I've Got Connections at the General Association

The General Association's livestream.

: Erchui... did he go to save Azure Mist's vice captain?

: Looks like it...

: If he wants to save him, why can't he just say so? Why be so awkward about it?

: Hard to say. He might just be going to watch the show.

: Come on, why would God Zheng save an enemy?!

: An enemy? Does Meng Yijia have a grudge against our Chuichui?

: I don't think so. They barely know each other.

: They don't have to know each other to have a grudge! Look at how those Azure Mist bastards behaved before!

: If you ask me, he shouldn't save him. It's a thankless job.

: Guys, stop lecturing God Zheng. He knows what he's doing. Let's just sit back and watch him show off.

There were plenty of Zheng Xun's fans in the General Association's stream, and many were worried about him or felt it wasn't worth it.

The atmosphere in Azure Mist's livestream was completely different.

: How's the vice captain? This is killing me!

: What did Captain Xu say?

: Holy shit, Zheng Xun went down!

: Zheng Xun? What's he going there for?

: Does that door lead straight to the vice captain? He's not running away because he saw things were going badly, is he?!

: I think so too. Finding the vice captain is just an excuse.

: What about Captain Xu and the others?

: Damn, Captain Xu and the others are getting ready to leave! They actually believed that asshole Zheng Xun!

When Xu Guan saw Zheng Xun make his move, he exchanged a glance with Luo Mingxuan.

They were old friends and needed no words. Their expressions showed that they both trusted Zheng Xun.

"We're moving out," Xu Guan said. "Lexin, Shutong, make sure you stay close this time. Mingxuan, bring up the rear and keep count."

"Okay."

The four headed toward the control room.

Yin Lexin couldn't resist speaking up.

"Captain, can we really trust Zheng Xun?"

"Don't worry. When he makes a move, he always has to get results," Luo Mingxuan replied. "Zheng Xun seems carefree, but he has extremely high standards for himself. You could tell from the look on his face when he kept pushing himself through the Locust Sound instance dozens of times."

Their group was shorter this time, and Xu Guan, walking at the front, could clearly hear everyone.

"I told everyone in Azure Mist to watch fewer replays of Zheng Xun. Did you all let my words go in one ear and out the other?"

Apart from Yin Lexin, a steadfast follower of their captain, the other two looked guilty.

"I didn't watch that much, Captain," Wang Shutong said in a tiny voice, defending herself.

"Ahem, I watched them while I ate." Luo Mingxuan sounded less confident than usual, but he quickly found fault with Xu Guan. "Old Xu, you won't let us watch them. Are you prejudiced against the newcomer?"

He thought Xu Guan would dodge the question. After all, that was what Xu Guan always did: he ignored anything that was difficult to answer.

But this time, Xu Guan responded, and quite frankly at that.

"I won't let personal feelings interfere with my judgment. I forbade Azure Mist's members from watching videos of Zheng Xun in instances because the way he performs makes everything look too easy."

Xu Guan looked at Luo Mingxuan, then at the others.

"You and I, all of us, know that nothing involving the White Tower is easy. Think of the sacrifices made in the past."

Watching Zheng Xun in an instance really did give people the urge to say, "I can do that too." He seemed able to simplify any problem, solve it with all kinds of bizarre methods, and still make it reasonable.

It was like a player who skipped the beginner's tutorial and, unable to find a fishing net or rod, smashed fish with rocks and made himself an entire fish feast anyway.

But before Zheng Xun appeared, White Tower instances were no stage for showing off.

Meanwhile, the Zheng Xun they were talking about was walking down the steps. The camera ball floated above his head, following closely like an obedient little pet, and had thoughtfully switched on its flashlight to light the way.

"Viewers," Zheng Xun said, his voice echoing considerably through the vast, dark space, "you are now watching a special program brought to you by Little Zheng, the General Association livestream's gold-medal streamer for the coming month and the holder of the title of handsomest player in the District 547 Tower 6 instance for three consecutive hours-Where's the Vice Captain Going?"

Even isolated and helpless as he was, he was still in the mood to tease the chat. Half the viewers were laughing, while the other half cursed him.

: Cut the crap, Erchui! Get down to business! Otherwise, just turn around and go back.

: There I go worrying on someone else's behalf again.

: Don't save him, Erchui, it's all haters in there!

: I'm really worried.

Compared with the General Association's stream, the doubts in Azure Mist's livestream only grew louder.

To make it easier for Azure Mist's viewers to learn how Meng Yijia was doing as soon as possible, the guild had talked with the General Association's operations team and added Zheng Xun's perspective to the stream.

Now Azure Mist's fans could watch without switching streams.

: Does that lousy door even work?

: Wasn't it only supposed to work as a shield?

: There's a traitor here! You watched Zheng Xun's livestream!

: Bro, get a grip. News about that door is all over the forums and the news now!

: Don't care. Azure Mist members would rather die than watch Zheng Xun's stream!

: Then go poke your eyes out right now!

: Ignore the lunatic. It's a good thing Zheng Xun can find out what's going on right away.

The "walking stick" in his hand made a tapping sound, letting Zheng Xun probe two steps farther ahead.

Soon, he noticed a change in the sound. It sounded much more solid than before.

He had reached the bottom.

After the last instance, he had looked through the instructions for this "portable door" and discovered that its use as a shield was actually a gimmick. Its true purpose was as a "passage."

All the user had to do was silently think of a destination and then take the door out of cloud space. If the door opened, they could go there. If it didn't, they couldn't.

That was the extent of the item's functions and limitations.

Zheng Xun had only tried it on a whim, never expecting the door to actually open.

He had walked down the long staircase for who knew how far before finally setting foot on the ground.

The camera ball swept around the space, illuminating the surroundings.

: Where is this?

: Looks like an abandoned tunnel?

: It should be part of the route for one of those little trains that go through the park. I can see tracks.

: Holy shit! There's a person over there!

Naturally, Zheng Xun had spotted what the chat had spotted.

He took a few steps forward, and the camera ball followed, its flashlight illuminating Meng Yijia's face.

"Look what I found," Zheng Xun said, crouching down. "A wild Vice Captain Meng."

After looking him over and finding no obvious external injuries, he gave him a push and woke him.

"Why is it you...?" Vice Captain Meng slowly opened his eyes.

"Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you? Does it feel like a nightmare coming true?"

Zheng Xun stood and stepped back twice, leaving him room to get up.

Meng Yijia struggled to his feet and surveyed their surroundings with Zheng Xun.

Zheng Xun had already reached the end of the tunnel. Not far away was a huge mechanism that filled the entire opening.

The mechanism was shaped like a clown's face, with two interlocking rows of sharp steel blades for teeth. It was both the exit and a deadly obstacle.

There was a ship's-wheel-shaped switch on the clown's nose and another on its left hand. They tried them and found that the door could only be opened if two people operated them simultaneously.

"Looks like the 'thing' that dumped you here wanted to trap you until you died."

Zheng Xun brushed his finger against the side of one of the clown's steel teeth. It was quite sharp.

Even if they opened the door, there was no guarantee they could get through.

If someone got caught at the waist and the blades fell, the sight would be too beautiful to look at.

Zheng Xun said he had an idea.

He and Meng Yijia worked together to open the door, then sent the camera ball through.

The camera ball flew in without trouble, but something went wrong when it returned.

The steel blades suddenly fell. Zheng Xun was standing by the switch in front of the door, and he reacted quickly, pulling his hand back.

But the camera ball shattered.

"Tsk, that's a bit of a problem."

Zheng Xun picked up two pieces of the poor thing's remains.

"This thing's pretty expensive, too."

: Holy shit! That mechanism is terrifying!

: Good thing it wasn't a person going in.

: As long as everyone's okay. I can't imagine what would've happened if someone had gone in.

: So you can only go in through this mechanism, not come back out?

: Probably.

Meng Yijia offered the same guess.

"Looks like there's no going back for us. Which of us goes first?"

Zheng Xun was still lamenting the loss of his camera.

"It's no good anymore. Can your wristband still livestream?"

Meng Yijia's wristband had shut down from an impact during his fall, and he hadn't turned it back on yet.

But he instinctively covered his sleeve and lied.

"No, it's broken."

"Then we're screwed. My wristband wasn't fully charged before, and it shut down just now too. We've completely lost contact now."

Zheng Xun showed Meng Yijia his wristband.

Though he said they were screwed, his expression didn't show much fear.

Meng Yijia was watching him.

"So what order are we going in?"

He smiled, though Zheng Xun couldn't see it.

"We have to get out somehow."

Zheng Xun crouched in front of the door, staring intently at the sharp blades.

"I'll go first," he said.

Meng Yijia made a deliberate show of yielding, saying he could go first too.

Zheng Xun finally spared him a glance. He said nothing, only giving a short laugh.

He seemed to have seen through everything, but didn't say it outright.

"No need."

Zheng Xun straightened up and placed a hand on the switch.

"All right, let's begin."

They turned the switches at the same time and heard a sharp click, signaling that the switches had reached their limits.

That sound could only be heard when both switches were operated at the same time, not when one was turned after the other.

Zheng Xun bent down, preparing to squeeze through the narrow gap.

But just as he was halfway through, one of the switches suddenly slipped with a tap, and the open gap was about to close.

Zheng Xun's life hung by a thread!

At that critical moment, Zheng Xun planted one end of the pointer he was holding on the ground and wedged the other against the falling blade. As expected of a reward from the White Tower, it didn't fail him when it mattered.

With his agile movements and monstrous reaction speed, Zheng Xun made it through safely.

The pointer couldn't hold for long, so Meng Yijia bent down and slipped through while it was still working.

"Sorry about that, Zheng Xun," Meng Yijia said with an apparently apologetic smile after making it through. "My hand slipped just now."

They were standing outside now. Though it was dim, they could see each other and their immediate surroundings clearly.

Zheng Xun was expressionless. He wasn't angry, but he didn't intend to laugh it off and let it pass, either.

"You did it on purpose," he said. "Once that mechanism locks into place, it won't slip unless someone turns it the other way."

"Why would you say that? Wouldn't that make me the bad guy?" Meng Yijia still wore an expression that said it had nothing to do with him.

"You can fool your brother, but don't fool yourself. We both tried it ourselves on the other side just now. If you have eyes and a memory, you should know that."

With only the two of them there, Meng Yijia seemed to stop pretending.

"Even if you say that, so what? Once we're out of this door, no one will believe you. If you don't believe me, we can try it."

"Is that how you harmed Huo Ziyan back then too?"

"Ziyan? That was a long time ago. My memory isn't that good."

"Aren't you afraid I'm recording this?"

Meng Yijia laughed, as if laughing at Zheng Xun's naïveté.

"God Zheng, I can call you that, can't I? I turned off my livestream, and your wristband is dead. The camera ball broke right in front of us. What could you possibly use to record this? I won't believe an empty threat."

"You'll believe me if there's evidence?"

"You..." Meng Yijia realized something and looked up sharply. "Don't tell me you...!"

"The people at the General Association have been really good to me. They know I'm clumsy and always breaking things, so they gave me two of everything."

Zheng Xun lifted the work ID hanging against his chest and removed a camera ball the size of a thumbnail from where the card attached to the lanyard. When he let go, it floated into the air on its own.

"Camera balls too."