The cyberpunk youth was fast, but Luo Jie was faster.
Clang——!
With a dragon's roar-like whistle through the air, the [Famed Blade · Fugutoxin] was already unsheathed.
Two hundred points in Constitution, combined with a 50% weapon speed bonus, made Luo Jie's strike almost unbelievably fast. No one even saw the blade flash; the tip of the katana was already hovering horizontally just in front of the cyberpunk player's forehead.
That eyesore of a spiky haircut was inexplicably sheared flat, and as strands of tawny hair fluttered down, a smooth patch of scalp the size of a fingernail was revealed.
A warm red line slowly trickled down the center of the cyberpunk youth's forehead, blooming into a few bright red blood flowers at his feet.
"If I said I actually missed... would you believe me?"
Luo Jie stared with a half-smile into the cyberpunk youth's eyes, filled with terror, as if casually remarking.
Plop!
The cyberpunk youth's face turned ashen. His legs went weak, and he sat heavily on the ground. His crotch was soaking wet, and a faint smell of urine lingered in the air.
At the moment the blade's light had flared, he had felt, for the first time so intensely, how close death could be.
"Taier-kun!"
Another Japanese player, who seemed to have some connection with the cyberpunk youth, moved slightly as if to step forward and help. Luo Jie did not hesitate to raise his left hand, summoning his [Red M92F Pistol], and pointed the black muzzle at the Japanese player.
"I'd advise you not to move," Luo Jie cocked the hammer with his thumb, sneering. "You might not know my marksmanship. I could easily aim for your head... but blow your balls off. Feel free to test me if you don't believe it..."
Upon hearing this, the Japanese player couldn't help but clamp his legs tightly together, his expression changing uncertainly. In the end, he chose to retreat to save himself.
Confirming he had quelled their arrogance, Luo Jie finally retracted his weapons. He kicked the tanto that had fallen beside his feet back towards them, cast a cool, detached glance at the two, and suddenly broke into a genial smile. "You can leave now... and a word of advice—I'm actually a very timid person. If you try to scare me like that again, it won't just be a haircut."
What kind of player is the most terrifying? – The kind whose personality and strength you can't fathom. Because you never know what they'll pull out of their storage space next, or where they'll aim.
Having struggled and fought in the Illusionary World for a full seven years in his previous life, Luo Jie understood the importance of psychological warfare better than anyone.
He had now bared his fangs. As long as those Japanese weren't brain-dead, before they dared to think about Jukawa Shizuka, they'd have to carefully weigh whether they could afford the price of conflicting with him.
The Japanese player helped the now-kappa-headed youth flee the rooftop in a panic, glancing back repeatedly as if fearing Luo Jie might go back on his word and attack them from behind.
However, Luo Jie didn't even bother to look at the two Japanese players. With the virus outbreak imminent, he had no desire to kill two flies for a moment's pleasure and trigger unpredictable butterfly effects.
Only the young man who the earlier female player had addressed as "Captain" remained on the rooftop.
This Chinese youth was clearly also startled by Luo Jie's earlier cold-blooded, killer-like behavior, and even began to hesitate whether choosing to cooperate with such a terrifying individual was the right decision.
But the arrow was already nocked and had to be released. He'd already called the man over; he couldn't very well say, "I need to think about it some more" and ask him to go back, could he?
The oppressive terror he'd witnessed, where this boy who didn't look much older than them had scared two Japanese players witless with a blade and a gun, was still fresh in his mind. He'd have to be brain-dead to court death...
No choice—he had to bite the bullet.
The youth forced an extremely unnatural, awkward smile at Luo Jie, stiffly extended his hand, and said, "Uh... hello! I'm the captain of Team One-Winged Angel. You can call me Ross."
"You're called Screw?" Luo Jie subconsciously looked at the equally nervous, delicate and pretty girl beside him, thought for a moment, and said, "Then is she called Nut?"
"..."
Black lines appeared simultaneously on the boy's and girl's faces, and the faint sound of a steam locomotive whistle seemed to whistle past in the air.
Choo——choo——choo——!
"Ha ha, you guys looked too tense, just a joke!" Luo Jie casually bumped fists with the youth, "Name's Nightmare. I'm a member of the Ivory Mountain Chief Squad."
In fact, the moment the other party had introduced himself, Luo Jie had remembered.
This pair of teenage boy and girl had been a somewhat famous couple duo in his previous life as well. The girl was called "Sapphire" and the boy "Ross", their codenames taken from Sephiroth, the popular antagonist from Final Fantasy VII.
This young couple had been quite active in the early days of the apocalypse; their names could be seen on many Illusion point rankings, with quite high strength. But at some unknown point, they had vanished without a trace, gradually forgotten by other players.
Of course, such mid-journey, accidental deaths were very common among players. Each Illusion was like a trial ground; seasoned veterans were eliminated in droves every day, while even more newcomers joined.
It was an endless cycle, repeating again and again.
"You're just a team member?"
Ross was taken aback. In his opinion, someone with Luo Jie's strength should definitely be a captain-level figure, not expecting him to be an ordinary member.
If that were the case, how strong must the captain of this unknown "Ivory Mountain Chief Squad" be? Could they be a Second-Order Player?
Luo Jie saw the shifting, uncertain expression and knew the other party had misunderstood the overall strength of the Ivory Mountain Chief Squad. However, he didn't bother to waste words clearing up this irrelevant misunderstanding and went straight to the point: "I know why you're here. In principle, I can accept your joining on behalf of my Ivory Mountain Chief Squad, but there are some things I must make clear first..."
"First, your team will be in a supporting role. Don't try to argue about 'democracy' during the mission."
"Second, all actions are subject to command; no acting without authorization. Don't worry, though—I won't assign you suicide missions."
"Third, if you feel you can't continue cooperating, you can leave at any time. But I don't want to see you turn around and attack us after joining another team. If you dare to do that, be prepared to be hunted down to the death within the Illusions."
Ross had practically given up hope of joining Jukawa Shizuka's group. After all, with Nightmare's strength—and that of the Ivory Mountain Chief Squad behind him—they were more than capable of protecting a target. He never expected the other party to agree to their joining, and was overjoyed.
However, Luo Jie's demands gave him pause. After weighing the balance of power and the pros and cons of both choices, he gritted his teeth and agreed.