The Golden Melting Preface

Zhu Yan jolted awake, exhilarated.

This was way too much like getting exactly what he wished for, wasn’t it?

Just yesterday, he had been wondering whether he might run into any Alliance players and try to glean some information from them.

And first thing this morning, he didn’t even have to make an effort. An Alliance player had delivered himself right to Zhu Yan’s door!

Not just any player, either, but one of the second-generation elites—the very Jin Rongxu whose name Zhu Yan had clearly heard last time in the [Hall of Mourning].

As he recalled, this guy had some connection to a “Director Jin.” They might have been father and son, or perhaps uncle and nephew.

There was no doubt Jin Rongxu knew something about the inside story behind the advanced items that had been taken away.

And then there was his next instance, [Where Is Mommy?].

Zhu Yan sat on the bed, looking down at his blankets.

An extremely bold and dangerous idea had begun to take shape in his mind, making his heart beat a little faster.

If he put this idea into action and succeeded, then…

He glanced beyond the bed curtains.

He would not only be able to take all of Jin Rongxu’s abilities for himself, but would also gain a certain amount of influence within the [Human Alliance].

Zhu Yan lowered his eyes again.

The first step in this plan would probably be to visit the [Nightmare Bookstore] after the meeting and look up Jin Rongxu’s information.

Once he knew Jin Rongxu’s exact abilities, he could find his weaknesses.

Besides, the [Nightmare Bookstore] currently existed only at [Xishan University].

That was an excellent information advantage.

Zhu Yan vigorously rubbed the cow cat’s head twice before hurriedly climbing down from the bed frame.

“What time is it? When can I meet this guy?”

He was genuinely eager to get started!

Yang Zhanbai watched Zhu Yan’s hurried back as he washed up, completely at a loss.

“…Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic?”

“We’re brothers, so we share the same heart. Since you’re enthusiastic, I’m enthusiastic too,” Zhu Yan said vaguely, brushing him off. “The way you put it made me interested as well.”

Yang Zhanbai did not suspect a thing.

“Then hurry up. Captain Jin Rongxu is waiting for us by the bus.”

“He said that everyone who survived this round is an elite, so he wanted to come and meet us personally.”

Come personally to meet the elites?

Zhu Yan took the sandwich Qi Yinming handed him and bit into a slice of toast baked until crisp.

He tasted roast beef and a generous amount of shredded seaweed, and felt even more energetic about facing Jin Rongxu.

Damn it, what a load of bullshit about personally coming to meet them.

He was obviously here to pick out whichever abilities and weapons caught his fancy, wasn’t he?

…

“…I don’t know exactly what the three abilities are, either.”

“All I know is that they’re incredibly powerful—probably not much weaker than yours. Guan En told me that he cleared an instance called [Ghost Marriage].”

The group walked along the concrete road shrouded in white mist. Beside Zhu Yan’s puppet, Yang Zhanbai chattered on without pause.

Before leaving, Zhu Yan had taken precautions. He had hidden inside the puppet in the form of [Mist], and thoughtfully used [Copy Ointment] to replicate a player mark.

His [Impersonation] level was only so-so.

If Jin Rongxu’s level was higher than six, relying on [Impersonation] alone could be dangerous.

“That [Ghost Marriage] instance was said to keep spreading, and everyone who entered died.”

“Apparently, Jin Rongxu’s level isn’t low. He took his team in and somehow cleared it… Out of a team of eight, only two died.”

“No one knows how he did it. In most Chinese-style instances, the ghosts are real ghosts. They have no reason or intelligence at all, and they don’t play by any rules.”

“And apparently, he has three abilities, all of which he awakened himself.”

Yeah, all of which he stole.

Zhu Yan thought absently.

He followed Yang Zhanbai along the final stretch leading to the school gate. From a distance, he saw the bus parked outside.

Two people in black uniforms stood in front of it.

One was Zhu Yan’s old acquaintance, Guan En.

After not seeing him for a while, Guan En looked full of confidence. His short black hair was neatly slicked back, with a few loose strands falling casually on either side of his forehead.

When he saw Yang Zhanbai and Zhu Yan, he warmly approached and held out his hand.

“Hello. We meet again, Xiao Zhu.”

Zhu Yan shook his hand and returned an equally enthusiastic smile.

Guan En then gave Yang Zhanbai a familiar pat on the shoulder and led them toward the other man.

The other man was somewhat taller, and the contours of his attractive muscles were faintly visible beneath the black uniform.

He also had short hair, with handsome, sharp features and a pair of piercing black eyes.

If Zhu Yan hadn’t heard certain details beforehand, he probably would never have thought this man might be a predator.

“Come on, let me introduce you,” Guan En said, nodding at the two of them. “This is Jin Rongxu, captain of the Sixth Action Team. He may also become your superior in the future.”

Guan En blinked and added jokingly, “By the way, I might become your superior too.”

Jin Rongxu’s lips curved in a highly perfunctory smile. His eyelids lowered and lifted again as he swiftly sized them both up with eyes that held no real amusement.

“Zhu Zeyu?” He finally allowed a smile to appear. “Hello. I’m Jin Rongxu. I heard you’re number one on the campus rankings.”

Zhu Yan put on an expression of genuine admiration.

“Yes… It was quite a coincidence. I’ve heard about Captain Jin’s achievements from Yang Zhanbai. You’re truly a role model for people like us.”

But Jin Rongxu did not even spare Yang Zhanbai a glance.

He nodded perfunctorily at Zhu Yan and changed the subject almost immediately.

“You obtained a level-thirteen item?”

Yang Zhanbai, completely oblivious to the situation, immediately cut in. “Can’t you let him keep it? Zhu Zeyu is very capable too. If that weapon were given to him—”

“No.”

Jin Rongxu interrupted him bluntly.

For a moment, his expression revealed a kind of lofty arrogance. But he quickly replaced it with a faintly apologetic smile.

“I admire him as well. But I’m sorry—this was the Alliance’s decision, not something a mere captain like me can change.”

There was a hint of regret in Jin Rongxu’s voice.

“How about this? I’ll try filing a report with the higher-ups.”

“If Zhu Zeyu needs to use this weapon later, I’ll see whether I can put in a priority request for him.”

“I’ll do my best to make sure he’s the first one to use it…”

Yang Zhanbai was about to say something else, but Zhu Yan quickly jabbed him in the back.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Captain Jin.”

This time, Jin Rongxu smiled sincerely.

His ability, [Mind Reading], told him that the Zhu Zeyu standing before him truly harbored no ulterior motives. He was a relatively straightforward player—or, more accurately, a fool who had courage but was far too naive.

“No trouble at all. You brought the weapon with you, didn’t you?”

Zhu Yan saw the greed in the man’s eyes.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t make a move yet.

…If only he could just chop Jin Rongxu to death with that level-thirteen blade.

“I brought it, Captain Jin,” Zhu Yan said earnestly. “Would you like to inspect it now?”

Jin Rongxu’s throat bobbed.

“Let me see it,” he said.

“This will be a great help to the Alliance. If there are no problems, I’ll file a report directly with the higher-ups and request that you be transferred to my team.”

“I hope we can work together next time and clear the large-scale instance one month from now!”