"Eh." Hua Gan leaned his head back, leaned against the wall, sighed, and suddenly laughed out loud, "Actually, I think it's very childish too."

"I heard from others that the president has been the main attacker of Nishen for many, many years. Since the Deer Hunter Guild existed, the president has been the main attacker of Nishen."

"In a team match with the president as the main attacker, no matter how fierce the battle is, the tactician Nishen will never be injured, because the president will do his best to protect Nishen."

General Hua Gan recalled: "If Nishen is a [prophet], then the president is just like his [hunter]."

"——A Hunter born to protect the Prophet."

"It was said that everyone wanted Nishen to be the president at first, but he was unwilling and handed the position to the president. He also smiled and said that he believed that the president would be able to lead everyone to the future he saw."

"But the future has not yet arrived." General Hua Gan exhaled and laughed at himself, "The person who gave us the future fled in the middle of the battle."

Spade said calmly, "It's not a fight to escape."

General Hua Gan was stunned.

Spade stared at him without any expression on his face: "Ni Shen is trying to give you the future you want in a different way."

“When you can’t see the future, you can choose to believe in those who can.”

General Hua was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: "That's right, we [villagers] who don't know the truth still have to follow the [prophet's] command."

After saying that, General Hua Gan jumped down from the stool and took the heavy sword of Nishen out of the stove with pliers.

Hua Gan turned the sword over and looked at it for a few times, then dipped it into the water and said, "It's almost done. Spade, where's your broken whip? Bring it over and start repairing yours."

Spade passed over the whip, which was broken into pieces and only had the handle left.

General Hua Gan stared blankly for a moment: "Although I never ask why weapons are broken, this is too outrageous!"

"If you fight with others, you'll be in trouble." Spade explained perfunctorily.

General Hua Gan was stunned: "Is there anyone who can fight like you? The league is about to start, and Ni Shen didn't stop you?"

Spade said expressionlessly: "Ni Shen joined the other side to fight me together."

General Hua: "...Then you must have done something really excessive."

Spade slowly leaned over the back of the stool, rested his chin on the back of his hands, and said, "Yes, so I want to apologize to that person."

Hua Gan looked at him carefully with his whip in hand and said casually, "Then go ahead."

"But Nishen doesn't allow that." Spade slowly lowered his eyelids. "He said that before you figure out why the other party treats you like this, going to the other party will only make things worse."

General Hua Gan nodded in agreement: "That's true. Have you figured it out?"

Spade was silent for a while.

General Hua Gan laughed: "Haven't you figured it out?"

Heitao was silent for a moment before speaking: "I feel like he likes me, but he always feels sad when he sees me, and he always thinks too much."

"I don't understand what he's thinking or what he's sad about."

Hua Gan dipped the handle of Spade's whip into the magma and smiled maliciously: "Love problems..."

"Generally speaking, based on my experience, if you give her what she wants, she will be a little more forgiving of you, even if she doesn't say it. Is there anything she wants?"

Hei Tiao paused for a moment and said, "Yes, a whip similar to mine and an inverted cross."

After that, Spade was silent again: "But I didn't want him to get it, so I ruined everything."

Hua Gan was about to burst open: "Isn't it normal for the other party to dislike you?"

Hei Tao suddenly raised his head and stared at General Hua: "Can you do it? A whip that feels similar to mine."

General Hua Gan was full of questions: "Brother, do you know what grade your whip is?"

"If I could produce whips of your quality, I would have formed a union a long time ago!" General Hua said as he shook the whip in his hand. "Besides, the texture of your whip is the same as the one I have ever seen."

"I can't find this kind of bone in the entire game, nor in reality. I don't know what kind of lizard monster you used as a reference to create such a perverted skill item."

Spade glanced at the whip in the magma and replied calmly, "It's my bones."

General Hua was stunned: "... Didn't you say lizard bones?"

"At first, many people said I was a lizard," Spade replied, "I thought I was a lizard too, so I said I was a lizard bone."

Hua Ganjiang became more and more confused: "...Why do you think you are a lizard?"

Spade recalled: "Because when it came out of the shell, its lower body was a fish tail, but it also had legs. It looked like a lizard when it lay on the ground."

When Spade in the Siren Town was born from Tavier's skin, she had not yet completely shed her mermaid form. Her lower body had a huge fish tail, but her feet slowly grew out of the fish tail. She looked weird and out of place, and almost scared the townspeople crazy.

The townspeople slapped Spade frantically as he stood up, trying to get the "lizard man" to get out.

So for a long time, Spade really thought he was a lizard. When he encountered a lizard in other copies, Spade would even take the initiative to observe and imitate the lizard's movements.

This misunderstanding continued until Nishen entered the killer sequence and sternly explained to Spade that lizards could not play games. Spade then suddenly realized it.

——It turns out that I am a person.

"Can you use my bones—" Heitao raised his head and looked at General Hua, "—to make a whip for Bai Liu?"

General Hua was shocked and rejected it subconsciously: "No!"

Even though his proposal was rejected, Hei Tao still stared at General Hua motionlessly, causing General Hua to walk back and forth several times in annoyance: "No means no, even if you can find a hole in me!"

"Even if I'm willing to help you, players are forbidden to hurt each other in the central hall. I can't pick your bones out. This is the first thing."

Hua Ganjiang turned around and raised two fingers seriously: "Second, even if you enter the game and remove the bones, you can't bring them out to make a whip for me."

"The game can only bring out injuries and game reward items. I haven't heard of anyone being able to bring out their own bones."

"Third, even if you really find a way to get the bones for me, a whip will require at least four to six vertebrae. You need a recovery period after each bone removal and the next one to grow. I can't stay in the Killer Sequence to make whips for you during your bone growth recovery period. The Deer Hunter is also preparing for the pre-league work, so I have to be there."

"In summary, your fantastic plan is not feasible."

"If all these problems are solved, you will help me, right?" Hei Tao looked at General Hua with a very focused and serious look.

This look made Hua Ganjiang speechless for a moment, and he evaded the question: "How do you solve it?"

Hei Tao lowered his eyes and looked at Hua Gan who had pulled out his whip which had returned to its original shape from the stove. The whip was soaked in water and made a slight hissing sound, emitting wisps of white smoke.

Then he raised his hand and bent the back of the neck, and with no expression on his face, he placed the whip against the spine of the neck and slashed it downwards mercilessly.

Blood started dripping instantly, and General Hua Gan looked shocked. Hei Tao slowly withdrew his clenched fist from his back and opened it in front of General Hua Gan.

In the palm of his hand was a bloody spine.

"My whip can tear through time and space, so I can hurt myself in the central hall and remove the bones." Spade said indifferently, "My regenerative ability is very strong. The bones I remove will grow back quickly, and it won't delay you for a long time."

"That's all solved. Now can you make me a whip?"

General Hua's lips were trembling. He was silent for a very long time. He shook his hands and took out a cigarette box from his pocket. He took a cigarette and lit it. Only then did he dare to slowly lower his eyes to the bone in Hei Tao's white palm that was still dripping with blood.

"You... don't feel anything?"

Spade paused for a moment and said, "Yes, I can feel it."

General Hua Gan looked at Hei Tao incomprehensibly: "Then why the hell can you dig out your own bones without batting an eyelid?!"

Spade was silent: "Because I only know that he wants this."

Hua Ganjiang was startled. He remembered what he had just said to Heitao - [Give her what she wants, and she will forgive you a little.]

"If you have to pay such a painful price to give the other party what they want..." Hua Gan sighed with a complicated expression, "Then there is no need to give it to them..."

"Give it to me." Hua Gan took the bone with a cigarette in his mouth. Seeing that Hei Tao started to take the bone again, he turned around and said, "Don't splatter the blood everywhere. Be careful when you take it yourself."

Spade hummed.

General Hua looked at the bone in his hand and took a deep breath: "Damn, what is going on..."

The league day is approaching day by day.

All the guilds were making their final mad sprint. Not only in the game pool, but even in the small TV area, the atmosphere was tense.

The Wandering Circus trained almost day and night, and under the high-intensity training of various games, not only Mu Sicheng was screaming in unbearable pain, but even Tang Erda would sometimes show signs of fatigue.

Maki Sisheng lay on the desk in the lounge of the wandering circus with a look of despair, his eyes dim: "...I am about to experience the most terrifying thing in my life."

Liu Jiayi was speechless: "It's just a preseason game, you weren't that scared before, were you?"

"No." Mu Sicheng retorted with a blank look in his eyes, "It's not just the preseason. I have to go back to school."

Tang Erda lifted his clothes and wiped the sweat off his face. He smiled when he heard this and said, "Is the start of college going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it should have been fine..." Mu Sicheng said sadly, "But I spent the whole last semester playing games, and I failed two courses at the end of the semester! I'll have to take the make-up exams at the beginning of this semester!"

Mu Sicheng grabbed his hair and howled in pain: "And I haven't even started reviewing yet!"

Mu Ke was puzzled from the bottom of his heart: "The college exams are very easy, why did I fail?"

Liu Jiayi scoffed mercilessly: "You are the only one among us who will fail the exam."

Bai Liu, who was standing by, paused for a moment and said calmly, "I've been killed before, too."

In an instant, everyone in the office looked over there in shock.

"What's wrong?" Bai Liu calmly returned these looks, "Is it strange that I failed the exam?"

“My academic performance has always been average.”

Mu Ke recalled thoughtfully: "I remember now. I saw on her resume that Bai Liu's grades didn't seem to be very good. I remember that her college entrance examination score was -"

"485 points." Bai Liu took a sip of water and said calmly, "I remember it was quite a ways away from the first-tier line."

Mu Sicheng was shocked: "Your college entrance examination score is actually more than 100 points lower than mine!"

Then Mu Sicheng quickly fell into complacency, crossed his chest, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Bai Liu with a very provocative smile: "I never thought, I never thought, Bai Liu, you, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, look like an excellent student, but you didn't do as well as me in the exam!"

"Very strange." Liu Jiayi frowned. "Bai Liu's thinking ability and learning ability are both very strong. How could he score lower than Mu Sicheng?"

Mu Sicheng was angry: "Hey--!!"

Bai Liu thought for a moment and said, "When I was in high school, I didn't work very hard, and I wasn't very sensible. I was quite rebellious, and I didn't focus on studying. I only started to study seriously in the last semester."

"When the results came out, I considered repeating the course at the suggestion of Lu Yizhan, but I didn't go in the end."

Mu Sicheng rubbed his hands together with a horrified look on his face. "What's going on? I feel so incongruous when I hear you say you're considering retaking the exam that it scares me!"

Bai Liu glanced at Mu Shicheng and said, "Normally, people would consider retaking a course after failing an exam."

Mu Ke asked curiously, "Why didn't Bai Liu go in the end?"

Bai Liu paused for a moment and said, "Because I have no money. I am over 18 years old and the welfare house has stopped providing financial assistance to me."

Everyone was silent, even Mu Sicheng was stunned.

This reason is really... a little unexpected.

"Although the welfare home also provides educational subsidies for adult children, there are not many places for such subsidies. You need to have good grades or work hard to get it, such as Lu Yizhan. It would be very unfair if someone like me could get it."

Bai Liu sat down on the chair, his expression calm: "Although Lu Yizhan told me to repeat my studies, he would work hard to earn money to fill the gap of my tuition and living expenses after entering university, and then let me pay him back after I get a job, I finally refused."

Liu Jiayi couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Bai Liu raised his eyes and said, "Because I hate high school study life, so forget it."

Wang Shun interrupted the group's chat:

"Everyone, the preseason will begin in one day. Now I want to tell you some important pre-match matters. Then please go home and have a good rest tonight. Tomorrow we will enter the game and officially draw lots for the competition."

"First of all, the main stage of the league is in the central hall. The days of being accustomed to without spectators will soon be a thing of the past."

Wang Shun said sternly, "None of you has obtained a golden ticket to immunity from death. You really need popularity."

"So when you encounter weaker opponents in the preseason, please try to play more entertaining games to attract the audience's attention."

"Secondly, the game pool will be closed to the public soon. According to the practice in previous years, the game pool will be rented out as a private rental venue and will be rented out every day through bidding. The guild with the highest bid on that day will be able to rent the game pool for one day."

Wang Shun emphasized: "Although the league has already started, except for Captain Tang, the rest of you are pure rookies, and the training intensity is far from enough."

"So from now on, not only will you have to participate in the pre-season, but the guild will also actively bid for the rental of a game pool every day. Once you have rented one, please bear with it for a while and continue to train in the game pool after the competition. We must make up for the cost of the rental."

"I have asked Mr. Charles about the expenses for the pool bidding part, and he said he would reimburse it in full."

Wang Shun looked around at everyone and smiled knowingly:

"Finally, I wish everyone a successful start and that all their wishes will be fulfilled."

The night before the league match.

Mu Sicheng was half leaning against the white light of the desk, pouting and lazily holding a pen, scribbling on the textbook with a highlighter from time to time, reviewing the subjects he had to take make-up exams for.

As he was painting, Mu Sicheng's eyes suddenly shifted to the empty bed on the left side of the dormitory entrance.

That is Liu Huai's bed.

Because someone died in the dormitory, other students moved out out of fear. Only Mu Sicheng did not move out despite being advised by the dormitory manager twice, and still lived here alone.

"It's really annoying..." Mu Sicheng muttered to himself, "If you were here, you could draw a picture for me to review the key points."

"You listen to the class very seriously..."

As he was talking, Mu Sicheng scratched his head irritably: "Ahhh! I wish I had only scored 485 points in the college entrance examination that year! I can't do the test questions with my mind full of thoughts about the league!"

Liu Jiayi curled up on the bed, holding a clumsy and ugly doll in her arms. She closed her eyes and read:

"Stupid brother..."

"The Bai Liu you entrusted me to, although she seems to be a bad person, she is very trustworthy."

There were two soft knocks on Liu Jiayi's door. She immediately hid her doll, huddled under the quilt and pretended to be asleep.

The door was slowly pushed open. Xiang Chunhua opened the door carefully, tiptoed to Liu Jiayi's bed, tucked her quilt, touched her head, and then left.

Liu Jiayi slowly opened her eyes, held the doll's hand in the quilt, and said softly:

"I have a very good family now, brother."

"Bai Liu found it for me."

Mu Ke sat on a bench in the hospital and put down the clothes that had just been taken off when he had the electrocardiogram.

The doctor opposite looked at the printed ECG strip carefully for a while and nodded: "Further examination is needed, but your condition has been relatively stable recently. Just avoid strenuous exercise and keep a calm mind."

Mu Ke stood up and bowed politely to say thank you: "Excuse me, doctor."

The doctor smiled and said, "You don't have to be so polite. You have been my patient since you were a child. But Mu Ke, you seem to be in a good mood recently. Did something good happen to you?"

Mu Ke raised his head and smiled: "Yes."

“I met someone who allowed me to exercise vigorously and feel uneasy, but still be happy.”

The doctor was stunned.

Without waiting for the doctor to react, Mu Ke bowed again and said goodbye, then turned around and walked out of the room at a leisurely pace.

As soon as Tang Er came out of the room, he saw Su Yang and a group of members of the Third Team standing in front of him.

He was slightly startled: "What are you doing..."

"Come on, come on, we've settled everything! Let's go have a drink!" The team members rushed over, grinning, "It's been a while since I've had a drink with you!"

Tang Erda was almost at a loss as he held these people down: "What are you doing! I have already left the Heretic Administration and am no longer your captain!"

Su Yang smiled, his eyebrows curved: "Yes, but if you leave, can't we come to you for a drink?"

"We are not here to fight with the captain of the Third Squadron, Tang Erda. We are just here to talk to our old friend Tang Erda and reminisce about the past. Is that not okay?"

Tang Er beat him up, then his shoulders slowly relaxed and he smiled with relief: "Okay."

On the road, Tang Erda and Su Yang walked side by side. Su Yang glanced at Tang Erda and smiled: "I feel like you've changed a lot."

Tang Er paused and asked, "Is there any?"

Su Yang nodded: "Before, I always felt that you were worried, as if you were carrying a lot of burdens that we didn't know about. You didn't want to tell us, and you were very nervous every day."

"It feels like you are protecting everyone within your territory." Su Yang raised his head and exhaled a breath of white air, "but at the same time, you are keeping everyone out of your door."

“But now, it feels like you’ve taken that burden off your shoulders.”

Su Yang turned around and smiled: "I've never seen you so relaxed before. It seems that retirement is really a good thing for a 40-year-old man like you."

Tang Er paused for a moment, then laughed: "Although retirement life also has many uncertainties."

"But the burden was indeed taken over."

Su Yang laughed: "Is it Bai Liu?"

Tang Erda was holding a cigarette, with a faint smile in his dark blue eyes: "Yeah."

In the play pool.

[System reminder: Due to the upcoming league match, the game pool will be closed soon, please evacuate as soon as possible! ]

People kept climbing out of the pool. The game interface that was constantly rotating on the water surface gradually stopped and darkened. The bottom of the water changed from an illusory image to solid ground, with only the swaying and rippling water waves reflecting the dim colorful halo falling from overhead.

Bai Liu stood up from the swimming pool, water dripping from her body.

From now on, you have to spend points to rent here. Although it’s not his money, according to Bai Liu’s basic principle of "If you don’t take advantage of a good opportunity, you’re a bastard", he still trained in the game pool until the last minute.

Now Bai Liu was the only one in the entire swimming pool. Just as he was about to step out, Bai Liu looked up and saw another person.

Spade stood outside the pool, staring at him motionlessly.

Bai Liu stopped walking out and looked directly at Hei Tao.

Neither of them spoke, they just stared at each other in silence.

Hei Tao stood outside the swimming pool, while Bai Liu stood inside. The colorful halos flowed silently over the two people.

The pool, which was once crowded with people, now only had the two of them. But it didn't feel empty at all. An inexplicable atmosphere permeating between the two of them made it hard to breathe.

Bai Liu spoke first, his tone very calm: "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Heitao paused for a moment, then slowly extended his hand to Bailiu: "For you."

Bai Liu lowered her eyes and looked at what was in Hei Tao's hand.

In Spade's hand was a pure white bone whip.

——It is exactly the same as the bone whip that Bai Liu got from Tavel at the beginning.

Bai Liu just lowered her eyes and watched, water drops dripping from her eyelashes and landing in the closed playground, creating circles of colorful halos.

When Heitao saw that Bai Liu didn't take it, he curled his fingers hanging at his side and said, "It's a lizard bone whip with the same strength as the mermaid bone whip you used before."

"Don't you want it?"

Bai Liu was silent for a long time before he looked up at Hei Tao: "Is there only a whip?"

A bowl of spades.

Bai Liu calmly asked back: "You were the one who broke my inverted cross, too. Shouldn't you return it to me as well?"

"The inverted cross..." Spade's eyes wandered for a moment, "...it's not fixed yet."

The material of the inverted cross is so special that Spade drove General Hua Gan crazy but he still couldn't make something similar.

Bai Liu nodded and took the whip: "Is that so? I'll take the whip first. What will you use as collateral for the cross?"

Hei Tao stood in front of Bai Liu like a statue with an expressionless face for a long time.

This guy practically has "I can't think of anything to pledge right now" written all over his face.

Bai Liu closed his eyes and looked away, with a slight smile in his eyes: "Didn't you expect it?"

Spade nodded honestly, then paused: "Is this okay?"

Bai Liu asked, "How is it?"

Spade took out a black marker and explained seriously, "If you really want it now, I can draw one for you first."

Bai Liu: “…”

After logging out of the game, Bai Liu changed out of his wet clothes, walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower and started showering.

Halfway through rinsing, Bai Liu seemed to realize something and he turned his head to look at the mirror.

In the mirror, a very clear inverted cross was drawn in black marker in the middle of Bai Liu's collarbone, which was very conspicuous against her fair skin.

Bai Liu leaned against the cold tiles and closed her eyes. She raised her head and let the water wash over her. She whispered softly, "...I actually let him paint it."

In the pool, after listening to what Hei Tao said, Bai Liu only paused for a moment before simply unbuttoning a button of his shirt and tilting his neck back to expose the skin in the middle of his collarbone, making it easier for Hei Tao to write.

Hei Tao stepped into the pool, his eyes fixed on Bai Liu's heart, and he picked up the pen and began to draw.

Bai Liu looked away: "Who told you to draw if you can't give it?"

Heitao's eyes stayed on Bai Liu's collarbone without fail, and he said as he painted, "The God of Rebellion taught me."

Bai Liu asked softly, "How did he teach you?"

Heitao glanced at Bai Liu and said, "Nishen said that when you can't give someone something for the time being, but you really want to give it to him, you can draw one for him first."

"One day." Heitao returned his gaze to Bai Liu's heart and said in a serious tone, "I will return the cross I broke to you."

"What others can give you, I can give you too."

In the bathroom, Bai Liu buried her face in the bath towel, covered the towel with one hand, and slowly exhaled a long breath.

He kind of regretted letting Spade draw him.

Volume 4: Preseason