Something Definitely Went Wrong

"The noise seems to be coming from the direction of the Mermaid."

Muzi raised her hand and pointed to the waters where the Fairy Fish lived in the distance, craning her neck and her face full of barely suppressed curiosity.

The once peaceful area was now subtly agitated, with sharp, piercing screams from players echoing from that direction. Even from this distance, everyone could hear the panic and fear in the screams.

Muzi's curiosity intensified, and she immediately turned to look at the people around her, her tone tentative and eager. "Why don't we go over and see what's going on? Maybe something rare has happened."

Seeing this, Xiao Fan was speechless.

Anyone with eyes could see the danger ahead, but Muzi had absolutely no sense of crisis. She was only interested in going forward to watch the excitement, completely forgetting the old saying that curiosity killed the cat.

Fortunately, the team leader Dong Hu, was calm and reliable, and did not let his curiosity cloud his judgment. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately frowned, looked solemnly in the direction from which the scream came, and decisively shook his head in refusal.

"Don't go over there. The sound is chaotic and shrill; it doesn't sound good. There's definitely something wrong ahead."

Dong Hu still believed what Xiao Fan had just said.

Xiao Fan dared to enter the high-risk Monster Region alone; his confidence and strength showed he was definitely not an ordinary player.

Dong Hu was almost certain that the legend of the Fairy Fish's adventure was most likely a trap and conspiracy set by the Seven-Colored Deer.

The Magic Beast in this area are of extremely high level; high-level Magic Beast of level 300 are simply beyond the capabilities of their small team.

If they rashly approach and provoke trouble, a single blow from the other side could wipe them all out.

Upon hearing this, Muzi's face instantly filled with regret, her mind still preoccupied with the unusual activity ahead, filled with resentment.

However, since Captain Dong Hu had already made the decision, as a team member, he couldn't argue or force the issue, and could only suppress his curiosity.

"Let's not linger any longer, let's do the Seven-Colored Deer's regular quest."

Dong Hu gave a deep order, and before leaving, he subconsciously turned back and took a long look at the waters where the Fairy Fish were.

Strangely, the area, which had been noisy and filled with screams just moments before, suddenly fell into dead silence within seconds.

There was no sound, no movement; the entire area, along with the surrounding woods, was eerily quiet.

This sudden, deathly silence was far more chilling and terrifying than the chaotic, panicked screams that had just followed.

Dong Hu's heart sank, and a chill ran down his spine. He was almost certain that something terrible had happened in the Mermaid Waters.

Not daring to linger any longer, he quickly raised his hand and waved rapidly to the people behind him, his tone urgent. "Go! Leave this area immediately, don't waste a moment!"

At the same time, Xiao Fan frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the direction where the Fairy Fish was, his thoughts churning.

He knew more about the Fairy Fish than anyone else present.

In fact, as a Neutral Magic Beast, the Fairy Fish is not particularly violent and will never attack passing players on its own initiative.

Back then, when players from the City of Kings tried to ambush him by attacking Fairy Fish didn't even have the thought of killing him.

But there is one difference.

The Lightning Tribulation caused your avatar to fail, resulting in the Fairy Fish's ugly appearance. This is her Achilles' heel, and she will absolutely not tolerate any player's offense.

He had attacked the Fairy Fish he had seen a hint of disgust on her face.

Xiao Fan guessed that the terrified screams from that area were most likely because the group of players had accidentally seen the Fairy Fish's true form and touched her Achilles' heel.

"Those players are probably doomed today. They dared to be frightened by the Fairy Fish's appearance; the Fairy Fish will never let them get away with it."

Xiao Fan thought to himself,

But then I thought about it again, and realized that none of this had anything to do with him; it was just a matter of fortune or misfortune for passersby.

"Brother Si Ming, hurry up and get out of here! What are you still standing there for? If that Fairy Fish suddenly bursts out of the water, none of us will be able to escape!"

Dong Hu's team had already walked quite a distance ahead when they glanced back and saw that Xiao Fan was still standing in the same spot, not following. They immediately became anxious and shouted.

Xiao Fan gathered his scattered thoughts, suppressed the distracting ideas in his heart, his eyes regained their calm, and he uttered a single word. "Go."

As he spoke, he stepped up to catch up with the group, and together with Dong Hu and his men, they quickly evacuated the area.

The group walked quite a distance before Dong Hu finally stopped.

"Brother Si Ming, thank you for today."

Dong Hu said with a grateful expression.

If Xiao Fan hadn't reminded them, they definitely would have gone to find the Mermaid.

No player can refuse Contract Beast from a level 300 Magic Beast.

They had walked for so long, but not a single player had come out from behind them, which was what terrified Dong Hu the most.

Judging from the commotion over at the Fairy Fish's place just now, something big must have happened.

In this situation, not a single player escaped. Isn't that terrifying?

Fortunately, the Fairy Fish didn't catch up, and they escaped a disaster.

"I just reminded you, I didn't do anything."

Xiao Fan said.

Dong Hu is a decent person.

Other teams saw him alone in the Monster Region and, I don't know why, started calling him an idiot behind his back.

But when Dong Hu's team approached to ask, I simply gave them a couple of casual reminders.

They only escaped disaster if they were willing to listen.

"Anyway, we would have gotten there by now if you hadn't reminded us. Brother Si Ming, are you a regular at doing missions too? Why don't we go together?"

Dong Hu invited Xiao Fan to join them.

In his view, Xiao Fan's strength was unfathomable, and he also had a certain understanding of the Monster Region.

With him joining, their team would be less in danger.

Xiao Fan quickly shook his head and refused.

"I have some personal matters to attend to in the Monster Region, and it's inconvenient for me to travel with anyone."

Hearing this, Dong Hu was slightly disappointed. However, since Xiao Fan had already said so, he couldn't insist any further.

"Hey bro, can I add you as a friend? Don't worry, I won't bother you unless it's something important."

Xiao Fan thought about it and then agreed.

He was very curious about the previous Mirror City Server.

For example, how did they create the game launcher, and how did they know that the Seven-Colored Deer in the Monster Region would have city upgrade quests?

As a player on the Mirror City Server, you can ask Dong Hu anything you want to know in the future.

After successfully adding Xiao Fan as a game friend, Dong Hu felt an overwhelming joy, and his face was beaming with smiles.

In his eyes, the Dragon Nation Server was a place teeming with hidden talents and experts.

During the previous server merge battle, everyone witnessed that the Mirror City Server had a significant advantage in the game, starting earlier, having better resources, and attracting many skilled players.

Even with such a huge advantage, they still suffered a crushing defeat against the Dragon Nation Server in the final server merge battle, which shows just how terrifying the Dragon Nation players' strength is.

Among the players of the Dragon Nation Server, Stealth are countless hidden top experts, but most of them keep a low profile and do not easily reveal their talents.

Dong Hu knew very well that if he could get to know and befriend a powerful figure like Xiao Fan, whose strength was unpredictable, it would be absolutely beneficial to him and his team.

Having more friends means having more paths to take; having more powerful backers means having more confidence. This is the principle that Dong Hu has always adhered to in his many years of experience in both the gaming and real worlds.

Instead of constantly hitting roadblocks and struggling to find your way in the game, it's better to cultivate connections and befriend strong players. This will provide you with more security in the future, whether you're exploring dungeons, venturing into high-risk areas, or dealing with server conflicts.

After adding each other as friends, Xiao Fan waved goodbye to Dong Hu and his group, and they went their separate ways.

Not long after Dong Hu left, Zijin childish voice, tinged with curiosity and playfulness, immediately rang out from within his Contract Beast space, breaking the tranquility of the journey.

"Hehe, that ugly fish must be absolutely furious! I really wonder how comical it will be when she's so ugly and Thunder. Jiu Chen, stop dawdling, let's find a place to pass through the Lightning Tribulation quickly. I want to break through to the next level as soon as possible and see it for myself!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fan was speechless for a moment, and helplessly paused in his tracks.

He silently scoffed inwardly, thinking, "Is it really appropriate for this little guy to so brazenly mock and belittle other high-level Magic Beast behind their backs?"

After all, the Fairy Fish is a top-tier Magic Beast of level 300, far superior to ordinary Fierce Beast.

But then I thought, Zijin is still young, his mind is pure and innocent, he doesn't understand the ways of the world, so it's normal for him to speak without restraint.

Suppressing the helplessness in his heart, Xiao Fan's thoughts returned to the two Neutral Magic Beast, the Fairy Fish and the Seven-Colored Deer, and a few doubts arose in his heart.

Throughout his journey, he still couldn't understand what kind of long-standing grudge existed between the Seven-Colored Deer and the Fairy Fish.

How could this Seven-Colored Deer be so cunning and treacherous?

He repeatedly and deliberately spread the legend of the Fairy Fish's miraculous encounters, constantly enticing and instigating players to go to the waters to harass and explore, thus indirectly provoking conflict.

It's truly pitiful that so many unsuspecting players were lured in by the hype and blindly rushed to the game, only to become victims of the two high-level Magic Beast' battle of wits.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fan sighed softly, a touch of melancholy passing through his heart.

"I wonder what happened to those players who angered the Fairy Fish? Did they all die?"

He gently shook his head, suppressing the distracting thoughts and emotions in his mind.

Life is full of ups and downs, and everyone has their own destiny. His most important task right now is to resolve the immediate issues at hand.

"Let's put everything else aside for now. Helping Zijin overcome the Lightning Tribulation is the most important thing."

In the past, Xiao Fan might have actually gone to the scene to check things out, but now he only has fourteen days before being teleported to a Life and Death Contest competition where he knows nothing. How could he have time to care about other people's affairs?

The thought had barely formed when new problems arose one after another.

Xiao Fan raised his eyes and looked around at the vast, dark, and lush Monster Region, a hint of difficulty flashing in his eyes.

The area of Monster Region is vast. Xiao Fan had only been to the vicinity of the Seven-Colored Deer and Fairy Fish before, and was completely unfamiliar with the terrain, environment, dangerous areas, and safe zones.

The Zijin Tribulation requires an excellent location that is open, free from beasts, and capable of receiving the power of divine lightning.

But now he was completely in the dark, and for a moment he had no idea where to go to find a suitable place to undergo the tribulation.

Zijin seemed to know what Xiao Fan was thinking and said arrogantly.

"Just focus on moving forward; don't worry about the direction. Once I sense a suitable place for my tribulation, I'll let you know immediately. Then, just follow the directions I give you."

Zijin said that it was currently in the Contract Beast space and could not see the outside world, but its innate talent for beast lightning had never been limited. Its bloodline carried a level of perception Superman players.

She could accurately identify ordinary Fierce Beast, dangerous auras, and the most suitable feng shui terrain for attracting lightning to undergo tribulation. Finding a place to undergo tribulation in this vast Monster Region was just a piece of cake for her and not a problem at all.

Hearing Zijin's confident words, the weight that had been hanging over Xiao Fan's heart instantly lifted, and his tense nerves relaxed abruptly.

Fortunately, Zijin had such abilities, so he no longer had to blindly search and run into obstacles everywhere. Now, the problem of transcending the tribulation finally had a solution.

Before Xiao Fan could think further, Zijin's slightly arrogant yet slightly complaining voice came from within the Contract Beast space again.

"Honestly, they're completely unreliable. In the end, I have to personally handle and worry about everything."

Xiao Fan:???

"Give me back my Lightning-Avoiding Fruit."

Zijin: "That's my Lightning-Avoiding Fruit."

Inside the area where the White Nation players gathered, the atmosphere was deathly silent and oppressive, the entire area shrouded in a somber and malevolent aura.

It must be admitted that Cannon has a very strong influence and deterrent effect in the game.

In less than a day, thanks to his extensive network and the search and investigation efforts of his many players, he located the players who had gathered at the temporary meeting place.

At this moment, all of these players were taken back to the core settlement of the White Nation where the Cannon was located.

The players were surrounded, their faces pale, their bodies tense, their eyes filled with fear and unease, and they dared not even breathe too loudly.

They now realized that the players who had followed Cannon's son had not reported to Cannon after leaving the settlement; instead, they had all died.

On the high platform, the Cannon stood tall and straight, its aura icy and fierce, its body shrouded in violence and killing intent.

He looked down at the trembling players at his feet, his sharp gaze like a cold blade, fixed on them.

The overwhelming anger accumulated from the grief of losing his son was pressing on his chest, almost bursting out of his body.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his deep, hoarse voice carrying a chilling undertone, each word spoken slowly and deliberately.

"Tell me. Who killed my child? What happened at that settlement?"

The players looked at each other, and finally, one player stepped forward, trembling.

Facing the murderous glare of the Cannon, he swallowed hard before recounting in detail what had happened at the temporary assembly point that day.

"You mean the one who killed my child was a player named Huang Quan from the City of Kings '?"

"Cannon," Huo Pao asked, frowning.

"That's right, sir. We heard it with our own ears; it's that ID."

The man quickly spoke up, and the other players echoed his sentiments.

The Cannon glanced at them, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"Let's go to the City of Kings."