The news that the termite nest had been wiped out quickly spread among the players. They were all very surprised, and some questioned the veracity of the news.
"Impossible! The Termites had four S-rank players, and they were wiped out so easily?"
"Why not? S-rank isn't the highest rank. They'd still be wiped out by those super-powerful bosses. They weren't even in the same league; they probably wouldn't have been able to fight back."
"They've done so many evil deeds, they got their comeuppance." The seemingly cowardly middle-aged man pursed his lips and said, "Killed so many people, aren't they afraid ghosts will knock on their doors in the middle of the night?"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment, then a clear sneer rang out.
"Are you referring to NPCs? They're not real people. Have you gone mad from running dungeons, or has your priestly conscience gotten the better of you? Do you really feel sorry for those NPCs?"
The middle-aged man glanced at the burly, bald man who had spoken, daring not to speak his anger. "I...I didn't say anything."
He lowered his head and disappeared into the crowd, still able to hear the other players' mocking laughter.
"What a coward." The bald man looked smug, like a victorious hero, and arrogantly surveyed the players around him. He was just one step away from reaching A-rank, making him a high-level player.
The players, not wanting to cause trouble, quickly looked away.
Just then, a thud was heard, and a person covered in blood ran over and crashed to the ground. Only two gruesome bloody holes remained where his eyes should have been.
"Help me..." The blind man reached out helplessly towards the source of the voice. "Someone's chasing me, help me...please."
The bald man: "You're not a member of the Termites, are you?"
"I...I'm not! I'm not a member of the Termites!" The blind man reacted extremely, but his overreaction clearly betrayed him.
The bald man stroked his smooth head, a smile spreading across his face. He lifted the blind man from the ground. "Do you know the NPCs in Yunzhou hate you termites? Tell me, if I cut off your head and took it to claim credit, what reward do you think I'd get?"
The blind man's face turned deathly pale. He sensed the man's serious tone and trembled uncontrollably. "I...we're the same kind..."
The bald man laughed. "Because you bring so many benefits, don't you think?"
Having just escaped from hell, only to be captured by the devil again in the blink of an eye, the blind man seemed to have accepted his inevitable death. He hung his head silently, saying nothing more.
The bald man wasn't joking. Yunzhou was so desirable, with plenty of food and drink; no player wouldn't want their own little plot of land there.
He decisively beheaded the blind man, waiting for Yunzhou to reopen so he could use the head to buy a house.
[Attention players, the dungeon [Burning Flames] has begun.]
[Dungeon Level: S-rank.]
[Selecting players, please wait.]
This unprecedented dungeon attracted the players' attention, but unlike before, both the "Confirm" and "Reject" buttons were grayed out.
Players weren't given a choice at all.
And in the bald player's system, he only had one option—"Confirm."
Cold sweat instantly broke out. The bald player frantically tapped the "Reject" button, but no matter how much he struggled, the result was already confirmed. After a dizzying spin, the bald player stood in the raging flames, head in hand.
"Aaaaaah—!"
The agonizing screams gradually faded into the flames.
...
"How about that? I'm still pretty useful, aren't I?"
Shen Changyao had been waiting outside Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu's room since early this morning. After they left, he insisted on dragging them to see the results of his research that night.
The tablet was broadcasting a live stream of the bald player being burned to ashes. Yan Chi only glanced at it before his vision went black—Shen Mingsu had covered his eyes.
Shen Mingsu frowned: "You hacked the system?"
"I wrote the system program myself." Shen Changyao wasn't happy with the word "hacked." "I'm just patching it now. If it weren't for that ruthless Shang Xu plotting against me and hunting me down, the perfect system would have been built long ago."
Shen Mingsu fell into thought. "So, the system is still a work in progress?"
"More or less." Shen Changyao explained, "Right now, the system only has the function of system space and transportation, which is beneficial to the players."
"In the initial concept, players were supposed to go to various small worlds to help, and couldn't harm the original inhabitants at will, otherwise they would be thrown into the [Burning Flames] dungeon to be destroyed."
Shen Changyao got angry thinking about this. "But before this function was even put into use, I was killed, damn it!"
Shen Mingsu lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Yan Chi slapped away Shen Mingsu's hands and asked Shen Changyao, "Is Shang Xu the leader of the termites?"
Shen Changyao gritted his teeth, "It's him! If I'd known he'd cause so much trouble, I would have strangled him the moment I saw him."
Yan Chi nodded, then fervently prayed in his heart: "Shang Xu, die quickly...choking to death, suffocating to death, sudden death is fine, just die quickly."
"Here, take this." Shen Mingsu suddenly took out a dusty gray stone and tossed it to Shen Changyao. "Remember to keep it with you. If you lose it, you'll be responsible for the consequences."
The stone looked like a random pebble picked up from the roadside.
Shen Changyao examined the stone repeatedly, not seeing anything unusual about it, but Shen Mingsu's words sounded so mystical that he didn't dare throw it directly in the trash.
Shen Changyao picked and chose, "Can't you give me something nicer? This doesn't look like it has any collectible value. The one my uncle has is quite nice. Do you have any more? I want to give my brother one."
He had noticed the dark green, translucent gemstone on Yan Chi's wrist long ago. It looked like it was artificially polished; although a bit rough, it exuded a natural charm.
Shen Mingsu cast a wry glance at him, then scoffed, "You... dare to compare yourself to your uncle?"
Shen Changyao, feeling humiliated, said, "Never mind."
Yan Chi, a faint smile in his eyes, gently stroked the dark green gemstone on his wrist.
Shen Mingsu immediately knew that Shen Changyao had ulterior motives for his sudden display of skill and didn't want to waste any more time with him. "Speak," he said, "what do you want?"
Shen Changyao straightened his back and looked at Yan Chi. "My request is simple: you and your uncle must unconditionally stand by my side and not show favoritism towards that little mermaid."
Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu: "...?"
Yan Chi didn't understand. "What does this have to do with Chu Xi?"
"It has nothing to do with him." Shen Changyao heard the commotion upstairs and looked up. Shen Chang Le was carrying Chu Xi out of the room. He glanced at him and quickly said to Yan Chi, "But I want to be more favored than Chu Xi!"
Yan Chi didn't quite understand this strange competition.
But Shen Mingsu granted his wish: "Okay."
"Okay what?" Shen Chang Le had heard this as soon as he arrived. He was carrying Chu Xi and saw them gathered together, asking curiously.
Chu Xi, like a devoted follower of Shen Chang Le, earnestly asked, "What can I do?"
"You two are now at the bottom of our family's social ladder," Shen Mingsu announced the unfortunate news. "Now, your brother has used his skills to climb above you."
Shen Changyao was shocked. "That's not what I meant! I just wanted to be of a higher status than Chu Xi."
He hadn't intended to surpass his brother; this was sowing discord!
Shen Chang Le was displeased. "Why do you insist on comparing yourself to Chu Xi?"
"Because you only care about Chu Xi, not me..."
"I don't."
"You do!" Shen Changyao, as if he had suffered a great injustice, accused Shen Chang Le. "You won't even let me sleep with you anymore! You sleep with this fresh meat but not with me!"
Shen Chang Le: "...Because the bed is too small."
"That's an excuse!"
"..."
This conversation gave Yan Chi a strange sense of familiarity, and Shen Mingsu didn't explain. After stirring up the argument, he put his arm around Yan Chi's shoulder and watched from the sidelines.
Seeing that the debate wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi got up and left, leaving the battlefield to them.
Meanwhile, in the morning sunlight, two students were perched on the big tree at Qiu Yunshu's house.
Ahui and Lian Deng each stood on a tree branch, having been staking out Qiu Yunshu's every move for days. But Qiu Yunshu was unusually well-behaved, barely leaving the house.
A tiny stick insect, no bigger than a palm, waddled to Lian Deng's side, tugged at his trouser leg, and Lian Deng scooped it up, bending down to listen intently for a few seconds.
Lian Deng jumped to Ahui's side, reminding her, "Qiu Yunshu's going out."
Ahui hummed in agreement, pulling him closer to the tree trunk, their bodies gradually blending into the tree's color.
A few seconds later, Qiu Yunshu pushed open the door and emerged, a clear smile on his face. Ahui and Lian Deng followed him silently, watching him reach the school gate, then eagerly awaiting his arrival at the intersection.
Lian Deng curiously approached Ahui, "It seems his brother is coming."
Ahui nodded, "He's here. Let's kill them both."
That completed their mission. Following Qiu Yunshu every day was incredibly tedious, and with Lian Deng being an even more boring companion, A Hui had long wanted to quit.
Lian Deng had a bad feeling. "What if... what if we can't beat his brother?"
Ahui calmly thought, "Then you hold on, I'll go get Mom."
Lian Deng clenched his fist: "Okay!"
A few minutes later, Qiu Yunshu's long-awaited brother finally arrived. He ran to his brother with a smile and hugged him tightly. "Brother, I missed you so much."
When Lian Deng saw his "brother's" face, his eyes widened in shock. He grabbed Ahui's arm to steady his swaying body. "Uncle Li... Uncle Li Xian..."
Ahui glanced at "Li Xian's" face. "No matter how much he looks like him, we'll kill him."
Lian Deng: "..."
So cold-blooded?
Under the tree, Qiu Yunshu held Li Xian's hand and reminisced. He acted like any spoiled younger brother, telling Li Xian in detail everything that had happened recently.
Li Xian's eyes were half-closed, his blue eyes lifeless, like a delicate, talking doll. After Qiu Yunshu finished speaking, he softly hummed in agreement.
Qiu Yunshu took his hand. "Brother, this is your first time at school. Shall I show you around?"
"Okay."
After the two left, Ahui and Lian Deng remained motionless in the tree. Lian Deng clung tightly to Ahui. "That's Uncle Li Xian! He gave us candy before! How could we hurt him..."
Ahui slapped him on the back of the head in anger. "Uncle Li Xian is dead! Who knows what this thing is? Use your brain!"
Ahui pushed Lian Deng aside and was about to chase after him when a hand grabbed her shoulder. Ahui turned and punched, the hands easily grabbing her wrists, revealing the person's face.
The black bird on Lian Deng's father's shoulder stared at Ahui with its tiny, beady eyes. Ahui lowered her hand. "Uncle Lian."
Lian Deng's father smiled and pulled the two children to his side, patting each of their heads. "Go back now. Leave the rest to us."
Ahui nodded reluctantly.
Watching the children leave, Lian Deng's father immediately called Feng Yun. "Is your husband still in his grave?"
Feng Yun was silent for a few seconds. "...What do you mean?"
"Another Li Xian has appeared at school. Do you want to come and see?" Lian Deng's father didn't believe Li Xian could be resurrected; this one was definitely fake. "Or should I just kill the imposter?"
Feng Yun's voice was dangerous. "Leave it alone. I'll kill him."
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