Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 75

With this setup, as long as the real and fake Lin Qiao didn’t exceed a certain distance, they could continue to confuse everyone and play the “Guess Who’s Real” game. The reason Nelson and Yatagarasu were able to escape unscathed last time was largely because the confrontation took place in the city. NPCs were hesitant to act aggressively for fear of affecting ordinary people and urban infrastructure. But this time, all restrictions on NPCs were gone. After all, they were in the middle of nowhere. Even if the two sides fought and flattened the entire hill, it wouldn’t affect anyone.

“You don’t stand a chance. Even if you deal with the humans, you can’t handle so many evil spirits,” the leader of the Miaomiao Sect said with a look of pity. “The evil spirits from every city will be attracted by the deliciousness of the top five sacrifices.”

“If the five of you were scattered across different cities, it might have eased some of the pressure. Unfortunately, you’re all gathered here.”

“I suspect those greedy humans won’t miss such a good opportunity.”

Lin Qiao understood something and saw a glimmer of hope in the current situation. He had heard from other NPCs that the higher the affection value of the sacrifices, the more energy they provided, which was a great boon for the evil spirits. In some cities, players who were in the top five and were devoured by evil spirits resulted in nearly a year of peace in those cities, with no evil spirits causing trouble. This meant that the top five sacrifices had value; they were a means for humans to appease the evil spirits. If humans killed the top five, it would be a waste. But if humans helped the evil spirits devour Lin Qiao and the others, it would solve the problem and bring peace.

Lin Qiao was certain that the soldiers wouldn’t attack for now; they were likely focused on “containment,” trapping the players and preventing them from leaving. This felt like being cut with a dull knife, not giving a quick end. But at least it bought some time, and the players had three options. One was to be devoured by the evil spirits. Two was to be assimilated into pets and stay in the game. Three was to fight hard and survive until the game ended.

The white kitten glanced at the leader of the Miaomiao Sect several times. This cat man was truly brilliant. Every word he spoke after arriving was a hint, except for the… suggestive ones. Noticing the white kitten looking at him, the leader of the Miaomiao Sect playfully winked at Lin Qiao, his beautiful almond eyes full of charm, which made Lin Qiao cover his eyes with his paws in embarrassment.

As if to confirm Lin Qiao’s guess, the soldiers who had come down from the planes, although armed and approaching, stopped within a certain range and then called out to the pets of the Miaomiao Sect and the Wangwang Sect to start evacuating. These people clearly had no intention of harming the players, at least not for now.

The Perfumer equipped herself with player skills: “Since the Miaomiao Sect and the Wangwang Sect can leave, we can follow them or take them as hostages.” The former was to find a way out and then try to break through the barriers. The latter was because, at such a critical moment, humans still sent people to retrieve the pets, proving that humans cared about the pets and could be used as hostages for negotiation.

The Perfumer was eager to act, but Dao Zhang said, “Don’t get excited, missy.”

“Offending the Miaomiao Sect and the Wangwang Sect right now is not a good idea. If they join in, won’t we die even faster?”

The Perfumer was unhappy. She said angrily, “Their inaction is already being an enemy. Besides, are you still hoping for their help? So what do you suggest we do?”

Lin Qiao raised his little paw and meowed, “Although the Miaomiao Sect and the Wangwang Sect aren’t helping, they are a way out for the players. If the players’ protection value meets the standard, they will be protected once assimilated into pets. It’s not appropriate to take the cats and dogs as hostages at this time.”

Don’t forget, neither the Miaomiao Sect nor the Wangwang Sect would unconditionally accept players who turned into pets. If they found out that a player obtained protection value by mistreating pets, the Miaomiao Sect and the Wangwang Sect would not only stand by and watch them be devoured by evil spirits but would also kill the player themselves.

Lin Qiao’s meows were incomprehensible to the Perfumer. Nelson and Yatagarasu wouldn’t allow the Perfumer to do something foolish, so Nelson spoke up bluntly, “If you move against them, it’s a dead end.”

“We either die here, get assimilated, or hold on until the game ends.”

“Two of the three options are ways to survive, and one is a dead end. If you use the Miaomiao Sect and the Wangwang Sect as hostages, you’ll only have a dead end and drag us down with you.”

The Perfumer quickly understood the situation and didn’t say much more. It seemed she didn’t want to strain her relationship with the others.

At that moment, Nelson suddenly said, “Actually, I have a get-out-of-jail-free card. If we hold on and can’t withstand the evil spirits, it’s okay. The moment I lose my life, the card will activate and send me back to the game hub.”

Dao Zhang glanced at Nelson and said, “Ahem, I also have a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Yatagarasu put his hand on his neck and then rotated his head, “I have multiple heads. In fact, it would take more than ten days to behead me, so I won’t die.”

Lin Qiao: “…”

Lin Qiao himself was an intruder. Strictly speaking, he wouldn’t really die either. It felt like four out of the top five had secured a guaranteed spot, leaving only the Perfumer in a real predicament. Even if the Perfumer didn’t know Lin Qiao’s identity, the eerie atmosphere on the scene made her realize she was the only unlucky one.

The Perfumer was a girl with a delicate and beautiful appearance, exuding a traditional Chinese beauty. At first glance, she seemed gentle and composed. Coupled with her live streams mostly involving incense burning, she gave off a serene and distant vibe. Now the “quiet” Perfumer burst into curses: “I * your father, Fraudster, can you hear me? I * your father!”

“Isn’t this game’s level too low? If it were too high, they wouldn’t have introduced new players at the beginning.”

“Wasn’t it hard for me to pass the levels cautiously? Damn it, Fraudster, you turned a low-level game into a hellish difficulty. You have a get-out-of-jail-free card, but I’m going to be坑死by you!”

“Nelson, right? I ** you **, just you wait!”

The Perfumer flipped Nelson off with her middle finger. The young girl’s face turned red with anger. She didn’t care about forming alliances at the moment; she just wanted to vent her frustration.

It wasn’t that the Perfumer didn’t want to survive; it was just that these guys in front of her, especially Nelson and Yatagarasu, would show no mercy. There was also Lin Qiao and Dao Zhang, but Lin Qiao seemed to be in trouble himself. He was said to be a player with a charm skill, which basically meant he was clinging to someone for protection.

Dao Zhang would help, but no one knew what had happened between Dao Zhang and the new player in the dormitory building during “Dawn Middle School, No. 458 Chaotian Road.” The Perfumer didn’t want to form an alliance with Dao Zhang alone.

The representative of the Wangwang Sect and the law enforcement dogs had subtle expressions. A fierce dog reminded with a smile, “Sister, you can’t say that. We dogs don’t * Nelson.”

The Perfumer: “??? Are you guys crazy?”

The scolded dog felt wronged and didn’t speak anymore, instead being petted on the head by the captain of the law enforcement team.

Nelson ignored the Perfumer’s curses. Originally, players just needed to focus on “the Best Streamer Competition” to clear the game, but now they were too entangled with NPCs and under heavy attack from them. However, Nelson felt no guilt. The only thing he regretted was almost hurting Lin Qiao.

Nelson glanced at Doberman 08 and said to the white kitten and paper Lin Qiao in his arms, “Mom… it’s going to get very dangerous soon. Qiao Qiao, don’t worry about us. We all have the ability to protect ourselves.”

“I’ll do my best to ensure your safety. I don’t know… if you’ll still trust me.”

“Do what you want to do. Find a comfortable place to hide. I’ll live to the end with your memories.”

The white kitten Lin Qiao felt for a moment that Nelson had guessed something, but Nelson’s expression remained impeccable.

The fluffy members of the Miaomiao Sect on the scene had already started to retreat, and soon only the black cat, the leader of the Miaomiao Sect, the representative of the Wangwang Sect, and the law enforcement team were left.

The representative of the Wangwang Sect sighed, “Lin Qiao, you can still choose to come to my arms. The leader of the Miaomiao Sect just said that even among humans and other upper echelons of the Wangwang Sect, there are people who think the same way as me.”

“These people here are in favor of killing you, but I can find those who don’t want to kill you and can protect you instead.”

The white kitten had no reaction, and the paper effigy Lin Qiao had even less.

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect shrugged, “Alright, let’s go. If we delay any longer, the humans will come looking for us themselves.”

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect bent down to pick up the black cat, but the black cat dodged his hand and then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, transformed into human form.

Since Lin Qiao had already been suspected and was about to be erased, it didn’t matter what Lin Qiao’s identity was anymore. The black cat no longer needed to hide.

After transforming into human form, he looked like a teenager, but his appearance shocked everyone present.

The black cat looked too much like Doberman 08. If it weren’t for the difference in age and size, they could have been mistaken for twins.

The dog that had been scolded by the Perfumer for being crazy couldn’t help but say, “Wow! This… this cat looks just like 08.”

“The representative said the leader of the Miaomiao Sect doesn’t care about species, and he doesn’t spare humans, ghosts, or dogs. It turns out it’s true!”

The representative of the Wangwang Sect said, “Thank you, could you please stop talking?”

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect was also shocked. He rubbed his heart and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. None of my many children look like me.”

But it’s ridiculous that he looks like the neighbor’s dog. Who can handle that?

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect had a complicated look on his face. The Miaomiao Sect was ruled by a family system, and naturally, the more offspring he had, the better. So the leader of the Miaomiao Sect would be with different cats, but he wouldn’t have children with other species. Ghosts were out of the question because they couldn’t have offspring. The leader of the Miaomiao Sect often sought men among humans and the Wangwang Sect, especially men from the Wangwang Sect. After all, who doesn’t like handsome, fierce dogs? Moreover, the leader of the Miaomiao Sect didn’t allow his family to have mixed breeds, as it would be easy for other species to infiltrate.

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect thought for a moment and said, “Ah… I did have a relationship with a lady from the Wangwang Sect.”

Doberman 08: “…”