Emperor Qin and his group didn’t get the information they wanted, but they couldn’t afford to conflict with Mo Yang’s group at this time. Their goal is the King’s Scepter, and nothing else matters. Moreover, during the nearly 2.5 hours of dinner observation, Emperor Qin’s group noticed that something seemed off about Mo Yang’s group of four.
Zhou Api, after hearing Mo Yang’s complaints about the foreigner who went back, immediately chimed in, “You encountered them too? I thought I was the only unlucky one. No matter what I eat or do, that tall and skinny guy is always following and coping me. And, whenever I touch something, he has to touch it too.”
“I don’t understand. He looks like he’s going for the cool and aloof image, but he really doesn’t care about his dignity? Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and played a trick on him.”
Mo Yang was quite interested and asked, “How did you trick him?”
Zhou Api smirked, “I went and touched everything in the restroom. And when I touched things, I exclaimed in surprise. Finally, I took away something that looked long and thin from the restroom. Of course, I threw it in the trash can when I left. But I saw him touching everything and even picking up the thing I threw in the trash can to examine it closely. If it weren’t for the fact that men couldn’t go into women’s bathrooms, I would have disgusted him to death!”
Mo Yang, Wan Mei, and Song Kefeng: “…” Well, when it comes to being disgusting, this chubby guy wins.
Wan Mei also smiled and said, “I was observed up close for an hour too.”
Mo Yang immediately showed a fierce expression, “Did you deal with him?”
Wan Mei grinned, “Not really. At first, it was that kid who came to watch me, but later it was that woman. I don’t have any shameful behavior, so I don’t care about them.” Wan Mei didn’t think he had anything shameful or scary about his behavior, but Little Hou and Qing Nu on the other side didn’t think so.
Little Hou was still muttering while holding a cup of hot cocoa, “Emperor Qin, you don’t know, that guy in the white coat is really strange. He actually stared at me while eating, and his gaze was like those big demons in movies who eat children. It’s creepy, I don’t like him at all. I’ll have to take care of him directly sometime!”
Qing Nu’s expression wasn’t good either, “He’s a dangerous person. When he stared at me, I felt chills all over my body. I strongly suspect that he’s a psychopath. His personality is brutal.”
Qing Nu, Fei Ying, Little Hou, and the big guy gathered together and talked about their observations of the targets. They all found that apart from Song Kefeng, Mo Yang’s group of four had eccentric and unreliable personalities.
Originally, they were very wary of Mo Yang’s group, as these four were the players who followed them into the Dark Star Hotel. Their actions were extremely fast, and Emperor Qin almost suspected that they had received some special information from their guides.
But now it seemed he had overestimated them. How could such an unreliable team compare to their elite team? Besides, after Emperor Qin entered the dream world, almost all the games were completed with an S rank, and even Fei Ying and Qing Nu mostly had A ranks. The foreigner Harris and Little Hou were a bit weaker, but one had strong combat power, and the other had a talent for speed that no one else could match.
So, after Mo Yang and his group left, Emperor Qin and the others lowered their guard against Mo Yang’s group and left. They never thought that their purpose had been guessed by someone else, and even their actions had been so clearly observed by this team they considered unreliable.
Mo Yang’s group took the elevator directly to the underground arena. During the elevator ride, Mo Yang asked Song Kefeng what he had talked to the beautiful woman from the Bai family about.
Because there were only the four of them in the elevator, Song Kefeng glanced at the corner of the elevator’s surveillance and turned around, speaking in a very low voice, “She wants me to help her get rid of someone.”
Although Bai Linger’s words were very tactful and her reasons were very convincing, as if she had no choice but to make this decision, Song Kefeng, with his vast experience, extracted the crucial information from her well-acted performance — kill Ouyang Qi, and he would get the beauty and over one billion star coins.
Mo Yang didn’t expect Bai Linger to say such words on the first day of knowing Song Kefeng. But when he thought about it again, this was just a game, and the NPCs inside might have behaviors and intelligence like real people, but they were still not real. Besides, the A-rank completion condition for the game was to obtain one billion star coins. These two conditions combined might lead some players who were solely focused on winning to agree without hesitation.
Song Kefeng didn’t directly agree, but he didn’t refuse either. Instead, he told Bai Linger that he needed to think it over.
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.
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The underground floor of the Dark Star Hotel had a wild and luxurious decor. Apart from the extravagant decorations, what stood out the most on the basement floor were four huge martial arts arenas. Even though the martial arts tournament was scheduled to start at exactly nine o’clock, there were already at least a thousand people gathered around those four arenas.
Above the arenas, there was a comprehensive screen displaying the one hundred participants in the martial arts competition.
Zhou Api, excited by the crowd, volunteered to gather information, while Song Kefeng inquired about the details of the martial arts tournament. Finally, it was Mo Yang and Wan Mei who found a quieter corner, sat on a sofa, and watched the lively scene.
“Wan Mei, what do you think the King’s Scepter will look like? As a highly intelligent scientist, please share your opinion,” Mo Yang asked his dissecting enthusiast friend, absentmindedly eating sunflower seeds. He thought that maybe the game had a unique idea in mind.
So Wan Mei thought carefully and replied, “A leg bone?”
Mo Yang suddenly felt foolish for asking such a question. Even if the king wasn’t particular about appearances, he wouldn’t use a human leg bone as a Scepter, right? What kind of leg bone would qualify for that?
Perhaps it was because his face looked too dark, Wan Mei showed a glimmer of survival instinct and said, “A leg bone is unlikely, as its appearance isn’t subtle enough. According to guide 009, the Scepter should look ordinary on the outside but draw attention on the inside.”
Mo Yang widened his eyes, “Why didn’t you tell me about this crucial condition earlier?”
Wan Mei fell silent for a moment, then took the initiative to push aside a handful of sunflower seeds with a dissecting knife. He couldn’t say that he didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. Although he believed that it wasn’t a big deal, he still rationally analyzed the situation.
Mo Yang continued to rack his brain, trying to figure out what kind of Scepter could be both “ordinary on the outside” and “attention-grabbing on the inside.” He pondered until Song Kefeng and Zhou Api returned. However, he still couldn’t come up with an idea.
Song Kefeng had already inquired about the relevant information. He and Mo Yang just needed to wait for the terminal on their wrists to call them and head to the corresponding arena for their match.
In this martial arts competition, there were a total of one hundred participants, and today was the first day of the preliminary rounds, which used a free-for-all format. The one hundred participants were randomly divided into four groups of twenty-five each. After the match started, they could attack each other, and those who fell from the arena or couldn’t get up were considered disqualified.
The preliminary rounds would continue until only ten participants remained.
Although this method seemed chaotic, it quickly sorted out the stronger individuals. After today, there would be forty participants left out of the initial one hundred, and over the next six days, they would have one-on-one matches, which would be more interesting to watch.
However, before Mo Yang and Song Kefeng could sign up, Zhou Api stopped them.
Zhou Api’s face looked somewhat grim. “Brother Song, I won’t say anything about you since you were able to fight a demon before single-handedly. Even if you don’t become the final winner, you should be able to protect yourself. But Yangzi, you’d better not participate in this martial arts tournament. It’s too dangerous.”
Zhou Api was several years older than Mo Yang and usually treated him as his big brother. He considered Mo Yang as a reliable and intelligent younger brother whom he cared for. So sometimes, he called Mo Yang “Yangzi” to express his affection and concern.
“What’s wrong?” Mo Yang asked, sitting up straight as Zhou Api’s expression turned serious.
“I had some doubts before. One billion star coins are a huge sum of money no matter how you look at it. It’s not just a lot for us players in this game; it should also be a significant fortune in this game world. In this context, why are there only one hundred participants in the tournament?”
“This is the capital of the Federation, and there are supposedly other inhabited planets beyond this one. Even if there’s a relatively small population, there should still be billions of people. So, compared to that, the number of participants here is too low. That’s why I did some careful inquiries and found out that this martial arts tournament is also known as the ‘Bloody Death Tournament.’
“In previous tournaments, apart from the top three, at least half of the participants among the one hundred people left with severe injuries. And most of them were eliminated in the first preliminary round. Among the final forty participants, at least half of them were brutally killed, and some were even unlucky enough to be tortured to death right in the arena.”
“Anyway, once you step onto the arena, this martial arts tournament allows any attack method, and there are no restrictions until one party dies or falls from the arena. It’s utterly insane. That’s why there are only one hundred participants in this martial arts tournament, yet the prize money for the final winner is one billion star coins!”
“Moreover, this is not the most important thing. The most crucial part is that among the one hundred registered fighters, it’s said that there are former champions and runners-up from previous years, and their methods are extremely brutal,” Zhou Api said, looking at Mo Yang.
“So, Yangzi, you should reconsider participating.”
Upon hearing Zhou Api’s words, Song Kefeng also frowned. He looked at Mo Yang and said, “Indeed. With such a bloody competition, it’s better for you not to participate. You should focus on finding the King’s Scepter for clearance.”
Although he constantly wanted to beat this cunning fugitive to vent his frustration, he couldn’t accept anyone subjecting Mo Yang to inhumane torture. Song Kefeng definitely wouldn’t admit that he somewhat admired this person deep down. He simply believed that only he had the right to confront Mo Yang due to his position, whereas others had no right to do harm.
It was a clear double standard.
However, Mo Yang lifted his eyebrows and looked at Song Kefeng and Zhou Api. “Don’t you guys have a misconception about my actual abilities?”
“Do I look like a weakling who can’t last three minutes in a fight?”
“Just because I haven’t fought you head-on, do you think I’m not able to?”
Mo Yang bombarded them with three questions, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, he lifted his white striped shirt, revealing his well-defined six-pack abs. “Take a good look, and make sure to notice that I’m handsome, intelligent, and charming. Where do you guys get the idea that I’m a weakling?”
Mo Yang’s movements were quick and suave, and he made undressing look like a flirtatious act. As a result, not only did Song Kefeng and Zhou Api fall silent, but there were also screams from many women and young ladies in the audience. Even though some covered their eyes with their hands, there were still wide gaps, and their gazes were hot. They seemed eager to tear someone’s clothes off.
Mo Yang: “…”
Song Kefeng, Zhou Api: “…”
Wan Mei: “…Heh.”
As soon as Wan Mei uttered “heh,” Mo Yang immediately put his shirt back down. He didn’t dare to blow kisses or give flirtatious glances to the women who were screaming for him. Instead, he sat on the sofa with his legs together, his posture straight, and his hands placed obediently on his knees. He instantly transformed from a charming gentleman to a well-behaved man.
This led to another round of screams from the beautiful women, and Mo Yang couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. He thought, “Why are you all screaming like that? I unintentionally exuded some charm, but can’t you control yourselves a bit and show some willpower? Otherwise, I might end up being devoured tonight.”
Some handsome men and beautiful women couldn’t resist approaching this side. A few who were feeling confident wanted to flirt with him, but as soon as they took a step closer, they suddenly felt their body hair stand on end. They met the cold, scrutinizing eyes of someone nearby, and some of the passionate ones instantly felt like they had entered a frigid winter, making them unable to maintain their enthusiasm.
After the crowd dispersed, Wan Mei turned to his Black Dog with a smile. “Good luck. I believe in you.”
Mo Yang: “…” Why do I feel a bit guilty even though I did nothing wrong? Otherwise, I would have definitely retorted by now.
Song Kefeng and Zhou Api didn’t expect things to unfold this way, but since Mo Yang had said it himself and Wan Mei, who usually couldn’t stand seeing Mo Yang hurt, also confirmed it, they decided not to stop him.
However, Zhou Api still reminded him, “If you can’t handle it, come down. Let’s go find the Scepter! I’ll beg my ancestors.”
Mo Yang laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
Song Kefeng thought that if Mo Yang got lucky and ended up in the same arena as him, he would reluctantly help this guy. In the dream world, they could be considered comrades now.
Emperor Qin’s group, who had been observing from a distance throughout, confirmed without a doubt that these four individuals were indeed peculiar. They didn’t pose any concern!
Soon after, the communication terminals of Song Kefeng, Mo Yang, Fei Ying, and Harris began to ring, along with the terminals of the other ninety-six participants. The first round of preliminary matches in the combat tournament was about to begin.
Song Kefeng and Mo Yang didn’t end up on the same combat platform.
Song Kefeng was on platform number three, while Mo Yang found himself on platform number two.
Standing on platform number two, Mo Yang glanced at the massive figure of Harris, who seemed to be strangely connected to him, and couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
The moment Harris saw Mo Yang, his mood soared. He walked over to Mo Yang and raised his arm to flex his muscles, saying, “I can’t pass a test or memorize things, but I can definitely beat you!”
Mo Yang: “…”
It felt like a top student had just shown off his grades to a poor student, only to be confronted on the way home and asked for protection money. Quite an awkward situation.
Author’s Note –
Mo Yang: It’s not like I… I’m just frustrated that I’m too charming!
Wan Mei: I’ll take care of you tonight.
Mo Yang: I pulled this wave of hatred a little too steadily.
Harris: Finally, I can vent my frustration!!
Thank you for your translation 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
I love Mo Yang’s confidence so much. Thank you for the chapters 💖
his charm lmao
keeps on getting him in trouble