A Sudden Boss, Gao Linzhi's Pursuit

And so, the three of them fought their way through the levels, finally reaching the last battle.

"The final level, the ninety-ninth level!"

"Congratulations to the three young men! They were brave, united, and incredibly intelligent, and they made it to the end!" the host in the stands shouted.

"If they just attack, they can become the rulers of the island!"

Many dignitaries applauded and stood up once again.

They were delighted to see the emergence of three more young powerhouses.

Because it means they can have another decade or so of peaceful life.

Yes, the powerful and wealthy still have a vague idea of the truth.

After all, there's a cave there, and if the gatekeeper always sees people going in but no one coming out, what's the point?

His first thought wasn't that the cave had a back door, but that there was a man-eating monster inside.

And that's what this arena is like.

They've seen countless young geniuses enter the workforce, but hardly any of them have managed to leave.

It's not that there are none at all, there are a few, but they are extremely rare.

But no one dared to say it.

Everyone could only pretend that nothing had happened, just like in the story of the Emperor's New Clothes.

He will die the moment someone exposes him, without exception.

So the three boys excitedly returned to the center of the arena.

And at this time...

The world was shrouded in gray.

Yellow sand rolls in, and dark clouds cover the sky.

"The enemy in this final stage is really strong," Zhang Xiaoshan said instinctively.

"Everyone be careful, don't underestimate the enemy!" Xiao Mei added.

However, the next moment, a giant hand appeared.

As soon as it appeared, the three of them found themselves unable to move.

They had clearly prepared many tactics beforehand.

Mobile attack, stealth attack, strong attack, flanking attack...

However, reality often tells them that when peasant armies rebel, one second they are dealing with bandits and thieves, and the next second they are facing the regular cavalry of the imperial court.

"Impossible! Why is this level so difficult?!" Zhang Xiaoshan exclaimed in shock.

And this is just the beginning.

Just as the three were struggling to break free of their restraints, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, splitting the dark clouds.

However, the lightning was not aimed at the giant hand.

On the contrary, it was used to illuminate the horrified expressions on the three people's faces.

Zhang Xiaoshan, Xiao Mei, Li Si stared wide-eyed.

They never expected that they would encounter such an enemy at the very end of their journey!

This is terrifying!

Then, the giant hand slowly descended, reaching out to grab one of them.

It was just too big; none of the three knew who it was going to catch, or whether it would catch them all?

It moves very slowly.

Fear, despair, resentment, and anger were rapidly accumulating in the three individuals.

"No, no!"

"No, this shouldn't be happening!"

"I'm the main character!" Zhang Xiaoshan said angrily.

He clearly had a miraculous encounter, so why did he still have to suffer this crisis?

According to the extraterrestrials, someone will definitely come to rescue him!

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in his heart.

That's right, that's exactly it.

In novels, this is always the case: whenever the protagonist does something reckless, someone always comes to their rescue, thus preventing their death.

Just as Zhang Xiaoshan was expecting, the giant hand finally descended.

It hovered above the three people, searching for its target.

In the end, it fell on Li Si.

Two fingers pinched Li Si's head.

"No, don't kill me!"

"I'm still young!"

A voice came from the giant hand.

"Haha, didn't you guys come here to challenge me?"

"You guys are all amazing!"

"Ha ha."

It was an indescribable voice, cold, hard, and chilling.

After it finished speaking, there was a "click" sound.

Those two fingers pinched him tightly, and Li Si couldn't even last a second before... flowers bloomed everywhere.

Hahahaha...

"It's this feeling, this feeling is what makes me feel alive!"

"Hahaha!"

A burst of maniacal laughter erupted from the giant hand.

"Impossible, impossible!"

"Li Si, how could you be dead?" Zhang Xiaoshan asked in horror, despair, and disbelief.

He couldn't accept that his former partner, with whom he had competed and collaborated, had died right before his eyes, utterly powerless to resist.

"Impossible!"

"We're at least level 60, why are you so strong?" Xiao Mei was still somewhat rational, and she was still considering the comparison of their strengths.

She didn't understand why the arena would suddenly present such a powerful opponent in the final stage.

"According to those Descenders, your strength is at least level 120!"

"Such a powerful individual shouldn't be here!"

By the end of the analysis, Xiao Mei was almost going crazy.

She didn't want to die either.

Her wonderful life has only just begun.

Why?

Why did this suddenly happen?

Just moments before, the three of them had united as one, devising various techniques and methods to defeat a monster.

And now, an irresistible boss has appeared before the three of them.

And Li Si was actually killed by the other party!

This disparity made the two of them extremely distressed and desperate.

At this very moment.

The three players who were following them also witnessed this scene.

They were also trembling with fear.

"Holy crap, this is amazing?"

"The task completion notification has appeared."

[Ding! Congratulations to player Xiaoyao Tianshang for completing the quest... Discovering clues to the true identity of the Black Madman]

"This guy really did appear in his real form."

"This is terrifying. If we are exposed, we are doomed."

"Thank goodness for the protection of the Game System, otherwise we would have ended up like those three poor boys."

The three players were chatting privately through the quest channel.

They were very grateful for their different identities.

And at this time...

The giant hand then said to the remaining two, "Never mind."

"That's all you taste like."

"This is really boring."

"Your time to die has come."

"Actually, I originally wanted to give you a little more incentive."

"However, those players have been causing trouble everywhere lately, which has led the imperial court to send out experts indiscriminately, making me quite unhappy."

"I'll just give you a quick death!"

I see.

Xiao Mei understood.

In fact, the three of them were not originally supposed to encounter this evil and powerful opponent so soon.

It's unlikely that anything will happen until they've been the island's owners for some time.

However, they have only just risen to power when they encountered their final enemy.

Then, the giant hand began to pinch Xiao Mei's head again.

"Xiao Mei!"

"No, let her go, come at me!" Zhang Xiaoshan shouted in shock.

He never imagined that even on his deathbed, this cruel enemy would force him to watch his beloved die before him.

He also had feelings for Li Si, but those brotherly feelings were clearly not as deep as his feelings for Xiao Mei.

"Hehe, that's the taste!"

"Yes, it feels so good."

Just then...

The yellow sand and dark clouds inside the arena all dispersed.

The dignitaries in the stands were all unconscious.

Of course, some people were faking being unconscious.

But no one wants to see or hear what's happening now.

At that moment, a gaunt old man appeared in mid-air.

He remotely controlled the giant hand, looking at the two remaining people.

Li Si, one of them, had long since been turned into mincemeat.

He shook his head and said, "What a pity, what a pity."

"Actually, your food is quite good."

I didn't want to eat so fast.

"Unfortunately, these days, the Descenders from the sky are too troublesome."

"I need to go into seclusion for a while."

"I need to eat something good before I go into seclusion."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoshan became extremely angry.

Anger dispelled fear.

"Damn it, you killed my friend, and you're going to kill my lover too!"

I'm going to kill you!

He struggled desperately.

A sudden force caused him to struggle free.

At this moment, the frail old man frowned.

"Go to hell!"

Zhang Xiaoshan drew his long sword and slashed fiercely at the giant hand.

His first priority was to address the life-threatening crisis Xiao Mei was facing.

Just when everyone thought he was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, Gao Linzhi finally made his move.

Gao Linzhi did not intervene when Li Si died.

Because he needed to confirm whether it was the real Black Madman.

He's not a saint or a superhero; he wouldn't do something like saving someone in a critical moment.

Besides, having lived two lives, he had long since seen through it all.

We must respect the fate of others.

As the longsword slashed towards the giant hand, a sudden burst of light appeared, sweeping across the sky and striking the frail old man directly.

Everyone was stunned.

"Could anger generate such power?" Xiaoyao Tianshang exclaimed in shock.

"Maybe so. This Zhang Xiaoshan might actually be a main character."

"Incredible! This attack power is at least level 150!"

They know the attack power because it's provided to them by the Game System.

"It shouldn't have been Zhang Xiaoshan who did it. Who is this person? Who could unleash such power?"

And at this time...

The thin old man cried out in surprise:

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Then he, along with his giant hand—a devastatingly large hand—fell from mid-air.

And after it fell, it broke into two halves.

Gao Linzhi was not surprised by this.

This is Game System that has been specially enhanced.

It's normal for it to have such power.

However, given how powerful the Game System is, the previous attempts to hack into it failed, indicating that this world is still quite complex.

And at this time...

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared from the two halves of the frail old man's body and burrowed into the ground.

It vanished in an instant.

Only a body remained.

Clearly, this body is a puppet.

However, that dark shadow should be the other party's soul, or Primordial Spirit.

Gao Linzhi was not surprised by this.

He stared at the spot where the dark figure had fled.

If he can use puppets, why can't the other side?

That's for sure.

However, in order to enjoy themselves, the other party struck a balance between safety and risk.

This Black Madman implanted his soul into a puppet, then enjoyed the thrill of torturing and killing others on the spot.

In this way, even if the puppet is killed, its soul can escape quickly.

However, the Blade Intent unleashed by Gao Linzhi was naturally not that simple.

It can kill the opponent's soul along with it.

It is capable of severing the opponent's spirit and soul.

This is the power of Blade Intent.

This was a powerful force he obtained from the event shop; it was far beyond the standard.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to fight this boss ahead of time.

Of course, Gao Linzhi has not yet truly killed this Black Madman.

He must kill the opponent's true form to obtain good loot.

This is a boss that's level 120 or higher.

At this moment, Gao Linzhi had already silently followed after them.

He did not meet with Zhang Xiaoshan and the others from beginning to end.

Because it's unnecessary.

And at this time...

Zhang Xiaoshan stared at the lingering trace of the sword energy in the sky, lost in a long, profound shock.

"This was definitely done by some big shot."

He knew better than anyone that his strike, though it carried a certain aura, only traveled a little over a meter.

This blade of energy was hundreds of meters long.

He rushed to rescue Xiao Mei.

The three players, however, received further tasks.

[Ding! You have activated the mission.]

[Resurrect your comrade.]

[A local boy named Zhang Xiaoshan loses a companion during an adventure, and he must revive him...]

At this moment, Gao Linzhi was opening the Minimap.

He was using the Game System to locate the Black Madman.

At this moment, a red dot marked "Black Madman" appeared in a certain ocean.

That Black Madman is now hiding underwater.

This can only be described as an extremely insane act.

The ocean floor is a forbidden zone for humankind; this is a consensus among people in this world.

Gao Linzhi was heading towards the location marked on the map.

Ordinary people certainly wouldn't dare to go into the sea.

Right now, Gao Linzhi is using a large number of over-limit items from the game's event shop to boost his power.

Attributes, health, Mana Bar, defense, attack...

Both have received significant enhancements.

After entering the ocean, he followed the game map to find his way there.

When he arrived at the location of the red dot, he discovered an underwater Crystal Palace.

He had only ever seen such an underwater Crystal Palace in books before.

But now I'm seeing it in reality.

There is clearly a formation set up in this place.

It repels the seawater, forming a circular dome.

Inside the enclosure was a palace.

This is thousands of meters below the surface of the ocean.

It's fair to say that even the strongest wouldn't choose to come to such a place.

Because it's too dangerous.

Along the way, Gao Linzhi saw many Undersea Anomalies.

They are enormous and lie on the seabed.

It takes a lot of courage to pass by them.

Deep-sea fear, gigantism, trypophobia...

Every fear is a huge challenge to one's psyche.

If Gao Linzhi playing the game from a third-person perspective, he really wouldn't have dared to pass by them.

It's important to know that once they are disturbed, they will immediately engage in rule-based killing.

The place this Black Madman chose to hide in was really well-hidden.

This Crystal Palace is located beneath the strange armpit of a Deep Sea Giant.

Without a system to identify it, finding it would be extremely difficult.

The main reason is that everyone would instinctively avoid the Deep Sea Giant.

This is why the "Black Madman" has been committing evil deeds for so many years, yet no one has come to his aid.

Firstly, the opponent is strong enough, and secondly, they are good at hiding.

This Black Madman is essentially a typical local tyrant.

Even after feudal dynasties have fallen, they will still exist.