Inside the world fabricated by the dungeon, absolute silence filled the kabuki theater.
The blue dragon was nowhere to be seen, but the flesh and severed limbs of the red-clothed demon still littered the stage. Its half-eaten head lay all alone on the ground.
Kamishiro Ruri sheathed his sword and sighed in admiration. "Zili-kun's strength is truly astonishing... Back in the alley, when I saw you deal with those Shadow Warriors, I knew your skills were extraordinary."
He paused for a moment, turning to look at Ke Mingqing.
"And now... I realize that was just the tip of the iceberg."
"Do you have to exaggerate like that? I just got lucky," Ke Mingqing said dismissively. "If you guys had drawn that item from the roulette wheel, you could have pulled it off too."
On the other side, Kamishiro Kawa looked at Ke Mingqing's back before slowly lowering his head again.
Staring at the brass knuckles on his right hand, he remained silent for a long time.
In truth, it wasn't that Kamishiro Kawa didn't want to speak; he simply couldn't find the words.
Kuroki Hitomi stood with her hands behind her back, left hand clasping her right wrist. As if sensing his thoughts, she spoke softly.
"Don't be discouraged. He's just too strong..."
Kamishiro Kawa turned his head and looked at her quietly.
Kuroki Hitomi said, "Unlike you, I've met other players, but none of them come close to Ke Zili."
"I can tell," Kamishiro Kawa said. "I'm just curious. Under roughly the same conditions, we've all only spent a month in this world. Why is the gap so massive?"
Kuroki Hitomi fell silent for a moment. The memory of the night she stayed over at the Xia-Ke household suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Back then, Xia Lingxue had stood guard in the hallway while Kuroki Hitomi huddled in the bathroom, feeling as if her heart was suffocating.
Even now, recalling it gave her a sense of discomfort.
And she had only stayed in that house for a single night.
Ke Mingqing had been there for a whole month.
Thinking of this, Kuroki Hitomi parted her lips and spoke unhurriedly. "They aren't 'roughly the same conditions'... Every player's situation is different. I think you've misunderstood something."
"But shouldn't the main quests the system assigns to players be around the same difficulty?" Kamishiro Kawa asked.
Kuroki Hitomi shook her head. "If you were in his shoes, you'd understand why I say that," she said softly.
Kamishiro Kawa suddenly realized he had taken things for granted. He caught sight of the girl's expression and didn't press the matter further.
At that moment, Kamishiro Ruri walked over to Ke Mingqing and smiled.
"Let's add each other as friends, Zili-kun, so it'll be easier to stay in touch."
"I'd rather not."
Ke Mingqing replied casually.
He was crouched on the ground, poking at the red-clothed demon's corpse with a small wooden stick, trying to see if he could pry out some rare items from its organs or pelvis.
After all, in video games, monster corpses always dropped materials. He figured the same logic might apply to the dungeon world.
But he failed. No matter how deep he dug into the dungeon boss's body with the stick, he only managed to churn up nauseating flesh and blood.
The reeking stench wafted outward, forcing him to pinch his nose.
Kamishiro Kawa was profoundly shocked. He wanted to throw up. The dungeon boss was already gruesome enough, but after being chewed on by the blue dragon and then hollowed out by Ke Mingqing, it had become a scene of unspeakable horror. He couldn't find the words to describe the bruised, mangled mess on the ground, and his stomach churned violently.
"In his past life, what exactly did Mr. Ke Zili do for a living?" he asked carefully.
"Orphanage bully," Kuroki Hitomi said flatly.
"Orphanage bully?" Kamishiro Kawa stared blankly.
"Literally."
Kamishiro Kawa shrugged and retreated into a corner, holding his nose. Fortunately, the red-clothed demon's corpse was already starting to dissipate; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand being there for another second.
[Player Jin Chengwu has rejected your friend request.]
Staring at the red pop-up prompt before him, Kamishiro Ruri stayed silent for a moment before asking, "Zili-kun, why did you reject my friend request?"
"Bro, I'm a Red Name Player, alright?" Ke Mingqing said evenly. "Sooner or later, you guys will have to interact with other players. If they find out you've got a Red Name Player on your list, what do you think they'll say?"
"I don't care."
Kamishiro Ruri shook his head.
"Come on, it doesn't matter if you don't care... It'll be hard to explain when the time comes."
Kamishiro Ruri raised an eyebrow. "At this point, using the red name as an excuse is a bit half-hearted. We already know the origins of your red name..."
He paused. "Could it be that Zili-kun thinks we're of no use?"
Ke Mingqing stood up, tossed away the bloodstained wooden stick, and glanced back at him. "Please, can you stop overthinking things?" he asked, exasperated.
"I'm not an overly complicated person, but your attitude makes it hard for me not to think that way," Kamishiro Ruri said, a trace of grievance creeping into his voice.
In his previous life, Kamishiro Ruri had been bound to a wheelchair, friendless. Back then, he had promised himself that if he ever got the chance, he would befriend many outstanding individuals, getting to know those who once felt out of reach.
And now, one such person was standing right in front of him. Moreover, the other party was also a player. They were essentially in the same boat, bound by a shared destiny, yet he was being rejected.
"I honestly just think it's a hassle." Ke Mingqing hadn't looked deeply into the friend list's functions, and he didn't want to leave any lingering evidence that could expose his true identity.
Kamishiro Ruri thought for a moment before offering a slight smile, choosing to retreat in order to advance.
"How about this, then... My brother and I will work hard in the coming days. By the time we visit China again to find you, I hope you'll consider the two of us qualified."
Ke Mingqing let out a long sigh, looking at him helplessly. You Japanese guys sure are dramatic, he thought.
"Fine, fine. There's no reasoning with you. Send the friend request again..." Ke Mingqing shrugged.
Kamishiro Ruri did as told. Ke Mingqing tapped the "Yes" option on the request panel, and a pop-up immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Prompt: You have successfully added player Kamishiro Ruri as a friend. Click their name in the friend list to start chatting.]
Ke Mingqing glanced at his friend list, feeling a bit unaccustomed to it.
After all, Kuroki Hitomi had always been the only person on his list. Now, the name Kamishiro Ruri had been added.
"Are you not used to it?" Kuroki Hitomi noted his expression.
"No."
Ke Mingqing shook his head and closed the friend list.
"I see. I thought you were treating the friend list like our couple's space and didn't want to add anyone else," Kuroki Hitomi said casually.
"Sure thing. Just tell him that, and I'll have a perfectly logical reason to delete him," Ke Mingqing said, reaching out to clap Kamishiro Ruri on the shoulder.
"What is it, Zili-kun?" Kamishiro Ruri closed his friend list and turned around.
"Well, it's like this..." Before Ke Mingqing could finish, Kuroki Hitomi's face suddenly flushed red.
She reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him from saying another word.
Ke Mingqing fell silent. Talk about playing with fire and getting burned, he thought.
"Zili-kun, I hope you visit Japan more often. I promise you'll be well hosted," Kamishiro Ruri smiled. "If you ever need anything in the future, just ask us."
"That's easy to say..." Ke Mingqing paused. "But our next trip to Japan will probably be half a year from now."
As the group chatted, a dark-colored settlement panel popped up before their eyes.
[Weekly Dungeon clear rewards obtained: 1. 4,500 superhuman coins; 2. 4,000 EXP.]
[Current level progress: Lv.15 (6,200/7,500 EXP)]
[Current superhuman coin balance: 14,000 coins]
[Dungeon MVP: Jin Chengwu. The MVP player will receive an extra reward: One-time Stage Harness (Upon use, instantly generates an invisible harness to pull your body upward)]
[Reward item has been added to your inventory.]
[The settlement phase has concluded. Returning to the real world in 20 seconds.]
Ke Mingqing skimmed over the settlement data and looked up. "Well, once we're out of the dungeon, it's time for us to head back."
"Leaving in such a hurry, Zili-kun?" Kamishiro Ruri raised an eyebrow.
"I have business to handle back in Leijing. I need to get back before sunset," Ke Mingqing replied.
It's a rare hotpot night at home today. If I don't show up, that bunch of control freaks in my house will definitely investigate what I've been doing all day. I can't risk it, he thought.
"Alright, then." Kamishiro Ruri crossed his arms, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his kimono. "Goodbye, Zili-kun."
"Goodbye," Kamishiro Kawa said expressionlessly.
"See you next time." Ke Mingqing let out a yawn, not even looking at the two.
Kuroki Hitomi remained silent, offering only a gentle nod in their direction.
After their farewells, the figures of the four people gradually broke down into specks of fluorescent light, scattering and vanishing within the fabricated theater.
After exiting the dungeon, Ke Mingqing and Kuroki Hitomi walked straight out of the neon-lit streets of Kabukicho.
The rain had stopped, and the sunlight was warm along the way. Kamishiro Ruri and Kamishiro Kawa stood at the corner of the long street, watching them leave.
"Brother Ruri, do you think he can lead us to victory?" Kamishiro Kawa suddenly asked after a moment.
"What do you mean?" Kamishiro Ruri turned to meet his gaze.
"Exterminating the super-human species and going home," Kamishiro Kawa whispered.
"I don't know," Kamishiro Ruri shook his head, then smiled. "But we have to work hard and do our best not to drag Zili-kun down... No matter how strong a single person is, their power is ultimately limited. He understands this too, which is why he sought us out."
"Why do I feel like it was that girl's idea?" Kamishiro Kawa mused. "She was the first to actively try and recruit players from other cities. The rest of the players are mostly too busy fending for themselves."
"Indeed... That little girl is not to be underestimated either," Kamishiro Ruri said profoundly.
Following that, Ke Mingqing and Kuroki Hitomi boarded the JR train. Sharing a pair of earphones, they listened to the song Lullaby.
The dark green train passed through Kamakura in Tokyo. Turning their heads, they could see the ocean outside the window. Seagulls soared in from the azure sea, skimming over the train's roof.
Before long, the two returned to a nearly deserted district in Tokyo.
Venturing deeper inside, they soon found the abandoned railway station they had arrived at.
Ke Mingqing retrieved the Ghost Train Ticket from his inventory. A card slot materialized in mid-air. He swiped the card, and the ghost train immediately came roaring out of the tunnel.
The two boarded carriage number 7.
As the ancient train rumbled forward, the carriage remained perfectly quiet. Kuroki Hitomi rested her head against the armrest and fell asleep.
Ke Mingqing leaned against the slightly vibrating window and opened today's Skill Shop.
[Skill 1: Giant Horse Head (D-grade skill) (3,000 superhuman coins): Summons a massive horse head that shoots forward to intimidate opponents. Enemies caught in its path will briefly enter a Fear State.]
Not even as good as Plato's Soul Chariot, Ke Mingqing thought. Looking at it this way, the Door of Humanities is seriously overpowered. It might be expensive to unlock the other figurines, but every single one of their skills is incredibly valuable.
[Skill 2: Snap Pistol (D-grade skill) (3,000 superhuman coins)]
[Skill 3: Sprite Master (D-grade skill) (3,000 superhuman coins): Upon use, turns the Sprite in your hand into a time bomb.]
"There's actually a Sprite version?" Ke Mingqing blinked in surprise, muttering, "Vending Machine Sensei, we miss you."
[Skill 4: Dragon Bone (B-grade skill) (10,000 superhuman coins): Coats the exterior of your body with true dragon bones, massively boosting physical attributes for a short time. However, while in the Dragon Bone State, the player's HP will slowly drain.]
"Who on earth uses these life-sacrificing skills?" Ke Mingqing sighed.
He scrolled down the panel, his gaze resting on the final skill.
[Skill 5: Mist of the Lost (E-grade skill) (1,000 superhuman coins): Diffuses a patch of Mist of the Lost. Enemies within the mist cannot see your figure, while you can perceive everything inside it.]
Ke Mingqing slightly raised an eyebrow. "This skill is decent. The cost-to-performance ratio isn't bad, and I can just swap it out later if I don't want it."
Even though his Skill Bar was full, he was allowed to access three low-grade skills from his Skill Repository because he had previously purchased the B-grade skill—Skill Supply Master.
There were already two low-grade skills in the repository: Rainbow Bubbles and It's Raining. Considering practicality, he could only buy one more low-grade skill at most.
After pondering it for a moment, Ke Mingqing chose to purchase Mist of the Lost and store it in his Skill Repository.
With his mind made up, he raised a finger and long-pressed the skill's icon.
[Congratulations! You have spent 1,000 superhuman coins to successfully purchase the E-grade skill—Mist of the Lost.]
[Current superhuman coin balance: 13,000 coins.]
[Your Skill Bar is full. Mist of the Lost has been added to your Skill Repository.]
I'll save up for an A-rank skill. The price of an A-rank skill seems to be 20,000 superhuman coins, Ke Mingqing thought to himself as he closed the Skill Shop.
A moment later, someone in the carriage spoke up. "When do you plan on confessing your identity to your father?"
Ke Mingqing looked up at the girl with the tear mole sitting directly across from him. She had woken up at some point without him noticing.
"I have too many identities. Which one are you referring to?" he asked.
"Blue Pigeon," Kuroki Hitomi said.
"Sometime in the next few days." Ke Mingqing tilted his head back, gazing at the carriage's ceiling. "The Clock Maker is already here. I can't drag it out any longer."
He paused, the corners of his lips curling up as he murmured to himself, "It just so happens I've prepared a gift for my old man."
Kuroki Hitomi hesitated briefly. "I know I can't be of any help, but please be careful."
"Relax, relax. I know what I'm doing." Ke Mingqing shrugged.
Dusk was fading. While a streak of flushed red still hung on the horizon, the ghost train arrived at the station.
Ke Mingqing moved to sit beside the girl with the tear mole and shook her shoulder to wake her. However, she sleepily tilted her head and dozed off against his shoulder instead.
He didn't push her away, merely closing his own eyes to rest for a short while.
It wasn't until the sun finally set that the boy and the girl parted ways at the deserted railway station.
By the time Ke Mingqing got home, the sky was pitch black. He grabbed a pair of bowls and chopsticks from the sterilizer and joined his family at the dining table for a beef hotpot.
Xia Ningzhi patted her chest and smugly boasted that this was beef she had bought during her trip to Chaoshan a couple of months ago, guaranteeing its deliciousness.
Ke Mingqing pressed his hands together with his chopsticks clasped between them, offering up a prayer.
He only hoped that eating whatever his third sister brought back wouldn't give him an upset stomach. After all, she was exceptionally gullible.
After dinner, Ke Mingqing took a shower and collapsed onto his bed. He turned his head and stared blankly out the floor-to-ceiling window, imagining himself as a normal high school student enjoying the summer break. The heavy burden weighing on his heart lessened somewhat.
Before sleeping, he habitually fished his backup phone out from under his pillow and checked his messages.
[Red Lotus: White Jack, you better make things clear. Which of my family members' rooms actually holds the clue to that fire?]
Ke Mingqing glanced up at the ceiling and replied without much thought.
[White Jack: Oh, you don't really think I was talking about that stuffy dad of yours, do you?]
[Red Lotus: Obviously. My dad is a cop. If anyone in the family has clues on their hands, it could only be him, right?]
[Red Lotus: Also, I got scolded by my mom when I snuck up to the third floor today. Are you going to pay me back for that?]
[White Jack: That's a good thing.]
[White Jack: By the way, besides your cop dad, there should be someone else in your family who would be interested in that fire incident, right?]
At this very moment, in another bedroom, Xia Ningzhi suddenly froze. Staring blankly at the screen in the dark, she blinked.
She had indeed considered the possibility that Ke Mingqing still harbored lingering trauma over the fire from back then. But she didn't want that. She wanted her younger brother to move on and live happily...
Therefore, the one thing Xia Ningzhi did not want to see was that the clue White Jack spoke of was actually hidden in Ke Mingqing's room.
Whenever the thought crossed her mind, she would involuntarily quicken her pace every time she walked past Ke Mingqing's room in the hallway.
Many, many times when Ke Mingqing wasn't home, she had gathered her courage to go into his room and take a look. Yet, without fail, she would always freeze at his door.
"Maybe the truth is different from what I think? But would I be happy if it were different... What is there to be happy about? Happy that my little brother's family wasn't actually killed by him?"
Xia Ningzhi remained silent for a long time, eventually letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
She stared blankly at the phone screen, realizing she actually wanted to hear this weirdo's thoughts.
But suddenly, she felt ridiculous.
In this entire world, the only person she could speak her true feelings to turned out to be a criminal—a person who probably didn't have one word of truth in every ten he spoke.
"Forget it. I'll deal with it when I wake up."
Xia Ningzhi murmured to herself as she turned off her phone. Draping an arm over her forehead, she quickly fell asleep.
...
Early the next morning, relying on his powerful biological clock, Ke Mingqing opened his eyes right on time.
[Good morning, beloved Red Name Player, "Ke Mingqing."]
[The current time is 09:00 on Sunday, August 12. Time remaining for the "Exterminate Superhumans" quest: 138 days, 15 hours, and 0 minutes.]
Indeed, for players—creatures completely bound to the system—wasn't the cold daily notification just another type of biological clock?
Ke Mingqing mocked himself internally as he sat up and stretched his back, his bones popping and cracking.
"I'm getting on in years too. Another half a year and I'll be in a coffin."
He murmured, glancing up at the newly refreshed daily quests.
[Weekly quests have been refreshed. Please actively complete each quest before the time limit expires.]
[Weekly Quest 1: Do one hundred push-ups (Reward: One spin on the reward roulette)]
[Weekly Quest 2: Kill two super-human species (Reward: One Attribute Point)]
Ke Mingqing closed the panel. Suddenly feeling a vibration from beneath his pillow, he picked up his backup phone and took a look.
[Lin Yin: Come to the Hero Company. There's someone who wants to meet you.]
Ke Mingqing stepped out of his bedroom. After freshening up, he headed to the abandoned railway station.
...
Half an hour later, at the Super Hero Company, inside the commander's office on the 15th floor.
Morning light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, shining on the potted plants. Outside, between the towering skyscrapers, a superhero in a purplish-red uniform flew past while holding a coffee cup.
Lin Yin looked up from his desk and smiled.
"You're here. Quite punctual today."
"When have I ever not been punctual? So, who exactly is looking for me?" Blue Pigeon asked curiously, resting one hand on his hip.
Lin Yin glanced at his antique watch and decided to keep him in suspense. "Don't say anything for now. Just go to the private training room on the 30th floor, and you'll understand why I called you here."
Blue Pigeon shot him a suspicious look and asked quietly after a long moment, "Did Top Hero come back to life?"
Lin Yin froze, then helplessly shook his head. "No, but this person will definitely give you a pleasant surprise."
Blue Pigeon sighed. "You'd better not be messing with me."
With that, he turned and stepped into the glass elevator, pressing the button for the 30th floor on the control panel. Soon, the elevator stopped on the 30th floor, and the cabin doors rumbled open.
Blue Pigeon walked into the only private training room with an open door. Silver-white filled his vision, the cold, stark lighting making him slightly dizzy.
He looked around but didn't see a single soul. So, taking out his backup phone, he opened the messaging app.
[Blue Pigeon: Comrade Lin Yin, you didn't just call me all the way here to mess with me, did you?]
[Lin Yin: Oh, he should be there any second now.]
[Lin Yin: Unlike you, he's rarely ever on time.]
[Blue Pigeon: Who is it acting like such a big shot?]
Just as Blue Pigeon had his head down typing, a deep voice suddenly rang out behind him without warning.
"Turn around."
Blue Pigeon faltered slightly. The voice was hoarse and gloomy, modified by machinery to carry a metallic magnetism... If he wasn't mistaken, the voice he just heard unmistakably belonged to...
Rain Crow.