Zhu Zeyu had no idea what Qiu Lingfeng and Qiu Lingkai were planning this time.
The strongest “person” on their team was Jin Rongxu. Surely Qiu Lingfeng wasn’t planning to turn Jin Rongxu into a skin suit?
He watched the red numbers flickering above the elevator and shook his head inwardly.
That probably wasn’t very likely.
Unlike puppets, Qiu Lingfeng’s skin suits couldn’t be controlled remotely. A puppet could be driven like a separate avatar, but to use a skin suit, one had to put it on.
That created the awkward problem of being unable to divide oneself.
Regardless of rank or anything else, Jin Rongxu was inferior to the skin suit Qiu Lingfeng already had—“Qiu Dehai.”
…
Elsewhere.
Wearing the [Demon Cloak], Zhu Yan sat aboard the [Monster Tram] and glanced down at Qiu Lingkai’s abilities.
He had no mind-reading skill like Jin Rongxu, nor any observation, clairvoyance, or other skill capable of seeing through disguises like Qi Yinming.
Zhu Zeyu should be able to conceal himself well.
He put away the two documents in his hands and waited for the tram to arrive in front of the [Lazybones Craft Shop].
…
The elevator stopped.
The gray metal doors opened, and the soldier led them through an opulent foyer.
Zhu Zeyu immediately noticed several rust-colored stains on the carpet, as well as the faint smell of blood masked by air freshener.
The soldier led them to an office at the very end of the corridor and stopped.
“Commander, General,” he reported respectfully. “They’ve arrived.”
“Come in,” said a steady voice.
Zhu Yan remembered that voice—it was the same old man he had encountered at the [Recitation Platform]!
Under his control, “Jin Rongxu” pressed down on the door handle and pushed the door open.
This office was even more spacious than Director Jin’s.
Behind the desk, an old man rose with an amiable smile. His gaze first settled on Jin Rongxu’s face, then swept discreetly over the military doctor, Zhu Zeyu, Yang Zhanbai, and Guan En.
Zhu Zeyu finally understood the source of the incongruity he had sensed from “Qiu Dehai.” Although the man’s expression was exceedingly affable, his eyes were as black as a bottomless pool, utterly devoid of warmth.
“Long time no see, Rongxu,” said “Qiu Dehai.”
Zhu Yan released his control over “Jin Rongxu’s” movements and simply hid quietly inside Jin Rongxu’s corpse, listening with [Mind Reading].
[Walking Corpse] had one very useful function: the corpses retained their memories and could respond to everything based on those memories and their personalities from life.
Qiu Lingfeng was a cautious and suspicious man. That much had been clear from the way he had tested the slime in the [Nightmare Bookshop].
If Zhu Yan controlled the corpse too much at a time like this, he might instead arouse the other man’s suspicions.
“Uncle Qiu, long time no see.”
“Jin Rongxu” answered on his own, his expression extremely deferential.
“How have you been feeling?”
Watching from the side, Zhu Zeyu thought that it really was better to let “Jin Rongxu” play himself.
Zhu Yan could never have managed that obsequious, bootlicking manner!
At that moment, Zhu Yan, hiding inside “Jin Rongxu’s” body, heard another voice in someone’s mind.
The voice was gender-neutral and sounded like “Qiu Dehai” after being mechanically processed.
“Hmph. A brainless idiot who only knows how to use force!”
Zhu Zeyu nearly laughed.
But he kept his expression perfectly controlled, revealing nothing.
“I’m in good health,” said “Qiu Dehai.”
He came around from behind the desk and examined “Jin Rongxu” from head to toe with an expression of concern.
“I heard something happened at the West Suburb Shelter. From what I heard on the broadcast, a [Hunter] got in there as well?”
“Oh, and Qiu Lingxiao told me that you and your uncle were injured by Hunter Number One?”
As he spoke, “Qiu Dehai’s” eyes covertly flicked toward Zhu Zeyu.
At the same time, the [Fog] hiding inside “Jin Rongxu’s” body caught “Qiu Dehai’s” thoughts at just the right moment.
This time, the thoughts came rapidly, streaming into Zhu Yan’s ears in long passages.
“So this person really has no idea that the profiles of the players on his team have already been plastered all over [Madcap Paradise] and the dungeons?”
“Heh. After being injured twice, have these two really never suspected that Hunter Number One was right beside them?”
“This player called Zhu Zeyu is highly suspicious.”
“Even if there are clarification posts about him on the [Player Forum]… Hah. Something like a [Hunter] having two accounts isn’t impossible. To be safe, I’ll have to test him.”
Interesting.
[The Fog] was getting excited.
It seemed the Jin uncle and nephew had done an excellent job of concealing their disgrace. The outside world didn’t even know how thoroughly Zhu Zeyu had cleared his name.
“Jin Rongxu’s” expression darkened.
This was the natural reaction produced by its memories of life, and seeing it made Zhu Zeyu want to laugh again.
“Yes. Hunter Number One attacked viciously and ran very fast. Both times, we were only a hair’s breadth away from catching him!”
It gave a cold laugh, then turned to glance at Zhu Zeyu.
Under [The Fog’s] control, “Jin Rongxu” pulled Zhu Zeyu forward and introduced him to “Qiu Dehai.”
“Oh, right, Uncle Qiu, this is Zhu Zeyu. The situation was critical at the time, and he took a blow from the [Hunter] meant for my uncle.”
“Him?” This time, a flash of astonishment crossed “Qiu Dehai’s” face.
Zhu Yan once again heard the other man’s thoughts.
“He and Hunter Number One appeared at the same time… Is this an evolution of his ability, or is there some other explanation?”
Yet “Qiu Dehai” took Zhu Zeyu’s hand and shook it repeatedly, fixing him with a steady stare from those black eyes.
“Good! A young man of promise—brave and capable!”
Zhu Zeyu felt the warmth of a living person in those hands.
He pretended to be embarrassed and said, “Thank you, General Qiu.” The other man immediately got to the point, not bothering with another word of small talk.
“Did the person who brought you here tell you about the Archive Hall?”
Once again, his thoughts wormed their way into Zhu Yan’s mind.
“Hunter Number One is supposed to enter a dungeon with me.”
“Since choosing is difficult, I’ll just have this Zhu Zeyu sign up. He can go to another dungeon at the same time the day after tomorrow.”
“If he really signs up and goes, then at least he’ll have made some contribution.”
“But if something goes wrong…”
Zhu Zeyu nodded. “They mentioned the Archive Hall to me. I know about it.”
He noticed the muscles around “Qiu Dehai’s” black eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.
“Then I’ll prepare to take this man’s head and use it as a stepping stone for myself.”
“The things [Madcap Paradise] gives out should be quite generous, shouldn’t they?”
Zhu Yan understood.
Hiding inside the [Walking Corpse], he let out a cold laugh.
This man was actually planning the same thing he was—each of them wanted to claim the other’s head as a reward.
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
