After saying this, the trainee guide's flames gradually died down, and his arms became as withered and shrunken as burnt branches. However, his ability to recover was very strong, and the damaged muscles were slowly healing at an incredible speed.
Su Er kindly poured a glass of water and handed it over: "The people from the Administration Bureau are almost here, the pallbearers..."
"That title doesn't suit you." The trainee guide gritted his teeth and said, then struggled to get up, found the mechanism, and opened the secret passage: "Get out."
Su Er was firm: "No, I want to be a pallbearer."
"no."
"A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold, let alone the great God of Liberty."
The trainee guide's eyelids jumped: "Don't argue with me!"
"..." Feeling that the other party was about to reach his limit, Su Er brought up the old matter again and repeated the word "Poison King".
Not wanting to deal with this unlucky guy for even a minute longer, the trainee receptionist said unhappily, "There's a stamp behind the water dispenser at the Family Mediation Office that might help."
Darkness under the lamp?
They had been to that place more than once.
Soul commented: "Nice routine."
There was no time to delay any longer. He took one last look at the trainee guide and left through the secret passage with Ji Heng.
"It's actually easier to find things there." Ji Heng spoke in the dark passage.
Su Er nodded in agreement: "Wang Sansi would never think that we would dare to go to the mediation office."
But right now, he was more worried about the road he was taking: "Guess where the secret path will eventually lead to."
It would be exciting if you go out and find that the opposite side is the Lizhi Bureau.
"Since there's a secret passage in the dungeon, it means it's a way out."
Ji Heng was experienced and his judgment was correct. The end of the secret passage was at a remote garbage disposal plant.
The sudden appearance of the two frightened the man hiding behind the trash can, who grabbed a brick and prepared to throw it at them. But once he saw their faces, he stopped his move just in time. Xia Zhi was surprised: "It's you?"
Su Er was also quite surprised.
The people from the Administration Bureau searched the town all night. Xia Zhi's injury has not healed yet, so it is not easy for him to hold on until now.
"I originally wanted to go find the Poison King, but I ran into the patrol," Xia Zhi said with a wry smile. "After escaping, I hid in a big tree behind the Administration Bureau and waited for their shift change before moving."
Su Er's eyes were complicated. This was another successful case of hiding the hidden dangers in the dark, which is worth learning from.
Feeling that the look in his eyes was strange, Xia Zhi coughed lightly and asked if he had found anything.
Su Er told him everything.
"Family Mediation Office..." Xia Zhi was stunned for a few seconds and suddenly took off his hairband.
Her long black hair was flowing, but what attracted people were the several stamps hidden in the headband.
She pointed to one with a flame pattern on it and said, "Is this the one?"
Sur took a closer look and found that it was very similar to the blue light ball that had been burning on the trainee guide's body before, so he quickly asked about the source of the stamp.
"I was often beaten and went to the Family Mediation Center for help several times. One time, when Wang Sansi went to the bathroom, I suddenly felt the urge to search around."
A sudden inspiration was definitely just an excuse. The fact that he didn't forget to collect stamps under such circumstances was enough to prove that Xia Zhi was thoughtful.
To be on the safe side, Ji Heng took the risk and went to the family mediation office to make sure that there was nothing behind the water dispenser before starting to discuss what to do next.
Xia Zhi: "Everything is ready, except finding the Poison King."
Ji Heng: "Let her come to us."
He chose a windy location to stand in. Without deliberately hiding his smell, the Poison King would naturally find him soon. As for Xia Zhi, he hid in the dark and was ready to cooperate with the action at any time.
Unfortunately, the first person to arrive was not the Poison King, but Xu He.
His smile was as innocent and shy as ever, and even at this moment, he did not show any sign of hostility.
"If I had known earlier, I should have brought some more people from the Administration Bureau." Xu He sighed.
As soon as the words fell, his eyes suddenly became stern, piercing Su Er like a knife: "You have met the trainee guide."
The tone was very firm.
Soul didn't deny it.
"I felt disgusted the first time I saw you," Xu He curled his lips, "It's like seeing someone of my own kind."
"…"
Xu He: "Let's make a deal. As long as you tell me where the trainee guide is, I can take care of what happens next."
Su Er's expression finally changed. Although the other party was looking at him, he always felt that this sentence was being asked to Ji Heng.
If they let him go now, there would be a risk that Xu He would send someone over. Ji Heng was silent for a moment, then compromised and said, "The Poison King is coming, you go."
Xu He frowned, then nodded: "Okay."
Ji Heng did not wait until the last minute to reveal the position of the trainee guide, but made it clear on the spot.
No one spoke for the next few minutes. Time seemed to freeze and pass extremely slowly.
During this period, Suer's eyes seemed to be glued to Xu He, trying to figure out the other party's psychology.
Now that there are only a few of them, Xu He can take advantage of the setting that players cannot kill each other and make one last fight to try to escape from here, or make a bigger noise to attract other people.
As if he could understand the doubts in his heart, Xu He took a few steps forward: "Even if you don't join forces, Ji Heng can still trap me. There's no need to waste your energy."
Su Er didn't believe a word of this. After a long pause, he said, "I'm afraid it would be more useful for you to find a trainee guide."
We are all profit-seekers, why are we pretending to be so carefree?
Xu He was stunned at first, then burst into laughter, and finally looked at Su Er with an indifferent look: "There will definitely be casualties in the dungeon. Some players are not strong enough to die in the dungeon, but some are destined to die in that dungeon."
At this time, the distance between the two sides was close enough, and Xu He whispered in his ear: "One day you will encounter a situation that will lead to your death."
Before Suer could react, Xu He walked past him and headed further away.
Ji Heng did not stop him, but looked into the distance: "The Poison King is coming."
People often say that poisonous flowers are the most beautiful. This statement comes true with the Poison King. In terms of gorgeous appearance alone, Suer has never seen anyone who can surpass her.
Unfortunately, the beauty disappeared little by little as she approached.
After discovering its prey, the Poison King's head immediately turned into a flower, and the part below its neck turned into an extremely tough stem, extending several meters, and pounced towards Sur.
"!!!"
Why is he always the first target of attack?
Although he was helpless, Su Er did not hide and fulfilled his duty as a living target seriously.
When the flower was about to get close, it was blocked by a dark shadow.
The black dog finally regained its freedom, but upon emerging, it was met with a nauseating smell, and immediately, its fur erupted in anger as it bit into the petals. The petals seemed harder than its sharp teeth, and despite the initial advantage of a surprise attack, the angry petals kept flailing, and the black dog gradually fell behind.
His sharp eyes swept towards the place where Xia Zhi was hiding. After receiving Ji Heng's reminder, Xia Zhi hurriedly took out the stamp with flames printed on it. The flame that had been dormant jumped out of the stamp and rushed towards the petals.
The flames burned without distinction between friend and foe. The Poison King screamed agonizingly and tried to flee, but the black dog held her tightly, ultimately consuming both of them in the flames. Black powder drifted through the air. Sur covered his mouth and nose in time, but the stench permeated every pore. After an unknown amount of time, the flames finally died down, vanishing into the air like the Poison King and the black dog, completely fading into the world.
"Is it over..."
This sentence is like talking to oneself, and I don't know who he is asking.
The long-awaited notification sound finally rang out: [Poison King destroyed, mission completed.]
Xia Zhi emerged from the darkness, her heart at ease. She began to look around, searching for the host. She didn't know what was going on with Xu He, and fearing the night would bring more trouble, she just wanted to be transported away quickly.
Su Er: "Don't worry, he must be nearby."
According to Mr. Rose's temperament, if the Poison King offended him, he would definitely find a good place to enjoy the Poison King's miserable death.
I looked up and soon found a big tree with a good view.
Sure enough, a person jumped down from the tree, and Gentleman Rose waved his hand and started teleporting without saying a word.
Sur looked at the little man on his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the army of clay figures not far away. The little man received the hint and shook his stiff head up and down.
·
There were huge crowds of people, and various discussions came from all directions.
The transit station was bustling like never before.
Sul's first reaction was that he had arrived at a busy vegetable market. He looked at Ji Heng and Xia Zhi one after another. They also seemed a little surprised.
"Rally?" Soul asked uncertainly.
"Boss!" With a striking "Shamatte" hairstyle, Zhao Sanliang walked through the crowd and approached little by little.
Because there are too many people now, everyone has to speak very loudly.
Also squeezing over were Yao Zhi and other members of the Returning Graves team.
Xia Zhi, who was standing by, didn't have time to say goodbye. When he saw the people from his organization, he hurried over.
After the initial surprise passed, Sur looked around and unexpectedly saw many players with high combat power or high spiritual value.
"Gathering to protest."
Zhao Sanliang: "Huh?"
Soul: "Are they trying to gather strength and overthrow Yugi?"
"..." Zhao Sanliang swallowed his saliva. "Can we discuss how to deal with it outside the game?"
No longer speculating randomly, Su Er waited for what would happen next.
Zhao Sanliang's expression instantly turned serious: "Audition."
He rambled on and on, rambling endlessly. Yao Zhijian, unable to get to the point, interrupted him and took over: "The game has suddenly issued a call for players. There's said to be a special dungeon. Players who want to go can sign up, but they have to pass the audition."
Ji Heng: "Registration requirements."
"There are no conditions. If you stand by the water curtain willingly, the badge will fall off automatically."
Su Er hurriedly asked him if he had signed up.
Yao Zhi shook his head. At the same time, Zhao Sanliang straightened his hair. "Boss must go. The team must have someone to guard it to prevent the whole army from being wiped out."
Su Er only understood half of what he heard, so Zhao Sanliang pulled him aside and said, "Boss, you have to go. Returning to the grave is too eye-catching, and there are too many props. If others go and their strength increases, there's no guarantee they won't target us."
As soon as he entered the dungeon, he had the big tree of Return to the Grave behind him. Sur had basically never felt the oppression between players. After his analysis, he suddenly felt that it was indeed not easy to be the leader of an organization.
I looked down at my charm value. After the last dungeon, it had increased to 78, which was barely enough to protect myself.
"I want to go see it, too."
Zhao Sanliang couldn't make a decision and looked at Ji Heng.
"The game doesn't have fixed numbers, so the auditions probably won't consider your current apparent strength, but you have to be mentally prepared..." Ji Heng explained the pros and cons. "In special dungeons, there might be no restrictions on cannibalism, and they might even deliberately separate players into different areas. I might not be able to take care of you."
Soul thought carefully: "This risk is worth taking."
Even if you don't play special copies, other copies are not easy to play. There are life-threatening risks anyway, so you must choose the one that benefits you.
The water curtain was completely blocked off.
"Please make way."
A player recognized Ji Heng and moved aside. When he approached the water curtain, his badge and the water curtain were like the two poles of a magnet and were forcibly sucked into the water curtain.
The badge rolled with the water and returned to its original owner in a few breaths.
Soul: "Is this the end?"
Before he could get an answer, he saw a long list of names appear on the water curtain, including his and Ji Heng.
After about a minute, the list automatically disappears and only reappears for a moment when another person is selected.
Not knowing how long the audition would last, Suer didn't continue to join in the fun. He looked at Ji Heng and pressed his name tag.
The moment he left the dungeon, the sound of relief was palpable.
Ji Heng: "Are you feeling happy about your achievement?"
Suer nodded. With so many people around, it would not be a good thing if the achievement points were announced like before.
Fortunately, there seemed to be some problems with the game, and I didn't have the energy to pay attention to him for the time being. No achievement points were given for coming out of the dungeon for the first time.
"It's not that I won't give it to you. For a moment, dark clouds gathered in the sky," Ji Heng said calmly, "and when you walked to the edge of the water curtain, they quickly dispersed."
No one knows what the game is thinking.
"Go back and rest early."
Soul nodded.
·
Once I get home and lean on the soft sofa, I don't want to move.
After a long time, Suer first hooked the tip of his little finger and moved it towards the remote control little by little. It took him several minutes just to turn on the TV.
Reports about Qu Qingming were everywhere. A beautiful model suddenly disappeared. Not to mention the news, Suer checked his phone and saw hundreds of bizarre versions made up by marketing accounts, and there were comments under each version.
He tried to see if he could find any comments similar to those made by other players, but most of them were unsightly. He simply gave up on embarrassing himself, turned off his phone, and leaned back on the sofa.
The entertainment program currently being broadcast is called "Huahua Entertainment". Along with Qu Qingming, a model named Kate was also mentioned. She was criticized by netizens for trying to ride on the popularity of her latest interview.
The program played a video excerpt:
"Qingming and I have known each other since we were little. When she was in first grade, she loved showing off her face. It was a very strange feeling, and I can't quite explain it..."
Su Er frowned. These words sounded annoying at first, but if they were based on truth, there was something wrong.
When children are very young, they tend to focus on new clothes, new hairstyles, and other things rather than their faces. Furthermore, most children are pretty and cute until their facial features fully develop.
Considering Ji Heng's question to Qu Qingming about beauty and ugliness, I have to think more.
Forcing himself to stay alert, he took out a pen and paper to carefully list the clues. Suddenly, Sur felt short of breath, as if he had fallen into a huge whirlpool. He was unable to resist this force, just like when he was first pulled into the novice field.
His consciousness returned quickly, and when he was fully awake, Sur found himself standing in the square in an orderly manner.
It's a good thing to be alive and see the world with your own eyes. If you take a quick look, you'll find that at least one out of ten people is a player.
The man on the high platform in the distance was very conspicuous. He was in his early thirties, strong, serious, and looked at everyone with scrutiny. The man spoke in a loud voice with a penetration far beyond what a human could achieve. Everyone present could hear clearly what he was saying.
Sur stood quietly for a moment, guessing that the host would not appear in the short time, and couldn't help but sigh softly. The absence of the host meant that it was currently impossible to understand any information about this copy.
The man on the stage said nothing more. After explaining the precautions, he said in a deep voice, "The test begins!"
The first person to walk up was actually a player, looking a little confused.
As required, the player held the strange stone and stood in front of an instrument. After a while, his whole body began to twitch, veins bulged, and after a scream, his eyeballs bulged and became bloodshot, and the value on his chest badge turned gray in an instant.
He died with his eyes open.
"Failed." The man in charge of the test shook his head: "Next."
The atmosphere on the field was serious from the beginning. Even though one person died, no one ran away, not even those who were about to continue the test.
Sur was sitting at the back and had plenty of time, so he found a kind-looking girl and started to ask her indirectly.
There happened to be a player nearby who helped them get information. Like playing a puzzle, the two of them finally pieced together a general idea.
The machine being tested can infinitely amplify a person's characteristics and create a certain identity. For example, the man in charge of the test on the stage has awakened to the identity of "Gu", who has the ability to control insects.
Suer summed it up and realized that identity is just a pronoun, what really matters is the awakened superpowers.
Of course, this process is very dangerous. If the characteristics are not very strong, there is a 3% chance of death.
Carp leaps over the dragon gate.
Awakening is a dangerous dragon gate. If you jump over it, you will have an infinitely bright future.
"I feel a little regretful." The player on the side said deliberately.
The girl who had been communicating so kindly before immediately said angrily, "Put aside those thoughts."
The player winked at Sur, and Sur cooperated with him, pretending to stand on the same side as the girl, and continued to ask questions while accusing her.
Soon, I learned that the stones held in the hands of each person taking the test are called "Fu Shi". They usually appear in the nests of monsters. Every year, the military will send people to find the same amount of Fu Shi one day before the test based on the number of applicants. Casualties are inevitable.
Once the Fu Stone leaves its nest, the energy inside it can only last for two days at most.
If a tester regrets his decision, it means that a gift stone may be wasted, which will cause a huge burden to the military in the long run.
So the precedent for regret was blocked from the very beginning.
Just as I was thinking about it, there was some commotion ahead.
"It's the Saint! Someone has awakened to her identity!" The girl said excitedly, "She'll be able to perform healing techniques in the future."
Afterwards, several more people awakened their identities.
Time passed minute by minute, and finally it was Suer's turn.
The surface of the stone was constantly oozing mucus, and it didn't feel very good to hold in the palm of my hand.
Sur thought it would be a rather painful process, but in fact it was very comfortable. The liquid of the stone was absorbed by the skin and merged into a force that traveled throughout the body.
I was too far away before, and only when I actually tested it did I realize that the electronic screen would display keywords based on personal circumstances:
[Pleasure], [Creator of Life], [Suction]...
Su Er's face was not very good. The machine could actually search his past actions from his memory.
The words that actually correspond to these are: electric shock device, clay figurine, and charm value.
Fortunately, it was just a cold judgment instrument and did not display any details.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but his test took longer than the previous student's. A moment later, the screen suddenly flashed two colors. The unperturbed, cold-blooded man beside him revealed a look of joy for the first time: "Record carefully, this could be a dual identity!"
At the same time, the conversations and envious voices from the audience were clearly transmitted to the stage. The scene was as shocking as when the male protagonist in the upgrade novel was detected to have "dual-system superpowers", and even more exaggerated.
Influenced by this atmosphere, Suer narrowed his eyes, and suddenly a sense of dominance of the world surged in his heart!
Who hasn't imagined himself as the protagonist of the world?
Amidst the public's attention, the test results finally appeared:
[Identity 1: Succubus: Provoking and destroying desire is the specialty of adult succubi.]
[Identity 2 Vampire: There are three opportunities in a lifetime to use the First Embrace on the dying, which can extend the dying person's life by ten years.]
The arrogant look instantly subsided, and Su Er's brows jumped. These two identities were almost announced to the world... There is a popular man who can prolong his life. Come and get him!
The ambition to rule the world was shattered. Facing the breathless faces in the audience, Su Er had only one thought in his mind -
Ji Heng, protect the emperor!