Chapter 25 The Devil's Fragile Pride
When the makeshift troupe saw Lu Mingang stop him, his movements rough and his eyes fierce, they had a bad feeling. But the fact that it wasn't Old Shen who was looking for them made them breathe a sigh of relief. They cautiously asked, "Brother, what do you want with me?"
Lu Mingang didn't reply to him, but stared coldly at him, preventing him from leaving.
He only returned after calming his mind and confirming that everyone around him had left.
Upon seeing Shen Dixin, the makeshift troupe understood everything. Their faces contorted in shock, and they forced a dry laugh, saying, "Gentlemen, we were blind and offended you. We'll take you back and get you some apologies, okay?"
As she spoke, she quietly moved to the side, only to be picked up and pulled back by Lu Mingang like a chick.
"Please, I promise I'll watch what I eat from now on..."
"I've already apologized, can't you just let me go? I didn't cause you any losses, why are you still holding this grudge against me!"
Seeing that the two remained unmoved, the makeshift troupe panicked, their faces contorted as they nearly lost their composure, and they rattled off a string of words, practically begging her on their knees.
He appeared humble and subservient, but secretly thought to himself, "Women are all soft-hearted. I'll deal with this for now and get away with it. There will be plenty of opportunities for revenge later!"
What a heartless bastard! He hoarded so many supplies, isn't he afraid of getting bloated? He just wanted a piece of the pie, and before he even got a taste, he came knocking. His heart is as small as a needle!
A surge of malice raged within the makeshift troupe member's chest, but he dared not truly turn against Shen Dixing, feeling so frustrated he almost collapsed.
Not to mention the tall and burly helpers standing next to him, he couldn't beat Shen Dixing even in a one-on-one fight!
After they started smashing the eggs, the makeshift team naturally learned that the sea monsters had similar physical abilities to ordinary players, and that Old Shen could actually kill those monsters with a single strike.
Is this something he can contend with? The makeshift team shuddered.
Shen Dixin smiled gently, but the words she spoke were anything but gentle.
"We're all friends from the same area. I didn't mean to do anything. I'll just beat you up. You won't die."
They spread rumors about her and ruin her reputation every day. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll think she's made of paper!
She put the knife away and rolled up her sleeves.
"Ah!! Ah—"
The screams of the makeshift troupe echoed across the island, drawing the attention of passersby with pale faces. A row of seven pale-faced men squatted in the distance, watching intently, their expressionless faces revealing a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
The makeshift troupe's eyes were like they were poisoned, and they hurriedly lowered their heads. Lu Mingang caught this scene.
He gently kicked the half-dead troupe member lying on the ground, then turned to complain, "Dixin, he glared at you."
Shen Dixin was quite interested and wanted to lift him up to continue playing, but the man fell down again as if he had no bones.
"You're not convinced?"
"No...no." The amateur troupe member's disheveled hair covered most of his face, and his voice was hoarse from shouting earlier.
Shen Dixin only intended to teach him a lesson. She could tell at a glance that he was nothing more than a stray dog, the kind of person who would never get up again after being beaten into the mud. Offended, so be it; there was no need to risk his life further.
Although they looked pitiful, the injuries of this makeshift troupe were painful but not serious. They would recover with rest and might not even need medication. Injuries sustained while surviving at sea wouldn't significantly affect their activities.
She took a picture of the makeshift troupe with bruises and posted it in the chat channel.
AAA Materials Wholesaler Lao Shen: Here's a quiz with a prize: Does anyone know who this is?
"Stop playing dead. Record an apology video and post it in the chat channel, then I'll let you go. Just behave yourself from now on."
Shen Dixin believed she was very tolerant of those who offended her, but the amateur troupe didn't think so.
His resentment burned fiercely, and his obstructed vision was filled with hatred.
He activated the video recording function, feigning a sincere apology, but actually waiting for an opportunity to calm his mind and ignore him.
"We're all human, why do you think you can step on my head? Go to hell!"
The makeshift troupe shouted in broken voices, like the most annoying rooster at six in the morning.
A grenade appeared out of thin air in his hand. He shakily pulled the pin and lunged at Chen Dixin.
Shen Dixin reacted quickly, realizing something was wrong, and kicked the makeshift troupe away with a powerful kick to their chest.
Why is it a grenade? This kind of weapon is at least purple grade and has great destructive power. What incredible luck did he have?
The grenade exploded quickly, and a blinding white light flashed through the air.
Even though Shen Dixin was moving very fast, she couldn't avoid being affected and was slammed against the wall. She covered her head and squatted down, feeling a little dizzy.
Fortunately, he was not seriously injured. After all, he lacked practical experience and didn't know to hold the grenade in his hand for a little longer. When Shen Dixin discovered it, there were still three or four seconds before it exploded, giving him ample reaction time.
Lu Mingang didn't react in time and was also thrown away by the shockwave, landing with a thud next to Shen Dixing.
Feeling dizzy and disoriented, she scrambled to her feet and cried out, "Dixin, how are you?"
Chen Dixin was speechless and choked with emotion. "Stupid," he thought, "there's someone right behind him!"
"I'm fine, how about you?" Shen Dixin asked with concern, not forgetting that Lu Mingang still had a debuff.
"Fortunately, we should be able to make it through today."
Having recovered some health from the arena earlier, Lu Mingang's health is still quite good. Both of them have high physiques, so the aftershock of the explosion that caused them to lose forty or fifty points of health is nothing.
"This person is too crazy, how could they carry out a suicide attack?" Lu Mingang was still shaken, looking Shen Dixin up and down, afraid that the person had been seriously injured.
It's unclear how the situation suddenly changed; it's like someone suddenly pulling out a knife during a street brawl.
"It must have hurt his fragile self-esteem," Shen Dixin said with a dark face.
At first, he tried to take advantage of her but failed, so he chased after her like a mad dog, his relentless persistence was something she really couldn't understand.
Shen Dixin felt a little annoyed. If someone else had brought the grenade to her at the last second, they would have been half-dead or dead.
She realized that she had been too hasty this time, and that she could not rely on her opponent's mistakes to achieve success.
They didn't even think twice; they either eliminated the problem completely or used other means of intimidation. What's a beating compared to that?
She pursed her lips. The smooth sailing she had experienced since her rebirth had blinded her, making her less vigilant about anything.
A few days ago, Shen Dixin would never have acted so recklessly and disrespectfully, even if the other party seemed brainless.
Before entering the world of survival at sea, she was just an ordinary college student. A year of intense training only allowed her to master survival skills and adapt to life in the game.
In terms of temperament, he is ultimately not as steady as a seasoned veteran who has been navigating the social world for over a decade.
Just because you've been reborn doesn't mean you can treat yourself like God's favorite daughter. You need to be more observant and thoughtful, and be careful in everything you do while trying to survive at sea!
Shen Dixin said to herself, and only after reviewing the events did she realize how dangerous the situation she had put herself in was, and she broke out in a cold sweat.
Coming to her senses, Shen Dixin noticed the system notifications that had just popped up; a long string of them had appeared in just a short while.
[Player clears level 2 humans, reward 15 experience points.]
[Congratulations, player! You have triggered the talent effect! Gain 3 experience points!]
[Congratulations on reaching level four! You are rewarded with 2 free attribute points!]
[Congratulations to the player for obtaining the unique title "Demon," which is unlocked by gaining experience from killing other demons. While equipped, it increases experience gained from killing creatures by 10%.]
Although the makeshift troupe was theoretically killed by their own explosion, since others had attacked them, it didn't count as suicide. The kill was attributed to Shen Dixin, who had taken away a significant portion of their health.
Shen Dixin was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized that although the way to obtain this title was a bit of a pain, its effect was like adding wings to a tiger for her.
She astutely deduced that the first player to kill a human should also have a title, but it was clearly overtaken by other players.
Encouraging the fighting... Shen Dixin felt a mix of emotions. In her previous life, she wasn't a monster hunter, and the first time she eliminated a player was a few months later.
She walked over and picked up the things on the ground. The makeshift troupe had been completely erased by the system, with only a few scattered materials remaining.
There weren't many items, just five or six iron nails and iron blocks.
One of the wooden necklaces caught Shen Dixin's attention. It was a unique item that would always drop when a player was eliminated in the game, and this pine cone must be it.
【Item Name: Hand-carved Pine Cone】
Item Quality: Gray
[Item Description: A pendant with a unique fragrance, its surface coated with tree resin, which will not seep in and rot even in the sea.]
Shen Dixin casually hung the pine cone around her neck, most likely as a token, so that someone would see it in order to trigger the quest.
Seeing that she looked unwell, Lu Mingang awkwardly tried to comfort her, "Dixin, he... only has himself to blame. Don't overthink it. Let's go back."
Shen Dixin had long since outgrown the feeling of being saddened by eliminated players, but when she met that concerned gaze, she nodded gently.
Level 5 unlocks new titles and system rewards, but the required experience points have more than doubled. The experience bar is now 26/8000, and it would take three or four days to accumulate that amount just by fighting sea monsters every day.
Meanwhile, the chat channel was buzzing with discussion about the half-finished video released by the drafting team. His apologetic apology, looking like he'd been beaten up, already conveyed a lot of information.
The apology was cut short halfway through, leaving much to the imagination.
Wind Came By: So the God of Wealth is settling scores with people offline? I agree, that's so satisfying! Let's see if they dare to spread rumors again.
Darwin's Effect: @AAA Supply Wholesaler Lao Shen, how do I meet other players? Looking for methods, willing to pay!
Strawberry Jam: Can you guys message the amateur group? Why does it show that their account has been deleted [image]? It can't be what I'm thinking, can it...?
The flood of messages paused for a long time before someone finally spoke up.
The wind came: Did he just die like that?
Wind Came By: @AAA Materials Wholesale Old Shen, did you kill someone?
Qin Guan: No way... We just had a little disagreement and argued for a bit.
The atmosphere suddenly became silent and tense, as if all attention had fallen on Shen Dixin.
Shen Dixin rested her chin on her hand, wondering if she should explain herself now that she was about to become the villain. But this seemed to be a good thing; hadn't everyone been much more polite to her now?
Even if she didn't do it, and even if it was a murder due to a conflict of interest, it's a common occurrence in the struggle for survival at sea.
Everyone on this channel seems too friendly and idealistic; the harmonious atmosphere surprised Shen Dixin. Was it because she was protecting him? What a strange change.
Lu Mingang's eyes were red with anger as he kept muttering, "Dixin was clearly only acting in self-defense. He blew himself up. How can you blame us? Dixin wasn't a bad person..."
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