Qiao Junyuan raised his hand, and Li Zhi saw that he was holding something that seemed to be a mirror. Before she could close her eyes, a reflection flashed into them.
Li Zhi felt some kind of restraint winding around her. She tried to move her fingers but found she couldn’t move at all.
The mirror in his hand must be some kind of immobilization tool.
Seeing Li Zhi standing still, his smile grew even wider. He took a step forward, and his voice, still carrying a hint of youthful arrogance, no longer hid its malice: “You’re almost at the end of the game. It’s time for you to die.”
Li Zhi blinked innocently. “A little curious about how I’ll die.”
Qiao Junyuan sneered, “Still putting on a brave front, huh?”
Footsteps echoed from downstairs. A triumphant smile appeared on his face. “Why don’t you guess how your teammates will die first? That guy Li Feng, he’s your brother, right?”
Li Zhi’s expression turned cold.
Qiao Junyuan burst into laughter. “Watching your brother die right in front of you, powerless to stop it—what must that feel like?”
The footsteps were slow and steady, sounding heavier than usual, as if someone was carrying something heavy.
Li Zhi also began to smile. Qiao Junyuan glared at her darkly. “What’s so funny?”
Li Zhi replied, “I’m laughing because you’re celebrating too early.”
She added leisurely, “You know Li Feng is my brother, and you still dare to underestimate him? Do you really think Shen Zhijian can handle him?”
Qiao Junyuan’s face changed instantly.
Ignoring Li Zhi beside him, he quickly turned to look. The scene he had anticipated wasn’t there. Instead, Li Feng appeared, his face cold and stern as he carried a tightly bound Shen Zhijian upstairs.
He tossed Shen Zhijian onto the floor with a thud, raising a cloud of dust. Qiao Junyuan’s face turned as dark as a pot’s bottom. He glared viciously at Shen Zhijian, who was wriggling and struggling on the ground, gagged with tape.
“Useless idiot! I gave you so many tools, and you still failed!”
Shen Zhijian, his mouth taped shut, was both terrified and horrified, squirming on the ground like a worm.
The audience who had previously watched the two of them plotting began to voice their opinions:
[I’ve said it before: no matter how powerful the tools are, they only work in the hands of someone competent. Someone as useless as Shen Zhijian, no matter how many tools you give him, it’s all for nothing.]
[This is hilarious. If Qiao Junyuan finds out that Shen Zhijian failed and got caught right after using the first tool, he might just die from rage.]
[Even Meng Yuhan, the little kid, seems more reliable than Shen Zhijian. Qiao Junyuan clearly picked the wrong partner.]
[That’s because Shen Zhijian was the only partner Qiao Junyuan could choose. No one else would work with him. Shen Zhijian guessed he’d be eliminated because of his low popularity, so he wanted to drag everyone down with him, which is why Qiao Junyuan convinced him.]
[Shen Zhijian clearly took on the role of the villain, yet he’s so weak in both skill and courage. He got KO’d by Li Feng in just one move—both pitiful and laughable.]
[But I’m really curious how Li Zhi knew about Shen Zhijian and Qiao Junyuan’s plot when she didn’t have any perspective that showed it!]
…
In fact, based on Shen Zhijian and Qiao Junyuan’s plan, their chances of success were quite high.
Qiao Junyuan had too many tools in his hands.
Li Zhi had been designated as the number one threat, so Qiao Junyuan dealt with her personally. As for the others, he didn’t consider them a threat at all. What was Li Feng being Li Zhi’s brother supposed to matter?
To Qiao Junyuan, Li Feng was just a rookie with no tools. He had no doubt that Shen Zhijian, armed with all those tools, would not fail.
According to their plan, Shen Zhijian would wait until Li Zhi cracked the secret of this level and was about to clear the stage, then use the tool Qiao Junyuan gave him to trap their teammates in an illusion.
Once the illusion was in place, Shen Zhijian could manipulate the others into voluntarily going upstairs to knock on the doors with the lanterns, where ghosts would drag them into the crematorium rooms.
But Shen Zhijian was too nervous.
Moreover, Shen Zhijian realized that Li Feng had been staring at him the entire time.
This tall, muscular man with a cold, hard demeanor had sharp eyes that made Shen Zhijian increasingly anxious. So, when he received the signal from Qiao Junyuan, instead of using the illusion tool as planned, he nervously decided to use the stun tool on Li Feng first.
This tool, also provided by Qiao Junyuan, was meant as a backup, capable of stunning both humans and ghosts for one minute.
Taking down the biggest threat first, then using the illusion tool afterward—this felt like a safer approach!
That was Shen Zhijian’s thought.
However, the moment he activated the tool, Li Feng didn’t fall. Instead, Shen Zhijian collapsed with a thud.
What he didn’t know was that Li Feng had already used a damage transfer tool given to him by his sister.
Since they were aware that Shen Zhijian was Qiao Junyuan’s spy, how could they not take precautions? Following the typical methods of cults, they would strike just before the game was about to be cleared. So, after Li Zhi left, Li Feng had been prepared at all times.
If Shen Zhijian had followed the plan and used the illusion tool, it might have taken Li Feng a bit more effort to deal with him. But sometimes, having a weak opponent is a stroke of luck, isn’t it?
By the time Shen Zhijian woke up, he was already tied up.
His teammates, none of whom were giving him friendly looks, kicked him a few times before Li Feng carried him off.
Most of the tools provided by the system were meant to deal with ghosts, and there were very few specifically designed to target humans. At most, they provided some auxiliary function, like the immobilization, stun, and bad luck tools they had already used. None of these could directly take a player’s life.
This was why Qiao Junyuan repeatedly tried to use the ghosts of the instance to kill them—because he couldn’t do it himself. Especially now, as a twelve- or fourteen-year-old boy, his physical abilities were no match for adults.
The immobilization tool could only be used once, and it had already been used on Li Zhi. Now, as he watched the much taller Li Feng walk toward him with a grim face, Qiao Junyuan had no tool left that could directly take him down.
A flash of panic appeared in his eyes, but he quickly calmed himself, his face shifting to show a look of fear. He stood trembling in place, waiting for Li Feng to approach.
“I’m sorry…” he stammered, “I didn’t mean to hurt any of you, I just…”
Li Feng had already reached him.
Qiao Junyuan lowered his eyes, looking as though he were about to cry, and unexpectedly stretched his hand toward Li Feng.
But before he could make contact, Li Feng grabbed his wrist mid-air.
The smirk on Qiao Junyuan’s face froze as he heard Li Feng chuckle coldly. “Trying to pull this kind of trick right under my nose?”
No matter how fast your moves are, can you really be faster than a soldier trained in the military?
Li Feng raised Qiao Junyuan’s thin wrist into the air and used his other hand to grip his shoulder. Qiao Junyuan’s entire body went numb, and he couldn’t muster any strength to struggle.
In that small, childlike hand, there was a tiny talisman.
Li Feng snatched it away and, with Qiao Junyuan’s face turning ashen, slapped it back onto his body.
“You can’t…” Now, Qiao Junyuan’s panic was genuine. “You can’t… You’re a soldier. You can’t kill people…”
Li Feng looked at him expressionlessly. “I’m a soldier. Protecting the people is my duty.”
In extraordinary times, their responsibilities had changed.
Qiao Junyuan was indeed part of the cult. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have even known that Li Feng was a soldier. They must have investigated Li Zhi, and through her, discovered Li Feng as well.
“How can you call this killing?” Li Zhi interjected, defending her brother from the side. “We don’t even know what this talisman does. Don’t accuse us without proof.”
Li Feng stared at the trembling Qiao Junyuan. “What kind of talisman is this?”
Qiao Junyuan tried to keep his mouth shut, but he couldn’t control himself and said, “Obedience Talisman.”
Indeed, it made one obedient.
Li Feng glanced at Li Zhi, and she gave him a slight nod.
They had already agreed long ago that this scourge must not be allowed to leave the instance. For both siblings, this was a settled decision.
But truly taking this step was still a test for Li Feng. If he didn’t do it, then his sister would have to.
Li Feng’s expression finally hardened. “Do what you intended to do to me.”
Qiao Junyuan’s face turned ashen, but he couldn’t control his body. With stiff steps, he moved toward the rooms on the second floor with the lit lanterns.
The red lanterns swayed gently without any wind, like some kind of silent revelry.
Crying and wailing, Qiao Junyuan raised his hand and knocked on the door illuminated by the lanterns.
The door, bathed in a red glow, opened soundlessly. A pale, slender hand with red-painted nails reached out from inside, grabbing him by the wrist. Laughter echoed faintly through the hallway as Qiao Junyuan, now in total despair, was dragged inside, his screams swallowed up.
The door shut, cutting off all sound.
Li Feng slowly unclenched his fists and turned to his sister. “Still can’t move?”
Li Zhi blinked. “Nope, I guess there’s a time limit.”
Li Feng bent down and scooped her up into his arms. “Let’s finish this level first.”
Downstairs, Fu Huan and Xiang Ling came up holding the human skin. As they passed the still-squirming Shen Zhijian, they couldn’t resist kicking him a few more times.
Li Zhi told them, “Just take it to Room 302.”
The two nodded.
Li Zhi then looked at her brother, coughed lightly, and said, “Brother, we’re about to clear the level, so I—”
Before she could finish, Li Feng shot her a cold glance, then carried her downstairs without another word.
Li Zhi smiled sweetly. “Thank you, brother.”
Downstairs, Li Jianxi came over from the guardroom. When he saw Li Zhi being carried, his expression immediately became tense. “Are you hurt?”
Li Zhi replied, “No, just immobilized.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for telling me about their plot. You helped us out again this time.”
Li Jianxi shook his head. “Even if I hadn’t told you, you would have figured it out.”
He glanced up at the pitch-black sky, his voice carrying an unintentional hint of sadness. “You’re leaving soon.”
Seeing his downcast eyes, Li Zhi’s heart softened for a moment.
He looks like a sad puppy.
Despite the piercing death glare from her brother, she earnestly said, “We’ll meet again.”
Li Jianxi looked up at her, his long eyelashes distinct and beautiful, his gaze holding an almost mesmerizing allure. “Yes, we will meet again.”
Li Feng’s cold voice interrupted, “Done talking?”
Li Zhi replied obediently, “All done.”
While her brother wasn’t paying attention, she quickly winked at Li Jianxi.
Li Jianxi pressed his lips together, barely suppressing a smile.
Li Feng: “…”
Did they really think he didn’t notice?
At that moment, the pitch-black night sky suddenly revealed stars, and as starlight sprinkled down, both the viewers in front of their screens and the players inside the instance heard the familiar voice of the system:
— “Congratulations, players, for uncovering the truth beneath the glamorous surface. You’ve completed your mission and cleared the South Street Apartment instance. The popularity ranking phase will begin shortly. Thank you for watching, and stay tuned for the next episode. Goodbye.”
The episode ended, the livestream room closed, and the players were transported back to the safe house.
But the world inside the instance didn’t collapse right away.
Night passed quickly.
In the early morning light, a moving truck stopped outside the entrance of the South Street Apartment. Movers went in and out, carrying packed luggage and furniture from the sixth floor.
Another family was moving out.
The few remaining residents gathered to watch. In the soft morning glow, Chu Guangyan, full of energy, held his wife Chen Meiqian’s hand as they went to say goodbye to Grandma Qiu.
“Grandma, we’re leaving now. Take good care of yourself.”
Grandma Qiu looked at the affectionate couple in front of her. Her thin, dry lips trembled, but she said nothing, only nodded with red-rimmed eyes.
“Make sure you live a good life,” she said softly.
T/N: Mass updates! 11 chapters.
Thanks for posting the complete arc!
It’s clear now those cult members have people in the government and things are about to take a turn.