Chapter 214
Upon seeing Captain Xu and the others, the surviving players from the Central Continent region were incredibly excited: "You'd never guess who we just saw—it was Xie Xubai! Xie Xubai was in this dungeon! Xie Xubai!"
I expected to see Captain Xu and the others looking shocked and envious, but to my surprise, they were all quite calm.
The person who spoke paused for a moment, then said, "Haven't you heard of him? He's Xie Xubai, the mysterious deity who's so powerful he can change the system rules, is related to the various dungeon kings, and can let people clear dungeons directly!"
Captain Xu exchanged glances with the others, his smile amiable: "Xie Xubai? Of course we know him, but before that, we have a question for this young man."
"—So you're the ones who stole our teammate's car?"
The person: "..."
Five minutes later, almost all the survivors who had failed to escape were caught by the fiercely protective members of the elite group and made to apologize to Yan Chuyi and the others.
No one expected that after such a long period of disorder, they would be able to relive the fear of being "kindly" greeted by the head of the teaching department. They were all left dizzy and disoriented by what he said.
Before I knew it, the logistics staff had persuaded me to sign up and register, and everyone was put into one team.
It was certainly a pleasant surprise that they didn't have to fight each other, but what shocked them even more was that when the two sides exchanged information, they learned that Team 333 had not only encountered Xie Xubai at the beginning, but also had a legitimate member in the team.
So far, all the dungeons that Xie Xubai has appeared in have been successfully cleared, and the appearance of his companions provides an even greater safety net!
With one player in this challenge being a [9], perhaps they won't have to live this nerve-wracking life anymore soon!
Looking at the cheering crowd, Yan Chuyi couldn't help but smile, wondering if she had entered another realm and her mindset had changed.
A fervent gaze seemed to drift from behind, never leaving him ever since he heard that the man was a relative of Xie Xubai.
Without turning her head, Yan Chu calmly asked, "That classmate who's been spying on me, do you have any questions for them?"
Now that she had been discovered, Xu Qingran decided to stop hiding and walked over to introduce herself openly: "Hello, Xu Qingran."
She showed the back of her hand to Yan Chuyi: "Does having this emblem mean that I have become Xie Xubai's kin?"
Just now, the golden light of blessing fell on the back of her hand and turned into the emblem of a chosen one.
Xu Qingran, who had once seen a similar emblem on a god-level player, could hardly believe her eyes. Her mind was still blank, as if she were dreaming.
Xu Qingran appeared calm, yet a strong sense of unease emanated from her. Yan Chuyi paused slightly and raised her hand as well: "Yes, look."
Upon seeing the golden emblem appear on the back of the young man's hand, Xu Qingran held her breath and carefully compared them. After discovering that the two emblems shared the same divine power, she exclaimed, "They really are the same...!"
In an instant, it felt as if a huge rock had fallen to the ground in her heart. Tears welled up in Xu Qingran's eyes, and she quickly pressed them down with her hands to keep them from falling. She murmured, "So He really didn't abandon me."
Yan Chuyi actually felt somewhat guilty towards the only girl who hadn't been stingy with her kindness back then.
At that time, he pretended to take good care of Xu Qingran, but in reality, he wanted to use her as a breakthrough to infiltrate the player team and rescue Ping An.
Unexpectedly, Xu Qingran was murdered because of her being harassed by a madman, and was subsequently subjected to ridicule from the audience, almost causing her to lose her spirit.
He was afraid that the other person would get into trouble again because of him, so he used cognitive interference on the Blessing Light Group. As a result, Xu Qingran misunderstood and was rejected again, falling into deep self-doubt.
Fortunately, the matter was resolved peacefully.
But problems soon followed.
Who exactly removed Xu Qingran's cognitive interference?
Yan Chuyi then asked, "Actually, Xie Xubai..."
Xu Qingran was trying to calm her excited heart when she heard this and reflexively said, "As a family member, isn't it inappropriate for us to call the contracted deity by his name?"
Yan Chuyi changed her tune: "Actually, it's thanks to the gods..."
Xu Qingran: "No, that won't work either! You have to address him as 'My God' like the other family members do, that's the only way to be formal."
She leaned close to Yan Chuyi and whispered earnestly, "I previously received a commission from a top guild. The intelligence indicated that our god is likely a newly emerging deity. His grand appearances in front of players several times were all to collect faith. As his followers, we are essentially his representatives and his face. We must not tarnish his reputation!"
Yan Chuyi: "..."
To be fair, the intelligence gathered by those top guilds is quite accurate.
Xu Qingran's eyes were bright, as if she would keep persuading the young man until he agreed, as long as Yan Chuyi refused.
Yan Chuyi decided to put her shame aside for now and readily changed her tune: "Actually, my god has a question for me to ask you: Have you ever been with anyone who seems unusual before?"
Xu Qingran decisively replied, "Yes."
Where she pointed, the madman lazily carried his scythe, his eyes fixed on the same necklace around Brian's neck, seemingly exchanging information about the case in a friendly manner: "What a coincidence, brother, what crime have you committed this time?"
"..." Yan Chuyi's eyebrows twitched. "I want to thank you. The one my god wants to ask is not him."
"I have been traveling alone and haven't come into contact with anyone. If the person my god wants to ask isn't a madman, then it can only be my mission target."
Xu Qingran looked at the emblem on the back of her hand, and when she thought of Lilith, she couldn't help but frown.
Since we know that Xie Xubai was not indifferent, it is not difficult to deduce that a certain condition needs to be met before activating divine power.
It seems like she was just lucky and accidentally triggered this condition, but upon closer inspection, the timing of Lilith revealing Xie Xubai's blessing was far too coincidental.
If she hadn't known that the ball of light was Xie Xubai's blessing, she wouldn't have lost control of her emotions at that moment, attacked the control panel, caused the train to crash into the giant centipede next to it, thus triggering a series of events that led to Xie Xubai's arrival.
Actually, upon closer reflection... that is the Astrologer, who wields one of the four divine tools of destiny. Could there be any coincidence in her words and actions?
"I only realized she was gone after I landed, and I didn't even notice."
Xu Qingran: "My intuition tells me that the nostalgic tone in Lilith's voice when she mentions my god is not fake."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have let her guard down so easily.
These words served as a reminder to Yan Chuyi.
Perhaps that person really is someone I knew in a past life.
I just don't know if they're allies or enemies.
.
After resting for about half an hour, the group set off again.
Since there weren't enough carriages, the remaining players simply sat on top of the train, secured with ropes, so they weren't afraid of falling off.
After careful consideration, Yan Chuyi and Brian decided to continue using the barrier to isolate themselves. They had a player make a small cart, which they tied to the back of the train to control its speed as it moved forward.
Team 333 has now grown to over 300 people, and it's estimated that several teams combined might not have as many members as they do now.
According to the map, the next stop is the final destination: the Game Kingdom.
Waaah—
The engine hummed, the wheelsets rolled onto the track, kicking up dust, and the view gradually opened up.
As the train traveled for a long time, the black tower that had stood on the horizon seemed to have truly come closer to them.
Because of the closer distance, the entire tower appears even taller and more majestic.
It's no exaggeration to say that its horizontal span almost occupies the entire field of vision. Compared to it, a person is like an ant facing a towering tree. No matter how hard they try to raise their gaze, they can't see the end.
Countless players were so nervous that their palms were sweating.
That's probably what oppression feels like; they have this feeling that once they enter this black tower, they'll never be able to escape, even if they die.
The investigator's eyes widened suddenly, and he shouted urgently, "Something's wrong! It looks like a cliff ahead!"
There was indeed a cliff ahead.
Between the land and the Black Tower lies a sheer cliff, seemingly several hundred meters high!
Captain Xu decisively ordered the car to slow down, and then suggested, "The Black Tower is just ahead. Let's get out of the car and see if we can use a flying device to fly over there."
"No, Captain Xu!" a player shouted anxiously, "The system has indicated a special map where no skills or items can be used!"
Then came the devastating news from the driver's cab: "Captain, we can't slow down or brake! The train seems to be affected by an abnormal magnetic field and has gone out of control!!"
Before the words were even finished, a loud bang rang out, and the train wheels scraped against the steel rails, sending sparks flying. The violent shaking caused people inside and outside the train to tumble over, and those on the roof nearly fell off. Looking up in panic, the scenery on both sides rushed past—the train was actually accelerating!
A system notification sounded.
[Ding! The train is about to arrive at its final stop. Please prepare yourselves.]
The next second, a track without any supports and completely suspended in the air appeared above the dark cliff.
It looks dangerous, but there's no escape now.
Captain Xu pushed through the crowd and rushed to the back of the vehicle, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Yan Chuyi, come back quickly! All the skills and items are unusable, and leaving them hanging outside could cause an accident! And everyone on the roof, get in! If there's no room, squeeze in! Don't let anyone fall behind!"
Although the cart had railings, they were shallow, and Yan Chuyi was almost thrown off when the train accelerated.
Brian grabbed the man without even bothering to steady himself. He heard the young man say decisively, "I can still use my divine power. I'll throw you onto the roof first, and then you can use the rope to pull me over."
Brian, suddenly enveloped in golden light, was then hit in the face by a sandstorm: "Whattttttt—!"
*
The cloaked figure in the ink-wash space, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and stared at Xie Xubai with an enigmatic gaze: "Interesting."
Xie Xubai keenly noticed that the cloaked man's tone had changed.
The cloaked figure prepared to make a move, but this time it didn't simply draw a piece from the vast collection of chess pieces.
Strands of black and red spiritual energy surged from his sea of consciousness and gathered in his palm.
The giant fish, which had been happily waiting for its feast with its mouth agape, suddenly sank into the water, creating a huge splash, as if it were afraid of something and was reluctant to resurface.
This was the first time Xie Xubai had ever witnessed the cloaked man's spiritual power.
Spiritual strength is the manifestation of the soul; its underlying nature is constant, but it is not immutable.
The surging spiritual energy before him was mixed with overwhelming hatred and resentment, as thick as asphalt. When it pulsed, even the air became thin, as if looking at it for too long would infect and mutate him, turning him into a vengeful ghost.
Even when facing hundreds or thousands of vengeful spirits in the ancient town of Hongyin, Xie Xubai did not feel such intense negative emotions. What kind of identity and experience could forge such a chilling spiritual power?
He couldn't even describe the sense of familiarity these spiritual forces brought him, and he found himself faintly resonating with them.
Xie Xubai frowned: "What exactly are you..."
In the blink of an eye, a dark and cold chess piece solidified in the cloaked man's palm.
A crimson mist of blood emanated from the surface of the chess piece, as if it had just been dissected from a corpse.
—Just like Xie Xubai before, he was refining his own divided soul into a child!
The pain of splitting one's soul and refining one's offspring is unimaginable to ordinary people, but the cloaked man acted as if it were as easy as eating and drinking. Either he couldn't feel the pain, or the pain was just a normal part of his life.
“I suddenly thought of a more exciting way to play this game, but your memory is recovering too slowly.”
The cloaked figure slammed down a chess piece and said with a forced smile, "Let me help you out for now, Xie Xubai."
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