Xiaowei couldn’t help but whisper angrily, then quickly added, “Wait, how did Jiang Yuqing attend the wedding at the venue earlier?”

“I had thought that he might have slipped through the city’s smaller streets because there were fewer people. But now that doesn’t seem… possible.”

Yun Xiangrong pondered for a moment and replied, “Didn’t the officer mention that Jiang Yuqing was hiding in a basement? Maybe there are tunnels in this city? He could’ve used a tunnel to get to the wedding venue and then returned?”

Recalling the bizarre scene at the wedding where he had seen Jiang Yuqing, Zhou Qian nodded. “That’s very likely. Given that Jiang Yuqing and the others were found in the basement of the school cafeteria, maybe compared to other parts of the tunnels, the school offered better ventilation, ample food, and water supplies, making it their base.”

“The trapped scholars, with no combat experience, stayed hidden, unsure of potential ambushes in the city. Attending the wedding was an exception for Jiang Yuqing, given that he wanted to celebrate his comrade’s big day; hence, he took the risk.”

Zhou Qian lowered his voice. “No wonder he hurriedly gave the gift at the wedding, didn’t stay for the ceremony, and left without even entering the main hall. He needed to return to the city center urgently, concerned about his compatriots.”

“If the S Army found his compatriots while Jiang Yuqing was there, there might’ve been room for negotiation. Jiang Yuqing could’ve bartered his knowledge of the formulas with the S Army in exchange for their lives. But if they found out he wasn’t present, they might’ve simply executed them.”

Thinking of the bones on the playground, the two children forced into complicity, the bride in her fiery red dress, and the clear eyes of the girl from the photograph…

He Xiaowei’s anger bubbled, his chest heaving with rage.

Soon after, he heard Yun Xiangrong say, “Our mission is to take Jiang Yuqing to the west pier to catch a boat. So, if we follow the normal approach, we openly seize Jiang Yuqing, then take him through the heavy encirclement to the west pier… This is obviously impossible. It’s already hard for us to deal with the elite forces on the playground, not to mention the many more outside.”

“So, should we find a way to contact Jiang Yuqing and ask him for the location of the tunnels? Then we can use the tunnels to employ guerrilla tactics, moving outwards and escaping to the west pier?”

He Xiaowei said, “That’s also tough! How can we approach Jiang Yuqing and ask him where the tunnel is? How can we remember the complicated tunnel routes in such a short time?

“This world is actually constructed from Jiang Yuqing’s consciousness. In the real historical process, he might indeed have escaped through the tunnels. But for us, in this scenario, this task seems impossible!”

Walking to the window, He Xiaowei looked at the tower of the school from a distance and sighed deeply. “I heard Qian’er talk about his plan before, and it sounded so inspiring! I originally thought that we would rush to the tower and overlook the entire city center. We would take that highest ground, and whoever dared to approach would eat our bullets!”

Once the players captured the highest ground, when the S Army found Jiang Yuqing, whether they brought him to the playground or elsewhere, the city center was so small, and besides the tower, there were no other tall buildings. So, players could see every move of the S Army.

If things went smoothly, they could take down the enemies one by one. After that, they could take Jiang Yuqing and escape, shooting and throwing explosives and grenades along the way, with the four of them cooperating seamlessly until they brought Jiang Yuqing to the west pier…

However, all of this was just a fantasy in He Xiaowei’s mind.

He never expected the city center to be so brightly lit, and he never expected so many elite S Army troops, let alone… Jiang Yuqing and so many of his compatriots were now tied to the stakes on the playground.

“If we can’t come up with a solution… If Jiang Yuqing and those compatriots die. Our mission fails, right?” He Xiaowei said angrily, “I don’t care about the mission now; I just want to kill those S Army troops!”

For quite some time after this, only He Xiaowei and Yun Xiangrong spoke.

Situ Qing, always a woman of few words, remained silent, which was normal. Although she was a strong fighter, she rarely offered constructive suggestions when wisdom was required.

But now even Zhou Qian had been silent for a long time, which seemed unusual.

He Xiaowei turned to look for Zhou Qian. He saw Zhou Qian standing in the shadows of the building, in a spot the streetlight outside didn’t reach. All his expressions were hidden in the darkness, making him hard to read.

He Xiaowei walked over and asked, “Qian’er, don’t scare me. If you’re out of ideas… Wait, didn’t you say you had a real plan?”

After a moment, Zhou Qian’s deep yet confident voice came. “Don’t worry. I led you through the side quests, and I brought you into this main quest of this difficulty level. So I will definitely get you out.”

He Xiaowei uncertainly asked, “So, what now?”

Zhou Qian succinctly replied, “Wait.”

He Xiaowei: “Wait… for what?”

“For the two little dragons I sent out,” Zhou Qian said. “I can sense they are still alive. Now the external S Army has accelerated their sweep, moving quickly towards the city center. This might actually work in favor of my plan.”

“So your plan is—” He Xiaowei’s heart began to beat fast in excitement.

“When the time is right, you all follow my instructions.” As Zhou Qian said this, his eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Zhou Qian quickly stepped out of the shadows and opened the window. The depths of his eyes lit up brightly when hit by the lamp’s light.

“The S Army outside is heading towards the city while bombing houses on their way. They might bomb this place soon, so we need to leave this single-story house quickly.”

“By the end, a large number of the S Army will probably gather at the playground. It will be even more challenging for us to enter at that time. So, while there are only about ten people there, we should find a way in.”

Glancing in the direction of the school’s back playground, Zhou Qian continued, “There are a few big trees near the edge of the playground, close to the back door. Their canopies are dense and away from the light source. Let’s hide there for now.”

After issuing instructions to his team, the four of them quietly returned to the back door.

Through the iron gate, everyone attentively watched the movements on the playground.

The dozen or so S Army soldiers seemed to be waiting for their officer and the rest of the troops. Although the main forces were not present, they remained alert, each holding a gun, vigilantly monitoring their surroundings.

After observing for a while, Zhou Qian noticed a consistent and apparent pattern in their movements.

They all faced west uniformly, turned right to the north after two minutes, and then turned right again to the east two minutes later, and so on.

So, when they all turned their backs, Zhou Qian quickly signaled Situ Qing and He Xiaowei.

The two promptly drew their weapons and used their abilities, minimizing the noise.

After a moment, very soft bell and string plucking sounds emerged, fading quickly as if carried away by the night wind, almost like an illusion.

But this wasn’t an illusion. The sound was real.

The sound waves, together with a slight snowy breeze, swept across the ground. Two minutes later, from the alley behind the single-story house to a part of the back door of the playground, the talisman paper and dog blood vanished.

Time was limited, and the area they cleared was small. But for now, it was enough.

After clearing the ground, Zhou Qian threw a few pebbles he had picked up earlier onto the road behind.

The rhythmic “tap-tap-tap” of the pebbles was a pre-agreed signal with the hidden ghosts.

At that moment, upon hearing Zhou Qian’s signal, a dozen ghosts appeared.

At Zhou Qian’s gesture, they quickly passed through the school’s back door, heading straight to the playground.

A significant part of the playground was still covered with talisman paper. If the spirits rashly entered the covered area, they would be sealed.

But the S Army soldiers stationed at the playground didn’t know that the talisman paper near the back door had been cleared. When they looked at the back door and saw a group of ghosts rushing at them, they initially believed that the talisman paper was ineffective against them.

The soldiers of the S Army were thrown into a momentary panic. Their formation quickly disintegrated, and they hurriedly discussed countermeasures. Two even ran off with their guns, perhaps to seek advice from an officer.

However, their confusion didn’t last long.

Firstly, these soldiers were well-trained elites from the S Army and would not flee easily when faced with danger. Secondly, they soon realized that the ghosts only hovered near the back door and couldn’t approach them.

After a while, they noticed the ghosts had retreated.

No matter how powerful those two kids were or how many ghosts they sealed, there must be some that slipped through the cracks in the city.

Regardless, with the talisman paper and dog blood covering the playground, it seemed the ghosts couldn’t get in.

This was what the soldiers thought.

They were unaware that during their brief moment of chaos and negligence, four people had sneaked into the playground using the ghosts as a distraction. These individuals then climbed up two tall trees and concealed themselves among the dense canopies.

After the four players successfully sneaked into the playground and hid in the trees, they waited, just as Zhou Qian had suggested.

About fifteen minutes later, the main forces of the S Army arrived.

The school’s back door faced a residential area, with long streets on the other three sides.

From their vantage point in the trees, the players could vaguely see that the three streets were packed with people, giving a sense of the scale of the S Army’s numbers. It was indeed not a situation where players should confront them head-on.

The three wide streets were packed with people. Not only that, but in no time, the back field was occupied by countless soldiers from the S Army. Looking around, the entire field had been divided into squares, with only the central area left empty. That was where our 27 compatriots were tied up.

Soon after, the interrogation of Jiang Yuqing officially began.

The officer that the players had seen before walked out, and he started to loudly berate and threaten Jiang Yuqing.

As befitting someone of a general’s stature, his voice was intimidating, making one’s blood run cold upon hearing it. Even the soldiers from the S Army standing next to him straightened up, not uttering a word or even daring to blink.

Hidden in a tall tree, Zhou Qian remained as still as a mountain, staring intently at the bound Jiang Yuqing.

Though he held a military rank, Jiang Yuqing was always a scholar, having never held a gun. His demeanor was still scholarly and refined. Yet, at this moment, he showed no sign of fear.

Zhou Qian couldn’t see his facial features clearly, but he could see Jiang’s head held high, never once bowing down.

The officer from the S Army approached Jiang Yuqing and whispered something, then suddenly fired his gun.

The target wasn’t Jiang Yuqing, but a compatriot to his left. After a loud gunshot, blood sprayed out, staining half of Jiang Yuqing’s face red. However, he still looked straight ahead, displaying unwavering determination.

Only his clenched fists subtly revealed his inner rage and injustice.

Raising his pistol, the officer blew into the muzzle of the gun. He then had someone untie Jiang Yuqing.

After being freed, Jiang Yuqing was held at gunpoint by two people. Soon, a table was placed in front of him, and a pen was forcibly shoved into his hand.

The officer shouted, “Write down what we want, and we’ll treat you well! But if you’re stubborn, just like how your compatriot just died… the others will suffer the same fate. Every ten minutes, one will die!”

As soon as the officer finished speaking, someone among the compatriots shouted, “Dr. Jiang! Don’t tell them! Once we develop that weapon, we can annihilate all of them! Then, our country will never be in this situation again!”

Another person chimed in, “Yes, Dr. Jiang! Our lives don’t matter! You must never reveal the secret of the weapon to the enemy!”

Two gunshots rang out, and the two individuals were immediately killed.

Jiang Yuqing’s shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.

The officer pointed his gun at Jiang Yuqing’s face, tapping him with it and said, “You’ve just lost twenty minutes.”

Jiang Yuqing looked at him almost calmly and said, “The experimental data and formula have already been handed over to the Seventh Army’s experimental base. You can kill us all. Consider it as us giving our lives for the people of Cyress City. But don’t expect to hear a word out of me—”

Jiang Yuqing’s words were interrupted by a gunshot, hitting him in the shin.

He stumbled, almost kneeling, but even with the excruciating pain, he managed to hold onto the table and stand.

He’d sworn never to kneel before the enemy!

“You have ten minutes left. After ten minutes, another one dies,” the officer declared. “If I kill six of you, that would take an hour… We don’t have that much time to waste on you. The first six are lucky; I’ll shoot them in the head. The rest… will be tortured. An hour later, I’ll start with their eyes and ears, use electric torture, waterboarding, one by one. When all of them are dead, it’ll be your turn, Dr. Jiang.”

At this moment, near the back door and up a tree, Zhou Qian could feel that He Xiaowei, who was very close to him, was trembling with rage to the point that the treetop started to sway. Pressing down on his shoulder, Zhou Qian said, “Hold on.”

He Xiaowei whispered, “I can’t stand it anymore. I’m so angry! Qian’er, what are you waiting for?”

Even though the situation was dire, Zhou Qian still said, “Wait a little longer. Stay calm.”

Ten minutes later, there was another gunshot as the S Army’s officer executed another person.

He Xiaowei, drenched in sweat, turned to Zhou Qian, but Zhou Qian just sat quietly on the tree trunk, lips pursed tightly together, not saying a word.

Another ten minutes later.

The third compatriot was killed.

This time, he didn’t die from a gunshot. Instead, two people simultaneously stabbed him with their knives.

Out of what seemed like sheer fury, they repeatedly stabbed him, causing blood to instantly flood the floor. Even the white paper placed on the table in front of Jiang Yuqing by the enemy was completely stained red.

The red color seemed to further excite the commander of the S Army.

He chuckled softly, picked up the paper to smell it, seemingly enjoying its scent, and then instructed his subordinates to replace it with a new sheet for Jiang Yuqing to write data and formulas.

The scene was too much for He Xiaowei to bear. He turned to Zhou Qian, almost growling, “Qian’er, you—”

Suddenly, Zhou Qian interrupted in a deep voice, “They’re here!”

Who’s here? What’s here?

Following Zhou Qian’s gaze, He Xiaowei looked towards the bungalows behind them. He saw two little dragons, escorted by ghosts, moving through the darkness and lamplight from the deep alleyways.

The two little dragons hopped around adorably. One held a uniform from the Seventh Army, and the other held a peculiar brush. It was unclear what its purpose was.

The scene was eerily humorous—two frolicking little dragons followed by countless pale, footless spirits.

But He Xiaowei didn’t find it amusing. Sensing what Zhou Qian planned to do, his blood began to boil.

“What’s that brush?” He Xiaowei asked with uncertainty.

Zhou Qian replied, “It’s the [Bling Bling Brush] we got from the last instance. Blood, mud, sweat stains, dust… everything can be cleaned by it. That’s what the skill description says.”

He Xiaowei exhaled a hot breath. “So…”

“So, imagine how powerful the resentment energy would be from the countless spirits in this city, and from all the corpses?”

Zhou Qian drew a knife and made a cut on his wrist.

He spoke softly yet firmly. “I’m amplifying my power.”

Zhou Qian’s abilities were limited. Without the power of resentment, his ultimate skill would be harmless. But the damage from this ability had no limit. With the entire city’s population massacred, Zhou Qian could now channel the city’s anger and injustice to avenge all of them!

As the blood dripped from Zhou Qian’s wrist, He Xiaowei gasped in horror, “Those two little dragons—!!! Oh my god!”

Before He Xiaowei could elaborate, Zhou Qian saw it—the two little dragons had fallen. The city center had been heavily surrounded by the S army. It wasn’t easy for them to get this far under the protection of the ghosts. They probably got shot earlier but forced themselves to run here to show Zhou Qian.

The S Army used two children to seal the ghosts.

Earlier, Zhou Qian had the two dragons discreetly clean up all the dog’s blood and talisman papers in the city to unseal all of them. Using the uniform of the Seventh Army as a signal, he summoned all the spirits to the city’s center. The little dragons, having accomplished their task, turned into dull scales as they collapsed.

Glancing at them, Zhou Qian’s eyes reddened with anger. He then looked back at the center of the playground. Gripping his knife tighter, his health began to drop rapidly.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 70%]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 40%]

……

“He Xiaowei, you have two tasks. First, in the chaos, work with Situ Qing to clean up the dog’s blood and talisman papers on the playground; second, keep my health stable at 9%!”

At this moment, spirits surged from all directions, forming an overwhelming tide about to engulf the playground. Cries of sorrow, anger, and hatred echoed as they all targeted the S Army.

In the past, they were ruthlessly slaughtered, but their attachment to their homeland kept them lingering.

Today, as powerful spirits, they would seek revenge for themselves, their loved ones, and their violated lands!

Dark clouds loomed abruptly, and the radiance of the stars and moon in the sky was completely devoured. A chilly wind swiftly swept across the entire playground. With the sudden drop in temperature in this region, it was as if the gates of hell had flung wide open, letting out an icy wave tinged with the scent of death. Every member of the S Army shivered, nearly wounded without even battling.

Meanwhile, up in the tree branches.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 9%]

Ignoring his pain, Zhou Qian quickly wrapped his injured left wrist with a bandage from his toolkit. He then raised the Rib of God with his right hand, standing tall atop a tree.

“Being the villain that I am, driven by circumstances, if this instance demands me to play the hero, then I shall honor that role.”

“Those who invade our land and massacre our brethren—all must die!”

As his words faded, Zhou Qian leapt down from the tree.

“Bang, bang, bang”, several bullets shot towards him.

Yet, astonishingly, several skeletons appeared rapidly in front of him, blocking all the bullets before falling apart onto the ground.

Seeing this, the officer nearest to Jiang Yuqing was taken aback. He lifted his gun and fired another bullet at Zhou Qian. Yet Zhou Qian, unfazed, continued forward, waving the bone in his right hand. The shattered bones at his feet swiftly reassembled into humanoid forms. Within moments, they surged up again, blocking another bullet for him!

From 300 meters away, that officer panicked, his gun-holding hand trembling. Suddenly, the temperature on the playground dropped further. Thousands of ice and snowflakes solidified from thin air and descended layer by layer, followed by a massive sound wave that flattened the snow and wiped away every talisman and drop of dog blood on the ground.

Beneath the playground lay the corpses of hundreds of teachers and students. At this moment, the seals were suddenly lifted, and hundreds of ghosts appeared. Driven by their own hatred and the Rib of God in Zhou Qian’s hand, they headed towards every soldier on the field.

Simultaneously, as Zhou Qian waved the bone, hundreds of skeletons also rose to their feet. At his command, they charged at the soldiers!

The well-arranged squads on the playground became chaotic. No matter how advanced their weapons, they were no match for the spirits or the fury and thirst for vengeance. Even their elite training didn’t help, as they ran around like headless chickens.

The skeletons feared no bullets; even if blown apart, they could instantly reassemble. The ghosts were impervious to weapons, attacking the myriad of soldiers as if meeting no resistance!

In no time, over a thousand soldiers on the school’s back playground were killed by the skeletons or ghosts. A few who managed to escape the chaos and run out of the school gates found themselves facing hordes of spirits coming in like a tide from the city’s outskirts, consuming them in an instant.

And to their horror, they realized that the main forces on the three streets were entirely disarmed, decimated by the pervasive yin qi, collapsing to the ground in agony.

The situation was more favorable than expected.

The S Army feared ghosts, making children seal them; if they found a way to lift the seals, the ghosts would deal with the S Army. It was a straightforward logic to clear the level.

The most challenging part was dispersing the dense talismans and dog blood in the heavily guarded city core. Without resolving this, spirits from other places couldn’t advance, even if their seals were lifted. But Zhou Qian’s unique skill could forcibly summon spirits from kilometers away under the effect of the Rib of God skill, assembling them into an unstoppable army.

Amidst the overwhelming victory, Zhou Qian stepped forward until he reached the once arrogant officer, now trembling in fear on his knees.

Pulling out a gun he had previously acquired, Zhou Qian pressed it against the officer’s forehead. Without hesitation, he blew the man’s head off.

Blood splattered, and Zhou Qian, with a look of displeasure, stepped aside to avoid the mess. Once the blood had settled, he continued walking. With countless spirits behind him and surrounded by skeletons, amidst the triumphant cheers of the spirits, he approached Jiang Yuqing.

Jiang Yuqing seemed a bit stunned. Due to a gunshot wound in his leg, he couldn’t stand firmly and still clutched the table for support.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian walked over and gently grasped Jiang Yuqing’s wrist, helping him to stand.

Zhou Qian then smiled at him and said softly, “Mr. Jiang, I’ve come to save you.”

Jiang Yuqing turned his head to meet Zhou Qian’s gaze. In that moment, it was as if an invisible dark cloud had dispersed. Zhou Qian could finally see his true appearance.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 35

In front of Building A, the bodies of two snipers lay silently on the ground.

Zhou Qian didn’t let his team go out for the time being but waited for three minutes.

During these three minutes, ghostly whispers continued to emanate from the building. No new snipers emerged from inside or outside, and no other potentially lurking S Army troops nearby noticed any anomalies and rushed over.

Thus, after confirming that there were only these two snipers here, Zhou Qian gestured and walked over with his other three teammates.

In less than half a minute, they quickly stripped the two corpses of their bullets, guns, and other tools.

During the process, He Xiaowei tried to strip off their clothes, thinking that if they could wear the uniforms of the S Army, maybe they could blend in later on. But he realized he couldn’t do that.

Because these gunmen had no faces and no tangible clothes. They were like shadows formed into human shapes, able to see, hear, speak, and kill, but they weren’t really humans.

While his teammates gathered the spoils, Zhou Qian slowly walked to a spot 200 meters directly in front of the building, illuminated by a streetlight. He bent down, and after a while, he found a dull scale that hadn’t been washed away.

He reached out, placing the scale in his palm, and stared at it intently, as if deep in thought.

He Xiaowei came over with a gun, squatted next to him, and also looked at the scale. After a while, he patted Zhou Qian on the shoulder. “You’re quite an enigma. You don’t seem as cold-blooded as you appear.”

“Huh?” Zhou Qian asked in surprise. “Do I come off as ruthless? I feel like I’ve been very friendly to all of you. Haven’t I?”

He Xiaowei: “…”

Putting the gathered bullets and gunpowder into their bags, He Xiaowei then asked, “Ahem… What’s with that dragon? Is it some kind of… mental creation of yours?”

When players exited the game, all their injuries would be healed. So, He Xiaowei speculated that they didn’t enter this game with their bodies but with their minds.

Their training and leveling up in the game were actually upgrades on a spiritual level. Therefore, it was entirely possible for the mind to differentiate itself into some creature or even a human within the game world.

Zhou Qian, looking at the scale in his hand, said, “It might be. But I feel… they are not entirely the product of my mind alone.”

He Xiaowei was puzzled. “Huh? What do you mean? If not just yours, then whose?”

Zhou Qian remained silent, recalling how the little dragon seemed to have its own consciousness the previous night, heading towards Room 701 with a clear goal—Jiang Yuqing.

Zhou Qian was led into the game by a dragon. Although everything since then related to his own choices and all the hidden instances were opened through his own efforts, he always felt as if someone was expecting him to follow a predestined path.

Zhou Qian clearly didn’t like being “arranged”. After all, he was always the one arranging others.

But at that moment, he didn’t say much more. He just packed up the scale, stood up, and looked back at Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong. “Let’s go. Our next target is Building B.”

……

Half an hour later, the snipers in Buildings A, B, and C had all been dealt with in a similar manner by Zhou Qian’s team. Now, the city’s second safe zone was theirs for the taking.

In games, monsters usually appeared where important treasures were. After killing these monsters, apart from what you could loot from their bodies, searching their surroundings would often lead to finding valuable items.

This pattern held true in this instance too. The four of them gained a lot, finding many weapons, including smoke grenades, flashbangs, and explosives.

Now better armed, they set up explosives as traps on a main road, anticipating the incoming S Army from the outskirts. Then they hid in Building A, the building closest to the west pier.

Upon entering the building, they were surrounded by a horde of ghosts. But quickly, all four took out their Seventh Army uniforms, and the ghosts joyfully welcomed them.

“Ah, the Seventh Army is here!”

“They’ve come to save us!”

“Are you tired? Thirsty?”

Zhou Qian only said one thing to the ghosts, “The S Army will arrive soon. Within ten seconds, you need to extinguish all the lights. After that, no one should speak. We will set an ambush here.”

Once Zhou Qian finished speaking, the ghosts immediately complied. Their shared hatred for the S Army enabled them to swiftly complete Zhou Qian’s instructions.

True to his word, within ten seconds, all the lights in Building A went out. Furthermore, the building fell silent, with none of the ghosts speaking.

Of course, before returning to Building A, Zhou Qian and his group had given the same instructions to the ghosts in Buildings B and C. From a distance, all three buildings appeared silent and dark, as if nothing had happened recently. It seemed as though S Army snipers were still lurking there.

After choosing an optimal vantage point at the top of Building A, the four-member squad took their positions to ambush.

About five minutes later, members of the S Army started to arrive. They came from three directions—east, north, and west—covering all directions that Buildings A, B, and C faced.

The most significant group headed towards building A, as it was the closest path to the second main road, right into the ambush set by Zhou Qian. The smaller squads took other paths, heading in the west and north directions.

Only the southern direction was unoccupied.

Zhou Qian considered three possibilities.

First, the wasteland might genuinely have landmines.

Second, countless citizens of Cypress City were buried there, making it a cemetery. But since the area lacked items like dog blood and talisman paper, perhaps the S Army was superstitious and chose to avoid it.

Third, with only a few trees and no buildings, the wasteland offered little cover; it was unlikely that Jiang Yuqing would be hiding there, so there was no need for the S Army to search that area.

From the top of Building A, Zhou Qian watched a large troop approach using his binoculars. They didn’t head straight to the main road. Instead, they methodically searched house by house, looking for Jiang Yuqing. People kept entering and exiting houses. Those exiting shook their heads to indicate that Jiang Yuqing wasn’t found.

Once the troop finished searching the whole street and was sure Jiang Yuqing wasn’t there, Zhou Qian signaled Yun Xiangrong. She immediately took out her flute and played a soft note.

The flute’s sound was melodious but subtle from the building’s height. As she played, soft willow catkins surrounded her. In the past, these fluffs could heal wounds. Now, they became weapons.

However, this time, Yun Xiangrong’s weapon wasn’t the catkins itself. She used it as a medium. As the catkins gathered, He XIaowei quickly ignited it with a lighter. The catkins transformed into glowing embers and dispersed as Yun Xiangrong played a more urgent tune. The embers floated out of the building and began to fall.

Discussions erupted among the S Army below.

“What’s that?”

“Fireflies? Are there fireflies in Cypress City?”

“That doesn’t seem right!”

“What harm can fireflies do?”

Suddenly, the dark night was lit up by countless falling sparks, resembling a meteor shower. But this beautiful sight was deadly.

The embers aimed not at the troops on the road but at the edges. The faint “pop” sounds were the fuses of the hidden explosives igniting—a sound all too familiar to veterans.

“It’s an ambush!”

After a shout, the well-trained troops scattered. But it was too late. Explosions resonated throughout the street, turning it into an inferno. The flames, like a monster, devoured every escaping S Army member.

On the main road, the entire S Army troops were obliterated. The flames almost turned the sky red.

The S Army squads from other directions realized the danger and ran with their guns drawn. However, by this time, Zhou Qian and his group had already silently left Building A, heading straight to the last “safe zone”—the core area of Cypress City!

……

Leaving the second main road, Changjiang Road, the four players checked along the way for any signs of dog blood and amulets on the ground while moving forward in the dark.

When they reached a certain point, Zhou Qian made a gesture, and all four of them stopped.

The reason he wanted everyone to stop was simple: about five hundred meters away, almost every place was brightly lit.

Why, in the central area of the city, were all the lights on in every household?

Zhou Qian suppressed the doubts in his heart and rearranged the team into pairs. After grouping, everyone did the same thing as before—climbing trees or getting on top of buildings to check the situation in the city center and see which tall buildings had talismans around them.

The central area of the city was relatively small, covering an area of about three kilometers in diameter. This time, it took less than ten minutes for them to roughly check the area and regroup.

However, everyone looked serious. The situation seemed much more complicated than they had imagined.

Not far ahead was the very center of the city. The largest building there was a school.

The school had many buildings, and one of its towers was the tallest structure in that area, a place Zhou Qian was keen to take control of.

Three sides of the school were surrounded by wide, straight roads connected to many alleys and various buildings, while the remaining side had a row of low houses.

Initially, the players speculated that most of the S Army was on the outskirts of the city, fearing the numerous ghosts in the city. They let two children slowly sprinkle dog blood and paste talismans until most of the ghosts were sealed.

Under such circumstances, the number of S Army members who initially entered the city center would not be large, approximately the same as the snipers in the three ABC buildings.

However, their findings contradicted this. Fortunately, they stopped in time. Starting from about 300 meters ahead, almost everywhere was covered in talismans. In the dark night, the many bright yellow talismans almost formed a river, laid out on every road.

This suggested that there could be ambushes in every building in the city’s core area.

“What the hell is going on?” He Xiaowei whispered in shock. “Not only are there so many S Army on the outskirts, but there are also so many in the core area! We initially thought there were hardly any people here!”

Zhou Qian slightly frowned, then said, “So we need to revise our initial judgment. But if you think about it, this makes more sense. Remember the two plot points we triggered?”

“Yeah,” He Xiaowei immediately replied. “The first was about marrying a ghost bride, and the second was being robbed by ghost children on the main street!”

“Right, in both plots, Da Shou and Xiao Pang appeared. They first went to the place of the marriage ceremony and then to the main street. Compared to the outermost main street, the alley where the ghost bride event occurred is closer to the city center. So,” Zhou Qian continued, “we can infer that these two children started from the center of the city and moved outwards. Therefore, based on our current observations, the real situation might be that a team from the S Army arrived in Cypress City first and directly reached the core of the city. Da Shou and Xiao Pang might have been in the very center of the city from the beginning.”

For various reasons, a team from the S Army came to the city’s core area first.

It could be speculated that there were no landmines or the like in this area because these people need to run around here. That was why they pasted talismans all over this place.

From the beginning, Da Shou and Xiao Pang were brought by this S Army team to the very core of the city. It was this team of the S Army that forced them to move from the city’s core area, scattering talismans all the way to the west pier, paving a path for the rest of the large forces to easily enter the city center.

So, the two children started from the city center and moved towards the outskirts, leaving talismans in many ghost-prone areas under the S Army’s instructions. They also placed many talismans in tall buildings where snipers might be stationed.

In this way, they first encountered the ghost bride, sealed her, and then retreated to the city’s outermost main street, where they tried to seal a large number of ghosts.

Hearing this, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but ask, “When a unit from the S Army initially arrived at the center of Cypress City… what were they there for?”

Yun Xiangrong replied, “Perhaps it’s related to the storyline. Isn’t there a school in the city center? Maybe there’s some kind of laboratory inside. Or perhaps Jiang Yuqing left some notes at that university. They needed to search the school. Jiang Yuqing’s notes are crucial, so despite the ghosts not being sealed, they went in first.”

Zhou Qian, who was sitting in a tree, squinted towards the direction of the school.

“Actually, the full sequence of events could be that a contingent of the S Army first arrived in Cypress City, and at the same time, they captured Jiang Yuqing.”

“Maybe, as Yun Xiangrong suggested, Jiang Yuqing had visited this school before and left something behind; or perhaps a professor here was classmates with Jiang Yuqing and knew some related information and wrote down some draft notes related to formulas…”

“In any case, this S Army brought Jiang Yuqing to the school, forcing him to write down the formula while simultaneously searching the school.”

After a brief pause, Zhou Qian continued, “However, later on, Jiang Yuqing was rescued. Meanwhile, all the exits from this city were occupied by the S Army. This pretty much ensured that Jiang Yuqing hadn’t left the city and is still hiding somewhere. Afterward, they arranged for children to spread talisman papers and other things. Due to the ghost disturbances, some people retreated to the pier, but because the mission was urgent, others continued to stay around the school searching for information.”

“My guess now… is that, based on the principle that the most dangerous place is often the safest, Jiang Yuqing is hiding in that school, or nearby. The troops outside the city will search layer by layer, but those left inside are also scouring every inch for him. So maybe… Jiang Yuqing will soon be found. Moreover, the above speculations indicate a very important matter.”

With a tense expression, He Xiaowei hurriedly asked, “What important matter?”

Zhou Qian’s gaze became grave. “The S Army currently located in the city center is the vanguard. This means they are the real invading force. The citizens all over the city… were first slaughtered by them!”

The elite force that invaded Cypress City and massacred its residents was right now in the city center. Those on the pier were partly the reserve force, arriving only after the vanguard successfully captured Cypress City.

As such, the combat capabilities of the S Army in the city center might be entirely unmatched by the small fries they had encountered before. They were a formidable team, but also extremely brutal.

Having understood many key points, Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but frown. “This level… cannot possibly be just a level-two difficulty. Where does the 60% pass rate come from?”

At this moment, Situ Qing glanced at Zhou Qian next to her and said, “I guess there are two main tasks. If we hadn’t completed the side quest named ‘Check and Balance’ yesterday, today’s main task would be much easier.”

“But now… we’re going for hidden achievement. So this mission seems too hard. Not to mention that the enemies in the city center are very tough to deal with. Even if we manage to deal with them… we have no idea how many are at the pier. How can the four of us go against an entire army?”

After discussing for a while, the three players looked at Zhou Qian with indescribable expressions. They saw Zhou Qian casually taking out a piece of paper and a pen, starting to sketch out a map of the city center.

He then said, “The elite S Army inside is elite, but they are just more accurate snipers, stronger and more brutal. However, their weapon configurations must be similar; they won’t suddenly bring out a powerful weapon that deviates from the game’s logic to deal with us.”

“Moreover, having slaughtered the city, they’ve likely used up a lot of their ammunition, significantly weakening their strength since their siege. Lastly, there must be a way to clear the game. If the three safe zones are seen as three small levels, then the rules given in the first two levels must also apply to the third one.”

“Otherwise, the storylines and levels provided earlier would be meaningless. If game designers capriciously changed the rules, then this isn’t a game. Why wouldn’t they just kill players outright?”

“Therefore, avoiding light can prevent sniping; cleaning up dog blood and removing talisman papers can unseal the ghosts. These rules will continue to apply. Let’s think positively; the only added difficulty in the final level is that previously, we only had to deal with Buildings A, B, and C. Now, the area we have to cover is just a bit larger.”

Everyone thought to themselves—This is what you call a bit larger?

In the urban core area, everywhere was littered with talisman papers and dog blood. All the places were brightly lit, making it impossible for them to hide. Another 500 meters, and they would be exposed under all those lights.

How the hell were they supposed to handle this?

Situ Qing was the first to speak. “Cleaning up such a vast area of dog blood will deplete my mana. Without it, we won’t be able to use our abilities against the S Army. Sniping by myself… I doubt I can take them all down.”

He Xiaowei sighed repeatedly. “I wish I had learned to shoot earlier.”

Yun Xiangrong bluntly said, “Even if you had learned earlier, it wouldn’t make a difference. Given the vast difference in numbers, whether Situ Qing is the only one sniping or both of you are, the outcome will be the same. We have to think of another way.”

He Xiaowei was taken aback. “What do you mean by that?”

However, Yun Xiangrong turned to Zhou Qian and asked, “So, what’s your plan?”

Zhou Qian quickly drew a rough sketch on a draft paper, then he highlighted a path. “Based on our two teams’ reconnaissance, I’ve drawn a map. The path I’ve marked has the fewest talismans, dog blood, and lights combined.”

“All three of you, cooperate and do one thing.”

“Yun Xiangrong, follow this path and use willow catkins to cover the streetlights, bit by bit, silently. After covering one-third of the distance, as you continue to cover the lights ahead, blow away the catkins from behind so that the previously obscured lights light up again, so it doesn’t seem suspicious if the entire path goes dark.

“He Xiaowei and Situ Qing should follow the previous method and clean up the talisman papers and dog blood on this path.”

“If we’re only dealing with this path… our mana should be more than enough. But—” Yun Xiangrong glanced at Zhou Qian’s map. “Does this path lead to that school?”

“Yes. Following this route, we can pass through a row of residential houses and reach the school. From my observations, it’s the back entrance of the school.”

Zhou Qian elaborated further, “Since the S Army’s primary target is the school, it’s likely the first place where a massacre occurred. Da Shou and Xiao Pang might have been nearby, possibly even attending school here. The S Army might have decided to keep them after seeing the talisman on them and realizing they knew some occult techniques.”

Zhou Qian circled the location of the school and added, “The school’s labs, library, or offices are suitable for Jiang Yuqing to write. So after the S Army finds Jiang Yuqing, they’re likely to bring him to the school.

“Instead of trying to infiltrate the school later, we should take advantage of the fact that the main forces haven’t arrived yet and sneak in now. That’s the first reason for heading to the school.”

“As for the second reason—” Zhou Qian’s tone grew solemn. “Given the high probability of a massacre at the school, there must be many ghosts here. So, by breaking the seals, we can utilize a lot of spirits.”

“This means going deep into enemy territory and turning the tables.”

……

After about seven more minutes, following Zhou Qian’s method, the four successfully navigated the narrow path and reached the back door of the school directly.

Inside was the school’s rear playground.

The night seemed incredibly long and heavy.

There was no moonlight to be seen, but the lights from the edge of the playground revealed bones scattered all over.

How many students, teachers, and citizens were massacred here?

Hiding behind the wall next to the back door, the players felt an overwhelming weight on their hearts.

Just then, footsteps suddenly echoed near the back door, and everyone quickly retreated to a nearby house.

While they were clearing the talisman papers and dog blood earlier, they had unsealed many ghosts. Not only did they ask them to stay quiet, but they also had them scout the area, confirming that at least this row of houses had no S Army. The reason for the talismans here was likely that the S Army needed to search the houses for information, look for Jiang Yuqing, and collect supplies.

At this very moment, they all crouched low, hiding in a civilian house. Separated by two walls, they could hear the back door being opened.

The sound of heavy military boots resonated in the alleyway.

A voice from an S Army soldier soon followed. It was him speaking to someone over a walkie-talkie.

“Yes, notify the main troops outside the city that Jiang Yuqing has been found. There’s no need for them to continue searching everywhere.”

“Where was he? Haha, there’s an old saying here that it’s darkest under the lamplight*. Turns out it’s true. He was actually hiding in the school’s cafeteria! There’s a very concealed basement under the wine cellar. Damn… how much effort did it cost us?”

*A colloquialism referring to not seeing or noticing things and events close to them. It stems from the idea that although the lamp illuminates its surroundings, the area right beneath it might remain in the dark or in shadow.

“Of course, we’ve already tied him up.”

“What’s the next plan? Haha, did you know, besides Jiang Yuqing, there are also quite a few students and teachers in that basement. I suspect there are also some of their national intelligence agents. Probably around twenty or so in total.”

“Hmm… send out the message to tie Jiang Yuqing and those people up in the schoolyard.”

“Have Jiang Yuqing start writing the formula immediately. Of course, we have plenty of time to wait for him, but every ten minutes, we will shoot one of his compatriots! Until he completes it!”

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