A black bear with a remarkably human-like expression, a cunning glint in its eyes, rushed to a man and opened its massive jaws to bite his throat.
The man was terrified and immediately threw himself to the ground, rolling away to avoid the fatal blow. However, the black bear had left deep claw marks on his shoulder, and blood instantly stained his clothes.
"Help me!" the man cried out hoarsely in a certain direction.
About twenty meters in this direction, a group of people stood, each with a different expression.
"Boss Nie, we can't hold on much longer!" another middle-aged man near the black bear shouted in terror.
This black bear is a manifestation of the player's inner fears. It is extremely intelligent, can wave and imitate humans, and can even speak like a human. It is a hundred times more dangerous than an ordinary black bear in reality!
The young man, Nie Zheng, known as the "big boss," had a calculating glint in his eyes as he calmly said, "Hold on a little longer. Now is not the time for me to make my move."
Upon hearing this, the others standing next to Nie Zheng all looked terrified, but dared not say anything, after all, Nie Zheng was a big shot.
The black bear once again nimbly attacked the injured man. The man struggled desperately, but could not escape the bear's jaws, and was firmly bitten on the neck.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Nie Zheng strode forward, pulled out a silver pistol from his pocket, and fired several shots at the black bear.
The black bear let out a mournful howl, its momentum visibly weakening. It didn't bleed from the wound, nor did it die; it just stared fiercely at Nie Zheng.
Seeing this, Nie Zheng immediately retreated and ordered the others, "I've already brought the bear to low health. Hurry up and gang up on it!"
The others rushed forward, wildly hacking at the black bear's head with makeshift wooden sticks and kitchen knives. The black bear screamed repeatedly before finally collapsing to the ground and disappearing without a trace.
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks to Boss Nie, we were able to easily subdue this black bear monster," someone loudly complimented.
Immediately, someone chimed in with flattery. "If it weren't for Boss Nie, we would have been wiped out today."
Nie Zheng's lips curled into a faint smile as he put the silver pistol back into his pocket.
Seeing his aloof demeanor, the crowd continued to flatter and fawn over him.
If Nie Zheng didn't like listening to this, he would have stopped him long ago. Since he didn't stop him, it means he really enjoys hearing this flattery.
Of course, some people didn't try to flatter Nie Zheng; instead, they were busy collecting the bodies of their companions.
Those men whom Nie Zheng had sent out to restrain the black bear and deplete its strength were either killed or injured.
In fact, Nie Zheng's role in the battle to eliminate the black bear was so-so; he even forced others to be cannon fodder and die.
But why are so many people still fawning over him?
Because his father was a cadre within the system, in the central government.
So even though it was only Nie Zheng's third time entering the Horror Game instance, he still became known as a "big shot" among the players.
Flattering Nie Zheng, acting as his lackey, and making him the center of everything you do may not necessarily bring you any benefits, but if you don't do so, you fear that your relatives in real life will be targeted and made things difficult for you.
--Nie Zheng doesn't even need to take action himself. As long as he expresses his dissatisfaction with someone, there will naturally be plenty of people willing to curry favor with him and kick that person when they're down.
"Brother Nie, you must have worked hard just now. Let me massage your shoulders." Someone continued to fawn over Nie Zheng, but their eyes were fixed on Nie Zheng pockets.
There was a silver pistol in the pocket, a top-tier item dropped in the Horror Game. It had a special attribute of reducing health by a percentage, even against bosses. Nie Zheng obtained this gun the second time he entered the Horror Game instance, but the gun originally belonged to someone else.
The men Nie Zheng had just sent to lead the charge were severely injured by the black bear, but they were not dead yet. However, it was clear that such injuries would make it difficult for them to survive in this instance. They all looked at Nie Zheng with hopeful eyes.
Nie Zheng, however, completely ignored it.
"Look over there, there are two people," someone said, pointing into the distance.
Hu Jiu and Du Zhong were approaching the group.
"Are you a player too?" someone asked doubtfully. "I remember that the initial landing point for players entering this instance is indeed not the same."
Nie Zheng coldly raised his chin. "Go and bring them over. We can ask them for information about the other locations in the instance."
Upon hearing this, the henchmen stood up and walked towards Hu Jiu and Du Zhong.
Nie Zheng had assumed this would be a piece of cake, just like before, where as long as he mentioned his name, people would come to him. His team was exhausted and just happened to be short of two young and strong men.
But unexpectedly...
"Smack!"
The person at the front said something, and Hu Jiu smashed his head open like an exploding watermelon, blood splattering everywhere.
"Damn it, I hate pretentious people the most. And they actually dared to show off in front of me." Hu Jiu's eyes were filled with extreme malice. He had a very handsome face, but just looking at him sent chills down your spine and made you shudder deep in your soul.
The others were terrified by the Skull-Crushing Technique, their legs gave way and they collapsed to the ground, turning around and shouting for help in Nie Zheng's direction, "Boss Nie, come save us!"
"Boss Nie, who is this again?" Hu Jiu's sinister voice rang in my ears.
"Are you a caveman? How come you don't know Nie Zheng, the strongest newcomer in Horror Games?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"Boss Nie's father is a high-ranking official!" someone threatened.
Hu Jiu: "What the hell? Never heard of it."
The man lying on the ground changed his expression from fear to contempt, scanning Hu Jiu's clothes from head to toe. "Boss Nie is a high-ranking official's son with impeccable revolutionary credentials, what do you country bumpkins know?"
After saying that, he exploded into minced meat with a "bang".
"Why did you two commit such a heinous act? We are all players, and we should be helping each other. Instead, you killed your own compatriots. You are scum and a disgrace!" Nie Zheng slowly approached, gun raised, his face full of righteous indignation.
"Smack!"
The next second, Nie Zheng felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face.
"It's been a long time since anyone dared to spout these grand principles in front of me." Hu Jiu smiled, but his gaze was fixed on Nie Zheng.
That attack just now didn't kill Nie Zheng?
Nie Zheng, who had been slapped from a distance, fell to the ground, spitting blood. A cracking sound came from his body. He reached up and tore off a pendant from his neck. The gemstone embedded in the pendant had turned to dust, and the cracking sound came from this gemstone.
The others were shocked. How could anyone in the world dare to lay a hand on Nie Zheng, the son of a high-ranking official, without any regard for consequences?
A small number of people recognized the pendant around Nie Zheng's neck, and their expressions suddenly turned strange. "I remember that looks like something from Sirius?"
Since the advent of Horror Games in this world, many top-tier players have emerged over time, and the player codenamed "Sirius" is one of them. However, he has always been a lone wolf, neither joining a guild nor siding with any national organization. He is a lone wolf who occasionally rescues a few people in game dungeons and has a very good reputation.
Unfortunately, Sirius suddenly disappeared not long ago.
Unexpectedly, I saw the defensive items that Sirius often used on Nie Zheng.
Speaking of which, it seems that Nie Zheng's silver pistol was also voluntarily handed over to the country by another player, but Nie Zheng has the right to use it 24 hours a day.
"Ah!" someone suddenly screamed.
A female figure appeared in the nearby space, gradually transforming from illusion into reality. Her lips were blacker than ebony, her skin whiter than Xue'er's, and she had jet-black hair. She wore a dark blue robe and at the same time, a strange, wailing opera singing voice emanated from her!
"It's Mountain Village Teacher!"
Ms. Chu's image was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that she was immediately recognized.
"Don't just stand there, run!"
Some people rushed out, while others hurriedly helped Nie Zheng up from the ground, ignoring that he was vomiting blood, and rushed away from Ms. Chu.
Ms. Chu sang as she floated towards the crowd.
Hu Jiu reached out and forcibly pulled Ms. Chu back for a closer look. "It's strange. The aura this woman exudes is very similar to the Supernatural we're familiar with, but it's still a little off."
As he spoke, he snapped Ms. Chu's neck.
Ms. Chu vanished instantly and never reappeared.
"It doesn't possess the characteristic of being 'unbreakable,' and can be defeated with physical attacks," Hu Jiu calmly concluded.
Du Zhong reminded him from the side, "Since the birth of 'Elimination,' the Fierce Ghost we control can also 'die.'"
Hu Jiu was taken aback; he had almost forgotten about it.
The others, who were scattering in all directions, were utterly dumbfounded. That was the Mountain Village Teacher who was a childhood nightmare, and he had been killed so easily?!
Are these two really gamers? I've never heard of them before.
Many eyes turned to Hu Jiu and Du Zhong, whose faces were highly recognizable. With such good looks, even if they were to keep a low profile, they shouldn't have remained completely out of the public eye after entering the Horror Game.
Is he a newcomer?
Nie Zheng shoved away the person supporting him, his face terribly grim. He raised his hand, and a silver pistol was aimed at Hu Jiu's head.
The people nearby stared at Nie Zheng in shock. What was he going to do? Kill a player?
Those two handsome young men opposite are clearly incredibly strong. If they're newbies, they're even more formidable. Strong players obviously benefit the human faction, so why is Nie Zheng pointing his gun at them?
Nie Zheng coldly glanced at the people around him, not bothering to explain at all.
"Bang!"
The bullet was fired and struck Hu Jiu between the eyebrows.
Nie Zheng laughed cruelly, "You dare slap me in the face? You think this matter can be easily forgotten? This empire was built by my ancestors, who do you think you are!"
Hu Jiu touched his head in surprise, examining the bullet closely. "A very strange power."
He infused his Supernatural into the bullets, attempting to deconstruct the alien supernatural systems within them.
Seeing that Hu Jiu was unharmed, Nie Zheng immediately fled. A wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. Although in the real world he had the power to compromise his principles, in the Horror Game's instance, what if he completely enraged someone and they started killing indiscriminately? Wouldn't he be in danger?
Du Zhong coldly watched Nie Zheng's retreating figure, silently mourning for him in his heart.
To this day, anyone who dares to offend Hu Jiu has been spared a quick death, which is considered a great act of kindness from Hu Jiu.
Sure enough, before Nie Zheng and his group had run far, a tall figure slowly appeared in the space around them. The figure gradually solidified, and a young man slowly emerged.
The man was tall and handsome, with long curly hair and fashionable clothes, but his face was expressionless.
"Sirius!" someone exclaimed, "How could the great god appear here?"
"Something's not right. He doesn't seem to be the real Sirius; he's a monster Fear Manifestation!"
"Whose fear is this? Why should we be afraid of Sirius?"
Amidst the cacophony of voices, Nie Zheng trembled, his reason crumbling. "How did you end up here? No, why would I be afraid of you?"
Everyone immediately understood that this Fake Sirius was actually a manifestation of Nie Zheng's fear.
This is quite meaningful. While those around them kept their distance from Nie Zheng and the Fake Sirius, they still couldn't resist watching the drama unfold.
Nie Zheng glared fiercely at the long-haired man before him, his expression no longer displaying its usual arrogance. He roared, "You're just a peasant! People call you a 'god,' and you actually think you're something special? It's your good fortune that I've taken a liking to your stuff, and you dare refuse..."
Those who heard this immediately understood and instantly imagined a dramatic scene of robbery and plunder.
Nie Zheng's rationality had been destroyed by the Supernatural, and he said things he should and shouldn't have said. Then he raised the silver pistol in his hand and frantically pulled the trigger at the long-haired man.
Bullets rained down.
Stealing Sirius's tools and killing him to silence Sirius were not enough to instill fear in Nie Zheng.
What he found truly unacceptable was that after getting to know Sirius up close, he discovered that Sirius was superior to him in every aspect except for his background—appearance, intelligence, character... a complete and utter crushing defeat.
That's not right! People at the bottom of society should be stupid, short-sighted, and easily brainwashed!
"Am I just an ordinary person? Just someone who was born into a good family?" This was the first time Nie Zheng had such a thought, and it made him feel very uncomfortable.
He used physical destruction to eliminate Sirius, thus relieving his inner turmoil.
He wouldn't feel fear, only smugness. But Hu Jiu forcibly twisted this emotion into fear.
Nie Zheng's bullets all hit the Fake Sirius in front of him, but the Fake Sirius was completely unharmed.
About twenty seconds later, the previously expressionless Fake Sirius suddenly showed a hint of surprise on his face, and his doll-like eyes became a little more lively.
He snatched the gun from Nie Zheng's hand with incredible speed, and before Nie Zheng could utter any threats or pleas for mercy, he swiftly and decisively ended his life.
"Bang!"
There was a corpse on the ground.
The source of fear Nie Zheng, is dead, but the creation "Fake Sirius," born from his fear, has not disappeared. Instead, it is becoming more and more like a real living person, looking at its own hands and then touching its own chest.
"I've... been reborn?"