Frightened

"Tch, what are you putting on airs for?"

Huang Yousheng muttered under his breath, clearly unable to stand Bo Shuo's manner. He turned and began fawning over Wang Yong, the Big Shot who had publicly cleared four Exam Venues. Grinning wide to reveal yellowed teeth, he said, "Brother Yong, we'll all have to rely on you later."

"With a Big Shot like Brother Yong leading us through a newbie instance, clearing it will be easy. Unlike certain people..." He shot Bo Shuo a meaningful glance.

"Don't say that, brother. We're all friends. What if there's some hidden Big Shot among us?" Wang Yong laughed heartily. He clearly enjoyed Huang Yousheng's flattery, though he still tried to smooth things over, his gaze drifting uncontrollably toward Bo Shuo.

He met the Youth's faintly smiling gaze. Those Deep Purple Eyes lingered on him for barely a second before drifting away carelessly, full of casual indifference.

As though Wang Yong were nothing more than a bug unworthy of his notice.

That familiar feeling of being ignored darkened Wang Yong's expression, and the way he looked at Bo Shuo turned hostile.

Naturally, he knew Bo Shuo could not possibly be a Newcomer Player. Judging by the calm and composure he displayed, he was at least a Veteran Player like Wang Yong, someone who had gone through four or five exams. That was why Wang Yong had felt a trace of wariness toward him earlier.

But that did not mean he was willing to let Bo Shuo walk all over him.

This was only a newbie instance. Everyone here was an E-class examinee who had taken no more than five exams, so what gave Bo Shuo the right to put on airs in front of him?

But Wang Yong quickly adjusted his expression. After confirming that Bo Shuo had no intention of speaking, he cleared his throat.

"Since I'm the only Veteran Player willing to step forward, I'll naturally do my best to lead everyone to victory." Wang Yong made sure the whole room heard him as he began making promises outright. "This is just a newbie assessment. As long as you follow my commands, everyone can Clear Level safely."

At that, several Newcomers' eyes lit up, and they quickly chimed in, "With Brother Yong here, wouldn't this tiny newbie instance be ours for the taking?"

"Exactly, exactly. We still have to rely on Brother Yong."

"..."

Xu Yi, the High School Student standing in the corner with a backpack on her shoulders, said nothing. Her gaze on Wang Yong was filled with suspicion and scrutiny.

Having experienced one exam already, she naturally understood how brutal they were.

Of course she did not believe Wang Yong would be so kind-hearted.

Someone who had made it through four exams intact might not necessarily be a bad person, but he could not possibly be some Saint Mother. Much less would he go out of his way to protect Newcomers. He definitely had another motive.

Sure enough, Wang Yong changed his tune the very next second and revealed his true purpose. "Of course, I'm not leading Newcomers for free. I want your newbie Points."

The muscles across his body bulged, making him as imposing as a small mountain. Yet he wore a kindly smile as he said, "As long as you Newcomers hand over all your Points to me, I'll honor my promise and protect everyone properly."

He was clearly trying to force a deal on them.

What a shameless bastard.

Bo Shuo clicked his tongue in amazement. "If the two of us had skin as thick as his, we'd have gotten rich long ago."

"Forget it. We'd get beaten to death if we did that." 007 cracked sunflower seeds as he watched the show from the side.

Sure enough, someone immediately began to protest. Just from the name, newbie Points were obviously valuable. How could anyone be willing to give them away so easily?

Besides, Wang Yong's guarantee was nothing but empty words. What if danger really came and he decided to bail on them?

"You!"

The shut-in with Gu Baiyu's name above his head had just stepped forward to argue. But before he could get out more than one word, Xu Yi grabbed him from the side and clamped a hand tightly over his mouth.

Xu Yi lowered her voice, her tone full of exasperation. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? He could punch ten of you to death."

Wang Yong was a Veteran Player who had undergone four rounds of Game Arena enhancements. Most of the people present were Newcomers who had not even strengthened their physical attributes yet. Forget resisting Wang Yong—they did not even dare show their dissatisfaction openly.

Here, order was bullshit. Even if you died here and your corpse rotted, no one would clean it up.

Huang Yousheng looked around at everyone's expressions. Seeing there was no room for negotiation, he gritted his teeth and transferred his Points to Wang Yong first, offering up his pledge of loyalty.

With someone taking the lead, coupled with Wang Yong's intimidation, some people wore ugly expressions but prepared to grit their teeth and accept it.

Bo Shuo, who had been watching the show from the side, suddenly let out a derisive laugh. He raised his eyes, shadows gathering downward along his face and revealing the sharp, clear line of his jaw.

"Idiots."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, cold and crisp like a raindrop falling onto the surface of a well.

But the meaning behind those words was exceptionally infuriating.

It was unclear whether those two words mocked the people rushing to hand Wang Yong their Points or condemned Wang Yong's behavior as beneath contempt.

Such nearly blunt mockery was even more likely to make someone lose control, especially Wang Yong, who had once suffered oppression at the bottom before gaining power overnight.

Emotion Points from Wang Yong +100

"Good, very good." Challenged again and again, Wang Yong could barely maintain his kindly facade. His gaze at Bo Shuo was so dark it seemed ready to drip blood as he spoke with a smile that did not reach his eyes:

"Young people should still maintain a humble attitude. Otherwise, you might end up dying in the Game Arena over some trivial matter one day. Wouldn't that be a terrible loss?"