33. Player versus Player

"Hah!"

Li Nuo bolted upright. He had just been having a nightmare where he was swimming in an ocean of chive pockets, when suddenly, the chive filling transformed into fennel.

He was allergic to fennel.

Chen Shou and Marjie were crouching beside him.

"Good grief... I thought you were dead," Chen Shou exhaled.

"If he were dead, he would have been kicked out of the game," Marjie noted. "Medically speaking, it appears he was just having a nightmare."

Li Nuo ignored them, his gaze fixed on 2B, who was surveying the area nearby.

They were inside a factory, a space of roughly 50 square meters. The walls were covered in rust, and a few dim bulbs hung from the ceiling, casting a pale, warm light. Behind them, the wall had collapsed, with rubble and steel bars blocking their path. The vending cart lay to the side, its contents still intact.

2B turned around and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Li Nuo stood up and opened his quest panel.

[Special Quest: Hidden Worldview - Carry the fragments of the World-Ending Flower to the top of the tower.]

[Main Quest: Restore the world to its original state.]

"What's wrong?" Chen Shou asked, noticing Li Nuo’s dazed expression.

"I... I have a strange thought... I need to verify it." He closed the panel. "Let's go. To the top of the tower."

"Are we forced to go through here?" Chen Shou gestured toward the only door in the room. "Is there any other way outside? I have a feeling that opening this door will lead to deep malice..."

"When players enter the final zone, the surroundings start to collapse. The system is likely pushing us to enter the factory quickly. The enemies aren't densely packed, and the atmosphere isn't as terrifying as Silent Hill, so players might be tempted to loot the area before coming in," Li Nuo said, pulling a folding chair from the vending cart and strapping it to his back. "We have one hour left. Knowing the system's habits, the less time we have, the more dangerous it gets. It’s very possible that as we walk, a horde of succubi will suddenly appear behind us, forcing us to run toward the top."

Chen Shou: "I wouldn't mind if they were succubi."

Li Nuo: "I looked it up a couple of days ago. Succubi can be male."

What on earth has he been through... Chen Shou was left speechless.

Li Nuo then took out a health potion he had obtained from the Resistance and drank it. They had all sustained varying degrees of injuries when they were thrown into the room. The "Endless Corridor" didn't show exact health percentages, and Li Nuo’s Red Tearstone Ring hadn't activated, which meant his health was still above 20%. But for safety's sake—and because the pain in his body was telling him it was time—he took the medicine.

The moment the transparent liquid hit his tongue, a pungent, paint-like chemical taste assaulted his taste buds. This stuff was definitely not meant for human consumption.

With their iron rods, slingshots, and rifles in hand, and the tactical scarves they’d scavenged from the Resistance camp donned, they were ready. Whether or not luck was on their side, the entrance was blocked by steel bars, so they didn't have to worry about the Resistance soldiers coming to volunteer as cannon fodder anymore.

"Let's go. Don't waste time." Marjie walked to the main door and pressed the switch. The door creaked open.

Several black dogs, each the size of a lion, stood in perfect formation behind the door...

As they say, the most terrifying thing is a sudden silence.

Facing a dozen slobbering black hounds, Marjie stood at the doorway, his muscles tense. He puffed out his chest, tilted his chin up, and gathered all his strength into his throat. He swallowed hard...

"Pardon me..." Marjie nodded apologetically to the hounds and pressed the door button again, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Hmph... looks like it’s stuck."

Marjie calmly turned back to Li Nuo and the others, and whispered, "Help me..."

The growling black hounds lunged forward, their sights locked entirely on Marjie.

From less than three meters away, it was certain that in a second, Marjie would know exactly what it felt like to be covered in large dogs.

Suddenly, 2B, who had been silent until now, lunged forward. She left several yellow afterimages in her wake, snatching Marjie back just as his head was about to enter a dog's maw.

She swung her white katana, decapitating two hounds with blinding speed before leaping off the ground. Suspended above the pack, she danced through the air, her movements graceful and fluid as she performed a spinning downward strike. Blood splattered everywhere. She landed in a crouch, swept her blade horizontally, and followed up with a backhand strike, spraying more crimson droplets.

Finally, she flicked the blood off her blade, sheathed it, and turned back. "Let's go."

Li Nuo: "That girl is cool."

Chen Shou: "That bodyguard is worth every penny."

Marjie didn't snap out of his daze until they were far away. He scrambled onto the vending cart. "Wait for me!"

Behind the door was a long, straight corridor enclosed by wire mesh, one side bordering a river of molten iron. Aside from the corpses of the black hounds, several machine lifeforms lay scattered in the hallway.

"What exactly are those black dogs?" Marjie asked, scanning his surroundings while pedaling slowly.

"Invaders, I suppose..." Li Nuo, sitting on the back of the cart, rested his chin on his iron rod. "I think I saw a dragon the moment I entered the factory."

Chen Shou, walking alongside the front right of the cart like a bodyguard, froze. "A-a dragon?"

"Probably," Li Nuo said. "It seemed to have wings and a massive body... but according to the lore of this world, there are dragon-type weapons used in place of androids in the Kingdom of Night. I'm not sure if that's what it was."

2B, walking on the left side of the cart, spoke up. "I have seen a giant winged creature."

Everyone looked at her.

"At the start of this descent operation, smoke appeared in the sky, and a white dome covered the landing zone. Our squad had two members; the other is already KIA."

She reached a fork in the path, glanced to the right, and headed toward the upward slope. "I saw a giant creature not mentioned in the briefing upon landing. It had wings, scales like steel, and a face like a lizard. I am not sure if it is the same as the 'dragon' you speak of."

"I attacked it, and I was defeated in an instant. When I regained consciousness, the surrounding area had been completely destroyed."

Li Nuo sat on the back of the cart, took out a notebook and pen, and scribbled rapidly. He handed the drawing to 2B. Chen Shou and Marjie leaned in to look.

On the paper, a giant dragon drawn in charcoal lines looked vivid and lifelike. It had six wings and a formidable physique.

"This sketch is good enough to be a professional drawing," Chen Shou marveled, looking at Li Nuo in disbelief. "Are you really a manga artist?"

Marjie’s expression darkened; he had noticed something.

"Yes, it is very similar, but the details differ," 2B said, nodding at the drawing. "What is it?"

"Bahamut," Li Nuo replied nonchalantly, though he was panicking internally. Compared to Bahamut, the World-Ending Flower was barely an elite mob...

Marjie explained, "Miss 2B, it is a type of dragon capable of destroying the world."

Chen Shou gasped.

Li Nuo looked at the fat man and said, "I really want to shove this vending cart down your throat."

"B-b-but it can destroy the world!" Chen Shou exclaimed urgently.

"What's the rush? We aren't even sure it's the same thing. Besides, the quest level wouldn't force us to fight Bahamut to the death," Li Nuo said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the exit ahead. "Let's get out of here first."

At the end of the path was a double door with a keyhole. It was locked tight. Marjie got off the cart and knocked on it. "Judging by the sound, it's no thicker than five centimeters."

"The door is probably meant to be opened with a key we're supposed to find along the way, but if we go back now, we'll waste time..." Li Nuo thought for a moment and looked at Chen Shou. "Fatty, don't you have an Italian Cannon? Take it out and give the door a shot."

Chen Shou pulled out his [Handheld Cannon]. It looked like a double-sized version of Doraemon’s Air Cannon. He cradled it, aimed at the door, and pulled the cord.

A few seconds later—BOOM!

The cannonball flew out, slammed directly into the door, and blasted it open with sheer force!

Li Nuo stared in shock. "Fatty... why is your cannonball a solid iron sphere?"

"You're asking me? I don't know..." Chen Shou muttered, annoyed at himself. He put the cannon away and followed the others through the door. It was a wide-open space, and ahead lay the exit from the factory.

Everyone stopped in their tracks as soon as they entered.

A player named Xiao You stood not far away, crouching and trembling as if terrified. She looked at Li Nuo and the others with a pitiful, sorrowful expression.

"Brothers... you're finally here!"

"That's... Xiao You, right?" Chen Shou asked, but his brief composure vanished, replaced by tension.

Players could kill each other. The victor would receive half of the loser's gold.

"Help me..." Xiao You walked over, her steps shaky. "Something happened to the others. I'm the only one left."

One of her hands was tucked into her waistband. There was a pistol hidden in her trousers.

The gold earned from completing quests wasn't necessarily more than what you could get from killing a player—that was the lesson she had learned after killing "Flat-Top." If killing people yielded more rewards, why bother working so hard on quests?

Kill. Yes, kill them.

Xiao You drew closer, her expression still pitiful and helpless, her gait shaky, but the murderous intent in her heart had reached its peak. *We're all just ordinary people. As long as I get close, I can shoot them when they aren't looking...*

Just then, Li Nuo pulled out a canned grenade, lit the fuse, and tossed it toward her.

Xiao You caught the can. She realized the fuse was burning a split second too late. By the time she panicked and threw it away, it had already exploded!

BOOM!

The explosion wasn't massive, and the flash of fire lasted only a moment. But with a faint whistling sound, the dense steel balls and metal shards packed inside the can bloomed into a flower of death. Accompanied by the sound of tearing air, the shrapnel shredded half of Xiao You’s body into a bloody mess.

The girl’s mangled torso was a gruesome sight. Blood bubbled from her mouth as she tried to stand, her willpower terrifyingly strong, even with one arm hanging limply by her side.

The excruciating pain numbed her brain.

Xiao You didn't hear it—the metallic *click* of a rifle bolt chambering a round, coming from the vending cart in the distance.

"I've been wanting to try sniping for a while now."

Li Nuo licked his lips, raised the rifle he had been carrying on his back, aimed at Xiao You, and pulled the trigger.

The [Kalashnikov Automatic Rifle], paired with 7.62x39mm M43 intermediate-power cartridges, would leave a small entry hole upon hitting a target, but the violent rotation of the bullet would tear a bowl-sized wound on the exit side.

The bullet struck Xiao You’s right arm.

The girl watched her arm fall to the ground. Before she could even process the shock, Li Nuo, finding it too much trouble to aim, switched the firing mode to automatic.

After a series of *tat-tat-tat* sounds, Xiao You collapsed into a pool of blood.

The system’s voice echoed in Li Nuo’s ear:

[Player 5847 has been eliminated. You have received half of their gold.]

[You have gained 996 gold.]