Chapter 12: What's Wrong with Having a Thing for Legs?

The true way to clear the dungeon had been revealed early on; the hints were all in the dungeon prompts—only one deceased could clear it, and that one must harbor no desire for resurrection.

The real key in this hint lay in the fact that “the dead can be resurrected.”

If that was the case, could the players not just die, become ghosts to amplify their strength, fight ghost-to-ghost, and then resurrect afterward?

When Cao Yu first saw the dungeon prompt, this very idea had crossed his mind.

But at that time, three doubts lingered, preventing him from drawing any firm conclusions.

First, could everyone become a ghost after dying?

Second, were ghosts limited in their activities?

Third, were there different types of ghosts—or in other words, what kind of ghost would maximize one’s power?

Now, all three questions had answers.

His conjecture was fully confirmed.

“…This is the true method to clear the dungeon.”

After generously sharing the method, Cao Yu continued:

“Stick the Buddha Mother’s statue sticker on your back, recite the Rebirth Mantra backward, choose a way to die… Summer Lotus succeeded, so we can too.

The dungeon’s hint about the one deceased who doesn’t want to resurrect clearly refers to Summer Lotus. Because if she resurrects, she will lose her love.

We don’t have that concern, nor do we need to worry about losing consciousness as ghosts. It’s Ghost Festival today; if we time our suicides to coincide with nightfall, we will maintain clear awareness until dawn. That’s enough for us to defeat Summer Lotus, kill the other evil ghosts, and then resurrect successfully.”

“…”

Cao Yu’s words fell into silence.

Suicide, becoming ghosts, hunting the “puppet grievances,” then resurrection... Zhou Fan swallowed hard and broke the silence:

“This... is insane!”

He knew Cao Yu was probably right.

But asking him to commit suicide... what if he really died?

Chen Ran frowned, feeling unsettled and conflicted for a long while before barely mustering some reckless courage.

Just as she was about to speak, she caught Cao Yu’s slightly warning look—telling her to be quiet.

She pondered briefly and understood Cao Yu’s intention—he was trying to coax someone else to try first.

Chen Ran’s guess was correct; Cao Yu indeed wanted someone to take the risk first.

Though he was absolutely confident in his theory, this involved life and death; he dared not attempt it himself... what if he really died? That would be a huge loss.

After observing for a while, Cao Yu had some understanding of the personalities present.

Zhou Fan and Zhou Zheng likely wouldn’t rashly agree.

But Annie, for unknown reasons, had always harbored an unusually strong desire for “high dungeon ratings.”

So his words were really meant for Annie.

If Annie couldn’t decide, he would give up on “saving the world.”

After all, with his hacks and the number 11, such an advantage—why gamble desperately in an E-tier dungeon?

Cao Yu was very rational.

At that moment, Annie looked at Cao Yu and said:

“Can we talk privately?”

“Sure,” Cao Yu replied.

They went to the bedroom where Du Ruo’s parents lived. The old couple’s room had a soundproof door with sponge strips at the bottom, creating a simple soundproof space when closed.

Annie even turned on music from her phone.

Such careful measures made Cao Yu suspicious of her intentions.

After all, deciding whether or not to undertake a task didn’t usually require such privacy.

“I know you’re trying to tempt me,” Annie said.

“Don’t talk nonsense. What temptation? I’m a decent person,” Cao Yu said seriously.

Annie ignored his nonsense and said:

“I seemed too eager, which gave me away, but it doesn’t matter. I want to cooperate with you.”

Before Cao Yu could ask what kind of cooperation, she continued:

“After reading that diary, I guessed the ‘suicide clearance method.’ Theoretically, it’s feasible, and I’m tempted, but not ready to act—too risky.

I’m willing to accept your temptation and take the risk to verify the method’s viability. In exchange, you must promise me one thing.

Also, stop wasting time, or this conversation ends here.”

“...” Cao Yu: “First, tell me what I have to promise.”

“Help me kill someone,” Annie said. “Not now. After your player level rises, I’ll tell you who.”

“Change it,” Cao Yu shook his head. “What if you ask me to kill a good person? With my moral compass, I couldn’t do that.”

“You’re confident,” Annie said. “I haven’t told you the target yet, but you worry about good or bad, not strength. You’re so sure you can kill whomever you want.”

She paused and then dropped a bombshell:

“I know your superpower isn’t ‘Divided World.’ I suspect its ranking is very high, even surpassing number 77’s ‘Blend with Dust.’

Otherwise, as a student of the Fourth Academy, the more outstanding you are, the more resources you get. You wouldn’t hide your ability and give up benefits unless you scared many people.”

“...You know too much,” Cao Yu narrowed his eyes.

This girl could see through his disguise?

Did she have a special ability?

Or was she very familiar with ‘Divided World’ and judged by his prior performance?

His murderous intent stirred slightly.

Annie stepped back a few paces.

“Why are you stepping back?” Cao Yu silently activated the “Immortal Severing Curse,” looking helpless. “You’re making me look dangerous.”

He was determined—if she dared to threaten him with this, he would...

“I know ‘Divided World’ well enough to tell yours is fake,” Annie said plainly. “‘Divided World’ in the newbie stage isn’t as ridiculously powerful as you showed. If you want to keep faking it, you’d better reduce your output.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Cao Yu grinned. “By the way, why keep so much distance? If we’re talking cooperation, come closer.”

He stepped forward.

Annie backed to the window and quickened her speech:

“I’m not threatening you. I can provide detailed data about ‘Divided World’ so you can disguise better. Also...”

She added:

“My target is an ungrateful, bullying villain. Killing them won’t weigh on your conscience.”

“But killing is killing, crime is crime,” Cao Yu stopped, conflicted. “I’m a law-abiding citizen who hasn’t even killed a chicken since childhood. You want me to kill? I can’t get past that.”

“Someone like you cares about that?” Annie’s tone was faint. “You killed that masked guy pretty smoothly before.”

“You’re mistaken. I only shot him once to knock him away. The ghost killed him. I was at most acting in self-defense and letting him die. Directly killing someone crosses my moral bottom line.”

Cao Yu frowned and said:

“You gotta pay extra!”

Annie: “...”

Cao Yu raised a finger:

“Ten thousand Evolution Points! After returning to reality, come find me and pay this as a deposit.

As for the balance, I’ll set the price once I know who you want killed.

Agree, and we cooperate; otherwise, forget it.”

He had long suspected Annie wasn’t ordinary.

The “Dust-Repelling Gold Ring” on her finger could generate a massive force field anytime, anywhere, repelling, crushing, launching everything away, easily tossing several cars, with a minimum force output of at least three tons, upper limit unknown... This was undoubtedly a D-tier artifact.

Frankly, if she had murderous intent at the funeral home, only Cao Yu with the “Immortal Severing Curse” covering his body, splitting the force field, could rush in to kill her. The other players would likely be crushed.

Starting the dungeon with such a powerful D-tier artifact—her identity was hardly simple.

Cao Yu reined in his murderous intent and prepared to negotiate.

After clearing the first dungeon, players unlock all permissions—including storage space and Evolution Point transfer functions.

Facing a wealthy woman, he made a lion’s demand.

“Okay,” Annie nodded calmly.

“...Am I losing out?” Cao Yu suddenly felt cheated.

“Don’t worry, once this succeeds, I won’t shortchange you,” Annie assured. “Whether Evolution Points or real-world wealth, I’ll make you satisfied.”

“Alright then.” Cao Yu swallowed the big promise. “For someone so taciturn to say so much at once, you must have a deep grudge to settle.”

“Let’s get acquainted. My name is An Li.”

Annie—no, now she should be called An Li.

She pulled down her hoodie to reveal her delicate face.

Cao Yu couldn’t help but marvel at Nuwa’s favoritism when crafting humans. Just half a face revealed, yet stunning.

Her brows arched like distant mountains, a small but firm nose, clear eyes as cold as an icy lake... her three-dimensional, exquisite features paired with near-perfect bone structure balanced youthful charm with heroic spirit, purity with brilliance.

Cold, ethereal, fragile... the aura was perfectly captured.

But what impressed Cao Yu most about An Li was... well, her long legs.

“What are you looking at?” An Li was sharp.

“Admiring beauty,” Cao Yu said politely. Facing a major client, he didn’t hesitate to compliment.

An Li asked, “You had murderous intent just now, didn’t you?”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Cao Yu chuckled.

Some things are better left unsaid.

It was clear this girl was intelligent but lacked emotional tact.

...

More than ten minutes later, An Li put her hood back on and left the room with Cao Yu to rejoin the team.

Negotiations went smoothly. An Li relaxed; Cao Yu was dangerous, and her earlier recklessness was a gamble. Fortunately, she had bet right, securing cooperation with a player of immense potential.

Such opportunities were rare, and she did not regret her impulse.

“What did you two talk about in there?” Chen Ran caught Cao Yu.

“Discussing cooperation,” Cao Yu replied simply, then looked at Zhou Fan and Zhou Zheng, asking:

“Have you two made up your minds? Do you have the courage to take a gamble?”

“...”

After a few seconds of silence, both shook their heads.

“I’m going to the cat café,” Zhou Fan said.

“Me too,” Zhou Zheng smiled. “The last task—the decision to die—is only the first hurdle. The battles afterward could be even more dangerous. My abilities are limited, so I’ll pass.”