"Are you hurt?"
"Ah... I'm fine..."
Qin Yu looked up, slightly taken aback.
Her big, sparkling eyes gazed at Chen Nian, innocent and adorable.
She hadn't expected that after recognizing her identity, this man would show no fanatical reaction?
Instead, he was calmly checking on her... How peculiar!
"Alright, whether you're hurt or not, take my advice—get out of here fast."
"???"
Qin Yu's eyes widened.
This man was trying to shoo her away right off the bat? Didn't he know how to cherish a beautiful girl?
So cold!
"No... Why should I leave? I'm not going."
"If you don't leave now, you'll die here."
Chen Nian said solemnly, "About fifty people are hunting me down outside. They'll probably surround this place soon."
"Huh?!"
Qin Yu was stunned once more.
What kind of heinous crime had this man committed to be hunted by so many? Weren't everyone supposed to be leveling up separately now?
She refused to believe it, so she stood up and stumbled toward the exit, determined to investigate.
Her clumsy, limping gait was adorably awkward.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, she scanned the area and froze in terror!
Dozens of figures had indeed gathered outside, forming a tight cordon around the cave entrance. Every one of them wore menacing expressions!
"Ah... They're... serious!"
Qin Yu was terrified.
Still, she forced herself to stay calm, reassuring herself that these people weren't after her, that this had nothing to do with her.
"Excuse me, may I leave? If you're looking for him, he's inside..."
Qin Yu timidly asked.
Unexpectedly, a wave of laughter erupted around her.
"This chick's hot! That body, that face... wow..."
"You ignorant fool! Don't you know who she is? That new female singer! I saw her on TV!"
"Qin something-or-other, huh! Who knew female singers were also extraordinary beings? Now they're out here fighting monsters and leveling up too. Times really have changed, huh."
A man in a leather jacket with dyed yellow hair stepped forward. "This doesn't concern you. You can leave."
"Really? Thank God!" Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Just let us have our fun. We've never tasted a female singer before!"
"Hahahaha, Brother Knife is so badass!"
"Just looking at this chick makes me drool, damn it!"
Qin Yu: .....
When gaming merges with reality, the world shifts.
Only the strong hold the truth!
These men had laid bare their ugliness—they wouldn't let her go.
So she sprinted back into the cave.
Returning to Chen Nian's side, she pouted as if the world were ending.
"What should we do... I... I can't escape either..."
"Uh, sorry about dragging you into this."
Chen Nian felt helpless too. Who would've thought anyone would be in this godforsaken corner?
"Does apologizing help? We're all going to die in here! How can you stay so calm?"
Qin Yu was on the verge of tears.
She was utterly despairing, never expecting to get caught up in something like this out of nowhere...
"So what were you doing in here? How did you get hurt?" Chen Nian decided to make small talk.
"There's a dungeon in this cave... I went in, got injured by monsters, escaped, then called a few friends to come fight the dungeon together—and you showed up!"
"Waaah..."
Qin Yu wiped the glistening tears from her eyes and burst into sobs.
While crying, she grabbed her phone and called her friends, warning them not to come near or they'd be dragged into this mess too.
"You're actually quite kind-hearted," Chen Nian remarked with a smile.
"Kind-hearted? You're the one who killed me! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"
"Ha ha..."
"You're still laughing? You... waaah, you bastard!"
Qin Yu's face was streaked with tears as she sobbed pitifully, little pearls of tears popping out one after another.
Just then.
The group outside had finally gathered and were ready to move.
The leader, a man in black leather called Brother Knife, was the boss of this gang.
Xu Menghan chuckled, "Brother Dao, that kid's pretty strong. Why don't we just blow this cave up? Save our brothers from getting hurt!"
"Alright, since you found the place, we'll follow your lead!"
"What about that woman from earlier?"
"If she won't come out, she can die in here with him!"
"Here's the problem—how do we blast this place? That kid isn't even scared of the Flaming Calamity Treant—ordinary methods probably won't touch him!"
"Brother Knife, I've got something good here! The Flame Dragon Scroll!"
"This thing needs ten people to activate it, but it's incredibly powerful. It'll definitely blast that kid to pieces!"
"That sounds like the real deal. Get ten people ready!"
.....
Behind the fray, a trio of players hid silently,不敢露头.
They were the friends Qin Yu had summoned.
"What do we do? Xiao Yu's still inside, and they're clearly planning to kill him!"
"What can we do? Are three of us supposed to take on dozens of them...?"
"Sigh, why does Xiao Yu have to be so unlucky? Running a dungeon and getting caught up in this mess? We're done for!"
Though some had alerted the law enforcement squad, the city's own messes hadn't been resolved yet. Why would the squad bother coming out to the outskirts to handle this?
In terms of strength, all three were only in their twenties. Going up against them would be like delivering vegetables.
"Look! What are they doing?!"
"They're using a large-scale magic scroll? I've seen these in siege battles back in the game!"
"They actually have something like this?!"
A scroll hovered in midair as ten voices chanted the incantation in unison.
Temperatures soared, distorting the air with intense heat!
Countless sparks coalesced in the sky, gradually forming a crimson flame dragon nearly ten meters long...
"At this stage, this thing can one-shot any player below level 70."
"Kid, today you're dead—whether you're god or devil!"
"Go!"
The flame dragon burst through the air!
In an instant, it charged into the cave with brutal ferocity.
Terrifying flames instantly filled the entrance.
"Heh, I reckon they'll be roasted in under two minutes!"
Brother Knife grinned, patting Xu Meng's shoulder. "You've done us a huge favor this time. You get two-thirds of the good stuff all to yourself."
"Haha, Brother Knife rocks!"....
Inside the cave.
Violent tremors!
Chen Nian glanced at the petite girl beside him, her hands clutched over her head.
"Come over here if you want to live."
"Huh?"
Before Qin Yu could react, a massive boulder crashed down from above, knocking her unconscious.
Chen Nian:.....
This girl... her luck really isn't great.
With no other choice, Chen Nian scooped her into his arms. She felt light and supple, petite and endearing.
BOOM!
The Flame Dragon crashed through the entrance, swallowing Chen Nian whole.
The entire cave transformed into a fiery inferno. Hot air rapidly expanded within the confined space, erupting violently!
Shards of rock flew everywhere, bursting like fireworks.