Chapter 649
Thank you for the Ko-fi Puffball 𧥠đ§Ą
The meteor hammer swung through the air in an arc, heading straight for the fleeing Baby Face.
Just as the meteor hammer was about to hit him, Xia Chi dove forward, using his body to shield Baby Face.
The meteor hammer seemed to hit an invisible glass barrier, and with a âbangâ, it bounced back.
[Ding! Warning, soldiers cannot attack other soldiers.]
Using his body as a shield for the queen, this was a special protective method that soldiers could use against each other.
Xia Chi had used this method to rescue the Sun Queen from Little Overlordâs hands many times.
Little Overlord frowned slightly, his mouth turning downwards as he completely lost his patience.
He was tired of this cat-and-mouse game.
Several butterfly-shaped monsters hovered in mid-air, observing the scene below, neither approaching nor retreating.
They were like vultures circling the battlefield, patiently waiting to feast on the leftovers after the battle was over.
Little Overlord glanced at the butterfly-shaped monsters in the sky, and the meteor hammer in his hand swung again.
This time, the meteor hammer didnât target Baby Face, but instead flew toward the butterfly-shaped monsters in the sky.
With several sharp screeches, some of the butterfly-shaped monsters were caught by the chains on the meteor hammer.
Little Overlordâs long arm swung the meteor hammer, and those butterfly-shaped monsters were flung like shot puts, hurtling towards Baby Face.
They moved at a rapid pace, letting out excited hisses.
Xia Chi was horrified. The gun in his hand kept firing bullets, the black barrel emitting white smoke.
But there were too many butterfly-shaped monsters, and there was a delay between each shot. A few monsters were hit by bullets, but more were rushing towards the defenseless Baby Face.
Xia Chi raised his gun in despair.
Excitement gradually appeared in Little Overlordâs eyes.
Everything was set in stone.
Just as the butterfly-shaped monsters were only a few steps away from the Baby Face, the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out.
Several golden light arrows flew overhead, piercing the hearts of those butterfly-shaped monsters.
The butterfly-shaped monsters crashed to the ground with a bang. Baby Face, who was surrounded by monster corpses and already pale with fear, looked in the direction from which the arrows had been shot, realizing heâd narrowly escaped death.
Little Overlord frowned and turned around. Through the smoke and dust, Li Cancan with long hair, held a bow and arrow, her sharp eyes aimed directly at him.
Above her head, a blue dolphin stood out conspicuously.
Xia Chi jumped up excitedly, âSister Cancan!â
Li Cancan kept her eyes fixed on Little Overlord, âXia Chi, Iâm late.â
Xia Chi helped the trembling Baby Face out from the pile of monsters, âNo, youâre just in time, like a god descending from the heavens!â
âAnnoying pest.â Little Overlord glanced at the blue dolphin above her head, âThe Blue Dolphin, looks familiar. Oh, itâs from Nian Suihanâs faction. I wonât kill you this time, get lost.â
Li Cancan: âIâm already here, if I leave just because you tell me to, wouldnât that be too embarrassing for me?â
Little Overlord swung the meteor hammer casually, tilting his head as he looked at Li Cancan, his eyes seeming to lose focus for a few seconds before he grinned, âAnyway, thereâs plenty of time later. Iâll let you all off this time.â
After saying that, he really did put away his meteor hammer and leisurely walked towards the elevator, letting Xia Chi and the others go.
Only after Little Overlord left in the elevator did Li Cancan finally relax, pressing her hand to her chest as she let out a long sigh of relief, âThat scared me to death. Why did he leave so suddenly? I thought heâd never let us go.â
Baby Face was still in a daze, âI survived? Oh my god, did I really survive?â
Xia Chi looked at the ruins of the museum and sighed, âMost of the monsters on the 300th floor were killed by Little Overlord. Whoâs the real monster here? Itâs ironic, the most dangerous place just became the safest.â
âAh, by the way, Sister Cancan, why are you on the 300th floor? Did you come here specifically to find me?â
Li Cancan: âNian Suihan is more afraid of death than I am. When I found the Blue Dolphin Queen, he was surrounded by a circle of Shentian Guild members. Not to mention monsters and enemies, even a fly couldnât get in. There was no need for me to protect him.â
âHaha,â Xia Chi laughed, collapsing onto a pile of corpses, âOnly you would dare to say that, Sister Cancan.â
âUhâŚâ A weak voice came from behind Xia Chi, âCan you give me a hand? My legs are too weak to stand.â
After two hours of intense pursuit, Xia Chi was also exhausted. His bangs were wet and sticking to his forehead. He rolled up his sleeves and pulled Baby Face out of the pile of monsters.
Baby Face was still terrified, staring at the elevator with lingering fear in his eyes, âWhy did Little Overlord suddenly let us go? He had already cornered us.â
Xia Chi: âIt must be because of Sister Cancan.â
Li Cancan shook her head, âIt wasnât because of me. When he was confronting me, his eyes wandered for a few seconds. He might have seen something in the system.â
âI canât figure it out.â Xia Chi laid flat on the ground, resting his arms behind his head, âWhat could distract him so much?â
Li Cancan: âYeah, I canât figure it out either. By the way, whereâs God Xin? Werenât you two together?â
Xia Chi sighed, âDonât even mention it. My brother and I separated a long time ago. My brother is the queen of Little Overlordâs factionâŚâ
He suddenly stopped talking, shot up from the ground and locked eyes with Li Cancan.
The two looked at each other and spoke in unison, âItâs God Xin!â âItâs my brother!â
What else could make the Little Overlord give up chasing them at this time, other than going to find his own queen? !
Those few seconds of distraction were likely when Little Overlord checked Bai Lixinâs location!
Fatigue and exhaustion instantly vanished from Xia Chiâs body.
He quickly opened the private chat window and typed a few words rapidly.
Xia Chi: [Brother, where are you?]
Bai Lixin: [400th floor, cinema.]
Upon hearing the word âcinemaâ, a not-so-pleasant memory flashed through Xia Chiâs mind.
Xia Chi: [Little Overlord might be coming for you. Iâm heading over now.]
Bai Lixin: [Youâre still on the 300th floor?]
Xia Chi: [Yeah, Iâm with Sister Cancan.]
Bai Lixin: [Donât come over. Iâm safe where I am, no one will find me. You and Cancan should find a safe place to hide. Iâll contact you later.]
Xia Chi: [Be careful then, the first six-hour round is about to end. I suspect he wants to find you before the faction and identity change. He might strike at the very start of the next round.]
The Queenâs Defense Battle will last seven days and seven nights.
Each round lasts six hours, and after each round, factions are redivided.
There were only ten minutes left until the end of the first round.
âŚ
After closing the private chat with Xia Chi, Bai Lixin looked up, âAre you satisfied with this room?â
The clown with exaggerated makeup on his face glanced at the door of the private room and then looked away disdainfully, âI donât like this room.â
Bai Lixin: âI clearly said to go to the 300th floor.â
The clown stubbornly continued walking down the corridor, âMy hands, my choice. Iâll go to whichever floor I want.â
In the dark corners of the corridor and ceiling, vague black shadows could be seen curled up.
It wasnât until they passed through the corridor that the black shadows slowly emerged from the darkness and quickly fled away as if escaping.
Once the shadows had all left, the door of a private room in the cinema quietly opened, and several players cautiously walked out.
They looked towards the end of the dark corridor curiously, and then at the backs of the fleeing monsters, clicking their tongues in amazement.
âThatâs strange, those monsters seemed really afraid of that clown.â
âWhat just passed by? It could talk⌠was that a player?â
âProbably not a player. There was no faction emblem above his head, so it should be an NPC.â
âIf itâs an NPC, then itâs probably a boss-level entity. Only a few high-level monsters in the copy can speak.â
âBut he wasnât with anyone. Was he talking to himself?â
âAn NPC that even monsters fear must be a super monster. Just one glance at his face gave me the creeps.â
âWhat idiot came up with these garbage game rules? Itâs so stupid.â
âWell, at least the first round is almost over. Thank goodness, weâre about to enter the second round.â
âThis damn game, if I ever get the chance, I swear Iâll format it out.â
âWiping it out is too easy on this broken game. First, we should format it, then throw it into a copy, and make it experience everything we went through.â
âWho are you planning to format?â A sinister voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
Startled, they all turned around at the same time.
A young man with fiery red hair and covered in blood was standing behind them. No one knew when he got there or how much he had heard.
âItâs the Little Overlord.â That fiery red hair was too distinctive; the players immediately recognized who it was and let out a sigh of relief. âYou scared me, I thought it was some monster.â
Hearing this, a smile appeared on the blood-stained face of the Little Overlord. âMonster?â
The player who spoke quickly waved his hands, cold sweat pouring down. âNo, no, I wasnât talking about you, I thought there was a monster.â
[Dear players, there are only 30 seconds left in the first round.]
The sudden system prompt interrupted the playerâs explanation, and a huge red countdown appeared where every player could see.
The time began to decrease from 30 seconds.
30⌠25⌠18⌠10⌠8⌠3, 2, 1, 0.
When the time reached 00:00:00, the system voice rang out above everyone.
[Ding, congratulations to all surviving players, the results of the first round are now announced.]
[Number of surviving players: 194,832.]
[It was the efforts of the soldiers that preserved the honor of the Queen and the Empire. In recognition of the soldiersâ efforts, the Queen will distribute her honor points equally among them.]
[Honor points have been distributed. Players can check the Honor Mall at their convenience.]
[Players now have 5 minutes to make purchases from the Honor Mall and prepare for the second round. After 5 minutes, the game will enter the second round.]
The Little Overlord blocked the players who were about to leave. âLet me ask you, did you just see a man with an azure lion and a crown above his head?â
The players looked at each other. âNo, we didnât see anyone like that.â
Little Overlord: âThen who was here just now?â
A player replied, âAn NPC with clown makeup.â
The Little Overlord frowned slightly. âAre you sure it was an NPC? Not a player in disguise?â
The player: âThere was no faction emblem above his head, so he should be an NPC.â
Little Overlord: âWhere did that guy go?â
The player pointed to the dark corridor behind him. âHe went down this hallway.â
The Little Overlord raised his eyes and glanced down the corridor. âOh.â
After waiting for a while, the players saw that the Little Overlord still had no intention of letting them pass. One of them gathered up the courage to ask, âUm, Little⌠I mean, Xuan Chishui, is there anything else? If not, could you let us through?â
The Little Overlord spread his legs slightly, his tall figure completely blocking the corridor. âWait a bit longer.â
The player asked, âWhat are we waiting for?â
[Ding!]
[The 5-minute countdown is over. The second round of the âQueenâs Defense Battleâ begins now.]
An emblem appeared above the playersâ heads simultaneously.
The Little Overlord had a white cat emblem above his head, and coincidentally, one of the players in front of him also had a white cat.
That player immediately pointed at the emblem above the Little Overlordâs head excitedly. âLittle Overlord, weâre in the same faction!â
Just as he finished speaking, a crown appeared above the Little Overlordâs white cat emblem.
[Congratulations, player, you have joined the âWhite Catâ faction and obtained the âQueen Cardâ. Your current identity is âWhite Cat Queen.â]
âJust in time.â The meteor hammer suddenly swung up, smashing into the face of the player who had called the Little Overlord a monster. The player didnât even have time to react before his head was smashed like a rotten watermelon. White brain matter mixed with blood splattered on the walls and the faces of the surrounding players.
Half a second of sluggishness brought other players an unforgettable nightmare.
They stared in horror as the lifeless body of the smashed player collapsed in the hallway. They wanted to scream, but the overwhelming terror made it impossible to make a sound.
âYou called me a monster?â The Little Overlord retracted the meteor hammer and flicked off the blood and brain matter disdainfully. âLooks like you were right.â
He slowly raised his head, his sinister smile making the playersâ hands and feet go numb. âNow, whoâs next?â
There was no light in his eyes, only darkness, as if he had absorbed all the negative energy in the world.
His gaze slowly moved until it finally settled on the player with the white cat emblem.
That player immediately started shaking all over, his voice trembling as he begged, âWeâre in the same faction, youâre just joking, right?â
The only response was a spiked meteor hammer. The white cat emblem above the playerâs head vanished.
âFirst of all, I never joke,â the Little Overlord said as he retrieved the meteor hammer. âSecondly, I hate it when anyone uses the same thing as me. I am unique, and no one else deserves to have the same things I do, including emblems.â
âSo, whoâs next?â
âAhhhhh!!!â
One of the players couldnât take it anymore and screamed as he ran into the dark corridor.
Seeing this, the other players finally realized that now was not the time to stand still and wait to die. They turned and ran into the pitch-black corridor behind them.
In front of them was a terrifying clown.
Behind them was the horrifying Little Overlord.
Did they dig up someoneâs ancestral grave in their previous life?!
The players ran through the dark corridor with their eyes closed, until suddenly, the player at the front came to a sudden stop.
The few players behind him had no choice but to try and stop as well.
The player at the front stopped because a figure was blocking their path.
Though they were panicked, they immediately recognized the figure.
A black tailcoat, a black gentlemanâs hat, and a black-and-gold cane.
Wasnât this the NPC that had scared all the monsters into hiding earlier?!
Slow and deliberate footsteps echoed from behind them.
Despair crept up from the depths of their hearts.
There was a wolf in front, and a tiger behind.
In this moment, the players began to see their lives flashing before their eyes.
The footsteps grew closer.
The NPC in front of them turned around.
A handsome yet sinister face, paired with a terrifying painted clown face, appeared in their view.
One player rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot.
Seeing this, the other players actually felt a pang of envyâthey wished they could pass out too, so they wouldnât feel the pain of dying.
As they despaired, a shadow flashed before their eyes.
When they looked up again, the clown had already passed them and was standing in front of the Little Overlord.
The two stood about two meters apart, silently facing each other in the narrow, dark hallway.
Little Overlord glanced at the top of the clownâs head, then back down to his face, his eyes flickering with curiosity.
[Ding, Warning: The [Queen] is powerless and cannot attack NPCs.]
The clownâs white-gloved hand gave a slight twist, and two joker cards appeared in his palm.
The players held their breath, nervously watching the standoff between the two.
Neither of them moved, neither spoke, but the tension in the air was palpable.
The silence was terrifying, yet it felt as if the air was slowly boiling, stifling and oppressive.
Finally, Little Overlord let out a chuckle, put away his meteor hammer, and turned, slowly melting into the darkness.
The sound of his footsteps faded into the distance, and only when it was completely silent did the players finally breathe a sigh of relief. They touched their backs, realizing that at some point, sweat had soaked through their clothes.
The clown glanced at them and muttered to himself, âForget about them, theyâre in the way,â before turning and walking away.
As the clown moved further away, the players finally felt the joy of surviving a disaster.
They collapsed against each other, trembling.
âOh my God, I was so scared. I thought I was dead for sure.â
âLittle Overlord is insane, heâs too cruel.â
âItâs ironic that the clown monster we thought would kill us actually saved us.â
âHow ironic.â
âShh, keep your voice down, donât let Little Overlord hear you.â
âSo what do we do now⌠leave?â
âNo way! What if Little Overlord didnât leave and is lying in wait to ambush us?â
âThen what should we do? We canât just stay here forever, can we?â
âWhy not? Our goal is to survive, right? The clown scared off the other monsters and has no intention to kill us, so is there anywhere better than here?â
The player with the golden shield above his head opened his system panel. âWe could stay here, but let me check where our queen is first.â
âEh?â The golden shield gasped, turning to look down the dark hallway.
âHuh?â He looked at the system again, then back into the hallway.
âWhatâs wrong, brother?â The player with a green leaf above his head asked. âWhy are you gasping like that? Youâre freaking us out.â
The golden shield player stammered as he pointed deep into the hallway. âM-my queen⌠is twenty meters ahead of us.â
â?!â
â??!â
âWhat!â
Twenty meters ahead⌠wasnât that where the clown monster was?!
âŚ
âHere, take this.â The little figure in the pocket struggled to crawl out of the clownâs collar, reaching up to hand him something.
The object was no bigger than half a grain of rice, and the clown had to be very careful not to drop it. He held it between his fingers and brought it up to his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a tiny metal chip.
âWhat is this?â he asked in confusion.
Bai Lixin: âItâs called a sound transmitter, itâs a prop. After using it, only you can hear me when I speak. Stick it to your temple.â
The clown carefully pressed the tiny metal chip to his temple, moving with exaggerated caution as if afraid of losing the tiny object.
[How about it?]
Bai Lixinâs voice suddenly echoed in the clownâs mind, and the clown looked at his pocket in amazement. âYour voice is in my head.â
Bai Lixin: [That means itâs working.]
Clown: âWhy do I need to wear this?â
Bai Lixin: [Just in case.]
Chaotic footsteps came from behind.
The clown frowned and turned to glare at the annoying people who had interrupted his conversation with the little young man.
The timid players from earlier were standing behind him, panting and trembling. One of them, who had a golden shield above his head, asked cautiously, âQ-Queen?â
Clown: ââŚâ
âIs this guy stupid?â
âWhoâs he calling queen?â
âIâŚâ He was about to deny it when Bai Lixinâs voice rang out in his head again, [It seems like heâs calling me. You should answer for me.]
The clown changed his tone. âYes.â
He tilted his chin up slightly, and his tone immediately became arrogant. âYou lowly commoners, I am your noble and beautiful queen. How dare you stand before me without kneeling in submission?â
Bai Lixin: ââŚâ
âThis is so embarrassing.â
The players: ââŚâ
The players looked at each other in bewilderment.
Should they kneel⌠or not?
With that arrogant tone, could this guy be another Little Overlord?
Bai Lixin had a bit of a headache: [UhâŚthey donât have to kneel.]
Clown: âWhy shouldnât they kneel?â
âYou are a noble Queen, they should kneel before you. Every day when the Queen of Hearts passes by, all soldiers and civilians must kneel respectfully. They arenât even worthy to gaze upon your face.â
âSo, youâre the noble Queen.â
âWait, youâre the Queen? The Kingâs wife?â
âYouâre married?!â
Players: ââŚâ
âUh, is he talking to himself?â
âIs he really okay?â
âIs his mental state still stable?! Does he have a split personality?!â
âSo terrifying, maybe itâs better to kneel.â
Bai Lixin explained patiently: [Iâm not a real queen, weâre just playing a role-playing game. Right now, Iâm playing the queen, but Iâm just a player like them. Weâre equals.]
Clown: âOh.â
He looked at the players, âThen you donât need to kneel.â
The players, who were just about to kneel, stumbled and almost fell.
Golden Shield rubbed his knees, reflecting on the situation.
His [Golden Shield Queen] didnât seem to be very smart.
But he quickly shrugged it off.
After all, who in their right mind would paint such an ugly clown face? No normal person would do that.
Itâs understandable, itâs understandable.
After narrowly escaping death at Little Overlordâs hands, he suddenly felt at peace with the world.