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For the first twenty years of his life, Minghao enjoyed affluent living conditions and social resources, and was a typical second-generation rich.
He certainly lived up to the title of rich second generation. His father focused on his career and he did not have the education of his biological mother. From a very young age, he booked out nightclubs, attended cruise parties, raced cars in the downtown area, dated young models, squandered cash, and lived a life of luxury. This is a microcosm of his life in the past 20 years.
But such a luxurious life did not last long. When he was 21 years old, his father's career began to decline.
First, the seventh stepmother took away a large amount of assets. Then, a competitor designed to ruin the group's reputation, causing a billion shares to evaporate. A large-scale accident occurred in the factory where the raw materials were produced, shocking the whole country. Finally, there was a global financial crisis... Under the successive blows, my father's company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
His daily expenses were reduced to a fraction of what they used to be overnight, and his living conditions plummeted.
It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. In order to save face in front of friends, to continue to pick up girls, and to return to his previous circle, he began to sell cars, villas, and yachts, and even haggled with others over the price difference of a few thousand dollars.
One day, a friend introduced him to a higher level circle.
On a beach on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the sun shone brightly, almost blindingly, and the sea breeze tinged with salt. Minghao hesitantly stepped on the sand of this private resort, his eyes flickering with envy for the first time.
Unlike him, a second-generation wealthy nouveau riche, these individuals were all prominent sons and daughters of prominent families, often heirs to century-old family businesses. Unlike him, a scoundrel with a head full of shoddy degrees bought with money, most of them possessed a natural aristocratic temperament. They were self-disciplined, and some even possessed genuine talent. They discussed every investment, and their interests ranged from horse racing, fencing, rock climbing, skydiving, and scuba diving.
Minghao tried hard to fit in, he wanted to get some business resources for his father.
He began to bend down, trying to find something to say whether he wanted to or not. He lowered his posture and kept a fake smile on his face for a long time. He communicated in broken English and French, and kept flattering others.
Of course, it wasn't so easy to force a smile, as there was an invisible barrier between him and them.
It doesn't matter, he can still be a dog, can flatter others, can be the carpet that they step on to avoid getting their soles dirty.
Because he knew that their insignificant donation could help his father make a comeback.
But reality dealt him the final blow.
Kobayashi Nobukazu, who is almost a marginal figure in this circle, lost his ring on a yacht. Minghao, who had only one experience of diving, put on his oxygen tank and jumped into the Tyrrhenian Sea without hesitation to look for the needle in a haystack. He sank to the bottom of the sea for several days in a row to look for the wedding ring.
Of course, the ring was not retrieved, but it moved Kobayashi Nobukazu, so Minghao got the investment from Kobayashi as he wished.
He excitedly called back home to tell his father the news.
When the call went through, he was greeted with a bolt from the blue. The group declared bankruptcy, and his father jumped from the rooftop of the company building to get rid of his worries.
After returning to China, in order to avoid his creditors, he locked himself in a rented house for a long time, numbed his nerves with alcohol, and played games all night long. The desire to continue living gradually disappeared.
Then comes the rebirth and binding game system.
After experiencing death, Minghao regained hope of living. He planned to follow the rules of the game and stockpile supplies on a large scale in the early stage, but now he has become a complete pauper.
He suddenly thought of the people in that circle. They had countless wealth, but soon, no matter how much wealth they had, it would become a bubble. If they could be persuaded to use their wealth to store supplies, that small group of people would have no problem living to old age.
The first person Minghao contacted was Nobukazu Kobayashi, who was willing to invest in him, and he happened to be a player.
"Minghao-kun, I've discovered something interesting. Killing a player grants them their resources, including attribute points and skills. If a player has a first mate, then upon their death, their player identity will be transferred to the first mate." Kobayashi Nobukazu asked, his eyes narrowed. "Amazing, isn't it?"
When Minghao met his eyes, he felt a chill and stepped back unconsciously.
Because he was able to discover this game setting, it proves that he had killed players.
"Minghao, don't be so nervous. There was a problem with the previous investment, but I hope we can cooperate successfully next time." Kobayashi Nobukazu took the initiative to extend his hand.
"How do we cooperate?" Minghao was skeptical, and reached out his hand with a slightly trembling hand to shake his.
Kobayashi Nobukazu said: "The end of the world is coming, and my friends are also very interested in the player identity, so I need your help. You will be the killer and you will become one of us."
There's an invisible barrier between players below level three, a protection period for newbies granted by the game system. Initially, Minghao had trouble finding other players. He couldn't find any information about them online, nor could he find any clues through online users' Weibo or Twitter accounts.
"Minghao, I found that low-level players are protected by the game system, but we can find a middleman to serve as a bridge of connection." Kobayashi Nobukazu said on the phone.
Minghao found his good friend Shi Yi, a brother he grew up with.
"Xiao Hao, you have to promise me that my family and I can stay on the boat." Shi Yi put forward the condition.
"Don't worry." Minghao agreed readily.
Shi Yi's family background was much poorer than Minghao's, but he managed to get into a prestigious university through his own efforts. He was quick-witted and intelligent, and even with just a few details from Minghao, he was able to unravel the details online and find numerous players.
Then the next thing is very simple. Minghao only needs to instruct Shi Yi to send a message to form a cooperative team and trick the players to the location designated by Xiaolin.
As for what happened next, Minghao had no idea.
Kobayashi Nobukazu was a man of his word, and the agreed commissions continued to flow into his account. He frantically stockpiled resources while the monetary system remained intact. During this time, Minghao unleashed his combat skill, [Thunderbolt].
[You have acquired the skill [Thunder·Level A]: After equipping this skill, you can control lightning and deal a critical blow to the target. The power is related to the level of energy stored.]
Minghao tried to use this skill, but no matter how he activated it, nothing happened. He guessed there wasn't enough lightning in the surroundings for him to control, so he found an outlet and placed his palm on it.
Electricity continuously flowed out of the socket, and white arcs lingered on the back of his hand. He did not feel any pain. Under his will, the arcs gathered into a sphere.
He tried to fire, and the spherical electric ball rushed towards the wall at the speed of light. In an instant, the latex paint wall was cracked, revealing cement and bricks, and the entire wall was covered with a large area of burnt marks.
Later, during his conversation with Xiaolin, Minghao accidentally learned that most people in that circle had obtained player status, even if they had never played the "Insect Tide" game.
As for how to obtain it, Minghao thought about it and thought that he should force the controlled players to set them as first mates, and then kill the players, so that the player's identity can be successfully transferred.
Minghao was one of the first players to reach level three. He gathered a group of people for generous rewards, and worked tirelessly at the Zerg Xue point to level up. At that time, the world channel would receive more than ten player death messages every day.
Of course, if Shi Yi helps him find nearby players, he will also try to start hunting, because this can quickly gain experience and attributes and enrich his skill library.
At the same time, he also learned another piece of news from his conversation with Kobayashi Nobukazu: the members of that circle had been relocated to an island in the central Pacific Ocean. The island was the private property of the circle's top figures, and the facilities on the island were already complete. They had even connected artificial floating islands around the island.
The island is hidden, far away from all continents, not on any shipping routes, not at the junction of plates, and it is unlikely to have an earthquake. Even if an earthquake occurs near the island, they can move to the floating island and quickly clean up the insects and blood.
On that island, the defense team is made up of strong men with military backgrounds. The arsenal is fully stocked, countless supplies are piled up like mountains, and luxurious life continues. It is a paradise in the end times.
"Xinhe-kun, when can I go to the island?" Minghao asked.
The scale of the insect swarms around the world was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. While killing monsters, he encountered many dangerous situations and almost died in the insect sea. He longed for a stable environment and dreamed of joining that circle.
"Minghao-kun, have you noticed the skills? The skills in this game are superpowers. They are all very interested and want to have these superpowers, especially high-level superpowers. But you know, there is a limit on the number of times you can buy skill blind boxes, so I need you to take action."
Minghao felt like he had been given a bad check, a check that would never be cashed.
When he thought of the paradise island, he was filled with rage, and [Thunder] was fired from his palm. An ancient tree on the shore that was as big as a man's embrace was shattered directly, and a raging fire was ignited.
But at this moment, a space vortex opened onto his deck, and Kobayashi Nobukazu walked out with a silent big man.
Kobayashi Nobukazu opened his arms and embraced Minghao with a smile, "Hello, nice to see you again, my friend."
Minghao suppressed his anger and dissatisfaction and opened his arms.
The two men embraced each other for business, and Kobayashi Nobukazu whispered softly in his ear, "Minghao-kun, kill him."
Minghao's pupils dilated because besides Kobayashi Nobukazu, the only other person on the deck was the big guy he brought with him.
"Kill him." Kobayashi Nobukazu repeated his previous words, raising his voice a bit, even disregarding the risk of being heard.
Minghao hesitated for a few seconds before activating [Thunder]. The current from the battery in the cabin surged out of the outer shell, and countless arcs of electricity converged in his palm. He drove it with his mind, and the electric sphere fired at the speed of light. The big man witnessed his series of actions but did not react at all.
His head was instantly shattered by the thunder, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
Subtitles popped up in front of Minghao.
【You killed the character [Kim Hyo-il]. 】
[You have acquired the skill [Space Warp - Level A]: After using this skill, you can open a wormhole to warp to any coordinate within a range of 500 kilometers (Note: This skill consumes a lot of energy, please keep it at full energy before use. Overuse will cause irreversible damage to yourself)]
"Minghao-kun, this is a gift I prepared for you. With it, you can go anywhere in the world." Kobayashi Nobukazu patted Minghao's shoulder and calmly wiped off the blood splattered on the sleeve of his white clothes. "When you finish your work, I will tell you the coordinates of Paradise Island."
Then the S1 season began.
On the first published leaderboard, Minghao first set his sights on Hailan, the top player on the list, and Cx330, who had just killed the public enemy of all players. He believed that strength and skills were completely linked.
But just staring at them was useless. He couldn't determine the opponent's location. They were not like those naive players who revealed too much information on social media.
He tried to join Cx330's alliance and applied to "Hailou" to get closer to this player, but the other party ignored him completely.
Minghao turned his attention to Hailan and several other players whose points remained at the top. He was waiting for them to earn enough gold coins to create a new alliance. As long as he could team up with them, he would be able to know the coordinates of more players.
After the start of Season 1, players on Paradise Island also wanted to gain points. Of course, they didn't need to do it themselves. They sent out obedient characters to help them kill monsters and get experience and gold coins.
During the season, player Hailan, just as Minghao had envisioned, created a second alliance, "Hu Ben." The requirement for joining was simply to be in the top 50 of the standings. Minghao was ranked 39th at the time, fully qualified for membership, but he hesitated. He noticed a special benefit of the alliance: damage immunity between allies. He feared joining the alliance might become a shackle for him. While he was hesitating, "Hu Ben" quickly filled up.
A few days later, Kobayashi Nobukazu contacted him again and brought him into a new alliance.
Minghao was ecstatic, believing he'd finally been accepted into Paradise Island. But he soon discovered that, aside from Kobayashi Nobukazu, the other players in the alliance weren't exactly in that same league. Many of them, like Minghao, were marginal figures. Their combat power was similar, and Minghao felt unprecedented competitive pressure.
And Nobukazu Kobayashi is the leader of their alliance.
In the same alliance, they can team up to kill monsters, and because the alliance special effects can increase additional income, they also began to explore the use of teleportation skills to transfer refugees to gain points.
But their greater focus is still on other players' useful high-level skills. When chatting in the world channel, they will find ways to obtain other players' skill information and find out their coordinate information without leaving any trace.
However, ever since the Player Enemy incident, few players would be stupid enough to reveal their coordinates on the world channel.
One day, the player Hailan announced on the world channel that she had acquired S-level magical skills.
At the same time, Kobayashi Nobukazu, who was also in the alliance, posted a task in the channel: kill the player Hailan and seize his S-level magical skills.
Faced with the top player who ranked first in the standings and possessed S-level skills, everyone including Minghao himself hesitated. They didn't know his background and there was a high probability that this was an assassination attempt from which there would be no return.
Minghao made up his mind and spoke in the alliance channel.
[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: I want to try
[One Sword to Cut the Azure Dragon (Lv3)]: Minghao-kun, I was right about you.
Minghao breathed deeply and clenched his fists to encourage himself. That was an S-level divine skill. He had to seize this opportunity and give it another try!
[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: When?
[One Sword to Cut the Azure Dragon (Lv3)]: The time is tentatively set for the early morning of the day after tomorrow.
[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: What should I do?
[One Sword to Cut the Azure Dragon (Lv3)]: What you have to do is very simple, just take action, take action decisively, and then don't think about anything else, I will help you to deal with the aftermath perfectly.
Minghao barely slept for the next few days, nightmare after nightmare waking him up. He mentally prepared himself a thousand times, then waited minute by minute for that moment.
[Slash the Azure Dragon with One Sword (Lv3)]: Lord Minghao, our people have infiltrated the Huben.
[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: Are you a player?
[One Sword to Cut the Azure Dragon (Lv3)]: No, not the player, not the player's character, he is just a survivor who was rescued by Hailan and put on his refugee ship yesterday.
[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: Then how do I contact him?
[One Sword to Cut the Azure Dragon (Lv3)]: We can't contact you. The network signal has been paralyzed all over the world, but we still have a working satellite in low-Earth orbit, and it carries a satellite positioning device.
In the large empty hold of the third-level refuge ship, the diesel generator made a deafening sound of working, and the converted electrical energy continued to flow into the battery, and then from the battery into his palm.
The electric ball in his palm grew bigger and bigger, arcs flashed, and a crackling sound was made, and energy was constantly accumulating.
In fact, it doesn't take so long to accumulate strength to kill a person, but a sense of fear is at work. He is afraid that something might go wrong in the middle of the process, so he must accumulate strength to the limit.
On the fourth-class refugee ship "Wuweiying", Li Youan suddenly left the cabin and ran quickly towards the tired-looking captain Chen Hailan.
When Chen Hailan was wondering, a space vortex suddenly appeared behind him, and a huge ball of electric light hit him at close range with lightning speed, instantly blowing his entire body into ashes.
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