Chapter 22: Double Kill

At the very moment Guo Ping lost his focus from the excruciating pain of his severed arm, she stepped forward!

The blade’s gleam was like a streak of white silk!

Bearing the ruthless precision honed through countless life-and-death struggles in her past life, she drove the blade fiercely into Guo Ping’s defenseless throat!

*Squelch!*

The sharp steel pierced his windpipe! Guo Ping’s scream was cut short, replaced by the wet, rattling sound of blood flooding his airway.

His eyes bulged, filled with incredulous terror and profound regret, staring fixedly at Su Liu.

Su Liu twisted her wrist to ensure the windpipe and arteries were shredded, then quickly withdrew her blade and stepped back to avoid the spraying blood.

Guo Ping’s body twitched violently a few times before finally collapsing limply to the ground. Fresh blood quickly stained the scorched earth beneath his feet, soaking into the roots of the withered grass.

He died with his eyes wide open, his expression frozen in a final mask of horror and despair.

Su Liu exhaled slightly, quickly wiping the blood from her weapon onto Guo Ping’s clothes before sheathed it.

As she wiped the dagger, Su Liu sneered, "A loser who can't even raise a spirit beast, and you think you can play the highwayman?"

Her heart was beating slightly fast, but her eyes remained unnervingly calm, devoid of the fear that usually accompanies one's first kill.

Having entered the Beast-Taming Survival Game, one had to overcome the fear of killing, or else face a grim fate. Su Liu had already steeled her mindset during her previous game.

[Wow! No soft-heartedness even when facing your own kind?]

[Congratulations to the player for obtaining the title "Iron-Hearted." Equipping it grants +3 to the hidden stat: Sanity.]

Sanity? That was a useful title.

The higher one's sanity, the calmer they remained in emergencies, and it provided resistance against various mental disturbances.

Su Liu scanned her surroundings and the direction of the "Marsh Road," confirming there were no other immediate threats.

She walked over to Guo Ping’s corpse and bent down to take the only valuable item on him: a dilapidated-looking [Rusty Iron Box].

Upon opening it, the interior was predictably barren, containing only half a bottle of murky water, a few pieces of low-quality food of indistinguishable composition, and some basic materials. There wasn't even a useful weapon.

His previous "tragic" story had been partially true, but he had chosen to make a living by robbing other players. Su Liu didn't care to judge his methods, but she certainly wouldn't tolerate being targeted herself.

She looked around and saw no countdown prompt for the roads intersecting, which meant the path convergence was still ongoing; it was highly likely more players would appear.

Su Liu decisively chose to retreat back to the familiar prairie path, continuing her advance with heightened vigilance.

***

No sooner had Su Liu stuffed Guo Ping’s meager supplies into her inventory space than the path to her front right twisted violently once more!

A "Magma Road," reeking of sulfur and marked by cracked, barren earth, abruptly locked onto the junction of the prairie path!

A wave of scorching heat surged toward her, and a burly man dressed in gaudy silver scale armor with three thick gold chains draped around his neck stepped out.

He hadn't even bothered to hide his ID—*I Am the Real Dragon Overlord*!

Behind him followed a [Flame Tiger] with mane like fire and bared fangs. It had clearly been upgraded at least once, its heavy breathing laced with sparks.

When the man’s gaze swept over Su Liu, it suddenly snagged, greedily traveling from her slender waist, outlined by her sweat-dampened pink tracksuit, to her fair neck, before finally settling on her cold yet striking face.

He let out a lewd whistle and grinned, revealing gold teeth:

"Yo! Where did such a tempting pink bunny come from in this desolate wilderness? Little beauty, isn't it dangerous to be alone? Why not join forces with your big brother? My supplies… and my 'prowess' will keep you more than satisfied!"

He deliberately patted the bulging pouch at his waist and, as if to show off, kicked an open [Silver Secret Box] at his feet—inside, high-grade meat jerky and shards of evolution stones of unknown properties lay scattered.

"This is a [Silver Secret Box], a high-tier supply crate that doesn't even spawn on the roadside during the newbie protection period. Never seen one, have you?"

Su Liu’s eyes turned icy.

She keenly caught the disdain hidden beneath his lecherous gaze—the idiot was so focused on her face that he hadn't even noticed the blood-stained dagger in her hand or the fresh blood at her feet!

Behind him, the Flame Tiger was yawning lazily, clearly having received no combat orders from its master.

"Join forces?"

Su Liu’s lips curled into a cold smile, though her voice was deliberately softened, carrying a tremor of "panic."

"Big brother… you have so many supplies, are you really willing to protect me?"

She took the opportunity to cast a "fearful" glance at the Flame Tiger, taking a subtle half-step back, while her fingertips quietly pressed against the Hourglass of the Chen Hour.

"Hahaha! Of course! I’m a man who cherishes the fair sex!"

*I Am the Real Dragon Overlord* was overjoyed, proudly puffing out his chest. "Don't be afraid, little darling. Ah-Huo is very well-behaved! Come, let big brother have a look..."

He rushed forward impatiently, his grubby hands reaching directly for Su Liu’s cheek, completely ignoring her instant shift into a combat stance and the way the fur on the little creature on her shoulder stood on end!

His mind was filled with pink fantasies and the arrogant confidence of crushing her with his "prowess."

At the exact moment his fingertips were about to touch her skin!

Time froze! Space fractured!

"Accelerate me! Decelerate him!" Su Liu roared in her consciousness!

The Hourglass of the Chen Hour flashed with brilliant blue light! The smug, triumphant smile on *Dragon Overlord’s* face froze instantly, and his outstretched hand slowed to a crawl, as if sinking into a quagmire!

Su Liu’s figure, however, was as fast as a pink bolt of lightning!

*Slash!* The dagger, trailing an afterimage, precisely sliced through the unsuspecting throat of *I Am the Real Dragon Overlord*! Blood erupted like a cheap fountain!

"ROAR—!" The Flame Tiger finally reacted, lunging at Su Liu with a furious roar! A wave of searing heat scorched the air!

"Tuanzi, [Void Trace] to block his path! [Windstorm Stride] to harass!" Su Liu’s commands popped out like icy beads.

Two intersecting spatial fissures instantly appeared in the lion’s path!

At the same time, Tuanzi leaped nimbly, landing three strikes in mid-air against the lion's eyes!

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Small wind-pressure pellets struck the lion’s face with precision. Though they caused no major wounds, the violent impact and the suffocating pressure of the wind forced the lion to roar in pain, breaking its momentum and causing it to instinctively shake its head and squeeze its eyes shut!

That was the gap!

Su Liu darted past the lion like a wraith. With the momentum of her movement, she drove the dagger—still stained with the first bandit’s blood—deep into the chest of *I Am the Real Dragon Overlord*, who was unable to scream as his carotid artery sprayed blood. The blade went in up to the hilt, and she twisted it with a savage grind!

"Urgh..." The eyes of *I Am the Real Dragon Overlord*, filled with desire and astonishment, instantly lost focus. His bulky, gold-chained body crashed to the ground, crushing the shards of his golden treasure box.

"Scum! What a waste of such a good Flame Tiger and those supplies!"

Su Liu spat, deftly pulling out her blade. A drop of blood splattered onto her pink tracksuit like a striking red plum blossom, yet it did nothing to diminish her killing intent.

The Flame Tiger looked at its master, who had perished in an instant, and then at the pink-clad girl radiating lethal intent, along with the cold-eyed little fox on her shoulder. It whined, tucked its tail, retreated a few steps, and turned to bolt back into the black mist of the Magma Road without looking back—its master was dead, the contract had dissolved, and it had no reason to fight to the death.

Su Liu didn't even glance at the fleeing beast. She leaned down to efficiently loot the spoils: three heavy, unopened bronze treasure chests, a bag of high-grade jerky, several shards of evolution stones, a few bottles of healing potion, and even two fragments for a transport vehicle!

"Tch, these flashy types sure do have deep pockets."

Su Liu wiped her dagger in disgust on the gaudy clothes of *I Am the Real Dragon Overlord*.

"Keep your eyes peeled in your next life. Lust is a blade that hangs over a man’s head."

As she looked at the fallen man, for some reason, her mind drifted to the "good teammate" who had almost forced her to her death in the previous game.