The armored vehicle traveled for some time.
The sky, which should have been clear and bright, was now shrouded by thick, dark clouds resembling black velvet.
It was as if all light between heaven and earth had been swallowed by this shadow.
The clouds faintly swirled with movement, like a chaotic black ocean churning in the sky.
Sunlight couldn't penetrate the gloomy layer, leaving the world below dull and colorless.
"Has the contamination from the forbidden zone already spread this far?"
Bai Jun gazed out through the specially reinforced window, his expression grave.
This clearly wasn't part of the forbidden zone, yet the current scene unmistakably indicated one thing:
The forbidden zone was still expanding. If the source of this fifth forbidden zone wasn't eradicated, the corruption would continue unchecked.
He turned and shouted to the group, "Everyone, put on your masks!"
"This area has been tainted by the miasma from the forbidden zone!"
As soon as his voice fell, the team members all adopted serious expressions and promptly donned their specialized masks, designed to resist the corrupting influence of the forbidden zone's foul air.
Only then did they take in the sight outside—the parched earth, the withered greenery.
Everywhere, there were signs of creatures that had tried to flee but perished miserably by the roadside, unable to escape.
It wasn’t hard to imagine what would have happened if the authorities hadn’t evacuated the residents here earlier.
Gu Yan began polishing his black blade, though in reality, he was communicating telepathically with Lin of the Netherworld clan.
Atop the black tower,
Lin, who had been sprawled across the throne crafted for Gu Yan, engaged in some rather... indecent activities, suddenly shuddered. Her face still flushed, she gasped, "Huh?! My lord!"
"Y-yes!"
Her voice was unsteady, her expression flustered as she listened to the Netherworld King’s instructions.
Back inside the vehicle,
The longer Gu Yan communicated, the stranger he found Lin’s voice. Something felt off, but he brushed it aside—the mission took priority.
After finalizing all arrangements, he ended the mental connection.
At the black tower,
Lin, sensing the mental link fade, finally let her panicked expression relax slightly.
She clutched her chest and exhaled in relief.
Of all times... At least she hadn’t made any embarrassing noises.
Taking a deep breath, her eyes gleamed with excitement.
The humans are here... which means the plan begins now!
With that thought, she raised her hand—unlike before, her skin was now slick with moisture.
A gill-like slit split open on the back of her hand, releasing billowing crimson mist that seeped outward, spreading beyond the forbidden zone.
Inside the vehicle,
"Little brother... were you just talking to someone?"
The voice of Leng Qingqiu’s sister suddenly reached Gu Yan’s ears, inexplicably sending a jolt of nervousness through him.
Huh? How could she tell?
He forced a calm facade. "No, my dear sister, you must be imagining things."
"Really?"
Leng Bingning eyed him suspiciously. She couldn’t shake the feeling that while Gu Yan had been physically present, his mind had been elsewhere, conversing with someone.
Energy fluctuations don’t lie.
He’d definitely been using some secret technique to communicate privately!
Ugh, if only my perception were stronger right now, I could’ve intercepted his transmission and eavesdropped!
What were they talking about? I’m so curious!
Xiao Leng, your perception is sharper—did you catch who Gu Yan was talking to just now?
Xiao Leng: [...No idea. But if you work harder and exchange bodily fluids with Gu Yan, boosting your perception, eavesdropping on thoughts wouldn’t be impossible.]
Leng Bingning: "Eavesdrop on thoughts? The Night King can do something like that?"
[...Have you forgotten everything in the Tome of Shadows? Other me, could you at least remember your actual mission for once...?]
"I know, I know, I KNOW already!"
Leng Bingning and Xiao Leng were now bickering internally.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan couldn’t explain why he felt so guilty.
If not for the fact that the person beside him was Leng Qingqiu’s sister, he’d almost think it was Leng Qingqiu herself.
"......"
"......"
"?"
Qing...qiu?
Gu Yan fell silent for a moment.
Wait, wait, wait.
Why am I so nervous and guilty around Leng Bingning?
What does that mean?
Could she actually be Leng Qingqiu in disguise?
No way, right?
Assuming she was, why would Leng Qingqiu pretend to be Leng Bingning to protect him?
The only plausible reason was that she didn’t want to reveal her true identity to him yet.
Is she or isn’t she...?
Maybe... I should test it?
But simple physical contact no longer triggered the system’s "Pure Affection Points" notification.
And the more... intimate methods of earning points were out of the question with someone who might actually be Leng Qingqiu.
So... dead end.
Gu Yan sighed helplessly. Forget it. Focus on the mission for now.
Just as he thought this—
BZZZT!
The surroundings abruptly blurred.
The armored vehicle seemed to plunge into a world of crimson mist.
Before anyone realized it, the other vehicles in their convoy had vanished.
"Stay alert!"
"We’ve entered the forbidden zone!"
Bai Jun was the first to sense the anomaly and shouted a warning.
Then—
THUD! SCHLICK!
"Guh—!"
A blood-red claw suddenly pierced through the reinforced windshield, impaling the driver.
Toxin flooded the warrior’s body through the claw, rendering him unconscious instantly.
The armored vehicle spiraled out of control.
"Come here!"
Just as Gu Yan was about to act—perhaps considering an exit strategy—a voice he found eerily familiar rang in his ears.
At the same time, he felt himself being pulled into an embrace.
Then—
[Close embrace with Pure Love Target detected. Points +1000~~]
Gu Yan: "............!!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [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!"
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
