Chapter 154
Chapter 154
Ling Chen watched Xiao Huai from the corner of his eye without turning his head.
Xiao Huai’s face was deathly pale. He could even hear the System’s repeated alerts in his mind, warning him that his Sanity was falling.
Ling Chen’s bullet not only tortured the body, but also damaged Sanity.
Qi Sha had once said Ling Chen had been a god for less than a century, yet he ruled an eighth-floor game instance.
How powerful did he have to be to contend with eighth-floor players?
On one level, the struggle between NPC and player was a battle of wits and courage.
The higher the floor, the more shrewd and calculating its players had to be.
Xiao Huai walked forward in tiny steps and nearly stumbled to the ground.
The players’ hearts tightened at the sight. They had never expected a player so powerful to appear this fragile before a god.
Xiao Qian’s frown deepened. How much pain did every step cause him?
“What do you want to say?” Ling Chen did not lower the gun.
Xiao Huai kept his head bowed, his bangs falling in slight disarray before his eyes. Beneath the mingled light and shadow, his gaze was impossible to read.
He suddenly shoved Xiao Qian with astonishing speed and force, sending him crashing to the ground two meters away.
Just as everyone was about to lose their minds with anxiety, they saw a calm smile on Xiao Huai’s lips. Yet at that very instant, light fell into his eyes.
Like a cold blade leaving its sheath, bloodthirsty madness seized everyone’s gaze.
He raised his chin, the corner of his mouth wild and defiant.
“I am the most disrespectful one here. Commander, you wouldn’t want to lose the people’s support, would you?”
The instant his lazy voice reached their ears, lotus fire roared out from Xiao Huai and rushed toward Ling Chen.
The curly-haired girl’s eyes widened almost to the size of coins. She staggered backward. “He’s insane…”
Even Ling Chen froze for an instant. The flames were too ferocious, and when Xiao Huai used Lethal Lotus, divine power reinforced the attack.
The black beetles might not fear fire, but what about Ling Chen?
Even a divine body was not invincible inside a game.
Only an unexpected strike could tear open a path to life.
*the Gods’ Livestream*
The last time Xiao Huai impersonated an NPC, the increased difficulty that came with his hidden identity had successfully propelled him into the recommendation feed for high-tier players.
It had not been easy for a mere newcomer to enter the recommendation feed for high-tier players.
Gods gathered there in enormous numbers. Over the course of that livestream, Xiao Huai drew the attention of countless divine viewers.
From the moment Xiao Huai was forcibly transferred into the special game instance, those gods had been watching him from the shadows.
But when they heard Edwin’s name, they assumed Xiao Huai’s rising star was about to go dark forever.
Of all possible beings, he had caught the attention of Edwin, who ruled the moon and tides.
In all these years, Edwin had never used the authority of a high-ranking god to create a special instance.
As the saying went, when someone who had long remained silent finally acted, the result would shake the world.
How could Xiao Huai possibly escape Edwin’s grasp?
Many gods understood the logic and naturally lowered their expectations of him. A large portion of his audience drifted away.
But from the Mad Hatter’s game to Qi Sha’s, he escaped again and again.
The gods’ opinions gradually changed.
Xiao Huai… was absolutely not a player who relied on petty cleverness alone.
He was mad, but reason remained within his madness.
That was the most incredible part. The more the gods watched, the more excited they became. By sheer word of mouth, they pushed him into an entirely new traffic tier:
The Center-Stage Traffic Tier.
Players who entered this tier invariably carried high expectations, and its traffic rivaled that of the recommendation feed for high-tier players.
Yet every player in the Center-Stage Traffic Tier had one thing in common.
They were all trapped in impossible situations, while the gods watching did not want them to die.
The gods expected much of these players and hoped they would survive. Their divine radiance shone like stars.
The starlight gathered around and guarded each player as stars clustered around the moon.
That was how the Center-Stage Traffic Tier received its name.
Gods who visited this tier were generous and possessed the light of divinity.
The instant they saw Ling Chen, they guessed how the intensely controlling young god would torment this group of players.
But then they watched Xiao Huai stand against him without the slightest fear even after taking a bullet, and even dare attack him with Victoria’s Lethal Lotus.
They were helplessly captivated, their hearts racing in a way they had not for ages.
They waited to see Xiao Huai’s ending. Would he succeed?
Victoria, who had been following Xiao Huai all along, also watched the game in silence through his livestream.
She had fought Ling Chen before. He was a true genius whose combat technique could be called flawless.
But he had one fatal weakness: he was far too arrogant.
Only a surprise attack could throw him into disarray.
When she saw Xiao Huai unleash Lethal Lotus at him, her lips parted and she laughed. “Little beauty, well done.”
Human strength might not rival a god’s, but Xiao Huai only needed to disrupt him once.
A god would naturally be reluctant to kill such an exception.
At the very least, Ling Chen would not let him die easily.
Victoria knew that as long as Xiao Huai lived, he would continue accomplishing the unexpected again and again.
Once that first chance to kill him was missed, another might never come.
Like sand slipping from the palm, gradually turning into sparks scattered across the desert.
Yet a single spark could set the prairie ablaze.
That was his charm: the utterly pure allure of his soul.
Once again, Victoria spent lavishly, tipping Xiao Huai some Survival Coins. All she wanted was for him to truly escape this disaster.
After all, the fifth-floor instance was almost upon him. Clearing it would mean one thing.
The horror game would officially issue him an invitation to the gods’ banquet.
Only then would they have a chance to meet again.
* * *
Nearly pure-white flames, scorching hot, ruthlessly tore through everything they touched as if determined to melt it all.
If Xiao Huai had not shoved Xiao Qian away, Lethal Lotus would have burned him too.
The other players retreated one after another, sincerely reflecting that when immortals fought, the spectators died first.
Now they understood even less about Xiao Huai’s background.
They had thought his extraordinary mind was impressive enough. But he also possessed a supernatural ability, and this fire looked capable of burning through anything!
The flames blurred their vision, preventing them from seeing what had happened to Ling Chen.
Cold sweat beaded on Xiao Huai’s brow. Not because he feared what Ling Chen might do, but because the pain had almost robbed him of the strength to stand.
He narrowed his eyes at the lotus fire. Then he suddenly heard a low laugh.
Xiao Huai raised his gaze and met the eyes of the figure within the flames.
Ling Chen’s uniform had burned through in several places, and burns marked his skin. But a layer of golden light protected him, temporarily keeping the flames from directly touching his flesh.
“It seems Victoria truly admires you.”
She had even given him her precious blessing.
So should Ling Chen kill him or not?
He already had his answer.