The player faces the monster alone. Your injuries do not allow you to move anymore.
Feng Yi truly could not figure out who it was, so he shook out the puppets one by one to try them.
“Your injuries do not allow you to use your abilities anymore.” Mu Li directly emptied his pockets and stuffed the puppets into the cross-body bag.
Confiscated!
“You do not…” Feng Yi wanted to reach into the bag to take them back, but as soon as he raised his hand, he felt a stabbing pain.
At that very moment, the entire platform began to vibrate violently.
The monster woke up not knowing when, holding a giant blade and hacking toward them.
The massive blade carried a howling wind, sweeping everything into its path. The ticket gates looked like they were made of tofu, instantly cleaved straight in half.
Mu Li quickly threw the umbrella upward, causing it to float suspended at the edge of the barrier, and then shoved Feng Yi inside.
Before Feng Yi even knew what was happening, the scenery before his eyes shifted, and he found himself staring face-to-face with his familiar colleagues.
He was actually standing outside the barrier!
And the company personnel around him were all looking at him in astonishment.
How could anyone possibly pass through Team Leader Yan’s barrier?
“This is a spatial artifact,” the recorder immediately identified.
Feng Yi turned his head. Mu Li was still inside, and the blade was about to fall. Overwhelmed with panic, he yelled:
“Watch out!”
The bespectacled young man who had been hiding in the back suddenly stepped forward and caught the blade with a single raised hand.
The monster felt an immense resistance coming from its hands; it wanted to hack downward, but could not move an inch.
Seeing this, Mu Li immediately reached out to devour the ghost qi on the blade.
“The energy of that last strike reached 90,000!” Seeing the value displayed on his notepad, the recorder let out a startled gasp.
90,000?!
“All previous combat plans are void. No one is allowed to approach the barrier,” the cleaning girl said with a solemn expression.
She never expected the monster to grow this fast.
Even less did she expect that person to actually catch a ten-meter-long blade!
What was even more terrifying was that he remained completely at ease when facing an attack of such high value. Just who on earth was this bespectacled young man?
“Who is he?”
“Someone from the Wuwang Organization.” Seeing that the blade had been blocked, Feng Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “Team Leader Yan, we have to go save Mu Li quickly.”
The bespectacled young man was clearly very strong, and he was on the same side as the Ghost King.
Right now, Mu Li was trapped inside the barrier, facing this colossal monster, two Ghost Kings, and the people from the organization all by himself.
It was way too dangerous!
The cleaning girl referred to as Team Leader Yan cupped her chin. “Didn’t they say Pei Kanyan took this mission? Where is he? Why is his subordinate showing up instead?”
Besides, this person could actually withstand that strike. When did the Wuwang Organization produce such a figure?
Yet Feng Yi’s attention wasn’t here at all; he shouted toward the inside of the barrier, “Get out of there!”
Seeing the teenager ahead of him shake his head and then continue absorbing ghost qi, anxiety flared up in him again.
He stepped into the barrier, wanting to pull him out, but none of the company personnel managed to stop him in time.
However, the moment Feng Yi’s foot crossed the threshold, he was enveloped within the umbrella’s range and instantly teleported back outside the barrier, looking utterly astounded. “How can this be?”
He suddenly remembered that right before they were about to enter the ghost train, Mu Li had pulled out this umbrella for the very first time in this exact spot.
So he had anticipated this day would come right from the beginning.
“Hurry up and cancel the teleportation!” Feng Yi said with an anxious expression.
Doesn’t that mean no one can get inside right now?
“Don’t worry, I will be fine.” Mu Li sped up his hand movements. The monster roared, trying to pull its blade back, but couldn’t budge it no matter what.
“Don’t do anything foolish. I have thought of a way. I will separate the Ghost King from the jar, control him to kill the monster, devour the Ghost King possessing your body, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop. That way, nobody has to die.”
Feng Yi clenched his fists, looking at the teenager with hopeful eyes.
“And you? You are going to overdraw your life?” Mu Li frowned tightly as he listened.
“I will not! Sister Wei said my lifespan is not that short.” Feng Yi shook his head hurriedly.
Mu Li smiled at him. “Well, that is probably because I will not let you do that.”
At that moment, seeing that its prolonged attacks were failing, the monster reached out with its other hand to grab them.
Pei Kanyan’s taboo triggered once again, spreading from the side of his face straight to the corner of his eye. His vision suddenly blurred, and he vigorously patted his head, trying to keep himself awake.
Sensing trouble, Mu Li rushed toward Pei Kanyan and shoved him directly into the umbrella’s coverage area.
At the same time, he instantly ducked down to dodge the monster’s grasping hand.
Teleport!
Seeing the bespectacled young man also teleported out of the barrier, the company personnel immediately went on guard, though they dared not make any rash moves without an order.
These were people from the Wuwang Organization, and they were all reckless madmen!
Nobody present could have withstood the monster’s previous strike. If this person chose to fight them, they would likely have to prepare themselves for death.
Seeing that man step out of the transparent protective shield, the monster grabbed its blade and hacked toward the barrier, smashing the floor tiles to pieces and kicking up a cloud of dust across the platform.
After striking multiple times, a slight crack finally appeared on the barrier.
Oh no!
Team Leader Yan rushed to brace the barrier.
It could not be allowed to continue, or everyone would be in danger.
“Hey, where are you looking?”
The monster’s attention was drawn away. It stopped its movements and looked down at the teenager.
Mu Li finally managed to send away all his critically wounded teammates.
Looking at the health bar above the monster’s head, far from backing down, he felt eager to try.
“The reward must be huge.”
Letting the player monopolize the EXP!
Yet everyone’s hearts sank heavily.
Before the frail teenager stood a massive monster slowly rising to its feet, raising a sharp blade with bloodthirsty gleams flashing in its eyes.
The teenager was cast beneath a giant shadow, looking so tiny and helpless.
The monster slashed downward.
“The value is 200,000!”
Terrified out of his wits, Feng Yi screamed:
“Mu Li!”
Everything happened too fast.
So fast it felt as though it occurred within a single breath.
After the cloud of dust settled, they were finally able to see the scene inside the barrier.
The teenager lay on the ground, blood pooling everywhere.
Everyone knew that after taking an attack like that, nobody could survive.
They had not had time to do a thing before a living life vanished right before their eyes.
A heavy atmosphere permeated the air.
The monster roared. Killing him was simply too easy.
Unsatisfying, extremely unsatisfying!
The instant Pei Kanyan’s vision recovered, he witnessed this exact scene before him.
Black mist began to well up around his body, the clouds in the sky lowered even further, and raindrops threatened to fall at any moment.
“His time is not up yet, he will not die!”
As soon as those words fell, the teenager coughed up a mouthful of blood and flipped over, trying to prop himself up. The dense ghost qi enveloping his body had reached a visible level.
Bing Wei stared blankly at everything, her lips trembling. “Right, he still has 18 minutes of lifespan left, he is not dead.”
She could only comfort herself this way.
[Player HP dropped to 1, activating skill [Extreme HP Lock], entering undying state.]
They saw the teenager stand up, his lips moving as if saying something, though no one could hear it clearly.
“Damage reflection!”
Right on the monster’s shoulder, a massive gash appeared out of thin air, its physical black entity tearing open directly as it let out a cry of agonizing pain toward the sky.
“Roar!”
It took a few steps back, frantically clutching its wound. It could not understand why it had gotten hurt when it had not taken any attacks.
Everyone witnessing this scene was stunned in place.
“200,000! It is 200,000 again! How is this possible?!” The recorder looked at his notepad, goosebumps covering his arms.
“What?” Team Leader Yan snapped her gaze toward the teenager.
Feng Yi found this scene very familiar; he had encountered a similar situation before with the ghost mother, which at that time was because…
“Ghost King possession? No.” He quickly dismissed the guess, as Mu Li’s eyes were still white.
It is not possession, then what on earth?
How could he possibly possess such immense power? He had said it himself, that he could use the Ghost King’s abilities.
Had the Ghost King really bestowed such a powerful ability onto this body? Did he truly believe this shell was already within his grasp?
Regardless of all that, as long as he was alive.
Feng Yi did not even know how to breathe anymore, panting heavily with a completely chaotic mind.
Yet, what about 18 minutes later?
“The company’s investigation… was it wrong?!” Team Leader Yan looked at Captain Zhang, but Captain Zhang shook his head at her.
Setting aside the bizarre ability to severely injure the monster, just surviving a direct hit from the monster without dying was enough to raise the teenager’s danger rating to the maximum level.
With such formidable defense, probably only the teacher could match it within the entire company.
Through the teenager’s shell, Pei Kanyan saw the Ghost King harboring massive ghost qi within: “He has made his move.”
He knew it, because the Ghost King would not let Mu Li die.
The transaction period had not ended yet. If Mu Li died right now, the transaction would instantly fail, and the Ghost King’s efforts would come to nothing.
Feng Yi stepped forward and interrogated the bespectacled young man: “What do you know?”
“He made a deal with the Ghost King, borrowing his power for two hours at the cost of his life!” Pei Kanyan stated ruthlessly.
“A deal? Death?”
In disbelief, Feng Yi took two steps back as everything finally clicked into place.
Why the Ghost King could not harm ghosts after two hours, and why he could use the Ghost King’s abilities.
Mu Li knew he was out of time, yet he traded his own life to save them!
“Why are you so foolish?”
A sour sensation welled up in Feng Yi’s nasal cavity. Looking at his own hands, he struggled to figure out what he could still do right now.
He thought of something and lifted his gaze. “His puppet is with you, give it back to me!”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Separate the Ghost King from his body.”
“But Mu Li is the one controlling the body right now,” Pei Kanyan punctured his illusion.
“That is right…” Feng Yi had never seen the Ghost King’s true appearance; only when the Ghost King controlled that body could it be counter-controlled by the puppet.
Was he truly powerless now?
So that was it. Team Leader Yan looked at the student named Mu Li with a complex expression.
The monster raised its blade and hacked down once more.
The teenager took another blow, spitting out blood. His wounds were deep to the bone, and his clothes were stained with crimson, plastered against his skin and making his complexion look even paler.
Like a snapped kite, he fell limply, then struggled to get back up, muttering something under his breath.
Another gash opened up on the monster’s chest.
This time, it was completely and utterly enraged. Letting out a roar toward the heavens, it launched a ferocious attack against the teenager.
Falling down once again, standing back up once again.
“Mu Li, withdraw the umbrella!” Pei Kanyan’s voice dropped extremely low.
“Things have not reached the point of no return yet, let us… let us figure something out together,” Feng Yi said with a heavy nasal tone.
The teenager was hanging on by a single breath, dragging his battered, scarred body forward with a wispy, feeble aura: “I will not withdraw it.”
Hearing those words, Feng Yi’s eyes turned completely red.
“You are a student. Students belong in school studying; we will handle things here,” Team Leader Yan could not help speaking up either.
The investigation was not wrong, and there was no internal mole in the company. The teenager was simply trading his life in exchange for the ability to kill the monster.
Yet right now, to protect the barrier, he was willingly drawing the monster’s attention all by himself.
For the first time, a look of urgency appeared on Team Leader Yan’s face.
Why was her barrier so fragile?
Facing everyone outside the barrier, Mu Li spoke in a voice that was extremely weak, yet resolute to the core: “I will not withdraw it! None of you are allowed to come in!”
If the monster killed any of the NPCs present, who knew how much of the players’ rewards would plummet.
Watching this scene, the company personnel clenched their fists so hard they turned white. They had never imagined a day would come when they would be protected by a teenager.
They were all safe on the outside of the barrier, while a student stood alone on the inside. Separated by a mere wall, yet it felt like an uncrossable gulf.
“Damn it! Are we really unable to do anything?”
The recorder looked at the numbers on his notepad and snapped his pen in half: “300,000.”
Indeed.
At this point, nobody could help anymore.
“Has the teacher not arrived yet?” Team Leader Yan covered her earpiece and asked the communications team urgently.
Pei Kanyan wore a dark, gloomy expression.
Mu Li, you have really done it now.
Black mist began to surface around his body, gathering toward his eyes as he glanced at the umbrella.
Just that single glance.
The body of the umbrella instantly burst with black fog, its ribs snapping inch by inch before falling limply to the ground.
Those eyes were pitch black and unfathomable, resembling a bottomless oceanic vortex, radiating danger and ultimate mystery while oppression and suffocation spread through the air.
The numbers on the recorder’s notepad escalated rapidly until a chilling symbol appeared:
$infty!$
The notepad was torn apart by brute force.
Which meant:
“The Eye of Wuwang!”
The man standing before them had an unfamiliar appearance and an unfamiliar voice.
Yet he possessed the only eyes of their kind in this world.
“Pei Kanyan, it was actually you!”