After the temporary ceasefire agreement was reached, the hundred-man team pulled back from the Slimes, who had entered a dormant state, keeping their distance and maintaining vigilance while taking a short rest.
They also sent word outside—Zhao Yantong could finally get a bit of sleep.
Rong Jiu sat in the milk tea car, staring at the massive Slime across from them, lost in thought.
Yi Luo sipped on a cheese-foam watermelon juice he’d coaxed He Wuning into making for him and asked curiously, “Hey, do you really believe them?”
Rong Jiu gave him a look of disdain. “Of course not. It’s just mutual probing.”
“My guess is that suggesting a ceasefire isn’t only about preserving the last level-10 dungeon. They might also be short on materials and just going along with the situation.”
He Wuning glanced outside. Members of the Operations Department were resting in groups, but none had lowered their guard. “But you still agreed to it.”
“Because we do need a breather,” Rong Jiu shrugged. “As much as I’d love to say something impressive like, ‘Tch, we’ll fight to the bitter end,’ unfortunately, Zhao Yantong isn’t made of steel. Having time to rest is essential for her.”
“But…”
“I think neither side really trusts the other. We’re both on guard.”
“Just wait.” Rong Jiu leaned back in his chair. “Rest for now. Before 8 a.m. tomorrow—that’s when the real scheming begins.”
He Wuning closed his eyes and yawned, curling up in the passenger seat. “Then I’ll sleep for a bit.”
They’d taken Ji Ou and Xiao Jie to stir up trouble outside Zone C last night and barely slept. Since they had the chance now, there was no need to tough it out.
He Wuning had just shut his eyes when Yi Luo poked his forehead.
He Wuning opened his eyes expressionlessly. Though he looked no different than usual, Yi Luo clearly sensed the killing intent.
But Yi Luo didn’t back down. Boldly, he tugged at him. “Aren’t there sleeping bags in the back? Wouldn’t laying out a blanket and sleeping on the floor be more comfortable than the chair?”
He Wuning glared at him murderously for a moment. In the end, he stood up with a sour face and slowly moved toward the rear of the car.
Yi Luo smiled in satisfaction. “Don’t worry. I know you’d be embarrassed to sleep with this bunch watching. Before we came out, I asked Xue Xun for a folding screen. I’ll set it up for you.”
Rong Jiu watched in silence as Yi Luo busied himself turning the back storage area of the milk tea car into a cozy little nest—laying down a rug, setting up the screen, spreading out the sleeping bag. He Wuning stood nearby with his arms folded, looking drowsy.
Ji Ou opened his mouth. “...Should we go down?”
“I feel like we’re kind of extra here.”
Rong Jiu was silent for a while. “I thought stuffing research papers and a laptop into my game inventory was already excessive. And this guy actually…”
“Are they here on vacation?”
Yi Luo poked his head out from behind the screen. “If you’re staying here, keep it quiet. No talking. Someone’s sleeping.”
He Wuning: “Then why are you staying here?”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?” Yi Luo clutched his chest. “I laid out the rug, after all. Didn’t we nap side by side quite amicably before? I think now—”
He Wuning covered his mouth. “If you’re sleeping, then sleep. No noise.”
Q-chan squeezed behind the screen alertly. “I’m sleeping between you two! Move over!”
Yi Luo was speechless. “How old are you? Can’t you sleep on your own? We humans, need a little privacy too.”
Q-chan started shouting, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting! I won’t let you get close to my sweetie! Hiyah!”
He Wuning: “…I’m going to sleep outside.”
Yi Luo: “Q, truce.”
Q-chan: “Hmph.”
It finally went quiet behind the screen. Rong Jiu shook his head helplessly. Ji Ou stretched with a sigh.
……
The next day, 7:55 a.m.
Inside the dungeon training camp, there was no distinction between day and night. They could only tell the time from the communication system.
Rong Jiu stood in front of the milk tea car, staring at the enormous Slime in the opposing camp, and reached out to pat Ji Ou awake. “Wake up.”
“Mm…” Ji Ou had been dozing on the table, bleary-eyed. He looked up at him blankly, still a bit foolish and dazed.
Rong Jiu sighed. Behind the screen, Yi Luo and He Wuning emerged right on time. Even though they had just woken up, compared to Ji Ou, the difference made Rong Jiu feel even more exasperated.
He rubbed his temples. “I’ll give you two minutes to wake up. And get ready to throw the final nuclear bomb.”
Ji Ou snapped fully awake at the words “nuclear bomb.” “Wh—what nuclear bomb?!”
His eyes widened. “Didn’t we agree to a ceasefire?”
Rong Jiu let out a long sigh. “Did I fool them, or did I fool you?”
“Obviously, you fooled them! Did you really think they’d believe we’d behave ourselves until the very last second? And you actually believed it?!”
Ji Ou stared at him blankly, looking utterly shocked by the treachery of human hearts.
Tang Yu patted Ji Ou’s head, giving Rong Jiu a disapproving look. “Don’t make him think about such complicated things. We all know fools have fool’s luck.”
“If he thinks too much, he might get a fever.”
He Wuning pushed open the car door and stepped out. Walking to the boundary between the human players and the monsters, he glanced at the giant Slime in the crowd, studying it thoughtfully. Then he suddenly asked, “You’re not there anymore, are you?”
The giant Slime didn’t respond. He Wuning turned toward the milk tea car and made a hand signal.
Yi Luo nudged Ji Ou. “Throw it.”
“Don’t hold back. Toss them all. Let’s go out with another glorious bang!”
Ji Ou had already given up thinking. Mechanically, he fanned out his row of cards and flung them across the entire battlefield with dramatic flair.
Forbidden magic summoning thunderstorm tempests, mushroom clouds erupting one after another—He Wuning walked back to the car with his hands in his pockets through the dazzling explosions, as if he’d long since treated these harmless visual effects as nothing more than holographic projections.
“There probably won’t be any fragments,” he said with a shrug of regret. “They were guarding against us, too. Slipped away a few minutes ago, most likely.”
“How’s it outside?”
“They can run away, too?” Yi Luo raised a brow. “Tsk. What a loss.”
“Zhao Yantong’s ready. She slept and looked much more energized.” Rong Jiu shook his head, not particularly surprised. “The brief ceasefire is over. Their retaliation will probably begin very soon.”
The clock ticked to 8:00 a.m.
The Voice of the World announced on time: “The Dungeon Siege event has concluded successfully. Congratulations to the Blue Star players for perfectly conquering all level-10 dungeons. Reward calculation in progress.”
“All level-10 dungeon drop equipment has been updated to the item database. Monster Ranch purchasable monsters have been updated.”
“Due to the perfect completion of the event, an additional reward of 5% Administrator Fragments has been granted to all awakened players.”
Ji Ou slowly revealed a stunned expression. “Wait… did I mishear? What did I just hear?”
“This game is rarely this generous,” He Wuning said, equally surprised. “Five percent for everyone…”
“Probably only enough to modify your first minor skill, but it’s still a boost in combat power.”
“More importantly.” Rong Jiu cast a meaningful glance upward. “Only those who possess this fragment are truly recognized by the game as players.”
“No wonder they tried to delay us from completing the task and trick us into not clearing all the dungeons. So this was the advantage.”
He Wuning scratched his chin. “I think… they might’ve only known that clearing all the dungeons would grant a reward, but not what the reward actually was.”
“If they’d known it was this generous, they wouldn’t have just tried to deceive us—they would’ve sent far more forces to stop us.”
“After all, this is 5% for every single person.”
“And besides, an ‘Emperor Ou’ is a rare species,” Tang Yu said with a smile, glancing at Ji Ou. “If they didn’t draw a hand like yours back then, they probably couldn’t have cleared all the dungeons in a single day.”
Ji Ou blinked, flattered and startled. “Ah… that has something to do with me?”
“They’re probably stomping their feet in frustration right now,” Yi Luo chuckled gleefully, then looked outside. “But now that they know, next time—with the level-20 dungeons—we’ll need to prepare more. They’ll definitely try their hardest to stop us.”
Rong Jiu nodded in agreement, then stretched. “But that won’t necessarily be my problem. I might not be the strategist next time.”
“Alright, everyone, let’s head back. I imagine on Zhao Yantong’s side—”
All of their communication devices chimed at once. He Wuning picked his up and glanced at it. “Zone A is experiencing the most violent thunderstorm in its history.”
Yi Luo raised a brow as well. “New assassin ‘believers’ are attempting to infiltrate and attack Zhao Yantong… No, ‘infiltrate’ might not be the right word. They’re charging in prepared to die.”
“What a headache.” Rong Jiu rubbed his temples. “Who knows how long these ‘believers’ will extend the Day of Divine Punishment.”
“Ah—th-the Supreme Commander messaged me!” Ji Ou looked flattered beyond belief. “He praised us for a job well done. They’ve already started researching the new buildings inside the safe zone. The shop items used to be useless, but now they refresh every hour, and sometimes you can snag really good stuff!”
“He said when I get back, I should check the shop and buy whatever I like…”
Ji Ou looked up with a goofy grin.
Even though no one was short on a bit of in-game currency anymore, he couldn’t help feeling valued by the Supreme Commander.
Yi Luo’s gaze turned sympathetic. “Should I tell him it’s probably because the Commander wants to use his luck to roll some good items?”
Rong Jiu spread his hands. “That’s the art of speaking.”
Tang Yu covered Ji Ou’s ears and shook his head helplessly. “Honestly, don’t talk about this stuff in front of an idiot. If he hears too much and overthinks, what if he gets a fever?”
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The author has something to say:
He Wuning: I think Ji Ou’s priority on the monster faction’s assassination list might already be higher than mine.
Tang Yu: Shh, don’t tell him. The kid won’t be able to sleep at night if he gets scared.
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