Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 163

The roof of the small-footprint church was a spired cone. At its very peak stood a cross, while twelve panes of stained glass formed the church’s dome.

When sunlight streamed through those panes, anyone standing in the ground-floor hall would feel bathed in divine light.

Bathed in such radiance, walking through such a church, no one could help believing that their wishes would be granted if they only prayed to God.

Unfortunately, there was no sunlight now; only the eternally unchanging gray sky.

And of the twelve beautiful panes, one had already been shattered.

Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian now stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the metal framing between the two panes flanking that gap.

On the narrow stone eaves outside the remaining panes stood, to their left, the Peach Blossom Legion headed by Ke Yuxiao, and, to their right, the Feidu Legion led by Xu Yang.

The three gunshots had barely rung out when both Ke Yuxiao and Xu Yang were stunned, and so were the people in the church below who had watched everything through the glass.

Zhou Qian’s features were exquisitely handsome. When he narrowed his eyes to aim, the lift of his outer eye-corners lent a hint of wickedness to his assured gaze—it was hard to look away once you saw it.

At the same time, he bore the obvious polish of someone raised amid wealth. Even now, his stance as he fired was textbook perfect, very likely the product of frequent professional training at archery ranges and the like back in real life.

That Zhou Qian had fired three shots into the empty sky with such crisp, fluid form. After the brief moment of confusion, the spectators in the hall below were instantly gripped by dread. A few who didn’t know him couldn’t keep from cursing aloud.

“Those were our only three rounds. What’s he playing at?!”

“Has he lost his mind?!”

“If he doesn’t care about living, what are we supposed to do?”

“No, he’s famous. I know him. In the player-rating leaderboards before S-level he’s still number one. No one’s ever topped him! It’s just that his clears are always something no one expects.”

“I don’t care how ingenious he is. There are rules, you know! He’s just thrown away our only weapon!”

……

Up on the roof, Zhou Qian ignored every word from the players below. He casually tossed the gun onto the tiles, shot Ke Yuxiao a contemptuous glance, then turned a look of lofty disdain toward Xu Yang.

He began, “Hints in the system broadcasts, the fact that you knew weapon caches beforehand, your recruiting by way of making examples of others. All of it points to one thing: weapons in this instance are extremely limited.

“The Peach Blossom Legion opened this very special instance with a mountain of intel in hand and made straight for the richest weapon deposits. How did the Feidu Legion learn all that? I’m guessing… you planted a mole in Peach Blossom, right?”

Peach Blossom had triggered the instance. They wanted its hidden rewards, and they wanted Zhou Qian dead in the melee. Coming in with so much info, they should have stationed different squads at each cache to monopolize the lot. At minimum, it was enough to deny Feidu any chance to stand as an equal.

So how had things ended up like this?

Peach Blossom weren’t fools: knowing caches lay in several spots, they couldn’t have occupied only one, unless they had a traitor.

Most likely that mole gathered intel, hid a portion of the weapons from Peach Blossom, then passed the info to Feidu, letting Feidu seize those arms.

“Mm. Peach Blossom has a Feidu mole. I don’t need to spell that out, do I?”

Here Zhou Qian turned to look at Ke Yuxiao and the ranking members behind him. Seeing their faces indeed shift, he went on with a smile. “Peach Blossom’s a big legion. Intel of this weight can’t be handled by one person. So our mole wouldn’t dare sit on anything really crucial. It would be too easy to get caught. A reasonable inference, then…”

His gaze slid to Xu Yang, eyes glinting. “Peach Blossom’s stockpile still exceeds yours by far. Xu Yang, with things like that, you’re still here for me?”

Without waiting for more words, Xu Yang quickly worked out the logic and his complexion darkened.

By contrast, Zhou Qian looked ever more composed. “Xu Yang, what passed between us before, you can call it a minor episode, water under the bridge. What feud do we really have?

“Let me pose this: say you have twenty bullets left, Peach Blossom fifty. Wiping out everyone here with me would cost you your full twenty. You sure you want that?”

He spread his hands. “You know there were only three bullets where I was. If I’d claimed I couldn’t find them, you’d never trust me. You’d fear I’d take a potshot. If I’d sworn not to use them, same story. Lucky for you, I did find all three—and I’ve just fired them. You saw it yourself.

“Now you’re certain I pose zero threat, yes?

“Unarmed me is no danger to Feidu or Peach Blossom. In that case, will you waste your ammo on me or save it to use on each other?”

With that, he took Bai Zhou’s hand, as calmly as if out for a lovers’ stroll.

He did indeed lead Bai Zhou a few steps along the roof’s edge, then looked back at Ke Yuxiao’s side. “Same logic your way. Even with fifty rounds, killing me costs you twenty. Why not keep them for the real threat, Feidu?

“If you shoot us, it’s thirty versus twenty and your edge shrinks. Besides… you still have at least one mole you haven’t found, don’t you?”

Behind Ke Yuxiao, several squad leaders were now eyeing one another warily. Seeing it, Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, waved lightly, and, before both legions’ gazes, walked to the roof edge.

Bai Zhou slipped an arm around his waist. “Hold tight.”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian smiled at him, hooked his left arm around Bai Zhou’s neck…

And Bai Zhou, holding him, leapt down, landing steadily on Liuguang Street.

Under everyone’s eyes, Zhou Qian swaggered into the church hall with Bai Zhou, produced all the yellow wristbands, and tossed them a careless look.

“Put them on, all of you. You heard what I said: for them to spend all their ammo on us is a losing bargain. In this situation the twenty of us must come together completely if we’re to flip disadvantage to advantage. If we don’t stay united, we’ll spiral into collapse and we’ll all die. But…”

His tone suddenly turned icy, laden with menace. “I advise you to stay obedient. First, they may not trust you; second, all they want are the information on the murderers you possess, and afterward they’ll kill you anyway.

“And weapons are limited—those will go to their own. If you defect you may not get a weapon, and even if you do…”

Here Zhou Qian lifted Bai Zhou’s hand. “We have Bai Zhou here, ranked first among god-tier players. One way or another, he will cut down traitors. Therefore…

“Take my advice: drop all thoughts of betrayal.

“Since you’re with me, believe this—I can lead you to victory.”

……

[Holy crap, why didn’t I think of that?]

[I’m not being an armchair critic. I did think of it, but I’d never dare try it…]

[Same as above. How could Qian Ge leave those two up there?]

[Yeah, Qian Ge talks a good game, but what if… what if the two legions join forces?]

[Right… They could each spare a few bullets and be done, couldn’t they?]

…

Inside a private box of the virtual viewing hall. 

Zhou Qian’s gamblers launched into heated debate over his move.

And not just here, barrage comments were flooding every viewing hall.

The dozen gamblers in this box all turned in unison toward one man.

He was someone with quite a history: Yuan Bing.

Yuan Bing had once been Wen Bin’s gambler. His machinations had nearly trapped Zhou Qian’s team. 

Only later did the gamblers learn that Wen Bin’s prowess owed to a brilliant strategist behind him, namely Yuan Bing.

With Wen Bin’s death, Yuan Bing, having lost his bet, owed an astronomical sum.

After a player reached S-level, the number of gamblers soared. Any loss multiplied their payouts. No one knew what Yuan Bing did in real life, but he somehow produced several hundred million and paid it.

Then he actually kept playing, picked a new player, and became Zhou Qian’s gambler.

At first the other gamblers resented him for their former enmity.

Now his position had changed, and they were all in the same boat. Though the other gamblers couldn’t say much to him, they never given him a good face.

But starting from Banquet of the Red God, things changed. Time and again Yuan Bing read Zhou Qian’s moves with uncanny accuracy, and the others began to see him differently.

Since Priest no longer appeared as a gambler to answer questions, Yuan Bing became their sole source for explanations.

Now, facing their expectant looks, Yuan Bing said, “No. The odds of Peach Blossom and Feidu cooperating are vanishingly small.”

“Why?” someone asked.

Yuan Bing: “Had Zhou Qian’s gambit failed, he’d never have left the roof with Bai Zhou alive. Their hesitation proves one thing: Zhou Qian’s calculation was right…

“Right that Peach Blossom has more bullets than Feidu, and both sides prize their ammo. How, then, could they cooperate? Killing Zhou Qian takes at least twenty rounds. Peach Blossom might agree to split it half and half, but Feidu never would. And how would Feidu negotiate?”

One gambler suddenly caught on and shouted, “Holy shit. I get it!”

“What did you get?” someone still lost hurriedly asked.

Excited, he explained: “If Feidu proposed concrete terms, say they supply thirty percent of the bullets and Peach Blossom seventy, what would Peach Blossom think? They’d back-calculate Feidu’s total ammo!

“Qian Ge’s group is twenty people. That’s fixed. Peach Blossom knows its own numbers and how many it’s killed. Everyone knows the total player count is a hundred. Simple subtraction lets Peach Blossom estimate Feidu’s manpower.

“Bullets are precious. They need them for enemy factions and for their own non-core members. Feidu has to ensure enough rounds to cover those before killing Zhou Qian. So broaching terms would expose Feidu’s real tally. This is hugely disadvantageous!”

Thus, the board had become a three-way standoff.

Granted, Zhou Qian’s camp was still the weakest since they had no weapons at all.

This instance had a quirk: each wristband color existed in only twenty-five copies. As things progressed, Peach Blossom’s faction surely controlled more than just green; Feidu likewise more than violet, assigning other execs to manage other colors.

Whatever their exact holdings, seeing Zhou Qian’s headcount let each legion roughly gauge the other’s total numbers—made up of legion core, legion non-core, and coerced lone players.

For Xu Yang of Feidu, the system’s coming “max headcount” meant he had to kill people; only by trimming players to that cap could he clear. 

Those he was sure to kill were every non-core member beyond himself, his sister, and five confidants.

Once bullets were gone, they’d be down to melee or clever item use.

Assuming those seven people in Feidu were elite enough to handle two foes apiece; that saved twenty-one bullets. 

If their whole faction numbered forty, they still needed nineteen bullets just to quell internal trouble before even facing outsiders.

On top of that they must exterminate everyone outside. Every remaining round had to count.

Earlier Zhou Qian had hypothetically said they held twenty bullets. 

In such a pinch, to kill Zhou Qian’s twenty he’d at most offer one round and demand Peach Blossom supply nineteen. 

But negotiating at all would lay out Feidu’s trump card.

This undoubtedly would have a huge negative effect on his side. He would never accept it.

Zhou Qian stood in the worst spot—no men, just three bullets. 

Yet with a few words and those shots he had used softness to overcome strength, flipping disadvantage into advantage.

Once they grasped that keystone, the gamblers sat in stunned silence before agreeing in chorus: “Holy shit, awesome.” “So dirty. Political masterminds are filthy.” “Is it too late to pick up game theory now?”

Yuan Bing said, “Peach Blossom probably never dreamt they had a mole. Either way, neither legion will move on Zhou Qian: whoever spends ammo is weakened for later fights. But negotiating will reveal their hand, which is also disadvantageous.

“With such self-interested pragmatists, they’ll do neither.

“So, even if Zhou Qian is weaponless, he has formed a stable tripod with them. The three sides will settle into a delicate stalemate. As things continue…”

He paused, then added, “On Peach Blossom’s side… to have obtained intel this crucial, the mole must be high-level and rooting them out is imperative, likely to spark bloody infighting.

“As for Feidu, their non-core members may not know they’re marked for death or some do know but keep silent to avoid being silenced. 

“They need only a spark to erupt. And who’s the spark? Don’t forget, they themselves brought in Hidden Blade, He Xiaowei, and the rest.”

With his explanation done, the gamblers relaxed into smiles.

“Qian Ge never disappoints.”

“Yeah, what were we worrying about? We can just lie back.”

“Hey, Yuan Bing, you don’t look that relaxed.”

“Ah, he’s just a serious guy.”

“Come on, let’s hop to another hall and chat with the other Qian Ge’s gamblers. Next time have everyone gather here. No more typing, just talk!”

……

“I’m heading to reality for a bit. Keep an eye on things.”

With that, Yuan Bing rose and left the box.

The gamblers paid little heed… Until, at the main door, a deep, unreadable emotion flickered in Yuan Bing’s gaze.

Instead of pressing the exit button to reach the public transfer zone and return via the high-roller channel, he stopped at the door and quietly drew out an identity-switch card.

In a blink he changed from gambler to player and an “inventory” slot appeared on him.

Next he took out a capsule.

Back when Wen Bin died in Murder Exhibition, Yuan Bing, as his gambler, had faced a colossal payout and despair. Priest had approached him then, inviting him into the Peach Blossom Legion.

Those hundreds of millions? Priest had staked him.

And this capsule in his hand—Priest had given it too.

[Item: Territory-Seizing Capsule]

[Function: Want to expand your legion’s territory? This capsule can help! Activate it to alter the nature of the current instance. A peaceful zone can become a battlefield; an open dungeon can become a sealed one.

Using the capsule, you may design parts of the game world. You will be the god and ruler of this instance! In the dream game you create, the system believes you can sweep all before you and claim victory. Win, and the current instance becomes your legion’s territory. Tempting, isn’t it?]

[Note 1: The user may script portions of the story and settings. For balance, the system will polish the instance, making minor tweaks that don’t affect its framework.]

[Note 2: Seizing territory and scripting a game are no easy feats. Before the capsule fully takes effect, you must clear three solo instances created for you. Their difficulty scales to the size of the territory you hope to claim: the larger the land, the tougher the trials. Use with caution!]

The moment had come. Without hesitation, Yuan Bing used the capsule, converting the semi-open virtual viewing hall into a sealed instance.

A prompt appeared: he must clear solo trials. He clicked Confirm.

Another prompt followed…

[The instance you wish to convert contains many non-players. Will you convert them to NPCs or expel them?]

Yuan Bing chose to convert them all and, in his settings, added a keyword: [Killable.]

Why had he backed Wen Bin so hard, only for Wen Bin to lose to Zhou Qian?

Why could these gamblers, who’d done nothing but pick the right horse, rake in fortunes?

He was the clever one; he deserved to be Zhou Qian’s gambler, didn’t he?

Now, only he could truly help Zhou Qian.

So why should other gamblers split the winnings with him?

As the trial loaded, Yuan Bing murmured almost to himself, “I’ll kill every gambler. Zhou Qian, only I deserve to be your sole gambler.

“When Wen Bin died, I hated you, but now… now I’m your comrade. I want to win with you!

“Only I can help you seize victory.

“You’ll come to see…I’m your one and only gambler.”

---

The author has something to say:

Yuan Bing’s storyline was foreshadowed back in Chapter 101~

And through his perspective we also get an explanation for how Blue Harbor City was altered.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 162

Meng Bie really did deserve to be the one who had led this little squad all the way up to S-class. Even with a god-tier player beside him, someone whose air was almost divine, making one instinctively trust or even willingly revere him, Meng Bie still didn’t dare place his full faith in him.

While the teammates all followed Bai Zhou forward, Meng Bie doubled back to the mouth of the alley they had just passed, stuck his head out, and scanned the otherwise deserted street.

He possessed a special tracking skill and had clearly looked everywhere earlier; he had sensed no one at all.

A few moments later, though, he definitely sensed something.

Someone was walking toward him from not far off. Yet that person looked utterly ordinary, just a run-of-the-mill player. His face was deathly pale and his legs shook as he walked, like a lone player who had accidentally been dragged into this game.

Could this be the one lying in ambush to kill us? Impossible!

But very quickly Meng Bie realized something was off.

A figure drifted out soundlessly from behind a ruined building like a ghost. It was another god-tier player and from the Peach Blossom Legion at that!

It seemed this god-tier player had some kind of special concealment power. Meng Bie’s ordinary skill for detecting people nearby had been completely nullified!

The god-tier player, now revealed, raised his gun and aimed at that terrified player.

The player instantly fell to his knees. “D-Don’t kill me!”

“Then put on a green wristband.”

He tossed a green band in front of the man. The god-tier player’s gaze turned thoughtful and actually slid toward the alley mouth where Meng Bie was hiding.

Meng Bie’s heart leapt into his throat. Fortunately, before the man could look over, a hand seized Meng Bie’s shoulder, yanking him backward into the blind spot of that god-tier player’s line of sight.

The hand on his shoulder released. Off-balance, Meng Bie stumbled and nearly fell.

Supporting himself on both hands, half-prostrate on the ground, he looked up to see Bai Zhou gazing down at him with an extremely cold expression. “If you want to stay here, I’ll take the others and leave.”

“I-I’m coming!” Meng Bie swallowed hard. “I’ll do whatever you say!”

……

Some time later, elsewhere…

Gao Shan shielded Yin Jiujiu and the other four as they put distance between themselves and the territory the Peach Blossom Legion had seized, trying to make their way back toward Purple Mist Mountain.

That, however, was clearly no easy task.

Both the Peach Blossom and Feidu had people coming. After securing their respective turf, they rapidly expanded by coercing other lone players.

Still, their little group had made gains of its own, continually persuading scattered newly-minted S-level players to join them. Their ranks now totaled nine.

Leaving the main road, Gao Shan first told Yin Jiujiu and the others to find a place to hide while he, in purely spectral form, went out to reconnoiter.

He had barely taken a few steps when three people wearing purple wristbands appeared head-on.

Glancing at the street sign on the main road, Liuguang Street, Gao Shan immediately doubled back and said to Yin Jiujiu and the rest, “Looks like we’ll have to find somewhere along this street to hole up. No idea whether there’s a usable basement…”

At his words, all their faces clouded.

Yin Jiujiu couldn’t help asking, “So… we’re getting surrounded too. Peach Blossom is pushing in from the east and Feidu from the west. We’re trapped on this street. How do we break out?”

For the moment Gao Shan had no good answer.

His speed wasn’t enough to dodge bullets. Not long ago he and Yun Xiangrong had merely staged an act, wasting a few Peach Blossom’s bullets.

During their flight, whenever they’d run into isolated enemies, he could force himself into corporeal form to draw fire, buying Yin Jiujiu and the others time to slip away.

But if they got caught in a pincer… a bunch of weapon-less players like them would be fish in a barrel.

Yin Jiujiu’s question stumped Gao Shan.

After thinking a moment, she asked again, “How far off are they?”

“About thirty minutes,” Gao Shan said. “They’re not marching straight here. They move as they go, searching each building for strays.”

“Then maybe we still have time to hide… Let’s look for cover first. At this point it’s one step at a time,” Yin Jiujiu said, scanning the street. “Luckily there are plenty of buildings. We’ll check them one by one.”

Remembering something, Gao Shan pulled out the scale and, as Zhou Qian had taught him, summoned the little dragon.

“Little Dragon?” Gao Shan asked, “You can explore, right? Can you quickly find us a relatively safe spot on this street?”

“Yip!” The little dragon nodded. It hopped from Gao Shan’s palm to the ground, lifted its tiny feet to set off and suddenly sensed something. It turned back to Gao Shan.

Its tail curled up and pointed. “Ah, woo-woo!”

Following the direction of the tail, Gao Shan saw a building that looked like a church.

“You want us to go there?” he asked.

“Yip!” The little dragon nodded vigorously, then pushed off hard and shot toward the church.

Rather than head for the front door, the little dragon went to a side window.

Gao Shan, Yin Jiujiu and the nine others gave chase. They saw the window pushed open from inside, and then a pair of long, slender hands reached out.

“Yip.”

The little dragon seemed displeased.

“You did well. Zhou Qian will praise you.” A voice came from inside the church.

“Mm.” The little dragon flicked its tail, awkwardly hopping into those hands.

The owner of the hands cradled the dragon, leaned halfway out the window…

Outside, Gao Shan and Yin Jiujiu found themselves staring at Bai Zhou. “You?!”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Come in.”

Inside the church, Gao Shan saw two groups behind Bai Zhou. One had six people, all wearing orange wristbands. The other had three, each with a different color band.

Counting Gao Shan, after the two parties merged there were now nineteen players present.

After estimating the headcount, Gao Shan looked to Bai Zhou. “We’re hiding in this church?”

“Sure. We just scouted the place,” Bai Zhou replied. “There are several basement levels. It’s a former crime scene.”

Yin Jiujiu, behind Gao Shan, tilted her head at the church’s cross. “What kind of crime?”

“Probably the priest, but we’re not certain yet. I just arrived,” Bai Zhou said. “I only saw that the cross here is upright, while the ones below are inverted.”

There was no time to dig into the details of the case. Gao Shan was anxious about Zhou Qian’s situation. “If we’re trapped here, what about Zhou Qian? Feidu and Peach Blossom will be here soon. We can’t get out. Over there he’ll—”

“We’ll be surrounded, and so will he,” Yin Jiujiu said, frowning in thought. “Since we lack weapons, if they mean to kill us, we’re dead anyway. We might as well fight, carve a bloody path, and storm back to Purple Mist Mountain!”

Hearing that, the player named Meng Bie hurriedly said, “Sister, you’re that gung-ho? Let’s think this through!”

Another chimed in, “Right, and who is this Zhou Qian, anyway? If we’re each surrounded, why should we charge to him instead of him to us?”

No sooner had he spoken than he caught himself, turning to Bai Zhou. “Uh? Boss, the one you said would lead us to victory, the one we have to protect…is…”

He never finished, probably because Bai Zhou’s glance was too icy.

He rubbed his hands, cursing his loose tongue, about to mend matters, when Bai Zhou said, “This street is now our position. Since that’s so, everyone go out and gather clues. Except for this church, every building need people.”

He looked around at the players and swiftly formed teams. “You have fifteen minutes. After fifteen, everyone regroups.”

“But the two legions will be here any minute…” Meng Bie protested. “We—”

“Exactly,” Bai Zhou said. “That’s why you have only fifteen minutes.”

“But—” Meng Bie began again, only to see a flash of cold light: the Tang sword, Dawn, was now in Bai Zhou’s hand.

Peach Blossom and Feidu had bullets.

Bai Zhou had his Tang sword. That alone was enough to deter them all.

Meng Bie’s chest went cold. “If they capture us, we’ll just be labor for them. You’re not planning to enslave us too… Are you really any different from them?”

At that, Gao Shan and Yin Jiujiu instantly stepped in front of Bai Zhou.

Even Meng Bie’s own teammates moved a step toward Bai Zhou instead of him.

Someone tried to reason with Meng Bie. “Meng Ge, think about it. If he wanted us dead, he’d have done the chicken-and-monkey thing like Peach Blossom. He hasn’t.” 

“Yeah, and I’ve heard someone say before that her sister was a god-tier player and 137 helped her in an instance. 137’s no villain!”

……

Bai Zhou offered no further explanation.

“You now have thirteen minutes.”

With that, he lifted the little dragon in his left palm, staring into its eyes. “I’m too far from Zhou Qian to link our mindspace directly, but I can through you.”

As the product of both men’s spiritual power, the little dragon connected their inner worlds and could be perceived by them simultaneously, a bridge of sorts.

The Peach Blossom Legion hadn’t just activated a sealed instance at Blue Harbor City; they had somehow obtained a trove of information about it, seizing the upper hand at once.

Feidu, likewise, either they had a mole in Peach Blossom or some other source, but they too knew crucial intel and cornered many weapons for themselves.

The contest among factions was really a contest of information.

Whoever held more intel seized the initiative.

Zhou Qian lacked the sprawling networks of those legions, but at least the little dragon and Gao Shan were his secret weapons, letting him slowly turn disadvantages into advantages.

One by one, the others left the church to probe the rest of Liuguang Street as assigned.

Bai Zhou, still staring at the dragon, said, “Focus, Little Dragon, let me see him.”

The dragon blinked twice, obediently quieting down. Its tail curled around Bai Zhou’s wrist.

Staring at the dragon before him, Bai Zhou opened his eyes in the mental realm and saw Zhou Qian smiling back. But sweat beaded Zhou Qian’s brow, and he was running, clearly looking like he was in trouble.

“How’s it over there?” Bai Zhou asked.

“Someone’s chasing me,” Zhou Qian replied. “But I’m wearing a white wristband. They don’t know what it means, so they only dare capture me alive, not kill me outright. Hold on, Zhou Ge, I’ll—”

“I’ll come find you.”

“You come here right away.”

The two spoke almost the same words at the same time.

Zhou Qian laughed. “Zhou Ge, give me another twelve minutes, then I’ll come.”

“Why?” Bai Zhou frowned.

“These props are bullshit,” Zhou Qian said. “If I head over now I’ll drag both legions straight to you. Better let your side finish searching the street first.”

“How many chasing you? Your safety comes first. If anything goes wrong, come immediately.”

“Mm. Got it.” Zhou Qian waved. “Wait for me.”

When contact ended Bai Zhou patted the dragon’s tail. It was time to explore the church. The tail slipped from his wrist, but the dragon didn’t jump away at once.

Its bright eyes were fixed on him as it voiced a worried “Yip?”

Knowing it was worried for Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou stroked its head. “He’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Rrm!” Reassured, the dragon hopped from his palm and bounded for the basement first.

Twelve minutes later.

Everyone regrouped in the church.

They had indeed made it through that quarter-hour unscathed. Even Meng Bie had nothing to say now.

But soon the footsteps and clamor outside far exceeded their expectations…

As though some disturbance on Liuguang Street had drawn everyone here.

What kind of disturbance?

Catching some shadow in the corner of their eyes, Gao Shan, Yin Jiujiu, Meng Bie, and the rest all looked in one direction. The first to turn was, of course, Bai Zhou.

He pressed his lips together, squinting through the stained-glass skylight to see something shaped like a black butterfly darting toward them.

Everyone but Bai Zhou was startled.

Black butterflies were rare, and their appearance always seemed to herald something evil, dark, and unspeakable.

Bai Zhou drew his blade in a flash, raced up the side stairs to the second floor, vaulted from the railing, shattered the glass, and leapt outside.

Shards rained down into the first-floor hall. Everyone scrambled aside, then looked up through the hole in the stained glass.

That blade-wielding figure seemed not only to smash the glass but to shatter some invisible shackle as he soared into mid-air. He quickly sheathed the blade, spread his arms, and the black butterfly plummeted into his embrace.

The butterfly’s wings vanished strangely, revealing a man whose arms closed firmly around Bai Zhou’s neck. Bai Zhou, with one arm around the man’s waist, landed atop the neighboring eaves.

That man was, of course, Zhou Qian.

On the rooftop at the church’s peak…

Held in Bai Zhou’s arms, Zhou Qian smiled up at him. “Zhou Ge, that was awesome.”

Bai Zhou looked him over carefully. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” Zhou Qian lifted Bai Zhou’s arm. The sleeve was slashed and his elbow terribly red. “But you—”

Zhou Qian didn’t finish, because people were already climbing onto the roof.

Just as he’d expected, that mysterious item had indeed drawn both legions here.

Heading the Peach Blossom side was Ke Yuxiao; for Feidu it was the very Xu Yang Zhou Qian had met not long ago.

Xu Yang spread his hands at Zhou Qian. “Well? I told you, you’re dead no matter what. You only had three bullets, right? And you’ve probably used some. You probably don’t even have three left?”

Zhou Qian’s expression didn’t change. He murmured to Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge?”

Without another word, Bai Zhou handed him the gun. “All three bullets are here.”

“Good.” Zhou Qian took the gun, stepped from Bai Zhou’s embrace, planted himself on the eaves, and smiled first at Xu Yang, then at Ke Yuxiao.

Then he lifted the gun and aimed it at the sky.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots rang out. Zhou Qian had pulled the trigger three times.

Incredibly, all three bullets were fired straight into the sky.

He had just thrown away all three rounds!

---

The author has something to say:

The young couple doing the idol-drama cling-cling~

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 160

The bathtub in the third-floor bathroom was exceptionally large. No one knew how many people had died there, but fresh blood actually filled it to the brim—and, for some unknown reason, the blood was now bubbling.

After the soft, steady “glug-glug, glug-glug” went on for a while, there was a sudden splash: crimson blood poured over the rim, soaking the shower curtain and then flowing across the yellowed ceramic tiles toward the door.

Before the blood reached the doorway, the three of them had already backed into the corridor.

Even the dim light could not hide the pallor of Xu Feiyu’s face.

Hidden Blade glanced sideways at her, scimitar in hand. “This is what you people meant by ‘no danger’?”

“Nothing like this happened when the place was full of people…” Xu Feiyu frowned. Clearly, she also found the scene incredible.

He Xiaowei swallowed hard. “No kidding. When you came in to scout before, you had a whole crowd. So many people means strong yang energy—no ghost would dare show themselves. But now there’re just the three of us, so of course the things in here are coming out to play! Damn it… Why do I keep running into ghosts?”

Xu Feiyu clenched and unclenched her fists, then said doubtfully, “Something’s off. Blue Harbor City is a semi-open instance. It’s a bridge you use to reach other sub-instances. Some sub-instances are supernatural, some are fantasy… but Blue Harbor itself was never a place with paranormal events.

“Take Purple Mist Mountain, for example—you’ve heard of it, right? It’s one of the hardest trial instance linked to Blue Harbor. Players think they’re ascending Purple Mist Mountain, but once they enter the sub-instance they’re already in another space. That space has monsters, but Blue Harbor proper doesn’t.

“After Blue Harbor collapsed, the system severed its portals to every sub-instance… The monsters on Purple Mist Mountain still exist, yet players who go there now won’t meet them. The system also announced that Blue Harbor had become a closed-off instance in its own right and lost its bridging function…”

“Blue Harbor is sealed, yes—but whether it harbors supernatural events is another question.”

Hidden Blade guided her train of thought. “Remember that office building where you found us? Your men told you there were a lot of headless skeletons down below.”

The basement stretched eighteen floors deep, crammed with countless headless skeletons. When Hidden Blade and the others went down, Zhou Qian had already wiped the numbers off several bone piles. With the human traces erased, everything could be neatly written off as feudal superstition.

Xu Feiyu was still wavering when something in the corridor suddenly changed.

A dense rustling—like something scrambling—erupted. She instinctively swung her flashlight toward the wall and saw the brown, aging wallpaper cracking inch by inch like a spreading spiderweb.

The web of fissures quickly turned scarlet, exactly the same hue as the blood in the bathtub. Clearly fluid, the cracks seemed to burst. With a wet rush, some substance broke its shackles and began to pour down the wall—

The wall itself was bleeding!

In the air, the scent of roses abruptly thickened, so rich it almost smothered the iron stench of blood.

Anyone not standing here could never imagine the very walls were bleeding. Eyes closed, you’d think you were in a rose garden.

By earlier conjecture, the killers existed in a previous timeline and most of the murders had happened hundreds of years before Blue Harbor 2301.

In that era Blue Harbor’s forensics were primitive, and many serial killers were only caught after long strings of crimes.

Some power in 2301 had connected timelines to keep them from capture, triggering history’s collapse.

Judging by that—and by the mansion’s décor—this place was a genuine relic three or four centuries old.

With such an ancient house, however much blood a crime left behind, it should have long dried to black stains. So why were the bathtub and walls still bleeding fresh blood?

The flowers in the garden had long since withered, so where was the strong fragrance of roses coming from?

The weirdness peaked when a phonograph somewhere in the mansion started up by itself—

Its hoarse, stuttering tune seemed to herald a dreadful ball. At the same time, amid the rose scent came faint aromas of wine and food, while blood gushed from deep inside the walls and swept across the floor…

As if instinctively knowing they mustn’t touch the blood, Hidden Blade, He Xiaowei, and Xu Feiyu dashed down the creaking wooden stairs to the first floor before a drop reached their toes.

But the ground floor was just as horrifying. The walls and floor were already drenched.

By the time they reached it, blood was unavoidable underfoot, and they left three sets of footprints, each a different size, as they sprinted toward the garden.

Once in the garden, all the sights and sounds abruptly fell away.

They paused to catch their breath and looked back at the building.

Under the eternally gray sky, the castle-like structure resembled a colossal beast lying in wait, ready to swallow passers-by.

Luckily the garden seemed protected by some barrier. The blood stopped dead at the threshold, not a drop flowing outside.

Still staring at the mansion, He Xiaowei thumped his chest and stomped, trying to flick the blood from his shoes.

Then he exhaled long. “At least we’re safe for now.”

He had no idea that, having fled ghosts, he would face a threat from another player—

Catching something in her peripheral vision, he turned—and found Xu Feiyu aiming her gun at him.

He Xiaowei blurted, “What’re you doing?”

Xu Feiyu glanced around. Seeing her three subordinates guarding the gate far off—too far to hear—she told Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei, “You two go back inside and keep investigating. I have wristbands of other colors—if you don’t cooperate, I can kill you at any time.”

“You’re not afraid I’ll run over and tell those three you plan to kill them in the end?!” Even the mild-tempered He Xiaowei clenched his fists in rage. “What the hell!”

Xu Feiyu’s eyes narrowed.

Hidden Blade gave her a glance, then told He Xiaowei, “They came in ready for a massacre. If only five of a hundred players can survive, they’ll slaughter the other ninety-five without blinking. Don’t expect them to be decent.”

He Xiaowei echoed loudly, “Master, you’re right! They’re indecent!”

Xu Feiyu’s face flushed red, then green, but she opened her mouth only to find she couldn’t refute them.

A moment later, as if she’d found her argument, she raised her gun higher. “Both of you—march back in. Figure out everything about this place. If the mansion really is haunted, we’ll have to reassess the entire instance’s risk.”

She drew a breath. “Yes, I’m threatening you, pushing you into danger. In exchange, I’ll keep my word and won’t kill you in the end.

“This mansion holds clues we need. If we can’t crack its secrets and end up unable to clear, you’ll die anyway. Seen that way, I’m saving you.”

Hearin this, He Xiaowei spat. “Murderers always dress up their killing with grand excuses to fool themselves and lighten their guilt. But even so, what you just said is shameless. Never seen anyone like you!”

Hidden Blade patted his arm. “Enough. Go in. Any more talk with her is a waste of breath and time.”

“But, Master—” He Xiaowei was still furious.

Hidden Blade remained calm. “Come. Today I’ll teach you: when you’re under someone’s roof, you must bow your head.”

Grumbling, He Xiaowei followed Hidden Blade back into the house.

His anger was less fear of ghosts than indignation.

He was used to being a coward and was often despised and threated by others, so he didn’t think it was a big deal, but he felt aggrieved for his Master.

How powerful is Hidden Blade? He’s a bona-fide god-level player! 

Ever since hearing tales of his exploits from a teammate, He Xiaowei had worshipped him, eventually tracking him down in the system and using every ounce of wit to beg apprenticeship.

Someone that powerful shouldn’t be bossed around at gunpoint.

Cursing inwardly, He Xiaowei glanced aside—only to see Hidden Blade utterly unruffled.

After closing the door, Hidden Blade turned to him and gestured.

He Xiaowei: “Huh?”

Hidden Blade murmured, “From the moment that blood started bubbling in the tub, I felt something off. Since coming in, I haven’t sensed any negative force. So—does any ghost really mean us harm?”

“Uh… the ghosts here don’t hurt people?” He Xiaowei asked.

Hidden Blade smiled. “There are no ghosts.”

“No ghosts? Then what is—”

He Xiaowei never finished, because he suddenly heard three voices call “Master” in unison.

He Xiaowei: What??

He turned and saw two men and a woman step out of the shadows, all wearing blue wristbands.

Hidden Blade waved cheerfully and gave them a thumbs-up. “Hiding the code in the bloody wall cracks—smart.”

He Xiaowei had nearly forgotten—his Master was a consummate “sea king,” collecting countless disciples to cultivate the perfect Shepherd. He’d never expected to be accidentally bound to Hidden Blade himself.

Staring at the three remarkable newcomers, He Xiaowei blinked and blurted, “Master, if they and I fell into water together, who would you save first?”

Hidden Blade shot him a baffled look. “Zhou Qian has some issues—don’t pick up his habits.”

He Xiaowei fell silent, blinking again.

Hidden Blade suddenly thought of something and gripped his shoulder solemnly. “And don’t repeat what I just said to Bai Zhou.”

“…Okay! Then can I tell Qian’er?”

After a pause, Hidden Blade sighed. “So if Zhou Qian and I fall in together, you save him first, right?”

He Xiaowei: “……”

Hidden Blade had proved a point: casting a wide net and taking many disciples really paid off—you never knew when they’d be useful, like now.

After quick introductions, He Xiaowei learned the whole story.

The house had existed before Blue Harbor collapsed. The three disciples had cleared an instance called “Bloody Manor” here.

When they left the instance, they were dropped straight into the collapsing Blue Harbor—still inside the same house.

Because they knew the layout, they quickly discovered the secrets: the mansion was riddled with hidden spaces and passages, including a control hub full of mechanisms that could move furniture—perfect for faking hauntings.

The bathtub blood and bleeding walls were all produced by these disciples via those contraptions.

Of course, in the original run they’d actually entered another space, three hundred years in the past. Now the mansion served only as the instance’s login/logout point. Unsure if the structure matched exactly, they’d begun exploring when they heard a commotion outside.

Through a window they saw a whole troop—members of one legion—heading toward the house.

Knowing the instance allowed player-killing, they instinctively hid, going to the second-floor study. In the Bloody Manor instance, that study linked to the secret hub, and sure enough it worked here.

Inside, they found jars full of fresh blood and preserved rose fragrance, plus familiar mechanisms, confirming the layouts matched. They also found four blue wristbands and took three.

Most wristbands appeared in stacks, but a few were scattered elsewhere. Around Zhou Qian’s camp there were twenty-four yellow bands and one yellow one had been destroyed. In this estate’s area most bands were violet, but a few blue ones were stashed in the secret hub.

The hub’s passages led everywhere, giving them views across the grounds. They watched Feidu don violet wristbands, force others to join and even killing some.

Moments earlier they’d seen Hidden Blade coerced into the mansion, so—knowing the mechanisms—they staged the haunting to scare Xu Feiyu off and, by bleeding walls at set intervals, send Hidden Blade a signal.

After recounting their experience and receiving Hidden Blade’s praise, his lone female disciple—He Xiaowei’s sole senior sister—explained, “The hub is underground. It’s cool down there, full of sealed iron drums, each packed with blood. Open one, and the blood’s still fresh. Pour it into a pipe and it feeds straight to the third-floor tub. Oh, the rose scent is in the drums too—some special aromatic mixture.”

He Xiaowei asked, “What kind of person installs so many secret mechanisms at home, and stores all that blood and rose scent? To scare people? And that blood—is it real or fake?”

“Real, of course. Xu Feiyu’s no fool. Fake blood wouldn’t fool her, and we couldn’t risk exposure,” the senior brother said, then looked at him. “Ever heard the legend of Bloody Mary?”

“Fuck!” He Xiaowei blinked. “Yeah! So the owner was Bloody Mary?”

There are many legends about Bloody Mary.

One version says a woman named Mary slaughtered over two thousand maidens, drinking and bathing in their blood to stay young.

Thinking of the huge bathtub upstairs, He Xiaowei felt goosebumps. “So the manor’s owner was Bloody Mary—the serial killer we’re hunting?”

His second senior brother shook his head mysteriously. “No. Guess again.”

“I—I can’t. You’ve cleared the instance. Just tell me.”

And so he got the answer:

The manor’s lady really was named Mary, a duke’s wife of very high rank.

When the disciples entered as players, regardless of age or gender, they were all “maidens” in Mary’s eyes.

As girls kept dying, everyone naturally suspected Mary would kill them.

But they learned Mary was indeed murderous and cruel—yet the mastermind wasn’t her.

At Mary’s side was a man claiming to be a sorcerer.

It was he who told her that bathing in maidens’ blood would restore youth.

After each bath Mary smelled a strong rose fragrance laced with something that made her euphoric. Gazing in the mirror, she believed the sorcery worked and she truly looked younger.

But it was all a con.

Youthful blood baths, bleeding walls, boiling blood, rose scent without blossoms—every marvel was engineered by that “sorcerer”.

He faked hauntings to make Mary think vengeful spirits were after her, then would “exorcise” them, making her rely on him all the more.

The sorcerer’s true identity was a magician.

His father had been a famed local magician, and this house had belonged to him, its mechanisms built by his hand.

During a public show, the father enlisted an audience member for an underwater escape trick. A device failed and the volunteer drowned.

The family name was ruined and their fortunes declined.

Wracked with guilt, the father swore off magic for life. He sealed every mechanism and sold the mansion.

Many years after that, the now-impoverished young magician found his way back. Masquerading as a “sorcerer”, he duped Mary and wormed his way in.  

He fabricated tales of sorcery and used the hidden mechanisms to stage all sorts of eerie tricks—Duchess Mary believed them all.  

For the rest of her life, Mary likely never knew her own house was riddled with secret devices and passageways.

“Holy crap—”  

The human heart is always scarier than ghosts. He Xiaowei suddenly felt a chill. “But … why? Was the magician just some psycho who wanted to kill young girls? His father at least felt guilty—he was clearly a good man!”  

“No,” the senior sister replied. “He grew up wealthy and couldn’t accept poverty afterward. He came back simply to live in luxury again. By fooling the duchess he could rake in lavish rewards and stay here. More importantly, with Mary he could pass as an aristocrat instead of the son of a murderer. He didn’t care how many people got hurt.”

On the side, Hidden Blade, having digested the story, turned to his disciples. “So when we have to deal with these killers later, our real target isn’t Bloody Mary at all, but the magician lurking behind her?”  

“Exactly,” the eldest senior brother said. “He’s the one who picks Mary’s victims, carries out the murders, and collects the blood while hiding the evidence. In other words, he’s the real culprit.”

……

On the other side, in Blue Harbor City, Chayun Road, in front of the Ancient Coin Museum

Two groups were locked in a standoff.

On one side stood Yin Jiujiu, wearing an indigo wristband, with three unfamiliar players she’d just met—each also wearing indigo bands.

Opposing them were two members of the Peach Blossom Legion, both sporting green wristbands. 

One, a man of about forty, was leveling a pistol at the three players behind Yin Jiujiu.  

Beside him stood Yun Xiangrong, her gun trained on Yin Jiujiu’s forehead.

“You and the three behind you—switch to green wristbands and join us. Now.”

Yin Jiujiu blurted out, “Yun Xiangrong, I really don’t get you. You don’t have to do this. Have you really betrayed everyone? How can you just kill people at random?”  

“Enough talk.” Yun Xiangrong raised the muzzle a little higher. “You have three minutes.”

At that moment Yun Xiangrong noticed a small blue creature flicker past the museum entrance—something ordinary eyes would never catch, but she recognized it instantly.  

A heartbeat later, a translucent soul-form materialized in the same spot, visible only for a few seconds before fading from sight.

She stared for a long moment at the seemingly empty doorway, her eyes faintly reddening.  

Then she looked back at Yin Jiujiu. “Do I have to repeat myself?”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 159

Zhou Qian sat on the mountaintop, ringed by green peaks and unnaturally tall trees. A brook murmured somewhere out of sight; wind threaded through the wood, making the leaves hiss. Zhou Qian, who liked the bustle, looked almost out of place in such solitude. It was rare for him to be without a crowd, rarer still for him to keep silent.

Right now he was perfectly still. The blankness on his face even lent his features a trace of meekness, and in his eyes, there was a hint of child-like innocence—just like when he had first been admitted to Spring Hill Asylum, lying quiet after a sedative injection.

“Do I have to wear the straitjacket? I’ll behave, I promise.”

Whenever he looked up with those bright eyes and said that to the nurses, everyone felt sorry for him.

Now, he looked pitiable again, with not a single teammate nearby. He seemed desperately lonely—and loneliness was the thing he feared most.

Under Priest’s gaze Zhou Qian slowly raised his eyelids and looked over, still expressionless. This was the man who had schemed against him from the very start, yet he pressed every shred of hatred and enmity into the deepest recesses of his heart. That was unusual: when had Zhou Qian ever hidden the malice and ridicule in his stare while facing an enemy?

Priest chuckled. “You’re very wary of me.”

Zhou Qian remained silent and simply met his eyes.

“Understandable,” Priest went on. “I’ve been watching you from the shadows, while you know nothing about me. Even you can feel fear, can’t you?”

Zhou Qian finally smiled. “You flatter yourself.”

Priest smiled indifferently. “I’ll ask you one thing. Have you noticed your stays in this game are getting longer and longer? You’re sinking into the virtual world and don’t want to return to reality, right?”

Zhou Qian leaned forward a little. “And?”

“You’ve lost faith in human nature in the real world yet seek its beauty here. You think you’ve found friendship—even love—so you wallow ever deeper.” Priest asked him, “Aren’t you afraid it’s all just a dream?”

“The game is false, but the feelings between people inside it are real—what should I fear?” Zhou Qian asked. “To kill me you even came in person. If I’d never found that out, wouldn’t that suit you better? So why meet me now—what do you want?”

Priest: “Only to chat.”

That made Zhou Qian laugh again. He recalled how Xu Yang had told him, In my eyes you’re already a dead man. Staring at Priest, he said, “You think I’ll surely die here under your plot, so you’ve rushed in to announce your victory? Can’t wait to tell me I’ve lost?”

“Zhou Qian—” Priest’s face stayed calm. “I truly just want a talk. Suppose you really did die… Don’t you want to know where your soul would go?”

“I’m not dying.” Zhou Qian stared into Priest’s eyes. “So, no thanks.”

“It would be a shame if someone like you vanished completely. All I want is your view on the world. For example—” 

Priest changed his question. “Do you believe in hell?”

Zhou Qian cast him a lazy glance and gave no answer.

Priest narrowed his eyes, as if he was reminiscing about some distant past. “Back when I was studying abroad I met a remarkable man. He swore he had discovered hell—a second dimension of life. Reach it, and one might glimpse the true universe.

“Then he really killed himself. Tell me, did he find it?”

As if talking to himself, Priest went on. “He was antisocial but astonishingly intelligent. He must have unearthed some key evidence. So I hypothesized that hell exists.

“I’m not that reckless. I won’t die to seek it—I’ve looked for other ways to touch dimensions beyond reality. That’s how I found this game.”

“It is fairly intriguing. Go on.” Zhou Qian’s expression shifted, as if he finally became interested.

After staring at Zhou Qian for a while, Priest continued, “You’ve seen its brilliance. Each instance has its own timeline. A single Blue Harbor City can spawn countless sub-instances—countless sub-spaces, if you will.

“Legions work the same way. Each can open its own separate space in the game, with an independent flow of time that expands as the legion grows. Tell me, Zhou Qian—doesn’t that look like an ever-inflating universe after the Big Bang?”

He studied Zhou Qian a moment longer. “A god left a game box in the human world. Humans opened it, and the game began in a dimension apart from reality. In that sense this isn’t mere entertainment—the box itself is a universe, capable of spawning infinite spaces. So…

“By analogy with our real dimension, couldn’t we create a hell inside this game-universe?”

Zhou Qian lifted his eyes and locked gazes with him. He heard him say, “Instead of searching for hell, why not simply build one?”

The wind rose, sweeping dust over the mountains and tossing Zhou Qian’s hair. Facing the wind, the arc on his mouth raised even wider. “I thought players here all wanted to become gods or have God grant their wishes. I never thought you wanted to be the King of Hell. What if hell already has a king—won’t he blame you for stealing his job?”

Priest said, “Zhou Qian, I told you this so that when you die and become a ghost you can enter the hell I construct. Feel free to list any after-death requirements. I’ll accommodate them if I can.”

“I’m curious,” Zhou Qian suddenly asked, “what’s the point? Do you mean to become the King of Hell like in legends and rule life and death?”

“Life is full of suffering—birth, aging, illness, death; parting from loved ones, meeting those you hate, desires unfulfilled… If I command hell, I can reunite with the ones I care about in another form, no longer fearing separation.” 

A flicker of regret crossed Priest’s eyes. “You’ve tasted a grief beyond words—I thought you’d understand. But it seems I have forgotten one thing just now—

“You’re ill. You hardly feel pain. You have no fixation on life or death. Bai Zhou knows this—won’t he be sad?

“People like you, Zhou Qian, are heartless.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Qian didn’t seem to be angered by his words. He just smiled and said, “I know what I feel for Zhou Ge and I’ll let him feel it too. Our relationship can’t be affected by an outsider’s judgment, nor do I owe a stranger any explanation. I just think—

“You envy me, don’t you? You can’t bear someone’s departure and suffer for it. You wonder why I don’t.”

“In fact, Priest, it’s not that I don’t care that I don’t act like I’m in pain. I simply believe I’ll find Bai Zhou one day and take him back to reality. You’re different.”

His gaze turned glacial as he sneered, “Priest, you’re actually a coward.

“You can’t accept a death, so you want to build hell? Yet if you’re so sure hell exists, why not go there yourself? Kill yourself like your friend did.”

Mockery glittered in his eyes. “If Bai Zhou truly died, I’d scour heaven and earth to bring him back. What do you think one of my exchange wishes in this game is?”

Called a coward, Priest still looked serene. “No, you’re mistaken. My partings aren’t about romance or kinship. You may not grasp it, but I do this out of… compassion for all the living.

“The real hell is said to teem with horrific punishments. Its time is painfully slow where souls are tormented for millennia.

“The hell I create won’t have that dread. In fact… it could be called heaven, a blissful paradise for the dead.”

“Farewell, Zhou Qian. Next time we meet will be in the hell I’ve made. I hope you’ll like it.”

As Priest said this, he turned around with his lantern and disappeared without a trace along with he light. It was as if a film had ended and the screen went black.

Silence resumed atop the mountain—only Zhou Qian remained.

A priest should guide souls to God, yet this one wanted to rule a “hell”.

Staring coldly after where Priest had disappeared, Zhou Qian spat, “Hypocrite.” 

Build a hell inside the game, imprison dead souls into what you call eternity—who do you think you are?

After a moment’s frown his eyes deepened. Hunches pieced from scraps had just been confirmed—Priest truly thought Zhou Qian would die and had let slip far too much.

Ignoring him, Zhou Qian focused and shared vision with Little Dragon.

At once he scowled:

Gao Shan, in ghost form, had crept beside an old manor—likely the Violet Team’s base—and arrived just in time to see Qi Liuxing leave with Ke Yuxiao.

What was Qi Liuxing doing—taking advantage of the situation to do a deep infiltration on the Peach Blossom Legion? And what did Ke Yuxiao want by taking him there?

Gao Shan could tail them with Little Dragon so Zhou Qian might learn Peach Blossom’s numbers—a key for the final puzzle.

However, Gao Shan didn’t dare bring Little Dragon too close so Zhou Qian couldn’t see too clearly nor hear what they were talking about, which made him quite worried about Ke Yuxiao’s actions.

but he dared not close in. Zhou Qian saw little and heard nothing, so he still worried.

……

On the other side, Qi Liuxing’s words had indeed swayed the two henchmen Xu Yang had left. One, apparently Xu Yang’s deputy, thought him reasonable: he not only freed Qi Liuxing but personally escorted him to the Peach Blossom’s lines.

Past Violet territory, Qi Liuxing saw players with green wristbands: Peach Blossom’s domain.

Once there, the deputy turned back. Ke Yuxiao ignored him, studying Qi Liuxing. “That speech surprised me. You’ve grown.”

Counting the green players and using the system panel to read which belonged to Peach Blossom, Qi Liuxing didn’t look up. “Why bring me here?”

“You wanted to kill me, right? I’m offering a chance to coordinate with Zhou Qian.” Ke Yuxiao grinned.

Qi Liuxing ignored him and kept counting.

Seeing his action Ke Yuxiao couldn’t help but say, “You’re curious how many we brought?”

Realization dawned on him. “I see. You think counting us will reveal the instance’s cap? Impossible—you underestimate the system. You will never get the ‘max’ number of people the instance can bear by counting our numbers.”

Still no reply from Qi Liuxing. Ke Yuxiao said, “Look, I’m not stopping you, am I? I can even show you our whole territory. You can count heads at will, and then…

“Well, I was teasing—you won’t help Zhou Qian kill me. 

“You’ll just watch as we surround him and he dies. I want you to witness that with your very own eyes. It’ll be beautiful.”

The hum of a word suddenly rang out. It was made by the sword in Qi Liuxing’s hand reacting to his fury.

But then it fell silent as he sensed something strange.

Why had Ke Yuxiao’s personality shifted so much?

He was now eccentric, manic, childish—unlike the refined, composed man he knew.

How could this person in front of him now completely disguise himself as another person?

After a beat Qi Liuxing asked, “Where’s your flute? I’ve never seen you play it.”

After a moment of shock, Ke Yuxiao blinked. “I know what you’re after. I’ll never tell you.”

Smiling roguishly, he shoved a gun to Qi Liuxing’s head and herded him into a little cabin. “Stay put. Others aren’t as lenient as I am. You’re still wearing a violet wristband. They will shoot if they see you. As for the flute—”

Narrowing his eyes he smiled and said, “When Zhou Qian dies I’ll play a dirge on it.”

“The one who dies will be you.”

Qi Liuxing tightened then loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

The old him would have thrashed Ke Yuxiao on the spot, but now he swallowed it and even his eyes showed little ripples, but the hatred in them was plain.

Ke Yuxiao saw it and smirked. “Tsk. I wonder… if he knew you could look at him like that, how would he feel?”

“He? Who?” Qi Liuxing frowned.

“No one. Someone long… dead.” 

Ke Yuxiao kept smiling. 

Then he eyed Qi Liuxing up and down. “The golden feather resurrected you, but replaced your heart with metal. You’ve really changed a lot. It’s a pity… I never got to taste your flesh stewed in that soup.”

Provoked, Qi Liuxing quelled his anger. Ke Yuxiao was deranged; better not draw a bullet. Instead he grabbed a table and smashed it at Ke Yuxiao.

Ke Yuxiao barely dodged letting the table shattered behind him. Backlit by swirling dust he glanced at Qi Liuxing. “These cabins link together. Don’t underestimate them because they are small. Many murders happened here. You should investigate.” After he finished speaking, he slammed the door.

Before he left, he summoned someone from the Legion. “Keep an eye on him.”

The man peered in nervously. “You didn’t change his wristband?”

“You have a gun—handle it,” Ke Yuxiao said.

The man swallowed his saliva and hesitated for a moment before boldly saying. “Priest said we recruited them as insurance.

“Although they don’t have guns, they still have lethal weapons… Physical attacks are hard to block…”

“Your bullets outrank his sword. What’re you afraid of? Bullets decide fights,” Ke Yuxiao said.

“But bullets are limited…”

For Peach Blossom, bullets had to be used sparingly. At the same time, they wanted to round up as many players as possible in the shortest time while staying efficient. Killing a handful to set an example, then forcing everyone else to swap wristbands, was the most effective method. 

Once the remaining players changed bands and joined the green faction, they could no longer attack green-band Peach Blossom members. They could only bow to the dominant force and hunt for clues. 

That was far more efficient than holding guns on the off-color players and driving them to find clues by brute force. The latter carried much greater risk: if those differently-banded players got scheming, they could become impossible to guard against. 

Even if a Peach Blossom member drew first and shot them, the Legion would still burn through more bullets than they spent on the initial “kill one to warn a hundred.”

Hence the guard truly didn’t understand why Ke Yuxiao refused to make Qi Liuxing change wristbands and even dumped the dangerous job of watching him on him.

“I hear you want to make squad leader.” Ke Yuxiao looked him up and down. “If you can’t handle something as simple as guarding this guy with a gun, what makes you worthy of staying in the legion?”

The man: “ ……”

“I just don’t want to share his color. This way I can kill him whenever I like. Got it?” Ke Yuxiao said coolly and walked away.

The man: “…………”

—People always said Ke Yuxiao was eccentric, now he looked utterly unhinged.

……

On Purple Mist Mountain’s summit, Zhou Qian, sharing Little Dragon’s sight, roughly counted how many Peach Blossom players had entered the instance and finally got the answer he wanted—an answer Qi Liuxing had risked his life for.

Early on, when everyone gathered to analyze the game, Zhou Qian had floated the idea that the Peach Blossom headcount itself might be the key. However many they brought in would practically hand them the solution. 

Reality had proved him right, especially once he learned Priest had entered the instance in person.

The situation was now obvious: Peach Blossom had shipped in a great crowd to kill him, and Priest was the mastermind behind it all. 

Every step was calculated, and he knew the rules inside out. The number of people he could bring in was never random—it was meticulously planned.

Sure enough, Qi Liuxing had seen not just a few but a great many Peach Blossom troops on his way in. 

With that, Zhou Qian gained a clearer picture of how the late game would unfold and immediately sent his thoughts to Little Dragon.

In a secluded spot Little Dragon nestled in Gao Shan’s arms, tugged his collar, and chirped, “Yip, yip, yip…” 

After much flailing it got its point across; Gao Shan slipped away at once, racing the clock to carry out Zhou Qian’s orders.

……

At the same moment, Violet base camp. 

After leaving the office block, Xu Feiyu led Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei here. A sprawling old manor occupied a wide area; once confirmed safe, it became Feidu Legion’s temporary base. 

Few people were inside. 

Xu Feiyu ushered them in and straight to a bathroom on the third floor.

The manor showed a medieval English style: garden, fountain, everything once in place. 

However, with age and no upkeep, the flowers had long died and the fountain no longer sprayed; yet strangely, the whole interior was saturated with a heavy rose scent. 

The sofa, wooden staircase, carpet—every piece of furniture lay under thick dust. Only the ground floor showed signs of cleaning—Feidu’s handiwork. 

From the second floor up everything was untouched, dust blanketing floorboards and stairs, crossed by messy footprints.

Even before reaching the bathroom, Hidden Blade smelled blood in the air. Clearly Xu Feiyu had scouted already. She strode in, yanked back the shower curtain, and Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei saw the bathtub full of bright red blood.

Hidden Blade asked on the spot, “Logically everyone here has been dead for centuries—how can the blood still be this color?”

“That’s what you two need to figure out. We’ve checked top to bottom—it’s safe. The place is huge, so for now it’s our rally point, our base, if you will.” 

Xu Feiyu smiled at them. “God-level player and his disciple—please dig out the secret. How did the killer work, what’s their MO?”

She waved and headed for the door. 

Just then the sound of gurgling water was heard. Xu Feiyu immediately turned around while Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei also looked in the same direction. The blood in the bathtub seemed to be boiling, as if it were being cooked. Smal bubbles popped on the surface, and down below, a dark organ-shaped mass seemed about to emerge.

---

The author has something to say:

Ming Yue to the New Universe: Not here—don’t @ me.

Just a little Easter egg. 

For those you haven’t read the first two books, it’s not an issue—everything will be explained in this novel.

P.S. Lots of readers ask when it’ll finish. The main plot is about to hit its climax and wrap up, but I still have a couple of extra instances and bits of lore I want to cover. 

Let me know—would you rather see the ending sooner, or not?

---

Kinky Thoughts:

This is actually book 3 (out of 4) in this series, though you do not need to read Book 1 and 2 in order to understand it and all characters in book 3 are independent of the first two books.

---

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

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.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 157

Beneath the grey sky, Xu Yang was kept at gunpoint by Little Dragon the entire time.

Completely unafraid, he walked right up to Zhou Qian, repeated his question, and then looked at Bai Zhou with curiosity. “He doesn’t know—so you don’t know either?”

Bai Zhou’s tall and slender body stood in the valley. Een his gaze seemed veiled in the same pallid grey as the sky.

He looked at Xu Yang and calmly countered, “Why should I know?”

“You killed Xie Huai years ago,” Xu Yang said. “Shouldn’t you be very familiar with this game?”

Bai Zhou shook his head indifferently. “I never killed him.”

“No way, but the rumors—” Xu Yang scrutinized Bai Zhou for a moment, deep in thought.

“Rumors aren’t necessarily true. And what the Peach Blossom Legion is looking for here may not be what you want,” Bai Zhou replied.

“How do you know what I want? Are you saying—wait a sec—”

Xu Yang laughed, glancing back and forth between Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian. “I get it. You two are singing in duet, trying to pump me for information, right? Well, you’re already dead men in my eyes, so why not tell you—

“This is a god-selection game. The system evaluates every stat a player has and offers a direction—let’s say a path—to whoever it deems suitable, and that path leads to the Divine Realm.”

On hearing this, Zhou Qian instinctively turned to meet Bai Zhou’s eyes.

—The system had been deliberately opening hidden-quest instances to Zhou Qian all along. Could it be that gathering every element from the seven-day creation myth would piece together a trail that leads to this so-called Divine Realm?

Did such a realm really exist?

A sudden thought made Zhou Qian chuckle in a private-chat whisper to Bai Zhou: “A scoundrel like me, chosen by a god?”

Without waiting for Bai Zhou to answer, he muttered to himself, “Mm, I suppose it’s possible. Of all the ‘gods’ inside this game’s many instances, plenty aren’t exactly benevolent.”

Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a long, deep look. “Once we get out of here, find Shao Chuan. He should clear up a lot. Xie Huai was created by Shao Chuan and killed by Shao Chuan.”

“When Shao Chuan killed Xie Huai… it was about the same time he made you a god-level player. So most people think you killed Xie Huai.”

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, suddenly looking vicious. “That Shao Chuan—dirty move. Not only did he stick you with the hate, I have a feeling the aggro on me is his doing too.”

Xu Yang could see their expressions shift yet heard no words—clearly they were using a private-chat item.

Staring at the two, Xu Yang continued, “Who else could create a game—or system—like this? Only a god. Through this game the gods are picking people who can reach the Divine Realm. For those it favors, it deliberately opens instances and guides them.

“For the ones it hasn’t noticed yet—or doesn’t like—well, they have to fight for themselves. Take me: if it won’t come to me, I’ll chase it down myself! In this life I will reach the Divine Realm, no matter the method or the cost!”

With that, Xu Yang turned and strode off with his five subordinates.

“Hold up—” Zhou Qian suddenly called after him. “You’re leaving one guy behind.”

When Xu Yang looked back, Zhou Qian pointed at Qi Liuxing and smiled. “He’s in your purple faction, you know.”

Xu Yang’s gaze at Zhou Qian was downright baffling. Qi Liuxing’s too.

Meeting Qi Liuxing’s eyes, Zhou Qian seemed to read the question in them—Don’t kill Xu Yang?

Qi Liuxing quickly caught on, said nothing more, and—with sword in hand—walked to Xu Yang’s side.

He had three reasons: first, to link up with Hidden Blade and the others and report what happened; second, to dig for intel; and third—and most importantly—not killing Xu Yang meant leaving him to fight the Peach Blossom Legion.

Xu Yang said to Zhou Qian, “You’re really sending him after us? Fine, you guessed it: I can’t switch to another wristband color yet, so for now I won’t go after your teammates. But ‘for now’ doesn’t mean forever. You think you’re using me, but you’re shoving your friends into the fire—

“The three of them will be surrounded by my whole army. Even if they get tons of intel from us… do you really think they’ll get out unharmed?”

Zhou Qian found that delightful.

If Xu Yang had multiple other-color wristbands and his escorts were all loyalists, he could simply kill Qi Liuxing once they rejoined the main force, unseen by others.

Normally Xu Yang would think of that and use it to threaten or mock him.

But apparently Zhou Qian’s repeated jabs had Xu Yang so riled up he missed it and ran with his own logic instead.

Which proved something vital—Xu Yang had only one other-color wristband for now. He’d save it for the final moment to betray the purple faction and slaughter most teammates, not waste it on little Qi Liuxing.

While he and Peach Blossom were still fighting for turf, who knew how many wristbands remained unfound?

If he swapped now and killed Qi Liuxing but couldn’t find another later, he’d be stuck in purple. When purple exceeded the “max value,” he’d die with them.

Thinking this, Zhou Qian shot Xu Yang a cocky look. “Xiao Qi, he says I’m shoving you into a pit of fire. Wanna jump?”

“I’ll bring back what you want,” Qi Liuxing replied, then looked at Xu Yang. “Lead the way. You’re my boss now.”

Xu Yang: “…………”

“Zhou Qian, you’re something else—turning everyone around you into reckless gamblers. Guess we fought to get acquainted. Someday I’ll gather the corpses of you and your fanatics.”

Leaving that parting shot, Xu Yang walked off.

Once he was gone, Little Dragon hop-skipped back into Zhou Qian’s arms.

With worry on his face, he clutched Zhou Qian’s collar and whimpered twice.

“Relax, nothing to fret about.” Zhou Qian patted its head. “Xu Yang’s obnoxious, sure, but he handed us loads of intel.

“Thanks to him we can confirm that the only groups who came prepared and keep forcing others to join them are Peach Blossom and Feidu.”

The moment he finished, a new system message arrived—

[Wristband colors and counts updated: Orange – 11; Yellow – 21; Green – 25; Blue – 17; Indigo – 12; Violet – 25]

“Hmm… the only colors that never drop are green and purple. Purple’s Feidu, so green must be Peach Blossom. Finally—”

Zhou Qian lifted Little Dragon, leaned close to its ear, and said with a smile in his eyes, “Xiao Qi and the others will be fine. Xu Yang came in person to handle me and Zhou Ge. He knows I can deduce his eventual betrayal of purple from the wristband updates.

“To keep me from blurting it out and exposing him, he only dared bring his five loyalists—the ones aiming guns at us. Those five will defect with him. He’s told them long ago and promised not to kill them.

“But Feidu brought a crowd… most of them have no clue. When soldiers who worship their king learn he’s been planning to betray and kill them—what’ll they do?”

Zhou Qian’s smile grew even brighter. “And what if the system sets the ‘max value’ below seven? Xu Yang has to save himself and Xu Feiyu—that’s two slots. Out of his five henchmen, some must die.

“Actually, whether it’s under seven doesn’t matter. As long as those five believe it is. I want Qi Liuxing, Hidden Blade, and He Xiaowei to outshine their predecessor—once behind enemy lines, let them stir up a bloody storm.”

After murmuring that, he rubbed Little Dragon’s head again. “Tsk, I just realized—you’re still young. Am I teaching you bad things?”

Little Dragon shook its head hard, whimpered once, and burrowed back into his arms, tail curling round his arm.

Next instant its neck was pinched and it was lifted into the air.

Bai Zhou had walked over and grabbed it. “Let Zhou Qian rest a bit.”

Little Dragon glared back, frowning in protest.

Bai Zhou stared at it for a moment, patted its head. “Your skill points are about spent. You rest too.”

Little Dragon shook its head vigorously, but Bai Zhou pressed a finger to its brow. It instantly reverted to a scale, lying quietly in his palm.

Zhou Qian took the scale and tucked it into his pack, shaking his head. “Tsk, you and our ‘son’ don’t seem to get along.”

Bai Zhou: “He’s old enough to train on his own.”

Zhou Qian laughed and squeezed Bai Zhou’s hand. “Yeah, let him rest. I have another job for him soon.”

Glancing around, his gaze finally settled on what had been Purple Mist Mountain’s peak.

“Let’s go, Zhou Ge.”

“Where to?”

“Occupy a mountain and call myself king. You’re my one and only general.”

“Very well. It’s my honor.”

A little later, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou retraced all the places Little Dragon had scouted.

Just as Xu Yang said, there were indeed no more weapons. Zhou Qian even removed his magazine—only three bullets left.

Clutching their sole firearm, they gathered twelve yellow wristbands, then headed straight for the mountaintop—Purple Mist Mountain’s summit.

This was the ruined Blue Harbor City now; perhaps the Demon King father-and-son tale no longer existed in this timeline.

A few green pines crowned the peak. In a starless, moonless world, no silvery moon would ever perch on their tips. Even the pines were shrouded in heaven’s ashen haze. Who knew if the city would ever regain its gaudy splendor?

Blue Harbor’s colors had always seemed too flashy, too flamboyant to many.

But Zhou Qian loved them.

Back then, through the city’s multi-colored neon, he had glimpsed the one he longed to meet from afar. They had been reunited amid that dreamlike palette.

Zhou Qian raised his eyes to the grey vault above. After fleeting memories of the city flashed by, he refocused on the current instance.

As he and Bai Zhou gathered wristbands they secretly scouted.

With Bai Zhou’s senses as a god-level player, he could tell more and more people were converging on their location—moving in perfect order, like troops on command.

Thanks to Xu Yang, Zhou Qian had a clearer grasp of his situation.

Two separate forces were indeed closing in. Before long they would encircle the area completely.

Zhou Qian knew full well that Ke Yuxiao would be among them.

He and Bai Zhou would be the fish in a barrel. When the system announced the “max value”—or even earlier—Peach Blossom and Xu Yang would both strike.

Worse yet, Zhou Qian now had no way to scout outward. His intel on the various killers inside the instance would be sharply limited.

Even so, Zhou Qian simply held Bai Zhou’s hand, as relaxed as if on a lovers’ date.

He resummoned Little Dragon—rested and with a bit of skill energy restored—and called forth the bone spirit Gao Shan. Handing some yellow wristbands to Gao Shan, Zhou Qian looked at him solemnly. “Shan Ge, here’s the rundown on this instance—”

Gao Shan said, “I’m awake. I can hear. I already know most of it. What do you want me to do?”

“Great,” Zhou Qian said. “Apart from the Peach Blossom and Feidu, most players here are unorganized. Before the system announces any rules, we’ve run into many—some just promoted to S-rank, visiting Blue Harbor for the sights, and got dragged in by accident.

“Your job is to persuade them to join me. Tell them Peach Blossom and Feidu will betray them and send them to die. I’m the only one who can keep them alive.

“My name should carry some weight now—that’s number one.

“Number two, find Hidden Blade and the others and coordinate from inside and out. Number three—”

He paused, his pupils darkened. “If you meet Yun Xiangrong… whether to convince her to come over is up to you.”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 156

Dark clouds blanketed the sky.

Here, the heavens never showed a bright side. It was as if this was an age deprived of natural sunlight.

And yet the sky never turned truly black, always suffused with a hazy gray—the color of an incense stick burned to its very end.

Under such a sky Zhou Qian’s face looked unnaturally pale, the gleam in his eyes even bordering on the uncanny. Confronted with a man like this, no one would dare underestimate him.

The moment he saw Zhou Qian, Xu Yang almost forgot that he was, in fact, only an ordinary player.

Xu Yang finished his sentence, waved his hand again, and five more members of the Feidu Legion appeared.

Every one of them raised a black gun and aimed at Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.

Zhou Qian’s gaze swept across those dark muzzles one by one. Then he met Xu Yang’s eyes and said with a smile, “All my teammates have ended up in the purple camp. It’s true I’m at a huge disadvantage by myself. So what should I do? Looks like I really do have to help you. Except—”

Before Zhou Qian could say more, Xu Yang cut him off, eyes narrowing. “Enough nonsense. Start destroying the wristbands, now.”

He stepped forward, gun barrel tilting up to rest right between Bai Zhou’s brows.

Sensing Bai Zhou might make a move, Zhou Qian quickly stepped toward him.

Seeing Zhou Qian move, Xu Yang and his five subordinates all swung their guns onto him. “No tricks. I’m curious what the white wristband does, but it’s not your life-preserver. If you don’t do as I say, I will shoot!”

“Really? Out of curiosity—do you know who Ruan Mei is?” Zhou Qian suddenly asked.

“Cut the crap and swap those wristbands!” Xu Yang barked.

Zhou Qian went on, “Seems you don’t. She’s very closely tied to the white wristband. Which means—you’ve never been to Murder Exhibition, have you?”

If Zhou Qian had directly asked whether Xu Yang had cleared the Murder Exhibition instance, Xu Yang would instantly guess that Zhou Qian had and would treat the instance intel as a bargaining chip.

Xu Yang was a seasoned player, so surely, he was a fine actor. Zhou Qian would hardly be able to judge for sure, just from his face, whether he’d been there or how much he knew.

So Zhou Qian started by asking about Ruan Mei and casually linking her to the white wristband. Xu Yang’s reaction made it clear he knew nothing.

Building on that, Zhou Qian stated flat-out that Xu Yang had never been to the Murder Exhibition. Sure enough, Xu Yang couldn’t even put up a façade.

With that confirmed, Zhou Qian held far more leverage.

“Ruan Mei—serial killer. The general manager we just met in that office building? Also a serial killer. Part of their story still waits to be uncovered in this instance. The rest was told to us back in the Murder Exhibition. So, by skipping that run you missed a lot.”

The ploy worked. While talking, Zhou Qian closed the distance to Bai Zhou, yet Xu Yang not only refrained from shooting but even gestured for his men to hold.

“There’s an organization that rescued a bunch of serial murderers, wrecked this city, and now intends to do what to us outsiders? Do the wristband colors act as some sort of friend-or-foe identifier? Food for thought.”

Reaching Bai Zhou’s side, exchanging a glance with him, Zhou looked back at Xu Yang. “My Brother different from me. I’m willing to negotiate. His temper’s bad—cross him and he draws his blade.

“You’ve heard of him, so you should know that even without any skills, just pure sword technique makes him terrifying. One of the things he’s done year in and year out is practice the blade. So—”

Zhou Qian smiled. “Sure, bullets have unbeatable judgment, 99 percent hit rate—we can’t dodge them. But so what? Even if we take a bullet, before it hits, my brother can still kill you. If you insist on violence, no one walks away happy. But—

“I’m genuinely willing to cooperate. See, I only walked over to persuade him for you.”

Producing a yellow wristband, Zhou Qian lifted Bai Zhou’s wrist with a gentle smile.

At that moment his eyes were the very picture of slipping a ring onto a lover’s finger, and his voice was a soft murmur between sweethearts. “My Brother hates being threatened. If I weren’t here, he’d kill you. Xu Yang, I’m helping you convince him now—so, Zhou Ge, shall we swap bands?”

Bai Zhou withdrew his gaze from Xu Yang and turned it on Zhou Qian.

His eyes softened at once. His right hand still held the blade aloft, yet his left stretched out to Zhou Qian. “Swap.”

Smiling into those eyes, Zhou Qian dismissed his Rib of God, cupped Bai Zhou’s wrist in both hands, undid the yellow band, and fastened another.

“Hurry it up.”

Apparently fed up with Zhou Qian’s dawdling, Xu Yang snapped, “I said keep swapping until all yellow bands are destroyed. You have two minutes!”

Zhou Qian: “What’s the rush? Look how handsome my Brother is—”

Xu Yang: ???

—So what is your relationship?

After tying the yellow wristband, Zhou Qian started trying to shape it into a bow. “Fun or not?”

Seeing this, Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a thoughtful look. “Fun.”

Zhou Qian scratched his nose, laughing. “Yeah, it looks awful. I’m no good at this.”

Not far away, Xu Yang’s tone sharpened. “Quit the fancy tricks, Zhou Qian, you’re stalling. One last warning: destroy every band in two minutes or I will shoot!”

He stepped closer—but he didn’t dare pull the trigger.

From what Xu Yang had heard, Zhou Qian’s words weren’t exaggeration:

Once, the strongest of all god-level players was a man named Xie Huai.

Invincible, he’d drawn every legion under his banner and become the undisputed king of the game—until Bai Zhou appeared and Xie Huai vanished.

Many said Bai Zhou killed him.

After Xie Huai died, the united legions scattered again.

And the one supposedly most loyal to Xie Huai was the Peach Blossom Legion.

Someone even the Peach Blossom Legion would follow… and yet Bai Zhou killed him—just how terrifying was Bai Zhou’s power?

Was the man before him truly that legendary Bai Zhou?

Such a monster, even skill-less, might really manage to kill him before the bullets struck.

With that in mind, although Xu Yang kept his gaze on Zhou Qian, he maintained Bai Zhou’s blade in the corner of his eye.

Mutual destruction is the stupidest play, yet in this game most players are lunatics—Xu Yang knew that well.

And he’d seen classic videos of Zhou Qian in action back when he was still below S-rank. He knew how reckless and ruthless Zhou Qian could be. If Zhou Qian was doomed to die he’d drag his enemies with him.

Besides… Zhou Qian clearly had key intel.

—What exactly was the white wristband?

The thought made Xu Yang’s eyelid twitch hard. He had to claw back the upper hand.

In standoffs like this the wager is nerve—whoever flinches first loses.

Showing no expression, Xu Yang spoke again. “Zhou Qian, anyone who dares play this game is ready to die. I’ll gamble with you: even if 137’s blade is that fast—so be it, we go together!

“You have less than a minute left! Destroy the rest of those wristbands!”

Right then another little hamster scurried from Xu Yang’s sleeve, circled Zhou Qian once, then returned to its master.

Such critters can’t sniff out every item in a player’s inventory; they’re specialized for props tied to instance mechanics—like these wristbands.

From the hamster Xu Yang learned Zhou Qian still carried six wristbands. “You have six left—destroy them all!”

“No, you don’t actually dare gamble with me.”

Zhou Qian turned his head. “We got sucked in by accident. Otherwise, we’d never have landed in a zone with zero weapons. You’re different—you prepared this spectacle for the instance reward. You came wanting something. A man with desires won’t die lightly.”

“You mean you entered the game with no desire?” Xu Yang asked.

“See? You’ve admitted you don’t dare gamble.” Zhou Qian praised him in apparent sincerity. “Very frank, very honest!”

“You—you fucking—!”

Every line from Zhou Qian was a trap. A moment’s slip left Xu Yang flustered and furious.

“My desire? Let me think. Oh, I have one: chasing thrills. Mutual destruction—I’ve never tried it. Could be fun.”

“You…” Xu Yang’s anger stalled, then he chuckled, suddenly composed. “All this talk is just stalling, isn’t it, Zhou Qian? You won’t die with me. You want to live. You still have—”

Glancing at the time on the system panel, Xu Yang barked, “Forty seconds left!”

“Mm-hmm. I am stalling for time…”

Zhou Qian leisurely undid the ugly bow on Bai Zhou’s wrist, re-tied it properly—showing no urgency despite all the wristbands he still has left to destroy.

Eyes full of mirth, he looked at Xu Yang. “Haven’t you wondered… what I’m stalling for?”

“You—” Without noticing, Xu Yang’s pupils dilated.

Zhou Qian smiled. “You gave us two minutes to swap out every band. I talked and you refused to extend the limit. I’m not naive enough to think you’d really relent.”

Those two minutes were almost up. Zhou Qian had destroyed only one band.

Xu Yang had assumed Zhou Qian’s chatter was meant either to talk him into dropping the forced-recruit plan or to stretch the time so Zhou Qian could slip away.

In the process Zhou Qian actually destroyed a wristband, lulling him into lowering his guard—

And Zhou Qian’s real goal was simply not to destroy the rest!

Why keep the remaining yellows?

Obviously he wanted his teammates to betray purple later, building yellow into a force that could stand against them.

But how? He had no same-color teammates and, critically, no weapons—how could he boost yellow?

Xu Yang’s doubts were confirmed by Zhou Qian’s next words.

Grinning, Zhou Qian said, “I just wrung a vital fact out of you—you know nothing about the white wristband or the Murder Exhibition. Also…

“I did destroy one band. But I never promised to trash the rest, did I? Because—”

Fury lit Xu Yang’s eyes. Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, Zhou Qian raised a finger for silence. “Shh. You don’t really want to do that.”

At the same instant his subordinates cried out, “Commander, watch out!” “Boss, behind you!” “Careful!”

Even without them, the moment Xu Yang halted he sensed something.

He spun with his gun—and saw a waist-high little dragon pointing a gun straight at him.

The dragon was Zhou Qian’s pet?

Pets in this instance couldn’t use damaging skills, but it held an instance-grade gun with extreme judgment and hit rate!

“Once a target is chosen, there’s a 99 percent chance the bullet hits, and its judgment is top priority—above all other weapons. So it doesn’t matter if my dragon can’t aim. Once he picks you, the shot will hit. Thanks—you told me that.” Zhou Qian smiled. “I stalled to wait for my dragon.

“Now I have bullets too. A moment ago you might doubt my Brother could kill you before the shot, but now we have bullets as well. Still want mutual destruction?

“You turned my teammates purple—great. I’m guessing you and Xu Feiyu still carry extra bands for backstabbing later—but the game’s just begun, and you won’t reveal your ace just yet. So—”

Step by step Zhou Qian closed on Xu Yang, smiling mockingly. “So you, Xu Feiyu, and your trusted cadre—all purple for now—won’t touch my teammates or can’t.

“They’re still mine. With yellow bands in my hands they can come back anytime. Thanks for letting them join purple and share your intel for a while.”

Xu Yang had gathered “little slaves” to scour the instance for clues, intending to cull them once the system announced the player cap.

He’d targeted the god-level players, turning Hidden Blade, He Xiaowei, and Qi Liuxing purple in a row.

Now Zhou Qian, relying on his dragon’s gun, brazenly flaunted the yellow band and declared he’d bring those three back—complete with purple intel.

His method out-maneuvered Xu Yang’s effort with ease.

Using the enemy’s tactics against him, letting the foe regret to the bone—Zhou Qian always relished that and smiled, eyes curving like new moons, clear as starlight.

“Zhou Qian, you think that’s enough? You really think… you’ve won?”

Xu Yang’s voice was hoarse—he was livid.

If Bai Zhou struck at the critical moment, Xu Yang’s god-level instincts might still leave a sliver of life. But now Zhou Qian had weapons too. Xu Yang had to back down.

Drawing a deep breath, Xu Yang shot Zhou Qian a vicious look. “Yes, Zhou Qian… you guessed plenty right. I do have goals. I don’t want to die. I can’t make you all wear purple bands and obey me now. But—

“If you join us purple, as long as my sister, my five lieutenants, and I survive when the cap is announced, I will kill the other purples but never you or your team. I promise that.

“So joining us is a win-win—but you just smashed any chance of cooperation.”

Xu Yang holstered his gun and spread his hands, wearing a hint of helplessness.

“You’ll regret this. You have no idea of your situation—

“That dragon’s gun is the first weapon you’ve found—and the last. I have solid intel: the Peach Blossom Legion intends to keep you from amassing firepower.

“Other sectors of the city are partly under my troops and partly under Peach Blossom’s occupation. You get it?

“My legion and the Peach Blossom Legion are about to encircle you. You’ll be trapped in this pocket—no clues from elsewhere, and only that single gun.”

After signaling his men to lower their weapons as well, Xu Yang said, “All I wanted was for you to join me in gathering intel. That’s impossible now. And you surely can’t ally with Peach Blossom.

“So hole up here with one gun and three bullets and wait to be overrun. Sorry, but to me you’re already a dead man.”

“Oh? Really? Seems things do look bad for me.”

Zhou Qian blinked once and looked at Xu Yang. “Since I’m a ‘dead man’ in your eyes, mind if I ask you something?”

Xu Yang nearly laughed from rage. “Your nerves are something else. Don’t you know fear?”

“Nope. I’ve got a few screws loose.” Zhou Qian blinked again. “What exactly are you after in this instance? Is the hidden reward that important?”

---

The author has something to say:

Zhou-Every single line shows off his husband-Qian.

Zhou Qian: “Zhou Ge, we’ve only this scrap of land left, and you’re the one soldier I have—but that’s fine. Let’s conquer the world.”

Bai Zhou: “All right.”

Everyone else: …

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 155

“Eh? This kind of elevator door… an old-fashioned model? I’ve never seen one. Let me have a look.”

Seeing Hidden Blade block the shaft entrance, Xu Feiyu immediately stepped up to him.

Off to the side, He Xiaowei’s forehead was already beaded with sweat.

He had no idea what was happening with Zhou Qian’s group below. The shaft was so deep—what if they couldn’t hear anything up here? And if they could hear but had run into ghosts and were pinned down, unable to haul up the ropes, what then?

Only by sheer will did He Xiaowei manage to keep calm. He maintained an unruffled expression as Xu Feiyu approached the opening.

The next instant he saw his Master, Hidden Blade, sidestep out of the way and let Xu Feiyu reach the gate.

At that moment He Xiaowei finally relaxed: only the rope Hidden Blade had just tied remained visible. The other lines were gone. He exhaled silently.

“Master, I never realized you’re such a daredevil—each stunt riskier than the last…”

He Xiaowei swallowed and whispered through the private-chat tool.

At a distance Hidden Blade shot him a glance. “Mainly, you have to trust your teammates.”

Right—who was down below? Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.

He Xiaowei believed he could always trust Zhou Qian.

The very next second Xu Feiyu gave a startled cry and dodged aside as something floated up the shaft: scraps of spirit-money and powdery flakes that looked like crushed bone.

“What the hell…” Xu Feiyu frowned.

Hidden Blade gave her a cold look. “I think we’d better go down and check.”

“I’ll send two men with you,” she said, motioning to two subordinates. Then to the remaining one. “You—search the office floors. And—”

She fixed Hidden Blade with a stare. “No tricks. We have ways to deal with you.”

Hidden Blade feigned puzzlement. “We’re on the same team now. We can’t attack each other. Why the threat?”

Then, as though understanding, he added, “Ah, I get it.”

Only then did Xu Feiyu realize she’d said too much: her men were present, and if she admitted having bands of other colors, she’d be telling them that once their numbers exceeded the instance limit, she might kill them.

Seeing her face, Hidden Blade said, “Since I’m in your camp I’ll help you—together with my disciple, who’s also my Shepherd. We’ll give you what you want, you guarantee we survive to the end.”

In veiled words he meant: if violet’s numbers grew too large, she must not kill him and He Xiaowei.

Xu Feiyu, pleased he hadn’t spoken openly, smiled. “You’re a god-level player; that’s your strongest bargaining chip. I value talent. After the run, you’re welcome in our legion.”

[Wristband update — Orange 9 | Yellow 23 | Green 25 | Blue 19 | Indigo 14 | Violet 25]

Eighteen floors beneath the office building.

Glancing at the notice, Zhou Qian instantly guessed what had happened—yellow was down by one, so He Xiaowei had switched to purple, and Hidden Blade had put on a band as well.

Looking away from the panel he told Bai Zhou, “Seems we should head for the underground river. Good news, though—Little Dragon’s found a lot of weapons. I’ve told it to sneak back.”

Bai Zhou had already relayed everything from the roof via private chat. He nodded and led the way. Qi Liuxing, sword in hand, took the rear.

The transport company’s building sat high.

Following the subterranean river, Zhou Qian soon entered a ravine that looked much like Purple Mist Mountain.

Keeping alert, he asked Bai Zhou, “You heard Hidden Blade the moment he noticed something?”

“Mm. His first words to He Xiaowei weren’t on private channel,” Bai Zhou replied.

Through the comm Zhou Qian mused, “And you prepared right away?”

Bai Zhou opened his mouth and shut it again. “So…?”

“So you two coordinate pretty smoothly.”

Zhou Qian dimmed his torch, shining through his sleeve to minimize exposure. While being able to illuminate the path clearly, he also tried to reduce the possibility of exposure.

He stared at bai Zhou and added, “How many runs have you two cleared together?”

Bai Zhou sensed a trap. “……”

Zhou Qian sighed theatrically. “You’re dodging me now, Zhou Ge.”

Bai Shou: “I just think your question is loaded.”

Zhou Qian laughed. “What trap? Don’t worry, I won’t get jealous.”

Bai Zhou paused. “Not many—twenty-odd. Mostly farming repeats.”

“Remembered that clearly?” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes.

Bai Zhou smiled gently. “See? Whatever I say…”

If he refused, he looked evasive; if the number was small he’d be told he remembered too well, if large it was worse. It was like that old “who would you save” dilemma—only now Zhou Qian had found a fresh angle.

“Zhou Ge, you misunderstand.” Zhou Qian’s eyes sparkled. “He’s in my legion now—we’re teammates. I need chemistry with him too. Next time I’m running twenty instances with him.”

Bai Zhou frowned and clasped his hand. “Pick any instance. I’ll go with you.”

“I want to go with Hidden Blade. We’re less in sync.”

“If Hidden Blade goes, He Xiaowei trials with him. They’ll team together.”

Zhou Qian squeezed Bai Zhou’s hand. “Why not just admit you’re jealous?”

No sooner were the words out than Bai Zhou swept his right hand and made a stroke. The Tang sword Breaking Dawn had appeared in his hand.

“Whoa, Zhou Ge, a little jealousy doesn’t call for blades.”

But Zhou Qian knew the motion meant danger ahead. Joking aside, he pulled the Rib of God from his bag. Behind them Qi Liuxing’s sword rang as he strode up, eyes locked ahead.

Someone walked toward them: a tall, slim man in a black trench coat with outstanding features. His hair was combed neatly and if you looked closely, you could see wax on it.

If he hadn’t been holding a gun in his hand and appeared in this world, he would’ve looked like he was about to step onto an idol stage, ready for his debut.

What intrigued Zhou Qian was that the system showed all his stats as “??”—he was another god-level player.

Blue Harbor’s many trial instances existed for god-level players to bond with Shepherd; there was little here worth solo grinding. A god-level came only to find a Shepherd—so where was his?

In a flash Zhou Qian saw the point.

He asked, “You’re Xu Yang? And the woman on the roof is your Shepherd? Nice feint.”

“You’re quick,” Xu Yang replied, looking at Zhou Qian. “I’ve heard of you—the Peach Blossom target. Impressive. And you—”

His eyes moved to Bai Zhou. “I’ve searched for you a long time. Never thought to meet here.”

Zhou Qian threw Bai Zhou a sidelong glance as Xu Yang went on. “Your reputation precedes you, though I’ve never seen you. For such a hidden instance… it must be quite the treasure. Chose Zhou Qian as your Shepherd, did you?”

Ignoring the gun, Zhou Qian muttered privately, “Zhou Ge, you sure collect fanboys.”

Bai Zhou: “I don’t know him.”

“I’ll poach them all to my side,” Zhou Qian said.

Bai Zhou: “……”

Xu Yang raised the gun slightly and produced three purple bands with his left hand.

“A swordsman who has accumulated a lot of experience—your power’s about to peak.

“A rising newcomer worth enough trouble for Peach Blossom to hunt.

“And the most mysterious, perhaps strongest god-level player alive—no matter how you hide, I can trace your aura…”

His gaze swept Qi Liuxing, Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou. “But so what? None of you can use skills here. Only weapons matter, and you’ve found none.

“To play in this kind of instance requires luck first—you spawned where there are no weapons. Info second—you run solo, who shares intel with you? Oh right, your legion… Level 1? Just formed. No network to feed you data.”

Zhou Qian actually knew plenty about Xu Yang; he’d studied every top‑ten legion in detail. Xu Yang had brought his Feidu Legion to a high rank in record time—indeed impressive.

As a god‑level player, Xu Yang had sensed Hidden Blade and Bai Zhou, but he’d let only Xu Feiyu appear first; while everyone thought she was the lone enemy, he waited for Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian to show themselves, creating a rear‑flank trap. In a way, his tactics echoed Zhou Qian’s own plans.

Xu Feiyu’s name didn’t show in legion lists, so when she appeared Zhou Qian hadn’t been on full alert. She was Xu Yang’s Shepherd, a hidden piece that surfaced only when needed to cover him.

Xu Yang continued, “The kid swordsman, no band—take one and put it on; you have three minutes. As for you two—

“I know you don’t truly mean to join violet. This area’s crawling with yellows. You lack weapons but surely hold many yellow bands. Hand them over. We’ll all wear purple and hunt clues. I don’t want you swapping colors and betraying me later.

“So—empty your stash, cycle through every band till they’re gone, then willingly join my side. Otherwise—”

He lifted the gun; the threat was clear.

“Xiao Qi, put on purple first,” Zhou Qian said.

“Qian—” Qi Liuxing frowned, but trusting him completely, he stepped forward and donned the band.

Zhou Qian rolled up his left sleeve and looked at Xu Yang.

As expected, Xu Yang’s eyes widened at the white band, though he masked it quickly.

Zhou Qian smiled. “You don’t know what white does either, do you? No need to destroy it—might be useful later.”

After a pause Xu Yang chuckled and turned to Bai Zhou. “Yours is yellow, right? Good—burn through all your yellow bands in two minutes, or I’ll start shooting. Reminder—

“The system banned skills and lethal gadgets, which means the provided weapons are the only ones that kill. This gun’s tracking is 99 percent accurate. Even if you blink or use props, the bullet will find you.

“So—don’t imagine you can dodge.”

Tightening his finger on the trigger, his murderous intent was obvious.

He looked back at Zhou Qian. “White, eh? I didn’t have that intel—thanks. You’re smart. When your friends are in my sights you’ll cooperate. Right, Zhou Qian?”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 154

Moments earlier.

A man and a woman walked along with seven subordinates behind them.

Every one of them wore a violet wristband.

Of the two leaders, the man was Xu Yang and the woman Xu Feiyu. Their features were so alike that they were clearly siblings.

Inside the game, however, their roles differed sharply: the elder brother was a god-level player, while the younger sister acted as his shepherd.

The siblings had founded the “Feidu Legion”, which now ranked seventh overall—an impressive showing for a budding guild.

The name Feidu comes from the line: “Wild geese fly high yet cannot cross the boundless moonlit world. Fishes and dragons dive deep, tracing patterns in the water.”

Xu Yang can transform into a goose.

In the poem, no matter how well geese fly, they cannot traverse the endless moonlight. Xu Yang chose “Feidu” for the legion because he intends to be the lone goose that breaks convention and soars past the moon*.

*Clarity: The name takes fly [fei] (飞)  and [du] (度), which in the poem refers to cannot (as in cannot cross the boundary). In this sense, the name translated would be like Flying Beyond (as in flying beyond the boundary).

Passing a derelict factory, he ordered two men inside to scout while he and his sister kept going.

Along the way Xu Feiyu raised a pair of binoculars and spotted an office building in the distance.

Sensing something, she reached into her trench-coat pocket and pulled out a small wire cage.

Inside a hamster scurried back and forth in agitation, as though it feared something.

“That building is radiating heavy negative energy. Even from here my Scout Mouse can feel it… Brother, there’s definitely something interesting in there—shall we take a look?”

She was about to step ahead when Xu Yang caught her arm.

She halted, turned, and saw the grave look on his face.

“What is it?”

“I can sense a god-level power,” Xu Yang said. “A very… strong god-level player.”

Xu Feiyu’s expression also turned serious. “So this instance really is unusual. Looks like its hidden reward is quite the prize.”

“We’ve watched Peach Blossom a long time. Their latest move was to convert Blue Harbor City, then open this hidden instance. Looks like our trip was worth it.”

Xu Yang pulled several hats from his pack and handed them to her. “Have everyone put these on. They suppress killing intent—and my power. That way we can approach quietly without being noticed.”

“Brother, always the cautious one.” Xu Feiyu grinned. “But the intel says weapons are clustered in only a few spots. This god-level in the office building probably hasn’t found any yet. The game’s barely begun. Since we’ve run into them, why not force them to wear violet? Imagine—making a god-level player work for us.”

“Peach Blossom is already bullying masses into their green camp. We’d better hurry or we’ll lose the race for the hidden quest.”

“Agreed,” Xu Yang said after a moment. “Take some men with guns, probe that god-level. With everyone’s skills suppressed there’s no need to fear them.

“Still, I feel a power that’s too strong—maybe more than one god-level. I’ll stay out of sight for now. If you’re in danger, I’ll come at once.”

“I know. On the surface I’ll handle it—they won’t realize I have such a big brother backing me.”

Laughing, Xu Feiyu distributed the hats to her people and led them silently toward the office building.

On the rooftop

After Zhou Qian’s party disappeared below, He Xiaowei noticed Hidden Blade half-crouched at the parapet, scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly Hidden Blade gestured for silence, then re-closed the lattice elevator gate, gathered the ivy that Qi Liuxing had cut, and draped it back over the grille—especially hiding the ropes tied to Zhou Qian’s group.

“What is it, Master?” He Xiaowei whispered.

Hidden Blade took out a private-chat device, stuck one earpiece into He Xiaowei’s ear, and said, “Someone’s coming—and they already sense us.”

“How do you know?”

“Their hostility just dropped sharply—so faint it’s almost gone,” Hidden Blade replied. “That means…”

That meant the newcomers were strong—strong enough to cloak their killing intent—and that they had detected a god-level nearby.

Likely they were god-level too.

Unlike “137”, who was low-key and elusive, many knew Hidden Blade’s reputation. Once another god-level sensed him they might disguise any trace the moment they realized who it was.

But they hadn’t reckoned with Hidden Blade’s upgraded intuition. Since finishing Murder Exhibition and Baquet of the Red God, his danger-sense radius had grown enormously. Though they masked their aura, they had already stepped inside his range.

He Xiaowei slowly pieced it together and looked at Hidden Blade. “So, Master, you want to…”

Hidden Blade said, “Green and violet numbers never drop—those camps must be flaunting weapons, forcing players to join. We don’t yet know which one is Peach Blossom. If we get threatened into a camp, we can join as moles and gather intel.”

He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. “Qian-er really planned ahead. I had to wear yellow, but he never let you put one on, and all the spare yellows are with him… heh-heh.

“If they coerce us, we pretend to yield. When the moment’s right we grab yellows from Qian-er and ‘defect’—then turn on them!”

“Exactly,” Hidden Blade nodded. “All thanks to Zhou Qian keeping an ace up his sleeve.”

Thought for a couple of seconds

“Right, let’s do it. Don’t worry—I can really act now. It’s just…” He Xiaowei rubbed his palms together. “Haa, it’s just that we’re all spread out. Yun Xiangrong and Yin Jiujiu are who-knows-where, and now the two of us are leaving too…

“Right here it’s only Big Boss Bai Zhou wearing yellow. Qian-er’s holding some white band we still don’t know the use of. Meanwhile the green and purple teams keep swelling, and our camp is a pile of loose sand…”

Hidden Blade turned, narrowed his eyes to scan the distance, and said, “All we need is to slip into another camp and gather intel. As for everything else, I’m sure Zhou Qian has it mapped out. You really don’t have to fret for him.”

He Xiaowei, the resident healer, could never rest easy about teammates—especially the reckless ones.

He always felt that no matter how hard he chased with his heals, he still couldn’t keep Zhou Qian alive.

He couldn’t help sighing. “I’m just afraid that once we’ve left, Qian-er will be lonely.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Hidden Blade gave him an incredulous look. “Bai Zhou’s with him. With those two glued together, you think Zhou Qian needs you?

“And honestly, Big Boss’s icy aloof persona shatters the second Zhou Qian’s around. Back then I’d never have believed it was him—actually, I still can’t.

“Zhou Qian has the nerve to call me Su Daji? Don’t you think he’s more like her? I’m not talking about looks or gestures, but his knack for bewitching people—it’s uncanny!”

He Xiaowei mused, “Hmm, Qian-er really is charming—it’s hard to put into words, but—”

Hidden Blade: “……”

—See? What did I tell you.

“But Master, it seems you like Qian-er too. You’re happy to listen to him,” He Xiaowei said earnestly.

Hidden Blade: “…………That’s just your imagination.”

Back to the present.

Xu Feiyu reached the roof with three subordinates.

After threatening Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei, she took off her cap and patted the dust from it. “Mmm… these things are really useful. Hidden Blade—

“I’ve heard of you. You rank quite high. I’ve always admired you. I never thought we’d meet here—let alone find you… in such a plight.”

Hidden Blade gave her a flat look, said nothing, and bent to pick up the wristband.

“Hold on,” she said, lifting her chin to stop him. “Agreeing so quickly?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Orange and indigo bands are disappearing fast. Anyone wearing them has been threatened by you or someone like you. The system logs show the two drops for a single color often come minutes apart. That tells me if someone refuses to switch bands, you really kill them. I have no other choice. Of course—”

He looked up, eyes intimidating. “That doesn’t mean I’m weaker. I was just unlucky—couldn’t find a gun or ammo. I work alone, so I have less intel. You’re ahead only because you learned the weapon locations first.”

After a pause Xu Feiyu laughed. “Well said. I like people who understand the situation. In an instance, information warfare decides life and death. On that front you are inferior—you have to admit.

“Still, you agreed so cheerfully. I’m pleased. But… I have to check.”

She opened the cage and let the little hamster out. Patting its head, she had it run a circle around He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. “See if they’re hiding any extra bands.”

“You’re something else… First you insist we wear a band, now you won’t let us.” Hidden Blade pointed to his bare wrist. “Three-minute limit’s almost up—I refuse to die a joke.”

“I wouldn’t let you die. You’re a god-level player—experienced and useful for the tasks ahead.” Xu Feiyu smiled, waiting for the hamster to scurry back.

Getting its answer, she said, “I’d hate to lose you so soon. All right—let’s begin.”

Under her gaze Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei swiftly switched to purple bands.

Xu Feiyu looked satisfied. “Such cooperation—nothing better than win-win. Let’s start our search in this building. Behind you… what’s that? Looks like some sort of mechanism.”

“Indeed. I think it’s an elevator shaft. Something’s down there—we were about to look when you arrived.” Hidden Blade met her eyes. “Why not have your men explore below? Floors one through seven are full of info to harvest. Leave the roof to me.”

Remembering her brother’s warning that there might be more than one god-level here, Xu Feiyu narrowed her eyes at him and smiled. “You’ve only just joined my team—how could I let you go alone? We’ll all go. It might be very interesting below.”

Without changing expression Hidden Blade summoned his curve-blade, hacked the ivy away again, and moved in front of the grille, blocking it with his body to hide the ropes.

A god-level player’s senses were sharp. Earlier he’d used a private-chat device with He Xiaowei so the other god-level wouldn’t overhear—but anything he now said to Xu Feiyu could carry down the shaft, where Bai Zhou should be listening.

The ropes Zhou Qian’s group had used had a safety lock at the anchor to prevent sabotage, so Hidden Blade couldn’t undo them.

Now, under the pretext of pulling an identical rope from his pack, he kept himself between the grille and Xu Feiyu, eyes flicking toward the spot where Bai Zhou’s ropes were tied—

He hoped Bai Zhou and the others would reel the lines up from below. If they vanished, Bai Zhou could stay hidden while he and He Xiaowei infiltrated the purple camp to gather intel.

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