Now He Really Was a Titled Douluo

"I am Dugu Bo."

The words fell lightly across the Internet Cafe lobby, but they struck Tang San and Dai Mubai like a thunderbolt!

For the first time, the color drained from Tang San's face, which he usually kept composed beyond his years.

He swallowed hard. Looking at the old man in an ordinary robe, with a little instant-noodle broth still clinging to the corner of his mouth, Tang San felt his scalp prickle.

Dugu Bo, the infamous Poison Douluo?!

What was he doing here eating noodles?

And why was he so respectful to this owner?!

Could the owner be related to a Titled Douluo?

Dai Mubai was so frightened that he remained on his knees, not daring to move. With his ferocious White Tiger Soul Power sealed, even breathing felt difficult.

"That's enough, Old Man Dugu. Stop scaring the kids."

Lin Ye rose from his chair and walked up to Dai Mubai and Tang San.

He looked down at the two chosen ones who had taken the world by storm in the original story, his gaze cold.

"You started a fight in my shop and even tried to assassinate its owner with a poisoned hidden weapon. You two have some nerve."

"S-senior, it's a misunderstanding!" Tang San forced down his fear and tried to make excuses. "We were only worried about our friend. We acted rashly because—"

"Save it."

Lin Ye cut him off without mercy, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing, who had just picked up her teacup. "Zhu Qing, under Article Seven, Clause Three of the Origin Internet Cafe Management Regulations, what's the penalty for maliciously attacking the owner or staff?"

Expressionless, Zhu Zhuqing set down her cleaning cloth. Her icy catlike eyes swept over Dai Mubai with disgust, and she answered in a clear voice:

"A permanent ban. They go on the blacklist and can never purchase any service from this establishment, including, but not limited to, computer time and food or drinks."

"Good. Do it by the book."

[System blacklist updated.]

[Targets: Dai Mubai, Tang San.]

[Penalty: permanent account ban!]

As the system notification sounded, Tang San and Dai Mubai suddenly felt the overwhelming pressure around them vanish. Their Soul Power began flowing again.

"Phew..."

They both let out a long breath.

Dai Mubai got to his feet and gritted his teeth. Though he did not dare attack again, he still looked at Zhu Zhuqing resentfully. "Zhu Qing, don't let this shady shop fool you! What future could you have in a place like this? Come back to Shrek Academy with me. We can grow stronger together—"

"Pfft—hahahaha!"

Before Zhu Zhuqing could answer, Ning Rongrong was already doubled over laughing. She pointed at Dai Mubai and looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Grow stronger at Shrek? With you bumpkins who've never even seen a Kinetic Pistol? Dai Mubai, do you have any idea how much power Zhu Qing can put into a single slash now? You couldn't survive one move from her!"

"Bullshit!" Dai Mubai snapped. "She's an agility-type—"

"Don't believe me?" Ning Rongrong sneered and put on a headset with practiced ease. "Then let me open your eyes, you two country bumpkins!"

As Ning Rongrong logged in, the enormous holographic screen in the center of the Internet Cafe lobby lit up and began broadcasting her gameplay live.

Onscreen, Ning Rongrong was surrounded by a group of heavily armed Tyger Claws.

"Zhu Qing, let me borrow your Sandevistan account," Ning Rongrong said from the side, directing the action.

"Okay." Zhu Zhuqing swiped her card without hesitation, temporarily sharing access to her game character.

Onscreen, a hail of bullets came at Ning Rongrong. She did not dodge.

Hummm—!

With a futuristic hum, the entire scene turned pale blue and slowed to a crawl!

Bullets traced long paths through the air, as though frozen in place.

But the V Ning Rongrong controlled became a blur the naked eye could not follow!

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Three seconds later, time returned to normal.

Before Tang San and Dai Mubai's horrified eyes, more than a dozen thugs wielding heavy weapons—some even equipped with heavy mechanized armor—lost their heads at the same instant!

The cuts were smooth as mirrors. Blood had not even had time to gush from the wounds!

"W-what kind of soul skill is that?! How can she be so fast?! Even time stopped!" Dai Mubai stumbled backward in terror and landed on his backside.

If Zhu Zhuqing had attacked him at that speed earlier, he would never have known what killed him!

Tang San's understanding of the world shattered.

He stared at the shredded lumps of metal on the screen, his mind reeling.

Equipment that could slow time... In the face of that speed and firepower, my Tang Sect hidden weapons were nothing but children's toys!

An unprecedented sense of defeat, together with a hunger for that unknown power, overwhelmed the Tang Sect genius.

"B-boss!"

Tang San stared at Lin Ye with bloodshot eyes, his voice trembling. "Those hidden weapons and that equipment in the simulation... How much do they cost?! I want to play! I'll pay anything!"

Dai Mubai came to the same realization. If he did not gain that power, he would never be able to hold his head high in front of Zhu Zhuqing again!

"Right! Boss, I want a computer too! I'm a prince of the Star Luo Empire. I have plenty of Gold Soul Coins!"

Looking at the two boys who had been so arrogant moments ago, Lin Ye smiled with undisguised delight at their misfortune.

He pointed to the blacklist notice by the door, where large portraits of the two had just appeared.

"Sorry, you two."

"Shop rules. Once your accounts are banned, the ban lasts for life! Even if you brought the entire Star Luo Empire and Shrek Academy here, you couldn't buy a single second of computer time."

"What?!"

"Still..." Lin Ye changed tack and generously pointed at a few plastic stools in the lobby. "For Zhu Zhuqing's sake, if you don't cause trouble, you can buy spectator tickets."

"Spectator tickets?"

"That's right. You can watch us play." Ning Rongrong gleefully twisted the knife. She even ran to the vending machine and bought a bottle of Cola. "It's called clearing the game by watching. Come on, watch how I use technology to crush your pride!"

What kind of cruel torture was this?!

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing casually put on their headsets and went on a rampage through that mysterious cyber world, wielding power that seemed capable of destroying everything.

And they, the chosen ones of Douluo Continent, could only sit on plastic stools like two pitiful wretches, drooling as they watched the big screen and "cleared the game" from the sidelines?!

Being able to see that power but never touch it—the brutal withdrawal from gaming, the desperate hunger for strength—was ten thousand times worse than death!

"Boss Dai... My... my heart hurts..." Tang San clutched his chest. As he watched the heavy machine gun spit fire onscreen, his eyes reddened.

"Little San... Don't say another word... I want to chop off my own hands..." Dai Mubai watched Zhu Zhuqing tear through her enemies onscreen, tears streaming down his face.

And so began Shrek's miserable days of "clearing the game" from the sidelines.