The Dragon Country stream boiled over.
[He definitely has secrets!]
[Relationship Coach... it's not just talk!]
[High EQ is one thing... high 'hardware' specs are another!]
[No wonder he dared to seduce an S-rank ghost! He has the capital!]
Suddenly.
A verified account with a golden border popped up.
[Director Zhang (Adult Film Industry):
@Chen Shi. Once you clear the game, contact me immediately.
50 million contract. Male lead. Uncensored. We need your talent.]
The stream exploded again.
[Holy shit! Adult film director?!]
[Are you crazy? Even if he survives, would Annie allow it?!]
[She's a possessive S-rank ghost! She'd chop the camera crew!]
[She'd chop YOU first!]
[Director Zhang: Who knows? The future is unpredictable. ]
[Fuck! This director has a death wish!]
Others turned their attention to the women.
[Elena is so stubborn. Look at her blushing face.]
[She says she can buy a toy, but her eyes are glued to the real deal!]
[Amy is too naive. 'Water bottle'? Bless her soul.]
[Protect Amy! Don't let Chen Shi corrupt her!]
Dragon Country Command Room.
The General stared at the screen.
His face turned black as coal.
Seeing the [Director Zhang] comment.
"Filth!"
"Shameless!"
"Our hero is fighting for the country, and this scum wants to film him?!"
He slammed the table.
"Tech team!"
"Find this person!"
"Dig out his identity!"
"Shut down his website! Freeze his assets! Arrest him immediately!"
"We cannot let him corrupt the image of our National Hero!"
"Yes sir!"
The tech team typed furiously.
Tracing the signal.
Ten minutes later.
A young officer ran back.
His face was pale.
Sweat dripping from his forehead.
Expression weird.
"Report!"
The General frowned.
"Did you catch him?"
"Is he hiding in some basement?"
The officer swallowed hard.
His voice trembling.
"Sir... we tracked the IP address."
"But... the location is strange."
"Strange?"
The officer looked at the data on his tablet.
Then looked up at the ceiling.
"He's not in Dragon Country."
"And... he doesn't seem to be in any country."
"According to the signal triangulation..."
"The comment was sent from... outside the atmosphere."
"He's not on Earth."
Ding.
A cold mechanical sound echoed through the cafeteria.
[System Notification: The midday meal time is over.]
[Next Game: "Work out" starts in two hours.]
[Current Status: Free Activity Time.]
The suffocating pressure in the air vanished.
Everyone let out a long breath.
Collapsing in their chairs.
Soaking in sweat.
"Let's move."
Chen Shi stood up.
"It's too crowded here."
"Too many eyes."
They finished their food quickly.
Chen Shi led Elena and Amy toward the back of the cafeteria.
Right next to the Giant Chef's break room.
This was a forbidden zone for ordinary players.
But it was safe.
Because no one dared to approach the Chef's territory.
Except Chen Shi.
The Giant Chef was wiping his cleaver.
Seeing Chen Shi approach.
His fierce face instantly melted into a flattering smile.
"Oh! Brother Chen!"
"My idol!"
He dropped the cleaver.
Wiping his greasy hands on his apron.
Giving a thumbs up.
"Your courage... is sky-high!"
"I've worked here for three years."
"I've seen people pee their pants just looking at Lady Annie."
"But you?"
"You asked her to step on you."
"You licked her till she fainted."
"You are the pride of all creatures!"
Chen Shi waved his hand.
Smiling.
"Just a quiet place to rest, Big Guy."
"No problem!"
The Chef kicked a few crates over.
Making a makeshift table.
Then he went out and closed the door.
They sat down.
The atmosphere became heavy again.
Elena checked her smartwatch.
Her expression turned grim.
"Chen Shi."
"We have a problem."
"Bigger than the ghosts."
She tapped the screen.
Projecting a holographic list.
"I just received intel from my organization."
"Your bounty has been updated."
"It's no longer just a 'kill order'."
"It's a 'World Boss' bounty."
She looked him in the eye.
"Before, Scarface Jack came for 10 million."
"Now?"
"It's 50 million."
"A full five times increase."
"And an S-rank item as a bonus."
Chen Shi raised an eyebrow.
"Am I that valuable?"
"You broke the balance."
Elena's voice was low.
"You seduced an S-rank anomaly."
"You have a God-level skill(Immue to Ghost's aura)."
"To the System, and to the other powerful factions..."
"You are a bug."
"A bug that must be crushed."
"Be careful."
"The ones coming for you next won't be idiots like Jack."
"They will be much more experienced."
"They have no bottom line."
"No morals."
"They will use anything to kill you, even it costs their life."
The Dragon Country stream boiled with anger.
[Fuck them! 50 million?]
[Brother Chen is priceless! You think money can buy his life?]
[Brother Chen is strong af now! He can crush them with one hand!]
[Shameless! Targeting our hero because he's too good?]
Chen Shi nodded.
"Let them come."
"I could use some extra exercise."
He leaned forward.
Changing the subject.
"But before that."
"We have another threat."
He pointed toward the cafeteria hall.
Where Sarah and the others were still sitting.
Motionless.
"Those infected ones."
"The ones with black veins."
"What do we do with them?"
"They are ticking time bombs."
"If the next game starts and they turn on us..."
"It will be a massacre."
Elena frowned.
She looked at Sarah from a distance.
"We can't kill them."
"Not directly."
"Why?"
Chen Shi asked.
"Because they haven't triggered the elimination notification yet."
Elena explained.
"To the System, they are still 'Players'."
"White names."
"Players cannot kill each other outside of specific game modes."
"If you walk up and stab Sarah now."
"You will be executed by the System immediately."
"For murder."
Chen Shi narrowed his eyes.
"So we just wait for them to mutate?"
"No."
Elena's eyes turned cold.
"We can't use our hands."
"But we can use the 'Rules'."
Meanwhile.
Far away from the Blood Manor.
In a mysterious, dimly lit room.
Walls lined with countless screens.
A man sat in a leather chair.
Holding a glass of red wine.
Watching the live feed of Chen Shi.
He smiled.
"Interesting."
He swirled the wine.
"Immune to the radiation of an S-rank anomaly?"
"Normal humans would rot just by touching her hand."
"But this kid..."
"He not only touched her."
"He exchanged bodily fluids."
"And got stronger."
The man leaned forward.
Eyes gleaming with fanaticism.
"He has the 'Key'."
"The unique ability to conquer the Unconquerable."
"This guy..."
"Might be the future of us."
"The Savior we've been waiting for."
He tapped a button on his console.
Beep.
The screen in front of him changed.
The image of Chen Shi shrank to the corner.
Replacing it.
Was a database of the most terrifying anomalies known to the horror world.
A gallery of nightmares.
Or... in Chen Shi's case...
A harem.