Of course, this fake Silver Wolf was pretty good at games too. In that respect, she did resemble Silver Wolf somewhat.
But Lin Shuang wasn't scared at all. With her current reaction speed, she could basically crush most players in any game.
In their previous game, the two had been evenly matched in later rounds. Now that they were playing an immersive game with a fire-element greatsword, wouldn't she be slaughtering her opponent with ease?
The game the fake Silver Wolf recommended had flexible and varied gameplay. Even newcomers could set up a max-level character for PvP themselves.
So Lin Shuang brought out the greatsword character she had created after researching it in her spare time.
Then she entered a custom room full of confidence.
Two minutes later, she clicked surrender with a look of utter disbelief.
[Four-Core Greatsword: Impossible, absolutely impossible. Why does one bullet deal so much damage? Are you cheating?] [Great God Silver Wolf of the Gaming Realm: Heh. If you're bad, practice more. Just because you're bad means I'm cheating? Don't think you can get cocky just because you broke one of my records. Today, I'll show you who's boss.]
Seeing the message, Lin Shuang figured that this brat had put her on a little blacklist over the record she had broken.
[Four-Core Greatsword: Fine, fine, fine. I knew it. You were just acting tough when you said you didn't care. Again!]
Fortunately, after spending some time around her, Lin Shuang knew the person on the other end was a Silver Wolf fan. Every time Lin Shuang mentioned Silver Wolf, she would argue back a couple of times. Even her username had to praise Silver Wolf.
"Since that's the case, don't blame me for fighting dirty."
Lying on the bed, Lin Shuang revealed a wicked grin. She immediately accepted the challenge and went for another round!
The Minghuo Merchant Group Exploded? Time for Me to Save the Beauty!
The moment she entered the game and was about to start fighting, Lin Shuang immediately opened the chat box and began typing:
[Four-Core Greatsword: Silver Wolf, hehehe, my Silver Wolf. Silver Wolf's butt is so small and fragrant, stretched tight by her shorts, with faint marks where the fabric bites into her flesh. It's like having my face clamped between them and taking a deep whiff.] [Four-Core Greatsword: Silver Wolf has two feet, and I just happen to have a mouth. How could there be such a coincidence in this world?]
Before she had even finished typing, her opponent's movements had already fallen apart.
Lin Shuang laughed at the sight, then immediately unleashed a fierce barrage of attacks.
She continued while fighting.
[Four-Core Greatsword: An analysis of Silver Wolf's foot odor. A warm, moist, poorly ventilated environment is highly suitable for the growth and reproduction of bacteria and fungi. During missions, the feet sweat heavily, providing an ideal environment for microorganisms. These microorganisms will...]
As Lin Shuang posted her heavyweight essay, "An Analysis of Silver Wolf's Foot Odor," her opponent's controls completely lost their composure.
And so, Lin Shuang smoothly took the second match with a narrow advantage.
At that moment, in a room dominated by shades of blue and filled with the unmistakable atmosphere of a gamer's den.
The girl's soft lips were gritting her teeth as she viciously bit down on her soda straw. Her crystal-clear toes curled tightly together, and she glared furiously at the white-haired girl on the screen, humiliated and enraged.
So she couldn't win and resorted to attacks outside the game, huh?
And she fucking mistook her for her own fan, then used her to go insane and launch a mental attack.
What kind of top-tier newborn was that?
Especially that so-called foot odor analysis.
Silver Wolf was so angry that she wanted to summon a fist right then and there, then give Lin Shuang's head two solid punches in real life.
If Acheron hadn't been beside Lin Shuang right now, Silver Wolf would have flown over through the internet connection, stomped on Lin Shuang's head, and taught her what "having a smell" really meant.
"Lin Shuang... I'll remember this. Once Elio's script is over, don't let me catch you."
Silver Wolf glared viciously at the white-haired girl opposite her and etched this grudge into her memory.
[Great God Silver Wolf of the Gaming Realm: Fine, fine, fine. So you want to fight dirty? Just wait. Sooner or later, I'll solo-kill you offline!]
Lin Shuang, who was in high spirits after winning a match, saw her opponent coming to demand an explanation.
Knowing she couldn't really provoke her too badly—otherwise, finding someone to play games with would become a problem—she immediately slid to her knees with a grin:
[Four-Core Greatsword: I'm sorry, I was wrong. Forgive me, Duck Duck.]
After provoking Silver Wolf and getting brutally stomped by her in games for several days.
"There are more spaceships nearby. Are we almost there?"
Lin Shuang sighed as she sat beside Acheron. The readings on the ship's radar showed that activity in the surrounding starry sky was gradually increasing.
From the cockpit, they could already see the technologically advanced planet ahead, encircled by several stellar rings.
"Didn't you rest well?"
Acheron looked at Lin Shuang in confusion, but the girl merely waved a hand, too embarrassed to explain.
"Don't worry. We'll reach the port planet soon. We can resupply there, and we can replace the ship's engine with a better one too. This antique from several hundred years ago is just too slow."
Along pioneering routes, some uninhabitable planets that were inconvenient for settlement but had favorable locations would be converted to various uses.
The planet Lin Shuang and Acheron were heading for specialized in providing ship transfers and conducting a little business.
You could even buy every component needed for an entire spacecraft there. Anyone capable enough could assemble a ship themselves.
"You're still going to put money into this ship? Aren't we just making do with it?"
Hearing that, Lin Shuang looked at Acheron in bewilderment. No matter how cheap it was, a suitable full set of engines for an interstellar spacecraft—including modification fees—would still cost a considerable amount of Credits.
She had thought Acheron would sell this old ship secondhand afterward.
But Acheron merely shook her head and gazed at the river of stars ahead of the ship.
"You need a spacecraft, don't you? Otherwise, how will you travel through the galaxy? This time, it won't just be the engines. We can replace the main control computer, defense systems, resting quarters, and everything else with better versions. This ship is neither too large nor too small. It's just right for you to use alone."
Lin Shuang was deeply shaken. Even in the interstellar age, casually refitting a spacecraft couldn't be cheap, could it?
"This... there's no need. Really, there's no need. How much would that cost...?"
"It's not your money. I don't use Credits much anyway."
"..."
Lin Shuang fell silent for a while. She felt as though Acheron was keeping her. There was a strange beauty in living off someone else.
Shaking her head and refusing to think about it further, Lin Shuang decided not to be pretentious. She really did want a spacecraft of her own. It was cool.
Since Acheron was willing to treat her well, Lin Shuang would remember it properly. Even if Acheron forgot someday, Lin Shuang would repay her twice over.
Very soon.
It did not take long for Lin Shuang and Acheron's ship to go from seeing the target planet with the naked eye to approaching the Starport.
As they drew closer, enormous spacecraft were densely docked along the huge stellar rings. All kinds of vessels swarmed around the entire planet like locusts, entering and exiting constantly.
The massive ships were docked near the stellar rings, while smaller vessels like the one Lin Shuang was riding in dove directly into the atmosphere.
Once their ship drew close enough, the planet sent over guidance instructions and entry procedures.
"Is that an Xianzhou starskiff in the queue ahead of us?"
While waiting in line, Lin Shuang noticed a ship flying in front of them that looked remarkably similar to the starskiffs in the game.
It possessed a kind of classical yet mystical beauty. Put simply, it did not look technological at all.
Yet it was indeed sailing smoothly through the vacuum, and it was even faster than their ship.
After finishing the entry registration procedures, Acheron raised her head and took a look.
"Yes, it belongs to the Xianzhou. Look at the emblem on the side of that starskiff. If I remember correctly, it should belong to the Minghuo Merchant Group from the Luofu Xianzhou."
"The Minghuo Merchant Group?"
Lin Shuang could not help narrowing her eyes to take a few more looks, then pulled out her phone and searched for it.
It really was.
Seeing the excitement in Lin Shuang's eyes, Acheron thought she was happy to have encountered Xianzhou people. After all, Lin Shuang was interested in the Xianzhou too.
"If you're curious, you can go introduce yourself after we disembark. I've heard a little about Tingyun of the Minghuo Merchant Group. She should like making more friends."
"Oh, but there isn't much information about the Minghuo Merchant Group. You've still heard of them?"
"I happened to hear someone mention them, but I've never dealt with them."
Lin Shuang nodded and watched as their ship drew closer and closer to the Starport.
Suddenly.
Boom—
A silent explosion erupted ahead without warning. The starskiff, originally guided by the Starport's traction program, was knocked off course by the blast and fell toward the wilderness beyond the Starport.
"Holy shit—"
Lin Shuang's eyes widened, and she shot up from her seat. Beside her, Acheron frowned as well.
"Something is wrong. I sensed the power of Abundance on that starskiff."
"Abundance? Could it be Scythe of Annihilation?!"
"Who knows? Do you want to go take a look?"
Acheron pointed at the starskiff, which was on fire as it fell toward the surface.
They had just said they wanted to make friends, yet something had happened now. Offering help in a time of need would make it easier to become friends.
Gaining the Minghuo Merchant Group's goodwill would also make things far more convenient if they went to the Luofu Xianzhou later.
As for Lin Shuang.
Acheron was beside her right now. Let alone mere Abundance abominations, even if an Emanator of Abundance were here, she would dare to go watch the excitement.
"Go. Of course we're going!"
The Starskiff Crashes, Lin Shuang Jumps Ship
Meanwhile.
On the Minghuo Merchant Group's starskiff.
Rumble—
The roaring caused by the starskiff's damage and descent echoed throughout the vessel, accompanied by violent shaking.
"Miss Tingyun! The starskiff has completely lost control. It can't be saved! Communications have been occupied by the Abundant Doses outside, and we can't contact the guards. It looks like they intend to wipe us all out in one go."
Inside the control room, guards armed themselves and held the passageways outside, blocking all the Abundant Doses monsters beyond them.
The Abundance abominations were not particularly aggressive, and with the narrow terrain and the compartment doors serving as barriers, they managed to hold the line for the moment.
But everyone was injured. Each of them clung to a handrail, their expressions exceedingly grim.
Near the control console, a Xianzhou native reported the starskiff's situation to a Foxfolk girl. The Foxfolk girl held a folding fan in her hand, strapped into her chair by a safety belt, her expression unpleasant.
"To think an Inner Core Master had infiltrated the merchant group... This little woman is but an insignificant nobody, yet Abundant Doses considers me important enough to go to such lengths..."
The planet's guards would not arrive so quickly. A planet like this, similar to a transfer port, belonged to no single faction and was jointly managed by several powers. Its efficiency had always been poor.
Their starskiff had not yet entered the Starport, so the Xianzhou's influence did not carry much weight here.
Abundant Doses had surely seized upon that fact to strike at this moment.
Once the starskiff crashed, Abundant Doses could take them down amid the chaos, then disguise themselves as survivors and connect with the guards.
That would be more than enough to slip past inspection.
The other members of the merchant group had naturally thought of this as well. No matter how the Xianzhou investigated afterward, once the initial scene was cleaned up, there would be almost nothing left to trace.
Since Abundant Doses had been able to hide on the Xianzhou for so long, they naturally had the means to evade the Divination Department's calculations.
"Miss Tingyun... Let's fight our way out and send Miss Tingyun to an escape pod. Then there will still be a chance!"
Someone immediately proposed a desperate plan. Among them, Tingyun was the most important. As long as she escaped safely, there was still hope.
However, before Tingyun even had the chance to answer, someone else had already checked the status of the escape pods aboard the starskiff.
"Oh no! Every escape pod has already been activated!"
At that, everyone understood. Abundant Doses intended to make sure every last one of them died!
Before you continue