Chapter 28: A Narrow Escape for Enemies

"Killing the donkey the moment it leaves the mill... sigh, I didn't realize your misunderstanding of me had already run so deep."

Cao Yu wore an expression that suggested, "You are practically insulting my great personality and noble character."

What was so abnormal about his performance in the previous instance? How did he manage to leave this young girl with such a sinister and cunning impression of him?

An Li said nothing. She clearly wasn't buying it.

Cao Yu had no choice but to continue: "This instance doesn't necessarily have the conditions required to trigger an S-rank rating. Miss An, you really are suffering from a bit of persecution complex."

He shook his head. "Don't forget, you still owe me money. If you don't trust me, you can at least trust the money, right? Would I ever let myself lose out on money?"

"...True, the evolution points you can earn from me are definitely more than 10,000."

An Li persuaded herself to let down her guard, while simultaneously playing the emotional card: "Plus, we are 'fellow enthusiasts'... In this vast sea of people, encountering someone with shared interests is no easy feat. Perhaps this is a once-in-a-lifetime connection. I'll trust you just this once."

*Is the reason you trust me a bit strange?* Whatever, Cao Yu couldn't be bothered to correct her. He merely reminded her, "You should wear a mask. We need to hide our identities in this instance."

"...I didn't bring one," An Li said.

In reality, her player storage space contained items for concealing her appearance. However, after entering an instance, "non-game items" were temporarily inaccessible. Unless one reached the level of a high-tier player, more permissions remained locked.

"Good thing I anticipated this situation; I brought two headgear pieces."

Cao Yu grinned, took off the outer Pikachu mask, and handed it to An Li.

An Li, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, took it and examined it, feeling a bit repulsed. But considering Cao Yu was a fellow enthusiast... she convinced herself internally and placed the Pikachu mask on her head.

The two bandits were now officially a team.

After agreeing on the details of their cooperation, the two waited on the spot. About ten minutes later, other players began to arrive one after another.

When these people saw two "Pikachu bandits" standing by the fountain, sizing them up, they felt an inexplicable nervousness, and a sense of caution and wariness took root in their hearts.

Before long, the number of players present reached twelve.

It was at this moment that the player interface popped up for everyone, and the prompt of the Evolution Game rang out:

【E-rank Instance "Common Grave" has begun】
【Background: Since an unknown time, high-tier players in the City of Truth have been forming teams to raise low-tier players like livestock, exploiting them for their value】
【Such "pig-farming" organizations have corrupted the social atmosphere, creating a vile and far-reaching influence, and have been met with disgust and resistance from all citizens of the City of Truth】
【Consequently, the City of Truth has launched a massive "Pig Hunting Operation"】
【Hint: The dead shall sleep forever in their graves】
【Task: Survive for 24 hours】

"The City of Truth... there are other players!?"

Some players exclaimed after reading the background information. Could it be... could this be another world partition covered by the Evolution Game?

Cao Yu was also surprised by this. However, he temporarily suppressed his curiosity and focused his gaze on the last two players to enter.

One of them was an "old acquaintance"—that is, Liu Xiong, who had guided and framed him in the graduate classroom at the Fourth Academy two days ago, landing him in a very passive situation at the time.

*Heh! Isn't this a coincidence?*

An Li sensed Cao Yu's unusual demeanor... *Is my fellow enthusiast's addiction to striking people flaring up again?*

At the same time, after reading the instance content, Liu Xiong frowned slightly.

*'Other world partitions? And the dead mentioned in the hint... a supernatural instance? But the description of this background doesn't quite sound like it...'*

He felt a sliver of doubt.

Standing next to him, the player who had entered with him was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. The middle-aged man nudged Liu Xiong and said in a rather serious tone:

"This is a survival-type instance, and it seems to involve the supernatural... it's very dangerous! I'll have to rely on you this time, Lit—"

"Shut up!"

Liu Xiong hissed in a low voice, feeling both angry and helpless. To reveal that he knew him the moment they entered, and to almost call out his name... what a brainless idiot!

The middle-aged man was named Liu Xuanyin, his uncle. He was a good-for-nothing who had focused on eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling his whole life. Even after becoming a player, he remained a slacker who only entered instances when he absolutely had to, right at the six-month limit.

Usually, when entering an instance, Liu Xuanyin would hire bodyguard players to accompany him. Hearing that Liu Xiong was entering an instance, he had shamelessly latched on, hoping that out of family relations, he could get a free carry and save some evolution points.

Liu Xiong hadn't wanted to deal with him at first, but pressured by family arrangements, he had no choice but to agree.

"Whatever I say, you do," Liu Xiong warned his uncle. "No nonsense! And no extra questions! Understand?"

"..."

Liu Xuanyin was quite annoyed that his nephew dared not give him face, but he didn't say anything more.

Liu Xiong adjusted his mindset.

He had now become a key cultivation target for his family and had used the evolution point resources provided by them to raise his evolution level to 10% in one go—the limit for an E-rank player.

To cross this threshold and reach 11%, one had to meet the requirement of participating in "3 E-rank instances"; only then could the subsequent usage permissions for evolution points be unlocked.

The job notification from the Bureau of Special Affairs would be arriving soon, and Liu Xiong hoped to boost his evolution level to 11% before starting, putting him ahead of all other graduates. By then, he would at least be a squad leader upon entry.

This was why he had immediately entered a second instance only two days after his last one concluded.

*'Those poor losers with excellent instance scores, including that guy Cao Yu, will surely stay in Fourth City. I just don't know which district he filled in as his preference... Heh, A+? First place? I’ll let you know that superior ability can only make you stand out among the poor, but in the face of family influence, you are nothing!'*

Liu Xiong sneered in his heart.

Cao Yu's current evolution level probably wasn't even 6%. Even if he got the reward for first place after joining, he would only reach 10% at most.

If he became a squad leader after joining and they were assigned to the same district, he would apply to have Cao Yu transferred under his command to properly "fix" him... Just as Liu Xiong was lost in his daydream, he suddenly sensed an uncomfortable gaze falling upon him.

He looked up and locked eyes with a person wearing a Pikachu mask.

The icy coldness in the other person's eyes, as if looking at a dead man, instinctively triggered fear, followed by anger.

Liu Xiong's face darkened. He stared back at the "Pikachu man" without backing down, saying in a threatening tone: "You piece of trash! If you look at me like that again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"

However, to Liu Xiong's surprise, not only did the Pikachu man not look away, he began walking toward him, faster and faster, closing in rapidly.

The murderous intent in the other person's eyes was so thick it felt tangible. The oppressive aura emanating from him caused the surrounding players to instinctively hold their breath.

What was he doing?

The instance had just begun, everything was unknown, and he wanted to start a fight?

What incredible audacity... Everyone tensed their bodies, standing on high alert. This was the first time they had encountered something like this!

Seeing the Pikachu man start to run, Liu Xiong hurriedly activated his prop:

"Ground-Sprouting Stone Swords."

He quickly crouched down, pressed his hands against the plaza floor, and while consuming mental energy, the prop's effect extended, controlling the ground to writhe like insects.

The surrounding bluestone slabs rose and fell like living creatures, condensing into over a dozen sharp, barbed stone spikes that struck viciously toward the Pikachu man—toward Cao Yu.

If this attack landed, it wouldn't just be a matter of poking a bloody hole. The human body would likely be torn into pieces!

However, Cao Yu did not dodge or evade.

Under the shroud of the "Immortal-Slaying Curse," he darted swiftly through the writhing ground, smashing through all the stone spikes with unstoppable force as he closed in on Liu Xiong.

Anything that touched him was pulverized.

No attack could stop him for even a second.

This scene stunned the onlookers.

By the time Liu Xiong reacted, Cao Yu had already reached him, sweeping a leg toward his lower limbs.

Relying too heavily on his props, Liu Xiong had never expected the situation to reverse so quickly, causing him to miss the chance to create distance.

*Oh no...* Just as Liu Xiong was about to rise and retreat, he was struck by Cao Yu's leg. With a sickening *crunch*, Liu Xiong's legs were shattered at the knees, and he fell to the ground, sprawled out like a dog.

"Ugh... ah...!!"

A shrill, miserable scream erupted from Liu Xiong's throat, delighting Cao Yu's ears.

Cao Yu was intoxicated.

This Liu Xiong didn't run when he saw him, but dared to fight back, and even crouched on the ground waiting for him to approach... he was practically begging to die!

He hadn't even needed to activate his own prop to get the job done.

Cao Yu grinned, revealing a bone-chilling smile, and lowered his voice, asking in a raspy tone:

"How many evolution points do you think your life is worth?"