Morning arrived in Country A just as it always did. The weather was bright and clear today and people’s lives went on no differently from yesterday. Even though a horrifying explosion had taken place, the daily routines of most citizens were hardly affected at all.
Inside the convenience store, the shelves had already replenished themselves automatically. Ye Jinran sat leisurely behind the counter; the temperature seemed a little cooler than the day before, so he reached over and turned off the air conditioner.
Last night’s explosion appeared, on the surface, to be yet another clash between the Medical god and Amanda. However, just before falling asleep, a sudden spark of intuition had flashed through Ye Jinran’s mind, something about this incident wasn’t that simple.
To begin with, the Medical god didn’t meet the conditions needed to carry out such an attack. Ye Jinran had checked every player’s warehouse in advance; she didn’t possess any related items at all and in reality, she was a medical student, someone who logically had no ability to produce explosives from scratch, let alone manufacture a timed bomb.
The bomb that triggered last night’s blast had very distinctive characteristics. It was disguised so convincingly as a harmless souvenir that it could easily deceive staff yet its destructive power was strong enough to obliterate an entire floor of the building.
Ye Jinran was certain that only an item pulled directly from the system shop could achieve such an effect.
Earlier that morning, he discovered that several of Amanda’s healing items had been consumed, clearly indicating that she had been injured during the attack, though, by sheer luck once again, she managed to escape with her life.
This explosion marked the very first shot fired in the players’ escalating conflict. According to the patterns seen in previous PvP dungeons, once one person made the first move, a chain of life-threatening ambushes would inevitably follow.
But would the fighting really break out this time? Ye Jinran had long noticed that several players had already formed alliances. They would never harm their own partners.
Yet keeping such an unnaturally peaceful balance was suspicious in itself, it would certainly cause Bai Yanzhou to sense that the relationships between the players were far from simple.
Which meant that, in order to make Bai Yanzhou lower his guard, these players might intentionally create an illusion of conflict.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place for Ye Jinran. From the start, the Medical God must’ve been cooperating with the other players but to conceal this move from Bai Yanzhou, she and Amanda had deliberately staged an act of hostility.
If that was the case, even if Bai Yanzhou managed to uncover Amanda’s involvement through the siblings, it would still be extremely difficult for him to realize that the seemingly harmless Medical God was one of their hidden members.
Bai Yanzhou, Crane and Crane’s dog were acting openly, while Amanda operated from the shadows and the Medical God, she was the final hidden piece on the farthest corner of the board.
As for their actual plan, Ye Jinran couldn’t deduce much with the information he had now but considering how meticulously everything had been arranged, their strategy was bound to be intriguing.
As the manager of the system shop, Ye Jinran had to remain neutral. He was forbidden to take sides in player conflicts. So he had no intention of assisting or warning anyone.
Besides, why involve himself when he could simply sit back and watch the spectacle unfold? There was a certain anticipation in observing chaos from the sidelines.
In the previous dungeon, he had repeatedly helped the players because, both as the shopkeeper and as a human being, he was obliged to provide support.
The significant drop in players’ success rate the moment they left the shop was proof that the system store had always been a beneficial presence for them.
Sometimes, Ye Jinran found this rather contradictory. The system shop had been created by the Main God and the shopkeeper was someone personally appointed by Him, so why did the shopkeeper’s actions seem like they were going against the Main God’s will?
Ye Jinran’s understanding was that offering limited help extended the struggles of insignificant mortals, giving the lofty beings above more time to appreciate scenes of deepening despair.
That, he believed, was the true purpose behind the Main God providing items. He had always operated with this mindset, faithfully carrying out the will of his superior.
Of course, he never dared to assume he fully understood the intentions of a god.
Ding dong!
The automatic sensor chimed as the door to the convenience store swung open. Because of the special nature of the customer, the interior space shifted instantly, transforming into an entirely different scene, shelves filled with dazzling, mysterious items laid out as if belonging to another world.
Amanda stood frozen, looking around in confusion. Her gaze finally landed on the figure behind the counter, at the exact moment he lifted his eyes toward her. Their gazes met and he offered her a gentle, friendly smile.
Only then did she realize where that familiar feeling came from.
The system shop.
In the blink of an eye, cold sweat seeped down Amanda’s back. She recalled what she had done in the previous dungeon, she had once brandished killing intent at this man and attempted to attack him.
Not only had she failed, he hadn’t even held it against her. He treated the incident as if it were too insignificant to matter.
Why? Because a mighty being would never concern himself with the feeble strike of a small creature. To him, perhaps her blade had seemed laughable, even adorable.
Confronted with that flawless, unshakable smile, Amanda grew even more flustered. Her steps turned unsteady as she paced through the transformed convenience store.
This place was drastically different from the physical store she had entered before, the decoration style, the layout, even the selection of items had been carefully curated to suit the dungeon’s environment. Everything unfamiliar only deepened her unease and curiosity.
Ye Jinran merely watched her quietly, patient and unhurried. He had plenty of time to spare.
A few minutes later, Amanda finally made up her mind. She approached the counter and asked tentatively, “Sir… you probably already know my points are far from enough. I may not be able to afford the items here.”
“I welcome you to use anything of value for the exchange.” Ye Jinran folded his hands beneath his chin. He suspected that Amanda had heard from Crane about the possibility of paying with time and wanted to try it for herself.
Amanda let out a faint sigh. “I’m not sure whether what I have is of any value to you. After all… you seem to know everything. How about this, I’ll tell you first and you may decide. It’s… a piece of information.”
Ye Jinran nodded slightly. He accepted the trade.
“The person who attacked me with the explosive item was not the Medical God” Amanda said calmly. “It was Bai Yanzhou.”
Ye Jinran raised an eyebrow. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. He had considered the possibility but he hadn’t expected Amanda, the victim herself, to provide such a definite answer.
She continued, “Bai Yanzhou has made his move. He’s never been someone who waits passively but this time, he wanted to use the apparent hostility between me and the Medical God to shift the blame onto her. If I hadn’t discovered the truth, everyone would believe she was the one who started the war and they would all turn against her.”
“And what significance does that have for me?” Ye Jinran smiled faintly. “The explosive item came from me. Naturally, I knew exactly who used it.”
Amanda took a deep breath to steady herself before saying, “Because… this matter concerns your safety as well.”
“Oh? And why do you think that?”
“Bai Yanzhou is far more terrifying than any of us ever imagined. Do you remember the time we happened to meet in Blood Moon Town? After leaving that dungeon, I made a point of investigating. The spatial passage of that instance was destroyed and he was absolutely involved.”
A missing link snapped into place. In that instant, Ye Jinran understood everything. If the damaged spatial passage was indeed Bai Yanzhou’s doing, then the intention behind it was glaringly obvious: he wanted to prevent the players inside the dungeon from accessing the system shop at all.
Because Amanda’s group had no means to purchase items, nearly every one of them was wiped out. From that day onward, Bai Yanzhou had already developed lethal intent toward her.
Amanda was a clever woman. After escaping that dead end by sheer luck, she immediately sensed the truth. She no longer had any path of retreat. If she wanted to survive, Bai Yanzhou had to be eliminated.
The Death Countdown hanging over her was not only the punishment given by the Main God, it was also the killing intent of Bai Yanzhou himself.
Facing that monster inside a dungeon was far preferable to letting him control all the future stages of the game from the shadows, pushing her step by step onto another road leading to death. After weighing all her options, she decided she had no choice but to take the initiative.
As for why she said this matter concerned Ye Jinran’s own safety, the explanation was, in truth, quite simple. Bai Yanzhou possessed the ability to destroy spatial passages, which meant he could force the system shop’s manager to descend directly into a dungeon space.
Nobody would doubt that a man like Bai Yanzhou was capable of anything. His sense of morality and personal preferences were fragmented, unpredictable. He could harm people or even strange entities, solely on a whim.
Amanda’s voice dropped to a heavy tone. “He’s not only cruel, he’s extremely good at strategy. If I hadn’t been prepared in advance, he might’ve used the exact same tactic this time to pick us off one by one while he hid in the dark, benefiting from it all.”
Ye Jinran tapped lightly on the tabletop. “I don’t believe he ever expected you not to discover this.”
“What?”
“The antagonism between you and the Medical God, your little performance, has been far too obvious. He was testing you. If his plan succeeded, the Medical God would become the target of every player, allowing him to remove a rival. If it failed, then he would learn that you and the Medical God are already cooperating and when he notices that no other players reacted either, he will realize your alliances are solid and unified. Either way, he doesn’t lose.”
Ye Jinran’s explanation was long but it was the equivalent value he returned in exchange for Amanda’s earlier confession.
“Then… what am I supposed to do?” A hint of conflict appeared in Amanda’s expression, betraying her struggle.
Ye Jinran idly played with a strand of hair near his cheek, sinking into contemplation. There was one thing he still couldn’t quite understand.
Yesterday afternoon, he had been monitoring Bai Yanzhou’s movements closely and as far as he knew, the man had never once had the opportunity to send Amanda a bomb. Could it have happened during the single moment he wasn’t paying attention?
Bai Yanzhou had been under Ye Jinran’s watch the entire time. Even when the man was simply walking, Ye Jinran kept an eye on his coordinates. The only moment he hadn’t checked was on his way back to the convenience store.
A chilling suspicion surfaced in Ye Jinran’s mind. What if Bai Yanzhou had long been aware of his surveillance and had deliberately waited until that observation vanished before making his move?
Why would Bai Yanzhou go to such lengths? The shopkeeper had the authority to sell players intelligence. In a PvP dungeon, the actions of an opposing player counted as information as well. Bai Yanzhou wanted to ensure that his behavior wouldn’t be exposed ahead of time.
He even accounted for the possibility that Amanda, having met the shopkeeper, might learn the truth early and stop the explosion.
Was there really someone in this game who operated at such a terrifying level?
“Thank you for your warning,” Ye Jinran said sincerely. He valued his life, after all. “Bai Yanzhou deserves our full attention. Perhaps you could consider letting the Medical God ‘die.’ Maintaining the appearance of hostility will be useful. Even if he starts to doubt, it’ll be enough to disrupt some of his future plans.”
“Die? How could I possibly let her die?” Amanda, trapped within her ordinary common sense, reflexively rejected the idea.
Ye Jinran gave her a meaningful look. “Amanda, in the limitless game created by the Main God, sometimes dying and reviving is far easier than facing a difficult situation head on and besides… a dead person is often far more useful than a living one.”
Feigning death was a highly practical strategy. Once you die, the enemy loses sight of their target. When they finally move far away from you, you will, in turn, be relatively safe.
As for the value of the dead, those who understand will understand.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is not a bribe. It is a totally legitimate caffeine-based appreciation system.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Blood Moon Town: ShhhChapter 2 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (1)Chapter 3 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (2)Chapter 4 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (3)Chapter 5 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (4)Chapter 6 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 7 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (6)Chapter 8 · The mist over Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 9 · The Mystery of Nanjin Village (The End)Chapter 10 · Real WorldChapter 11 · Riding The Wind (1)Chapter 12 · Riding The Wind (2)Chapter 13 · Riding The Wind (3)Chapter 14 · Riding The Wind (4)Chapter 15 · Riding The Wind (5)Chapter 16 · Riding The Wind (6)Chapter 17 · Riding The Wind (7)Chapter 18 · Riding The Wind (8)Chapter 19 · Riding The Wind (9)Chapter 20 · Riding The Wind (10)Chapter 21 Part 1 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 21 Part 2 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 22 · Real World (1)Chapter 23 · Real World (2)Chapter 24 · Golden Sands Fade Away (1)Chapter 25 · Golden Sands Fade Away (2)Chapter 26 · Golden Sands Fade Away (3)Chapter 27 · Golden Sands Fade Away (4)Chapter 28 · Golden Sands Fade Away (5)Chapter 29 · Golden Sands Fade Away (6)Chapter 30 · Golden Sands Fade Away (7)Chapter 31 · Golden Sands Fade Away (8)Chapter 32 · Golden Sands Fade Away (9)Chapter 33 · Golden Sands Fade Away (10)Chapter 34 · Golden Sands Fade Away (11)Chapter 35 · Golden Sands Fade Away (12)Chapter 36 · Golden Sands Fade Away (13)Chapter 37 · Golden Sands Fade Away (14)Chapter 38 · Golden Sands Fade Away (15)Chapter 39 · Golden Sands Fade Away (16)Chapter 40 · Golden Sands Fade Away (17)Chapter 41 · Golden Sands Fade Away (18)Chapter 42 · Golden Sands Fade Away (19)Chapter 43 · Golden Sands Fade Away (20)Chapter 44 · Golden Sands Fade Away (21)Chapter 45 · Golden Sands Fade Away (22)Chapter 46 · Golden Sands Fade Away (23)Chapter 47 · Golden Sands Fade Away (24)Chapter 48 · Golden Sands Fade Away (25) The EndChapter 49 · Main God’s DomainChapter 50 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (1)Chapter 51 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (2)Chapter 52 · Item FactoryChapter 53 · Defrosted Friendship (1)Chapter 54 · Defrosted Friendship (2)Chapter 55 · Defrosted Friendship (3)Chapter 56 · Defrosted Friendship (4)Chapter 57 · Defrosted Friendship (5)Chapter 58 · Defrosted Friendship (6)Chapter 59 · Defrosted Friendship (7)Chapter 60 · Defrosted Friendship (8)Chapter 61 · Defrosted Friendship (9)Chapter 62 · Defrosted Friendship (10)Chapter 63 · Defrosted Friendship (11)Chapter 64 · Defrosted Friendship (12)Chapter 65 · Defrosted Friendship (13)Chapter 66 · Defrosted Friendship (14)Chapter 67 · Defrosted Friendship (15)Chapter 68 · Defrosted Friendship (16)Chapter 69 · Defrosted Friendship (End)Chapter 70 · The Real WorldChapter 71 · Matching TimeChapter 72 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (1)Chapter 73 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (2)Chapter 74 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (3)Chapter 75 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (4)Chapter 76 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (5)Chapter 77 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (6)Chapter 78 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (7)Chapter 79 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (8)Chapter 80 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (9)Chapter 81 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (10)Chapter 82 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (11)Chapter 83 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (12)Chapter 84 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (13)Chapter 85 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (14)Chapter 86 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (15)Chapter 87 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (16)Chapter 88 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (17)Chapter 89 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (18)Chapter 90 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (19)Chapter 91 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (20)Chapter 92 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (21)Chapter 93 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (22)Chapter 94 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (23)Chapter 95 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (Complete)Chapter 96 · The Main God Invites You for TeaChapter 97 · The Player ForumChapter 98 · Training GroundChapter 99 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (1)Chapter 100 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (2)Chapter 101 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (3)Chapter 102 · Eternal Night · The One Who Strikes the Stone (Finale)