Invitation

"Uncle Li Si!!"

Seeing who had arrived, Yang Guanjin could not help but be shocked. She had witnessed with her own eyes that Li Laosi had breathed his last; she never imagined he would still be alive, let alone appear here.

"Heh heh!"

Mad Dog grinned. "If I don't die, who knows how many eyes will be fixed on me. It's better to just be 'dead' and be done with it."

In truth, when Xu Tong first stabbed him, he had been terrified.

He thought this guy was discarding him like a worn-out tool, and he had nearly prepared to fight for his life.

But what Xu Tong said next forced him to think seriously.

"In the eyes of the Forest Farm people, you are a hero who protected the treasure. But to other players, your identity is already laid bare. If that team has no ill intent, fine, but if they do, you won't have anywhere to hide.

"Furthermore, since you protected the Golden Dagger this time, I fear that mysterious person has already set their sights on you. You've suffered such heavy injuries; as long as you're alive, you're a living target. Only by faking your death can you have room to maneuver."

It was precisely because of these words that Mad Dog chose to take a gamble and trust Xu Tong.

Just as Xu Tong later chose to make this high-stakes bet, staking his entire fortune on him, it could be said that although the time they had known each other was short, they had already forged a bond that had weathered life and death.

As he spoke, he walked over to Xu Tong's side and took a look, his eyelids twitching immediately; he was clearly startled by Xu Tong's current appearance.

Even Wu Dalang after drinking arsenic couldn't have looked as ghastly as he did right now.

His face was a terrifying, waxy yellow, his eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were so pale that not a hint of color remained.

"Are you trying to die? Did you eat arsenic? Your face looks awful."

Xu Tong tilted his head to look at him, smiling meaningfully. "Then you'd be the one losing out big time."

As he spoke, he pointed to Zhang Hu's corpse in the corner.

Seeing Zhang Hu's body, Mad Dog couldn't help but widen his eyes, exclaiming in surprise, "You succeeded??"

His expression was one of disbelief. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened during the process, for a newcomer who didn't even have a prop card to kill a farming player was not only beyond the scope of their original plan, but an outcome that was nearly impossible to imagine.

"Didn't you say we should wait for them to start fighting and then fish in troubled waters? Why did you make the first move??"

He looked at Xu Tong in astonishment.

Xu Tong simply pointed to Yang Guanjin nearby and said, "Plans can't keep up with changes. Fortunately, the harvest was bountiful."

Being singled out for criticism like this, Yang Guanjin couldn't help but blush, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Without waiting for Mad Dog to ask, Xu Tong initiated a trade, transferring 300 script points directly to him.

"This..."

Now Mad Dog felt a bit awkward. As the saying goes, one shouldn't accept a reward without merit. Receiving such a large sum of money made him feel like it was burning a hole in his pocket.

However, Xu Tong insisted on the trade. After all, they were gambling together; it made no sense for him to eat the meat and not even give the other person a taste of the broth just because the plan had changed.

Besides, without bait, how could the fish bite? If he didn't give a sweet treat this time, it would be hard to get Mad Dog to risk his life next time.

A full three hundred script points—no matter how polite Mad Dog was with his words, he still honestly pocketed the windfall. Of course, while trading, he didn't forget to return Xu Tong's two prop cards, as well as the various odds and ends of Paper Dolls and gold foil.

"Heh heh, take this. Drinking it should make you feel a bit better."

Mad Dog returned the favor, handing a bottle of clear, white potion to Xu Tong.

[Yellow Talisman Water]

It is said to cure all diseases, but only those who drink it know the truth.

After consumption, there is a 50% chance to dispel one negative effect from the body.

20% chance to dispel all negative effects from the body.

10% chance to give you diarrhea.

Looking at the Yellow Talisman Water handed over by Mad Dog, Xu Tong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where on earth do you get so many potions??"

Mad Dog gave a mysterious smile; naturally, he wouldn't tell Xu Tong. After all, anyone who mastered such a channel would not easily reveal it to others.

Seeing that he wouldn't say, Xu Tong didn't press the matter. He tilted his head back and downed the Yellow Talisman Water in one gulp, then smacked his lips and frowned, saying, "A bit..."

"Ugh!"

Before he could finish, a glob of black liquid was vomited from his mouth.

After spitting out this mass of liquid, Xu Tong took a long breath. Although his face remained waxy yellow, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. The leaden, aching sensation throughout his body finally subsided.

It seemed his luck was good; it had indeed dispelled a negative status. It was just unclear whether this negative status had come from the title skill's curse or from [Demon King Descent].

"What's next? Zhou Huasheng and the others have already gone up the mountain. Heh heh, after I dumped that old bastard in the pigsty, he got a real beating from the old folks at the Forest Farm. It was miserable."

Mad Dog gave a brief report on the situation at the Forest Farm after they had left.

He grinned, explaining that he had been hiding nearby watching. The villagers had acted as if they had eaten gunpowder; their strikes were truly ruthless, and Captain Wang and the other officers couldn't stop them.

Especially that Deputy Director—he had been so respectful to Zhou Huasheng before, but his strikes were just as vicious now. If Captain Wang and his team hadn't intervened, those old folks from the Forest Farm probably would have beaten Zhou Huasheng to death in the pigsty.

The reason for this was actually that Zhou Huasheng had taken the fall for Yang Zixuan and his group.

These old folks had been planting trees here for so many years, cultivating saplings for the country to use in reforestation efforts in the Northwest.

The trees surrounding the Forest Farm were their lifeblood, yet when Yang Zixuan and his group retreated, they had intentionally set a massive fire to create chaos.

Fire and water are merciless; once a blaze of that magnitude ignited, it was never going to be easily extinguished. In the end, a vast stretch of the Seedling Garden behind the Forest Farm was reduced to ash.

Faced with such heavy losses, how could the elders not be enraged?

The elders of the Forest Farm had no way to settle this score with Yang Zixuan, so it all fell squarely onto the head of Zhou Huasheng.

"So soon!"

Xu Tong lifted his head, a smile finally breaking across his sallow face. He cast his gaze toward Yang Guanjin at his side, then slowly stood up. Placing his left hand at his waist and bowing slightly with his right hand extended in an inviting gesture, he said, "Comrade Yang Guanjin, allow me to formally invite you to participate in... my script."

Yang Guanjin was taken aback, wondering what kind of madness had seized this guy.

But as she looked at Xu Tong, the eyes shimmering in the reflection of the firelight refracted an indescribable sensation, as if he were... a black swan: elegant, composed, and radiating an irresistible magic from every pore.

As if possessed, Yang Guanjin placed her hand into his.

Beside them, Mad Dog's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, Holy shit, he actually pulled that off??

Yet he had to admit, there was indeed a power about this guy that was hard to resist. Perhaps it was the influence of that very power that had led him to muddle-headedly choose to go crazy with this guy.

Turning it over in his mind, he could only silently grumble, "What the hell, this is absolutely insane."

A bit late, but there will be another update tonight.