The bathroom tiles were covered in dark yellow spots, and even the mirror above the sink looked as though it had been coated in mud.
Shen Ru frowned. The thin stream of water diluted the bloody smell hanging in the air, while the murky mirror reflected the tiny diamonds glittering on the young man's right ear.
He had no taste for profiting from other people's deaths, so he had never intended to pay with a player's head.
The system had also repeatedly emphasized that the task itself was to minimize spending. By that reckoning, not only had he spent nothing, he had even made the monster work for free.
Besides, there was a freak nearby, watching his every move like a predator.
Shen Ru had good reason to suspect that the moment he harbored any intent to kill him, the man's next move would be to wrap a hand around his throat.
Haha. Great.
So you want me to be the first guinea pig!
The black-haired, red-eyed glass doll stood still, suppressed the amusement rising within him, then turned and left the bathroom.
But aside from the livestream viewers, no one saw...
The young man in the mirror remained motionless, staring fixedly at Shen Ru as his mouth stretched into an eerie grin.
After Shen Ru emerged from the bathroom, he discovered that the others had already cleared away the bodies on the floor.
That was fast...
The looks everyone gave the young man were complicated, but Qi Liang's stood out the most.
He was now absolutely certain that this man was a high-level player. He hadn't even been able to follow the expert's blade when he killed the ghost!
That could only mean one thing: the expert's skills were unfathomable!
A high-level player taking part in a beginner instance had to be on some sort of mission.
If he pledged his allegiance now, he could not only save his own skin, but perhaps even get a chance to join a high-level guild after the game ended!
So, while everyone was busy cleaning, Qi Liang sneaked over to Shen Ru and dropped into a sliding kneel right before the young man to demonstrate his sincerity.
"Boss! I was blind to your greatness earlier, and I really offended you. Have you come down from the high-level instances to this beginner one for some mission? I can help!"
Afraid Shen Ru wouldn't have the patience to hear him out, Qi Liang simply spilled everything on his mind in one breath.
The young man watched the kneeling man with interest, unable to stop his wicked streak from stirring up trouble.
Looks like this poor bastard has mistaken me for a high-level player.
But isn't judging that on strength alone a little rash?
Rather than answer him directly, Shen Ru gave a cold snort and asked, "How did you figure it out?"
That neither denied that he was a veteran player nor prevented him from indirectly finding out how Qi Liang had reached his conclusion.
Of course, Qi Liang couldn't think that deeply. All he cared about was his own life and the expert's approval, so he hurriedly answered:
"Beginner instances never assign tasks in the middle of the night. Your arrival must have upset the balance of the mechanics, boss, so I took the liberty of guessing..."
Ah...
So that's how it is...
A glimmer of cunning flashed through his red eyes under the dim lights.
You damned freak. I've finally caught you.
Shen Ru immediately deduced that Mo Yu's arrival had triggered this chain of butterfly effects. Yet the damned freak had not only stayed out of it, but made him help take out the trash.
You really deserve to die...
Qi Liang seemed to sense the expert's displeasure. Assuming his presumptuous speculation had upset the young man, he hastily apologized:
"Boss, I... I didn't mean to make wild guesses, but I really can be useful if you keep me around. This is my fourth beginner instance. There must be something I can help you with!"
When faced with life and death, people instinctively became both servile and despicable in their efforts to survive.
Shen Ru happened to welcome both attitudes. Smiling, he helped the man up. His gentle words were like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, gradually numbing the other man's nerves until he became his slave completely.
"Then you'd better explain everything to me, from beginning to end. Don't leave out a single word."
Livestream chat:
[Wait, since when did this guy become an expert??? Please, have some shame!!!]
[Help! Does nobody else think this gorgeous Shen guy is mesmerizing??? God, I fucking love him!!!]
[Am I the only one feeling sorry for this poor bastard Qi Liang? He's talked himself into submission, inside and out! Hahahahaha I'm dying!]
[He's eagerly scrambling to prove his worth to an expert, never imagining the guy is as green as a newbie can possibly be!!]
Qi Liang told him everything he knew, holding nothing back.
He practically wanted to dig up every last secret he had and present them with both hands for Boss Shen's pleasure.
Still, thanks to his thorough explanation, Shen Ru gained a clear understanding of the game.
Although it was called the eternal life game, players had to keep clearing instances to earn survival days and extend their lives. The higher the level of the instance, the more survival days they earned.
If their survival days ran out, the system would automatically drop them into an upcoming game instance.
After finishing a game, players were all sent to the rest area.
The rest area was also called the living area. It had everything anyone could need and was supposedly highly advanced. Everything could be purchased with points.
It was just like the place he had lived before. Players who survived had gradually formed various organizations and guilds, the most famous of which was the Dark Night Guild.
Shen Ru vaguely sensed that Qi Liang was deeply wary of this guild and didn't dare say much about it.
But...
None of that matters.
What mattered was that, after hearing all this, he actually found such a world wonderful.
A world that disregards order and law.
A world that disregards right and wrong, where only strength matters.
It's the paradise of my dreams!
Shen Ru's gaze quietly settled on the man in the distance. He was very curious about why the man had come to a beginner instance and what he wanted to gain here.
Does a high-level player really need to scrape together survival days in a beginner instance?
The answer was obvious.
Shen Ru hated trouble. If the system hadn't warned him that he couldn't clear the instance through violence, he would have loved to beat every monster that came in to death, one after another, and threaten them into giving good reviews.
But now he had changed his mind.
Helping others was a virtue all humanity ought to possess.
He would see this favor for the man through to the end.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
In the silent room, the sounds of shattering glass were particularly jarring and eerie.
Everyone abruptly stopped whispering and held their breath, all turning toward the source of the sound-the bathroom.
Pat.
Pat.
Pat.
The sound had changed.
Footsteps suddenly rang out in the bathroom.
The sequence of sounds seemed to be telling everyone one thing.
Something had come out of the mirror...
As the footsteps grew clearer, heavy steps sounded from the bathroom, one slow tread after another, approaching the door at an unhurried pace.
Suddenly.
Creeeak-
The wooden door, neglected for years, was pushed open from the other side. Wet footprints appeared clearly on the dust-covered floor.
The footprints looked enormous. Judging by their length, whoever left them had to be a little over three meters tall.
But the eerie thing was...
At that moment, apart from the six players, there was no one in the room...
Before you continue