Rescue

The Wind Snow Traveler was still struggling desperately, froze on the spot when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"That voice..." Wind Snow Traveler's lips trembled.

"Is it a hallucination? Or... No! It must be a hallucination! How could he possibly be here?"

Wind Snow Traveler was filled with mixed emotions. He hoped it wasn't a hallucination, but how could Jiu Chen possibly be here?

The players who were escorting Wind Snow Traveler heard the voice behind them and a hint of disdain flashed across their faces.

<Cloud Sea> is a game for everyone, and it's common to encounter situations where you catch a young one and then get an older one, or catch an older one and then get an even older one.

"Oh! You brought your accomplices, huh? Someone still dares to come to your rescue at a time like this? Hahaha, then I guess I'll just have to oblige."

The players holding Wind Snow Traveler casually threw him on the ground; since his legs had already been broken, there was no way he could escape.

"Kid, you dare come to Tianya Base to rescue people? You'd better be ready to die..."

The player who was speaking suddenly turned around, and upon seeing the scene behind him, his pupils contracted sharply, his face drained of color, the words stuck in his throat and he could no longer utter them, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.

"What's wrong?" Several of his companions noticed something was amiss and turned around as well.

A gigantic Golden-Winged Flying Magic Beast hovered in the air, its icy eyes fixed on them. On the Magic Beast's back stood an ordinary-looking man in black, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze equally cold.

A wave of immense fear washed over me instantly.

They finally understood why there were so many noises!

Damn it! Those people only cared about saving their own lives; why didn't they come and warn them?

When Fierce Beast attack a gathering place, everyone will usually inform each other.

But this time, the true form of the Zijin was truly terrifying, being the most ferocious flying Fierce Beast ever. The other players were only concerned with running away themselves; how could they possibly care about anyone else?

The players were completely blank-minded. They wanted to run, but found their legs were too weak to move.

The Wind Snow Traveler was thrown to the ground. Hearing the noise behind him, he struggled to get up and looked back.

A flicker of fear flashed in his eyes when he saw the colossal Zijin body.

When he saw Xiao Fan on Zijin's body, he was stunned for a moment and realized that he did not recognize him.

"Why is this person standing on a terrifying flying Magic Beast? And why does his voice sound so much like Jiu Chen's?"

Xiao Fan looked down at the Wind Snow Traveler and could hardly believe his eyes.

The once burly and robust man was now as thin as a sheet of paper, looking as if he had aged twenty years, with hardly a single patch of his exposed skin intact.

Xiao Fan was furious.

Wind Snow Traveler, the former Village Chief of Zone 18, was once his teammate and friend. In just a few months, he has become like this.

"You all deserve to die!" A murderous glint flashed in Xiao Fan's eyes.

"Please, please forgive us! We didn't know he was your friend, we were so wrong."

The players' legs went weak, and they knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

They never imagined that this low-level player, whom they could trample on at will, would actually have such a powerful backer!

The ability to control Fierce Beast? This is unheard of! Even the top player in the game, Jian Qingfeng, couldn't do it!

Who exactly is he?!

"Zijin," Xiao Fan said coldly.

The Zijin beneath him immediately understood.

Two bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, instantly obliterating several players who were kneeling and begging for mercy, leaving not even ashes behind.

"Thank you so much for saving my life."

The Wind Snow Traveler didn't know why the stranger in front of him had saved him. He wanted to kneel down to thank him, but with both legs broken, he could only bow in gratitude.

It wasn't until a special energy descended upon him, beginning to repair his body and dual bodies, that Wind Snow Traveler suddenly looked up.

This healing technique was all too familiar to him! Although many players now possess this healing skill, none are nearly as good as that person.

"You... you are Jiu Chen?"

Wind Snow Traveler's voice trembled, as if he couldn't believe it.

The voice and the treatment were correct, but the face clearly wasn't the right one.

Zijin landed on the ground, Xiao Fan jumped off her, walked to Wind Snow Traveler's side and slowly spoke.

"It's me."

Two words almost brought tears to Wind Snow Traveler.

A level 30 player ventured alone into a gathering area for level 60-70 players, but instead of rescuing them, he was captured and beaten badly. Even in his despair, he did not shed a tear.

Upon hearing that the person who had saved him was Xiao Fan, he couldn't help but feel the urge to cry.

It's like a wooden boat adrift on a vast ocean finally finding a harbor to dock in.

It's a kind of trust and reassurance that's hard to put into words.

He was exhausted in the months he had been away from Zone 18, more exhausted than he had been in Zone 18 for the past four years combined. At least he still had his friends in Zone 18.

"Jiu Chen, what are you doing here?" Wind Snow Traveler wondered.

"I've come to kill Shen Tao!"

"Kill Shen Tao!" Wind Snow Traveler was stunned for a moment. Xiao Fan left Zone 18 later than him, yet he dared to come to the World's End Gathering Point to kill Shen Tao.

But looking at the Zijin behind Xiao Fan, Wind Snow Traveler couldn't say a word.

How can he compare to Jiu Chen?

"I know where he is, let's go together."

The two met again, but without catching up, they headed towards where Shen Tao was.

~

In a luxurious room.

A beautiful woman huddled in a corner, tightly embracing a girl of about twenty years old; both of them trembled slightly with fear.

On a sofa not far away, a man in his late twenties leaned against the wall. His features were fairly regular, but his eyes revealed an indescribable gloom and roughness.

This person was Shen Tao.

"My patience is limited, you'd better not keep me waiting too long."

Shen Tao's tone was frighteningly gloomy.

In the corner, the beautiful woman looked at her daughter in her arms with tears in her eyes.

Her daughter is still young, with endless possibilities for the future; she can't let her step into a pit of fire.

"I can take off my equipment if you release my daughter."

The game <Cloud Sea> restricts players from removing equipment from living players.

The beautiful woman and her daughter were both wearing protective gear. Although they had been captured by Shen Tao couldn't do anything to them unless they voluntarily removed their gear. However, neither of them could leave the area.

The girl in the woman's arms suddenly looked up at the sound, her tearful eyes staring at the woman as she shook her head and made "ah ah ah" sounds.

It was obvious that the girl was mute.

Shen Tao waited for two days, but his patience had run out.

"Heh~ Do you even have the right to negotiate with me?" Shen Tao sneered.

"If you don't want to take your clothes off, then die! You're not still hoping that Wind Snow Traveler will come to save you, are you? Don't you even know where you are? If he comes, he'll only be dead."

The beautiful woman swayed slightly, a flicker of despair crossing her eyes.

Her husband was killed by Fierce Beast a while ago, and her brother-in-law just came out of Zone 18 to take care of her daughter. He's only level 30 now, so how could he possibly fight against Shen Tao, who is level 72? Shen Tao is right, even if he came, he would only be doomed.

"Okay. I promise you, but I don't want to be with my daughter. I'll take my clothes off first."

"Okay." Shen Tao didn't refuse; everything could be taken slowly.

The woman's trembling hand rested on the equipment in front of her chest, but her mind was focused on the game interface in front of her.

While messaging Wind Snow Traveler to stop rescuing people, she also messaged her daughter, telling her to log out of the game later and never log back in.

In the past two days, Shen Tao has been sending people to watch over them 24 hours a day to prevent them from quitting the game.

Only by sacrificing herself to Shen Tao can her daughter have a chance to quit the game; this is the only thing she can do now.