A Bully Who Picked on the Weak

An hour later.

Lu Xing appeared at the resurrection point in Emperor's Tomb Village.

His battle with Strange Butterfly had left him shaken. Afterward, he realized that Strange Butterfly could have easily killed him, but had instead chosen to toy with him and torture him.

After his death, large groups of players had already set out for Wind Wave Pond, determined to take down this fourth-generation Origin Source.

At that moment, Lu Xing brought up the forum panel.

He selected the livestream category and clicked on player Black Night Approaching's stream.

The footage showed that,

after more than an hour of traveling, the player team led by Black Night Approaching had arrived near Wind Wave Pond. They only had to get around the volcano spewing flames ahead to reach Strange Butterfly's location.

At that moment, players in the livestream were discussing one question: was Strange Butterfly still there?

They got their answer half an hour later.

A pair of eerie green eyes blinked in the bushes at the edge of the livestream's view, watching what was happening outside.

When they saw that Strange Butterfly was still there, both the players on-site and the audience in the livestream cheered.

But their excitement lasted only a few seconds. Strange Butterfly suddenly leaped out of the bushes, flapped its wings, and flew into the sky.

The players who had come in a group were instantly dumbfounded.

"Damn it! We traveled all this way, and Strange Butterfly just flew off?"

"Where are the Eagle Head Demon players? Hurry up and flap your wings after it! Go!"

"Idiot, Eagle Head Demons are flightless birds! They can only glide short distances. They can't fly... At least, not at their current level."

Strange Butterfly flew farther and farther away. The players who had come in a group could do nothing but watch helplessly as it gradually disappeared from sight.

With no other choice, they turned back.

Watching this, Lu Xing couldn't help shaking his head.

The attempt to capture Strange Butterfly had failed completely.

He closed Black Night Approaching's livestream, then started his own. After buying ten food cans for one point of Sacrificial Power each from the shop, he prepared to continue exploring the world.

Two hours later.

After crossing an Ancient Battlefield area crawling with Blood Corpses, Lu Xing arrived at Wind Wave Pond once more.

This time, he didn't stop. He continued northwest along the shore.

Just then, a gust of wind swept down from the sky.

Lu Xing jerked his head up and was surprised to see Strange Butterfly plummeting toward him, its enormous white wings bearing down on him.

"Good grief!"

Lu Xing promptly switched to his Eagle Head Demon form and lunged to one side.

"Coo-coo!"

Dust billowed as Strange Butterfly landed, letting out an excited cry.

Strange Butterfly's sudden reappearance left Lu Xing bewildered. He looked up and saw it staring at him with a remarkably humanlike, taunting expression.

"I'm done fighting! I'm done!" Remembering how he'd been beaten for over half an hour last time, Lu Xing immediately gave in and turned to run.

But Strange Butterfly wouldn't let him go.

It flapped its wings, flew up behind him, and knocked him to the ground. Then it flew to a twisted old tree in the distance and perched there, gazing at him as it cooed again.

Lying on the ground, Lu Xing had a sinking feeling.

It seemed Strange Butterfly had set its sights on him.

The Guidance appraisal had described Strange Butterfly as "a bully who picks on the weak." He realized that, in its eyes, he must have become someone it could torment at will.

"Coo-coo!"

Strange Butterfly flapped its wings and leaped from the old tree, diving toward him once more.

Lu Xing dodged, but Strange Butterfly still smacked him into a somersault. He landed hard on his rear, seeing stars.

Coo-coo!

"You've gone too far." Lu Xing glared at Strange Butterfly, perched proudly on a tree branch, and seethed with frustration.

When Strange Butterfly swooped down again, Lu Xing decided to stop backing away. He flapped his wings and charged toward it.

As Lu Xing fought Strange Butterfly, the number of viewers in his livestream kept climbing.

"What a surprise! I thought Strange Butterfly had flown off, but it came back! We've got a shot at capturing it!"

"I think there were too many people there last time, and that scared Strange Butterfly off. We should send fewer people next time—or have a strong player challenge it alone."

"Keep it up! Fight Strange Butterfly again! You can win!"

As more spectators flocked to the livestream, the encouraging tips started rolling in again.

Lu Xing and Strange Butterfly began another round of fighting. This time, Strange Butterfly didn't use Wind Control. It toyed with him in a physical fight instead.

After half an hour of torment, Lu Xing finally ran out of strength. He curled up on the ground and gave up resisting, letting the wings lash him.

As a player who loved scenery, he had never imagined that such a calamity would befall him on his travels.

Before meeting Strange Butterfly, he had been killed by monsters and malevolent spirits, but none of those experiences had been as painful as this.

Lu Xing seethed with misery, but Strange Butterfly showed no mercy. It flapped its wings and summoned countless Wind Blades to surround him, ending his life.

After Lu Xing logged off, large groups of players set out for Wind Wave Pond once again.

This time, the players had learned their lesson. They realized that Strange Butterfly picked on the weak and that they couldn't challenge it as a group. Once they reached the area near Wind Wave Pond, they chose a level-ten player to approach it.

But what happened next left the players staring in disbelief. After taking one look at the challenger, Strange Butterfly immediately flapped its wings and flew away.

The players weren't willing to give up, so they hid in the distance.

Half an hour later, Strange Butterfly flew back. It circled Wind Wave Pond twice to check the area, then landed in the bushes.

This time, the players sent someone whose level was close to Lu Xing's to challenge it. But the result was no different. The moment Strange Butterfly spotted the player, it flew into the sky and disappeared before he could even get close.

The players who had come in a group were furious, but there was nothing they could do.

Just then, a voice came over the team voice channel:

"Strange Butterfly seems to have singled out Explorer. He's the only one it sees as weak. Since we can't get close to Strange Butterfly, why not figure out a way to get Explorer to defeat it?"

Quite a few players agreed with the idea.

When Lu Xing logged back in and started his livestream, a crowd of players flooded in at once.

"Brother, the important task of defeating Strange Butterfly is all yours."

"Capturing the first fourth-generation Origin Source will earn you more than a lottery win. You've got this."

"Brother, you've got to believe in yourself. We all have high hopes for you."

Confused, Lu Xing read through the comments and gradually figured out why these players had come to him. They clearly wanted him to return to Wind Wave Pond and fight Strange Butterfly again.

Lu Xing shook his head and said he had decided to change his route and wouldn't be going back to the Wind Wave Pond area.

But then the tips kept pouring in. They weren't large amounts, but it was clear that these players were eager for him to face Strange Butterfly again.

Some even said they would give him advice from the sidelines and guarantee he could beat it.

After a long silence, Lu Xing finally worked up the courage under the livestream viewers' financial assault.

"Fine. I'll give it another try!"

When Lu Xing agreed, cheers flooded the livestream.

And so, Lu Xing set off to fight Strange Butterfly once again.