Chapter 125 – Game

Chapter 125 - Game

In a corner of the Black Feather Guild's lounge.

The sound of wooden chairs scraping against the floor emitted a sharp and grating squeak, drawing the attention of half the room's players towards the commotion.

When they realized that the conversation was between Vice President Gala and Cen San Ya, their expressions grew even more curious.

What was going on? What were they discussing?

After all, one of them always kept his eyes tightly shut as if detached from the world, rarely speaking. If he didn't want to talk, no amount of coaxing would elicit a response from him.

The other was a well-known smiling tiger among high-level players. It was said that even if Mount Tai crumbled before his eyes, the vice president of the Black Feathers wouldn't change the slightest curve of his smile.

That fake smile seemed permanently welded onto his face.

When Gala spoke, there was always an imperceptible air of superiority in his polite restraint, complemented by his naturally curly long golden hair, making him seem like a proud Western European noble with impeccable manners.

These two were the most fastidious individuals in their guild. On a regular day, everyone walked on eggshells around them, fearful of dirtying their trouser cuffs with the dust kicked up by their steps.

So, these people could also display anxiety and tension over something?

The Black Feather players were of good quality. Despite the itch of curiosity akin to a cat's claws scratching at their hearts, none of them approached to join in the excitement.

Vice President Gala pressed his hands onto the table, his fingertips turning pale from the forceful squeeze. His tone was restrained but couldn't hide his agitation. "What was the person you saw like?"

Cen San Ya replied, "He was a young man, black-haired, and very handsome. If you only looked at his appearance, it would be easy to be deceived by his gentle facade... By the way, why don't you just check the player forum? There's even a butterfly's bounty on him."

Although the wanted poster was crudely drawn, it still captured some semblance of Xiao Qin's features.

"Oh, right." Gala nodded but didn't open the player forum. He seemed lost in thought as he sat back down in his chair.

"Lang," Cen San Ya lifted his eyelids, his pure white lashes covering the golden light flickering in his eyes.

He carefully studied Gala's expression, finally unable to resist asking, "Is he the person you've been waiting for?"

Gala stared blankly at the air in front of him, as if trying to see through the transparent void to clearly discern the outline of someone far away.

He whispered, "I don't remember."

He didn't remember.

The president didn't remember either.

Everyone who had come into contact with those two had forgotten what they looked like.

Their facial features, hair color, height.

Their names, the tone of their voices when they spoke.

Everything had become so vague, like the fragmented dreams that dissipate like smoke after waking from a nap on an autumn afternoon.

Only the two dimmed names on the rankings still recorded their existence.

Sometimes, Gala couldn't help but doubt whether they had really died?

What did the rankings prove?

They were once the ones standing at the pinnacle of the pyramid, looking down upon the masses. Those two grayed-out names might just be a monument the system had created in their honor.

"Where is he now?" Gala suddenly asked.

Cen San Ya closed his eyes again, the slight frown on his brow revealing a hint of fatigue.

After a long pause, he said, "At the Entertainment Center. He's at the Entertainment Center."

Gala stood up.

He had a face that bordered on enchantingly beautiful, yet he was extremely tall, nearly reaching 1.9 meters.

He stepped out from behind the conference table and grabbed Cen San Ya by the neck like a chick, lifting him up. "Let's go."

...

"Let's go."

In a corner of the Entertainment Center, a young man wearing a Mickey Mouse headgear walked among the bustling crowds on both sides.

He wore a very ordinary black jacket and jogging pants. Although the headgear on his face was somewhat eye-catching, it didn't attract much attention.

—The Mickey Mouse headgear was the cheapest kind available at the mask stalls outside the Entertainment Center.

For only 2 points, you could redeem a full day's usage rights and even take it out of the Entertainment Center, wearing it onto the streets of Central City.

Disney's invincible legal notices couldn't reach Central City. In the living areas and Entertainment Centers of high-level players, players sporting Mickey heads were a common sight.

Mickey held the hand of a little girl whose height barely reached his waistline. The girl appeared to be about seven or eight years old, with twin tails and a rosy, healthy complexion unique to children.

Children were rare in the rule worlds.

Perhaps in F-grade worlds, you might occasionally spot a child or two, but in higher-level living areas and instances, the species known as "children" had virtually gone extinct.

Even so, this twin-tailed little girl failed to stir much interest from the surrounding players.

Because everyone knew that this was merely an adult who had purchased a lolita system appearance.

"What are you looking at?" Lolita Qin Fei tugged on Mickey's coat.

The simulation of the system's appearance was quite comprehensive. Now, even his voice sounded as soft and tender as that of a little girl.

Mi Yang wore an expression on his face that was twisted with conflict.

On one hand, he was charmed by the little girl's voice beside him, his heart quivering at her cuteness. But at the same time, the thought that this little girl was actually Qin Fei in disguise made him feel awkward all over.

Ugh, it was really weird!

"I think those few people over there look familiar," Mi Yang couldn't help but complain. "Why did you buy this appearance?"

It was hard to judge, but it was certainly bizarre.

Qin Fei innocently touched his nose. "…I didn't do it on purpose."

The available appearances in the System Mall were sold in blind boxes. If a player wanted to choose a specific style, they had to pay double the points.

Since Qin Fei bought the appearance just to cover his face, he naturally saved where he could.

Qin Fei lifted up his sky-blue skirt and smiled as he commented, "Isn't this cute? You call me your precious son all day long, so why are you suddenly picky about little girls?"

Mi Yang: ? ? ?

He wasn't picky about little girls; he was only picky about Qin Fei turning into a little girl!

Mi Yang rolled his eyes in frustration.

The reason Qin Fei and Mi Yang were at the Entertainment Center now was thanks to the black gold invitation letters for the exhibition match they both received half an hour ago.

Qin Fei had been in the Rule World for quite some time and had gained a certain understanding of personal exhibition matches and guild tournaments.

These two competitions were held publicly once a year, each lasting for two months.

As the only live-streamed instances that players could watch, these two major events were more popular than R-level combat matches, had a wider influence, and offered much richer rewards.

The rules of the exhibition match were similar to those of the R-level combat match. As a non-mandatory, voluntary participation instance, as long as the players could survive until the end of the instance, they would definitely receive a share of the rewards.

Whether or not they could complete the instance mission would only affect the amount of rewards they received, but it wouldn't cost them their lives.

Players above D-level would break their heads trying to get into the exhibition match, but unfortunately, the exhibition match also had its own threshold.

To enter the exhibition match, one first had to pass the preliminary round. However, at least half of the players couldn't even obtain the qualification for the preliminary round.

The preliminary round invitations came in two types. The ones held by Sanzu and Guihuo were ordinary invitations, which were unregistered and allowed private trading among players.

On the other hand, Qin Fei and Mi Yang's black gold invitations were directly distributed by the System to specific targets. They could only be used by themselves and couldn't be given to others.

However, the black gold invitations were more sought after than the ordinary invitations.

This was because the black gold invitations allowed the bearer to bring someone along.

One invitation could bring an additional player into the preliminary round, with no restrictions on the level of the accompanying player.

Within the major guilds, players who obtained such black gold invitations were almost revered like gods. Middle and low-level players would do anything to massage their shoulders and legs, hoping that the invitees would take them along.

This even led to various gray incidents, such as bribery, flattery, conspiracy, and scheming, which occurred frequently.

But these matters had nothing to do with Qin Fei and Mi Yang.

Both of them were lone wolves, their interpersonal relationships as clean as a blank sheet of paper. The undercurrents of the major guilds' players didn't involve them.

The reason Qin Fei came to the Entertainment Center today was simply because Mi Yang said that videos of past exhibition matches could be seen here.

In the southwest corner of the Entertainment Center was a video hall that contained historical records of the exhibition matches and guild tournaments from the past three years. Players could watch them by paying a certain number of points.

But although they had come to watch the recordings, when Mi Yang arrived at the Entertainment Center, he was strangely drawn to another corner crowded with people.

"Come on, let's go take a look." Mi Yang narrowed his eyes, observing for a while, and the longer he looked, the more familiar the people over there seemed.

No one knew what that group of people was doing, but they had attracted a bunch of idle onlookers. Layer upon layer, they blocked off half the road.

Mi Yang found Qin Fei's short legs too slow, so he simply carried him on his shoulder.

The young man's figure was agile, weaving through the crowd like a fish. Occasionally, he would secretly throw an elbow, pushing others aside before they could react. In the blink of an eye, he would vanish, leaving behind a trail of curses.

Soon, he squeezed to the front of the crowd.

"Huh!" It didn't matter if he didn't come; as soon as he saw, Mi Yang's eyes widened in surprise.

No wonder he felt that the fleeting figure seemed familiar. The person surrounded by the crowd was none other than Wen Ren Liming!

The tall and burly Wen Ren Liming stood in the middle of the crowd, with two equally tall and burly Wu Meng and Ying Huo standing behind him.

Although they should have had an imposing lineup, a pitiful demeanor inexplicably emerged from the expressions of the three.

At that moment, the three of them were standing in front of a shooting stall on the street. The stall owner was blocking them, jumping around and yelling, "You can't run after breaking my stuff!"

The stall owner was a thin, shriveled old man who looked only half as tall as Wen Ren Liming, but his leaping and bounding aura was two meters taller than Wen Ren Liming's.

Wen Ren Liming wore a bitter smile. "Old man, what do you want?"

The stall owner's eyes rolled around, looking cunning. "Didn't I tell you many times? If you're capable, shoot down the highest row of dolls on my stall. If not—"

He drew out his voice, feigning mystery. "Then come with me to the Entertainment Center Management Office for an investigation!"

The Entertainment Center Management Office!

The surrounding players watching the scene burst out in exclamations:

"Why don't you give it another try? The staff at the Management Office will definitely not favor the players."

"A friend of mine got into a street fight by the Entertainment Hub last time and was caught by the Management Office. Without even asking any questions, they slapped him with a 30-day public order detention and a fine of 10,000 points!" A player exclaimed, slapping his thigh.

Those around him curiously asked, "Public order detention? Is that like being sent to prison? There's a prison in the Central City?"

The player replied, "Well, don't get me started. The player prison in Central City is no place for humans. Concrete floors, communal sleeping quarters, and the toilet pit is right above your head..."

"Wait, how do you know this so well? That friend you mentioned was actually you, wasn't it?"

The surroundings were noisy, more chaotic than a vegetable market. The stall owner impatiently clapped his hands. "If you're playing games or going to the Management Office, make up your minds quickly."

Wen Ren Liming's smile grew even more bitter, as if he had eaten a bitter gourd. "But we've already tried. Your game...it simply doesn't work."

The stall owner offered that he could give each of them one chance.

Both Wen Ren Liming and Wu Meng gave it a shot.

Wen Ren Liming's innate skill was archery, and his shooting skills were top-notch. Although the toys and bows at the stall were different from what he was used to, there was no way that, based on his normal standards, he wouldn't be able to shoot down a single toy.

Yet, that was exactly what happened. No matter how hard Wen Ren tried to adjust his aim, the toy just wouldn't fall.

It was the same when Wu Meng took his turn.

Thus, Wen Ren Liming reasonably suspected that the stall owner had tampered with the stall.

If they were really caught and thrown into prison as those people said, that wouldn't be the worst outcome.

The worst outcome would be missing the preliminary showcase after being locked up for a month.

Furthermore, ZHU Yan's leg hadn't fully recovered yet, and Wen Ren Liming couldn't afford the fine with his points.

When someone's luck was bad, even drinking cold water would cause their teeth to ache.

Captain Wen Ren looked thoroughly depressed.

Unlike Wen Ren Liming, Wu Meng didn't have such a good temper. His fists, as big as sandbags, were clenched tightly, looking ready to swing at someone at any moment. "Are you trying to scam us?"

The Dawn Squad had been walking along perfectly fine, but in the blink of an eye, this shooting stall suddenly appeared beside them.

Coincidentally, a parade float procession was coming from the other side.

In their panic to avoid it, they accidentally stepped on some of the toys the stall owner had placed on the street corner.

Now that he thought about it, this must have all been a conspiracy!

Mi Yang watched for a while before lowering his voice to exclaim, "They're really unlucky. Old Valen's shooting stall is notorious for being a scam in the Entertainment Hub."

Old Valen was a celebrity in the Entertainment Hub, almost universally known in the past two years. This old man specialized in cheating newly promoted high-level players.

"You can never win a toy from his stall," Mi Yang said.

Old Valen's machine gun and toy wall had undergone special treatment, and he had swindled countless newbies out of their points.

Later, perhaps because Old Valen had become too arrogant, someone reported him, and his appearances in the Entertainment Hub began to decrease.

A whole year had passed, and now the players didn't even recognize him anymore.

Mi Yang only assumed that Wen Ren Liming had run into bad luck and caught Old Valen's attention, but little Miss Qin Fei frowned.

Her round, moist black eyes, reminiscent of a puppy's, looked towards a certain spot nearby. Qin Fei grabbed a handful of Mi Yang's hair and gestured for him to look outside the crowd.

Two people stood there, arms crossed, watching the scene.

"Huh?" Mi Yang was taken aback. "Isn't that...?"

Aren't those the puppets of Butterfly?

The two puppets lurked in the corner, clearly up to no good. And when Mi Yang noticed them, he realized that Old Valen kept secretly turning back to exchange glances with them.

Oh ho??

Qin Fei's eyes flickered. "I haven't heard of any conflict between the Dawn Squad and Butterfly. They're likely being targeted because of me."

The Dawn Squad had gotten along pretty well with him in the instance dungeon. Qin Fei guessed that Butterfly might have gotten this information from Jack the Ripper, which led them to target the Dawn Squad.

The current situation was clearly a setup. Butterfly had bribed Old Valen to scheme against the Dawn Squad.

"The timing is about right. In a little while, once Wen Ren Liming makes his choice, those two will step forward to speak." A chill flashed through Qin Fei's lowered lashes. He didn't like being manipulated, especially when the process was so convoluted.

Mi Yang was stunned by this revelation.

Staring at the two puppets for a while longer, he became increasingly convinced that Qin Fei was right.

NPCs in the instance dungeons wouldn't easily interact with players, but they had their own personalities. As long as one hit their weak spots, communication wasn't impossible.

The Old Valen in front of them was obviously cunning and motivated by profit. It was unknown what deal Butterfly's puppets had struck with him to make him work for them.

"It must have cost them a fortune," Mi Yang whispered, his tone laced with a bit of malicious schadenfreude. "They're really willing to spend a lot to catch you."

The situation was currently at a stalemate. The three members of the Dawn Squad were huddled together, discussing something.

Some of the onlookers had dispersed, as everyone felt that this was already a foregone conclusion.

"Alright, let's play another round." Wen Ren Liming sighed and turned to Old Valen.

Although they knew they were bound to lose, they still couldn't bring themselves to give up the opportunity.

Valen Old Man didn’t care at all and handed over the [something].

Just as Wenren Liming was about to take it, a furry little head suddenly popped up from between him and Valen Old Man.

It was a little girl who looked no more than seven or eight years old. Her furry braid swung back and forth as she jumped.

She snatched the gun out of Valen Old Man’s hand and hugged it tightly in her arms.

"Let me do it! Let me have a try!" The little girl looked eagerly at Wenren Liming with her black, bright eyes like water grapes.

Wenren Liming was stunned on the spot.

He recognized that this was an appearance blind box sold by the System Mall, so he naturally didn’t think it was a mischievous child causing trouble.

But Captain Wenren couldn’t figure out what the background of this player who suddenly appeared was, and why they wanted to get involved in this matter?

Valen Old Man just wanted a quick resolution. Seeing someone come out to meddle, he immediately flew into a rage:

"You damn brat, get lost!"

A palm the size of a fan was about to slap Qin Fei’s forehead when Mi Yang stepped forward and grabbed it:

"Just let our kid play, old man."

Valen Old Man, a wrinkled old man, had some intimidation when bullying the child-sized Qin Fei, but standing in front of the tall and long-legged Mi Yang, he was completely outmatched.

The man wearing the Mickey Mouse headgear had a right hand like a vise, tightly clamping down on Valen Old Man’s wrist. A light sneer came from under his thick, wide headgear, making him look like a villain from an evil classic movie.

Valen Old Man was a bit scared. He turned his head to look at the puppets of Butterfly.

Those two puppets were also frowning.

They couldn’t figure out the situation. Where did these two players come from?

After a moment of deliberation, the puppets made a decision: let them be.

After all, there was only one chance left. No matter who went up, they would not be able to shoot down the toy.

The puppet gave Valen Old Man a gesture, and Valen Old Man took half a step back, biting his cheek and urging impatiently,

"Whoever wants to can go ahead, anyway, you only have one chance left!"

He emphasized.

So the little girl turned around and stared intently at Wenren Liming.

Wu Meng and Zou Hu were both dumbfounded, standing there looking foolishly.

By the time the two of them realized what was happening, Captain Wenren had silently retreated, allowing the little girl to rush happily towards the shooting booth with the gun in her arms.

"…Captain?" Zou Hu was confused.

He didn’t think that if he went up, he could reverse the previous failed situation.

But.

Wasn’t this going too far now?

Wenren Liming shook his head, "Let them give it a try."

"Anyway, we couldn’t win in the first place, might as well treat a dead horse as a living one."

Wenren Liming explained.

"And—" he looked inquisitively at the round back of the little girl’s head.

"I always feel that these two people seem familiar."

Especially that Mickey Mouse head, the voice that spoke just now was extremely familiar.

If they really were the two people he thought they were.

Wenren Liming’s gaze flickered, and he said no more.

Qin Fei was already standing eagerly in front of the shooting booth.

This appearance’s height was really pitiful. Standing there, Qin Fei couldn’t even reach the shooting platform.

The surrounding players burst out laughing, but Qin Fei, with a thick skin, completely ignored it and waved at Valen Old Man,

"Old man, get me a stool."

Valen Old Man: ? ? ?

How rude, you little brat!

But the man in the Mickey Mouse headgear was watching closely beside him, so after sulking for a while, Valen Old Man dragged out a small wooden stool from behind and threw it in front of Qin Fei, "Here!"

Qin Fei didn’t mind his prickly attitude and stood on the stool himself, testing the height.

Just right.

Two thin arms couldn’t lift the gun at all, so Qin Fei simply rested the [something] on the table and aimed in a posture similar to using a sniper rifle.

Valen Old Man almost laughed.

What good was all this fancy stuff?

Unless the bullets they shot would bend and they could blow off the wire that he had entangled behind the plushie with one shot, otherwise, with the low impact force of the [something], those plushies hanging on the wall would absolutely not fall down.

Before the shooting stand, the little girl aimed for a long time, going back and forth with her stance, finally squinting her eyes and pulling the trigger.

The bullet shot out of the barrel with a "bang." It must be said that Qin Fei's design skills were quite good. With one shot, the first doll on the highest row of the wall visibly wobbled.

It seemed that the thin rope was about to give way under the weight of the bulky doll.

It was going to fall!

Old Man Valen was completely unmoved, showing no sign of tension, watching Qin Fei with a leisurely sneer.

Hmph, let you show off, let you cause trouble!

Today, he was going to teach this little girl a lesson, to make her understand that this wasn't a world where strength reigned supreme...

With another "bang"!

The doll on the wall had clearly settled back into place after several wobbles, but for some inexplicable reason, it suddenly plummeted from the wall!

It was as if an invisible hand in the air had yanked it down hard. The force was so strong that everything on half of the wall shook along with it.

Old Man Valen's eyes suddenly widened!!