Inside the private hospital, it remained as tranquil as ever.
This hospital seemed like a mere decoration; every time they came, there weren’t many patients or doctors.
Bai Lixin and Xia Chi had just entered the hospital’s lobby when they saw Twin Ponytails sitting at the reception desk. She was engrossed in her phone, just like the first time Bai Lixin visited the hospital.
As they walked in, the door made a noise, catching the attention of Twin Ponytails. She lifted her head, maintaining the same smile she had on the first visit, “Bai Lixin, why are you here?”
“It’s the last day, and you’re still working?” Bai Lixin greeted her with a smile as he approached. “I’ve come to see a friend.”
Twin Ponytails put her phone down, looking curious. “A friend? You have friends at the hospital?”
Bai Lixin replied, “He hasn’t arrived yet.”
With that, Bai Lixin glanced toward the entrance. “But he’ll be here soon.”
As they spoke, the hospital’s glass door was pushed open once again. A man dressed in a pure white Taoist robe entered, looking dusty and worried. His face bore a hint of panic, although he struggled to maintain composure.
As soon as he stepped into the lobby, he noticed Bai Lixin, Xia Chi, and Twin Ponytails standing not far away.
The Taoist’s expression instantly stiffened, and he stared blankly at Bai Lixin, who was also looking at him.
His gaze shifted as he looked at Twin Ponytails next to him, and she, too, was looking at him.
Bai Lixin stood casually in front of the reception desk, smiling at the Taoist.
The Taoist’s expression turned somewhat awkward. “What a coincidence, Bai Lixin. Are you here for treatment too?”
Bai Lixin smiled casually. “I’m not.”
The Taoist glanced at Twin Ponytails again, his eyes darting around the lobby. His eyes were alert, as if wary of something.
He took brisk steps to the reception desk, keeping his gaze fixed on Twin Ponytails.
Twin Ponytails looked uncomfortable, her eyes evading his.
The Taoist licked his dry lips. “Miss Nurse, could you… take me to the gastroenterology department? My stomach hasn’t been feeling well these past few days.”
Twin Ponytails lowered her head to tidy up the things on the desk. “Okay, sir. Follow me.”
They quickly turned a corner and walked forward for a while. Twin Ponytails turned around, frowning at the Taoist. “Why are you here?”
The Taoist said, “Master, I’m worried about you.”
Twin Ponytails replied, “I’m fine now. We agreed to cut off all contact to avoid being discovered, remember?”
The Taoist said, “I’m well aware. That’s why I don’t even have your phone number.”
He reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and opened a text message, handing it to Twin Ponytails. “I received this text today. I suspect Lady Yuexian hasn’t actually died. Just like when she left Miao Pan’er’s body, this time she might have used some kind of transformation and left Luo Mei’s body.”
Twin Ponytails took the phone with a furrowed brow. The text message was marked as “Unknown Sender,” and it contained only one sentence:
[I’ve found my little Rumian.]
Her fingers trembled, and the phone almost slipped from her hand.
The Taoist’s quick reflexes saved it from falling.
Twin Ponytails turned pale, fear in her eyes as she stared at the message on her phone. “She’s not dead? How did she find me? I’ve hidden for so many years, concealed myself so well. How did she discover me?”
The Taoist hesitated for a moment. “I rushed here after I received the message but it seems she hasn’t arrived yet. How much longer do you have before you can leave this place?”
Twin Ponytails said, “Less than ten hours. I’ll be able to leave this world and enter a higher dimension.”
The Taoist asked, “You won’t come back?”
She shook her head. “I probably won’t. The moment I entered this human body, it was like opening the door to a new world. I glimpsed the power of higher civilizations. Do you know what we are to these advanced beings? Just characters in a game!”
“I never imagined that in the eyes of these higher civilizations, we’re nothing more than game characters.”
“Most people who leave this copy are unlikely to come back a second time, so when I leave this time, it’s for real,” Twin Ponytails gazed at the Taoist. “Are you… sure you’ll be fine here?”
“I’ll be fine, Master,” the Taoist lowered his head, looking at Twin Ponytails. “I’ve learned to take care of myself here. I do good deeds almost every day, accumulating merits for you. After you leave, I’ll set up an altar for you and offer daily prayers.”
Twin Ponytails sighed, her face showing a maturity not befitting her age. “You’ve worked hard for me. If I could, I’d take you with me.”
Having calmed down after their conversation, Twin Ponytails once again glanced at the Taoist’s phone. “I’m not afraid even if Yuexian comes. I’m no longer the Rumian she could easily manipulate. Back then when I couldn’t escape her, I compromised and concealed myself, secretly learning many of her spells. She had a fight with that snake just yesterday, judging by the traces of stone figurines at the scene, she must have been injured too. If the two of us really face off, it’s uncertain who will win.”
“I was too afraid just now and overlooked this point. There’s no need to worry about me. Go back.”
The Taoist hesitated in his tracks. “I’d like to stay with you a bit longer, Master. Even if we’re together, we only have ten hours left.”
Impatience flashed in Twin Ponytails’ eyes. “You’re troubling me by staying like this. Bai Lixin is very shrewd; what if he discovers my secret? Go quickly.”
Although the Taoist was reluctant to give up, he still nodded. “Alright, Master, I…”
Before he could finish speaking, the Taoist’s voice abruptly stopped.
They stopped in their tracks at the stairwell, stared fixedly at a corner, frozen like statues.
In the previously empty corner, two figures gradually materialized.
They stood side by side against the wall, one with a calm expression, and the other curiously cocking their head.
Xia Chi was engrossed in listening when he suddenly noticed the silence and looked over in displeasure.
But with just one glance, Xia Chi froze awkwardly in place.
He stiffly extended his hand to wave twice, forcing a dry smile. “What a coincidence, you’re here too.”
Twin Ponytails: “…”
The Taoist: “…”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Maybe you should just stay quiet.
Twin Ponytails’ gaze changed. “How did you end up here?”
Bai Lixin displayed a discarded card in his hand. “Invisibility card, lasts 5 minutes, cooldown of half an hour.”
Xia Chi added, “Are you surprised? Shocking, isn’t it?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I suddenly want to lose my temper.’
Amid the wary gazes of the Taoist and Twin Ponytails, Bai Lixin’s eyes landed on the Taoist’s phone. “The one who messaged you isn’t Lady Yuexian but me. Lady Yuexian entered my spiritual domain, and at that time, I captured some of her memories effortlessly. I found this unknown number in her secret base memories.”
“Didn’t you ask me about which friend I was waiting for earlier?” Bai Lixin looked at Twin Ponytails. “I was waiting for this Taoist friend of mine.”
The Taoist asked, “You were waiting for me? So, you knew about my Master’s identity from the beginning?”
Twin Ponytails took a deep breath. “I believe I never showed any flaws from start to finish. Plus, I provided you with so many clues about Rumian. Why did you point your suspicions at me, thinking I’m Rumian?”
Bai Lixin replied, “You actually revealed a flaw from the beginning; I just didn’t notice it at the time.”
“When I first met you at the hospital, I asked if you knew anything about the head crew member, and you said you didn’t because you had just started your shift.”
Twin Ponytails raised her index finger, tilting her head slightly. “That’s right, I didn’t say anything wrong. I had just started my shift back then.”
Bai Lixin continued, “Exactly, you shouldn’t have known about this person before I mentioned him. If I recall correctly, you said you couldn’t find the cause of his death. And in your patient registration records, there’s only the patient’s name, identity information, and admission date; there’s no mention of whether they died or not.”
“In other words, you lied. You had met him a long time ago and knew that he was already dead.”
“Yesterday, when I chatted with Lady Yuexian, she admitted to many things, but she specifically denied removing this man’s heart. If it wasn’t her, then the murderer must be someone who could freely move around the hospital. I have every reason to suspect that this person is someone from the hospital.”
“Understanding this point clarifies many things. Why did Chen Ping’s girlfriend, who had been hospitalized before Chen Ping’s suicide, with no means of communication or internet access, manage to draw the scene of his death?”
“Because of your hints and guidance. Perhaps you intentionally or unintentionally showed her a video or described the scene. In her half-asleep and half-awake state, unable to distinguish between reality and dream, she thought those were her precognitive dreams and drew them.”
“On the third day, the system reported twice: one about the death of the baby-faced nanny and the other about one of dead players instantly coming back to life after death. That resurrection should be when you pushed out the real girl with twin ponytails, a momentary death during soul transfer. Though it might have been only a few seconds, it was captured by the system.”
“The heart removal was to make us believe there was a big conspiracy, with the focus on the copper coin. You imprinted a copper coin on him, and the Taoist intentionally or unintentionally led me to see the shape of copper coins in the empty hall at the library. This would further convince me of Lady Yuexian’s wicked deeds.”
“Speaking of the library, let’s talk about the Taoist again. From the beginning, he’s been covering for you, and he followed me when I was going to the library. He intentionally mentioned the third floor, then used my curiosity to lead me to the fifth floor, showing me the round hall. After that, he rushed down the stairs, allowing me to enter the basement and see that underground temple.”
The Taoist defended himself, “But my actions didn’t harm you; I never harmed you. I’ve been helping you.”
“You’re not helping me,” Bai Lixin raised his index finger and shook it. “Don’t make it sound so nice, you’re covering for your Master and, by the way, letting us do your dirty work.”
“Back then, you probably thought that we might have the ability to eliminate Lady Yuexian, who was beyond your reach.”
Twin Ponytails and the Taoist exchanged a look and then looked at Bai Lixin. “Impressive deduction. But I am Rumian, so what? You and this player have no personal ties, do you? I’m not actually a bad person, and in the end, I helped you, didn’t I? Chen Xiangtian’s name, his whereabouts, Rumian’s discoveries in the archaeology world, and more… even the answers to the tasks, I completed them all.”
“You see, without me, you might not have been able to complete the tasks. So, we’re on the same side now. I’m your comrade, someone you can trust and rely on. Let’s leave this place together, okay?” Twin Ponytails stared at Bai Lixin with fervent eyes.
Xia Chi was also somewhat puzzled by this.
“Oh, but you probably weren’t trying to help us,” Bai Lixin said, raising his hand gently. “You were likely doing it out of fear of punishment.”
“The summary and statistics are at ten in the morning, but the system doesn’t point out who’s last. It notifies two people. The second to last and the last, during the task time, as long as neither of them dies, both are variables.”
“Performance ratings involve two aspects: completion of professional tasks and progress in the main storyline.”
“You were probably warned by the system, weren’t you?”
“In terms of professional tasks, there’s no way for you to turn the tables, so you can only make progress in the main storyline.”
“Even if you didn’t want to, you had to cut ties to save yourself.”
“And there’s another benefit to doing this; it’s always been you providing the answers. So even if someone later suspects that a player was replaced, it’s hard to pin it on you as the contributor.”
Bai Lixin paused, smiling faintly. “Fortunately, I’m not an ordinary person.”
Twin Ponytails had long lost her smile. Her expression was cold, and her eyes were filled with a chilling resentment as she stared at Bai Lixin.
“But no matter how hard you try, it’s all in vain.”
“Today, I was warned too. And in today’s group chat, you started providing information again. I guess you were warned once more, right?”
“Of the two of us, it’s either you die or I perish. There’s no third option.”
“However, I’m not worried,” Bai Lixin shrugged indifferently. “Before coming here, I bribed the system, and it told me the final performance scores. I’m 30 points higher than you, and you have no more clues to use. You’ve been busy for so long, but in the end, you’ve exchanged it for a fate cut short by the system. Quite ironic when you think about it.”
“A lifetime spent fleeing from fate, yet always led by the nose by fate. You wanted to be a proud peacock but ended up like a drowned rat. You aimed to break free from the constraints of dimensions and enter higher-dimensional space, but that was just wishful thinking. Toiling tirelessly, you only ended up as someone else’s pawn. Thank you for your efforts, Lady Rumian.”
“You’re lying!” Bai Lixin’s last words finally touched Rumian’s most vulnerable part. Her initially indifferent expression turned fierce. “I can’t keep losing! I don’t believe in fate, I refuse to believe that I’ll be the one to die!”
Seeing that Rumian was beginning to lose her sanity, the Taoist immediately stood in front of her. “It’s either you or her die. So, as long as you die, my Master can live.”
Bai Lixin remained expressionless, his icy gaze locking onto the Taoist. “Are you sure you want to provoke me? Even Lady Yuexian is no match for me. Just with the two of you together, you can’t gain any advantage over me.”
The Taoist protected Rumian, a trembling dagger in his fingers. He tried hard to stay composed and not appear too agitated. “If I don’t try, how will I know?”
Shifting his gaze, Bai Lixin’s eyes landed on the dagger in the Taoist’s hand. “Taoist Master, you once said you wanted to vanquish demons and uphold righteousness in the world. You should be wielding a demon-slaying sword against evil forces, yet now you hold a sharp dagger against a fellow human.”
“What is your Tao?”
“What is your justice?”
“What kind of demon are you exorcising?”
“What path are you upholding?”
The Taoist’s body suddenly stiffened. The young man’s words hit him like a heavy blow to his forehead.
Rumian looked at Bai Lixin, then at the Taoist. Suddenly, she clenched her teeth, turned around swiftly, and started to run.
She was incredibly fast, and it wasn’t until she had covered a distance of three to four meters that Xia Chi exclaimed, “Brother, she’s running! She left the Taoist behind and ran on her own!”
The Taoist looked at the woman’s fleeing figure with a complex expression, and the scales in his heart wavered even more.
Bai Lixin addressed the Taoist with a cold voice “I’m going after her. Are you planning to stop me like this? Will you use the hands that save people to harm them?”
The Taoist’s expression was torn, and after hesitating for a moment, he slowly put away the trembling dagger, shifting slightly to create space for Bai Lixin and Xia Chi.
Bai Lixin and Xia Chi dashed out instantly, pursuing in the direction Rumian had fled.
Rumian ran swiftly, but suddenly, a mixture of adult and child’s cries caught her attention.
Following the sound, she saw a pair of parents kneeling beside a hospital bed, and the little girl on the bed was already gasping for breath. The medical equipment placed beside the bed showed increasingly feeble readings.
This little girl didn’t have much time left.
Rumian abruptly halted her steps.
She cautiously glanced back, and realized that Bai Lixin and the others hadn’t caught up yet.
The timing, conditions, everything was perfect. Such a good vessel was right in front of her. She couldn’t miss this opportunity!
It wasn’t that she feared death; it was her unwillingness to succumb to fate like this.
The more others wanted her to die, the more determined she became to survive and show them.
She watched the girl’s labored breathing through the glass, and just as the girl’s breath was about to stop, Rumian quickly extracted her soul from the body of Twin Ponytails. Her soul flew towards the girl’s body at the fastest speed.
However, just as she was about to enter the girl’s body, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and she couldn’t move forward.
Rumian lowered her head in confusion, only to see a pitch-black blade piercing through her abdomen from behind, firmly latching onto her.
Inside the private hospital, it remained as tranquil as ever.
This hospital seemed like a mere decoration; every time they came, there weren’t many patients or doctors.
Bai Lixin and Xia Chi had just entered the hospital’s lobby when they saw Twin Ponytails sitting at the reception desk. She was engrossed in her phone, just like the first time Bai Lixin visited the hospital.
As they walked in, the door made a noise, catching the attention of Twin Ponytails. She lifted her head, maintaining the same smile she had on the first visit, “Bai Lixin, why are you here?”
“It’s the last day, and you’re still working?” Bai Lixin greeted her with a smile as he approached. “I’ve come to see a friend.”
Twin Ponytails put her phone down, looking curious. “A friend? You have friends at the hospital?”
Bai Lixin replied, “He hasn’t arrived yet.”
With that, Bai Lixin glanced toward the entrance. “But he’ll be here soon.”
As they spoke, the hospital’s glass door was pushed open once again. A man dressed in a pure white Taoist robe entered, looking dusty and worried. His face bore a hint of panic, although he struggled to maintain composure.
As soon as he stepped into the lobby, he noticed Bai Lixin, Xia Chi, and Twin Ponytails standing not far away.
The Taoist’s expression instantly stiffened, and he stared blankly at Bai Lixin, who was also looking at him.
His gaze shifted as he looked at Twin Ponytails next to him, and she, too, was looking at him.
Bai Lixin stood casually in front of the reception desk, smiling at the Taoist.
The Taoist’s expression turned somewhat awkward. “What a coincidence, Bai Lixin. Are you here for treatment too?”
Bai Lixin smiled casually. “I’m not.”
The Taoist glanced at Twin Ponytails again, his eyes darting around the lobby. His eyes were alert, as if wary of something.
He took brisk steps to the reception desk, keeping his gaze fixed on Twin Ponytails.
Twin Ponytails looked uncomfortable, her eyes evading his.
The Taoist licked his dry lips. “Miss Nurse, could you… take me to the gastroenterology department? My stomach hasn’t been feeling well these past few days.”
Twin Ponytails lowered her head to tidy up the things on the desk. “Okay, sir. Follow me.”
They quickly turned a corner and walked forward for a while. Twin Ponytails turned around, frowning at the Taoist. “Why are you here?”
The Taoist said, “Master, I’m worried about you.”
Twin Ponytails replied, “I’m fine now. We agreed to cut off all contact to avoid being discovered, remember?”
The Taoist said, “I’m well aware. That’s why I don’t even have your phone number.”
He reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and opened a text message, handing it to Twin Ponytails. “I received this text today. I suspect Lady Yuexian hasn’t actually died. Just like when she left Miao Pan’er’s body, this time she might have used some kind of transformation and left Luo Mei’s body.”
Twin Ponytails took the phone with a furrowed brow. The text message was marked as “Unknown Sender,” and it contained only one sentence:
[I’ve found my little Rumian.]
Her fingers trembled, and the phone almost slipped from her hand.
The Taoist’s quick reflexes saved it from falling.
Twin Ponytails turned pale, fear in her eyes as she stared at the message on her phone. “She’s not dead? How did she find me? I’ve hidden for so many years, concealed myself so well. How did she discover me?”
The Taoist hesitated for a moment. “I rushed here after I received the message but it seems she hasn’t arrived yet. How much longer do you have before you can leave this place?”
Twin Ponytails said, “Less than ten hours. I’ll be able to leave this world and enter a higher dimension.”
The Taoist asked, “You won’t come back?”
She shook her head. “I probably won’t. The moment I entered this human body, it was like opening the door to a new world. I glimpsed the power of higher civilizations. Do you know what we are to these advanced beings? Just characters in a game!”
“I never imagined that in the eyes of these higher civilizations, we’re nothing more than game characters.”
“Most people who leave this copy are unlikely to come back a second time, so when I leave this time, it’s for real,” Twin Ponytails gazed at the Taoist. “Are you… sure you’ll be fine here?”
“I’ll be fine, Master,” the Taoist lowered his head, looking at Twin Ponytails. “I’ve learned to take care of myself here. I do good deeds almost every day, accumulating merits for you. After you leave, I’ll set up an altar for you and offer daily prayers.”
Twin Ponytails sighed, her face showing a maturity not befitting her age. “You’ve worked hard for me. If I could, I’d take you with me.”
Having calmed down after their conversation, Twin Ponytails once again glanced at the Taoist’s phone. “I’m not afraid even if Yuexian comes. I’m no longer the Rumian she could easily manipulate. Back then when I couldn’t escape her, I compromised and concealed myself, secretly learning many of her spells. She had a fight with that snake just yesterday, judging by the traces of stone figurines at the scene, she must have been injured too. If the two of us really face off, it’s uncertain who will win.”
“I was too afraid just now and overlooked this point. There’s no need to worry about me. Go back.”
The Taoist hesitated in his tracks. “I’d like to stay with you a bit longer, Master. Even if we’re together, we only have ten hours left.”
Impatience flashed in Twin Ponytails’ eyes. “You’re troubling me by staying like this. Bai Lixin is very shrewd; what if he discovers my secret? Go quickly.”
Although the Taoist was reluctant to give up, he still nodded. “Alright, Master, I…”
Before he could finish speaking, the Taoist’s voice abruptly stopped.
They stopped in their tracks at the stairwell, stared fixedly at a corner, frozen like statues.
In the previously empty corner, two figures gradually materialized.
They stood side by side against the wall, one with a calm expression, and the other curiously cocking their head.
Xia Chi was engrossed in listening when he suddenly noticed the silence and looked over in displeasure.
But with just one glance, Xia Chi froze awkwardly in place.
He stiffly extended his hand to wave twice, forcing a dry smile. “What a coincidence, you’re here too.”
Twin Ponytails: “…”
The Taoist: “…”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Maybe you should just stay quiet.
Twin Ponytails’ gaze changed. “How did you end up here?”
Bai Lixin displayed a discarded card in his hand. “Invisibility card, lasts 5 minutes, cooldown of half an hour.”
Xia Chi added, “Are you surprised? Shocking, isn’t it?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I suddenly want to lose my temper.’
Amid the wary gazes of the Taoist and Twin Ponytails, Bai Lixin’s eyes landed on the Taoist’s phone. “The one who messaged you isn’t Lady Yuexian but me. Lady Yuexian entered my spiritual domain, and at that time, I captured some of her memories effortlessly. I found this unknown number in her secret base memories.”
“Didn’t you ask me about which friend I was waiting for earlier?” Bai Lixin looked at Twin Ponytails. “I was waiting for this Taoist friend of mine.”
The Taoist asked, “You were waiting for me? So, you knew about my Master’s identity from the beginning?”
Twin Ponytails took a deep breath. “I believe I never showed any flaws from start to finish. Plus, I provided you with so many clues about Rumian. Why did you point your suspicions at me, thinking I’m Rumian?”
Bai Lixin replied, “You actually revealed a flaw from the beginning; I just didn’t notice it at the time.”
“When I first met you at the hospital, I asked if you knew anything about the head crew member, and you said you didn’t because you had just started your shift.”
Twin Ponytails raised her index finger, tilting her head slightly. “That’s right, I didn’t say anything wrong. I had just started my shift back then.”
Bai Lixin continued, “Exactly, you shouldn’t have known about this person before I mentioned him. If I recall correctly, you said you couldn’t find the cause of his death. And in your patient registration records, there’s only the patient’s name, identity information, and admission date; there’s no mention of whether they died or not.”
“In other words, you lied. You had met him a long time ago and knew that he was already dead.”
“Yesterday, when I chatted with Lady Yuexian, she admitted to many things, but she specifically denied removing this man’s heart. If it wasn’t her, then the murderer must be someone who could freely move around the hospital. I have every reason to suspect that this person is someone from the hospital.”
“Understanding this point clarifies many things. Why did Chen Ping’s girlfriend, who had been hospitalized before Chen Ping’s suicide, with no means of communication or internet access, manage to draw the scene of his death?”
“Because of your hints and guidance. Perhaps you intentionally or unintentionally showed her a video or described the scene. In her half-asleep and half-awake state, unable to distinguish between reality and dream, she thought those were her precognitive dreams and drew them.”
“On the third day, the system reported twice: one about the death of the baby-faced nanny and the other about one of dead players instantly coming back to life after death. That resurrection should be when you pushed out the real girl with twin ponytails, a momentary death during soul transfer. Though it might have been only a few seconds, it was captured by the system.”
“The heart removal was to make us believe there was a big conspiracy, with the focus on the copper coin. You imprinted a copper coin on him, and the Taoist intentionally or unintentionally led me to see the shape of copper coins in the empty hall at the library. This would further convince me of Lady Yuexian’s wicked deeds.”
“Speaking of the library, let’s talk about the Taoist again. From the beginning, he’s been covering for you, and he followed me when I was going to the library. He intentionally mentioned the third floor, then used my curiosity to lead me to the fifth floor, showing me the round hall. After that, he rushed down the stairs, allowing me to enter the basement and see that underground temple.”
The Taoist defended himself, “But my actions didn’t harm you; I never harmed you. I’ve been helping you.”
“You’re not helping me,” Bai Lixin raised his index finger and shook it. “Don’t make it sound so nice, you’re covering for your Master and, by the way, letting us do your dirty work.”
“Back then, you probably thought that we might have the ability to eliminate Lady Yuexian, who was beyond your reach.”
Twin Ponytails and the Taoist exchanged a look and then looked at Bai Lixin. “Impressive deduction. But I am Rumian, so what? You and this player have no personal ties, do you? I’m not actually a bad person, and in the end, I helped you, didn’t I? Chen Xiangtian’s name, his whereabouts, Rumian’s discoveries in the archaeology world, and more… even the answers to the tasks, I completed them all.”
“You see, without me, you might not have been able to complete the tasks. So, we’re on the same side now. I’m your comrade, someone you can trust and rely on. Let’s leave this place together, okay?” Twin Ponytails stared at Bai Lixin with fervent eyes.
Xia Chi was also somewhat puzzled by this.
“Oh, but you probably weren’t trying to help us,” Bai Lixin said, raising his hand gently. “You were likely doing it out of fear of punishment.”
“The summary and statistics are at ten in the morning, but the system doesn’t point out who’s last. It notifies two people. The second to last and the last, during the task time, as long as neither of them dies, both are variables.”
“Performance ratings involve two aspects: completion of professional tasks and progress in the main storyline.”
“You were probably warned by the system, weren’t you?”
“In terms of professional tasks, there’s no way for you to turn the tables, so you can only make progress in the main storyline.”
“Even if you didn’t want to, you had to cut ties to save yourself.”
“And there’s another benefit to doing this; it’s always been you providing the answers. So even if someone later suspects that a player was replaced, it’s hard to pin it on you as the contributor.”
Bai Lixin paused, smiling faintly. “Fortunately, I’m not an ordinary person.”
Twin Ponytails had long lost her smile. Her expression was cold, and her eyes were filled with a chilling resentment as she stared at Bai Lixin.
“But no matter how hard you try, it’s all in vain.”
“Today, I was warned too. And in today’s group chat, you started providing information again. I guess you were warned once more, right?”
“Of the two of us, it’s either you die or I perish. There’s no third option.”
“However, I’m not worried,” Bai Lixin shrugged indifferently. “Before coming here, I bribed the system, and it told me the final performance scores. I’m 30 points higher than you, and you have no more clues to use. You’ve been busy for so long, but in the end, you’ve exchanged it for a fate cut short by the system. Quite ironic when you think about it.”
“A lifetime spent fleeing from fate, yet always led by the nose by fate. You wanted to be a proud peacock but ended up like a drowned rat. You aimed to break free from the constraints of dimensions and enter higher-dimensional space, but that was just wishful thinking. Toiling tirelessly, you only ended up as someone else’s pawn. Thank you for your efforts, Lady Rumian.”
“You’re lying!” Bai Lixin’s last words finally touched Rumian’s most vulnerable part. Her initially indifferent expression turned fierce. “I can’t keep losing! I don’t believe in fate, I refuse to believe that I’ll be the one to die!”
Seeing that Rumian was beginning to lose her sanity, the Taoist immediately stood in front of her. “It’s either you or her die. So, as long as you die, my Master can live.”
Bai Lixin remained expressionless, his icy gaze locking onto the Taoist. “Are you sure you want to provoke me? Even Lady Yuexian is no match for me. Just with the two of you together, you can’t gain any advantage over me.”
The Taoist protected Rumian, a trembling dagger in his fingers. He tried hard to stay composed and not appear too agitated. “If I don’t try, how will I know?”
Shifting his gaze, Bai Lixin’s eyes landed on the dagger in the Taoist’s hand. “Taoist Master, you once said you wanted to vanquish demons and uphold righteousness in the world. You should be wielding a demon-slaying sword against evil forces, yet now you hold a sharp dagger against a fellow human.”
“What is your Tao?”
“What is your justice?”
“What kind of demon are you exorcising?”
“What path are you upholding?”
The Taoist’s body suddenly stiffened. The young man’s words hit him like a heavy blow to his forehead.
Rumian looked at Bai Lixin, then at the Taoist. Suddenly, she clenched her teeth, turned around swiftly, and started to run.
She was incredibly fast, and it wasn’t until she had covered a distance of three to four meters that Xia Chi exclaimed, “Brother, she’s running! She left the Taoist behind and ran on her own!”
The Taoist looked at the woman’s fleeing figure with a complex expression, and the scales in his heart wavered even more.
Bai Lixin addressed the Taoist with a cold voice “I’m going after her. Are you planning to stop me like this? Will you use the hands that save people to harm them?”
The Taoist’s expression was torn, and after hesitating for a moment, he slowly put away the trembling dagger, shifting slightly to create space for Bai Lixin and Xia Chi.
Bai Lixin and Xia Chi dashed out instantly, pursuing in the direction Rumian had fled.
Rumian ran swiftly, but suddenly, a mixture of adult and child’s cries caught her attention.
Following the sound, she saw a pair of parents kneeling beside a hospital bed, and the little girl on the bed was already gasping for breath. The medical equipment placed beside the bed showed increasingly feeble readings.
This little girl didn’t have much time left.
Rumian abruptly halted her steps.
She cautiously glanced back, and realized that Bai Lixin and the others hadn’t caught up yet.
The timing, conditions, everything was perfect. Such a good vessel was right in front of her. She couldn’t miss this opportunity!
It wasn’t that she feared death; it was her unwillingness to succumb to fate like this.
The more others wanted her to die, the more determined she became to survive and show them.
She watched the girl’s labored breathing through the glass, and just as the girl’s breath was about to stop, Rumian quickly extracted her soul from the body of Twin Ponytails. Her soul flew towards the girl’s body at the fastest speed.
However, just as she was about to enter the girl’s body, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and she couldn’t move forward.
Rumian lowered her head in confusion, only to see a pitch-black blade piercing through her abdomen from behind, firmly latching onto her.
