"Xiao...Xiao Jin?!"

His mind was buzzing, completely blank, with only the titles of those pinned and featured posts on the survival forum, described as mythical, frantically flooding his screen—

[The pinnacle of survival game combat power! Xiao Shen!], [Single-handedly fighting several foreign players], [The mysterious and low-profile number one!]...

Those legendary names, so distant and unattainable, like gods in the clouds, are actually... actually the same handsome young man in red robes standing right before my eyes?

Lin Xia found it hard to believe that this was the same Xiao Jin who was so closely guarded by the leaders of various forces.

Overwhelmed by shock and instinctive elation, he almost blurted out "God Xiao!" and wanted to shower him with every compliment he could think of!

However, he had just taken a breath, and before the sound could even escape his throat—

Two gazes, like cold steel needles, instantly pierced him!

One of them came from Chu Yuan.

The teasing look in his eyes just moments before instantly turned fierce and ruthless, filled with an undisguised warning, as if to say: Shut up!

If you dare utter another word, I'll twist your head off right now!

The other one came from Lu Jing.

He turned his head slightly, and in the shadow cast by the wall, only a pale, thin chin and a wide, blood-red, thin mouth were visible.

Without a word, but that silent, ambiguous smile was more chilling than Chu Yuan's fierce warning. Lin Xia felt as if a venomous snake's tongue had licked her spine.

The male player's "God Xiao" and all the flattery he had prepared were abruptly cut off by an invisible hand, choking him back down.

A tremendous fear gripped him instantly, and Lin Xia's back was immediately soaked with cold sweat.

He suddenly lowered his head, shut his mouth tightly, wishing he could shrink into a speck of dust and disappear into the corner, completely turning into a pale-faced, trembling, mute gourd.

Wen Baiqiu's gaze also fell on Xiao Jin, and a clear look of amazement flashed across his eyes.

But soon, this amazement was overshadowed by a deeper, more inexplicable emotion.

As he gazed at Xiao Jin's face, a strange yet unfamiliar feeling of unease suddenly surged into his heart.

The feeling came suddenly and intensely, causing him to furrow his brow slightly.

Why? Why would I feel this lingering sense of familiarity towards someone I'm meeting for the first time? From the moment I stepped into this old house, that unsettling feeling seemed to intensify.

Just as the atmosphere became tense and undercurrents were swirling, the curtain of Liu Man's room was suddenly lifted with a "whoosh".

Liu Man also changed into that dazzling red robe.

She maintained a very good figure, and the clothes suited her well. However, the composure she had been trying to maintain on her still charming face crumbled instantly when she saw the strange silence in the corridor and the different expressions on everyone's faces.

She was especially suspicious when she saw the male player huddled in the corner, pale-faced and trembling all over.

Her eyes darted around, and she immediately put on a concerned expression, swaying her hips as she walked toward the male player, deliberately softening her voice as she asked, "Young man, what's wrong? You look so pale."

Were you scared by this awful place? Tell everyone...

She hadn't finished speaking.

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing her voice, Lin Xia reacted as if startled, abruptly raising her head with eyes filled with lingering fear and an intense sense of irritation and rejection.

He didn't even glance at Liu Man's feigned concerned face, nor did he pay attention to her question. He simply waved his hand impatiently, even with a hint of disgust, as if shooing away a fly.

"Get away from me!" He then quickly lowered his head, burying it even deeper, as if looking at her even once would be considered bad luck.

Liu Man's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the deliberately forced, superior-sounding smile on her face instantly shattered.

A surge of anger, a feeling of being completely ignored and even treated like trash, shot straight to the top of his head!

Her carefully maintained cold mask shattered instantly, her face turning from white to green and then flushed red, her nostrils flaring violently with extreme anger.

His expression was as if he had been slapped hard in public several times, and he was so angry that his nose was crooked!

…………

The glaring red robe, like ten ominous drops of filthy blood, fell into the deathly silent corridor, the air so thick you could wring out the stench of blood.

After changing their clothes, the group did not stay in the eerie side room, but instead sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard.

"Let's all speak..." Chu Yuan was the first to break the suffocating silence.

He tugged at the tight collar; the red robe draped over his burly frame made him look like a tiger shoved into a cage, exuding an indescribable awkwardness and irritability.

"What's your name? What the hell are you capable of? Don't wait until the ghost bride's wedding night to expose your true colors!" He glanced at everyone, lingering a little longer on the few unfamiliar players.

The group exchanged glances. Although they were somewhat displeased with Chu Yuan's imperious attitude, they had no choice but to suppress their resentment due to his military strength.

"Zhan Wenzhen." Whether he said it or not didn't matter, and he didn't care about Chu Yuan's attitude either.

The voice behind the gold-rimmed glasses was calm and even, as if reading a lab report: "Skilled in analysis, deduction, and information processing, but negligible in combat capability." His composure was infuriating.

"Lu Jing." A grin spread across his crimson lips beneath the hoodie's hood, a bone whip wrapped around his pale wrist, gently stroking it: "Special skill? Probably... making things die in a more artistic way?"

His gaze drifted towards Chu Yuan, filled with malice.

Chu Yuan snorted coldly: "Chu Yuan! You can fight! Your fists are hard enough!" Simple and straightforward.

"Wen Baiqiu." A glimpse of an elegant corner of his white suit peeking out from under his red robe. He nodded slightly, his smile distant. "A little trick to deceive, just enough to protect myself."

He clearly downplayed the title of "magician".

At least those who have dealt with him will not let their guard down because of his friendly expression.

It was Xiao Jin's turn.

She stood at the edge of the pillar's shadow, the dim red light illuminating only her hard, angular jawline. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a metallic, penetrating quality, striking everyone's eardrums clearly: "Wen Jin, close combat."

Wen Jin?

Wen Baiqiu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, a faint hint of surprise flashing in her eyes as she looked at Xiao Jin. Same surname? What a coincidence…

The male player named Lin Xia, who was huddled in the corner, almost had his heart jump out of his throat when he heard this!

Wen Jin?

He covered his mouth tightly, his face turning red, and looked at Xiao Jin with a look of shock that said, "I understand."

So that's it! No wonder there's so little information about the top-ranked player in survival games—they simply don't use their real names!

Liu Man wanted to use a fake name, but since Lu Jing knew her, she had no choice but to honestly give him the information.

But as she spoke, Liu Man's eyes flickered, her mind clearly not on the name, and she kept glancing at Wen Baiqiu out of the corner of her eye.