Chapter 41: I Went There, I Came Back

Fifth Floor, hallway.

The dwarf stumbled backward, patting his head to extinguish the flames. After much effort, the fire was finally out, but his signature ponytail had been reduced to half its original length.

“I hate fire,” he muttered, his gaze venomously fixed on Gu Nian. With a sharp mind, he issued orders: “Qi practitioner, block downstairs. Captive woman, find the target. Let’s end this quickly!”

“Understood!”

At his command, two players immediately dashed toward the stairwell, while the woman with a chilling aura around her neck turned her gaze toward the lock on the door to Room 501. Her pupils suddenly sharpened with focus.

Creak…

The lock clicked and twisted with a jarring metallic sound, and the door sprung open.

Seeing the woman step toward the room, Gu Nian immediately controlled her magic wand to intercept.

“Hey, I’m your opponent,” the dwarf said with a menacing grin, his eyes glowing a sickly green. “Last time at the university district, I didn’t have the time to deal with you properly. Now… I’ll show you the true power of voodoo magic.”

With those words, two porcelain bottles appeared in his hands. He exhaled a green mist as two centipedes crawled out from the bottle openings and rapidly expanded.

Thud! Thud!

By the time they hit the ground, the centipedes had grown to half the size of a large dog, rushing toward Gu Nian with menacing speed.

…

Across the Street, Xinyuan Spa.

The “seventy-something” Little Wolf Warrior had been escorted to Room 302 by a young receptionist. Sitting on the massage bed, he undressed while carefully sensing the intense fluctuations of Stellar Energy emanating from the apartment building.

“Something big’s going down. These Vigil Keepers are spread pretty thin…!” His brows furrowed briefly before he focused on someone he was particularly interested in. “What’s that idiot standing around for? He looks completely clueless!”

By now, he was down to just his boxers.

Creak!

The door opened, and the slightly chubby woman who had been chased out by Ren Ye earlier re-entered, carrying a small toolbox. She glanced nervously at the gaunt old man on the bed and asked hesitantly, “Sir… at your age, isn’t it a bit risky to, um, indulge?”

“What’s your service?” Little Wolf Warrior asked bluntly.

“…These are strict times,” she replied cautiously, lowering her voice. “At most, I can offer ten.”

“Alright, give me the full ten. Let’s see if you’ve got the skills,” Little Wolf Warrior said nonchalantly as he turned off the lights and lay face-down on the massage table.

“Old but bold, huh? No nonsense,” the woman muttered admiringly as she walked over.

In the dim room, she covered him with a towel and began massaging his legs.

Swish!

The lights dimmed further, and a spirit rose.

While the woman continued her massage, she noticed nothing unusual. However, Little Wolf Warrior’s soul left his body, gliding effortlessly through the window and toward the apartment building across the street.

His physical body was too old to perform any supernatural feats, and he still needed it later. He had no intention of letting it get destroyed.

Meanwhile, in the rain-drenched alleyway, Mr. He crouched in the shadows, playing with a model theater in his hands. Eyes closed, he murmured to himself, “One second-rank, seven first-ranks, and one magic user… Hmm, wait a minute. Why is there a spirit here?”

He smirked, choosing to wait for more pieces to reveal themselves. No rush.

…

Fourth Floor, stairwell.

Standing mid-stairwell, Huang Wei exuded an overwhelming aura of killing intent. His entire body seemed engulfed in black and crimson flames, the flickering light roaring upward.

Swish!

With a thought, an ancient crimson greatsword materialized in his hands.

Ren Ye stared at him in stunned silence. This was not the image of Huang Wei he had in his mind. The man before him was heroic, imposing, and undeniably impressive.

Wasn’t this guy just a brute? A nobody?

The crimson greatsword in his hands was even larger than the famous Black Iron Sword wielded by Yang Guo in the dramas. Yet, it seemed perfectly suited to Huang Wei’s towering frame.

Footsteps echoed upstairs, quick and urgent.

Two Bell Society players rushed down.

Ren Ye, fully aware of his capabilities, immediately retreated two steps when he saw Huang Wei standing firm in front of him.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Two figures appeared—one tall and thin, the other short and stout.

The tall one froze upon seeing Huang Wei, his pupils constricting. “A Tier-2 Vigil Keeper?!”

Snap!

He abruptly snapped his fingers. “Qi Master—Qi Explosion!”

“Boom!”

A deafening explosion erupted as compressed air detonated between Ren Ye and Huang Wei.

Ren Ye was blasted backward several meters, slamming into the wall. His arms, raised defensively over his chest, were bloodied, and the bone-deep pain was excruciating.

For some reason, the stairwell—sealed off by the Wordless Stele—remained remarkably intact, its walls showing no sign of damage despite the explosion.

Three meters away, Huang Wei stood firm, seemingly unscathed by the Qi Explosion. His body hadn’t even budged.

He resembled an indomitable war god, his bloodshot eyes locked onto the two players. Raising his sword, he roared, “Bloodbath!”

“Boom!”

A cloud of blood erupted from Huang Wei’s body, shredding his clothes.

“Blood Sacrifice!”

As he recited the incantation without emotion, the surrounding blood mist rapidly condensed into his crimson greatsword.

The two players paled at the sight, hastily activating defensive skills.

“Qi Wall!”

The tall one bent his body sharply, summoning streams of air that coalesced around him as if alive.

“Dark Affinity, compress, compress…!”

The stout one shouted frantically. His body shrank from adult size to adolescent size, then to the size of an infant, and finally… vanished into the shadows, reduced to a miniature figurine.

“Buzz…!”

The crimson greatsword trembled violently.

A fiery red mark appeared on Huang Wei’s forehead, while thick, dark red veins bulged around his neck.

Casting a commanding gaze at the two targets on the stairs, Huang Wei growled with his remaining sanity, “Ren Ye… watch closely. This is what a Tier-2 player looks like!!”

“Blood Sacrifice—Obliteration!”

His furious roar reverberated.

A single strike engulfed the entire space in blood-red light.

Slash!

The crimson sword aura tore through the Qi Wall with a sharp crack.

“Boom!”

The aura exploded, obliterating the Qi Master’s body like a watermelon. Blood and gore splattered across the walls, sticky and grotesque.

A single blow, an instant kill—no room for resistance.

“Bang! Bang!”

The miniature-sized player was caught in the chaotic sword aura, his arm torn apart. Like a beaten dog, he fled upstairs, crying out, “It’s a Tier-2 berserker! The Qi Master’s dead—I can’t hold him off…!”

Leaning against the wall, Ren Ye watched Huang Wei in shock. This guy’s something else! he thought, his mind racing.

“Agh, agh…!”

Huang Wei shook his head violently, letting out guttural growls. His expression twisted in pain, as if on the verge of losing control.

“Whoosh!”

“Stay away from me for a bit,” Huang Wei warned before dashing upstairs.

…

Room 501.

The female player known as “Prisoner Maiden” entered the living room and immediately spotted three unconscious figures near the dining table: Ren Daguo, Li Feng, and Editor Xu.

All three were poisoned and comatose, their bodies distorted and blurred, sealed off by the Wordless Stele.

But such barriers were no obstacle for Prisoner Maiden, whose criminally inclined abilities specialized in destruction and infiltration.

“Spatial Penetration—Theft!”

She scanned the trio briefly, raised her arm toward Ren Daguo, and lightly hooked her finger.

“Whoosh!”

The blurred, distorted Ren Daguo gradually regained clarity and vitality as Prisoner Maiden pulled him into the Wordless Stele’s domain.

“Hah!”

She sneered coldly, stepping forward to hoist Ren Daguo’s body onto her shoulders. Without hesitation, she dashed toward the window.

Outside, rain poured down in torrents.

“Prisoner Maiden is taking Ren Daguo and leaving first, leaving us an escape route,” Mr. He said, his lips curling into a strange smile. “But our primary target is no longer him. I’ve sensed Ren Ye’s presence. Everyone, be ready. Prepare to take him out.”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

“…!”

The Bell Society members responded quickly.

…

Outside the apartment building, Little Wolf Warrior’s soul form floated in the rain, heading straight for the fifth floor.

“Fine, I’ll help him…” Little Wolf Warrior muttered, hesitating briefly before sighing inwardly. “I’m more worried about him than his father ever was!”

Shaking his head, Little Wolf Warrior sped toward the window, aiming directly at Prisoner Maiden.

…

At the Xinyuan Spa Center.

The slightly chubby attendant at Station 68 patted the old man on the back. “Would you like some water? Hey, sir? Sir?!”

After calling out twice with no response, the woman circled the massage bed, frowning as she approached. She shook his head vigorously a couple more times.

Hmm?

No reaction!

A wave of goosebumps washed over her as she tentatively reached out, placing her fingers under the old man’s nose.

Five seconds later.

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Screaming, the woman bolted out of Room 302, stumbling and nearly falling down the stairs. She shouted to the plump proprietress, “Something terrible happened! I told him not to add more pressure, but he insisted on ten more… I… I pressed him to death! That old man is dead because of me!”

…

In Apartment 501, by the window.

Just as Prisoner Maiden was preparing to carry Ren Daguo and make her escape, she suddenly felt a chill at the back of her neck.

At the same time, Little Wolf Warrior reached the window. He was about to act when he froze in place.

Scanning the room quickly, his gaze lingered on Ren Daguo and Editor Xu for a moment before a sudden, bone-deep chill washed over him.

A ghost!

A ghost was capable of feeling their hair stand on end, a testament to the sheer terror these two instilled in him.

“Whoosh!”

With just a glance, Little Wolf Warrior turned and fled, muttering to himself as he went, “I’m out… This ride seems too stable… Something’s off, way off.”

In the shadows, Mr. He, who had been waiting to act, furrowed his brows. “Why did that soul leave again? Why run so fast…?”

As he spoke, he sensed that reinforcements from the Vigil Keepers were closing in, and Huang Wei had already reached the fifth floor.

“No matter. The enemy’s reinforcements are arriving quickly… Time to put on a show.”

Retracting his senses, Mr. He raised his arm and tossed a small model of an opera stage toward the fifth floor.

“Swish!”

In an instant, the exquisite miniature opera stage expanded, enveloping the entire fifth floor.

Inside the fifth floor, Gu Nian, who was fighting the dwarf, Huang Wei and Ren Ye, who were running, and the newly arrived Xu Peng all suddenly felt darkness envelop their surroundings.

In the blink of an eye, a massive opera stage appeared out of thin air.

Red curtains, fragrant flower baskets, polished wooden flooring reflecting an eerie glow—above the stage, traditional opera instruments like boards, drums, gongs, and cymbals were neatly arranged.

Everyone stood on the stage, their eyes narrowing as they squinted against the dazzling spotlight.

“What scene shall we perform?”

“Let it be the Battle of Changban!”

A ghostly opera voice drifted through the air.

The instruments on the stage—boards, drums, gongs, and cymbals—began playing autonomously.

“Clang clang clang clang…!”

The resonant tune erupted as the crimson curtain slowly lifted.

Mr. He stepped onto the stage, holding an opera spear and draped in white robes, four small flags affixed to his back. He faced the Vigil Keepers head-on.

Dressed as a performer, he resembled Zhao Zilong of Changshan!

Lifting his leg and flicking his robes, Mr. He spoke softly, “Take the stage—Enter the General!”

In traditional Chinese opera, the term “Enter the General” signifies the protagonist’s dramatic entrance.

Mr. He, a second-tier Star Gate player, had fallen into depravity. His current class title was “Opera Demon,” and his supernatural abilities were deeply tied to this theme.