The computer on the coffee table was still on. Bai Lixin inserted the memory card into the computer and opened the recorded video.
When he pressed the play button, the screen showed a close-up of Li Qiuzhi’s face.
Li Qiuzhi adjusted the camera’s direction a few times, and turned off the lights only after confirming the camera was focused on the bed.
The first few hours as darkness fell showed no significant changes. As time approached ten o’clock, Li Qiuzhi, who had been sound asleep, suddenly sat up from the bed.
Although it was the same face, the sitting Li Qiuzhi now felt entirely different from the usual impression.
Cold, hollow, and with a heavy sense of death.
“Li Qiuzhi” stared at the camera for a full ten seconds before slowly getting off the bed.
He disappeared from the screen for a few seconds, then his figure squeezed back into the frame, sitting at the foot of the bed close to the camera.
Crossing his legs casually, “Li Qiuzhi” caressed his own body ambiguously, but his eyes remained fixed on the camera. It looked as if he was taking a video specifically for someone to watch later.
He combed his hair neatly in front of the camera, walked sluggishly to the wardrobe, pulled out a suit, and took out the sapphire-blue tie from the corner.
Only when he dressed himself did “Li Qiuzhi” smirk strangely at the camera and uttered the first sentence of the night, “Li Qiuzhi, I’ve been waiting for our wedding for years.”
“We agreed before to walk into the hall of marriage together in a romantic sea of flowers.”
“You took my betrothal gifts, and I’ve waited for you for years. Finally, we can be together.”
“I love you, my dear bride.”
“You are mine and can only be mine. Even life and death cannot separate us.”
“You once told me that you liked me, loved me deeply, wanted to be with me forever. I feel the same; even in death, I want to be with you.”
He gently caressed his own cheek, and spoke with a drowning tone, “My beloved, let’s go. Our wedding is about to begin.”
After saying these words, “Li Qiuzhi” stood up from in front of the camera and slowly walked out of the frame.
The time in the upper right corner of the screen stayed at ten o’clock at night, when the train was at a stop.
S419: [No wonder Li Qiuzhi said that everyone looked like Zhao Ming, and he always felt like Zhao Ming has been following him, even dreaming of him. It turns out that Zhao Ming has been living in Li Qiuzhi’s body all this time.]
It was surprised: [Even in death, I won’t let you go. What intense and obsessive love.]
Bai Lixin: […]
Coming out of compartment A-3, Bai Lixin heard a few footsteps and frantic conversations.
He turned his head and saw a person standing in front of compartment A-7 not far away.
A woman and a man in their fifties anxiously surrounded a pale young man, looking him up and down. Their voices carried a hint of crying, “Xiao Li, where did you go just now? Your dad and I were so worried about you. Do you know, we’ve been looking for you since we were separated in the cherry blossom forest..”
The young man looked at the man and woman in front of him expressionlessly. In her excitement, the woman hugged the young man in her arms, her voice choked with sobs, “My child, wuuu, my child, you’re my only child. You can’t have any accidents, or else Mom won’t be able to live.”
Noticing Bai Lixin’s inquisitive gaze, the pale young man lifted his eyes slightly to look at Bai Lixin, then withdrew his gaze indifferently. When the man and woman cried enough, he gently pushed away the two in front of him and calmly said, “I’m back, Mom, Dad. Don’t worry, I won’t leave. Even if you drive me away, I won’t go.”
The woman smiled through tears, “Silly child, you are my most cherished treasure. How could I drive you away? I cherish you too much. I love you, my dear.”
Upon hearing this, the pale young man raised his shoulders slightly, gently swept a strand of hair behind his ear with his fingers, twirled and kneaded it, and a bright and strange smile appeared in his eyes, “I love you too, Mom, Dad. Let’s go back.”
He pushed the door open and took two steps forward. His steps twisted unnaturally for a moment, then returned to normal, and he walked steadily into the room.
The woman and man exchanged a glance. The woman whispered with confusion, “Why does Xiao Li’s actions with his hair seem so familiar?”
The man: “Now that you mention it, I also find it familiar. But twisting hair is just one action, right? Maybe it’s just because he has long hair. Don’t worry about these things. Let’s just be happy Xiao Li has come back safely. He can’t handle any excitement right now. Don’t ask or say too much later.”
Woman: “Okay, I know this. You don’t need to remind me.”
With a bang, the compartment door closed, also blocking their conversation.
Bai Lixin pondered as he glanced at the compartment A-7 door, then finally returned to his own compartment A-1…
————————
In the middle class compartment, Li Cangshan and Zhou Guang looked at each other across the table.
The middle-aged woman in the same compartment had already gotten off at the cherry blossom station. Now, only the two of them remained in the room.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Cangshan finally asked his question, “Brother Zhou, I saw the Chai family in the compartment just now. Chai Li seemed to have changed… What exactly happened in the cherry blossom forest?”
Zhou Guang rubbed his tired forehead, picked up the hot coffee, and took a sip, “It’s not like as if he’s changed, he really changed.”
“The flying butterfly enters the forest, I finally understood what the little girl wanted. She didn’t want the heart; she wanted the body.”
“It was Chai Li’s choice to give up his body. I did nothing in the ends The sister used her brother’s body to return to her parents, to feel the genuine love from her parents that she had never felt before. The brother’s soul will forever remain in that cherry blossom forest.”
Zhou Guang’s gaze deepened, “But the boy’s body is also deteriorating rapidly. The heart he later obtained also had issues, and that body only has a lifespan of one year.”
“I am a lawyer. I said before that if this were in the real world, I would definitely use legal weapons to send these parents to prison to repent for the rest of their lives,” he looked out the window, and the desolate cherry blossom forest was quickly left behind, “But this is not the real world, souls have their own expectations, and they have their own ways of revenge.”
“I am not a lawyer now, I am just the party fulfilling the needs of the first party as much as possible. As for what the first party wants to do later, I have no right to inquire.”
In the swiftly passing forest, he seemed to see a boy standing there alone, waving silently towards them…
The insatiable Dijia thoroughly interpreted what a dangerous train trip could be.
After staying at the Cang Mountain station for two days, the train set off again. On the day they returned to City X, Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan didn’t even see Bai Lixin.
It wasn’t until the next day that Bai Lixin weakly got off the train, supported by the satisfied man.
Back in X City, Bai Lixin finally couldn’t stand the man’s wild and relentless attacks. He called the little black furry monster and told it to send them away.
This time, the little black furry monster didn’t come alone; it was followed by two scarecrows, one black and one white.
Originally, these two scarecrows were jumping around when they first came over. However, the moment they saw Dijia, they immediately shrank back and stood at the farthest diagonal distance, as if wishing they could fly out of the room.
The little black furry monster said a few indifferent parting words before creating a black vortex in mid-air, “From here, you can return to your original world. Your rewards will be issued to you after you return to the world. I wish you can clear other games soon and leave that tower. Goodbye!”
After bidding farewell to the little black furry monster, Bai Lixin stepped into the vortex…
After a bout of dizziness, Bai Lixin heard the familiar voice: [Master Bai Lixin, you’ve finally appeared! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.]
Bai Lixin rubbed his temples, somewhat tired from the compression of time and space, and greeted weakly: [Sister System, long time no see.]
Escape System: [It’s really been a long time. Do you know how long you’ve been away? You’ve been missing for over half a month. I’ve been waiting for you at your residence all these days. Where did you go?]
[Sister System!] s419 shouted exaggeratedly, [How can you only care about the host and not ask how I’m doing? I’m heartbroken.]
Escape System: [Brother, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you so much. I missed you the most.]
S419: [Sister System, I missed you, I missed you a lot!]
The dull pain gradually disappeared from Bai Lixin’s body. Hearing the cheesy and sticky dialogue between the two systems, he felt his head was about to explode. He took a deep breath, and suddenly saw a golden card appear out of nowhere on the table in front of him.
Bai Lixin took the card in his hand and examined it. It was a square card he had never seen before.
Escape System: [Ding! Congratulations to Player Bai Lixin for obtaining the rare prop card [Monster’s Favor] x1. After using this prop card, you can improve your favorability among monsters, making them give up chasing you and even become your helper. With good luck, this prop card can even help the player directly clear a copy.]
[This prop card is a repeatable prop card, S-rank, and can be upgraded. The highest level is level 3, and it is currently at level 1.]
[At level 1, the prop card can be used on one target, with a 50% success rate and a 24h cool down.]
Escape System: [Wow, Master Bai Lixin, this time you’ve obtained a hidden prop card. Congratulations, it’s quite good.]
After Bai Lixin looked at the card for a while, he casually threw it into his backpack. [It should be the reward mentioned by the little black furry monster. Sister System, are there any other rewards? Like performance points or mall points?”
Escape System: [Wait a moment, let me check… Sorry, Master Bai Lixin, there are no other rewards.]
Bai Lixin couldn’t help but clench his fist. “…”
No wonder the little black furry monster insisted on waiting for them to leave before issuing the rewards. It turned out there was nothing at all!
Was it afraid that they would be unable to resist hitting it if they saw the meager rewards?
Escape System: [But, where exactly did you and Brother M go?]
S419 told the Escape System about their experiences during this time, and the Escape System suddenly realized, [It turns out Master Bai Lixin entered that temporal crack. I know that place.]
[That is a product of the failed evolution of a copy, and it has been abandoned by the main brain. So, even if you enter there and complete the tasks, there won’t be any performance points or mall point rewards. To put it simply, this is the official server, and that is the private server. This side doesn’t acknowledge that copy. However, the difficulty level of that copy is very high. According to the main brain’s records, that copy is ranked S+. It’s really good that you could return safely. I’ve never been separated from you guys for so long. I really missed you.]
The Escape System spoke with a slightly choked tone. It was obvious that it really missed him and s419.
Shortly after Bai Lixin sat down, his private chat window started buzzing incessantly. Bai Lixin opened the chat interface and found that several people he knew had sent him many private messages in these few days.
Message after message, the notification sounds continued for over twenty seconds before stopping.
Although he didn’t read the content of the messages, he immediately realized that something might have happened. Otherwise, everyone wouldn’t be contacting him simultaneously.
The most recent message at the top was from Li Cancan, sent two minutes ago.
Li Cancan: [God Xin, if you see my message after you return, please contact me immediately.]
Bai Lixin: [I’m back, what happened?]
Li Cancan’s message came almost immediately, [Great, you’re back! There’s trouble in the guild. I can’t explain in the private chat. Can you come to the guild office now? Song Yuantian and Sun Ning are also here.]
Bai Lixin frowned slightly, [Alright, I’ll come over now.]
Without hesitation, he got up and left the villa, heading to the Core Fire Guild.
This game lobby had many guilds, and guilds also had different levels.
Among them, the Shentian Guild, as the oldest, largest, and most mysterious guild, consistently held the first position.
The Sand Sea Guild used to be the third-ranked guild, but with the internal strife and split of the Raging Flame Guild, the Sand Sea Guild effortlessly rose from the third position to become the second-largest guild.
He had known Song Yuantian for a long time. He was the president of the Sand Sea Guild. Ever since he saved Song Yuantian’s lover, Hong Yue, the relationship between the two guilds had become very close.
Although they didn’t formally ally, the intimate interaction between the Sand Sea Guild and the Core Fire Guild was evident to outsiders.
In the last large scale “Nationwide Battle Event ” the Sand Sea Guild put in a lot of effort to assist them.
Now, the president of the Raging Flame Guild is Sun Ning. However, there was a period when Sun Ning was sidelined, and even expelled from the Raging Flame Guild. As the former president of the Raging Flame Guild, Sun Ning’s brother died tragically in a copy, and the ambitious members of the Raging Flame Guild quickly seized control.
He and Sun Ning met during the time when Sun Ning was sidelined. At that time, they cooperated twice in completing two copies, giving him a comprehensive understanding of Sun Ning.
Sun Ning is a very smart and exceptionally intelligent woman. After a period of lying low, she launched a successful counterattack and successfully regained control of the Raging Flame Guild. However, those few traitors from the Raging Flame Guild were still cunning, they took half of the guild’s resources and people with them, resulting in the current strength of the Raging Flame Guild being far less than before, and its ranking dropped from second to a lower position.
Sometimes, he would meet with Song Yuantian, and sometimes with Sun Ning.
However, he had never met with both Song Yuantian and Sun Ning at the same time. It was definitely something significant if two influential guilds appeared in his guild at the same time.
In the interval of taking the elevator, Bai Lixin opened the management information of the Core Fire Guild. When he saw the list information clearly, he couldn’t help but frown.
The Core Fire Guild was created by Zhou Guang, Xia Chi, and others. They created this guild for themselves and later handed it over to him. Although he was the president now, he had to admit that he was an irresponsible president. Almost all the affairs in the guild were handled by the four of them.
The Core Fire Guild has never advocated expansion or increasing rankings. The guild has maintained around a hundred members, and while its ranking isn’t high, it has been steadily progressing.
However, looking at the guild’s member list today, it unexpectedly dropped from the previous one hundred and twenty members to just a hundred.
In half a month, losing more than twenty people was abnormal.
Closing the Core Fire Guild’s management interface, Bai Lixin opened the chat window.
With little effort, he found Sun Ning’s private chat window.
Sun Ning hadn’t sent him many messages, just a few.
Sun Ning: [Are you there? How do you plan to deal with the matter of the Shentian Guild?]
Sun Ning: [Not there? Where did you go? If you see the message, reply as soon as possible, I need to establish information and connection.]
Sun Ning: [Although I don’t know where you went, let me get straight to the point. The Shentian Guild has descended. Similar to how it dealt with you in the mermaid copy before, it has started targeting other players. The Shentian Guild has established an alliance system, and they are the managers of the alliance. Only guilds joining their alliance will receive protection; otherwise, they will be targeted.]
Sun Ning: [Initially, a few guilds resisted, but they quickly faced attacks when in copies. The fear of death made players submit. In just a few days, more and more guilds joined the Shentian Guild.]
Sun Ning: [The Shentian Guild specifically mentioned the Core Fire Guild. It says the Core Fire Guild’s members are the primary targets. Any member entering a copy will be targeted. I believe that if it were you, you wouldn’t just sit back. I want to know your thoughts.]
Sun Ning: [Reply as soon as possible.]
When the elevator opened, the dark clouds in Bai Lixin’s eyes were thick and unyielding.
He walked into the guild with determined strides. At this moment, the Core Fire Guild was no longer the serene place it used to be. Although many members were still gathered, no one had the mood for training; everyone seemed gloomy.
Bai Lixin quickly greeted the members and entered the conference room.
The room was already full of people, including the recently returned Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan.
In the somewhat cramped room, the air was heavy. After Bai Lixin took his seat, he went straight to the point: “Sorry for being late. I’ve already understood the general situation through the messages sent by Sun Ning. What’s the situation with various guilds now?”
Li Cancan bit her lip, “Five members of the Core Fire Guild were attacked in copies. After discovering the situation, I told all members not to enter copies for the time being. Although everyone is panicked, these members were carefully selected by us, so, so far, except for a dozen members unable to withstand the pressure and leaving the guild, the other members are relatively stable.”
She paused, “Sorry, I didn’t take care of the guild well when you left.”
Bai Lixin: “No, you’ve done very well. You stabilized the situation at a critical time. Thank you for being here, Cancan.”
He glanced around at Zhou Guang, Xia Chi, Song Yuantian, Hong Yue, and others at the conference table, and his gaze finally landed on Sun Ning’s face. Before he could speak, Sun Ning quickly spoke up: “I’ve already explained the general situation in the private chat. Now let me briefly state the current situation.”
“Of the top ten guilds, six of them have already joined the Shentian Guild’s alliance. The Shentian Guild is currently focusing on the top guilds. Apart from threats, they also have methods of inducement. For the lower-ranked guilds, they use death threats, while for the higher-ranked guilds, they use both soft and hard tactics.”
“Since President Song Yuantian chose to sit here, I think you have also expressed your attitude. I want to state my attitude; I will never join the Shentian Guild’s alliance!” Sun Ning’s wise eyes suddenly turned cold, showing determination. “I investigated the real cause of my brother’s death. My brother did not have to be killed by the Little Overlord because he turned into a monster, the Little Overlord used some kind of prop.”
“My brother was always meticulous and cautious. He has been in so many copies and never turned into a monster. I have always doubted the incident where he inexplicably turned into a monster. Until not long ago, when Little Overlord participated in the attacks, he revealed a rare prop to target players. It’s a mirror, and I still don’t know how it is activated, but players hit by that mirror will quickly transform into monsters in the copy.”
“Little Overlord killed my brother like that!”
“I don’t know how my brother offended him, but I will definitely avenge my brother. Even if only I, Sun Ning, am left, I will never compromise. One day, I will hold Little Overlord’s head as a tribute to my brother’s soul.”
“Bai Lixin, I hope to form an alliance with you.” Sun Ning looked at Bai Lixin. “There are no permanent friends in the world, but I secretly consider you a trustworthy friend. But on the battlefield, there is no friendship, only victory or defeat. Putting aside friendship, we share common interests and goals, as well as common enemies—the Shentian Guild and Little Overlord. I need your answer.”
Bai Lixin and Sun Ning locked eyes for a few seconds, then he looked towards Song Yuantian.
Song Yuantian’s overly fair face had his usual indifferent expression. After contemplating for a few seconds, he said, “I think I have made my attitude clear from the moment I walked here.”
“I don’t believe the Shentian Guild suddenly took action because of Bai Lixin or the Core Fire Guild. Even if Bai Lixin makes them eat dirt, those thousand year-old tortoises will at most stick their heads out to bite people; they shouldn’t have crawled out of their safe holes so crazily.”
“There must be other reasons as to why they are so crazy now.”
The computer on the coffee table was still on. Bai Lixin inserted the memory card into the computer and opened the recorded video.
When he pressed the play button, the screen showed a close-up of Li Qiuzhi’s face.
Li Qiuzhi adjusted the camera’s direction a few times, and turned off the lights only after confirming the camera was focused on the bed.
The first few hours as darkness fell showed no significant changes. As time approached ten o’clock, Li Qiuzhi, who had been sound asleep, suddenly sat up from the bed.
Although it was the same face, the sitting Li Qiuzhi now felt entirely different from the usual impression.
Cold, hollow, and with a heavy sense of death.
“Li Qiuzhi” stared at the camera for a full ten seconds before slowly getting off the bed.
He disappeared from the screen for a few seconds, then his figure squeezed back into the frame, sitting at the foot of the bed close to the camera.
Crossing his legs casually, “Li Qiuzhi” caressed his own body ambiguously, but his eyes remained fixed on the camera. It looked as if he was taking a video specifically for someone to watch later.
He combed his hair neatly in front of the camera, walked sluggishly to the wardrobe, pulled out a suit, and took out the sapphire-blue tie from the corner.
Only when he dressed himself did “Li Qiuzhi” smirk strangely at the camera and uttered the first sentence of the night, “Li Qiuzhi, I’ve been waiting for our wedding for years.”
“We agreed before to walk into the hall of marriage together in a romantic sea of flowers.”
“You took my betrothal gifts, and I’ve waited for you for years. Finally, we can be together.”
“I love you, my dear bride.”
“You are mine and can only be mine. Even life and death cannot separate us.”
“You once told me that you liked me, loved me deeply, wanted to be with me forever. I feel the same; even in death, I want to be with you.”
He gently caressed his own cheek, and spoke with a drowning tone, “My beloved, let’s go. Our wedding is about to begin.”
After saying these words, “Li Qiuzhi” stood up from in front of the camera and slowly walked out of the frame.
The time in the upper right corner of the screen stayed at ten o’clock at night, when the train was at a stop.
S419: [No wonder Li Qiuzhi said that everyone looked like Zhao Ming, and he always felt like Zhao Ming has been following him, even dreaming of him. It turns out that Zhao Ming has been living in Li Qiuzhi’s body all this time.]
It was surprised: [Even in death, I won’t let you go. What intense and obsessive love.]
Bai Lixin: […]
Coming out of compartment A-3, Bai Lixin heard a few footsteps and frantic conversations.
He turned his head and saw a person standing in front of compartment A-7 not far away.
A woman and a man in their fifties anxiously surrounded a pale young man, looking him up and down. Their voices carried a hint of crying, “Xiao Li, where did you go just now? Your dad and I were so worried about you. Do you know, we’ve been looking for you since we were separated in the cherry blossom forest..”
The young man looked at the man and woman in front of him expressionlessly. In her excitement, the woman hugged the young man in her arms, her voice choked with sobs, “My child, wuuu, my child, you’re my only child. You can’t have any accidents, or else Mom won’t be able to live.”
Noticing Bai Lixin’s inquisitive gaze, the pale young man lifted his eyes slightly to look at Bai Lixin, then withdrew his gaze indifferently. When the man and woman cried enough, he gently pushed away the two in front of him and calmly said, “I’m back, Mom, Dad. Don’t worry, I won’t leave. Even if you drive me away, I won’t go.”
The woman smiled through tears, “Silly child, you are my most cherished treasure. How could I drive you away? I cherish you too much. I love you, my dear.”
Upon hearing this, the pale young man raised his shoulders slightly, gently swept a strand of hair behind his ear with his fingers, twirled and kneaded it, and a bright and strange smile appeared in his eyes, “I love you too, Mom, Dad. Let’s go back.”
He pushed the door open and took two steps forward. His steps twisted unnaturally for a moment, then returned to normal, and he walked steadily into the room.
The woman and man exchanged a glance. The woman whispered with confusion, “Why does Xiao Li’s actions with his hair seem so familiar?”
The man: “Now that you mention it, I also find it familiar. But twisting hair is just one action, right? Maybe it’s just because he has long hair. Don’t worry about these things. Let’s just be happy Xiao Li has come back safely. He can’t handle any excitement right now. Don’t ask or say too much later.”
Woman: “Okay, I know this. You don’t need to remind me.”
With a bang, the compartment door closed, also blocking their conversation.
Bai Lixin pondered as he glanced at the compartment A-7 door, then finally returned to his own compartment A-1…
————————
In the middle class compartment, Li Cangshan and Zhou Guang looked at each other across the table.
The middle-aged woman in the same compartment had already gotten off at the cherry blossom station. Now, only the two of them remained in the room.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Cangshan finally asked his question, “Brother Zhou, I saw the Chai family in the compartment just now. Chai Li seemed to have changed… What exactly happened in the cherry blossom forest?”
Zhou Guang rubbed his tired forehead, picked up the hot coffee, and took a sip, “It’s not like as if he’s changed, he really changed.”
“The flying butterfly enters the forest, I finally understood what the little girl wanted. She didn’t want the heart; she wanted the body.”
“It was Chai Li’s choice to give up his body. I did nothing in the ends The sister used her brother’s body to return to her parents, to feel the genuine love from her parents that she had never felt before. The brother’s soul will forever remain in that cherry blossom forest.”
Zhou Guang’s gaze deepened, “But the boy’s body is also deteriorating rapidly. The heart he later obtained also had issues, and that body only has a lifespan of one year.”
“I am a lawyer. I said before that if this were in the real world, I would definitely use legal weapons to send these parents to prison to repent for the rest of their lives,” he looked out the window, and the desolate cherry blossom forest was quickly left behind, “But this is not the real world, souls have their own expectations, and they have their own ways of revenge.”
“I am not a lawyer now, I am just the party fulfilling the needs of the first party as much as possible. As for what the first party wants to do later, I have no right to inquire.”
In the swiftly passing forest, he seemed to see a boy standing there alone, waving silently towards them…
The insatiable Dijia thoroughly interpreted what a dangerous train trip could be.
After staying at the Cang Mountain station for two days, the train set off again. On the day they returned to City X, Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan didn’t even see Bai Lixin.
It wasn’t until the next day that Bai Lixin weakly got off the train, supported by the satisfied man.
Back in X City, Bai Lixin finally couldn’t stand the man’s wild and relentless attacks. He called the little black furry monster and told it to send them away.
This time, the little black furry monster didn’t come alone; it was followed by two scarecrows, one black and one white.
Originally, these two scarecrows were jumping around when they first came over. However, the moment they saw Dijia, they immediately shrank back and stood at the farthest diagonal distance, as if wishing they could fly out of the room.
The little black furry monster said a few indifferent parting words before creating a black vortex in mid-air, “From here, you can return to your original world. Your rewards will be issued to you after you return to the world. I wish you can clear other games soon and leave that tower. Goodbye!”
After bidding farewell to the little black furry monster, Bai Lixin stepped into the vortex…
After a bout of dizziness, Bai Lixin heard the familiar voice: [Master Bai Lixin, you’ve finally appeared! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.]
Bai Lixin rubbed his temples, somewhat tired from the compression of time and space, and greeted weakly: [Sister System, long time no see.]
Escape System: [It’s really been a long time. Do you know how long you’ve been away? You’ve been missing for over half a month. I’ve been waiting for you at your residence all these days. Where did you go?]
[Sister System!] s419 shouted exaggeratedly, [How can you only care about the host and not ask how I’m doing? I’m heartbroken.]
Escape System: [Brother, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you so much. I missed you the most.]
S419: [Sister System, I missed you, I missed you a lot!]
The dull pain gradually disappeared from Bai Lixin’s body. Hearing the cheesy and sticky dialogue between the two systems, he felt his head was about to explode. He took a deep breath, and suddenly saw a golden card appear out of nowhere on the table in front of him.
Bai Lixin took the card in his hand and examined it. It was a square card he had never seen before.
Escape System: [Ding! Congratulations to Player Bai Lixin for obtaining the rare prop card [Monster’s Favor] x1. After using this prop card, you can improve your favorability among monsters, making them give up chasing you and even become your helper. With good luck, this prop card can even help the player directly clear a copy.]
[This prop card is a repeatable prop card, S-rank, and can be upgraded. The highest level is level 3, and it is currently at level 1.]
[At level 1, the prop card can be used on one target, with a 50% success rate and a 24h cool down.]
Escape System: [Wow, Master Bai Lixin, this time you’ve obtained a hidden prop card. Congratulations, it’s quite good.]
After Bai Lixin looked at the card for a while, he casually threw it into his backpack. [It should be the reward mentioned by the little black furry monster. Sister System, are there any other rewards? Like performance points or mall points?”
Escape System: [Wait a moment, let me check… Sorry, Master Bai Lixin, there are no other rewards.]
Bai Lixin couldn’t help but clench his fist. “…”
No wonder the little black furry monster insisted on waiting for them to leave before issuing the rewards. It turned out there was nothing at all!
Was it afraid that they would be unable to resist hitting it if they saw the meager rewards?
Escape System: [But, where exactly did you and Brother M go?]
S419 told the Escape System about their experiences during this time, and the Escape System suddenly realized, [It turns out Master Bai Lixin entered that temporal crack. I know that place.]
[That is a product of the failed evolution of a copy, and it has been abandoned by the main brain. So, even if you enter there and complete the tasks, there won’t be any performance points or mall point rewards. To put it simply, this is the official server, and that is the private server. This side doesn’t acknowledge that copy. However, the difficulty level of that copy is very high. According to the main brain’s records, that copy is ranked S+. It’s really good that you could return safely. I’ve never been separated from you guys for so long. I really missed you.]
The Escape System spoke with a slightly choked tone. It was obvious that it really missed him and s419.
Shortly after Bai Lixin sat down, his private chat window started buzzing incessantly. Bai Lixin opened the chat interface and found that several people he knew had sent him many private messages in these few days.
Message after message, the notification sounds continued for over twenty seconds before stopping.
Although he didn’t read the content of the messages, he immediately realized that something might have happened. Otherwise, everyone wouldn’t be contacting him simultaneously.
The most recent message at the top was from Li Cancan, sent two minutes ago.
Li Cancan: [God Xin, if you see my message after you return, please contact me immediately.]
Bai Lixin: [I’m back, what happened?]
Li Cancan’s message came almost immediately, [Great, you’re back! There’s trouble in the guild. I can’t explain in the private chat. Can you come to the guild office now? Song Yuantian and Sun Ning are also here.]
Bai Lixin frowned slightly, [Alright, I’ll come over now.]
Without hesitation, he got up and left the villa, heading to the Core Fire Guild.
This game lobby had many guilds, and guilds also had different levels.
Among them, the Shentian Guild, as the oldest, largest, and most mysterious guild, consistently held the first position.
The Sand Sea Guild used to be the third-ranked guild, but with the internal strife and split of the Raging Flame Guild, the Sand Sea Guild effortlessly rose from the third position to become the second-largest guild.
He had known Song Yuantian for a long time. He was the president of the Sand Sea Guild. Ever since he saved Song Yuantian’s lover, Hong Yue, the relationship between the two guilds had become very close.
Although they didn’t formally ally, the intimate interaction between the Sand Sea Guild and the Core Fire Guild was evident to outsiders.
In the last large scale “Nationwide Battle Event ” the Sand Sea Guild put in a lot of effort to assist them.
Now, the president of the Raging Flame Guild is Sun Ning. However, there was a period when Sun Ning was sidelined, and even expelled from the Raging Flame Guild. As the former president of the Raging Flame Guild, Sun Ning’s brother died tragically in a copy, and the ambitious members of the Raging Flame Guild quickly seized control.
He and Sun Ning met during the time when Sun Ning was sidelined. At that time, they cooperated twice in completing two copies, giving him a comprehensive understanding of Sun Ning.
Sun Ning is a very smart and exceptionally intelligent woman. After a period of lying low, she launched a successful counterattack and successfully regained control of the Raging Flame Guild. However, those few traitors from the Raging Flame Guild were still cunning, they took half of the guild’s resources and people with them, resulting in the current strength of the Raging Flame Guild being far less than before, and its ranking dropped from second to a lower position.
Sometimes, he would meet with Song Yuantian, and sometimes with Sun Ning.
However, he had never met with both Song Yuantian and Sun Ning at the same time. It was definitely something significant if two influential guilds appeared in his guild at the same time.
In the interval of taking the elevator, Bai Lixin opened the management information of the Core Fire Guild. When he saw the list information clearly, he couldn’t help but frown.
The Core Fire Guild was created by Zhou Guang, Xia Chi, and others. They created this guild for themselves and later handed it over to him. Although he was the president now, he had to admit that he was an irresponsible president. Almost all the affairs in the guild were handled by the four of them.
The Core Fire Guild has never advocated expansion or increasing rankings. The guild has maintained around a hundred members, and while its ranking isn’t high, it has been steadily progressing.
However, looking at the guild’s member list today, it unexpectedly dropped from the previous one hundred and twenty members to just a hundred.
In half a month, losing more than twenty people was abnormal.
Closing the Core Fire Guild’s management interface, Bai Lixin opened the chat window.
With little effort, he found Sun Ning’s private chat window.
Sun Ning hadn’t sent him many messages, just a few.
Sun Ning: [Are you there? How do you plan to deal with the matter of the Shentian Guild?]
Sun Ning: [Not there? Where did you go? If you see the message, reply as soon as possible, I need to establish information and connection.]
Sun Ning: [Although I don’t know where you went, let me get straight to the point. The Shentian Guild has descended. Similar to how it dealt with you in the mermaid copy before, it has started targeting other players. The Shentian Guild has established an alliance system, and they are the managers of the alliance. Only guilds joining their alliance will receive protection; otherwise, they will be targeted.]
Sun Ning: [Initially, a few guilds resisted, but they quickly faced attacks when in copies. The fear of death made players submit. In just a few days, more and more guilds joined the Shentian Guild.]
Sun Ning: [The Shentian Guild specifically mentioned the Core Fire Guild. It says the Core Fire Guild’s members are the primary targets. Any member entering a copy will be targeted. I believe that if it were you, you wouldn’t just sit back. I want to know your thoughts.]
Sun Ning: [Reply as soon as possible.]
When the elevator opened, the dark clouds in Bai Lixin’s eyes were thick and unyielding.
He walked into the guild with determined strides. At this moment, the Core Fire Guild was no longer the serene place it used to be. Although many members were still gathered, no one had the mood for training; everyone seemed gloomy.
Bai Lixin quickly greeted the members and entered the conference room.
The room was already full of people, including the recently returned Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan.
In the somewhat cramped room, the air was heavy. After Bai Lixin took his seat, he went straight to the point: “Sorry for being late. I’ve already understood the general situation through the messages sent by Sun Ning. What’s the situation with various guilds now?”
Li Cancan bit her lip, “Five members of the Core Fire Guild were attacked in copies. After discovering the situation, I told all members not to enter copies for the time being. Although everyone is panicked, these members were carefully selected by us, so, so far, except for a dozen members unable to withstand the pressure and leaving the guild, the other members are relatively stable.”
She paused, “Sorry, I didn’t take care of the guild well when you left.”
Bai Lixin: “No, you’ve done very well. You stabilized the situation at a critical time. Thank you for being here, Cancan.”
He glanced around at Zhou Guang, Xia Chi, Song Yuantian, Hong Yue, and others at the conference table, and his gaze finally landed on Sun Ning’s face. Before he could speak, Sun Ning quickly spoke up: “I’ve already explained the general situation in the private chat. Now let me briefly state the current situation.”
“Of the top ten guilds, six of them have already joined the Shentian Guild’s alliance. The Shentian Guild is currently focusing on the top guilds. Apart from threats, they also have methods of inducement. For the lower-ranked guilds, they use death threats, while for the higher-ranked guilds, they use both soft and hard tactics.”
“Since President Song Yuantian chose to sit here, I think you have also expressed your attitude. I want to state my attitude; I will never join the Shentian Guild’s alliance!” Sun Ning’s wise eyes suddenly turned cold, showing determination. “I investigated the real cause of my brother’s death. My brother did not have to be killed by the Little Overlord because he turned into a monster, the Little Overlord used some kind of prop.”
“My brother was always meticulous and cautious. He has been in so many copies and never turned into a monster. I have always doubted the incident where he inexplicably turned into a monster. Until not long ago, when Little Overlord participated in the attacks, he revealed a rare prop to target players. It’s a mirror, and I still don’t know how it is activated, but players hit by that mirror will quickly transform into monsters in the copy.”
“Little Overlord killed my brother like that!”
“I don’t know how my brother offended him, but I will definitely avenge my brother. Even if only I, Sun Ning, am left, I will never compromise. One day, I will hold Little Overlord’s head as a tribute to my brother’s soul.”
“Bai Lixin, I hope to form an alliance with you.” Sun Ning looked at Bai Lixin. “There are no permanent friends in the world, but I secretly consider you a trustworthy friend. But on the battlefield, there is no friendship, only victory or defeat. Putting aside friendship, we share common interests and goals, as well as common enemies—the Shentian Guild and Little Overlord. I need your answer.”
Bai Lixin and Sun Ning locked eyes for a few seconds, then he looked towards Song Yuantian.
Song Yuantian’s overly fair face had his usual indifferent expression. After contemplating for a few seconds, he said, “I think I have made my attitude clear from the moment I walked here.”
“I don’t believe the Shentian Guild suddenly took action because of Bai Lixin or the Core Fire Guild. Even if Bai Lixin makes them eat dirt, those thousand year-old tortoises will at most stick their heads out to bite people; they shouldn’t have crawled out of their safe holes so crazily.”
“There must be other reasons as to why they are so crazy now.”
