Chapter 21 The Infinite Boss Invites You to "Eat Melon" 21. Because...
Liu Xian didn't actually want to reveal himself.
But the boss spotted him immediately and accurately. If he didn't confess and be treated leniently, he would be severely punished for resisting.
Of course, Liu Xian also considered the possibility that the Boss might have just glanced at him unintentionally and didn't actually know he was there. As long as he didn't come out, he wouldn't be discovered.
After all, aside from their team using some kind of mysterious object to ensure cooperation and locate him, Liu Xian had only ever seen Pei Yanzhi, who controlled spatial power, in all this time, and who was most likely to capture him in a single encounter. None of the others, whether dungeon bosses or S-rank players, possessed such means.
But this sense of luck only lasted for three seconds.
Soon, Liu Xian sensed that the effects of his special ability seemed to be rapidly diminishing.
Lu Yu's gaze seemed to grow increasingly deep and terrifying.
Liu Xian dared not deceive himself any longer. He gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and revealed himself. It was better to come out voluntarily than to anger the Boss and have him dragged out personally.
He thought he was hiding it well, and was secretly watching Sun Meng make a fool of himself!
Liu Xian met Lu Yu's gaze and felt like crying.
"Hidden Ghost?" Liu Xian's sudden appearance startled Sun Meng out of his thoughts. He paused for a moment and shouted out Liu Xian's player code name.
He did want to call Liu Xian by his name, but most players who weren't close only knew each other's code names and didn't know each other's real names.
"Dream Beast!" Liu Xian didn't know whether Sun Meng's revelation of his identity in front of the Boss was intentional or unintentional, but regardless, it didn't stop him from daring to retaliate and call back.
Lu Yu, sitting between the two of them: "..."
"Looking at it this way, my title 'King of Natural Disasters' sounds pretty good, right?" Lu Yu couldn't help but say to the gossip-eating system in his mind after hearing the two titles.
The gossip-eating system: [?]
So you care about this, host?
The Gossip System: [How did the host know that they were being spied on and monitored by the players?]
Lu Yu paused for a moment: "I don't know. But if I were a player, as long as I had the means, I would definitely spy on and monitor the Boss to know myself and my enemy."
"I was just trying to bluff and pretend, but who knew someone would actually show up."
The gossip-eating system: [...]
Lu Yu said, "But I feel that this hidden ghost wasn't entirely tricked out of me."
"By some twist of fate, there's a high chance he mistook me for someone else. But he's an S-rank player, after all. He wouldn't just be scared out of his wits. There must be another reason why he's convinced I've discovered him. If he continues to hide, he might anger me, while revealing himself would bring more benefits than harm."
The gossip system paused for a second, then displayed new text: [Congratulations, host, on unlocking new content for the entry "The Self You Don't Know," titled "The Power of Rules—Destruction!"]
Destruction, one of the world rules and powers controlled by the host, evolved from the host's former special ability "Catastrophe". It can destroy all things and suppress everything.
Currently sealed, it cannot be actively destroyed, but it is not entirely passive. To a certain extent, it will be affected by the host's subjective consciousness. It can suppress and eliminate the extraordinary abilities of all living and non-living beings that are close to or concerned by the host, including the player's special abilities.
The fragments of divinity return to their rightful place and awaken, breaking the seal and releasing power...
No wonder.
Lu Yu scanned the new content of the entry and suddenly realized that the Hidden Ghost's initiative to reveal itself was indeed influenced by him.
Unlike purification, which is so passive, destruction still involves some degree of active consciousness...
Lu Yu's mind raced, and many ideas began to emerge.
Lu Yu's communication with the gossip-eating system was brief, maybe half a minute at most. But to Sun Meng and Liu Xian, that short time felt like an eternity—enough to watch their lives flash by three times. They had both heard Lu Yu say he wouldn't kill them, but they still couldn't help feeling uneasy, not daring to take it all seriously.
Seeing that Lu Yu had seen through the players' surveillance with a single sentence and then pinpointed Liu Xian with a glance, and then leaned back in his chair expressionlessly without saying a word, the two of them became even more uneasy. They subconsciously wanted to swallow and tremble, but they were afraid that the noise would alert Lu Yu and bring about some bad consequences, so they both froze like wooden sticks, unable to move at all.
The small backstage corner had a rather heavy and eerie atmosphere, resembling a tomb for a moment.
As soon as Lu Yu moved, the folding chair beneath him made a soft creaking sound.
Something was broken, and Sun Meng and Liu Xian's hearts clenched instantly.
Lu Yu's voice rang out: "I know you're watching."
He repeated his words as if to emphasize something, then a playful smile appeared on his lips: "It's alright, go ahead and look, go ahead and spy. Some things are more interesting the more people know. I look forward to the day you discover the truth."
Players who were watching from afar or nearby felt a chill in their hearts when they looked at Lu Yu's smiling face.
Sun Meng opened his mouth: "Mr. Lu, what you mean by game pollution..."
Lu Yu lowered his eyes: "Get lost."
Liu Xian seemed to be resurrected from the dead, regaining his breath and instantly being launched out.
Sun Meng promptly shut his mouth. Breaking the dream control over his old colleague wasn't something he could do in a short time; for now, he could only manipulate his colleague to stand up and walk outside. Once outside the shed, his colleague's steps quickened, and soon he vanished like the wind.
Lu Yu's expression remained unchanged as he swiped his phone screen and started another game.
The Gossip System: [...Has the second stage of the host's "pretending to be something he's not" plan come to an end?]
Lu Yu was displeased: "What do you mean by 'pretend fiercely' plan? System, I'm warning you again, don't give my plans random nicknames. This is a very classic empty city strategy."
The gossip-eating system paused for a moment, then said: [So, in this classic empty city stratagem, what persona did the host create for themselves? This system feels that the host's behavior just now was a bit abnormal, somewhat strange.]
“No, this is not the persona I created for myself, but the identity introduction you gave me,” Lu Yu calmly fired his gun, chanting in his mind, “‘My apparent identity is an ordinary human, an office worker, but my true identity is a near-god who controls the power of rules, the fearsome King of Calamities, and the incomparably domineering final boss.’”
[...]
The "gossip system" was speechless, forming a string of ellipses that had been used too frequently recently.
The ellipsis hovered in the air for a moment before transforming into other text: [The S-rank players won't just give up like this.]
"But the fear of being suddenly struck by the terrifying and mysterious dungeon boss in their eyes, and the secrets that may contain terrible truths such as 'Blue Star Players' and 'Game Pollution', are enough to hold them back for a while," Lu Yu said. "This empty city tactic is just a delaying tactic. It is unlikely that they will retreat."
"If the previous segment went well, most of them should be able to stay quiet until at least tomorrow afternoon."
An S-level player's rise to this point isn't based on brute force, nor is it possible they're completely ignorant of Blue Star and its pollution. His mysterious and ambiguous words will inevitably draw their attention and scrutiny, giving him a chance to see which players might be willing to join his ranks.
The Gossip System: [So, what does the host plan to do tomorrow night? With the deadline for the first divine fragment lore approaching, some players will definitely take the risk.]
“I used to really enjoy studying magic,” Lu Yu said. “When they come, I’ll treat them to a little magic show. It’ll be the final piece of my empty city strategy.”
The gossip-eating system: [A little magic trick?]
Lu Yu noticed the system's interest and, without keeping it in suspense, gave it a brief explanation.
The trick is that tomorrow night, before the players make their move again, he will choose something that hasn't been explored by the players and make it disappear under their watchful eyes, pretending that this thing is a fragment of divinity that he has absorbed, so that they will think that the current mission is over and there is no need to search for and fight for it anymore.
As for why the illusion wasn't created that the divine fragments had been stolen by a player, the answer is simple: being stolen and being fused are two completely different things.
The former is highly suspicious, and players' first reaction will definitely not be to believe it. After all, it is not easy to snatch a divine fragment from such a powerful boss in their eyes.
Moreover, the fact that the god fragments were stolen by players does not mean that the matter is over or the mission is over. On the contrary, it may lead to more trouble. For example, Lu Yu, whose fragments have been stolen, is he angry or not, and does he take action or not? If he gets angry and takes action, will he be exposed?
In short, it's very difficult to handle; the more Lu Yu thinks about it, the more headaches he gets.
The latter, where the fragments of divinity are fused together, is much easier to handle.
Having obtained what he wanted so easily, this big boss certainly wouldn't get angry or take action; instead, it solidified his image as a master strategist. Players can't snatch it anymore; the fragments are gone, the story mission is over, and the only way to see the fragments again is to kill him, but they clearly don't dare to do that right now.
Once the driving force is gone, everything naturally comes to an end.
Simple and effective, it is the best approach.
Of course, even the best strategy can't be completely flawless, and it can't fool all players, but it can buy time. With his status as the final boss, even if some players don't believe the fragments have been fused, they will still hesitate and wonder if this is some new trick he's using to deceive them.
In short, Lu Yu once again marveled at how useful his impressive array of identities was, in moments when he needed to "put on a show."
The Gossip System: [The host's plan is excellent, but it's not entirely without danger. If anything goes wrong, and the players discover the host's true situation, realizing that the host is just an empty shell without any initiative to attack, they will come after the host...]
"Before today, I was worried about this and always carried around my cheesy radio drama speaker. But now, I know about the existence of 'Destruction,' and even if I can't use it actively, I can still consciously influence it. If they want to attack me, how can they possibly do it?"
"These strange creatures are useless. Extraordinary abilities can be suppressed or eliminated. Are they going to engage me in a primal, passionate brawl?"
Lu Yu smiled calmly: "I studied Sanda and Tai Chi sword for seven years. I can't use any extraordinary methods to deal with them, but it won't be so easy for them to deal with me either."
If the scenes of near-gods, calamity kings, dungeon bosses battling players weren't set against an independent starry sky, crisscrossing elements, and raging natural disasters, but instead featured a chaotic melee on a curb...
The gossip-eating system quickly withdrew its worries and dared not speculate further.
After playing five or six games backstage and briefly organizing his materials and drafts, Lu Yu finally made it to the end of the third day of the music festival.
After that, it was no different from the previous few days: taking the subway, buying late-night snacks, staying up a little late at home, and then going to sleep.
Everything was peaceful.
As Lu Yu had predicted, this calm continued until the fourth night.
On the fourth day, Lu Yu did not see any familiar faces or figures all day.
It wasn't until around 7 or 8 p.m., after the music festival had completely descended into the frenzy of its final day, that he vaguely sensed something unusual stirring within him.
Lu Yu glanced at the paper work card that the players had never successfully touched, and planned to find a place to perform his little magic trick in a while.
Just as I was thinking of an opportunity, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.
Lu Yu looked down and his gaze froze.
Pei Yanzhi: [I'm not working overtime today. I'll go to Huanhua Lake Park to see you and pick you up after work. I bought a ticket for today's music festival.]
Lu Yu stared silently at the message for a few seconds before moving his finger: [The music festival ends at 9:30. Isn't it too late to come see the performance now?]
Pei Yanzhi: [It's not too late. I didn't want to see the performance; I wanted to see you. But since I didn't have any complimentary tickets from family members, I could only come under the guise of seeing the performance.]
The message arrived along with a cat-shaped emoji with a pouty mouth.
Lu Yu was at his wit's end.
He could only type: "Let me know when you arrive, I'll meet you at the door."
Pei Yanzhi: [Okay, I'll be there in about half an hour, bringing you some good food.]
Then there was no further news; he probably went out to get his car.
Lu Yu put away his phone, checked the time, and began to pack up.
He first washed his face and shaved his beard, then used his colleague's perfume, his colleague's mouthwash, and the hairspray from the makeup artist who was on good terms with his colleague. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair, and finally pulled out a spare shirt that he always carried with him because he hated the smell of sweat, and put it on neatly.
Colleague Number One watched as Lu Yu transformed from a 99-point handsome office worker into a top-tier, super-perfect handsome man, shedding his office worker image. He couldn't help but ask from the bottom of his heart, "Old Lu, Brother Lu, President Lu, what are you doing? Why are you dressed like this all of a sudden... Are you a guest at the music festival today?"
The long-sleeved shirt was too hot, so Lu Yu adjusted the cuffs and rolled them up slightly: "Didn't I tell you? My boyfriend is coming."
"I think you're not going to see your boyfriend, you're going to debut as a celebrity," colleague number two commented in astonishment.
"Aren't you making a fuss over nothing?" Colleague Number Three, who was also the old colleague who had been controlled by Sun Meng's dream yesterday, spoke calmly. "In five years, there have only been two times when President Lu dressed up like this: once a few days ago when he was on a date with his boyfriend, and once today when his boyfriend picked him up from get off work. A debut or anything like that isn't worth President Lu making such a big fuss about. Only love can make a tired old office worker so radiant and full of energy!"
"Get lost."
Lu Yu ignored them, glanced at the time, left the backstage area, and walked out.
Parking at Huanhua Lake Park is already difficult, so Pei Yanzhi had to park his car nearby and walk a bit to get there.
Lu Yu arrived at the music festival entrance ten minutes early. He looked around, bought a bouquet of elegant flowers, and found the most distinctive street lamp, standing beneath it like a runway model.
The S-rank players, still unwilling to give up and secretly spying, were speechless.
For a fleeting moment, they wanted to grab Lu Yu by the shoulders, shake his neck, and loudly ask him what kind of bewitching potion Pei Yanzhi had given him. Was this the same person who had so casually manipulated the players yesterday, exuding a dangerous and mysterious aura as the final boss?
“Terrible,” Lao Bai finally agreed with Liu Xian’s assessment of Pei Yanzhi, “Extremely terrifying.”
“Pei Yan hadn’t made a sound for the past few days, but now on the last night, he suddenly appeared. What exactly does he want?” Lin Xiaoman scratched her head with a serious expression.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Ji Chengchuan, under the protection of his admirers, secretly sneaked into the music festival. Although his heart was completely consumed by the "divine fragments" and the "must take a gamble," he couldn't help but ponder when he saw the images of Lu Yu transmitted by the strange object: "A honey trap? What if the boss likes someone like Pei Yanzhi..."
Lu Yu, under the streetlight, was unaware of what the players were thinking, because Pei Yanzhi had already arrived.
A note from the author:
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My next story in this column, "Vicious Pheromones," is coming soon! Please add it to your favorites!
[Unconventional ABO, B-type top, O-type bottom, numerous personal interpretations.]
*Lightweight Version*
Since a statement he made in public was distorted into "disliking omegas and wanting to marry an alpha", Major General Xie, a beta of the Federation's honor, has been caught in a matchmaking dilemma where neither cats nor dogs like him.
Until one day, he received a letter from a boy who claimed to be his love rival: "You vixen, come to the woods after school and get a beating!"
Major General Xie straightened his uniform and gladly accepted the invitation.
However, what was supposed to be a good fight inadvertently brought out his "love rival's" hot streak.
Qi Chenxing: Help, help me, instructor...
Xie Qing: Who is the vixen?
Qi Chenxing: I am... I am, okay?!
Xie Qing thought it was an unintentional accident and quickly forgot about that day.
Little did he expect that from then on, the stickiest little sticky rice cake in the entire Federation would stick to him.
Qi Chenxing: Today, the vixen also wants a kiss!
Xie Qing: ?
*Serious Version*
The transition between the old and new star calendars signifies that past civilizations have been buried, and the new world promised by the Beidou Federation has officially begun.
In this world, steel bridges spanning the stars connect seven planets, and silver-fish-like fleets guard the fortresses; eerie forbidden zones devour wastelands, and pheromones manifest as bizarre armor; the chosen ones, known as messengers of the gods, walk the land, spreading the so-called doctrines of the gods.
Xie Qing emerged from the old planet and became a glorious star whose name is known throughout the Big Dipper.
And in one night, they fell into the dust.
—A fake rival, a true lover.
—B-type top, O-type bottom.
—The two main characters are more growth-oriented and each has their own flaws, and none of the other characters are perfect either.
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