Xu Mu didn’t turn around, but his senses allowed him to see everything clearly—the two men were both staring at him.
He decided to leave this place first. A fight might break out soon, and it was best not to involve innocent bystanders.
One of the men nearby set up a parasol and sat down, cracking open a can of beer.
"You want one?" the man asked, glancing at Xu Mu.
"No thanks, I’m driving," Xu Mu replied with a smile, waving his hand before turning to walk away.
But he hadn’t expected the people tailing him to be so reckless.
Even with other innocent people around, they still moved in, blocking Xu Mu from both sides.
Xu Mu activated his Divine Eye to see who had gone to such lengths to target him.
First, he checked the middle-aged man on his left—around forty years old, with a buzz cut.
Name: Zhao Fei
Identity: Bodyguard of the Dai Family
Favorability: -1
Fate Level: 1 (Max: 10)
A faint smile crossed Xu Mu’s lips. He already had a guess.
Right now, in Yang City, the ones most likely to come after him were either the Feng Family or the Dai Family.
Feng Jian still had leverage over him, so they wouldn’t make a move.
That left only the Dai Family.
Xu Mu then turned his gaze to the slightly younger man—around thirty, with messy hair.
No surprise, this one was probably also sent by the Dai Family.
But when he used the Divine Eye to check, Xu Mu was stunned.
Name: Zhang Wen
Identity: Assassin
Favorability: 0
Fate Level: 1 (Max: 10)
Something felt off. Recalling what he’d sensed earlier—these two had approached from different directions.
Were they not working together?
Now, the two men closed in on Xu Mu from either side.
Seeing this, Xu Mu decided to test them. He slid his hands into his pockets and said coolly, "Finally showing yourselves? I knew you were following me."
Zhao Fei and Zhang Wen both stiffened, immediately glancing at each other.
"Go on, then. Let’s see what you’ve got," Xu Mu taunted.
Zhao Fei and Zhang Wen exchanged a look before charging forward.
Both drew daggers from their sleeves.
Clang!
Their blades clashed, metal ringing sharply in the air.
Each had mistaken the other for Xu Mu’s ally.
Swish!
Zhao Fei swung a high kick.
Zhang Wen blocked with a punch.
Boom!
The impact sent a shockwave through the air.
Xu Mu and the man fishing nearby watched in disbelief.
Suddenly, Zhao Fei and Zhang Wen lunged at Xu Mu simultaneously.
They both remembered their real target.
But as they closed in, they clashed again.
Bam!
Their fists collided, sending both stumbling back.
In that moment, Zhang Wen flicked his sleeve—a throwing dart shot out, embedding itself in Zhao Fei’s knee.
Swish!
Zhao Fei retaliated by hurling his dagger, which sank into Zhang Wen’s thigh. Blood gushed from the wound.
"Hey, old man, you’re just gonna sit there and fish while this is happening?" Xu Mu called to the man nearby.
"You fight your fights. Doesn’t concern me," the man replied, side-eyeing Xu Mu. "But you? Heartless, aren’t you? Your own men are hurt, and you don’t even care."
"My own men? I’m alone here," Xu Mu said, amused.
"What?"
Now, three faces wore identical expressions of confusion.
Zhao Fei glared at Zhang Wen. "You’re here to deal with Xu Mu too?"
"Exactly! You too?"
Zhang Wen's expression suddenly darkened. "Damn it! We've been tricked!"
The fishing man couldn't help but laugh at this. "Hahaha! You’re really something, kid."
"I’m surprised too. How did you end up fighting each other?"
Xu Mu wore an innocent look.
"Xu Mu! Even with one leg useless, I can still kill you!" Zhao Fei growled.
"No! Xu Mu can’t die. I need him alive," Zhang Wen said coldly.
"Then you two should fight again. Whoever wins, I’ll go with them."
Xu Mu smirked as he glanced between the two.
"Damn it!"
Zhao Fei gritted his teeth against the pain and forced himself back up.
Seeing Xu Mu’s smirk only fueled his rage. Here he was, a master in the early stages of Dark Force, humiliated by some spoiled brat.
Xu Mu watched Zhao Fei approach and prepared to strike. With an outsider present, pulling out his Desert Eagle wouldn’t be wise.
Suddenly, Xu Mu narrowed his eyes. Damn, how could he have been so stupid?
He’d been too focused on the outsider, but this guy… something was off.
A martial arts battle, blood spilled, yet he just sat there fishing like it was nothing.
Even the most seasoned angler wouldn’t be this unfazed.
Xu Mu immediately activated his Divine Eye to observe.
Name: Du Yan
Identity: Cleaner (Dragon Nation)
Favorability: 5
Fate Level: 4 (Max 10)
Well, well.
Now it made sense. This guy was a Cleaner—no wonder he was so calm.
But in the original storyline, he hadn’t appeared, which was why Xu Mu didn’t recognize him.
Since he was a Cleaner, Xu Mu wouldn’t need to lift a finger.
"Who sent you? At least let me die knowing the truth."
Xu Mu looked at Zhao Fei as he approached.
"I’ll tell you at your grave after you’re dead!" Zhao Fei spat.
"There’s an innocent bystander here. If you kill me, he’ll be a witness."
Xu Mu subtly shifted the focus to Du Yan.
"No cameras around. I’ll just sink him in the river too!"
Zhao Fei was beyond reason, consumed by rage. He felt humiliated—today, Xu Mu had to die.
"Then let’s move somewhere else. No need to drag innocents into this."
Xu Mu started walking toward the road along the shore.
Above Du Yan’s head, the favorability meter ticked up. He found Xu Mu rather amusing.
Then he spoke up. "No need. I’m not innocent. I’m here for you."
Xu Mu blinked. "Old bro, I’m not into men."
"But I’m into you."
Du Yan chuckled, propping his fishing rod aside before turning to Zhao Fei. "Who sent you?"
"Who the hell are you?" Zhao Fei sneered.
"Apologies, that was abrupt. Let me change first."
Du Yan opened a nearby case and pulled out a crumpled black uniform.
After slipping it on, he lifted his drowsy eyes and fixed them on Zhao Fei. "Let me ask again—who sent you?"
At the sight of the uniform, Zhao Fei’s face went deathly pale.
Beside him, Zhang Wen’s expression also twisted in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Xu Mu’s heart skipped a beat. Two white stripes?!
This was an Intermediate Cleaner.
According to the original plot, the Intermediate Cleaners were the most enigmatic, with power levels varying wildly.
The strongest among them could rival Advanced Cleaners, reaching peak-tier combat prowess.
"You little brat! A damn fisherman like you, trying to scare your own father?" Zhao Fei sneered coldly.
Du Yan slowly raised his hand, then abruptly pressed it downward.
It was as if a boulder weighing ten thousand pounds had crashed onto Zhao Fei, who had been standing just moments ago.
The terrifying pressure forced him to his knees instantly.
Boom!
Crack!
Two craters formed in the pavement where his knees struck, blood spraying out on impact.
"I hate it when people bring my family into this," Du Yan said, his face expressionless.
Zhao Fei’s face twisted in horror, the shock even dulling the pain.
Gang Qi!?
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
