But dragging others down even in death—that’s just plain crude.
Zhao Banjin didn’t argue. A flash of regret passed through his eyes—not for failing to change the future, but for failing to kill Su Er.
Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, Su Er sighed lightly and waved to the helicopter, signaling it to take them to a safe zone.
Even with the remote control in hand, there was no guarantee that there weren’t other explosives planted in the villa. Better to leave early.
When the rescue ladder dropped down, Su Er didn’t hesitate—he knocked out the injured Zhao Banjin and hauled him up with them.
He’d paid enough. The pilot beamed with satisfaction and even thoughtfully handed him a bottle of mineral water.
Su Er twisted the cap open but momentarily dazed.
“Can’t make sense of it?” Ji Heng asked.
Su Er nodded.
Ji Heng glanced at the unconscious Zhao Banjin. “Sometimes, the methods of a ‘good’ person committing evil are crueler than those of a bad one.”
Su Er gave him a strange look. What kind of logic was that?
Ji Heng said plainly, “When your worldview collapses after a struggle with morality, your heart hardens.”
Su Er had no interest in analyzing Zhao Banjin’s inner journey. He took a sip of water to calm his nerves, then asked, “Is everything arranged?”
The pilot replied, “We’ll be landing over the hospital soon. The patient is prepped, too.”
Su Er frowned. “There was a shootout just now. It won’t stay under wraps.”
Pilot: “We’ve got people across all departments. We can delay the investigation until tomorrow morning. Don’t worry—our guys will be out of the country tonight. If you want to lay low too, that’ll cost extra.”
“No need,” Su Er said mildly. “I’ve got other plans. Oh, and send someone professional to dismantle the bombs in the villa.”
Zhao Banjin slowly regained consciousness just in time to hear that. The muscles on his face twitched. Who would’ve thought a high schooler who can’t even shoot straight could think to hire hitmen?
Was this even human behavior?
“Oh, you’re up.” Su Er’s expression shifted briefly as he smiled. “Where’s the host?”
Zhao Banjin stayed silent, quickly trying to figure out how to turn the situation around. “You have to promise me first—”
“So, he’s near Wanbaolin.”
Zhao Banjin looked up in shock.
Su Er stared at the small dot moving on his phone screen. “I planted a tracker on San Hua during the vampire family dinner.”
He placed the phone face-down on his knee, his tone casual. “We already discussed it—these major factions are suspicious. It was only prudent to leave a backup plan.”
The flyers weren’t just for show—he was paid handsomely for the endorsement, so of course he spent the money wisely.
Zhao Banjin stared at him coldly, suddenly chilled. Su Er’s methods weren’t particularly high-level, but they always caught people off guard.
Looking back now, Zhao Banjin realized—he had never once seen even a flicker of fear in Su Er’s eyes.
Su Er’s thinking operated more like a cold machine.
Soon, the helicopter landed smoothly. People stood on both sides of the rooftop, stretchers ready, as if truly awaiting emergency patients.
“We’re professionals,” the pilot emphasized.
Every step was perfectly coordinated. As they entered the building and turned a corner, a passing orderly smoothly slipped a phone into Su Er’s pocket. “Unregistered SIM, just in case.”
Before exiting, a dozing security guard murmured, “Don’t worry about the surveillance.”
Then he went right back to pretending to nap.
Zhao Banjin, forced to walk ahead, couldn’t help turning back. “How much did you blow on all this?”
“130 million.”
Not just Zhao Banjin—even Ji Heng gave Su Er a second look.
“When I was shooting an ad, a director tried to drug me. I turned the tables, and he felt guilty. That became hush money.”
Su Er added, “And he wasn’t the only one. I reformed them all with love—guided them back to the right path.”
Ji Heng latched onto a keyword. “Reformed?”
Su Er nodded sincerely. “A incubus’s ability is to trigger and destroy desire. Once I restricted their impulses, I cycled my ability hundreds of times, giving them a taste of emotional highs and crushing lows.”
As a fellow man, Zhao Banjin instinctively crossed his legs at the mental image.
Ji Heng said approvingly, “You did the right thing.”
Zhao Banjin: “…”
Ji Heng passed Su Er a dagger—the very one that had wounded Zhao Banjin.
“For self-defense.”
Su Er reached out, then pulled his hand back. The dagger clearly wasn’t ordinary. He shook his head. “I’ll take it after I’ve secured all my assets.”
Following the tracker, they found Mister Pu Liu under siege by dozens of attackers.
Fists flew in every direction. Every strike was a gang-up—an epic brawl.
Standing at a distance, Su Er’s gaze sharpened. “Manpower has its limits. Even the host is no exception.”
Vampires are highly sensitive to unfamiliar auras. San Hua looked up—their heterochromatic eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
Blocking several people from silencing witnesses, San Hua leapt toward Su Er with shocking agility.
Su Er asked calmly, “What exactly did Wanbaolin offer you?”
San Hua slowly replied, “Long-term benefits.”
Wanbaolin was like a giant tree—gathering rare treasures. Getting a foothold there was crucial.
Su Er raised an eyebrow. “Do you even know why they’re doing this?”
San Hua: “Mutual gain. We kill for them, they supply us with goods. That’s all.”
Just then, Su Er’s phone buzzed. Seeing the photo, he smiled and casually showed San Hua the MMS.
Lin Su and Lin Qian had already been captured by the people Su Er hired.
San Hua’s face darkened. “You’ve stirred up trouble.”
If the police got involved, it wouldn’t end well.
“Tell them to stand down,” Su Er said, glancing at the distant figures. He smiled faintly. “Otherwise, I’ll give the order to have them killed. You think Wanbaolin’s chairman will take that well?”
San Hua stared at him for a moment, then turned and walked over—to say something the others couldn’t hear.
A werewolf who had awakened to his identity sneered. As long as they took out that arrogant brat as fast as possible, the threat would be eliminated.
Sensing the killing intent, Ji Heng, without a hint of warning, took the gun from Su Er’s waist, loaded it with a silver bullet, and fired a shot.
The whole motion was smooth and fluid—done in less than five seconds.
The werewolf's reaction speed was also very fast—the bullet only pierced his arm. Before a smug smile could even surface, his entire body, along with the bullet, suddenly dissolved into a pool of blood.
“So powerful,” Su Er raised an eyebrow slightly. The stamp ghost’s gift really was impressive—what a shame it was a one-time item.
Ji Heng: “Anyone else want to try?”
More bullets had appeared in his hand. No one could tell whether they had the same power, but no one dared to move recklessly again.
Seizing the moment, Su Er waved his phone and pressed on: “You have one minute left to retreat. Otherwise, the Lin sisters’ lives won’t be guaranteed.”
“Let’s go,” said San Hua, breaking the stalemate.
As they left, San Hua gave Su Er a complicated look.
The night returned to peace.
“He’s not without decency,” Su Er said, watching the figure disappear into the darkness. “Back at Changfu House, San Hua actually asked if I wanted to leave with them.”
If he had gone then, he could’ve avoided the mirror maze in the restaurant later.
But when it came to long-term interests versus a young newcomer to the family, the vampires had chosen the former.
In just a few breaths, Mister Pu Liu teleported to them, coldly staring at Zhao Banjin: “You’re quite cunning.”
You hurt the ghost I sent to test the waters and temporarily slipped suspicion, only to stir trouble behind the scenes.
Zhao Banjin clenched his teeth, resolving to never open his mouth no matter what inhuman torture he suffered—to avoid revealing anything useful.
With a flick of his finger, Mr. Pu Liu summoned a pressure wave like a spinning rotor that slammed into Zhao Banjin, knocking him to the ground. He clutched his abdomen in pain.
Su Er’s expression changed. This dungeon didn’t just allow players to kill each other—it also seemed to loosen restrictions on the host’s actions.
Whether players could be killed by the host wasn’t clear yet, but it was certain they could be seriously injured. Realizing this, Su Er immediately adjusted his attitude and became extremely respectful.
Seeing this, Mister Pu Liu shook his head. “You must be the longest-living player in the game.”
That level of judgment and adaptability was rare in the world.
Su Er stepped forward and suddenly reached into Zhao Banjin’s pocket.
Zhao Banjin angrily snapped, “I’m not even dead yet—isn’t it too early to loot my body?”
But Su Er only pulled out a phone.
A sense of foreboding rose in Zhao Banjin’s heart.
Su Er then took out the phone the hospital orderly had slipped him. There were several numbers saved in its contacts. He called one and got straight to the point: “Two hundred thousand.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, a young man in a hoodie and mask arrived. Su Er handed him Zhao Banjin’s phone.
The young man pulled a laptop from his backpack and began working on both the phone and the computer.
“It’s been wiped very thoroughly. Regular recovery software won’t cut it.”
Su Er smiled. “That’s why I called you.”
“Child’s play,” the young man replied. “Give me five minutes.”
At about four minutes and thirty seconds, the young man handed the phone back. “Call history recovered.”
His fingers flew across the keyboard. Just before time was up, he hit enter. “According to the number log, the person he contacted the most was Lin Qian. But there was also one short call with the Lin family’s second son.”
After giving the address of the villa, Su Er said, “Another two hundred thousand—trace the Lin sisters’ call history from a month ago. I want to know who contacted the vampires and other factions.”
“Deal.”
The young man packed up and left on his motorbike.
Su Er remained where he was, quietly waiting for updates.
In the silence, Zhao Banjin’s throat was dry. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence: “You’re cheating!”
Su Er replied, “Only the host can judge if a player’s actions are cheating.”
Then he looked toward Mister Pu Liu.
Even if they weren’t allies, Mister Pu Liu couldn’t declare him in violation. From ancient times to now, employment relationships had always existed in various societal systems.
Zhao Banjin also knew he wouldn’t get an answer from the host. His body gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, eyes lifeless. “I’m not willing…”
He could accept failure. In fact, he knew the odds of success were slim from the start. But he had hoped for a dramatic ending.
Instead, it felt like punching into cotton—no impact at all.
“Sorry,” Su Er said in the same breezy tone Zhao Banjin had used during his betrayal, patiently adding, “I’ve never been poor. My first instinct is always to solve problems with money.”
Finally unable to bear it anymore, Zhao Banjin cursed out loud.
Ignoring his frustration, Su Er looked solemn as he received a message from the young man. “Got a lead. I need to go.”
Ji Heng didn’t follow, apparently still having things to deal with regarding Zhao Banjin. He handed Su Er a life-saving item. “The Ghost King won’t act for now. Keep it safe.”
Su Er nodded, hailed a cab at a farther intersection, and left.
Shortly after he was gone, Mister Pu Liu, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly turned to Ji Heng and asked, “What’s your family background like?”
Ji Heng replied coolly, “Not bad.”
Mister Pu Liu asked, “Then why don’t you think of throwing money at your problems?”
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