Chapter 75: Offering (End)

Chapter 75: Offering (End)

◎ "Qingqing's eyes are like gems, I will protect them well." ◎

The immense figure completely blocked the entrance to the nest.

As dusk approached, after some negotiation, Zong Zhu Yuan followed Guo Yalan into the nest.

Along the way, Guo Yalan had briefed him on the general situation.

Zong Zhu Yuan, ashen-faced, remained silent throughout.

The other players had already moved the wooden boards over, placing them at the entrance together.

Guo Yalan tied up the imposter behind the door, keeping a watchful eye on it to prevent further transformations and to ensure the scales wouldn’t kill it, thus allowing other creatures to continue mimicking players.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Outside, Chu Wei set up the wooden boards, examining them closely as if worried about their sturdiness, then went out again.

Luo Yanzhong and Hao Tianshuo continued to use their guns against the scales attacking the players.

Zong Zhu Yuan, holding his injured hand, looked around.

The writhing scales on the rock wall seemed to target Guo Yalan, silently approaching her.

The moment Zong Zhu Yuan raised his hand to shoot, Guo Yalan, out of the corner of her eye, saw the scales twist and lunge at her. Though hit by the bullet, the black, contorted alien form was undeterred and continued its advance...

Guo Yalan quickly pulled the imposter in front as a shield.

The sharp scales pierced the imposter's skin but then dissolved like water and attached to it, causing no harm.

However, a birthmark-like black patch remained on the imposter's face. Tied up, it could only glare menacingly at Guo Yalan.

Guo Yalan, calm, glanced back at the gun in Zong Zhu Yuan’s hand — taken from those on the boat, it was different from the two guns made of scale material, and she noted, "This gun is useless against the evil spirits."

Zong Zhu Yuan looked down at the gun, his expression growing darker.

No, this isn’t right!

Why would the evil spirits create guns that could suppress them?

Killing themselves?

The gun in Luo Yanzhong's hand, which he had used before, was actually not much different from the one he was holding, except for the feel and material.

Perhaps initially, the evil spirits simply attached their scales to the guns, endowing them with the capability to kill their own kind.

Zong Zhu Yuan’s brows furrowed deeply.

But if that were the case, those guns were not created to kill players…

Suddenly, Zong Zhu Yuan had an ominous premonition.

Had Shi Youqing truly transformed into something else after becoming the new king, as Guo Yalan suggested?

As if to prove something, he immediately picked up the gun in his hand and smashed it against the writhing rock wall.

Guo Yalan’s cry to stop him was cut short, shocked by what unfolded before her eyes.

The scales immediately attached to Zong Zhu Yuan’s gun upon contact, and when the surrounding scales twisted to attack him, he retaliated with a powerful shot, shredding them to pieces.

The gun from the boat had suddenly become the third weapon in the nest capable of attacking the scales!

This realization left Guo Yalan and the other players nearby dumbstruck.

Understanding dawned on Zong Zhu Yuan as he looked at the gun in his hand.

These guns were never meant for the players from the beginning; they couldn't possibly use their own power to harm themselves!

Zong Zhu Yuan’s eyes, blood-red, glared at the face of the imposter — the creature, which had been smug about the success of its plan, showed a moment of fear and despair at the edge of the well.

— Just like now.

Because the guns designed to kill the evil spirits were prepared specifically for Shi Youqing!

From the beginning to the end, it was always Shi Youqing, not the so-called new king.

If it was just to kill the player who became the new king, there was no reason to target Shi Youqing specifically when he was still a player.

Once, twice... every imitation was of him.

Even the statue was in his likeness!

Zong Zhu Yuan looked up and gazed outside.

The immense figure still stood there.

...Actually, there were signs from the beginning; players said Shi Youqing had died before.

"Evil deity..." As Zong Zhu Yuan muttered these words, he sensed danger and became inexplicably tense. He cocked his gun and moved closer – but it was a step too late.

Chu Wei, who had returned unnoticed, held a rifle, standing in Shi Youqing's blind spot, below and to the side.

As he gripped the gun, countless black scales spread from Chu Wei’s hand.

Instantly enveloping the weapon, a loud gunshot echoed as the towering figure slightly swayed.

Chu Wei aimed at Shi Youqing's closed eyes on his face.

Shi Youqing was so vast that no one could tell if the shot had hit, but they all saw the anomaly.

The deity leading them out was attacked.

The giant’s body stiffened, and its wildly moving hair seemed to declare its pain — as the new king, now akin to the evil spirits, the gun that could harm evil spirits naturally could harm it too.

At the same time, chaotic gunshots erupted.

Chu Wei, laughing excitedly, was about to fire again but was suddenly shot down by Hao Tianshuo, who rushed out.

Hao Tianshuo, dazed, looked up and yelled, "Brother Qing! Brother Qing—"

He saw the other looking up, emitting a faint, mournful sound. Pale-faced and crumbling, Hao Tianshuo cursed loudly and continued to call out, asking how he was…

On the ground, Chu Wei, wiping blood from his face, laughed and tried to crawl over, his body trembling – Zong Zhu Yuan stepped on his back, firing multiple shots into him until he was unrecognizable, continuing until he ran out of bullets.

Zong Zhu Yuan then drew his knife and continued stabbing the man.

"Damn it... every time it's like this..."

Blood splattered across his face, he seemed possessed, unable to stop himself, until Luo Yanzhong stepped forward to intervene, "Shi Youqing is okay!"

Zong Zhu Yuan didn't dare to look up, his whole body tense, evidently avoiding something.

Luo Yanzhong knew he was afraid to see a pair of mutilated eyes.

But in reality, there were none.

"All those eyes on him... they’re gone..." someone said with a trembling voice.

Everyone looked up.

Indeed, all the eyes on Shi Youqing’s body had disappeared. Now, he looked more human than a monster or deity, with his tightly shut eyes fully opened.

Those were extraordinarily beautiful eyes. Beneath long lashes, the amber pupils nestled in his eye sockets curiously moving around, like those of an innocent, curious child.

Only then did everyone notice that he had caught a piece of black, alien material falling from his eyes. The material, now shattered into several pieces, still clung tightly to his arm.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

— The gunshot had been blocked by this suddenly appearing creature.

……

After manifesting his true form, Shi Youqing’s consciousness had been hazy, remembering only his need to escape, until that gunshot.

He saw Bo Huai.

Then, he felt an itch on his eyelids.

"Does it hurt?" he heard Bo Huai ask, "Let me blow on it."

Then, the slight itch on his eyelids was indeed gently blown upon.

He had said something like this before when playing in the sandbox at the kindergarten. Sand had gotten into his eyes, causing them to swell from rubbing. When Bo Huai saw it, he immediately held his face and blew hard.

"Let me blow for Qingqing. Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head.

The boy stared into his eyes, then quickly continued to blow, "Qingqing's eyes are like gems, I will protect them well."

Amidst the howling wind, Shi Youqing looked at the black fragments in his hand.

He started to space out, his eyes whirling as he pondered over what was happening.

— What exactly is going on here?!

Then, he heard countless wails. Looking down as dusk approached, he saw numerous monsters wriggling out of the nest...

The wooden boards that served as a door were all shredded into pieces by the creatures.

The players’ house-moving ceremony was just one step from completion... but now, it seemed impossible to kill all the monsters.

……

The ground shook, and Guo Yalan shouted hoarsely, "Don't run around, protect the incense burner! Even if we can’t kill all the monsters, we must deal with these in the nest! Every one less is a chance for survival!"

The ground began to tilt, and Jiang Wu cried out, "It's useless! It’s enraged, it’s coming — it’s going to kill us all!!!"

“……”

Outside the nest, figures were fleeing in all directions. The gigantic monster, after opening the eyes on its face, began to destroy everything around it.

Its sharp hair, like countless swords, knocked down all the NPCs trying to attack it in a second. Now, it was approaching them, and in a moment, bent down to reach out towards them—

Jiang Wu, the closest to it, wet his pants, screaming and begging for mercy.

Zong Zhu Yuan, still in the act of desecrating a corpse, froze. He saw the giant shadow looming over and slowly stood up, finally looking over.

The massive hand passed over Jiang Wu, reaching towards Chu Wei in front of Zong Zhu Yuan.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

The enormous white hand caressed the mutilated body, then, as if pulling on a string, suddenly yanked out a twisted, broken black shadow — the creature that had possessed Chu Wei!

Almost at the moment the broken black shadow was released, the bespectacled man groaned and opened his eyes. His injuries also left with the departure of the black shadow. Seeing the apocalyptic scene before him, he was utterly dumbfounded.

The black shadow twisted in Shi Youqing's hand, taking on a human shape and emitting mournful shrieks, only to be crushed into dust by his fingers in an instant.

On the dark island, a gust of wind entwined one of the fragments, swiftly whisking it away.

Inside and outside the nest, the scene resembled a battlefield from hell.

While watching Shi Youqing, Zong Zhu Yuan suddenly felt intense pain. The monster had pierced his chest from behind with a punch, blood gushing out.

He paused, looking down at his chest wound in surprise. Leaning against the wall to stand, he shot the creature, then admired the "end of the world" before him and the blurry figure within it, before letting out a sigh.

Dying here, that’s not so bad.

The area was filled with injuries, pleas, and screams. Even Luo Yanzhong, armed with a gun, was struggling to cope.

Lin Yong sat on the ground, crazily muttering, "It's dark, even darker now!"

A blood-soaked Qiao Mingcheng cried out in despair, "Stop saying that!"

But Lin Yong continued, "It’s getting darker!"

As everyone was close to giving up, they heard Guo Yalan shout, "It can't be getting dark this fast! Look outside—has Shi Youqing gotten bigger?"

Until then, no one had dared to venture out, so they hadn't noticed Shi Youqing's changes. Hearing Guo Yalan’s words, they rushed to the entrance, their expressions changing.

Outside, Shi Youqing hadn’t just grown bigger!

He almost became the entire sky, his massive body growing rapidly, bending over almost to cover the entire island!

"He’s, he’s turning the island into a home!" Luo Yanzhong exclaimed in shock, "Keep going with the house-moving ceremony, quickly!"

As the monsters continued their onslaught and gunshots echoed, the world plunged into darkness.

The moment the house-moving ritual was completed, everyone covered their mouths, many unable to hold back tears—they heard the wails of the evil spirits and a mechanical system voice:

"Congratulations to the players for clearing the [Offering] instance. Due to the extraordinary completion of the mission, for the first time, an MVP player has opened two paths of survival here. In addition to the black chess piece, there will be a lucky wheel reward, available only this once. Please use it before leaving."

Everyone looked ahead.

At the edge of the sky, a faint white light appeared, and at the end of the light, there stood a youth, not much different in size from them.

Hao Tianshuo's voice almost broke, "Brother Qing…"

Apart from his hair, the young man looked just as he had before.

Luo Yanzhong felt an indescribable ache in his heart seeing the youth's silver-white hair. Just as he was about to approach and inquire, the young man turned and headed towards the exit.

Everyone hurriedly followed.

At this moment, they also heard the rumbling sound and looked up to see several helicopters.

Guo Yalan explained, "The two spaces have merged into one. Those are for rescuing tourists, and there are government people too… Don’t worry."

As they walked along the cliff and turned a corner, Qiao Mingcheng suddenly spotted Zong Zhu Yuan's body. He froze, seemingly not expecting this man to be dead.

Guo Yalan also glanced over and murmured softly, "He’s still breathing."

Chu Wei, who had been possessed and was clueless about the events, followed at the rear, completely bewildered. Upon waking up, his attention was totally captured by Shi Youqing. Learning that they had cleared the instance, he was extremely shocked. Seeing someone alive, he thought he couldn't just do nothing, having won by lying down, so he immediately went over to lift the person and join the group.

Qiao Mingcheng looked at him with an indescribable expression.

Chu Wei, unaware that he had been attacked earlier, adjusted his glasses and asked cautiously, "What’s wrong? Did I lift him wrong? I hope I didn’t extinguish his last breath."

“……”

The youth walking in front held nothing in his hand, yet it seemed as if he was grasping something, a posture he maintained even while holding the black chess piece.

After the settlement, Shi Youqing had twenty black chess pieces. The rest had varying amounts, from one to five, but everyone was just grateful to be able to leave, so no one cared about the number of pieces.

The big wheel was right at the exit.

It was labeled with options: 15 black chess pieces, 15 white chess pieces, force any player to team up, resurrection match, and three consecutive instance hints.

Several players were practically drooling. Except for the resurrection match, whichever option it landed on would be a win for the player.

In the faint light of dawn, Shi Youqing’s face was mostly obscured by his long hair, vague and unclear. He took all the black chess pieces, glanced at the big wheel, and casually spun it.

Everyone watched with wide eyes.

"Congratulations to player Shi Youqing for winning a spot in a resurrection match! As the player does not require resurrection, please designate the player to be resurrected, only this once!"

"Guo Yalan," his voice was somewhat hoarse. After speaking, he nodded to the stunned girl, stepped forward, and the next second, his figure completely disappeared into the light at the exit.

Guo Yalan stood there, lost in thought.

Hao Tianshuo, initially wanting to chase after Shi Youqing, saw her unmoving and was about to pull her along when she shook her head and smiled, "I don’t need to leave. If you meet Shi Youqing in reality, please say thank you for me."

Hearing this, Luo Yanzhong looked back at her. He wanted to say something but found himself at a loss for words. Instead, he showed a tender, elder-like smile to a player for the first time in the instance. He then grabbed Lin Yong, who was deliriously muttering about daylight, and said, "Our escape this time owes much to the sacrifices of several people, especially that person… Live well from now on, for yourself and your teammates."

……

After a flash of white light, Shi Youqing woke up.

His eyes slowly moved.

The familiar ceiling, the familiar home, the familiar...

He was being held tightly.

Seeing Bo Huai’s pale and somewhat crazed face, and the oddity starting to appear on it.

The image before him gradually began to blur.

He thought, perhaps he was crying.

[Author's Note]

Special thanks to the angel who gifted a rocket: Bai Cai, --Waiting for the Aurora-- 1;

Thanks to the angel who gifted a mine: Yin Guang Xing 1;

Thanks to the angels who provided nourishment: Lu Lu Zi 45 bottles; Luo Shui Fu Deng 7 bottles; Happy Tuo Tuo 5 bottles; A Small Rabbit, Ah Bai 1 bottle;

"I am immensely grateful for everyone's support and will continue to work hard!"