If Lu Qingjia at this moment were likened to a porcelain vessel, it would be one that instantly shattered into countless pieces, with even the faint sound of cracking audible.
As his body crumbled, blood oozed from the myriad of tiny, ubiquitous wounds.
Despite Lu Qingjia’s Celestial Bloodline possessing an astonishing ability to heal, it was powerless against these widespread yet shallow injuries.
Zhong Liyu’s pupils contracted as he hurriedly attempted to heal Lu Qingjia, but even his abilities proved largely ineffective.
Seeing this, Lu Qingjia, who had initially planned to use his time reversal ability to revert his body to a state before the injuries or even before he had acquired the God Envoy’s bloodline, abandoned the idea.
After all, even if he could decisively discard the hard-earned enhancements to his abilities, he lacked the confidence that the effects of reversing his body’s time would surpass those of Zhong Liyu’s intervention.
A problem that even an administrator couldn’t solve was clearly not just a matter of severe injury.
Just as Lu Qingjia was suffering, so was Lu Qingzhou, who would be unable to recover his full strength in the short term.
This must be a backlash involving the highest rules.
Lu Qingjia suddenly understood what Lu Qingzhou had meant.
He looked at the other man and said, “You’ve been guiding everything from the start? My encounter with the God Envoy in the exchange student instance wasn’t a coincidence at all.”
Lu Qingjia had suspected this before, so he wasn’t surprised.
Lu Qingzhou smiled, “After foreseeing that you would be the biggest obstacle on my path, I knew it was destined.”
“I frequently let that fool into the competition because I believed fate would lead you to discover something through him. I had hoped that, given your state, you might just take care of that idiot for me.”
If Lu Qingjia were someone driven by impulsive hatred, whether in the exchange student instance or in Infinite City, dealing with the God Envoy would have been killing two birds with one stone for the Trickster.
First, the death of the God Envoy would eliminate a weakness of his, with no responsibility attached. Second, Lu Qingjia would likely have taken the bracelet containing his uncle’s items. Whether to test the bracelet’s abilities or the temptation of the Celestial Bloodline itself, there was a high probability he would seize it.
After all, it was a top-tier bloodline that could elevate even mud beyond ordinary standards, making it hard for anyone not to be tempted. And unlike Items, bloodlines, at least for now, unless they have inherent flaws, seem unalterable.
However, Lu Qingjia had never considered the God Envoy a threat; such a character wasn’t even worthy of being a temporary outlet for his hatred.
Of course, after entering Infinite City, he quickly discovered the anomalies and thus had no reason to move against the God Envoy. Keeping such a character who could conveniently explode was something Lu Qingjia hoped for more than anyone else, hoping the God Envoy would remain alive and well before that.
Zhong Liyu looked at Lu Qingzhou, and in an instant, he appeared right in front of him.
With one hand clutching his neck, while Lu Ji, standing beside him, turned his palm into a blade, pressing it against Zhong Liyu’s back as he attacked Lu Qingzhou.
Seeing this, the three Players attempted to use Lu Qingjia to coerce Zhong Liyu, but Ouyang Bai’s released aura rendered them unable to make any move.
Suddenly, the living room was no longer filled with its previous false warmth but became tense and anxious.
Zhong Liyu said, “Lift the curse, or you’re dead.”
Lu Qingzhou smiled, “See, even as an administrator, there are things beyond your control.”
“Like how you’ve always let Jiajia do as he pleases, confident you could handle the fallout, but the reality is, none of us are as omnipotent as we think.”
As he spoke, he touched Lu Ji’s arm, and without doing anything, Lu Ji slowly withdrew his finger from Zhong Liyu’s back and sat back down.
Lu Qingzhou said, “Don’t worry, Jiajia won’t die anytime soon, after all, I don’t want to end up with a mess on my hands.”
“I just need his soul to guide me.”
Zhong Liyu didn’t hide his killing intent, “I said, you’re full of it.”
Lu Qingzhou shrugged, “Don’t think that because I’m speaking calmly now, my feelings are any different from yours; we’re both pushed to the brink, helpless.”
“So I hope you can understand, this is a threat with no room for compromise, no possibility of evasion, even if you were to snap my neck.”
Zhong Liyu’s hand almost tightened several times, as compared to his build, Lu Qingzhou seemed too delicate and fragile.
With just a bit of force, he could separate this guy’s head from his body.
But then Lu Qingjia spoke up, “So the reason you had the impostor send me so many high-level Items as compensation was to cover up the issue with the Celestial Bloodline?”
Lu Qingzhou didn’t respond, but the answer was obvious.
Lu Qingjia expressed some regret, “I just threw them all at Zhong Ye without using them, what a waste.”
Lu Qingzhou said, “It’s not Mr. Zhong’s fault for not detecting it, it’s one of my rule-based skills, capable of imposing rules on things within a fair and reasonable range.”
Just like Ouyang Bai’s ability to glimpse the heavens, the rule-based skills possessed by administrators are unique and somewhat close to the laws of nature.
“Before I bestowed the Celestial Bloodline upon the God Envoy, I edited a rule into it.”
“Those who seize the bloodline cannot harm the original holder’s life, and if violated, will suffer the same backlash.”
This rule isn’t exactly tyrannical, logically it’s quite moderate, even in terms of outcome, it protects the Player’s life—stealing without killing, so the rule easily passes.
Thus, even an administrator cannot reverse it.
Lu Qingjia smiled, “No wonder you’ve always been on the defensive, you had it all planned out from the start.”
The Trickster wasn’t being passive; everything was within his expectations.
Lu Qingzhou nodded, “So what’s your answer? Agree to go with me to find A Ji?”
This confirmed that Lu Ji’s soul hadn’t disappeared, but had cut off all contact with the outside world, unwilling to receive any salvation.
The Trickster’s original confidence wasn’t unfounded.
The instinct to survive is human nature, and Lu Ji wasn’t a person with self-destructive tendencies. So generally, after death, no matter where the soul is, there’s always a longing for life. This is the basic condition for resurrecting a person.
If a soul after death doesn’t encounter any accidents, it will go to where it’s supposed to be, but if it’s simply staying in the afterlife waiting in line for reincarnation, with Lu Qingzhou’s abilities, Lu Ji would have been resurrected by now.
But he couldn’t find Lu Ji’s soul, and after ruling out several other possibilities, only one remained.
That is, Lu Ji has sunk into the chaos of hell, completely separated from the human world.
Death makes everyone equal, although the afterlife also has its hierarchies, but if one chooses to completely sink into silence and slowly disappear, in the chaotic realm, even an administrator is helpless.
But it’s not entirely without a solution.
That is, the soul of a blood relative, the person the deceased cared about most from the heart, can guide the way.
This significantly increases the probability of finding him, but the chaotic realm is not a place any soul can venture into.
Administrators can’t stay there for long, let alone ordinary Players.
After listening, Lu Qingjia didn’t hesitate, “I’ll go with you.”
“Jiajia?” Zhong Liyu looked at him in disbelief, “If you also get lost there, I won’t be able to find another guide.”
After all, besides Lu Ji, he has no blood relatives left in this world.
Lu Qingzhou showed a relieved expression, saying to them, “Don’t worry, I guarantee Jiajia’s safety won’t be threatened.”
“After all, I’ve been down there more than once and have found a way to temporarily shield from the effects.”
Zhong Liyu sneered, “Forget it, your kindness is more than anyone can bear.”
He added, “Going down is fine, but Ouyang Bai and I will also go.”
Lu Qingzhou didn’t object, “Having two administrators to share the risk is naturally what I seek, and the luck of the lucky person might also help the matter.”
After reaching an agreement, Lu Qingzhou temporarily sealed the backlash on Lu Qingjia, and Zhong Liyu quickly healed him. Without the rule’s backlash, these injuries were nothing to worry about.
Even the Celestial Bloodline could instantly heal them.
“How about we extract this thing first?” Zhong Liyu suggested.
“No need, I took this from the God Envoy and have used it countless times, extracting it now probably won’t help. Instead, it would diminish my original advantage, which isn’t necessary.”
After reaching a consensus, they all announced their withdrawal from the competition.
With the administrators of Horror and Infinite withdrawing, and no administrator from the extreme side participating this year.
Before leaving, Lu Qingjia specifically glanced at the current situation. Without any accidents, this year’s winner should be Bai Qi from the Abuse the Scum Game.
As a newcomer returning to the mainstream arena, she is indeed the biggest dark horse of this session.
After confirming the logout, they appeared in the underworld the next second.
The underworld, like the mortal world, also consists of countless corresponding parallel planes.
When Lu Qingjia replaced Fatty in the selection process, he had already witnessed its splendor. At that time, not automatically reuniting with his parents or Old Uncle, he thought this wasn’t the underworld where Old Uncle resided.
But now it seems, he was indeed mistaken.
Lu Qingjia even saw the old lady he had tricked before on the street where they appeared out of thin air, wearing a sanitation worker’s vest, sweeping the ground lazily.
The sudden appearance of several living souls, one of whom had a face she could never forget even in her dreams.
The old lady shivered all over, her body instantly straightened, no longer slacking off on sweeping or gossiping with people around her.
She shouted, “What are you here for? I’ve turned over a new leaf, I’ve been working honestly, no more tricking people.”
They all looked at Lu Qingjia, thinking, what kind of domineering clearance style does this guy have?
Even ghosts are afraid.
Lu Qingjia ignored the old lady and asked Lu Qingzhou, “Where to next?”
His initiative pleased Lu Qingzhou, “Had I known you’d be so obedient, I wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to force you into submission.”
“Indeed, compared to me, you must also wish to resurrect your uncle.”
However, regarding the issue of ownership, both sides surely have different opinions.
Lu Qingzhou didn’t dawdle, he had waited too long for this moment.
He enveloped the group with a special spiritual power, and then a sensation similar to entering a game’s weightlessness was felt.
They seemed to be endlessly falling, descending into an unfathomable abyss, with the surrounding scenery flashing by, yet with their dynamic vision, they could still make out the scenes.
It was a landscape of black fog, Lu Qingjia’s Thousand-Mile Eye couldn’t penetrate, his spiritual power couldn’t spread out to sense the surroundings, even Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai couldn’t see much farther than he could.
No wonder Lu Qingzhou couldn’t conduct a screening here, in this place, although administrators still had some advantages, the difference between souls was truly negligible.
After about half an hour, reminded by Lu Qingzhou, they finally felt as if they were stepping on solid ground.
But the sensation was quite eerie, not like stepping on a flat surface, but rather soft, somewhat like stepping on flesh.
Ouyang Bai said, “I’ve never been here before, is this place really that unfriendly to administrators? I thought the most dangerous places should be high-level cultivation instances like demon realms or secret realms.”
Lu Qingzhou smiled, “How could that be? No matter how high-level the instance, ultimately it’s still a secondary world. Reality seems mundane, but it’s the foundation of the game, the Players, and even the rules.”
He then added, “Be careful, stay close to each other, once the distance between two people exceeds three meters, there’s a possibility of getting lost and never finding each other again.”
Seeing Zhong Liyu take out a bundle of red rope, clearly a precious cultivation item, Lu Qingzhou said, “Don’t waste your energy, any positioning is useless.”
“Items, marks, mental types are all useless, only visual focus works.”
This statement made Lu Qingjia and the others understand that the Trickster must have lost quite a few subordinates here to summarize these rules.
He held Lu Ji’s hand tightly, as if not even a crowbar could pry them apart. He repeatedly instructed, “A Ji, stay close to me, I don’t want to find your soul and then lose your body.”
Zhong Liyu half-knelt down and said to Lu Qingjia, “Jiajia, shall I carry you?”
Ouyang Bai quickly nodded, “Yes, yes, you’re strong, carrying the two of us, no need to worry about getting separated.”
Zhong Liyu: “Get lost!”
But Lu Qingjia didn’t get on Zhong Liyu’s back, because at that moment, a scene flashed before his eyes.
It was a scene from his childhood.
Back then, he lived with his parents in a chaotic urban village.
The neighbors were all thieves, prostitutes, drug addicts, or second-rate thugs who lived off playing cards and dabbling in shady businesses, along with their children.
At that time, Lu Qingjia was often left unattended. Although he naturally knew how to please women, the fact that a little brat like him, born to parents but raised by none, was exceptionally popular always caused resentment.
There were always a few children who targeted him for bullying.
He was still young then, although he knew how to complain, play the victim, and use underhanded tricks to get adults to deal with them, but with parents who didn’t care, there was no one to truly restrain them, and Lu Qingjia was always left alone at some point.
He remembered one time when he was particularly badly beaten, even his head was split open.
It was a nearby adult products shop owner who chased them away and took him to a run-down clinic to get stitches and bandaged.
When he got home, after the anesthesia wore off, his head hurt terribly, he felt dizzy, in pain, and nauseous, as if he was going to die.
Even though he was used to a poor and chaotic life, the young Lu Qingjia felt endless fear for the first time.
He was afraid he would just die like this.
He even knew that even if he died, his parents probably wouldn’t notice until his body started to stink—even though they lived together.
Just like the paralyzed grandpa across the street, who died and started to smell before being discovered.
His son said he was busy with work, leaving early and coming back late, not noticing, and his daughter-in-law said she was busy with the household chores from dawn to dusk, even though they lived together.
At that moment, it felt like a thread in Lu Qingjia’s heart snapped.
It wasn’t until later, after his parents died and he was adopted by Old Uncle, that the continuous warmth over the years slowly reconnected that thread.
This scene flashed by, but it was a deeply memorable moment in Lu Qingjia’s life.
Zhong Liyu’s face changed; he knew Lu Qingjia was adopted by his uncle after his parents died, and that his parents weren’t very responsible, and his early years weren’t easy.
But actually seeing it, he found even breathing painful.
He tightly held Lu Qingjia’s hand, his voice trembling, “Jiajia!”
Lu Qingjia, however, showed no reaction; he had long since become strong, no longer the helpless child fearing his own death.
But he seemed to understand one thing.
Lu Qingjia turned to look at Lu Qingzhou.
Sure enough, Lu Qingzhou smiled, “Actually, if you want to know the weaknesses in my personality, there’s no need to go through all this trouble, just come here with me, everything is no secret.”
Around them, memories of their group’s unpleasant past occasionally flashed, all without exception being bad memories, enough to change a person at that moment.
Zhong Liyu didn’t have many, just the period after breaking up with Lu Qingjia and the first time he tried to reconcile but was rejected.
Ouyang Bai was even more pure, making people envious of his life.
Then Lu Qingjia saw a few scenes from Lu Qingzhou’s life, piecing them together with previous speculations, he reconstructed Lu Qingzhou’s life trajectory.
Born into a wealthy family, parents who were seemingly harmonious but each had their own affairs, yet they still valued the male heir who would inherit the family business.
He had a gentle and caring older sister, who married early, almost a generation older, always treating him like a son.
Although the parents’ relationship was messy, and the family often became a joke, it was still somewhat bearable.
From a young age, he was exceptionally intelligent and capable, and after studying abroad, he was ready to inherit the family business, but suddenly the family fell into decline.
He worked hard to start a business, trying to lead the family out of the predicament, but his parents weren’t satisfied with his ‘small ventures.’
At this time, a friend of his parents from their social circle, a fat pig who enjoyed playing with young, fresh boys, extended an olive branch.
If they were to send their son to his bed, he would invest in their project aimed at a comeback.
Lu Qingzhou wasn’t unfamiliar with this person; he was a close friend of his parents, had visited their home countless times, always wearing a kind and benevolent smile, encouraging him as an elder.
Peeling off the mask revealed such an ugly and disgusting appearance.
And his parents didn’t hesitate in making their choice, immediately agreeing to the other party’s conditions.
Suddenly, his parents’ faces became twisted and grotesque in his eyes, he refused and made a scene, fortunately, his sister came home and sternly reprimanded their parents, injecting a dose of calm into their already lost rationality. This finally made his parents give up the idea.
Lu Qingzhou was extremely disappointed with his parents, but thanks to his sister, he hadn’t completely lost faith in family.
He was naturally sensitive and suspicious, his overly keen mind and analytical ability making him intuitively feel that things wouldn’t be so simple.
As a result, when he got up at night, he heard in his parents’ unlit room, the three of them plotting that there was no need for his consent, just a little bit of drugs could render him unconscious, deliver him to the other party’s bed, and they would have completed the deal.
He even heard his sister, who during the day had sternly reprimanded their parents with a clear and bright voice, now say in a low voice, “Sigh! If it weren’t for the fact that our in-laws are also on the verge of collapse, we wouldn’t have to wrong Qingzhou.”
“But once Qingzhou wakes up, he probably won’t be able to take it, parents, don’t expose me, there needs to be someone to comfort him, that child has been smart since he was young, if he makes a fuss, it won’t be good for anyone.”
“Alright, alright, we know, since when were you the only one who knows how to play the good guy. But I heard that old X plays rough, among the ones we know, several have been crippled by him, Qingzhou might—”
“This is also helpless, the family has raised him for so many years, this is also a responsibility he must face.”
“If Qingzhou is ruined, then while we can still have children—”
Lu Qingzhou couldn’t remember how he returned to his bedroom that night.
He stared at the ceiling all night without sleeping, his mind filled with scenes from his life over the past twenty-some years.
The warmth of family, the care from his closest relatives, the repeated emphasis on his importance, the expectations that he was the hope of the entire family.
Since he was so important, why was he also disposable at any time?
Humans sacrificing others for their own benefit is instinctual, Lu Qingzhou thought that as a selfish person by nature, he should have understood this principle long ago.
He laughed, silently and joyfully, his eyes strikingly bright in the darkness.
The next day when he woke up, he proactively told his parents that he was willing to complete the transaction, but needed a few days to prepare.
His parents were overjoyed, but three days later, they saw in the newspaper the news of their close friend’s death and the ensuing inheritance dispute within his family.
The cause of death was murder, but the police had no leads.
With the man dead, the transaction naturally fell through, but this incident gave his parents an idea.
His son was exceptionally handsome, intelligent, and outstanding, with an air of elegance cultivated from a life of privilege since childhood. The fact that he was now a fallen scion of a wealthy family only added to the dark desire people felt to humiliate him.
In truth, more than one person was willing to pay the price, especially since both his parents were well-versed in the tastes and preferences of certain circles.
Lu Qingzhou verbally agreed to everything, but as he watched his parents treating him like a commodity to be weighed and sold, his smile grew increasingly profound.
Lu Qingzhou had once said that Lu Qingjia was very much like him, and indeed, from the fragments of their lives, it was clear that even though Lu Qingzhou had walked the bright path for over twenty years, once he decided to abandon certain things, many skills came to him naturally.
Such people are born with a high criminal intelligence. In the end, as expected, his parents, sister, and brother-in-law all died one after another. The only remaining blood relative in the world was a child from his sister and her bankrupt ex-husband, whom he hadn’t seen in years.
Even before their deaths, those people had purchased hefty insurance policies, with him as the sole beneficiary.
This highly suspicious case, reeking of insurance fraud, was thoroughly investigated, yet the evidence never pointed to him.
Using his intelligence, Lu Qingzhou managed to eliminate his disappointing relatives without getting his hands dirty, becoming the ultimate beneficiary.
Insurance companies sent countless investigators, all of whom returned empty-handed.
One could say that if it weren’t for the selection mechanism of the Infinite Game, he might never have been punished for his misdeeds.
Lu Qingjia smiled and said, “Isn’t it too calm of you? Now, there’s me and two administrators who know the source of your character flaws.”
“We can easily craft a personal demon for you, launching relentless sneak attacks until you meet a miserable end.”
Lu Qingzhou, however, laughed it off. “It doesn’t matter. With Aji by my side, my inner demons are nothing.”
Lu Qingjia’s expression darkened.
Honestly, it was easy to understand Lu Qingzhou’s logic, especially after learning the roots of his current twisted state.
This madman had abandoned all expectations, assuming betrayal at the first sign of conflicting interests.
Back then, he and Old Uncle must have faced a life-or-death decision.
Based on the information Lu Qingjia had gathered, he could almost reconstruct the scene.
In Lu Qingzhou’s eyes, only the completely controlled, mindless puppets would never betray him. At that time, he could only control their bodies.
But now, he had grown powerful enough to control souls as well.
Thus, he could finally assemble his ideal family—a family free from betrayal and deceit, where its members had no need for personal thoughts or identities.
Lu Qingjia gradually came to a stop.
As he paused, Lu Qingzhou looked at him with eager anticipation. “What’s wrong? Do you feel it nearby?”
Lu Qingjia nodded. “The sensation is strong. It should be around here. With careful searching, it won’t take long.”
Lu Qingzhou’s joy was palpable, his excitement almost childlike.
But then Lu Qingjia suddenly spoke. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Lu Qingzhou’s eyes flickered. “What is it?”
Lu Qingjia replied, “I had already anticipated that you would succeed in forcing me to achieve my own goals.”
