Translator: AnubisTL
After tearing the sketch on the table into tiny pieces and tossing them into the nearby trash can, Dong Yin slowly rose and turned to gaze at the mirror beside her.
Looking at her reflection—herself in a tight-fitting long dress—she couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
She pulled a lipstick from beneath the vanity, carefully applied it to her lips, then pressed them together, nodding in approval.
Finally, she strode confidently out of the room.
To enter Kindling City, all players were required to register their innate abilities.
For abilities deemed dangerous, such as hers, Kindling City would pre-register them and closely monitor them to prevent any incidents.
But her ability could not only strip away innate abilities but also disguise her talent panel.
For example, when the Guard Corps of the Human Race Guardian Association demanded she reveal her talent panel for registration, the panel she displayed showed:
[Player Talent: Lucky Star]
[Talent Effect: Once per week, you may perform a free lottery draw. The prize pool contains various items.]
An innate ability that appeared neither weak nor particularly dangerous.
This ability would ensure she wouldn't attract the Human Race Guardian Association's focused attention.
It would also guarantee she wouldn't be drafted into the Guard Corps.
At this thought, she couldn't help but curl her lip in annoyance. The men in the Guard Corps truly lacked any sense of chivalry.
As soon as they discovered a human player with a combat-oriented innate ability, regardless of gender or age—even a twelve-year-old boy—they would forcibly recruit them into the Guard Corps.
The Guard Corps was the first line of defense against alien race players and mutated beasts, with an extremely high mortality rate. Joining meant constantly risking one's life.
She was certain that if she revealed either her "Weapon Manifestation" or "Precision Shooting" innate ability, without a shred of doubt, she would be forcefully conscripted into that damned Guard Corps.
She had no desire to live with her head metaphorically tied to her belt.
After tidying her appearance, she strode confidently toward the city gates.
As Chen Jiang and the others departed, she memorized the light gate they had used.
She believed that entering that gate would give her a high chance of finding Chen Jiang. Once she found him, the rest would be easy.
Just a man, she thought, I can handle him.
A smug smile crept across Dong Yin's face, and she walked with renewed confidence.
Her innate ability was still on cooldown for another six days.
This meant that even if she encountered Chen Jiang immediately, she wouldn't be able to use her ability to strip his talent.
But that didn't matter. She wasn't expecting to bed him on their first encounter anyway. A man of his caliber wouldn't be as impatient or indiscriminate as other men.
He needed finesse.
Six days would be more than enough time to cultivate the proper mood with Chen Jiang.
With the help of a few human players who could fly, she stepped alone into the light gate.
Yes.
To prevent human players from teleporting through the gate and falling directly into the deep pit,
Kindling City had dispatched numerous players with innate flying abilities to deploy a massive safety net above the sky pit. This would ensure that human players teleporting through the light gate and freefalling would land on the net rather than plummeting to the bottom of the pit.
Though the light gate resembled the entrance to paradise, the Human Race Guardian Association's goal was to protect human players, not to usher them all into heaven.
Soon, Dong Yin's body teleported through the light gate, appearing near Chen Jiang and the others.
The moment she materialized, her mouth widened slightly, her expression one of shock as she gazed at the colossal tree less than a kilometer away.
It was the first time she had ever seen a tree towering over 200 meters tall!
And the tree's canopy was impossibly vast, stretching for what seemed like several kilometers in every direction.
There was no need to search for Chen Jiang's location.
She immediately knew he was beneath that tree!
It was undeniable: the strongest should possess all the finest things!
This naturally included... the finest women!
And she, Dong Yin, was that finest woman!
After roughly pinpointing Chen Jiang's location, she began disheveling her clothes. She pulled a dagger from her sleeve, gritted her teeth, and slashed several shallow cuts across her body. Beads of blood dripped onto her skin as she mussed her hair into a disheveled mess, making herself look utterly wretched.
She had successfully executed this act three times before, and she was well-practiced.
However, in those previous attempts, she had never actually drawn blood. Instead, she had simply smeared some still-wet blood she found in the wilderness onto herself.
But this time was different.
This time, she was facing Chen Jiang, the strongest of the human race.
As the saying goes, "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing the cub!"
When dealing with such a formidable opponent, caution was paramount. Any slip-up could expose her, and that would be disastrous!
She then began scanning her surroundings, searching for a mutated beast or an alien race player.
Dong Yin deliberately exposed herself to the enemy's line of sight, allowing the mutated beast or alien race player to chase her all the way to the base of the Vast Sky Tree, where she would seek Chen Jiang's protection.
Hmm.
Dong Yin nodded in satisfaction, her expression pleased. It was a flawless plan.
Especially since it was night!
Humans always become more sensitive and tender at night—it's human nature. If you want to get close to a man, nighttime is the perfect opportunity!
A beautiful woman in the twilight breeze... who could resist?
Without further hesitation, she began searching the area for alien race players or mutated beasts.
Meanwhile, beneath the world tree, Chen Jiang and his companions sat around a stone, each holding a flamethrower and eating half-cooked grilled meat.
"Hmm."
Scar Dog tore off a bite of his meat before finally speaking up. "To be honest, I kind of miss the old woman's handmade noodles from Kindling City. Should we just kidnap her and make her cook for us every day?"
Chen Jiang turned his expressionless gaze toward Scar Dog. "Do you even hear yourself? What about that old woman and her son?"
"Then let's just snatch them both back?"
"They'd definitely be safer with us than staying in Kindling City."
"In a place like Kindling City, that son could die in battle any day. He'd be better off with us." Scar Dog set down his meat chop and sighed deeply.
"Ah, I really want some noodles."
"When did a simple bowl of noodles become such a luxury?"
Just then—
Li Hao suddenly materialized a map in mid-air, his expression strange. He pointed to a newly appeared green dot on the map. "A human player just came through that light gate."
"A human player?"
Scar Dog shrugged casually. "I wish it was that old woman, knowing I wanted noodles, and coming to make me a bowl."
"Though I know that's highly unlikely."
"It might be Liu Yiping."
Li Hao spoke with a serious expression, "Maybe Liu Yiping came alone, trying to recruit you, Brother Jiang, to Kindling City. Anyone with eyes can see that Kindling City survived this event unscathed because of you."
"If you hadn't been there, who knows if Kindling City would be a pile of ruins by now?"
"Hmm."
Chen Jiang shook his head helplessly. "But I really have no interest in becoming the leader of the human race or anything like that."
"Uh..."
Scar Dog blurted out instinctively, "Liu Yiping probably wouldn't let you become the leader anyway, Brother Jiang. What would he do then?"
"..."
Chen Jiang glanced at Scar Dog with a blank expression. "If I won't even be the leader of the human race, why would I settle for being second-in-command?"
"True."
Scar Dog shrugged, grabbed an ice-cold cola, and casually chugged it down. "Speaking of which, is Liu Yiping blind? How could he miss this massive Vast Sky Tree? It's practically touching the clouds!"
"He might actually be blind to it."
Li Hao said with a strange look, "He's been circling the area, and it really seems like he can't see the Vast Sky Tree."
"Then let him keep circling."
Scar Dog spoke impatiently, "How could he miss such a massive Vast Sky Tree? Even his ass could figure out Brother Jiang would be here."
Three hours later.
Scar Dog remained expressionless for a moment before looking up at Li Hao. "Is he still circling?"
"Yes," Li Hao replied, his face twisting into a strange expression. "He's been circling the world tree for ages, but he won't come closer. Maybe he thinks it's some kind of mutated beast and is too scared to approach?"
"He's finished. That kid's completely useless," Scar Dog said, shaking his head. He glanced at Chen Jiang. "It's hard to imagine what would happen if we entrusted the human race to someone like him."
"Forget it. Let him keep circling. I want to see how long he lasts."
Meanwhile, several thousand meters away from the world tree, Dong Yin collapsed to the ground, her body and spirit exhausted. She stared up at the starry sky with utter despair.
Where were the mutated beasts?
Where were the alien race players?
She had been circling for hours—three hours straight—and hadn't encountered a single mutated beast or alien race player!
Nothing!
Not even a human player!
The area was completely deserted!
It was like a desolate wilderness, an utterly empty wilderness devoid of all life!
She just wanted to lure a mutated beast or player to chase her under the Vast Sky Tree and find Chen Jiang. Why was it so difficult?
What should she do now?
Dong Yin lowered her head, her eyes filled with despair as she gazed at the wounds on her body, already beginning to scab over. After a moment's hesitation, she gritted her teeth and decided not to waste any more time. She walked straight toward the base of the world tree.
That's it!
There's no other choice. I'll have to resort to Plan B.
Without further delay, she immediately headed toward the massive tree.
"He's coming toward us," Li Hao observed, glancing at the map. "His target is clear this time."
"Good heavens," Scar Dog sighed weakly. "Liu Yiping is finished."
But just then—
They suddenly saw a raggedly dressed woman limping slowly toward them.
"A woman?" Scar Dog asked, bewildered. "it's not Liu Yiping?"
Chen Jiang raised an eyebrow slightly, tilting his head to observe the limping woman approaching them without speaking.
The group was curious. Why had this woman emerged from the light gate, circled the world tree several times, and now walked directly toward them? What was her purpose?
Soon, she was close enough to speak.
Dong Yin limped forward, her steps faltering, until she stood before Chen Jiang and the others. Her gaze fixed on the fragrant, charred meat sizzling on the stone before them, her parched lips parted as she unconsciously swallowed. Her voice trembled weakly as she spoke:
"C-could I have a bite of that meat?"
"I'm so... hungry."
"..."
Scar Dog raised his expressionless gaze to the woman before him, who looked like a beggar. "Can't make a living, huh? Begging the moment you see me? Do I even know you?"
"...Huh?"
Dong Yin froze, her mouth slowly widening in surprise. The hand she'd raised to brush back her hair froze mid-air, and she struggled to find the words to speak.
"What are you staring at? I've never been a civilized man."
"Hey, wait a minute." Scar Dog's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, you know how to eat down there? Does it taste strong?"
"Huh?"
Dong Yin froze again, a flicker of horror in her eyes. Momentarily flustered, a blush crept across her cheeks as she instinctively glanced at Chen Jiang. "I-I think so... The taste shouldn't be too strong, right?"
"If it's not strong enough, we'll make it stronger. I like my flavors bold."
Scar Dog's face lit up with glee. He immediately stood up and grabbed the woman's arm, ready to drag her toward the base of the tree.
"Scar Dog."
Chen Jiang turned his calm gaze toward Scar Dog, his expression unreadable. He said nothing.
"She should be fine, right?" Scar Dog hesitated before saying, "I'll keep her under watch with my shotgun."
"Sigh." Chen Jiang paused, then sighed softly. "Bring the gear here. I'll keep an eye on things."
"Alright, heh heh, you're the best, Brother Jiang!" Brother Jiang grinned excitedly and ran off to fetch the cooking equipment.
Soon after, Dong Yin stared blankly at the boiling pot of water before her, the bags of noodles beside it, and Chen Jiang and the others behind her.
"Get started," Chen Jiang clapped his hands, aiming the massive, three-meter-thick cannon barrel at the woman's head. Only then did he relax slightly, satisfied. "Begin."
"What are you waiting for? Get on with it!" Scar Dog, wielding a shotgun in each hand, nudged the woman's lower back, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes as he impatiently urged her, "The water's boiling. Just throw the noodles in. Do I need to show you how?"
"Do you even know how to cook noodles?" Li Hao, holding a rifle to the woman's head, asked suspiciously.
"I bet she's up to something," Zhao Ritian nodded sagely, aiming a pistol at each of the woman's shins.
Chen Jiang sat nearby, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched the scene unfold, casually popping open a can of cola without saying a word.
What Chen Jiang didn't notice was that the rabbit badge on his chest seemed to be curving upward at the corners, as if smiling.
(End of the Chapter)
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