Chapter 28: The Shura Field

“Should we contact him?” Zhang Hengheng asked.

“Let’s form a team.” The buzz-cut youth fiddled with his phone. “In his physical condition, and having only survived his first novice instance, he’s in too much danger alone in this Normal difficulty quest world. Not to mention, it’s not just the two of us here; there are other players. His identity is special. If he dies in this instance world, we, being the last people to meet with him, will definitely get into trouble.”

Zhang Hengheng shrugged. “If you want to save him, save him. If you want to team up, team up. No need to find excuses. You already told him your real name, so who are you trying to fool here? A [Guide Flag] costs 500 points, a [Unity Badge] is 200 points. Use whichever team item you want. If you don’t have enough points, I’ll lend you some. I’ll just follow your lead.”

The Guide Flag and Unity Badge were both game-specific team-forming items, requiring Level 2 permissions or higher to exchange.

The Guide Flag essentially allowed a team leader to lead multiple members into a squad. The leader holding the Guide Flag possessed the highest authority.

A basic Guide Flag could reveal the specific locations and life/death status of all team members within a five-hundred-meter radius in the same instance, and also transmit simple messages.

The Unity Badge leaned more towards a team of equals. Each member needed to hold a Unity Badge from the same set to form a small squad, allowing them to check each other’s locations and life/death status, as well as communicate with squad members within a hundred-meter range.

However, both the Guide Flag and Unity Badge had significant limitations. Spending several hundred points was no small amount. Using them in a Normal-level instance was practically wasteful, and few players could afford them.

Ying Zixin pursed his lips. “No need. I have an extra Unity Badge.”

“Big spender, just giving away 200 points like that.” The baseball cap leaned forward, forcing the buzz-cut youth to meet his eyes. “Could it be that this Alice is your childhood crush? Unrequited love in your youth, only able to watch from afar. Now this mysterious game has changed both your circumstances. The boy who silently protected from behind in those years has finally become a powerhouse player on one side, able to stand openly before his frail, sickly crush, shielding him from the world.”

“…?”

The buzz-cut youth was stunned for a full three seconds before rolling his eyes. “Shut up. I really don’t know him. He just looks familiar.”

“Getting back on topic, we need to find him first before we can give him the Unity Badge. The longer it takes, the worse it is for him.”

“Fine, fine. Familiar, he’s familiar. The kind of familiar where you’ve seen him somewhere but just can’t remember.” Zhang Hengheng yawned. “Then let’s deal with what’s right in front of us first.”

Ying Zixin spun around abruptly and spotted a figure in an old-fashioned floral dress, three meters away, hidden in the darkness. It was unknown how long it had been watching them.

“You’re a bit dirty.” Yin Luo looked at the mannequin that had been placed outside for so long and slightly turned his head away from the hand.

If that unlucky Zhang Hengheng were still here, seeing this scene, his mind probably wouldn’t conjure up images of a frail childhood crush. More likely, his mouth would immediately start spouting nonsense about an arrogant noble son whom no one could approach, only chase after his fleeting back.

“So don’t touch me.” Frost Silk had already silently crept onto the plastic wrist. As long as it made a single move, what would be severed would definitely not be that spider-silk-thin greyish-red blood thread.

He wanted to see whether the inside of this thing was cheap hollow plastic, or flesh and blood.

The corner of the young man’s mouth curled up. He only needed a slight movement of his fingers…

“Watch out!!”

Suddenly, a tremendous brute force slammed into him from behind, simultaneously sending the offending plastic mannequin flying and shattering it into a pile of broken limbs.

Yin Luo had absolutely no defense. The Ice Blood Threads were an instantaneous killing technique—how could they block such an unreasonable frontal assault? Without any ability to resist, he was knocked to the ground, rolling three times. His wheelchair flew even further, crashing into a pile of shelves.

“Why are you still frozen in shock? Your mental fortitude isn’t up to par.” The speaker had a loud voice. Even when suppressed, it still boomed like a great bell, rumbling outwards in all directions, as if a single word from him could disperse any lurking demons and monsters. “Get up. Those things seem to be gradually coming to life. We need to move.”

“…Lei Jue, I think whether his mental fortitude is okay or not, his physical body might really be about to give out,” a female voice that had followed him over stated.

Yin Luo was on the ground, his clean clothes now stained with dust and grime. Fortunately, the innocent Little Bear had ended up beneath him, cushioning the fall and reducing the impact.

He tried to push himself up with his elbows, but his burdensome body dragged him down. Several attempts to stand failed. All he could manage was to brace himself on the ground and kneel upright.

He lowered his head. A blood-like crimson crept into his eyes. The soul-deep Corpse Frost Power invaded his blood, bones, and muscles, as if it wanted to break free of this human shell and reveal its true ghastly nature.

He admitted, for the first time, he truly wanted to kill someone.

“Ah?” The newcomer was startled. He pinched the young man’s chin, pulled aside the mask, and immediately shoved a small red pill into his mouth.

“Cough, cough, cough… hack…” Yin Luo nearly choked to death. The murderous intent in his heart intensified another level.

Lei Jue was somewhat embarrassed. “Are you okay?”

“I think he was okay at first, but he isn’t now,” the female voice remarked.

“Stop thinking! Lin Rudong, quickly think of a solution! I don’t want to kill anyone!”

Lin Rudong was a young girl wearing a tracksuit. She leaned closer. “I think… he looks a bit familiar…”

Yin Luo no longer had the strength to speak. He held Little Bear tightly in his arms, his eyes lowered, looking pitiful and utterly helpless.

But on the ground where he was in contact, grey frost, blending into the darkness, was condensing into a cobweb-like network. It was also like lurking venomous snakes, creeping slowly towards Lei Jue’s position.

Bastard.

Even if this person didn’t die, he would make him suffer the same pain.

As long as his Ice Threads could touch him, he could…

“Stop! What do you think you’re doing?!”

In the next second, another blast of wind shot forth. Lei Jue, his senses incredibly sharp, dodged by tilting his head instantly.

Lin Rudong was even faster. She had already pulled a great distance away, frowning in deep thought nearby.

“Yin… Alice, are you alright?!” That gust of wind was none other than Zhang Hengheng. From a distance, he saw Yin Luo severely injured, his wheelchair nowhere in sight.

The sickly young man was hanging his head, surrounded by two unfamiliar players, looking as if he might meet his end at any moment.

Zhang Hengheng didn’t even think. First, he hurled the playing card he had randomly grabbed to clear a path, then launched his entire body forward on the wind. He scooped Yin Luo up in one swift motion, quickly pulling him away from the battlefield.

“Duck!”

Only then did Ying Zixin, who was slightly slower, catch up. He and the baseball cap shared perfect chemistry. Seeing the standoff, he immediately understood. Instinctively, he threw a small silver object.

“Is that… a battery?” Lin Rudong, having the best eyesight, was first stunned, then her expression drastically changed. “Fall back! Quick!”

BOOM!!

With a deafening blast, that tiny battery exploded like a bomb, releasing massive energy and flames. The shockwave shattered all the debris, forcibly clearing out a large open space.

Under the cover of the firelight, Zhang Hengheng regrouped with Ying Zixin and carefully placed Yin Luo on the ground, his voice tinged with worry. “Are you alright?”

Alright?

Yin Luo’s eyes were nearly tearing from the smoke.

He was now too far from his frost, the connection severed, unable to maintain control. Trying to strike at that new enemy again in front of so many people would be extremely difficult.

The fires from the explosion had even accidentally ignited parts of his clothing. Even though they were quickly put out, he now looked not only filthy but also slightly charred.

Bedraggled, despairing, utterly disheartened.

Yin Luo hugged his knees, unwilling to say a single word.

He understood now. He was definitely incompatible with fire.

From now on, all those who played with fire were his mortal enemies.

Seeing his silence, Zhang Hengheng and Ying Zixin grew even more worried. Their hatred shifted onto the two figures opposite them.

“Are you sick?!” Lei Jue touched his now-frizzy hair, furious, wanting nothing more than to charge over and fight.

Ying Zixin didn’t reply. He threw another similarly scavenged small battery. “Thunder Blast.”

A single small battery became the medium for lightning. Another earth-shattering boom echoed. The entire floor was illuminated. Several plastic mannequins hiding in the shadows were caught in the crossfire and blasted flying on the spot.

Zhang Hengheng looked at the two opponents, who seemed to have sustained only minor injuries, and realized they were no pushovers. Still, he firmly shielded Yin Luo behind him. “You hurt my teammate, you won’t get off easy either!”

“Who hurt him?! We were saving him!” Lei Jue shouted back.

“We saved him, you’re the ones who hurt him!” Zhang Hengheng roared back even louder.

“Bullshit!”

“Wait, I think we might know him,” the tracksuit girl, trying to halt this senseless war, quickly interjected.

“Don’t try to trick us!”

Another series of explosions and firelight flared.

Opposite them, the last two of the seven quest participants watched this scene from a distance. One voiced their confusion. “What are they doing?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re completing the quest?” The other answered with an admiring tone. “Survival quests are all about survival. Doesn’t that just mean if you kill everything that threatens you, you survive?”

The two individuals were one standing and one sitting. The one standing was a man in a white suit, handsome features, his temperament as gentle as jade, looking as if he were about to attend a high-class banquet.

The one sitting was a girl, big-eyed with delicate, graceful features. She wore a trendy hoodie with a short skirt, but her demeanor was far from demure, carrying a hint of willfulness.

“It won’t be that simple. It’s not even midnight yet. The real survival part probably hasn’t even started,” the suit-wearing man said.

The girl in the short skirt swung her calves back and forth, not taking it seriously. “It’s a simple-level Reality Quest. How bad can it be?”

“Don’t be careless. We triggered this Reality Quest this time, after all. There’s bound to be some specific targeting against us.”

“Hah, yeah, quest triggerers.”

The girl hopped off the display counter, instantly losing her composure and jumping in anger. “This game must be on its last legs, data completely corrupted! We just passed over Rongcheng on a plane! PASSED OVER! And it says I triggered a Reality Quest?! Ha! What a way to trigger a Reality Quest!”

“I just glanced at an ad for Rongcheng’s Dome Mall from the plane! JUST GLANCED AT AN AD!! And it says I triggered a Reality Quest—a Normal difficulty Reality Quest! And I have to survive until dawn? Isn’t this just wasting my time on purpose?!”

The girl plopped her butt down on the floor, completely disregarding her expensive skirt, appearing utterly dejected.

She spaced out for a moment, then spat out three powerful words. “Your mother’s.”

He Yaokun quickly grabbed her. “Man Yue, don’t curse. The floor is dirty.”

“None of your business.” Man Yue rolled her eyes dramatically. “If it’s dirty, why didn’t you put something down for me to sit on? Just talking is useless. Couldn’t you take some initiative?”

He Yaokun sighed. “I was afraid if I acted first, you’d say I was meddling.”

“Oh, is that so? He Yaokun, impressive. Daring to talk back to me today, huh?” The girl rested her chin on her hand, shifting her gaze to the tall man standing beside her.

The man in the suit replied, “I didn’t.”

“It’s fine. I’m complimenting you.” The girl simply lay down flat this time, and just happened to see a plastic mannequin crawling on the ceiling above her like a spider, its joints twisted unnaturally.

She didn’t react in the slightest, still pondering random things. “Don’t you think one of those five people over there looks very familiar?”

“Which one?” The man in the suit also looked up. Without any visible movement on his part, the mannequin, its head twisted 180 degrees, instantly shattered into countless pieces that rained down, considerately avoiding the area where the girl lay.

“If you’re asking like that, you definitely don’t remember.” The dazzling firelight didn’t affect Man Yue’s vision. She looked at the dark-haired boy huddled in the corner and said softly, “His name is Yin Luo. I have quite a strong impression of this little kid. He’s Jing Song’s younger cousin. He was four or five grades below us. We used to attend the same school.”

“A strong impression?” He Yaokun also looked over.

“I thought you’d ask about Jing Song,” Man Yue said, turning her head and smiling brightly. “Yep. After all, he was the only person back then who thought my singing sounded good.”

“Your singing?” The man in the suit hesitated. “…And didn’t I always praise it as good?”

Man Yue said, “Can your insincere praise compare to his genuine appreciation? This proves he and I share the same taste. We’re the same kind of people.”

He Yaokun’s smile faded. “You like him?”

“Yeah, I like him quite a bit. Who wouldn’t like a pretty junior who calls them ‘Senior Sister’?” The girl cupped her cheek, seemingly reminiscing. “Too bad…”

“Too bad what?”

“Not important.” Man Yue waved her hand dismissively. “Just remember he’s my junior.”

“In that case, he’s my junior, too,” He Yaokun declared, raising an eyebrow.

“Ha.” Man Yue sneered, fully aware of his intentions.

She looked at the farcical scene unfolding across the way and silently repeated the word in her heart: “Too bad.”