Chapter 208

Xie Xubai knew perfectly well that the evil god's body, though seemingly reacting violently and capable of various clever counterattacks, was merely an instinct for dealing with various emergencies forged by years of accumulated bodily memories. In reality, it was no better than a blank sheet of paper.

Moreover, by dividing His body and dispersing His power, He blatantly barged into the chessboard world. What difference was there between that and walking into a trap?

Seeing that the evil god's body was about to step onto the chessboard, Xie Xubai, in a moment of desperation, unleashed a burst of brilliant golden light from his palm, instantly weaving a huge, airtight net that bound the evil god's body within it.

"Yan Shuo! Did you hear me? Stop!"

The black mist, with its aggressive momentum, completely ignored the young man's warning and crashed headlong into the golden net, trying to break through it!

The overwhelming force sent a chill down Xie Xubai's spine, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath. Veins bulged on his forehead as he gripped the binding line with both hands.

Whether it was hearing the young man's labored groan or noticing the glaring red mark on his palm, the black mist abruptly stopped.

He shrank back, restlessly wandering in the golden net, like rolling dark clouds, his golden-red eyes staring silently at Xie Xubai, puzzled and stubborn.

Xie Xubai met His gaze, and finally opened his tightly pursed lips, which were slightly dry.

"...Your soul said it was going to fight the system, but three days have passed and there's still no news. I can't contact it no matter what I do. I've been trying to call out to Xiao Yi and Glasses every day, but there's still no response."

I've never encountered this situation before.

No matter how playful they are, upon hearing his call, their little tentacles will happily run back, giggling as they wrap their arms around his wrist.

No matter how indifferent the man with the gold-rimmed glasses may be, he will always get a response whenever he speaks.

Until the line that tightly connected them suddenly snapped.

The once vibrant figures have disappeared into a secluded island, leaving Xie Xubai to gaze at the vast sea, unable to elicit a single response from them despite his best efforts.

He didn't know whether Yan Shuo and the others were dead or alive, whether they were in danger, or how badly they were injured.

He could only focus on the only remaining body of Yan Shuo, and only by observing the body's lively state could he confirm that they were still safe and sound, and only then could he feel a sense of relief and peace.

Xie Xubai doesn't need this bit of peace to move forward. Even if he loses everything and has nothing left, he will still move forward steadily.

—Until swords and spears clashed and blood flowed freely, until we were shattered to pieces and our brains were scattered on the ground, until we achieved final victory.

Because he himself is such an unyielding and idealistic stubborn person, he will not force anyone to stay.

He respects everyone's free will, provided that it does not violate the law or cause public harm.

But now, even the most decisive young people can't help but open their mouths.

“I don’t know how confident you were before you did it, because you didn’t tell me anything. Not long ago in Hongyin Ancient Town you were angry with me for working too hard and not taking my safety seriously. I’d like to ask you that too.”

Xie Xubai's lips moved slightly as he stared directly into the eyes of the evil god's body, asking softly in a calm tone, "Do you really have to leave me here alone?"

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings; you could hear a pin drop. The surging black mist suddenly solidified, like a motionless three-dimensional image.

The cloaked figure remained eerily silent, not even blinking as the surging black mist reached his feet, his gaze devoid of joy or sorrow.

Upon hearing Xie Xubai utter those words, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The black mist remained suspended in mid-air for an unknown period of time, so long that Xie Xubai thought his empty-headed body hadn't understood anything at all.

He pinched his fingers, decisively compressing his emotions into consciousness, preparing to simply and directly infuse it into the body.

The next second, the body crashed into the golden net again, and wisps of black mist struggled to escape from the gaps in the net, touching Xie Xubai's fingers.

【No……】

Intense emotions erupted from where they were touching.

He was actually speaking?

Xie Xubai looked up in utter surprise.

The situation before us was so bizarre that it was as if a computer was walking upright and a road was taking flight; in short, it was extremely unusual and unscientific.

Or perhaps the evil god is truly extraordinary; even a rabbit will bite when cornered, and a body will grow a brain when cornered.

Black mist clung to Xie Xubai's fingers, seeping out from between them, as if someone were holding his fingers.

The emotions surged forth, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

[Don't lose it...]

He brushed against Xie Xubai's gold-rimmed glasses, which moved, soothingly covering the young man's trembling eyelashes.

[Right before your eyes.]

The mist constantly enveloped him, its damp, cold air brushing against his sensitive skin, sending a slight shiver through him, as if trying to make the young man feel its presence at all times, never ceasing his rhythm for a moment.

[...beside you.]

Strictly speaking, the small tentacles that have separated from the main body can no longer be considered part of the evil god. However, once its consciousness leaves, control will automatically return to the main body.

Xie Xubai could clearly feel that the shadow that had been silent for many days had "come alive" again, gently tapping the soles of his feet.

[...underfoot.]

The deep, sincere murmur of the black mist seemed to come from ancient times, whispering tenderly to Xie Xubai, so gentle it was almost dripping with affection.

Anything about you...

I have always been there...

so.

【do not be afraid……】

My dearest love.

*

At this moment, the advanced players in the instance noticed the strange changes in the sky.

It was as if some enormous and extremely dangerous entity had forcefully surged into the darkness of the night, churning in the dark clouds and calmly surveying the world.

"I have a bad feeling, like something big is about to happen. Let's go quickly."

Brian's senses were clearer than Captain Xu's, and he solemnly seconded the agreement.

The young man, who was looking around, acted strangely, remaining silent for a long time as if he were in a daze.

Just as Captain Xu was about to ask, Yan Chuyi suddenly blinked, like a computer that had crashed and successfully reconnected, and replied with a clear and normal expression: "I can't guarantee that I don't have any seeds of the Blasphemous Vine stuck to me. Just in case, I'll take another train."

Brian: "Where are the other trains?"

Yan Chuyi looked at the attackers who were half-dead: "They must have hidden a line of them."

These attackers have robbed and harmed countless players; they deserve to die.

Captain Xu decisively sent them to rebirth. To prevent the blasphemous vines buried in their bodies from continuing to spread, he used incineration to disinfect them. Before doing so, he made sure that the top members watching the live stream remembered their faces.

In a world where death only erases memories and hierarchies, order and laws are difficult to define, but one can be blacklisted.

In the Central Continent, Peak's status is equivalent to a retired "founding elder." 87% of the public welfare benefits for players in the Central City, such as free treatment, free food and lodging, and item purchase subsidies, are all handled by Peak at his own expense.

Those blacklisted will no longer be able to enjoy these benefits and will be hunted down by major guilds. This is to remind players with malicious intentions not to think that they can do whatever they want just because killing is not illegal in an infinite game.

It can be said that, as the Infinite Game has progressed to this point, despite the system's tireless efforts to sow discord and entice, the players have not yet turned into chaotic evil and still have a clear understanding of good and evil, thanks in no small part to the hard work of the various organizations in Middle Continent.

Captain Xu then searched the train where the attackers had hidden, and at first glance, it was a joke!

The train in front of us has transformed into a fully armed steel behemoth.

The three-layer steel plate shield, high-power high-speed diesel engine, external lighting equipment, shock absorbers, and titanium alloy braking system are all top-grade reinforced components from start to finish, reflecting a cold, metallic gleam under the lights.

Not all players know how to repair trains.

As if considering the players' needs, the system "thoughtfully" designed a treehouse 500 meters away from the first station, where an experienced old mechanic lives. As long as the task is completed, you can entrust him with repairing the train.

If more advanced parts are brought in, the veteran repairman will even actively help upgrade and reinforce them free of charge, out of appreciation and love for the craft.

In this way, it's more like a simplified version of an upgrade racing game.

Fight monsters, collect the dropped parts to reinforce and upgrade your vehicle to increase speed and fight against stronger monsters, then collect the advanced equipment dropped by the stronger monsters... an endless loop.

The attackers claimed that the Seventh Apostle gave them many reinforcement parts.

Although Yan Chuyi didn't know what kind of brain circuit the Seventh Apostle had, she guessed that the attackers probably didn't suspect anything and just used all their methods without hesitation.

The train is now completely parasitized by its parts, leaving no room for rescue whatsoever.

Captain Xu frowned in disapproval: "The reinforced parts come from elite monsters, and their explosive power is only stronger than that of ordinary monsters. You're not riding a train, you're sitting on a pile of bombs."

Yan Chuyi insisted, "But I can't get close to you. If I have even a single seed hidden in me, everyone will be doomed."

Flying a kite was just a joke; given the young man's physical condition, Captain Xu couldn't possibly tie him to the back of the train.

With such a high movement speed, you could easily fall and be turned into a pile of minced meat if you're not careful.

"Please have a seat," Yan Chuyi said calmly. "As long as the parasitic tendrils of the parts creatures are not severed, they will not self-destruct. Besides, they don't react to flesh and blood, nor will they actively attack people. Perhaps humans are not on their menu."

"But they'll eat the whole train sooner or later, what will you do then?"

"Parasitic plants cannot survive for long without a host, and by then we should be able to see the signs."

But Yan Chuyi always felt that things were not so simple. After all, the mystery of the tropical jungle had not been solved. The system lowering their perceived temperature was not just for fun.

Seeing that her teammates were still worried, Yan Chu paused, then smiled subtly: "Don't worry, I'm protected by the gods."

Both of them assumed he was referring to Xie Xubai, the god of the contract, or the Golden Dragon Barrier.

Yan Chuyi glanced casually at the dark, swirling sky, where dark clouds surged like a wilderness swept by a raging wind.

It's obvious that the evil god's body can't get in, so it can only bar its fangs and claws like this.

Unable to say whether she was helpless against the evil god's volatile temper or reassured that her body would be alright, Yan Chuyi shook her head.

He couldn't help but smile slightly, his eyes crinkling into a gentle grin.

Just in case, Brian, who had been in close contact with the attackers, chose to travel on the same train as Xie Xubai.

Since his team couldn't be without an S-class figure to anchor the battlefield, Captain Xu created an isolation barrier for himself, including the soles of his shoes, and returned to their train.

With Yan Chuyi and his companion leading the way in an armored train, Team 333 set off again.

After driving through the rainforest all night, the first light of dawn appeared on the distant horizon, and a ray of sunlight shone on the second stop.

Compared to the gloomy first station, this place is much sunny.

The platform was spacious and clean, with self-service supply points where food and drinking water were all free! In the distance, wisps of smoke rose from villages and towns.

Several teams of players gathered in the open space, seemingly discussing something.

Upon seeing Yan Chuyi and the other person get out of the car, they all fell silent and looked over warily.

When they passed the two men and saw the line of steel behemoths behind them, everyone's expression changed, and they couldn't help but gasp.

Wow! That's awesome!

To assemble such a huge creature, you'd have to kill hundreds of elite monsters, right?

Instantly, all the players' eyes were filled with envy and awe.

Aside from a brown-haired youth in the crowd who, upon seeing the blond mercenary, crouched low and strode over to greet him enthusiastically, his eyes brimming with surprise, "Hi Brian! I never expected to meet you here!"

Upon seeing the collar around the mercenary's neck, the curly-haired youth froze in his tracks.

The collar was just an ordinary collar, but in other continents, it was common knowledge that Brian would never willingly wear it around his neck.

The reason dates back to the time when he first became famous. Many players anonymously sent Brian all sorts of indecent photos that went down to the lowest level, trying to gain protection through some kind of deal. This made the big lion very upset, and he publicly cursed these things, saying they made him feel disgusted and want to vomit.

So the curly-haired youth reacted strongly, even with shock: "You aloof big guy..."

His gaze then shifted to Yan Chuyi's calm face.

He only noticed now that the arrogant and conceited Brian was actually willing to let someone walk in front of him when they were traveling together, which was unbelievable!

Could it be...!

The curly-haired man stared in astonishment, trying his best to phrase it politely: "So you've finally figured it out?"

Brian didn't react for a moment, but Yan Chuyi spoke first, frankly stating the situation: "I'm sorry, my boyfriend is not him."

Completely disregarding the shocking things he had said, he calmly walked forward.

The curly-haired youth seemed to have some private business to discuss with Brian, so he politely declined and went ahead to investigate some clues in the villages and towns ahead.

Brian was left suddenly realizing what was happening, staring in disbelief at Yan Chuyi's departing figure.

Is he gay? And does he have a boyfriend?!

Huh? ? ?

The curly-haired youth was a little surprised by the misunderstanding of their relationship, and even more surprised by Yan Chuyi's honesty.

No one wants to avoid having some connection with Thor, even if it's fake; it's commendable to promptly and proactively distance oneself from such a connection.

He whistled at Yan Chuyi: "Oh, I like this guy."

Brian got a headache just hearing this playboy's talk: "He already said he has... uh, a partner, so don't bother him."

The curly-haired youth shrugged: "By the way, why are you two wearing a barrier? Are you afraid of being attacked?"

"Don't worry, they're tired of fighting and won't attack again, but..."

Brian was about to explain his encounter with the Blasphemous Vine when, before he could even speak, his column of steel behemoths suddenly emitted a loud hum.

Woohoo—

The train started moving.

Brian was caught off guard; he and Yan Chuyi hadn't even gotten on the bus yet!

“…Yes.” The curly-haired youth met Brian’s shocked, wide-eyed gaze, his lips twitching. “No one will do it, but someone will steal the car.”

A few seconds later, seeing the train successfully depart, even the usually composed curly-haired young man was taken aback: "Wait a minute, there's no one on your train?"

"Fuck!" Brian's temples throbbed with anger, and he was about to rush out.

The curly-haired youth was terrified, fearing that the area would be flattened by lightning, and hurriedly told him to calm down.

He didn't intentionally want to see Brian's car stolen; he just thought the two of them would at least leave a few teammates in the car. Who knew that there were only the two of them in the team, and that both of them got out of the car!

What's the difference between this and leaving a bag of gold in a busy downtown area and then running to the toilet?

The curly-haired youth wondered if Brian had somehow evolved to lose his brain, and muttered with mixed feelings, "That Middle-earth guy seemed pretty smart, but who knew you two were so lax."

"That's not the point!" Brian frowned and said sharply. "Those parts are monsters; they'll self-destruct if they encounter danger!"

Upon hearing this, the curly-haired youth's expression became even more peculiar, and he said something truly shocking: "It's not some strange secret."

"What?"

The curly-haired youth said, "Those monsters only eat metal. By constantly feeding them, they can maintain the stability of the vehicle."

Brian was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"Upgrading requires replacing parts, and you'll know when you see tentacles crawling out. The old mechanic demonstrated it for us himself. He said this is a world where monsters and humans coexist. The monsters don't eat people; they're their helpers. Didn't you encounter him? Then how did you repair the train?"

“Most importantly, Brian.”

The curly-haired youth looked him up and down as if he were seeing him for the first time: "When did you start caring about the safety of those thieves? They steal things, take shortcuts, and get something for nothing. Even if they die, they deserve it. It's not like they can't be brought back to life."

“I…” Brian was speechless.

Just then, Yan Chuyi returned.

I checked the time; less than ten minutes had passed.

Brian and the curly-haired youth were both somewhat surprised: "What did you go to do?"

"I investigated the clues a little."

I had a few people in the village read my mind.

Brian: "Any results?"

Yan Chuyi: "I've learned enough."

The situation was rather serious, confirming his initial ominous premonition, which is why he hurried back.

Seeing that he seemed to be doing a pretty good job, the curly-haired youth's lips twitched: "OK, how about we exchange information?"

He was genuinely curious about what results could be obtained in just a few minutes.

The villagers were extremely xenophobic. When he went there, he was turned away and nothing he did could get them to utter a word.

He suspected that Yan Chuyi was exaggerating and had ample evidence to support his claim.

Brian had no time to be happy. He turned back to look at the empty platform, and his anger flared up again: "Yan, our train has been stolen."

Yan Chu glanced at it and remained calm: "It's alright, those people left a train, we can ride theirs, it's safer."

"Ours is safer! Those monsters can be tamed by constantly feeding them metal! Those damn thieves!" Brian was extremely annoyed. The two trains were completely incomparable in terms of equipment; theirs even had air conditioning and a refrigerator!

Unexpectedly, Yan Chuyi shook her head: "No, that train is very dangerous. We probably need to catch up with it quickly, otherwise they will all die at the third station."