Chapter 1 Cries of Despair

Agony, Jing Yan was wailing in agony.

His cries echoed through the prison, finally waking the two unconscious fatties.

After a series of confused, hostile, and malicious initial interactions, Jing Yan reluctantly explained the current situation to them.

"So… we're locked up and can only play games? Play that death game?"

"Yes!"

"…What if we refuse?"

"Then you don't get any food!"

"Hmph! I don't believe it! Let him starve me to death if he dares!"

Jing Yan ignored him. Stubborn fools, you deserve to starve to death!

Jing Yan had originally asked Qing Chen to investigate the sudden mass exodus of players from the game.

But after waiting for a long time, it felt more like Qing Chen had quit the game himself.

This was going to be deadly!

Damn it, Lord Han's experiment wasn't finished yet, and Captain Lin was stuck in limbo. If they died, that would be two lives gone!

If Qing Chen abandoned them at this point, things would really go south!

Although he always called Qing Chen a scumbag, Jing Yan acknowledged Qing Chen's technical skills.

Looking at the entire Qing Si County, no one dared to say they could take over the experiment that Qing Chen had been working on halfway.

If Qing Chen stopped logging in, Lord Han was really doomed! Lin Ling probably wouldn't survive either.

After questioning the two fatties, Jing Yan learned the whole story.

The problem was that he had no idea what happened to Miao Fa afterward. He had gone out to court death and was thrown into prison!

After entering the game, Fang Yue was the one who lured away the strange occurrences.

Then, there was the reconstruction of Qing Si County and researching with Qing Chen on how to revive Lord Han. He didn't have the mind to care about Miao Fa's life or death. They weren't even close!

Of course, he didn't expect Miao Fa to be so ruthless, directly self-destructing and dragging everyone down with him.

Now, probably everyone who had seen the in-game message knew that dying in the game would cause problems in reality.

Who would be willing to play such a terrifying death game?

Moreover… this damn game had an extremely high mortality rate.

The strange occurrences were terrifyingly ferocious, and people died at the drop of a hat. Who could withstand that?

Everyone and the natives started at the same level, with only one life. Wasn't that a dead end!

The natives had diligently cultivated martial arts for decades. You expect a player to catch up in a month or two after entering the game? Impossible! Did they really think everyone was a freak like Ye Ge!

Jing Yan felt that he was the most representative type of ordinary player.

He still hadn't entered the realm of martial arts. Following Fang Yue, he didn't have to worry about his lifespan, but it wasn't of much use. Just prolonging his life.

He had missed several opportunities to turn things around. Once the opportunities were gone, it would be difficult to seize them again.

Ignoring his two new roommates, Jing Yan re-entered the game.

Looking at the streets, many people were lying strangely on the ground. Jing Yan understood that these were players who had heard the news and quit the game directly.

Jing Yan had no idea how the United Guild would deal with these people.

Just don't cram any more people into the Zi Xiao prison, I'm having such a hard time…

Jing Yan felt depressed. He stepped over a few 'corpses' of players and walked towards Qing Si.

Before, when Qing Chen hadn't responded, Jing Yan had gone out to inquire with other players, but the other players quit the game even faster than he could approach them, screaming in horror, "Don't come any closer!" and then logging off.

Such a large-scale exodus of players would have doomed an ordinary game.

However, this game… Jing Yan really couldn't say. This game was too mysterious, giving people a sense of unfathomable depth.

Anyway, Jing Yan was afraid of this game. If he could leave, he would quit without hesitation, but he couldn't.

Returning to Qing Si, arriving at the experiment room, Jing Yan was immediately stunned.

He saw Qing Chen already working, continuing to inject various modulators into Lin Ling, adjusting the proportions of body elements to make them more compatible with Lord Han, easier to fuse.

"You…"

Jing Yan opened his mouth, but Qing Chen interrupted him.

"I know why the wanderers are collectively quitting the game."

Qing Chen's eyes were red, as if he had cried in the game.

Jing Yan sighed, "I know too."

Not only did I know, but I was also locked up with two unlucky fellows.

"You know?! You also saw…"

Qing Chen didn't continue speaking, but after a moment of silence, he said, "The mistake has already been made, even if it was unintentional, not of my own volition. But a mistake is a mistake, and what I can do is to try to make up for the mistakes I have made and help more people in the game survive!"

Wh, what?!

What was glowing, it's Qing Chen the saint!

Jing Yan was stunned. This guy's level of thought was too high.

Just seal the Phoenix Organization's experience as a black history and be done with it. Who knew this game would be so twisted? You were completely innocent!

But seeing that Qing Chen had completed his self-comfort and wasn't dwelling on it, Jing Yan didn't bring it up again.

"Then can I give you a hand? At least let's revive Lord Han first."

"Okay!"

The afternoon passed quickly.

When Jing Yan logged out of the game on time, waiting to eat, he saw two fatties sticking to the prison bars, wailing outwards.

Soon, the cleaning lady came.

This time, the cleaning lady had a taser in her hand.

Before Jing Yan could understand what was going on, the cleaning lady zapped each of the fatties once, sending them screaming and shaking on the ground.

Bang.

Only then did the cleaning lady place the food in front of Jing Yan.

"Eat! No extra food if it gets stolen."

Cleaning lady!!

Jing Yan's eyes welled up with tears, feeling like he was being conditioned.

White rice, so fragrant!!

……

The collective exodus of players had limited impact on Qing Si County.

Because compared to the huge number of natives, the number of players was pitifully small.

After all, the birth points were scattered and random, so there weren't many players in Qing Si County to begin with. This wave of recession basically swept them all away. The remaining ones were those who didn't know what had happened, hadn't experienced those events in time, and the traces of hesitation had been covered up by the United Guild.

Those who didn't know the truth during that period of time couldn't find out the truth again through conventional means.

With the efforts of Jing Yan and Qing Chen, Lin Ling transplanted Lord Han's eyeball, only one last step remained.

And it was on this day.

The superior Qing Si came.

The two were forcibly taken to the Qing Si hall by Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu to wait for others.

"Why are we being dragged here…" Jing Yan complained a little.

Qing Chen was also a little dissatisfied, but didn't say anything.

"I heard that the superior Qing Si who came this time is a person dispatched from the Qing Si headquarters in the Qing Kingdom capital."

What?!

The two were slightly stunned.

Did the Black Green Mountain Range really warrant sending someone from the Qing Kingdom capital to deal with it? Wasn't it said that the Qing Si in Chu Nuan City could send someone to handle the aftermath?

Moreover… the Qing Kingdom capital was very far from here. How did they get here so quickly?

While the three of them and all the Qing Guards waited, a silver-clad Qing Guard with gold trim and a wooden silver plate hanging from his waist, like a wagging-tailed pug, humbly and obsequiously led the way for an old man with white hair behind him.

The silver-clad Qing Guard was actually like this?

Too spineless, right? Who's that old man?

Everyone muttered in their hearts.

At this time, the white-haired old man had arrived in front of Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu and the others.

"Who's in charge?"

Everyone looked at Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu.

"You? Just a little girl? What level of Qing Guard are you?"

"…I'm not a Qing Guard."

"Not a Qing Guard??" The white-haired old man was stunned, then his face showed anger.

"Not a Qing Guard, but able to call the shots for the Qing Si? Just how chaotic has the Qing Si below become?"

"You Lao, calm down, You Lao, calm down!" The Mu silver-clad Qing Guard quickly smoothed things over, cursing the Qing Si in this backward place ten thousand eight thousand times in his heart.

"Hmph! You shut up too. The Qing Guards of Qing City aren't anything good either."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Mu silver-clad Qing Guard said with a smile.

"Wasting time! You little girl, you're in charge, right? Where is Si Si buried?"

Everyone was stunned.

"Are you talking about Sister You Si Si?"

"Nonsense!"

"May I ask who you are…"

"I'm her grandfather! Always causing trouble, told her not to go out, not to go out, but she had to go out. Now she's dead!" You Lao grumbled.

But this tone made people feel a little angry.

You Si Si was already dead, but her family was acting like this!

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu clenched her pink fist and said unassumingly, "May I ask, You Lao, are you here to pay respects to Sister You?"

"What respects? I'm here to take her back."

"But, but Sister You is already dead, may she rest in peace…"

"Who told you she's dead? Before she's married to that little bastard in the capital, she has to come back to life for me even if she's dead!"

……

You Si Si's remains, along with the coffin, were taken away.

No one could stop them. Qing Chen was thoughtful, while others were indignant.

This was too much, this was too much. They were going to disturb the remains that were supposed to rest in peace. The You family was too cruel to their own family!

After the indignation, Qing Chen and Jing Yan finally implanted Lord Han's eyeball into Lin Ling Kongque's eye socket.

The rest was up to nurturing. Whether Lord Han could be revived depended on whether Lin Ling was strong enough.

……

About half a month after You Si Si's remains were taken away.

An urgent [document] issued from the capital was sent to [Chu Nuan City].

"Effective immediately, summon [White-Clad Qing Guard] Ye Se Li Ming to report to the palace."

……