“Wow, you managed to reach the later stages of the Intermediate Level Game instance in such a short time, that’s impressive! Truly, you live up to your reputation.”
In that moment, Lu Qingjia even thought the other person was simply expressing admiration and envy. Looking back on his feelings afterward, he felt so embarrassed he wished he could just disappear into the ground.
Because he had casually replied, “It’s not that exaggerated; mainly, I play the Game quite frequently. But since this is already the later stage of the Intermediate Level Game, you’ll soon be able to advance to the Advanced Zone.”
However, the other person responded with a naive expression, “Eh? I’m already a high-level Player, and at the administrator level. It’s just that I entered an instance, so the difficulty has been raised to the limit of the Intermediate Level Game.”
“But don’t worry, I’m just here to find something and won’t participate in the clearing, nor will I hinder you from obtaining rewards. Rest assured.”
Lu Qingjia’s body stiffened, and for a moment, he almost couldn’t maintain his composure. He looked at Ouyang Bai in disbelief, not knowing how to react.
In the end, he swallowed his embarrassment and asked with difficulty, “You, you are the lucky person?”
Ouyang Bai thought for a moment and nodded, “Hmm, it seems quite a few people call me that.”
Excitedly, he continued, “Really, although it might not be appropriate to say this, it’s so great to meet you in the Game.”
“I don’t know why, but no one wants to be friends with me. Those who know me avoid me, and even those who chatted happily with me before turn cold once they find out who I am.”
As he spoke, his little face looked so wronged he was about to cry, “Am I really such an annoying person? In reality, I have a great social life.”
Ouyang Bai grabbed Lu Qingjia, “You wouldn’t be like that, right? We were once close buddies who shared the same pants; you know what kind of person I am.”
Lu Qingjia’s expression was almost splitting apart. The ‘lucky person’ was information he had pried from Zhong Ye.
According to him, among the current administrators, there were nicknames like ‘Mermaid’, ‘Fake Celestial Master’, ‘Data Emperor’, ‘Big Spender’, ‘Two-Headed Snake’, ‘Lucky Person’, and Zhong Liyu himself.
However, that guy had always refused to reveal his nickname.
Some of these nicknames were limited to their upper management, while others had more impressive titles outside, and some were consistent both inside and outside.
‘Lucky Person’ was one of them.
According to Zhong Liyu, although ‘Mermaid’ was currently the most popular and favored by the Game, the one to be most wary of was still the ‘Lucky Person’.
That was truly a combination of countless fortunes, a person who was cruel and hypocritical, always wearing a harmless smile while secretly causing harm, making it nearly impossible to guard against.
The most disgusting part was that after torturing enemies to the point of being unrecognizable, he could still shamelessly feign concern and comfort, and many people had literally died from anger because of him.
Due to his twisted style, Players of the same level were wary and disgusted, and those who saw him smile would retreat. Some enemies even committed suicide when facing him.
Indeed, sometimes, committing suicide was even the best outcome; ‘Smiling Tiger’ was not enough to describe the danger he posed.
Of course, all of this was extracted from Lu Qingjia’s understanding of Zhong Liyu’s attitude, but he never expected that the terrifying ‘Lucky Person’, who took pleasure in mentally torturing enemies, would be this guy, Ouyang Bai.
The Game was a big melting pot, capable of amplifying the ugliness of human nature and causing people to lose themselves within it.
But Lu Qingjia had known Ouyang Bai before everything began. He trusted his judgment, just like those scammers who initially planned to cheat him out of money but, when caught, claimed he was fishing for evidence and felt horrified by his concern.
Lu Qingjia suspected that either Ouyang Bai had experienced hardships in the Game and completely turned dark, or if that wasn’t the case, it was indeed possible that it was all a misunderstanding.
He took a deep breath and smiled at Ouyang Bai, “Let’s have dinner together later; I have a lot of questions I want to ask you.”
“Sure, sure! Don’t be fooled by my appearance; I have plenty of experience in clearing instances.”
Lu Qingjia smiled awkwardly, as by this time, many people in the classroom had already left their seats.
Based on Lu Qingjia’s performance and his enigmatic style, even if they weren’t Gold-digging players, no one believed he was a good person.
A few men who were clearly Gold-digging players approached Lu Qingjia, openly trying to recruit him.
The leader, a bald man, said, “Bro, how about we form a team?”
He glanced at a few conspicuous Hunter Players eyeing them and sneered disdainfully—
“In front of a smart guy like you, I won’t beat around the bush. You’ve seen the attitude of those things. With your free-spirited style, they’ve probably already seen you as a thorn in their side.”
“Rather than being targeted everywhere and possibly ambushed, why not come to our side? I can tell you don’t seem like someone who follows the rules blindly.”
Lu Qingjia smiled, “It’s not impossible, but are you sure you want to team up with me? Other Players are minor issues, but Teacher Ji is clearly targeting me. Aren’t you afraid of getting caught in the crossfire?”
The other party laughed, “Since we need your abilities, we naturally won’t push the risks onto you. There’s no such good deal! We people in this line of work value rules the most.”
Lu Qingjia seemingly nodded in satisfaction, “Alright, I appreciate your straightforwardness.”
“But once the cooperation is established, I’m afraid the Game will arrange a series of customized packages for me in the next round.”
This meant he would also be included in the Hunter Players’ kill list.
In fact, Lu Qingjia was very clear about the Gold-digging players’ plans. It was simply that his presence was currently the most noticeable, and he looked quite capable, with an air of self-importance.
Bringing him in would not only provide support but also serve as a glaring target to attract most of the firepower, plus draw out some Players who had yet to determine their stance.
Their calculations were quite good; they figured Lu Qingjia was aware that this would raise his hatred value significantly. If he didn’t want to be targeted by everyone and wanted to eliminate the threat first, he would have to choose a side.
Sure enough, Lu Qingjia did not disappoint them and asked, “Since I’ve chosen this path, I must consider the future.”
“I assume you all are not nameless in reality. I’m still inexperienced and haven’t found my own circle, so I can’t talk about opposing the Game.”
“If you really have sincerity, why not share your backgrounds in reality? It would prove that you’re not just using me as a shield.”
This request was quite reasonable, but, “You wouldn’t be unaware that even if we laid our cards on the table, once we’re out of the Game, we’d still be forgotten, right?”
Lu Qingjia smiled mysteriously, “Coincidentally, I have a way to break through; it just depends on whether you’re willing to accept it.”
The six exchanged glances, communicated silently, and nodded at Lu Qingjia.
One by one, they introduced themselves: “Deputy leader of XX Gang in City C.”
“Leader of XX Society in City B.”
“Leader of XX Gate in City S.”
“A person from City H, I’m embarrassed to say, my brothers and I have no power and prefer to act alone.”
After two more introduced themselves, the six of them revealed their backgrounds. At this point, there was naturally only one choice left.
However, Lu Qingjia scoffed, “All of that is fake, right?”
The six were momentarily taken aback, and then he continued, “Of course, it’s not necessarily all fake, but the city you’re from, or the gang name, or even your names—at least one of them must be false.”
“Either it’s all fake information, or it’s wildly inaccurate. Even if I get out, I’d be running around in circles, or you’re just trying to mislead me by mentioning the names of rival forces, right?”
Seeing they had been exposed, the six didn’t feel embarrassed and just laughed, “Bro, we understand. After all, real backgrounds require deep trust. If we attract outsiders with ulterior motives, it would be a meaningless disaster.”
“If this cooperation goes well, there will still be opportunities to connect with you in the end.”
Lu Qingjia revealed a rather strange smile, and Ji Ye, who hadn’t left the podium yet, suddenly burst into laughter.
At that moment, the class bell rang unexpectedly, but the timing was off because the bell had already rung before class ended. Even if it was the bell for the next class, the time interval was wrong; only a few minutes had passed, definitely not ten minutes.
Ji Ye spoke from the podium, “Why is the teacher still standing in the classroom? Because class has just ended.”
He then showed a regretful expression, “The teacher even hinted at it in his words.”
Everyone looked up at the clock on the wall, which showed a time several minutes ahead of their phones.
This was the only reference for time in the classroom, and there had been no anomalies before the first half of the class.
Unless there were particularly observant Players or those sensitive to the passage of time, even if some Players sensed something was off, they didn’t make it known due to their positions and plans.
Clearly, these Gold-digging players were not among them.
If there were Players with the ability to see through things, they would discover that a hair was wrapped around the clock’s hands.
That hair was slowly accelerating the hands’ movement in a way invisible to the naked eye, not fast, just a few minutes ahead.
A similar method manipulated the class bell to ring at the same time, making most people believe class had indeed ended after the event had been resolved.
Lu Qingjia showed a sinister smile to the six, “What was the rule for this class?”
“Absolutely no lying.”
“Unfortunately, you all lied before class ended.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the six Gold-digging players, filled with panic and resentment, exploded into six bloody flowers.
The author has something to say:
67+: Am I the only one around here who is a loser?
