“Excuse me, are you a human?”
Suddenly, Ye Lian heard someone speak.
He turned his head.
Standing before him was a girl in her early twenties.
Her straight hair flowed down to her shoulders, her skin was fair, her face charming, and her figure perfectly proportioned.
She wore a white short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
Her whole presence radiated youthful energy and beauty.
There was a faint, almost undetectable glimmer of joy in her eyes as she studied him.
If one looked closely, they would notice her small hands were clenched, as if she was a little nervous.
“Are you a human too?” Ye Lian asked in return.
The snow-skinned girl blinked, then quickly shook her head.
“No, I’m not a… wait, I am a human!”
She realized midway that Ye Lian’s question had a double meaning.
“Then I’m a human too.” Ye Lian smiled calmly.
“You’re so annoying!” the girl shot him a dramatic eye roll.
“Did you come to find me for something?” Ye Lian asked, unfazed by her attempt at small talk.
He couldn’t help it—his appearance and aura naturally attracted attention.
In one year alone, he had been approached by girls at least ninety-nine times out of a hundred.
But the behavior of the black-haired girl from earlier had actually left a deeper impression on him.
Even though it had only been a brief encounter, her image lingered clearly in his mind.
“Ah, I almost forgot what I came for. I’m Bai Xue. Would you be interested in joining our squad?”
“Everyone in our group is from Huaxia, so we can look out for each other.”
The girl who introduced herself as Bai Xue smiled warmly.
***
“We?” Ye Lian narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, our Huaxia team. We only accept Huaxia players.”
As she spoke, Bai Xue turned and pointed toward a group in the distance with her slender finger.
Standing there were twelve young people—seven men and five women—all from Huaxia.
At the front stood a guy with blond-dyed bangs and a cocky attitude.
His arms were crossed, and he was glaring over impatiently.
“Sorry, I prefer to be on my own,” Ye Lian said with a shake of his head.
He could still tolerate talking to Bai Xue alone.
‘But joining a team of strangers?’ No thanks.
These temporary groups were time bombs waiting to go off.
With nearly ten years of online gaming experience, Ye Lian had seen this play out too many times.
“But… it’s really dangerous to go solo,” Bai Xue tried again, her voice tinged with concern.
“If you die in the game, you really die.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I truly prefer being alone,” Ye Lian replied firmly.
Seeing his unwavering attitude, Bai Xue had no choice but to return to her team.
***
“So? He’s not joining?” the blond-banged youth asked.
Bai Xue shook her head.
“Tch, that pretty boy really doesn’t know what’s good for him. Maybe I should beat some sense into him!”
“Zhao Gang, don’t you dare!” Bai Xue shot him a sharp look.
“Anyone who dares disrespect my little Xue needs a proper lesson,” Zhao Gang said, dropping his arms and letting out a cold laugh.
He looked like a delinquent—and that’s exactly what he was.
He was a rogue, and a very lucky one at that.
Not only was he spared from the nightmare’s invasion, but he was also chosen as a beta tester.
Compared to those tormented by nightmares, he appeared utterly fearless.
***
“Who’s from your family? I’ve told you a hundred times—we are never going to happen!”
Bai Xue snapped impatiently.
Back when the world was still normal, Zhao Gang had been her classmate and had pursued her multiple times.
Not once had he succeeded.
Bai Xue’s type just happened to be someone like Ye Lian.
That was the reason she had taken the initiative to invite him.
As one of Bai Xue’s many pursuers, Zhao Gang was all too aware of this.
The jealousy burning in his heart had long turned into an uncontrollable fire.
He hated Ye Lian—hated him so much he wanted to punch him into oblivion.
Just then, a girl with waist-length black hair and dressed in tight black leather walked over.
She studied the Huaxia group carefully, a trace of urgency flashing in her eyes.
Muttering under her breath, she said, “Not here… not here… Why isn’t the ‘Moon Demon Emperor’ here? This doesn’t make sense. Something must be wrong!”
Noticing that someone was staring at him, Zhao Gang was at first annoyed.
But when he saw that it was a beautiful girl, his eyes lit up, his thoughts quickly straying.
“Hey, beauty. All alone? Why not join our Huaxia squad? We can watch each other’s backs!”
“…” Bai Xue felt nauseated watching Zhao Gang drool over the newcomer.
Rejecting his advances had been the best decision she ever made.
“Scram!”
A cold voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.
The black-haired girl stood tall and straight, her expression icy cold.
She was like a plum blossom standing proud in the dead of winter.
“You told me to scram? On my turf?!” Zhao Gang clenched his fists, face contorted in rage.
He had never been a decent person to begin with.
Now he was being publicly humiliated by a girl. I
f he didn’t respond, he’d become the laughingstock of the entire team.
“Zhao Gang, stop—” Bai Xue tried to calm him down, but he cut her off with a roar.
“You don’t get to speak right now!”
He was so blinded by rage that even the goddess he had been chasing meant nothing to him anymore.
“Annoying.”
The black-haired girl glanced at Bai Xue, then turned her gaze to Zhao Gang.
Before her words had even finished leaving her lips, her body flickered.
In an instant, she appeared in front of Zhao Gang, and her long leg shot out with explosive force.
The next moment, Zhao Gang—standing over 185 centimeters tall and built like a tank—was sent flying like a cannonball by her kick.
Ye Lian’s face twisted in shock.
As someone who practiced Bajiquan and had a deep passion for traditional martial arts, he instantly recognized how terrifyingly skilled this girl was.
If this hadn’t been a game world, Zhao Gang—who lay collapsed and coughing up blood—might have already been dead.
The scene fell into complete silence.
No one could have imagined that the black-haired girl would be so explosive.
The shock in everyone’s hearts was immense.
Bai Xue stared at her in a daze, still not fully processing what had just happened.
The other members of the Huaxia squad stood frozen in place, unsure what to do.
No one went to help Zhao Gang up.
No one dared say a word about what had just happened.
***
“Useless rabble,” Ye Lian muttered with a shake of his head.
A group like this—only brave when huddled together, but quick to turn their backs when trouble came—had no future at all.
Tftc
>.>
<..>
that escalated quickly