Jiang Yunhan blinked, stunned by the exchange. He saw the kid's odd calm—those eyes with a steady, inward will. Even so, he had never expected the child to be so easily swayed by Chen Xiao. The little monk agreed to go, and Chen Xiao suddenly had a thousand ways to keep him.
So the three survivors of the Choice Game sprint toward Nancheng Warehouse, cutting through the night. Chen Xiao can't help but wonder how a one-meter tall kid can carry such latent force—he runs almost as fast as Chen Xiao himself.
Outside Nancheng a huge banner waits: "Tianyi Warehouse recruits elites — Rank B and above join without exam!" A few rough men stand beneath the sign, doing security duty. Chen Xiao and the others melt into the shadows, eyes sharp.
Time inside the game has synced with the outside. Half a month has passed. Lin Lao Da truly has mobilized—he's already invaded Nancheng.
"Shit. I hope Chu Xue's all right." Jiang Yunhan's face is pale; the thrill from his SSS talent evaporates into a cold knot of worry. Chen Xiao feels it too: where are Lin's people now—escaped, captured, dead?
There's a small mercy: the three of them have sensible talents. Dashan's combat gift is S-rank—good enough for ninety percent of encounters. Chu Xue and Shi Rou possess creation talents; food and water won't be an issue. As long as they find a hideout, they're not going to die easy.
They watch the guards. Strategy forms. How to slip in and snatch the boss? Before they can finalize anything, a black blur shoots past the fence—Chen Xiao already outside.
"Must you always be so dramatic?" Jiang Yunhan huffs and follows. The little monk doesn't know the details—he only knows following Chen Xiao means he'll taste mutton and see the mortal world—so he trails behind, calm as ever.
"Who goes there? Tianyi Warehouse ahead!" a guard barks. "Stop and show token! No supplies? No entry! No offering? No women!" The guards are on edge—this isn't the usual quiet crowd that tips coin and passes in. They haven't even finished their sentences when three silhouettes erupt from the dust, eyes cold and dangerous.
A streak of blue. A figure wrapped in green light. A tiny shape flickering like lightning. In one instant the three are through: Chen Xiao's Water Longsword sings—two guards drop, nothing but light left where they stood. Jiang Yunhan's punch, fueled by vitality, becomes a green blur that slams a man into the ground. The little monk, small but fierce, delivers a crushing strike that pins a man to the floor.
"Dare to kill?" one guard gasps.
"Killing's necessary if you want to save the world," the little monk replies, as if quoting scripture. Chen Xiao snorts. The kid is weird—and principled.
They tear past the outer defenses and sprint up to the warehouse building. Many people see them; none stop them. Three streaks of menace vanish into the night.
On the rooftop, Chen Xiao yanks open a door—Jiang Chu Xue's old room. The decor is unchanged. The occupants? Not so much. Lingered underwear and disarray give the lie: these are not Chu Xue's habits.
On the soft bed, a naked man and woman scramble to cover themselves. Shock, anger, panic—human messiness in a game full of death. The man starts to stand, rage in his eyes.
"Who the hell are you? You don't know whose room this is?" he snarls.
Jiang Yunhan's face goes cold. He slaps the man full force; the guy flies back, bashes his head on the bed and comes to, sobbing that he only just moved in. Chen Xiao steps forward, presses a boot into the man's chest.
"Where did the original man and the two women go?" Chen Xiao demands.
The man stammers, "To—Jiangnan City. They fled. They're being hunted by Lin Lao Da!"
The confession comes with pleading and whimpering. Jiang Yunhan's eyes burn. He rips the man's leg bone with a savage kick. Screams echo. Chen Xiao follows, snapping the other leg. The man finally caves, babbling names and routes. Then Chen Xiao conjures a water blade and ends the man—clean, efficient. No blood spatters; the body goes limp.
"So where now?" the little monk asks, voice clear.
Chen Xiao looks toward the window, gaze hard. "We rescue our people. Then we go burn the Lin family."
Jiang Yunhan blinks. "Slaughter the Lin family?"
Chen Xiao meets his stare and nods once, cold as winter. "Lin Lao Da can't take every Lin with him. We'll hit him where it hurts—cut the root, kill the seed."
Jiang hesitates. A flash of doubt crosses him—do you kill innocents to stop the guilty? Chen Xiao gives a grim smile and pats him on the shoulder. "When you cut grass, you pull the roots."
A water longblade appears in Chen Xiao's hand, humming with contained menace. He steps out into the night like a harbinger. Tonight, Chen Xiao will open the slaughter.