The same thing was happening in many instances.
Powerful players confronted the boss directly, while those with weaker power chose to siege or take a non-combat route, destroying wherever they went, like a trigger-happy demolition team.
Diyi Fugui was leading members of the Xiao Ge Support Club to tear down a century-old mansion.
This was the center of the instance, inhabited by fierce, cruel, and bloodthirsty ghosts that spared none who entered. Constrained by the house, they couldn’t leave the mansion.
And Diyi Fugui and his group didn’t go in either. They took advantage of the midday sun and started destroying the mansion from the outside.
Clattering and banging, the destruction gradually shrunk the space where the ghosts could move, leaving them helpless.
Diyi Fugui’s green hair shone brightly in the sunlight. She held a rolled-up paper horn, with one foot on a pile of dismantled brick and stone. “Come on, everyone! Today, every brick we move will become the cornerstone of the player liberation movement!”
“Liberation!” The players cheered.
Zhao Xiaohe added, “Not only that, the boss said that once this job is done, he’ll reward each of us with a house. The defectors also promised that they’d give everyone a car in the future. Let’s go, everyone! A bright future is waiting for us!”
“A house! A car!” The players’ voices grow even louder.
With the additional two incentives, the players worked even harder to demolish.
Another wall of the old mansion collapsed with a bang, angering the ghosts inside so much that their dark energy started to billow. They appeared like they were about to go berserk.
But in the face of the midday sun, they truly dared not act rashly.
They only had to wait till night… at night, they’ll be able to ruthlessly deal with these guys.
But with this rate of destruction, by nighttime, the entire ghost mansion might be reduced to just a piece of land.
The group of ghosts who were about to be homeless suddenly felt the greatest crisis they’d ever faced.
Wang Ke and Wang Taidi rushed into a new instance. With the brothers’ combined strength, the boss appeared so weak that it quickly fell.
They were about to activate the marks on their bodies to enter the next instance when a rift suddenly appeared in the space in front of them, with creepy laughter echoing out: “Haha… haha… long time no see.”
The brothers looked towards the rift and simultaneously tightened their grip on their weapons in a defensive stance.
Apart from their teammates, the only ones who would suddenly appear in the instance would be those on the side of the Advent World.
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t friendly.
Finally, something emerged from the rift.
It was a human-shaped thing.
It was a “thing” because it looked like many things stitched together — it possessed muscular human arms, an insect-like carapace, and furry legs that didn’t seem to belong to any known animal.
In short, the thing resembled a lot of things and even seemed humanoid, but it was definitely not human.
“Wang Ke…” Suddenly, one of the heads twisted on the monster’s body.
Both men present were very familiar with this head — it was Zhang Yiqin.
Zhang Yiqin’s head originally faced away from them. He laboriously turned around, his bloodshot eyes filled with malice as he stared at the two. At the junction of his neck and body, one could see exposed red muscles.
“Hahaha… hahaha…” Zhang Yiqin laughed crazily, as if he had discovered something amusing.
“Wang Taidi…” Another head lifted from the monster’s chest.
This was also a familiar face — Liang Sian.
Liang Sian’s head was crudely sewn onto the monster’s body, like a grotesque tumor that grew from its chest.
Liang Sian’s complexion was ashen, his eyes cloudy. His mouth cracked open, revealing a sinister smile. “Didn’t expect this, did you? We… meet again…”
Wang Taidi scoffed, “You’re like a curse lingering for a thousand years, not even able to die properly.”
Liang Sian chuckled hoarsely, “Hehe… if dead players are lucky, they become NPCs. But we were especially lucky, so we became bosses.”
“Being chosen to enter… the Advent World was lucky…” Liang Sian said.
“Becoming a boss was even luckier… fate is on our side…” Zhang Yiqin added.
The two of them seemed to have completely merged into one, shaped into a whole new boss.
Both of them either had their necks twisted or their heads chopped off.
This made their speech intermittent, and their voices hoarse and broken, which was extremely uncomfortable to listen to.
Liang Sian stared at the two brothers. “The Advent World has already caught wind of your movements. Not only contract players, but even bosses are joining in the siege against you… hehe… how long can you hold out?”
Zhang Yiqin: “Haha… Wang Ke… you’ve always been a dreamer. Hoping to take your brother away is just wishful thinking. And now you dare to oppose the Advent World… hahaha…”
Liang Sian and Zhang Yiqin simultaneously said, “You… are doomed…”
Facing the monster in front of them, Wang Ke lifted his sword expressionlessly. “Have you forgotten who the captain is?”
Wang Taidi revealed that cold smile again. “If dying once wasn’t enough, I can send you off again for free.”
With those words, the brothers simultaneously launched an attack on their formerly deceased enemies.
The blood-red longsword and the pure white dagger cut through the air with dangerous intent, aimed at the fused monster.
Although the monster formed by Liang Sian and Zhang Yiqin was massive, it moved swiftly, using its powerful animal-like legs to leap far away in an instant.
But the brothers’ attacks immediately followed.
The blood-red longsword aimed for Liang Sian’s head, while the white dagger sliced towards Zhang Yiqin’s neck.
However, the monster suddenly leaped up, evading their attacks and causing the longsword and dagger to miss their mark.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“It’s our turn now…” Liang Sian said, and the monster’s body suddenly plummeted downward.
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But the attack wasn’t over yet. It seemed to have identified Wang Ke, who had just recovered from his injuries, as a better target than Wang Taidi.
The consecutive attacks all surged towards Wang Ke, attempting to kill him quickly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fierce strikes continued one after another, but Wang Ke narrowly avoided them all.
They actually guessed right. Although Wang Ke’s body quickly regained its combat capability after Qi Ning’s treatment, how could he spend over a year trapped in a cocoon without suffering lasting harm?
The current Wang Ke hadn’t returned to his usual state.
But don’t forget his skill. The more he’s injured, the stronger he becomes. This was why he still had the strength to break free after being trapped for over a year.
All the damage he received would only enhance his attack power.
Wang Ke swung 【Carnage】 and charged towards the monster.
【Carnage】 slashed through the air with cold-blooded crimson light, attempting to cut the monster in half.
At this moment, Liang Sian and Zhang Yiqin’s faces revealed a sinister smile.
They simultaneously opened their mouths.
Zhang Yiqin spewed out purple hallucinogenic smoke from his mouth, while Liang Sian spat out emerald-green venom.
At such a close distance, even if Wang Ke wanted to dodge, it was already too late.
He was about to collide head-on with two problematic substances — however, luckily, he had a brother.
“Wang Ke will not be harmed for one minute,” Wang Taidi’s voice rang out in time.
The two who had suffered at Wang Taidi’s hands, and even lost their lives, suddenly felt uneasy.
But as they had predicted earlier, at such a close distance, there was no time to dodge.
The smoke and venom couldn’t touch Wang Ke, but the blood-red blade light had already arrived as promised.
He swiftly and decisively slashed, cutting the monster in two.
Wang Ke sheathed his blade, his tone calm. “Useless.”
“No…” Zhang Yiqin’s eyes widened.
“How… is this possible… we… were the lucky ones…” Liang Sian murmured, his voice growing fainter, until he disappeared altogether.
As their words fell, the fused corpse began to decay rapidly in an unimaginable manner. Accompanied by a foul stench, it turned into a writhing liquid.
The two brothers knew what was about to happen and quickly dodged away, preventing the liquid from getting anywhere near them.
Unable to find a new target, the liquid gradually lost its vitality and dried up on the ground.
Wang Taidi chuckled and said to his brother, “Now I’ve killed them once, and you’ve killed them once too. Feels good, right?”
Wang Ke smirked, “It’s alright, I guess.”
“Ge, how’s your body? Do you need to rest a bit?”
Wang Ke shook his head. “No need.”
The next second, the two brothers’ figures disappeared, heading towards the next instance.
Qi Ning had just finished a battle in the previous instance and entered a new one.
As soon as he stepped in, Qi Ning felt something was off.
This was a lively street filled with young faces bustling around, and excluded the unique energy of youth.
They laughed and chatted as they walked down the street, discussed recent events and new internet memes, occasionally complained about academics and relationships, as if there were no particularly heavy burdens in life.
Qi Ning was very familiar with this place.
This was the most popular street near his university, full of shops offering affordable and creative goods. Nearby university students often liked to come here to hang out in their free time.
This was also… where he and Cen Wei used to go on dates frequently.
Everything around him was incredibly familiar.
The ice cream from that shop was Cen Wei’s favorite.
Cen Wei often lingered outside the cat cafe nearby, because he was allergic to cats and didn’t dare go inside, he was only able to satisfy his cravings through the glass.
There was also a restaurant not far away; Qi Ning could vividly recall which dishes Cen Wei liked.
He had now stepped into the place from his memories.
It was like a trip down memory lane.
But Qi Ning reached up to touch his face. The texture of the mask beneath his fingertips served as a stark reminder that he couldn’t go back.
Qi Ning knew he had entered some sort of illusion.
He cautiously walked down the street, observing everything around him.
The young people bustling back and forth didn’t seem to find anything odd about his appearance; they brushed past him, continuing to play around.
Finally, Qi Ning’s steps halted in front of a familiar cafe.
The minimalist decor, adorned with numerous plants, gave it a fresh and natural feel.
And sitting in a familiar spot was someone waving and smiling at him.
It was the face that had appeared countless times in Qi Ning’s dreams.
He remembered every expression on that face — joyful, happy, sad, frustrated, resigned… It was Cen Wei.
Through the cafe’s glass window, Cen Wei waved as he mouthed words to him: “Senior, come over quickly.”
Qi Ning stared at him for a moment, then turned and walked into the cafe.
He sat in his usual spot.
In front of Cen Wei was a latte that had a little drawing floating on top, just like every time before — a chubby cat.
Cen Wei smiled at Qi Ning. “Senior, you’re late. Were you too busy with work?”
Suddenly, Qi Ning remembered when this conversation had taken place…
Cen Wei continued to smile, not at all angry with his boyfriend’s lateness. “Senior, let me tell you, I just got my internship qualification! And it’s in the emergency department, the department of my dreams.”
This was the day Cen Wei was about to start his internship in the emergency department.
It was also the root of all his nightmares.
Not long after this day, Cen Wei…
Qi Ning recalled his words from back then, “Congratulations, your hard work has paid off.”
Cen Wei took a sip of his latte. “I didn’t expect them to choose me. I thought I wouldn’t make it this time.”
Qi Ning: “No, they will definitely choose you because you’re truly outstanding.”
Cen Wei smiled, “Senior, you always praise me like this. I feel like my grades have skyrocketed ever since I’ve been with you. It’s like the halo of a study god is shining on me.”
Qi Ning: “That’s your own effort, it’s just that the emergency department is very busy. You need to be prepared.”
Following his memory, Qi Ning acted out the scene from years ago.
Across from him, Cen Wei recounted the dialogue from back then word for word, making it feel like time and space were overlapping.
But all good things were temporary, and the conversations in memory always came to an end.
Seeing the coffee in front of Cen Wei empty, Qi Ning stood up without a word, leaving without saying anything to this version of Cen Wei.
Cen Wei smiled and said, “Senior, why are you leaving? Won’t you stay and keep me company?”
Qi Ning’s voice was cold. “Out of respect for him, I won’t kill you. But don’t say anything unnecessary to ruin my mood.”
His tone was sober, indicating that he hadn’t been fooled. He had simply briefly indulged in the illusion, reliving a dream.
But dreams were just dreams.
This brief illusion had to end.
“Cen Wei” fell silent for a moment, as if weighing something, and then said, “Senior—”
Qi Ning’s voice grew colder. “With his face, you’d better not make any weird moves.”
As he spoke, a surgical knife glinted in his hand, and faint purple smoke began to swirl around his fingertips.
This indicated that Qi Ning was getting impatient; his tolerance for this impostor was reaching its limit.
“Cen Wei” said nothing more.
With a wooden smile, he watched Qi Ning’s tall figure disappear into the distance.
Qi Ning stepped out of the cafe.
Suddenly, the lively street froze in an instant. All the noise and laughter came to a standstill.
Everyone on the street maintained their previous actions, appearing vivid, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that they lacked facial features and were just a group of mannequins.
As Qi Ning walked, the streetlights gradually disappeared.
The buildings on either side of the street gradually transitioned from detailed to rough, and the details on the ground became sparse.
Eventually, only some simple cubes stood on the bare ground, like the crudest 3D models.
The darkness ahead emitted Cen Wei’s voice.
“Who are you…”
“I don’t recognize you ah…”
“Ugh! Why… Why would you…”
From the darkness echoed stumbling footsteps, as if someone severely injured was struggling to survive.
But soon, a more powerful set of footsteps caught up. Then came the sound of blades piercing flesh, one after another, mixed with Cen Wei’s faint cries of pain.
“Senior… Save me… Please save me…”
“Senior… Senior…”
“Se… nior…”
Qi Ning’s fists clenched suddenly.
This guy used Cen Wei as bait time and time again, repeatedly reopening the wound in his heart that had never healed. He was genuinely angry now.
Qi Ning’s voice was icy. “Stop pretending. Cen Wei died outside of the game. His death has nothing to do with the Advent world. What kind of scum are you?”
The cries for help in the darkness ceased. This time, a stranger’s voice spoke up. “Heh, I can see the deepest flaws in your heart. Despite having such a gaping wound, you don’t even think about filling it in?”
The cries for help in the darkness stopped.
This time, a stranger’s voice sounded. “Hehe, I can see the deepest flaws in your heart. Clearly, with such a large bleeding wound, why aren’t you thinking about patching it up?”
“Resurrecting him in the Advent world is actually quite simple, isn’t it?”
Qi Ning scoffed, “Just a delusional imitation.”
The voice in the darkness changed again, “The Advent world is omnipotent. If you choose to become a contract player, you’ll understand. It’s a completely different form of life, and resurrecting someone is not an impossible feat.”
Qi Ning remained unmoved, “If the Arrival World were truly omnipotent, it wouldn’t only dare to secretly take people from reality. As for resurrection, have you ever seen a contract player who died return completely intact? Can those who become NPCs or bosses truly be considered human?”
He had indeed attempted to resurrect Cen Wei in the Advent world.
But countless failures made him realize that even though the Advent world seemed powerful, it was not omnipotent.
It was subject to many limitations and moreover, unable to bring back lost lives.
Even if he could create a Cen Wei identical to the one in his memory, it would only be a puppet driven by his own memories.
He didn’t need such a comfort item.
He would rather live awake and in pain than embrace an imitation for false happiness.
“Heh heh heh… You’re quite a stubborn guy,” the voice changed again, and the figure emerged from the darkness.
It was a casually dressed man who looked mostly ordinary.
Except for his unusually large mouth with many long tongues protruding from within, which gave him an eerie appearance.
The man’s voice shifted once more, “I quite like your voice. I originally intended to collect it gently, but it seems I’ll have to resort to more forceful methods now ah.”
After he spoke, the Tongue Man lunged towards Qi Ning.
His mouth opened wide, revealing even more tongues from within. These tongues, like sharp arrows, viciously aimed at Qi Ning.
He aimed for the vulnerable areas on Qi Ning’s body, but deliberately avoided anything above the neck, seemingly intent on collecting Qingning’s voice, like he said earlier.
Qi Ning easily and swiftly severed the attacking tongue.
However, in the next instant, his surgical blade seemed to corrode, as part of the blade disappeared instantly.
The Tongue Man chuckled, and another tongue sprouted from his mouth to replace the one that was severed. “Don’t underestimate me ah.”
Qi Ning casually discarded the blade and materialized another one at his fingertips. “A doctor’s scalpel can be replaced at any time.”
The two continued to clash.
The Tongue Man’s regenerative ability was exceptionally strong as he instantly regenerated a severed tongue.
His attack angles were also very cunning, narrowly missing Qi Ning’s vital spots several times. Despite the crimson blood seeping out, it was quickly absorbed by his dark clothing, making it barely visible on the surface.
Qi Ning discarded the corroded scalpel once again, now surrounded by remnants of several discarded blades.
The Tongue Man taunted, “Stop struggling. Your screams must sound delightful. I wonder how someone as cold as you sounds when you scream.”
“Hehehe…” It seemed he was imagining something as he chuckled to himself.
But as he laughed, he noticed something wrong. When did his tongue develop so many blood blisters?
Moreover, these blisters were rapidly spreading, becoming more and more numerous, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
“You…” The Tongue Man looked at Qi Ning in astonishment.
Qi Ning’s tone carried a hint of amusement. “Just a little virus that’s all, and it’s only starting to manifest now. Your resilience is surprisingly strong.”
By now, the red blisters had taken over the Tongue Man’s tongues and spreaded toward his entire body.
His tongue swelled, making it difficult for him to speak. “When… did you… poison… me?”
Qi Ning toyed with his surgical blade as he slowly approached him. “I didn’t need to poison you. I am the poison. Attacking me without any defense is simply seeking death.”
Under the rapid spread of the virus, the Tongue Man convulsed. His breathing became rapid, his body stiffened unnaturally, and blood continued to gush from his mouth.
He had lost control of his body. With the fear of death gripping him, he trembled uncontrollably.
He was about to die, about to be defeated by an ordinary advanced player.
How could this be? He was a contract player, a more advanced form of life. How could he be defeated by such a low-level creature…
Qi Ning swung the surgical blade towards the fallen Tongue Man.
“You shouldn’t have used his voice. Every word you spoke disgusted me.”
“You don’t deserve to use his face. Your every smile is nauseating.”
With each bright glint of the blade, blood blossomed.
Qi Ning severed everything that disgusted him slash by slash.
Throughout the entire process, Qi Ning remained calm. His tone was flat, without the slightest ripple.
In the end, the Tongue Man ceased to move.
With his death, the surroundings began to collapse, revealing the original appearance of the instance.
After completing all of this, Qi Ning wiped his hands clean, adjusted his hat, then turned around to continue searching for his next target.
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