Free Web NovelLiu Fu grinned honestly. “Competitive sports? We used to play those all the time when we were young—basketball and things like that. We won’t lose to you youngsters.”
Bai Liu fell silent for a moment.
“Before the final registration deadline in two months, you can tell me at any time if you want to withdraw.” His tone remained calm. “During these two months, I’ll continue looking for other people. You’re only backup options, so don’t force yourselves.”
Even as he said that, Bai Liu knew perfectly well that he did not have many alternatives.
With only two months left before the competition, most veteran players who both qualified and intended to participate had already joined established teams. And anyone unwilling to sign up by now would never casually follow a complete newcomer like Bai Liu into the league unless they were tired of living.
Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu both understood the danger of the competition.
But they still wanted to repay Bai Liu.
This young man—cold on the surface, seemingly villainous, someone who had supposedly “taken” their souls—had in reality helped them from beginning to end.
So what if it was just a competition?
Even if they truly died for him, it would not matter.
After all, they had already lived much longer than Guoguo ever had.
Compared to the calm acceptance shown by the middle-aged couple, whose lives had already taught them something about death, Mu Shicheng was nowhere near as composed.
The moment Bai Liu asked him to train newcomers, he exploded.
The line went dead silent for two full seconds before Mu Shicheng’s incredulous voice burst through the phone.
“You want me to train newcomers?! Are you fucking serious?! You’re planning to enter the league with a team of complete rookies?! Have you lost your mind?! This is the brilliant solution you came up with?!”
“I’m seriously regretting getting talked onto this sinking ship by you yesterday while my brain was fried!” Mu Shicheng sounded on the verge of collapse. “And I never fucking lead newcomers!”
“Then do you want to withdraw?” Bai Liu asked lightly. “I’ll allow it. But after withdrawing, you’ll have to survive alone in this virtual world.”
“Or...” Bai Liu paused slightly, “would you rather fight beside me in a league where we might actually win a real future?”
The other end ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) of the line instantly went quiet, as though Mu Shicheng had been strangled mid-sentence.
A long while later, his voice finally returned—hoarse, helpless, resigned.
“...Damn it. Was there ever really a choice? Obviously I’m staying with you.”
Bai Liu slid his spare key into the lock but did not turn it yet.
Calmly, he asked, “Then will you help me train the newcomers?”
Mu Shicheng did not answer immediately.
Only uneven breathing came from the other side of the call.
Bai Liu was in no hurry. He simply waited without hanging up.
“You are seriously too good at manipulating people with words.” Mu Shicheng sounded utterly frustrated. Bai Liu could practically picture him clawing irritably at his hair on the other end of the phone.
Finally, Mu Shicheng let out a gloomy sigh.
“I’ll try. But let’s make one thing clear first—I’ve never trained anyone before, and I’m not one of those veteran guild players who specialize in carrying rookies. If you hand them over to me, I can’t guarantee I’ll bring them back alive.”
Bai Liu smiled faintly.
“Before something actually happens, I prefer assuming you can do it.”
“...Bai Liu, you really are talented at recruiting people.” Mu Shicheng sounded speechless. “You sure you’ve never run a pyramid scheme before?”
“I don’t do illegal things,” Bai Liu replied seriously as he turned the key and opened the door. “And when have I ever manipulated people into joining me?”
Mu Ke, who had been waiting in the apartment, immediately turned around in surprise.
Earlier, Bai Liu had given him the spare key and told him to wait here until he came back.
“When are we entering the game?” Mu Ke took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly. “I’m ready.”
Mu Shicheng instantly exploded again through the phone.
“That’s Mu Ke, right?! And you still say you don’t recruit people?! How the hell did Mu Ke end up on your sinking shi—”
Bai Liu decisively hung up.
“See you in the game, Mu Shicheng.”
——————————
System Notification: Welcome, Player Bai Liu, to the game. Please prioritize your personal safety.
Bai Liu slowly opened his eyes.
He was still dressed in his usual white shirt and suit trousers. Mu Ke had logged into the game alongside him, but all players spawned at random login points. Bai Liu swept his gaze around and failed to spot Mu Ke among the nearby players.
Just as he was about to open his system panel to look for him, a bright-red warning window abruptly popped up on its own.
[System Warning: Player Bai Liu has received a Kill Order.]
[System Recommendation: We strongly advise the player to alter their appearance in order to avoid detection and pursuit by assassins.]
Bai Liu raised an eyebrow.
“A Kill Order?”
“Randomize my appearance, then.”
[System: Initiating randomized facial-adjustment program...]
[Height adjustment: 174 cm → 161 cm]
[Hair color adjustment: Black short hair → Brown long curls]
[Lip color adjustment: Nude → Cherry red]
[Interpupillary distance widened]
[Eye width enlarged...]
As his appearance shifted, even his clothes automatically resized to fit his new body.
Bai Liu lifted his hands and silently examined his transformed appearance—a pure, harmless-looking high school girl.
“...”
He genuinely could not appreciate the system’s aesthetic sense.
Still, the disguise drastically lowered the chances of anyone recognizing him.
Of course, Mu Shicheng still managed to find him almost immediately.
That guy tracked people by scent.
According to Mu Shicheng, Bai Liu carried a “stench of money” that could be detected from hundreds of meters away.
And apparently, that assessment was accurate.
Not long after Bai Liu logged in, Mu Shicheng located him.
Mu Shicheng originally looked grim, but the instant he saw Bai Liu transformed into a petite girl with long wavy hair and a chest as flat as a washboard, he froze.
“...You’re into this kind of thing too?”
Bai Liu ignored the joke entirely. Tugging down the hem of his skirt to block Mu Shicheng’s strange stare, he asked flatly:
“Keep looking and I’ll kill you. What exactly is a Kill Order?”
Mu Shicheng immediately regained his serious expression.
“Right, that’s what I needed to tell you.” His tone darkened. “A guild has officially issued a Kill Order against you.”
A Kill Order functioned somewhat like the global announcement fireworks Bai Liu had seen before. Players could spend points to broadcast server-wide messages visible to everyone—similar to the loudspeaker announcements used in old MMORPGs.
As Bai Liu listened, a burst of virtual fireworks suddenly exploded overhead.
The falling sparks drifted downward and landed around him while another system notification appeared automatically.
[System Public Announcement: The Carrion Zombies Guild has issued a Kill Order against player Bai Liu.]
[Kill Order Details: The Carrion Zombies Guild hereby promises all players that within three days, we will kill Bai Liu and seize the two God-tier NPC items in his possession—(Siren’s Bone) and (Ghost Mirror)—in preparation for the upcoming season! All players are welcome to watch! Please continue supporting the Carrion Zombies Guild during the league season~ Love you all!]
“Carrion Zombies?” Bai Liu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Is that some small guild? I’ve never heard of them.”
Mu Shicheng looked speechless.
“Bai Liu, could you please focus on something other than points for once? You’re about to enter the league. At least learn who the major competing teams and guilds are.”
“I didn’t see them anywhere in the top ten on the league promotion rankings.” Bai Liu sounded perfectly sincere. “If they can’t even make top ten, doesn’t that make them a small guild?”
His expression remained completely calm. He was genuinely asking, not mocking them.
Yet Mu Shicheng still felt as though Bai Liu had casually unleashed a devastating wave of ridicule toward the Carrion Zombies Guild.
He nearly laughed.
But he quickly suppressed it.
“They’re not a small guild,” Mu Shicheng repeated seriously.
As he spoke, he opened the league promotion rankings on his system panel, scrolling downward until he finally stopped on a specific page before handing it to Bai Liu.
“The guild itself isn’t particularly famous,” Mu Shicheng explained while pointing at two player profiles displayed on the interface. “But they have an extremely famous duo who founded the guild.”
“And both of them are top-tier players whose panel attributes are only one step away from full S-rank.”
Mu Shicheng lifted his eyes to meet Bai Liu’s.
“They’re in an entirely different league from players like Zhang Kui. These are true professional-level players.”
“The kind who kill without blinking.”
——————————
Player: Miao Feichi
Current Popularity Support Value: 410,000
Overall Competitive Ranking: 67th
Death Immunity Medal: Unlocked
Total Points Ranking: 134th
Affiliated Guild: Carrion Zombies
——————————
Player: Miao Gaojiang
Current Popularity Support Value: 230,000
Overall Competitive Ranking: 107th
Death Immunity Medal: Unlocked
Total Points Ranking: 179th
Affiliated Guild: Carrion Zombies
——————————
Beside the two player profiles was a triangular play button labeled:
[High Popularity Highlight Video]
[(Mashup) Best Duo Coordination Moments of the Year~ The Blood-Drenched Father-and-Son Duo of Carrion Zombies Who Skin the Living and Rip Out Tendons~]
The video was free to watch.
Naturally, Bai Liu clicked on it immediately.
Three minutes later, the video ended.
The final frame froze on a man removing the muzzle-like restraint from his mouth before viciously biting into another player’s back.
The victim screamed in agony as sharp teeth tore into flesh, blood splattering across the attacker’s face.
Beside him stood a middle-aged man resembling a Qing Dynasty corpse.
His skin was a sickly blue-purple, his frame tall and imposing. Every monster that approached him was casually slapped away with a single hand. It seemed as though no damage or attack could penetrate his defenses.
He looked steady and composed—if one ignored the terrifying zombie face.
“The lunatic eating people is Miao Feichi, the DPS.” Mu Shicheng explained. “The zombie tanking all the damage is Miao Gaojiang. His defense in zombie form is absurdly high.”
“They’re a classic offense-and-defense duo. And because they’re father and son, their coordination is practically perfect.”
“On top of that, both of their panel stats exceed eight thousand.” Mu Shicheng’s expression grew grave. “They’re practically S-tier players already. One casual hit from either of them could kill you instantly.”
Bai Liu rewound several seconds of footage and replayed the scene of Miao Feichi biting someone.
Resting his chin on one hand, he asked thoughtfully: freēwebnovel.com
“So this Miao Feichi guy... his attack method is biting people?”
“...No.” Mu Shicheng’s tone became complicated. “His main weapon is dual blades. The reason he bites people is because...”
He paused.
“Miao Feichi suffers from pica. He likes eating corpses. Specifically fresh ones.” Mu Shicheng’s expression darkened. “Apparently, in real life he was once imprisoned over an attempted crime related to that. But since it only counted as an attempt, he eventually got released.”
Bai Liu looked up calmly.
“You can simplify that explanation.”
“He likes eating children, and he failed a kidnapping attempt.”
Mu Shicheng fell silent.
“...Yeah.”
Yet this horrifying information barely seemed to hold Bai Liu’s attention.
Instead, he thoughtfully rubbed his chin again before looking at Mu Shicheng with complete sincerity.
“But I’m such a low-profile person. Why would they target me?” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“...”
Mu Shicheng stared at him expressionlessly.
This man had caused chaos all over the game world, yet still genuinely believed he was “low-profile.”
“...Maybe because you look tasty.”
Bai Liu lowered his gaze to the short skirt he was currently wearing and nodded in sudden understanding.
“So that’s why. I thought as much.”
Mu Shicheng: “......”
Don’t say it so seriously that I actually start believing you!
—
Author’s Note:
6 has absolutely zero self-awareness.
“I just came here to work normally, so why is everyone targeting me?”
