Zhongli

Since they possessed intelligence, there should have been room for negotiation.

Unfortunately, his judgment had apparently failed.

"Chris" licked the corner of her lips, revealing a seductive smile as she stared heatedly at Yin Kong before her, as though looking at an especially delicious blueberry cupcake.

"Be good. Don't be afraid. Big sister will be very gentle."

"Miss Chris?!"

Ikezawa Yuko suddenly cried out in disbelief, drawing "Chris's" attention.

If Ono Yoko's current status as an idol who had debuted at the same time made her so jealous she nearly went mad, then Chris Winyard was someone she could not even bring herself to envy.

Though Chris was still relatively young and could not compare to her mother, Sharon Winyard, she was still a bona fide international movie star—someone far beyond her reach.

Ono Yoko was equally astonished. She had no memory whatsoever of anyone else coming to visit, as though the superstar had simply appeared out of thin air on her sofa.

"Miss Chris, why are you here?"

Yet "Chris" seemed even more surprised than they were.

"You can all see me? No... why can you see me?"

"Chris" stared at Ikezawa Yuko, finding it deeply strange.

She had followed this third-rate little idol all the way to this apartment only to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the battle outside.

If Ikezawa Yuko had been able to see her, she could not possibly have waited until now to react.

But just now, Yin Kong had clearly been the only one who responded to her. How could it have affected the others?

Ono Yoko and the other two exchanged looks. In the end, Ono Yoko spoke first.

"Of course we can see you. But to overlook such a famous star as yourself was truly rude of us. Please forgive us."

"No need to apologize, because you are already the finest gifts I could ask for!" "Chris's" voice trembled faintly with excitement. "How fortunate. To run into four Sacrificial People all at once... As long as I eat you, I'll definitely be able to—"

"Eat us? What do you mean?" Ikezawa Yuko finally sensed something wrong in "Chris's" crazed expression and tone. Uneasily, she asked, "Are you reciting lines from some movie?"

"Chris" clearly had no intention of wasting more words on "food." Black scales suddenly grew over her previously fair right hand. It transformed into a beastly claw and lunged toward the utterly stunned Ikezawa Yuko.

"Chris" froze.

Lowering her head, she discovered in surprise that a white sword tip had emerged from her chest. It was the Dawn Sword.

"It's you?!"

"Chris" turned around in shock, but Yin Kong had no intention of wasting words on her. He swung his sword again without mercy at her slender neck.

The Dawn Sword ultimately struck the pitch-black beast claw, and only a pitifully small number floated up.

Watching "Chris's" HP bar fall by only the tiniest sliver, Yin Kong finally experienced the despair Kuroda Taro must have felt when facing him.

Such a gap could no longer be bridged through awareness or skill.

What was more, these monsters might not be any less skilled than him.

"Interesting. A human who can actually hurt me—how interesting! But you are still far too weak!"

Yin Kong's hair stood on end. Instinctively, he raised the Dawn Sword before his chest.

Sure enough, in the next instant, the black beast claw slammed mercilessly down at his chest—

Yin Kong felt as though he had once again been hit head-on by a truck.

Although the divine sword successfully blocked the sharp claw, the terrifying force behind it still sent his entire body flying in an instant.

Yin Kong screamed as he was embedded deep in the wall, feeling as if every bone in his body had been crushed.

HP -6780.

That was indeed the case. The damage number floating above his head instantly emptied his HP bar.

Yin Kong had once been very curious about whether, if his HP dropped to zero, he could revive gloriously just by eating a fried egg, like in the game.

Now, he finally knew the answer.

After his HP was emptied, he would not die immediately. Instead, he entered a near-death state where he could not move.

Food, talents, or the blessings of statues could all restore him from that near-death state.

But if he suffered another fatal injury in that state, or went untreated for too long, he would meet true death.

"Ah—!"

Only then did Ikezawa Yuko finally come back to her senses.

Seeing Yin Kong, who had been swatted into the wall by the monstrous "Chris" and whose fate was unknown, she immediately screamed and fled toward the front door.

But no matter how fast she was, how could she possibly outrun an inhuman monster?

The instant Ikezawa Yuko grabbed the doorknob, "Chris" casually raised her beast claw and gave it a light wave, shooting out a streak of black light.

The black light sliced across Ikezawa Yuko's waist like a blade, cutting her in half. Without losing momentum, it smashed into the door, leaving a deep claw mark across both the door and the surrounding wall.

In the next moment, Ikezawa Yuko, lying on the floor in two pieces, let out a shrill scream.

But the piercing scream quickly came to an abrupt stop, because the black beast claw had pierced her head and ended her life completely.

Then, Ikezawa Yuko's upper body shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye.

This was... the monster devouring her flesh and blood?

Seeing this, Yin Kong understood. Was this how these monsters intended to "eat" him?

In almost the blink of an eye, Ikezawa Yuko, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was reduced to nothing but a sheet of human skin.

"Chris" casually flung away the empty shell and frowned.

"This taste... that woman really wasn't a Sacrificial Person... But why could she suddenly see me? Could it be—"

Her gaze immediately fell on the manager, Yamagishi Ei.

"Monster! A monster!"

Under the stare of "Chris," who was covered in blood, Yamagishi Ei's already crumbling mental defenses finally collapsed completely.

With a terrified scream, he panicked and jumped straight off the balcony.

Yet while still in midair, his chest was pierced by a beast claw. Then, amid agonized screams, he was dragged back.

"Yuko... Yamagishi..."

Watching the two die such horrifying deaths in mere moments, Ono Yoko's face was filled with terror.

The only difference was that she did not choose to run. Instead, she covered her mouth and quietly moved to Yin Kong's side.

"Take my hand."

Hearing Yin Kong's weak voice, Ono Yoko froze.

Though she understood nothing at all, she still immediately did as he said.

The next instant, Ono Yoko felt the world spin around her.

When she came back to her senses, she discovered in a daze that she was already sitting in a completely unfamiliar apartment.

Everything that had happened moments earlier—the shattered Ikezawa Yuko, the terrifying monster—seemed no more than an illusion.

Then, a strange white creature floating in the air screamed and flew toward them.

"Traveler!"

Zhongli

"Traveler, are you alright?!"

Paimon flew anxiously around Yin Kong, her round little face filled with concern.

Yin Kong had once said that he would not use teleportation unless it was absolutely necessary. So he must have encountered a powerful enemy he was unable to resist.

"I'm alright, Paimon."

Yin Kong clutched his chest. Even though he had restored his HP to full with Grilled Steak and Mushroom Chicken Skewers, the pain of feeling as though every bone in his body had been shattered still seemed to linger in this body.

He could guess that, as a monster with self-awareness and reason, "Chris" would not be weak.

But he had never expected the difference in their strength to be so absurd. One casual strike dealt nearly seven thousand damage.

Even if he dumped all the Experience Books and Mora he had saved up into himself now, he could not break through the level twenty cap. It would not change the fact that he would be instantly killed in a single blow.

The real world truly was not a game. It would not thoughtfully adjust the world level and keep both sides' strength within a range he could accept.

"Mr. Yin Kong, was I dreaming just now?"

Ono Yoko stared at Yin Kong blankly, her gaze unfocused.

She could no longer make sense of the situation. Why had international star Chris Winyard suddenly transformed into a monster and attacked them? And why had she suddenly appeared here?

To this popular idol, everything she had just experienced felt like a horrifying nightmare with no logic to it.

"If possible, I would also very much like this to be nothing more than a dream."

Yin Kong did not know how to explain it to Ono Yoko. In truth, he was somewhat at a loss himself.

This was also his first time confronting such a vicious and bloody scene. The monsters he had encountered before were certainly terrifying, but they could not compare to seeing a living human being cut in half and then drained into a desiccated husk.

More importantly, although they had escaped, that did not mean the matter was over.

Clearly, a monster that had crossed some boundary and invaded the real world would never obediently stay in Ono Yoko's apartment.

Judging by its behavior, it seemed extremely covetous of human flesh, especially the flesh and blood of so-called Sacrificial People.

If it was not destroyed, one could only imagine the bloody chaos it would unleash upon this city.

But with his current strength, what meaning would there be in encountering it again other than throwing his life away for nothing?

The system notified him that his daily mission, [Turn Enemies into Friends], had been completed. The grudge between Ono Yoko and Ikezawa Yuko had been resolved.

Looking at that familiar mission notification, his feelings became even more complicated.

Yet Yin Kong quickly discovered that, in addition to the daily mission reward, he had also completed several combat-related achievements.

Added together, those scattered rewards had unexpectedly given him enough Primogems for a wish.

Without hesitation, he opened the Wish screen and immediately chose to pull—

Please don't be a weapon! Please don't be a weapon! Please don't be a weapon...

Yin Kong stared fixedly at the virtual interface, praying over and over in his heart as that shooting star descended from the sky.

Yet he knew very well that even if he successfully pulled a character, without being able to build and ascend them, it would probably still be extremely difficult to destroy that monster. But this seemed to be his only hope now.

The meteor fell from the sky and, under Yin Kong's incredibly tense gaze, turned into a dazzling gold—

Wait! Gold?!

Yin Kong stood frozen for nearly three seconds before his eyes abruptly widened. He finally realized what had happened.

Under his disbelieving gaze, the golden meteor ultimately transformed into a familiar figure that radiated an overwhelming sense of security.

"Long time no see, Traveler. I did not expect us to meet again in this manner. What a remarkable encounter—it has truly broadened my horizons."

Only when Zhongli automatically joined the party and that calm, composed voice sounded in his mind did Yin Kong finally come back to himself. He cried out in immense surprise.

"Zhongli?!"

He had thought he could only pull a character entirely under his control, just like in the game.

But now it seemed these characters actually possessed self-awareness?!

A Geo Archon capable of independent thought and communication at any time was worlds apart from a Zhongli who could only be controlled as a combat character.

With only one sentence, Zhongli had already keenly perceived Yin Kong's current predicament.

"Traveler, it sounds as though you have encountered no small trouble. If you do not mind, tell me of it. I am willing to offer what modest aid I can."

Naturally, Yin Kong did not refuse. He quickly gave a brief account of what had happened.

Zhongli pondered for a moment before analyzing the situation.

"A monster whose strength far surpasses your own... indeed, that is exceedingly troublesome. Now that you mention it, I do find the form of existence of this incarnation rather unusual. Even I have never heard of anything similar...

However, you need to 'level up' in order to increase your strength? Traveler, could you demonstrate it for me?"

"Of course."