The moment Yuan Feng died, the entire chat channel exploded—
[Wait… my rank on the Level Leaderboard just went up! Anyone know what happened?!][Bro, are your eyes just decorations? The previous #1, Yuan Feng, literally disappeared. HELLO?!][Screw you! I'm ranked #792, it shows up above my damn head. I don't even need to check the board to know I moved up!][Confirmed. My buddy was #9 just now, and now he's #8. Yuan Feng's name vanished, and everyone moved up a spot.][HOLY—you're right! What the hell happened to Yuan Feng?!][Maybe he turned off public rankings? Or… maybe he died?! RIP, King.][Press F to pay respects.][No way! You guys are keyboard warriors hiding behind anonymity. Yuan Feng's #1! No way he just… dies like that!][Hate to break it to y'all, but I go to the same university as Yuan Feng. We were in the same squad. Heard a scream, then boom—he's off the board.][I'm his classmate too. Trust me, he wasn't that strong. Got clapped by another student in one move—almost pissed himself!][And the guy who wrecked him? That's Lei Ming. He was #9 earlier. Now he's #8. Go figure.]
Everyone was talking.
Everywhere.
The death of the #1 player had turned the world upside down.
Meanwhile, back at the third dorm building, Yuan Feng's former teammates—Luan Yuling, Han Xueying, and Xu Gongqing—had all heard that scream.
That was Wu Yuan, shrieking when Kai crushed his fingers.
And then… they saw the chats blow up.
They weren't dumb.They connected the dots.
All three went pale.
Because they'd all seen how terrifying Lei Ming was.
If Yuan Feng really was dead—killed by Lei Ming—then they might be next.
No one felt like fighting anymore.
They rushed toward the stairwell, their agreed meeting point.
They regrouped quickly. Everyone looked grim.
Luan Yuling broke the silence:
"Looks like Yuan Feng really is gone. So… what now?"
Han Xueying was the first to reply, calm as ever:
"Forget saving him or avenging him. We'd get wrecked. There's no beating Lei Ming."
Xu Gongqing glanced out the window, into the deepening night, then spoke in a low voice:
"We've got two options. One—head upstairs. Maybe we'll find that other A-Rank player who was clearing the floors. We could team up."
"Two—split up and go our separate ways."
Luan Yuling didn't hesitate.
"Let's split. The world's changed. Order's crumbling. People are already murdering without consequence."
"It's safer with family."
She spoke with conviction. Sounded reasonable.
But…
Xu Gongqing and Han Xueying said nothing.
See, not everyone at Peking Uni is local.
For them, "going home" wasn't that simple.
Xu Gongqing and Han Xueying were both from other cities.
Going home?That was a pipe dream.
Xu kept quiet. He was just an average Joe, not bold enough to argue.
But Han Xueying?
She wasn't having it.
"Wow, how noble. You gonna pretend you didn't absorb four damn crystals earlier? Yuan Feng gave you all of them. And now you wanna bounce? What the hell did me and Xu do all this time? Just warm the bench?"
Luan Yuling frowned. She didn't like Xueying, but she wasn't unreasonable.
After a pause, she said:
"I know you're both not from around here. So… I'm willing to take you in. If you come with me to the Luan family estate, we can discuss the terms there."
"It's safer than staying here."
Xu Gongqing's eyes lit up.Luan family?
Big name. Big opportunity.
This was his chance to stick around the goddess. Maybe even team up with her long-term.
He didn't even think—he almost blurted out "I'm in!"
But Han Xueying?
She snorted.
"Right. Safer. But the moment we enter your turf, we're under your thumb. Then what? We become your little helpers and you start 'negotiating' terms? Thanks, but no thanks."
Luan Yuling's temper flared.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes narrowed, full of fire.
"You're impossible! Nothing is ever good enough for you! What do you even want?!"
"First," Han said, raising one pale finger,"you've absorbed four crystals. You owe us each one. Today."
Luan hesitated. Then nodded.
"I'll do my best. I'll prioritize giving you both any I get."
"Second," Han continued, raising another finger,"we'll come with you for now. But this isn't some lifetime contract. I want daily pay, and the right to walk away whenever I want."
Luan paused, then—grudgingly—nodded again.
Han didn't stop there. She kept laying down conditions.
Eventually, Luan Yuling snapped:
"Are you done yet?!"
Xu Gongqing just stood there like a deer in headlights.
He always thought both girls were goddesses.Cold, distant, intimidating.
But now?
He realized something:
Luan Yuling had that spoiled princess fire in her.
Han Xueying? Pure dominatrix energy.
Neither of them were the type a regular guy could handle.
Just before they left, Luan glanced back in the direction where Yuan Feng and Kai had gone.
She muttered,
"That guy, Kai… should I go find him?"
Han Xueying gave her a flat look.
"He's either dead too… or he's become Lei Ming's lapdog."
Luan nodded.
Yeah. That tracked.
The three of them walked away—without giving Kai another thought.