Chapter 236

Xie Xubai's gaze fell on the boy's face.

The boy remained calm, showing no signs of panic or seriousness, as if the players gathering on the eleventh floor was something he had anticipated from the beginning.

It's even possible that the other party anticipated this would happen, which is why they seized the gatekeeper's identity and access.

Xie Xubai suddenly remembered someone: "What did Lilith say to you?"

Lilith, the wielder of the artifact of destiny, the Eye of the Future.

The world only knows her as a renowned astrologer from outer continents, but they are unaware that she also has another extraordinary identity—the Third Apostle.

Xie Xubai only remembered who she was after his memories were restored.

Actually, their relationship is a bit awkward. In official matters, they can entrust each other with their backs as comrades, but in private, Lilith is a patron of the hawks in the Global Federation, while Xie Yuchun and Pei Yuheng are representatives of the doves.

Although the two sides do not have such clear-cut positions on political views and strategic planning, sometimes the doves will criticize the hawks for being too conservative, and the hawks will protest that the doves are too radical... Let's leave those aside for now.

The key point is that the Federation nominated Lilith in order to compete for Xie Xubai's position and power as the "First Apostle".

It's easy to imagine the negative feelings Lilith would have towards Xie Xubai under the constant pressure from the forces behind her.

Their relationship was indeed initially so hostile that they were like oil and water. It is no exaggeration to say that 85 percent of the impeachment reports Xie Xubai received after he began commanding operations came from hawkish candidates led by Lilith, and some were even impeachments made under their real names.

Then a sudden turn of events left Lilith unable to stand, prompting Xie Yuchun to secretly take Lilith as her personal student, without telling anyone except Xie Xubai, and to secretly assist Xie Xubai.

Whether their relationship could be considered friendship afterward is something Xie Xubai couldn't say for sure.

But one thing is certain: if one day he had to choose one of the twelve apostles to carry out a crucial secret plan together, only Lilith would be qualified, both in terms of ability and the will to uphold the mission.

However, things in life often go awry, and plans can't keep up with changes.

Just as Xie Yuchun couldn't predict that the Second Apostle would suddenly approach Xie Xubai, Xie Xubai also couldn't discuss countermeasures with Lilith before his death and explain the reasons.

That day, the sky was filled with purple lightning, deafeningly loud.

Realizing something was amiss, Lilith was divining her fate lines, the stars in her eyes spinning wildly, her brow furrowed and her face filled with unease.

Suddenly seeing him walking heavily, covered in blood, Lilith was shocked and at a loss. Her fingers trembled, and the tarot cards that were floating in mid-air fell to the ground with a clatter.

Knowing that Xie Xubai wanted to devour her divine core, Lilith was initially incredulous, staring intently at him, before slowly falling silent.

The other apostles had their divine cores devoured by him either through fierce resistance or powerless compromise.

Only Lilith, before Xie Xubai could act, endured inhuman pain and forcibly dug the divine core out from the depths of her soul.

She moved so fast and decisively that in the blink of an eye, the divine core, radiating a shimmering glow, was thrown into Xie Xubai's hands.

Xie Xubai, who was on the verge of collapse, didn't have time to protect her.

Without protection, the fatal damage from stripping the divine core also caused Lilith's life in that lifetime to quickly reach its end.

But she didn't care, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and slumped back into her wheelchair.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and the electric light shone through the window onto her trembling lips. At that moment, her eyes reddened slightly, but she only coldly uttered a single sentence.

"You're the most unilateral jerk I've ever met."

Xie Xubai guessed that Lilith must have divined what he was going to do at the last moment.

She strongly disagreed with and did not approve of Xie Xubai's actions, but the latter had already acted first and informed her later, making the situation one where the arrow was on the string and had no choice but to obey and cooperate.

It was probably from this incident that Lilith realized Xie Xubai wasn't as reliable as she had imagined, so after the game restarted in this life, she chose to go it alone, even skipping the meeting.

The lamb did not deny having met Lilith, but he denied that he had schemed to take advantage of Lilith.

Xie Xubai asked, "Then why did you try to seize the gatekeeper BOSS's authority?"

This seat isn't easy to sit in.

Referring to Hill on the first floor, the boss guarding the eleventh floor cannot leave his post unless someone can take his place. Otherwise, he cannot leave the eleventh floor until the end of the game.

The lamb answered frankly, "I'll pave the way for you."

really.

Xie Xubai sighed. Wasn't he just like Xu Qingran, who had been fooled?

But the little lamb didn't think so, and even spoke with a serious warning: "White, your soul can't withstand being shattered again. Do you realize how serious this is?"

Xie Xubai paused.

The little lamb remained calm: "Perhaps Lilith made me the boss of the eleventh floor because she was plotting against me. But I was the one who approached her first, asking if there was a way to increase our chances of winning and ensure everyone's safety."

Little Lamb: "She was just making a suggestion; the decision is mine. As for trying to fool me..."

The bright blue round eyes gradually turned into the horizontal stripes of a sheep. The legendary ram-horned demon also had such eyes, deep and dark, making one's hair stand on end.

The boy looked at Xie Xubai with those eyes and asked softly, "Do you think she has the ability to deceive me?"

The passive skill of [Silent Lamb] is "Silent Bystander".

Zhongzhou offers a fitting explanation: "The onlooker sees more of the game than the player."

This additional skill allows the Twelfth Apostle to see through any illusory phenomena and directly perceive the hidden truths and realities.

But because of his "silence" ability, although he knew the truth, he was too "cowardly" to mention it to anyone.

Xie Xubai thought to himself that Lilith was not lying, but there was another kind of strategy in the world called a calculated scheme.

It's like surrounding the only source of water that can put out a fire with thorns. Do you want to watch the house burn down, or do you obey her wishes and walk through the thorns to get water?

But how could a boy not know that he was about to "step on thorns"?

He knew it, but he still did it, simply because he did it willingly.

Xie Xubai paused for a moment, then smiled and affirmed, "Of course, no one can deceive you."

The boy remained expressionless, but a slight smile curved the corners of his mouth.

Behind them, the dungeon merging was coming to an end, and the figures of a large number of players gradually became clear.

Before some people could even react to why they had been teleported, they noticed Xie Xubai and the other person the moment they landed and instinctively cast an Appraisal spell on them.

The test results terrified him.

This instance trial perfectly exemplified the system's malice. Whether it was the kingdom's citizens or the gatekeeper BOSS, their hatred towards all players skyrocketed to the max. They would shout and kill on sight, giving no chance for conversation or communication whatsoever.

These players were already suffering from PTSD from the original dungeon. When they suddenly identified the boss guarding the gate, their first reaction was to strike first and immediately activate their attack skills.

The result was... no response.

There was absolutely no response!

Not only this player, but other players were also horrified to discover that they could not use their skills!

Moreover, it's not just skills; functional items, weapons and armor, and even various system functions are all in a disabled state.

Even on special maps, they can still use ordinary tools from their backpacks, but now they can't even take out their tools!

Not only that, they looked at their companions in a panic, wanting to discuss a solution, only to find that their companions' faces were so unfamiliar.

A strong sense of repulsion washed over them, and without thinking, they retreated, quickly creating distance between themselves.

It felt as if the people in front of him were no longer trustworthy teammates, but strangers who could implicate him at any moment.

Something's not right! What could be wrong?!

It was at this moment that someone finally recognized the little lamb's appearance and exclaimed in astonishment at his code name: "The Twelfth Apostle?!"

[Silent Lamb] Active Skill - "Silent Flock of Sheep".

[Skill Introduction]

Sheep are very timid creatures. Faced with slaughter by evil people, sheep will always remain silent, unwilling to lend a helping hand to their fellow sheep, afraid to make a sound, powerless to resist any harm, until they are slaughtered one by one by the butcher.

In other continents, the Twelve Apostles are incredibly famous; news agencies have even published special feature articles about them, which have sold far ahead of other groups.

A chill ran down their spines and into their brains, causing cold sweat to pour down their backs.

Someone asked, "Why...why did you become the gatekeeper boss? Did you...betray us?"

Time to get down to business.

The little lamb slowly released its grip on Xie Xubai.

The youthful radiance emanating from him was warm and pure, greatly soothing his mental fatigue.

He really wanted to stay with Xie Xubai, but White was always serious and solemn in formal occasions.

Unexpectedly, she heard Xie Xubai's telepathic message, which seemed to be a regretful sigh: "I finally see an old acquaintance, and you won't even let me hug you a little longer?"

The little lamb was quickly picked up and taken back, and the mother even readily used both hands.

This scene naturally caught the attention of the players, who all focused their attention on Xie Xubai, their hearts filled with surprise and uncertainty.

The little lamb then raised its hand, and a blazing hell gate rose from the ground, the intense heat seemingly capable of melting the floor.

Half a body was embedded in the door, with a ram's head and a human body, huge horns, strong muscles, hands supporting the door frame, blackish-purple veins bulging, and saliva dripping from its mouth revealing sharp teeth, looking as if it might leap out of the flames at any moment.

As the gatekeeper boss, the little sheep faces the terrified players: "The condition for passing the level is simple: pass through this door of truth."

What is the Gate of Truth?

The players looked at each other, and one of them closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and boldly stepped forward.

The raging flames scorched his skin, the scalding heat forcing out sweat that evaporated instantly. He could see the horned demon staring intently into his eyes, and his heart pounded in his ears as if it would burst out of his chest.

But even after he closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and walked through the door, he hadn't suffered any real injury, so he turned back in surprise: "I passed, right?"

Little Lamb: "Yes, we'll let everyone through after we've tested them all."

Seeing that the first person was alright, the other players tentatively took two steps forward. The temperature was indeed so high that it drove them crazy, but it wouldn't cause any real harm, so they happily rushed over.

"If you had told me it would be this easy, I would have thought something terrible was going to happen!"

Just then, Xie Xubai seemed to sense something and looked at a player in the back of the crowd who was wearing a baseball cap and had his head down.

The lamb noticed his gaze and called to the man, "Next, you come."

The player whose name was called froze, and shouted indignantly, "Why should I come just because you tell me to? I'd rather not climb the tower at all. Isn't this bullying?"

As soon as he spoke, someone next to him immediately echoed, "Yeah! There's a time limit for climbing the tower, why should we waste our time doing something so meaningless? I—"

A tremendous force struck from behind. The man looked back in a panic and met the smiling face of the toy sheep, whose glass-bead-like eyes were bloodshot.

"Meow~"

He screamed in terror as the toy sheep lifted him into the air, sending him flying in a perfect parabola before crashing into the gates of hell.

The next second, the player's body was engulfed in flames.

"Aa ...

Something terrifying happened, but the terrifying thing wasn't the player's miserable state.

His body melted like a candle under the scorching flames, his skin peeled off like tar, revealing a stream of unintelligible data inside. The data stream twisted wildly and turned into a viscous, rotten blood clot in the blink of an eye.

The players didn't know what the appearance of the data stream meant, but they recognized the mark on the person's back.

—Noah's Ark, a ship that originally symbolized hope in mythology.

Author's Note:

Wishing you a peaceful and prosperous Dragon Boat Festival! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]