Chapter 96 Mermaid on the Shore 18 Sky Curtain

096 Mermaid on the Shore 18

The arm around the waist tightened instantly.

Wei Nan Tower was quiet for a long time.

This long silence is like grinding and savoring these few words that sound the sweetest between lips, teeth and in the bottom of heart.

Their breath lingered on each other, lips pressed against lips.

After a while, Wei Nanlou whispered softly: "Say it again?"

Lu Jiu curled his lips silently.

"Next time..." His lips opened and closed, exhaling warm breath, "...I'll tell you when you come back."

There was silence in the air for a few seconds.

Lu Jiu's lips were kissed.

A deep, lingering, controlled kiss.

It lasted for a full ten minutes.

At the end, Lu Jiu's waist was released, Wei Nanlou stroked his cheek, lifted his chin, and kissed his forehead very tenderly.

As dusk fell, the man left.

Lu Jiu, wrapped in a thin robe, stood by the window of the room on the second floor, watching the man riding away with his subordinates, gradually turning into a few small black dots and disappearing at the boundary between heaven and earth.

...Okay.

Then, he will travel alone.

——I’m wrong, it’s not the same person.

In the evening, everyone was having a lively meal in the inn. Xing Jiu and Xing Bei asked, "Sir, shall we set out tomorrow morning?"

Lu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we stay here for another day? The rest of the journey isn't urgent anyway."

Xing Jiu said honestly: "It's not urgent. The road ahead is relatively safe, so the Duke can leave with confidence."

Xing Bei took the opportunity to speak well of his Duke: "Yes, yes, yes, the Duke will definitely make sure that you are not in danger before he leaves!"

Lu Jiu: “Hehe.”

Xingbei and Xingjiu: “?!”

Lu Jiu drooped his brows and was quiet for a while. He raised the wine glass, gulped down the juice, and put the empty glass down with a snap.

"Then let's walk slowly," he said lazily, "just treat it as a game."

Therefore, they walked at an extremely fast turtle-like speed for the rest of the journey.

Lu Jiu got up only when the sun was shining on his buttocks. He continued on his way until noon and then stopped to rest.

If you happen to arrive in a small town at night, it's a good opportunity to experience the local customs and culture.

Lu Jiu couldn't explain what was going on in her mind. She might be thinking subconsciously: "How soon can I come back?" Will I come back to meet him before he even reaches his fiefdom?

…

On the eighth day after separating from Wei Nanlou, they settled in a strange town.

While eating in the pub in the evening, two guests sat down at a table at the back and began chatting loudly without any restraint.

“…Is it true?”

"Really? That's what everyone is saying. It was Duke Wei Nan Lou who did it!"

"Is he crazy?!"

Lu Jiu immediately put down his chopsticks, and the rest of the people at the table also fell silent.

"So what's going on in the capital now?"

"It's a mess over there..."

*

capital.

A horse stepped over the corpse, its hooves digging into the pool of blood, and then stepped onto the clean ground, leaving blood marks.

The man sat on the horse, looking at everything around him with a calm face.

The once luxurious palace had become extremely desolate. There was not a single person in sight. Corpses were lying everywhere on the wide square, and blood spread on the ground, forming a heroic mural.

There was a sound of hurried horse hooves behind me.

Wei Nanlou turned his horse and looked at his subordinates who were galloping towards him.

"Duke, we've lost him. He didn't use any tricks the last time we made contact. Even if his 'ability' isn't exhausted, it should be very little left."

"Send a message to the garrisons along the way and ask them to prepare."

"yes!"

Suddenly, the horse under me let out a startled cry and raised its front hooves.

Wei Nanlou tightened the reins and quickly controlled the horse. He turned his head and saw the young emperor, who was always so arrogant, falling in front of the horse with blood all over his face. His face was pale, his mouth was wide open as if twitching, but only blood was flowing out of his throat.

“…Uncle…Uncle, uncle…”

The subordinates behind Wei Nanlou changed their expressions, immediately dismounted, and ran over to support him: "Your Majesty, where have you been? We have been looking for you for a long time!"

Xu Ning stared at Wei Nanlou, his whole body trembling, as if every cell in his body was exerting force.

He tried hard to speak, but not only was blood coming out of his mouth, but blood was also oozing out of the hole in his chest, and his voice was extremely hoarse.

"Uncle...save me..."

Wei Nanlou looked down at the scene, with neither pity nor joy on his face.

He opened his lips and said in his usual calm tone: "I told you to stay in the study."

Xu Ning shuddered, tears of regret rolling down from the corners of his eyes.

When the rioting orcs broke into the palace, he heard the sound and thought that Ran Ye's plan had succeeded and he was going to be free.

Without hesitation, he smashed the door open with a chair, knocked out the servants and guards guarding the door, and escaped, only to find that the outside was completely different from what he had imagined.

Those damn orcs, those seemingly docile, obedient, and heartless bird tribes...!

He was deceived and taken advantage of.

Xu Ning sobbed: "I'm sorry...uncle...I'm sorry..."

He knew that his uncle had nothing to say to him.

But if he had listened and stayed in the study, it would have been the safest fortress.

The fear of death enveloped him. The man on the horse was like a life-saving rope that was so close yet so far away. He stretched out his arms hard but couldn't grab it.

Wei Nanlou said nothing more.

The subordinate sighed and carried Xu Ning up: "Your Majesty, I will take you to see a doctor first."

But with such an injury, I'm afraid the situation is very serious.

After a while, more noises were heard outside.

A group of people rode in, led by Xu Yin, who shouted in surprise, "Uncle, you're back!"

*

In the remote town, night has completely fallen.

The two men, spitting all over the place, spoke so loudly that almost everyone in the tavern could hear them.

"…The orcs rebelled and broke into the palace. And what about that? The young emperor has an uncle who is the old emperor's brother, also a duke. He led his troops all the way to the capital. It is said that the palace is full of blood. The young emperor may be dead!"

"What? Is this Grand Duke a good guy or a bad guy? Is he going to help the little emperor or--?"

"I don't know! I only know that the orc riots were caused by that Duke Wei Nanlou. He ordered people to attack orcs in various places, trying to stir up the orcs' anger against humans and their dissatisfaction with the little emperor! He must not want to be the 'regent' anymore and wants to be the emperor himself, so he has to forcibly come up with a reason!"

"It's really abominable. Does he think people's hearts are toys in his hands? Can he make people's hearts go wherever he wants?"

"These nobles are so arrogant!"

"The orcs have had a hard time in the past two years. He is the regent. The situation has become like this under his rule. It must be because he doesn't care about the lives of the orcs! It is said that he even raised a mermaid..."

"It seems that all nobles are the same..."

One of the subordinates stood up, holding the table with anger on his face.

"sit down."

A calm voice came.

He looked over.

It’s Chinese wine.

Lu Jiu stopped using his chopsticks for a long time, and at this moment, he started moving his chopsticks again.

Seeing him quietly resume his meal, everyone looked at each other.

"Eat, eat quickly." Xing Jiu urged in a low voice.

Afterwards, the two passers-by cursed Wei Nanlou for a while before changing the subject.

Lu Jiu and his group finished their meal and walked out of the tavern.

The journey was very quiet. When we were about to reach the inn, a bird suddenly fell from the sky.

Xing Jiu and Xing Bei immediately stepped forward and helped the man up.

This bird had some injuries on its shoulder, not serious, and it had already been treated with medicine. The reason it fell was probably because it had been flying for too long and was tired.

They brought him into the inn and gave him some water. He slowly woke up and thanked them excitedly.

He flew all the way here from near the capital city and was attacked by other birds on the way, suffering some injuries.

In fact, he didn't know what was going on. He had clearly heard that humans were attacking orcs, so he deliberately chose the air route. But in the end, it turned out that it was his own people who attacked him.

He said that although there were rumors that various forces were causing great trouble outside, the situation in the towns along the way was actually still okay. It was just that people were in a panic and had closed their doors and windows, so the towns seemed particularly deserted, like ghost towns.

The capital city should be the most chaotic. He didn't know what happened there. Why did the orcs suddenly start making trouble? Why did another duke suddenly attack?

Apart from that, the only place along the way that was relatively tragic was the Mermaid Town, where it was said that many mermaids died.

Lu Jiu's eyelids twitched.

After sending him away, Lu Jiu and the others went upstairs.

Lu Jiu called Xing Jiu and Xing Bei into the room.

He knew that among the people Wei Nanlou left to him, only these two knew the situation best.

Sitting down at the coffee table, he asked, "Does Wei Nanlou know that his reputation has become so bad?"

Star Nine Star North hesitated.

Lu Jiu narrowed his eyes: "He shouldn't have forbidden you to tell me these things?"

"No," Xingjiu said, "The Duke said that if you want to know, he will tell you..."

"Then go ahead and tell me. I want to hear it now."

Xing Jiu sighed and began to tell the story.

…

Lu Jiu originally thought that the focus of Wei Nanlou's action this time was to deal with the force that instigated the orcs.

Before leaving the capital, he clearly felt that there were sparks crackling underneath regarding the orcs.

Unexpectedly, Xing Jiu said that the person Wei Nanlou wanted to deal with from the beginning to the end was the uncle of the little emperor Xu Ning, another duke.

The Grand Duke has been living in his own fiefdom. On the surface, he seems to have not been concerned about the affairs of the capital all year round. He is a good uncle with a strong sense of boundaries. But in fact, he has been doing this in private for a long time.

The young emperor Xu Ning knew nothing about this—not that he knew nothing, but he just didn't believe it.

He thought these words were all lies and the most dangerous person around him was his uncle.

Recently, the Grand Duke's activities have become more frequent and more bold.

He made a big move.

At the same time, there was indeed some commotion among the orcs.

"In fact, in the past two years, the Duke has been trying to let go of political affairs and let Your Majesty do it yourself... The people under him have a keen sense of smell. The changes in the situation of the orcs in the past two years are also related to this, because Your Majesty himself has a strong impression of the orcs..."

Xing Jiu said it tactfully, but Lu Jiu understood it.

"The Duke is actually still in charge and has been investigating such incidents privately. However, the orcs who appeared in the aristocratic circles of the capital are more complicated. The Duke may have told you..."

"Yes, I know."

Xingjiu continued.

Anyway, after experiencing all kinds of things, Wei Nanlou's judgment on Xu Ning is: useless.

At least not yet.

Xing Jiu added that although the little emperor was only fourteen this year, His Excellency the Duke had already been on the battlefield when he was twelve, and could lead troops at the age of fourteen. The royal family was different from ordinary families, and when the emperor was fourteen, if he could stand on his own feet, His Excellency the Duke would want to retreat behind the scenes and gradually give up power.

But the result was regrettable.

It is unknown whether this young emperor will be useful in the future, but at the moment, Wei Nanlou has taken back control.

While dealing with the mess left by Xu Ning, the Orcs also made secret moves. So Wei Nanlou planned to deal with the people hiding behind the Orcs while dealing with the Grand Duke.

His withdrawal from the capital was just a pretext.

It was conceivable that some people would want to direct the people's anger at him, but to be honest, Wei Nanlou didn't care.

"The Duke doesn't care about his reputation. It won't affect his plans anyway. You know him well, so you should understand."

Xingjiu sighed.

"I just didn't expect that they would throw dirty water on the Duke by attacking the orcs... At present, the situation is generally under control. Apart from the orcs who were attacked, most of the casualties occurred among the other two groups. Your Excellency does not need to worry too much. Once the Duke has dealt with the matter, these rumors will eventually fade away..."

"The rumors that have faded away will not disappear, and the dirty water is still on him." Lu Jiu interrupted.

He frowned and thought for a second, then asked, "Do you know what's going on in Mermaid Town?"

"We don't know the specific situation over there yet. After attacks on orcs occurred in various places, the Duke has ordered to secretly strengthen the defense," Xing Jiu hesitated, "In theory, there shouldn't be another large-scale attack."

Moreover, it happens to be Mermaid Town.

Xing Jiu looked at the handsome young man in front of him.

The latter was lost in thought, apparently thinking about the same thing.

Mermaid Town - a small town near the sea where the mermaids are active, and also the place where he reunited with Wei Nanlou.

Is it a coincidence that such a rumor appeared over there?

Xing Jiu asked tentatively: "Sir, how about I send a message to the Duke to inquire about the situation?"

Lu Jiu's eye color kept changing.

After a moment, he said, "No, let's turn around."

Xingjiu and Xingbei were stunned: "What?"

"Let's turn around and go to Mermaid Town," Lu Jiu said, "He doesn't care about the dirty water thrown on him, but I can't stand it."

He stood up.

"We'll leave tomorrow."

*

Three days later, Mermaid Town.

Recently, people here are in panic.

The news of several attacks on orcs in various places had already spread here, and the residents of the town were very anxious.

Although the new administrator promised to protect the personal safety of the town residents, many orcs still took refuge with their friends, and families with orc family members no longer went out.

Every household closed their doors and windows, and every day they were extremely vigilant and quietly watching what was happening outside.

Even under such circumstances, rumors spread in Mermaid Town that several mermaids had died.

No one knows whether it is true or not, but amidst the fear and anxiety, anger has accumulated.

Who did it? Who killed the mermaid?

Is all this really related to Duke Wei Nanlou as rumored?

Damn the Duke, damn the nobles!

Has anyone seen the mermaid's body?

No one saw it? Could it be that the soldiers had quietly taken it all away?

The administrators are also deceiving everyone!

Whispers lurk in every shadow.

One day, fishermen were sorting their boats on the coast when someone suddenly shouted, "Look, there's a mermaid over there!"

Everyone on the beach was startled and subconsciously stopped what they were doing, raised their heads, and looked carefully in the direction the man was pointing.

In the distance, there was a splash of water surging on the sparkling sea.

Amid the flying waves, the pink and blue fish scales reflect a dreamy luster.

Everyone was stunned.

They had never seen such a beautiful fish tail.

The next second, they saw three people in the west swimming towards the mermaid with great momentum. The mermaid seemed to have noticed the three people and swam faster. Suddenly, she dived and disappeared directly on the water.

"Those three guys are chasing that merman?!"

"What are they going to do!"

"That's the guy who attacked the mermaid recently, right?!"

"Go report to the administrator, quickly!"

Seeing that the three people who were chasing the mermaid also dived into the sea, some fishermen jumped into the sea and dived down with them, wanting to help the mermaid.

However, the fishermen could not stay underwater for too long.

Soon, the fishermen broke out of the water, gasping for breath and shouting:

"No, we can't see them!"

"Those three mermaid killers didn't come up?"

"They didn't come up!"

"How could they hold their breath for so long?!"

"Have the officers and soldiers arrived?"

"Here they come, here they come, the administrator is here too!"

Along with the officers, soldiers and administrators, there arrived more town residents who had heard the news.

Hearing the chatter here, one of the men asked in astonishment: "Powder blue fish tail?! You mean, the mermaid's tail is powder blue?!"

"Yes, it's true. I've never seen such beautiful colors!"

The man opened his mouth and asked, "Could it be that Lu Jiu... is back?"

This man was Wen Ling.

Someone asked, "Do you know him?"

Wen Ling's throat rolled, and he said in a panic: "...Yes, I know a mermaid with a pink and blue fish tail."

Someone immediately showed a look of pity.

The color of each mermaid's tail is unique. In this case, the mermaid they saw just now must be this person's friend.

"Don't worry, your friend ran away very quickly, maybe he has gotten rid of those three mermaid killers!"

"That's right. Those three mermaid killers haven't surfaced yet. Maybe they have been attacked by your friends!"

"It's all Duke Wei Nanlou's fault. Why on earth did he do this?"

"Those three mermaid killers must have been sent by him!"

“No, no, no…” Wen Ling shook his head, his face pale. “No, it’s impossible… It’s impossible that Duke Wei Nanlou did it!”

"What are you talking about?"

"The orcs that have been in trouble recently were all attacked by people ordered by Duke Wei Nanlou!"

"Yes, he wants to seize the throne!"

"He's dreaming, and everyone already knows it. He's a usurper!"

Wen Ling shook his head more and more: "...No, there must be something wrong. The recent events were definitely not done by the Duke!...At least, at least the mermaids who died in the past few days must have nothing to do with the Duke!"

"Why do you say that?!"

"Because, because..." Wen Ling's breathing became more and more rapid, his face full of panic, "Lu Jiu... the mermaid you saw... is, is his wife..."

Everyone around was stunned.

The area fell silent in an instant, and everyone stared at him in astonishment. Only the sound of the administrator commanding soldiers to disembark into the sea could be heard not far away.

Wen Ling was obviously in chaos.

He had been confused for a long time. Ever since the incidents happened in various places, confusion had surrounded him. At this moment, he finally couldn't help but pour it all out.

"Duke Weinanlou is not the kind of person that the rumors say... He was the duke who settled in the mansion in the east... He was the one who upheld justice for my brother and your relatives and friends..."

"He sent the new judge and replaced the administrator... He sympathizes with the orcs, punishes the wicked, and does good things without leaving a name... We can live a good life now, all because of him!"

"How could he possibly order his subordinates to attack the orcs...?!"

"There must be something wrong...!" Wen Ling suddenly thought of something, his eyes flashed, and his expression became nervous, "Did you see the people chasing Lu Jiu just now? - Are you sure that those three are humans?!"

*

Underwater.

It is indeed Lu Jiu who appears here.

Why he appeared in this place will be discussed later.

At this moment, as he dived deeper into the ocean, he turned his head and glanced at the three figures that were following him all the way behind him.

Turning around, he looked at the beautiful coral reef diagonally below him.

——That’s where the elders of the mermaid tribe used to live.

A string of bubbles came out of his mouth and nose, and he swam towards there faster by waving his tail.

…Suddenly, several vertical iron pillars fell from in front of him, blocking his way!

Lu Jiu's pupils shrank and he suddenly stopped swimming.

He adjusted his posture, turned his head and looked behind him again, and found that he was locked in a huge birdcage.

The three "people" who were tracking him were swimming closer.

The skin that was exposed outside their clothes was all crocodile-skin-like, and their sharp teeth were exposed from their grinning mouths - these three people were clearly crocodile orcs!

They smiled smugly but said nothing.

Lu Jiu turned around as if he had a premonition.

A familiar figure swam out from the coral diagonally below.

It’s Ran Ye.

His excitement was barely concealed.

"...You are a bird, how do you manage to breathe underwater?" Lu Jiu spoke calmly, his voice spreading through the water and sounding a little hazy, "Did you open a low-level treasure chest? What about this bird cage? Was it opened from a high-level treasure chest?"

"That's right." Ran Ye was in a very good mood at the moment. Even though he had used up all his points, he gave his answer without hesitation.

In fact, this was the happiest moment for him after being depressed for several days!

——He is indeed the escaped player.

Five years ago, after this world awakened, he opened the collectible treasure chest left by 329 and found that only the "Yesterday and Today" function was still usable. After considering it for several days, he used it.

That was the most devastating day for Ran Ye.

He simply couldn't believe that all his clones in the other three worlds were killed!

The murderers who killed him directly or indirectly were the same two people.

Lu Jiu, and "he".

——Why do these two people exist in every world to be developed?

——Why did Lu Jiu know that he was a quick-travel player?

——Is Lu Jiu also a player? If so, what is the mission?

——Kill him?

——But if that’s the case, why didn’t Lu Jiu take action immediately every time she suspected that he had discovered his identity?

All kinds of confusion surrounded Ran Ye.

He neurotically recalled every detail of the first three worlds, but he became more and more confused. In addition to shock, anger, shame, and resentment, he also felt deep confusion and bewilderment.

The deepest doubt in his heart came from the man next to Lu Jiu.

The one who frightened him the most was the man who was like a huge mystery.

…

After recovering all these memories, Ran Ye took a long time to adjust himself, and then spent another long time making plans for himself in this world.

First of all, as an orc, he wants to overthrow everything that is currently in place.

He was tired of being under someone else's thumb and had enough of his cowardly life. He still wanted to resist, but this time, he would be more careful and cautious in planning a bright future for himself.

He took the initiative to stand out from among many tribesmen and compete for the opportunity to be offered to the little emperor, just to lurk beside the naughty child and look for an opportunity to overthrow the imperial power.

Secondly, he had to find a way to kill Lu Jiu and "him".

These two people were simply a nightmare, but his intuition told him that their situation was different from his.

His soul was split into five parts and entered five different worlds. The death of each clone had no effect on the remaining clones.

However, these two people seemed to be different from him. Ran Ye had a strong premonition in his heart that as long as he could kill them in this world, they in the remaining world would also "perish" together.

Maybe the body disappears directly, or maybe it is the soul that disappears.

In short, their souls in the five worlds are one.

…

Ran Ye planned for five full years.

He no longer wants to recall how he spent the past five years.

At the beginning, after coming to Xu Ning, he immediately saw the man’s clone in this world - Wei Nanlou.

That day, he broke down again.

He didn't know who to question, but why - why did this man have such a powerful status in this world? !

He hated himself even more. He had clearly prepared himself mentally, but the first second he saw the man, he reflexively lowered his head and avoided the other's gaze in panic.

——He was instinctively afraid.

This instinct was almost engraved in his soul.

This made him feel extremely ashamed.

He had been enduring and trying hard to reduce his presence. He wanted to wait for Lu Jiu to show up and then catch the two of them in one fell swoop. Five years had passed while he waited.

Fortunately, fortunately... all the characters have appeared, everything is ready, and the show can finally begin.

He was just waiting to seize the throne of mankind and kill these two old enemies in this turmoil.

He contacted several orc races and asked them to cooperate with him in various places.

Let them stir up emotions and spread rumors.

When Xu Ning grabbed him in the study and asked him to go to the uncle Grand Duke for help, he agreed hypocritically, but in fact he did tell the Grand Duke the news that Xu Ning was under house arrest.

As he expected, the Grand Duke really came to the capital with his troops under the banner of rescuing Xuning, but his intention was obviously something else.

But that's not right.

Where did Wei Nanlou go?

Where did this man go with Lu Jiu?

Ran Ye originally wanted to let the two sides fight each other so that he could reap the benefits. However, in the end, he found that there were no three forces on the chessboard, only two. One was him, and the other was the enemy he had let in.

It was he who was forced to engage the enemy.

He already felt that something was wrong, but the situation soon became so urgent that he didn't have a moment's distraction to think about where the problem lay. By the time the first clues appeared, it was already too late.

He and the Grand Duke fought to a draw, and both were injured. Wei Nanlou returned to the capital.

He was being hunted by Wei Nanlou's subordinates, and used a low-level treasure chest in a desperate situation. The man seemed to have discovered something, and after that he kept teasing him like a cat playing with a mouse, forcing him to consume one treasure chest after another.

Seeing the points decreasing, Ran Ye's heart sank.

He had clearly made all preparations before taking action, but the development of this world seemed to frighten him more than any other world in the past.

...If this continues it will be all over.

...He has already used up all the functions in the collector's treasure chest. If he uses up all the points, he will be really finished.

…He can’t die, can’t die, can’t die, can’t die…

Ran Ye finally woke up with a start!

He suddenly realized—

The plan to seize imperial power could fail, but the plan to kill these two men could not.

These two people must die.

Only when they die can he be truly liberated and free.

And if this sentence is translated, it means that Lu Jiu must die.

He couldn't tell where this intuition came from, but a voice in his head told him that as long as Lu Jiu died, Wei Nanlou would die as well.

As long as Lu Jiu dies... he will be completely free!

Ran Ye gave up everything in the capital.

He left behind some of his points, and the last part, and used all his strength to escape from the man's pursuit.

And after that, where will he go?

I heard that many mermaids died in Mermaid Town recently.

It seems that with the people he had placed there, his operations had been going quite smoothly.

Mermaid Town is where Lu Jiu and Wei Nanlou first met. It is a small town near the sea where the mermaids live.

Lu Jiu, can you sit still?

The elders who have taken care of you, the doctors, are there, they are in danger...

Will you come back?

I'll wait for you there.

…

At this moment, in the cage under the sea.

Lu Jiu said slowly: "You killed so many mermaids just to lure me here?"

Ran Ye let out a laugh.

In fact, after he arrived here and contacted the crocodile tribe who were operating in secret, he learned that the dead mermaids as rumored were not caused by them at all.

In fact, no one knows how many mermaids died.

No one had ever seen the body, only rumors had caused panic among the people.

But it doesn’t matter. No matter whether these things are true or not, as long as the purpose of attracting Lu Jiu can be achieved, it is enough.

Ran Ye replied vengefully, "Yes, how could I have brought you here if I hadn't done that? Lu Jiu, I've waited for this day for too long!"

Recall the humiliations suffered in those worlds of the past.

Thinking back on the fear he had felt over the past five years.

He can finally put an end to this nightmare here!

Lu Jiu pulled the corner of his lower lip.

His body relaxed, revealing a desperate attitude.

"Ran Ye, forcing out your soul code is an order from the Quick Travel Bureau, but to be honest, I have never taken this mission seriously."

Ran Ye's body tensed up.

"If you remember, you should know," Lu Jiu said word by word, "I have never hunted you down without reason."

Ran Ye's face immediately became distorted.

"So you want to say that I have it all to blame?! Are you trying to say that I brought my own death upon myself in those three worlds?!"

Bubbles kept coming out of his mouth. The three crocodiles on the other side of the birdcage couldn't understand their conversation and were confused.

"This is my undeveloped world. I risked my life to pry it open with the secret code. You are the outsiders!"

"I am an outsider?" Lu Jiu remained calm. "Since you have memories of the first three worlds, you should also remember how I was influenced by you, right?"

He was originally a native, but his soul escaped from his body due to the invasion of escaped players.

Ran Ye froze for a moment, then sneered: "Speaking of this, it seems that not only me, but you have also been deceived by the quick penetration game."

Lu Jiu narrowed his eyes.

"What's the meaning?"

"I have inquired about your situation in this world. You fell into a coma a year ago. That should be when you were replaced by the garbled code in this world, right? 329 once said that when I awakened, you were affected and replaced by the garbled code. But guess, when did I awaken in this world?"

Lu Jiu stared at him.

Ran Ye laughed strangely: "It was five years ago, Lu Jiu! I didn't awaken a year ago, I awakened five years ago!"

“…”

"You were deceived, too, right? The Quick Travel Bureau told you the same thing, right? They said that your soul was dissipating because of me, but what's the truth?! In fact, the time when I awakened and the time when your soul disappeared were completely different! You became crazy, stupid, demented, and sleepy, and all of this was not caused by me!"

"Why don't we check the accounts again? When did the garbled code from the previous world enter your body? I can tell you clearly that I awakened five years before we met again. What about you? When did you go crazy?!"

Lu Jiu's eyes moved slightly.

When he woke up from that apocalyptic world, he had been an Indominus Rex for a year.

Even if it was the garbled code that drove him crazy during that year, the garbled code only existed for one year.

It is a far cry from the five years that Ran Ye mentioned.

Ran Ye understood his expression.

"It's still different, isn't it?! I knew it, I knew it! We've all been tricked by the Quick Run Game!"

Lu Jiu fell silent, seeming to be confused.

Ran Ye felt extremely happy.

He finally cleared himself, and the fog that had briefly made him feel guilty and ashamed in the past was finally cleared!

"You probably don't know the identity of the man next to you, right?"

Lu Jiu's eyes changed and she stared at him again.

Ran Ye said sarcastically: "I don't know his true identity, but his background is definitely not simple."

In the first world, when the man saw his soul code, he was not afraid and even dared to touch and destroy it.

If this is because the man is not afraid of anything, then how do we explain the previous world?

"——Do you know what happened to me in the last world?"

With victory in his grasp, Ran Ye no longer hesitated and told everything.

He wanted to see Lu Jiu's shocked and life-doubting expression.

"He pointed a gun at me, and the soul code came out of my body. At that moment..." Ran Ye's breathing became heavy in the water, "I felt like I was struck by lightning..."

At that time, a mysterious force suddenly appeared.

It invisibly bound his soul code, and followed the direction in which the code floated, splitting time and space like lightning and thunder, straight into the void.

In those few short seconds, all that was left in the vision of him, who was then called "Jin Lan", was the terrifying lightning.

He could feel that the power used his soul code to split open the entrance to the quick-travel game.

The world before my eyes was distorted into strings, and it seemed that the whole world would collapse and fall apart just a little bit away.

"...What do you think the identity of that man is?" He questioned Lu Jiu, "He is definitely not an ordinary person, and he definitely knows this, but he never told you, right?"

Ran Ye sneered.

"Are you really lovers? You have secrets, but you never tell him; he has secrets, but he never tells you either. What kind of love are you having?"

Lu Jiu froze from the moment he said this and hadn't reacted at all.

He listened quietly and watched without blinking.

No matter how Ran Ye mocked and ridiculed him, he remained unmoved.

After Ran Ye finished speaking, there was a dead silence that lasted for a full minute. He opened his lips and said:

"If he has such great power, would you still dare to kill me?"

Ran Ye paused and narrowed his eyes: "Why don't you dare?"

"Are you not afraid that he will retaliate against you?"

“…”

"You're not afraid, why?" Lu Jiu keenly caught the change in his expression, "Who gave you this hint? Quickly break through the trap?"

Ran Ye's expression changed slightly.

Lu Jiu understood and pointed out calmly.

"Even though you hate them, you are still controlled by them without knowing it."

Ran Ye was furious: "I didn't, everything I did was of my own will!"

"Are you sure? Then can you answer the question just now, who gave you this or that intuition?"

"...Lu Jiu, there's no point in saying this," Ran Ye's expression changed, "You want to divert my attention? I won't forget my purpose. I will definitely kill you today! Even if you die, it doesn't matter if Wei Nanlou doesn't die. Anyway, he is already a dead man in the eyes of the world. He is finished!"

Lu Jiu said slowly: "He has never let anyone hurt the orcs."

Ran Ye sneered: "Yeah, but what does it matter? In the eyes of most people, he did it, so he did it."

Lu Jiu's fingertips moved slightly.

In a corner where no one noticed, points were deducted and a mysterious treasure chest was opened.

"So, you were the one who had those orcs killed."

There was no trace of guilt or shame on Ran Ye's face. Instead, there was a layer of complete malice appearing on his face.

…

On the shore, people who had been paying attention to the situation at sea were talking constantly.

Many orcs mustered up the courage to walk out of their homes and came to the beach with worried looks on their faces.

Many of them are aquatic species. They can go into the sea and ask the administrator if they can join the search and rescue team.

Just then, a strange voice came from the air.

"So, you were the one who had those orcs killed."

It was the sound of someone talking, the tone was very calm, but the voice was loud enough to resound through the sky.

Everyone on the coast came to a sudden stop.

They were stunned for a moment, then suddenly raised their heads together, and then... were stunned.

In the clear sky, a mysterious and vast picture spread out horizontally.

The scene printed on the scroll seemed to be at the bottom of the sea. A beautiful mermaid was trapped in a cage. Outside the cage, a tribe of birds was floating and they were talking.

On the other side of the birdcage were three... crocodiles.

The conversation continues.

The bird said proudly, "Yes."

"I was the one who ordered people to kill those orcs."

*

seabed.

Lu Jiu looked at Ran Ye calmly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you rebelled for the beastmen, right?"

Ran Ye was in a good mood and answered every question: "Yes."

"But you let so many orcs become victims?"

"If you want to achieve your goal, someone has to sacrifice," Ran Ye seemed a little disdainful of this, "Lu Jiu, are you so naive? All struggles involve bloodshed, and sometimes you have to do it even if it means using your compatriots."

He hooked his finger at the three crocodiles.

One of the crocodiles swam over and handed him a sword that had been prepared long ago.

Ran Ye stroked the sword with a leisurely look on his face.

"That's so easy to say," Lu Jiu's voice turned cold, "Did you discuss it with those people before they sacrificed themselves? Is such a sacrifice necessary? If you simply wanted to target Wei Nan Lou, you wouldn't have to go to this extent."

"How can we arouse the anger of the people if we don't do this?" Ran Ye seemed to have heard a joke. "We need to let them see the bodies of their compatriots with their own eyes so that they know that what happened is true. Only when the tragic deaths of those orcs are exposed before their eyes will they truly hate Wei Nanlou."

"How much effort did I put in to achieve the effect? ​​I had to select locations and ensure that such incidents occurred in various parts of the empire so that the news could spread quickly. I had to confuse them, make them afraid of humans, and let down their guard against orcs. If you want to accomplish great things, you must be ruthless."

Ran Ye's voice also turned cold.

"Besides... we are not 'compatriots' of the same mind, so there is nothing to regret if we die."

"Just like those losers in the capital, they always ask me why we have to kill each other to please those nobles - because only in this way can those nobles truly believe that the orcs are under their control, and when we rebel, they will be caught off guard. But those losers don't understand anything."

Ran Ye clicked his tongue.

Unfortunately, despite all his planning, it was ultimately ruined.

Thinking about this incident, he still felt a little bad.

He raised his arm and thrust the straight sword into the cage, the tip of which touched Lu Jiu's chest.

Ran Ye raised an eyebrow: "Anything else you want to say? I'll give you one last chance, say your last words."

Lu Jiu looked at this person and asked, "Have you really never felt that everything you do is problematic?"

Ran Ye sneered.

The water waves began to surge, and in the distance, countless dark shadows were approaching.

"If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth."

These eight words were clearly heard by Lu Jiu, and the light from the bottom of the sea shone into his quiet eyes.

So, this person knows it all.

Everything he said in a high-sounding manner was just a layer of cheap candy wrapper wrapped around his ugly selfish heart.

The three crocodiles suddenly showed expressions of fear and began to retreat.

Ran Ye was immersed in the excitement of achieving his goal and was completely unaware of it.

He gripped the sword tightly in his hand, and his eyes flashed with amazing light.

"Lu Jiu, goodbye."

"Even though I still don't know who you are in the end, it doesn't matter. In the end, I don't really care."

He raised his arm and thrust the sword hard into Lu Jiu's chest!

At this moment, three or four arms suddenly stretched out from behind him and grabbed his neck.

Ran Ye was stunned, his face suddenly changed color, and he struggled hard, but arms kept reaching out from behind, knocking down his sword, and wrapping around his shoulders, chest, abdomen, and legs, trapping him and making him unable to move.

In fear, he rolled his eyes and looked upwards.

He was met with angry faces.

The orcs gnashed their teeth.

"…It's you! It's all you!"