DEBUFF

"Pfft!!"

Li Ang, who was in the middle of drinking goat milk, couldn't hold it back and choked, spraying a mouthful everywhere.

The sudden confession left Zhong and the viewers in the live stream chat completely dumbfounded.

[Damn it, this bad woman is teasing us again!]

[First, she's not bad; second, she's a girl!]

[She just knows how to tease the repressed old man all day long.]

[Actually, it's normal... You have to realize Su Di'er basically grew up without fatherly love.]

[Li Ang, you need to control yourself!]

[Zhong, you need to control yourself too!!]

...

Li Ang frantically wiped the spilled milk off his clothes.

Lying on the bed, Su Di'er continued with a serious face, "This is the first time I've fallen in love with someone."

"Since you've never been in a relationship, how would you know this is love?"

Li Ang's face flushed red, and his tongue nearly tied in knots.

"Because... I can feel it."

Su Di'er vowed solemnly.

"Feel it? Where?"

Li Ang was confused.

Su Di'er lifted the corner of her shirt slightly, her palm rubbing her lower abdomen.

"In my stomach..."

"It's very warm here."

"I used to feel like there were knots in my stomach, but not anymore."

Sunlight fell on the young girl's exquisite cheeks, making her as beautiful as a painting.

Li Ang froze for a long time before slowly shaking his head. "Su Di'er, I'm glad your stomach trouble is cured, but I don't think that signifies anything."

Having said this, without waiting for Su Di'er's response, he stood up.

"I'm going to be late. I hate being late."

He put on the black coat he only wore during assassination missions and picked up the handbag filled with various killing tools.

This meant he was going out to execute an assassination mission.

And a very dangerous one at that.

Li Ang walked to the door, exhaled a heavy breath of stale air, and then leaned against the wall with a complicated expression.

This was the first time Zhong had seen Li Ang reveal such a conflicted look.

Just then, the cinematic scene slowly froze, and the camera angle shifted gently.

Zhong regained control of the body.

[Mission Updated.]

[Main Quest: Proceed to the target location and execute the assassination mission (Difficulty: Hard)]

Looking at the mission prompt in the top right corner, Zhong felt a mix of emotions, his attention completely elsewhere.

"No, I have to clear things up with Su Di'er..."

Zhong was just about to turn back into the room to lecture Su Di'er when his body stiffened in place.

[Behavior Score -20 (Li Ang does not wish to discuss this matter right now. Please focus on the mission!)]

Seeing the Behavior Score gradually turn red, Zhong had no choice but to give up.

He picked up the weapon bag and headed towards the mission point without a word.

...

A mission with "Hard" difficulty was, generally speaking, genuinely difficult.

Fortunately, in order to build a good foundation for Su Di'er, Zhong had taken on many missions to raise his Assassin Level.

Currently, his panel stats, skill levels, and weapon quality were all at a relatively high standard.

Handling a "Hard" mission should have been more than enough.

However, just as he was checking his gear and preparing to execute the mission, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

Li Ang's panel stats... had dropped by a huge margin!

Everything had a downward arrow!

Zhong looked closer and saw that Li Ang currently had a [Restless] DEBUFF.

No need to guess, it was definitely caused by Su Di'er's sudden confession just now.

"A focused assassin can no longer maintain focus..."

Zhong shook his head with a bitter smile.

He could actually understand this situation.

It was just like how some cultivators of the Ruthless Path advocated severing all karmic ties; otherwise, it would be difficult to focus on seeking the Dao.

"Can't help it, still have to do the mission..."

Zhong began to study the mission dungeon.

...

...

The dungeon under "Hard" difficulty was indeed slightly challenging for players.

Even more so when plagued by a negative status.

Additionally, during the fighting process, Li Ang's voice would echo in the player's ears.

'Su Di'er, why...'

'Her? Love? No, no...'

'Li Ang, stay focused!'

'She is still waiting for me to come home...'

...

Lu Ze had cleverly used the method of inner thoughts to let players experience Li Ang's internal struggle.

Of course, for Zhong, it was a struggle to stay alive.

Movement speed slowed, reaction speed lowered, post-cast animation delay increased...

Plus the distracting character monologues.

Under the influence of multiple DEBUFFs, Zhong had to restart the dungeon countless times.

Of course, even with better mechanics, it was of no use.

Even experts of the Illusion Realm like Zhou Yue and Li Moran would inevitably take near-fatal damage during the final BOSS phase.

This was a scripted event.

After going through untold hardships, Zhong finally finished off the BOSS.

By this time, a full two days had passed in the Illusion Realm time.

"I wonder if the little one has been cultivating seriously at home..."

When walking out of the mission dungeon, the first thought in Zhong's mind was Su Di'er.

Unknowingly, he had become so concerned about the character of Su Di'er.

[Mission Update.]

[Main Quest: Purchase a gift for Su Di'er]