“After realizing that they might have no hope of advancing, a group of players once gathered together, attempting to forcefully enter the upper levels and dismantle the system,” Zhou Guang explained.
Xia Chi asked, “What happened next?”
Zhou Guang gestured towards the tranquil coffee shop surroundings. “As you can see, this place is thriving now. I’m sure you know the outcome. They failed, and it’s said that as punishment, the system threw these players into a terrifying copy.”
“Is it the Eternal Diamond Mountain?” Xia Chi inquired.
Zhou Guang shook his head. “No, it’s not that one. That copy is even older than the Eternal Diamond Mountain.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Where did you find this book?”
Zhou Guang replied, “In the library on the 500th floor. To be precise, this incident wasn’t printed in the book but was written by someone, inserted between the pages. If you get a chance, you can go to the 500th floor and have a look. It has quite a collection. There are not only various reference books but also a wide range of novels.”
Bai Lixin nodded, “Okay, I’ll check it out when I have the chance. One more thing, do you remember Sun Ning, the player we met at the shooting range on the 250th floor last time? You mentioned that she used to be the Vice Guild President of the Raging Flames Guild and later became an Elder. How much do you know about her brother?”
Zhou Guang furrowed his brows slightly. “Sun Ning’s brother is named Sun Nu.”
“About half a year ago, her brother and a few members from different guilds entered an copy and died inside.”
“In terms of Sun Ning’s characteristics, she’s quite intelligent and excels in puzzle-solving types of copies. Sun Nu, on the other hand, is all about combat strength. With Sun Nu as her support, Sun Ning used to have an easy time in the guild. However, after Sun Nu’s death, Sun Ning lost her support, and the ambitions of the other Vice Guild Presidents were exposed.”
“They joined forces, promoted one of the Vice Guild Leaders to be the new Guild Leader, and then jointly pushed Sun Ning out of her position as Vice Guild Leader.”
“If Sun Ning hadn’t persisted, they might have kicked her out of the guild entirely. Being an Elder is probably the highest position she can hold onto.”
Xia Chi asked, “Why doesn’t she leave if the Raging Flames Guild is treating her like this? She’s so intelligent, any guild would want her, right? Why hang on to the Raging Flames Guild?”
Zhou Guang pondered, “Perhaps it’s because of attachment? After all, this guild was created by her and her brother from the ground up. This guild means as much to her as Core Fire Guild means to us. We wouldn’t want to see a guild we built with our own hands taken away by someone else, would we? Maybe she still hopes to save this guild in some way.”
Li Cancan sighed softly, “The smarter the girl, the more burdens she carries. I understand her difficulties. God Xin, did you make some kind of deal with Sun Ning? We watched the challenge copy you participated in earlier, and Sun Ning helped you and the big boss.”
Bai Lixin didn’t hide anything, “She asked me for a favor; she wants to become the Guild President.”
Li Cancan: “To be the Guild President herself? To carry on her brother’s will?”
Bai Lixin clarified, “No, she wants to dissolve the Raging Flame Guild herself.”
The four were momentarily stunned.
“So that’s how it is!” Being a fellow woman, Li Cancan suddenly felt a deep sense of admiration and sympathy for this girl. “My perspective was too narrow. She’s really amazing. I hope fate is kind to her.”
In the time that followed, they all set aside their work and had a casual chat.
Bai Lixin leaned back on the sofa with half-closed eyes, interjecting a sentence or two now and then.
Watching their increasingly lively expressions, Bai Lixin felt as if he had traveled three years back in time.
He smiled as he looked at them, as if he was looking at his protected subjects.
It wasn’t until nightfall that they reluctantly concluded their gathering.
Li Cancan suggested, “Next time, how about coming to my dorm for a hotpot? I’ve got all the hotpot base ingredients ready.”
Xia Chi exclaimed, “Wow, sounds great! I’ll be responsible for bringing the meat.”
Zhou Guang offered, “I’ll bring the drinks.”
Liang Xi thought carefully, “I’ll bring the vegetables?”
All of them turned their gaze towards Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin chuckled, “I’ll bring my stomach?”
Everyone burst into laughter at his response. Li Cancan said, “Alright, God Xin is responsible for eating. So, shall we set it for… after the Nationwide Battlefield? What do you think?”
This suggestion was immediately met with several people’s agreement.
After returning to his residence, Bai Lixin collapsed onto his bed.
In the previous copy, he spent the daytime exploring clues and nighttime doing professional tasks, so he had hardly slept. Even though he wasn’t in a human body, he was feeling a bit worn out.
Seeing Bai Lixin not even bothering to undress before sleeping, the Escape System didn’t disturb him further; it quietly turned off the lights.
…
In the middle of the night, Bai Lixin was awakened by a force. In a daze, he squinted and realized that there was a shadow lying next to him.
This shadow wasn’t the kind of darkness that comes with a light but rather a mass of black mist, faceless and formless, soft and shapeless.
The black mist wrapped itself around him.
Feeling the soft touch of the black mist, Bai Lixin leaned into it, using his hands and feet to enjoy the cloud-like comfort.
Yawning, he murmured, “Why did you come?”
“Did I wake you up?” a man’s voice whispered in Bai Lixin’s ear. “I missed you. You can go back to sleep, I’ll just keep you company for a while.”
Bai Lixin didn’t know when he had slipped under the covers, nor did he realize when his clothes had been removed and left on the floor.
He was just too sleepy.
The black, spongy material caressed the young man’s back. It didn’t do anything special, it rhythmically patted the young man’s back, soothing him gently back to sleep.
Yawning again, Bai Lixin fell into a deep slumber once more under the man’s comforting presence.
When he woke up in the morning, he found his clothes neatly folded by the bedside.
His body felt refreshed, as if someone had taken care of him and washed him.
Bai Lixin sat up contentedly and stretched lazily.
It was quite rare for the old gong to be quite honest and considerate.
As his arms reached their highest point, the smooth and silky sleepwear slid down, revealing two mottled arms.
At the same time, Bai Lixin felt the changes in his body and suddenly stiffened.
It seemed like something strange was flowing from a peculiar place.
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Dijia, I’ll kill you!
Plucking feathers from a swan, you’re truly something!’
On the 999th floor, a man wearing a satisfied smile flicked the string of pearl beads between his fingers.
System: [My Lord, it seems you really like pearl jewelry. Every time I see you, you’re either playing with pearl beads or pearl necklaces.]
The man was in a good mood and couldn’t be bothered to retort to the system, “I do quite like them.”
System: [My Lord, ‘Nationwide Battlefield’ has now been going on for 35 days, with 25 days left until the game ends. So far, 20 tokens haven’t been found yet.]
The man lazily lowered his eyelids. “16 tokens were found, and it’s only been a little over half the time. These players are quite efficient. This game has shown me their potential, something you don’t see in regular copies.”
System: [Yes, thanks to the game you organized.]
The man’s face held a hint of a cold smile. “Do you like these kinds of games? If you do, I’ll allocate more resources next time.”
[Really?!] The system’s voice sounded happy. [Then, thank you very much, My Lord.]
“When a whale falls, everything comes alive,” the man continued to toy with the pearl beads in his hand. “I’m that whale. As for who can devour my heart, it depends on their abilities.”
System: [My Lord, our great ambitions still rely on you. You won’t fall. You won’t.]
The man slowly closed his eyes and unilaterally ceased his conversation with the system.
System: [My Lord?]
System: [Are you asleep?]
[…]System, [Alright then, I hope my lord has a pleasant dream. Goodnight.]
———————————–
On the 450th floor, at a commercial street.
In an upscale café’s private room on the second floor, sat Zhou Guang and Bai Lixin.
This café was several levels above the narrow and simple café on the first floor.
The partitions on the first floor were just curtains, but here, it was a fully enclosed room.
The room was adorned with many artistic decorations, even the chairs were designed to replicate European style as closely as possible.
They had agreed to meet at two in the afternoon, and now it was ten past two, but the other party hadn’t arrived yet.
Bai Lixin and Zhou Guang had been waiting patiently for nearly twenty minutes. Fortunately, both of them were rational individuals, so they didn’t show signs of impatience; they simply engaged in casual conversation.
This private room was by the window, and they could easily peer out to see the scenery.
The young man rested his chin in his hand, lazily chatting with Zhou Guang while absentmindedly gazing out the window.
It was just past two in the afternoon, and the street below was bustling with people.
Before long, several girls walked past their window, cheerfully heading into a shop.
The joy of shopping doesn’t always require buying things. Sometimes, the satisfaction of shopping comes from glimpsing beautiful things.
Bai Lixin was infected by the smiles of these young girls, and his eyes softened.
However, after a while, these girls ran to the end of the street.
It was only when they disappeared from sight that Bai Lixin retracted his gaze.
Just as he was looking away, he suddenly spotted two people struggling in an alley.
He had seen one of them before; it was Sun Ning.
The other person was a man in somewhat shabby attire.
In the shadows, he could only make out Sun Ning’s face, while the other person’s face was hidden in darkness, making it impossible to see their appearance.
Sun Ning, who was usually calm, appeared very agitated at this moment. She was tugging at the other person’s wrist, and her mouth was moving as if she was saying something.
However, the man seemed desperate to get away.
Perhaps Bai Lixin’s change in expression was too noticeable, so Zhou Guang also looked over. “Who is Sun Ning with?”
Bai Lixin replied, “I don’t know. Let’s go and see.”
Zhou Guang hesitated. “But the members of the Shentian Guild haven’t arrived yet. Shouldn’t I stay?”
“No,” Bai Lixin had already stood up from his chair, “you should come too. We’ve been played by them, they won’t show up today.”
Zhou Guang was momentarily stunned.
Seeing Bai Lixin leave, Zhou Guang didn’t hesitate anymore and quickly got up to follow.
The two of them walked briskly down the street and, after a short while, heard Sun Ning’s excited voice coming from the alley.
“Brother Yan! It’s you! Why won’t you admit it?!”
The two exchanged glances and followed the sound, finding Sun Ning and the man who had already entered the blind spot of the alley.
Sun Ning hadn’t expected Bai Lixin and Zhou Guang to suddenly appear. She stood there, momentarily stunned and unsure of what to do.
Beside her, there was a man crouched down.
His face was covered in hair, and disheveled hair and a beard concealed his entire face.
Seeing the man, Bai Lixin hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, “Chi Yan?”
The man’s body trembled.
But Sun Ning’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Do you know him?! He is Chi Yan, right?!”
“I remember now, you went to the Eternal Diamond Mountain before!” Sun Ning tugged at the man’s sleeve with all her strength and brought him over. “Bai Lixin, tell me, he’s Chi Yan, isn’t he?!”
Bai Lixin looked at Sun Ning, then at the man beside her, and for a moment, he couldn’t find the words to respond.
It was evident that Chi Yan did not want to acknowledge Sun Ning.
Chi Yan was a player he had previously met when he was imprisoned in the Eternal Diamond Mountain.
After breaking out of the Eternal Diamond Mountain, they got separated and entered different fairy tale worlds. Later, when he left the game copy and entered the game lobby, he never saw Chi Yan again.
Who would have thought that they would meet again under these circumstances?
Chi Yan huddled in the corner, struggling to free his clothes from Sun Ning’s grasp and curling into himself up. “I’m not, I’m not Chi Yan, I’m not Chi Yan.”
Sun Ning was so frustrated that she stomped her foot. “You are clearly Brother Yan, why won’t you admit it?”
“Brother Yan,” Sun Ning called, her voice becoming tearful. “My brother is dead, you know? My brother is dead!”
Chi Yan’s body suddenly stiffened, and he lowered his head even further. “I don’t know, I don’t know anything.”
“I don’t know your brother, I’m sorry, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
“After realizing that they might have no hope of advancing, a group of players once gathered together, attempting to forcefully enter the upper levels and dismantle the system,” Zhou Guang explained.
Xia Chi asked, “What happened next?”
Zhou Guang gestured towards the tranquil coffee shop surroundings. “As you can see, this place is thriving now. I’m sure you know the outcome. They failed, and it’s said that as punishment, the system threw these players into a terrifying copy.”
“Is it the Eternal Diamond Mountain?” Xia Chi inquired.
Zhou Guang shook his head. “No, it’s not that one. That copy is even older than the Eternal Diamond Mountain.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Where did you find this book?”
Zhou Guang replied, “In the library on the 500th floor. To be precise, this incident wasn’t printed in the book but was written by someone, inserted between the pages. If you get a chance, you can go to the 500th floor and have a look. It has quite a collection. There are not only various reference books but also a wide range of novels.”
Bai Lixin nodded, “Okay, I’ll check it out when I have the chance. One more thing, do you remember Sun Ning, the player we met at the shooting range on the 250th floor last time? You mentioned that she used to be the Vice Guild President of the Raging Flames Guild and later became an Elder. How much do you know about her brother?”
Zhou Guang furrowed his brows slightly. “Sun Ning’s brother is named Sun Nu.”
“About half a year ago, her brother and a few members from different guilds entered an copy and died inside.”
“In terms of Sun Ning’s characteristics, she’s quite intelligent and excels in puzzle-solving types of copies. Sun Nu, on the other hand, is all about combat strength. With Sun Nu as her support, Sun Ning used to have an easy time in the guild. However, after Sun Nu’s death, Sun Ning lost her support, and the ambitions of the other Vice Guild Presidents were exposed.”
“They joined forces, promoted one of the Vice Guild Leaders to be the new Guild Leader, and then jointly pushed Sun Ning out of her position as Vice Guild Leader.”
“If Sun Ning hadn’t persisted, they might have kicked her out of the guild entirely. Being an Elder is probably the highest position she can hold onto.”
Xia Chi asked, “Why doesn’t she leave if the Raging Flames Guild is treating her like this? She’s so intelligent, any guild would want her, right? Why hang on to the Raging Flames Guild?”
Zhou Guang pondered, “Perhaps it’s because of attachment? After all, this guild was created by her and her brother from the ground up. This guild means as much to her as Core Fire Guild means to us. We wouldn’t want to see a guild we built with our own hands taken away by someone else, would we? Maybe she still hopes to save this guild in some way.”
Li Cancan sighed softly, “The smarter the girl, the more burdens she carries. I understand her difficulties. God Xin, did you make some kind of deal with Sun Ning? We watched the challenge copy you participated in earlier, and Sun Ning helped you and the big boss.”
Bai Lixin didn’t hide anything, “She asked me for a favor; she wants to become the Guild President.”
Li Cancan: “To be the Guild President herself? To carry on her brother’s will?”
Bai Lixin clarified, “No, she wants to dissolve the Raging Flame Guild herself.”
The four were momentarily stunned.
“So that’s how it is!” Being a fellow woman, Li Cancan suddenly felt a deep sense of admiration and sympathy for this girl. “My perspective was too narrow. She’s really amazing. I hope fate is kind to her.”
In the time that followed, they all set aside their work and had a casual chat.
Bai Lixin leaned back on the sofa with half-closed eyes, interjecting a sentence or two now and then.
Watching their increasingly lively expressions, Bai Lixin felt as if he had traveled three years back in time.
He smiled as he looked at them, as if he was looking at his protected subjects.
It wasn’t until nightfall that they reluctantly concluded their gathering.
Li Cancan suggested, “Next time, how about coming to my dorm for a hotpot? I’ve got all the hotpot base ingredients ready.”
Xia Chi exclaimed, “Wow, sounds great! I’ll be responsible for bringing the meat.”
Zhou Guang offered, “I’ll bring the drinks.”
Liang Xi thought carefully, “I’ll bring the vegetables?”
All of them turned their gaze towards Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin chuckled, “I’ll bring my stomach?”
Everyone burst into laughter at his response. Li Cancan said, “Alright, God Xin is responsible for eating. So, shall we set it for… after the Nationwide Battlefield? What do you think?”
This suggestion was immediately met with several people’s agreement.
After returning to his residence, Bai Lixin collapsed onto his bed.
In the previous copy, he spent the daytime exploring clues and nighttime doing professional tasks, so he had hardly slept. Even though he wasn’t in a human body, he was feeling a bit worn out.
Seeing Bai Lixin not even bothering to undress before sleeping, the Escape System didn’t disturb him further; it quietly turned off the lights.
…
In the middle of the night, Bai Lixin was awakened by a force. In a daze, he squinted and realized that there was a shadow lying next to him.
This shadow wasn’t the kind of darkness that comes with a light but rather a mass of black mist, faceless and formless, soft and shapeless.
The black mist wrapped itself around him.
Feeling the soft touch of the black mist, Bai Lixin leaned into it, using his hands and feet to enjoy the cloud-like comfort.
Yawning, he murmured, “Why did you come?”
“Did I wake you up?” a man’s voice whispered in Bai Lixin’s ear. “I missed you. You can go back to sleep, I’ll just keep you company for a while.”
Bai Lixin didn’t know when he had slipped under the covers, nor did he realize when his clothes had been removed and left on the floor.
He was just too sleepy.
The black, spongy material caressed the young man’s back. It didn’t do anything special, it rhythmically patted the young man’s back, soothing him gently back to sleep.
Yawning again, Bai Lixin fell into a deep slumber once more under the man’s comforting presence.
When he woke up in the morning, he found his clothes neatly folded by the bedside.
His body felt refreshed, as if someone had taken care of him and washed him.
Bai Lixin sat up contentedly and stretched lazily.
It was quite rare for the old gong to be quite honest and considerate.
As his arms reached their highest point, the smooth and silky sleepwear slid down, revealing two mottled arms.
At the same time, Bai Lixin felt the changes in his body and suddenly stiffened.
It seemed like something strange was flowing from a peculiar place.
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Dijia, I’ll kill you!
Plucking feathers from a swan, you’re truly something!’
On the 999th floor, a man wearing a satisfied smile flicked the string of pearl beads between his fingers.
System: [My Lord, it seems you really like pearl jewelry. Every time I see you, you’re either playing with pearl beads or pearl necklaces.]
The man was in a good mood and couldn’t be bothered to retort to the system, “I do quite like them.”
System: [My Lord, ‘Nationwide Battlefield’ has now been going on for 35 days, with 25 days left until the game ends. So far, 20 tokens haven’t been found yet.]
The man lazily lowered his eyelids. “16 tokens were found, and it’s only been a little over half the time. These players are quite efficient. This game has shown me their potential, something you don’t see in regular copies.”
System: [Yes, thanks to the game you organized.]
The man’s face held a hint of a cold smile. “Do you like these kinds of games? If you do, I’ll allocate more resources next time.”
[Really?!] The system’s voice sounded happy. [Then, thank you very much, My Lord.]
“When a whale falls, everything comes alive,” the man continued to toy with the pearl beads in his hand. “I’m that whale. As for who can devour my heart, it depends on their abilities.”
System: [My Lord, our great ambitions still rely on you. You won’t fall. You won’t.]
The man slowly closed his eyes and unilaterally ceased his conversation with the system.
System: [My Lord?]
System: [Are you asleep?]
[…]System, [Alright then, I hope my lord has a pleasant dream. Goodnight.]
———————————–
On the 450th floor, at a commercial street.
In an upscale café’s private room on the second floor, sat Zhou Guang and Bai Lixin.
This café was several levels above the narrow and simple café on the first floor.
The partitions on the first floor were just curtains, but here, it was a fully enclosed room.
The room was adorned with many artistic decorations, even the chairs were designed to replicate European style as closely as possible.
They had agreed to meet at two in the afternoon, and now it was ten past two, but the other party hadn’t arrived yet.
Bai Lixin and Zhou Guang had been waiting patiently for nearly twenty minutes. Fortunately, both of them were rational individuals, so they didn’t show signs of impatience; they simply engaged in casual conversation.
This private room was by the window, and they could easily peer out to see the scenery.
The young man rested his chin in his hand, lazily chatting with Zhou Guang while absentmindedly gazing out the window.
It was just past two in the afternoon, and the street below was bustling with people.
Before long, several girls walked past their window, cheerfully heading into a shop.
The joy of shopping doesn’t always require buying things. Sometimes, the satisfaction of shopping comes from glimpsing beautiful things.
Bai Lixin was infected by the smiles of these young girls, and his eyes softened.
However, after a while, these girls ran to the end of the street.
It was only when they disappeared from sight that Bai Lixin retracted his gaze.
Just as he was looking away, he suddenly spotted two people struggling in an alley.
He had seen one of them before; it was Sun Ning.
The other person was a man in somewhat shabby attire.
In the shadows, he could only make out Sun Ning’s face, while the other person’s face was hidden in darkness, making it impossible to see their appearance.
Sun Ning, who was usually calm, appeared very agitated at this moment. She was tugging at the other person’s wrist, and her mouth was moving as if she was saying something.
However, the man seemed desperate to get away.
Perhaps Bai Lixin’s change in expression was too noticeable, so Zhou Guang also looked over. “Who is Sun Ning with?”
Bai Lixin replied, “I don’t know. Let’s go and see.”
Zhou Guang hesitated. “But the members of the Shentian Guild haven’t arrived yet. Shouldn’t I stay?”
“No,” Bai Lixin had already stood up from his chair, “you should come too. We’ve been played by them, they won’t show up today.”
Zhou Guang was momentarily stunned.
Seeing Bai Lixin leave, Zhou Guang didn’t hesitate anymore and quickly got up to follow.
The two of them walked briskly down the street and, after a short while, heard Sun Ning’s excited voice coming from the alley.
“Brother Yan! It’s you! Why won’t you admit it?!”
The two exchanged glances and followed the sound, finding Sun Ning and the man who had already entered the blind spot of the alley.
Sun Ning hadn’t expected Bai Lixin and Zhou Guang to suddenly appear. She stood there, momentarily stunned and unsure of what to do.
Beside her, there was a man crouched down.
His face was covered in hair, and disheveled hair and a beard concealed his entire face.
Seeing the man, Bai Lixin hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, “Chi Yan?”
The man’s body trembled.
But Sun Ning’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Do you know him?! He is Chi Yan, right?!”
“I remember now, you went to the Eternal Diamond Mountain before!” Sun Ning tugged at the man’s sleeve with all her strength and brought him over. “Bai Lixin, tell me, he’s Chi Yan, isn’t he?!”
Bai Lixin looked at Sun Ning, then at the man beside her, and for a moment, he couldn’t find the words to respond.
It was evident that Chi Yan did not want to acknowledge Sun Ning.
Chi Yan was a player he had previously met when he was imprisoned in the Eternal Diamond Mountain.
After breaking out of the Eternal Diamond Mountain, they got separated and entered different fairy tale worlds. Later, when he left the game copy and entered the game lobby, he never saw Chi Yan again.
Who would have thought that they would meet again under these circumstances?
Chi Yan huddled in the corner, struggling to free his clothes from Sun Ning’s grasp and curling into himself up. “I’m not, I’m not Chi Yan, I’m not Chi Yan.”
Sun Ning was so frustrated that she stomped her foot. “You are clearly Brother Yan, why won’t you admit it?”
“Brother Yan,” Sun Ning called, her voice becoming tearful. “My brother is dead, you know? My brother is dead!”
Chi Yan’s body suddenly stiffened, and he lowered his head even further. “I don’t know, I don’t know anything.”
“I don’t know your brother, I’m sorry, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
