Chapter 463 - 444: What Happened?
A chilling killing intent formed an invisible net, closing in on Lin Qingfeng and Su Ling’er.
Su Ling’er braced herself for a bloody battle.
Even though her body was not her own to command, her "role" compelled her to shield the figure seated behind her.
’What is Senior Brother waiting for?’
’Is he looking for an opening? Or preparing a killing blow?’
’Whatever!’
Su Ling’er clenched her jaw, her fingertips trembling slightly.
’Even if I have to die here today, I will not let these filthy scum harm Senior Brother in the slightest!’
SHIIING—!
Dozens of sharp blades were drawn at once.
The threat of death was imminent.
However, just as the lead guard’s blade was about to fall, Su Ling’er’s pupils constricted.
The world stopped.
The steel blade hanging in mid-air, the flying droplets of spittle, the gaping mouths of the distant onlookers, and even the swirling motes of dust seemed to have been forcibly frozen in time by some supreme being.
Only Lin Qingfeng’s thoughts continued to move.
A semi-transparent interface appeared before him.
[Story Juncture. Please make your choice.]
Lin Qingfeng stared at the box floating before his eyes, completely unfazed.
’What kind of choice is this?’
[Option 1: You know too much. Your opponent has decided to kill you to keep you silent, and you are cornered. But you believe in death before dishonor. Unable to tolerate such outrageous slander, you decide to fight back, defending the last shred of the Lin Mansion’s dignity with your blood. (Click to preview the ending animation)]
[Option 2: (Unlocked after previewing Option 1)]
Looking at the interface, Lin Qingfeng almost laughed in exasperation.
’First, they give you a choice that guarantees death. Then, they use the "preview ending" to shove your failure right in your face, filling you with fear so you’ll obediently choose the hidden "best" option.’
’You guys are real scumbags, devs.’
’Why not just tell me I need to pay up? All this flashy nonsense... isn’t it just to make me feel the powerlessness of being utterly crushed, so I’ll willingly let you fleece me?’
Lin Qingfeng’s gaze fell on the four words "preview the ending animation."
’A preview?’
’Is this some kind of pay-per-view scheme?’
He now seriously suspected that if he hadn’t impulsively bought that pile of junk and instead saved his money to bid on the Memory Stone, this option would probably have been a plotline like "slip away quietly, then build your influence and turn the tables."
He tapped his finger in the air, pressing the "preview the ending" button.
HUM.
The scene before him abruptly shattered and reassembled into a rapidly flashing series of images, showing what the future might hold.
In the vision, he chose to flip the table.
"Kill them all!"
At his command, Su Ling’er drew her sword and charged into the crowd, carving a bloody path for him.
But reality wasn’t a storybook. Besides, they had no Cultivation to back them up, so there would be no legendary feat of one versus a hundred.
The purple-robed old man simply waved his hand, and a group of stewards politely escorted out the guests who had been watching the drama unfold.
"Everyone, everyone, we have some private business to attend to here. Don’t let it spoil your fun. The tea is on the house today, so please, make your way out."
The ornate doors slammed shut with a BOOM.
It seemed to block out the light, and with it, their path to survival.
The once-spacious hall had become a slaughterhouse.
The black-clad guards no longer held back. Hidden crossbows, lime powder, tripwires—they used every dirty trick they could think of.
One blade, two blades, three.
PFFT!
Ultimately, he was stabbed eight times and died, and Su Ling’er perished as well.
The screen turned blood-red, then quickly faded to black.
’That’s it?’
But it wasn’t over.
An official notice filled Lin Qingfeng’s entire field of vision.
[County Announcement]
[Last night, at the hour of Hai, Lin, son of the Lin Family of merchants, was exposed for donating a forgery. Overcome with shame and indignation, and feeling he could no longer face his kinsmen, he committed suicide with a blade in the city’s southern underground market.]
[His personal attendant, Su Ling’er, in an act of loyalty to her master, followed him in death.]
[After an overnight examination, the county coroner has confirmed these facts to be indisputable.]
[The deceased sustained eight stab wounds to his back, each one avoiding a vital organ. This clearly shows his firm resolve to die and the ruthlessness with which he acted upon himself—a truly rare sight. Su Ling’er also sustained nine stab wounds to her back, also determined to be self-inflicted.]
[This incident was purely accidental. We urge the public not to believe or spread rumors, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves.]
Lin Qingfeng read the part about "eight stab wounds to his back... determined to be self-inflicted" and was so furious he nearly had an aneurysm.
’What a "suicide."’
’And what a "don’t believe or spread rumors."’
’This isn’t just insulting everyone’s intelligence—it’s grinding it into the dirt, spitting on it, and then stomping on it for good measure!’
’Suicide by stabbing yourself in the back eight times?’
’Why not just write that I clenched the hilt of the sword with my back muscles and flung myself against a wall until I died?’
’Who wrote this garbage?’
’So this is the so-called "death before dishonor"?’
’I’m shattered, alright, but without so much as a whisper. Just swept into the trash heap and smeared with the shit of "committing suicide to escape punishment."’
The screen continued to scroll.
[Year 1: The Lin Mansion is seized, and all its assets are confiscated. The red coral you spent a fortune on now sits on display in the purple-robed old man’s study.]
[Year 3: The general manager of Nabo Garden is promoted and transferred for his "skillful financial management and meritorious service in cracking down on forgeries." On the day of his departure, the people line the streets to see him off, grateful to the "virtuous official" for his great contributions to the city’s cultural heritage.]
[Year 5: The Storytellers in the city’s teahouses and taverns have turned your story into a joke. They say the young master of the Lin Family was an ignorant fool who used a forgery to save face, then killed himself in shame. You’ve become a cautionary tale to teach children not to be "ignorant of the ways of the world."]
[Trial Over]
[Yes/No, confirm this choice?]
Lin Qingfeng stared at the flashing "Yes/No" button, absolutely incandescent with rage.
’To hell with "death before dishonor"!’
’This isn’t dying with honor, this is feeding the enemy a free kill and then helping them count the gold they got for it!’
’Only a complete idiot would choose such a maddeningly frustrating ending!’
’You want to clear this stage?’
’Break the stalemate?’
’Then you have to destroy the rules!’
Lin Qingfeng took a deep breath.
’If you won’t let me have it easy, then nobody gets to have it easy.’
"Choose again! Take me back!"
CRACK.
The preview screen shattered.
Time began to flow again.
Now that he had finished the preview, the grayed-out Option 2 finally lit up.
[Option 2 Unlocked: Begin the "Kill, Kill, Kill" storyline.]
[Unlock Fee: 100 Spirit Stones.]
Heh.
’Showing your true colors at last, are we?’
’Going through all that trouble, first disgusting me with a dead-end scenario, then using so-called "principles" to fan the flames of my anger to their peak, only to leisurely present the payment screen at the very end.’
The developer’s twisted grin was practically visible: ’Want revenge? Want to flip the whole board? Want to rip off these NPCs’ heads and use them for a game of kickball?’
’Then pay up.’
Lin Qingfeng cursed inwardly, but his finger was brutally honest as it opened the system wallet.
Looking at the string of numbers, he didn’t hesitate for a second.
’A hundred Spirit Stones?’
’Pocket change!’
[Payment successful.]
[Deducting 100 Spirit Stones.]
[The "Kill, Kill, Kill" storyline has been unlocked.]
As the crisp notification sound faded, the interface changed again.
[Current Combat Mode: Turn-Based Auto-Battle (Free Beta)]
[Description: The system will automatically take control of the character’s body and engage in turn-based combat until one side’s HP bar reaches zero.]
[In this mode, the player cannot control specific actions or use micro-management skills. The win rate is hard-capped by character stats.]
A vein throbbed on Lin Qingfeng’s forehead.
’Who do they think they’re looking down on?’
’Is that kind of moronic, "you-hit-me-I-hit-you" combat really meant for a pro gamer like me?’
’If I’m going to kill, I need to be in control myself, to feel the feedback of completely dominating my enemies.’
And so:
[Upgrade to "Real-Time Free-Form Combat (Souls-like Experience Edition)"?]
[Single-Player Upgrade Fee: 100 Spirit Stones.]
[Description: Unlocks all physical limitations, allowing you to experience the true thrill of slaughter. The skill ceiling is extremely high, the skill floor is extremely low. Your life and death are your own responsibility.]
He glanced over at Su Ling’er.
His junior sister was still frozen in her pose, arms spread wide to shield him. Her small face was a mask of do-or-die resolve. Though she was frozen in time, the grief and indignation in her eyes threatened to spill over.
’Should I unlock free-form combat for my junior sister too?’
Lin Qingfeng pondered for a moment before dismissing the thought.
’No need. Besides, watching my junior sister in a "you hit me, I hit you" fight sounds pretty amusing. But not for me.’
’It’s better to let my junior sister enjoy such a good thing all by herself.’
’This kind of dirty work, this hands-on slaughter... it’s best left to me, her senior brother, to handle.’
’What a considerate senior brother I am!’
[Confirm Payment.]
[Deducting another 100 Spirit Stones.]
[Player "Lin Qingfeng’s" combat mode has been upgraded to "Real-Time Free-Form Combat."]
[Teammate "Su Ling’er’s" combat mode confirmed as "Turn-Based Auto-Battle."]
As two hundred Spirit Stones vanished, Lin Qingfeng slowly rolled his neck. Though his body was still frozen in time, his consciousness had taken complete control.
The sluggish feeling of being forcibly controlled by the plot vanished into thin air.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
He looked toward the purple-robed old man standing on the high platform.
’Old bastard.’
’You’ve lived long enough. Time for you to die!’
Then, time began to flow again.
The wind stirred.
The motes of dust, once suspended in the air, resumed their trajectories. The gasps of the distant onlookers finally reached his ears.
The steel blades in the hands of the dozens of black-clad guards slashed down toward Su Ling’er!
"Die—!"
The blow was powerful and heavy, clearly not intended to leave her alive.
The cold glint of the blade filled her vision, and the biting wind it generated made her cheeks sting.
However, the instant the blade neared the tips of her hair, an immense, invisible force crashed down.
[Turn-Based Combat Mode]
There was no transition, no trace of any Body Technique.
The light and shadows before her eyes warped. As if they were puppets on strings, she and the guard in front of her were violently yanked back to their starting positions.
Then forcibly... reset.
Then, something even more unexpected happened to Su Ling’er.
Her feet remained planted on the ground, her sword held tight in her hand, but as she faced her enemy, her body began to bob up and down in a bizarre, rhythmic motion.
Up, down, exhale, inhale.
BREATHE IN—BREATHE OUT—!
BREATHE IN—BREATHE OUT—!
BREATHE IN—BREATHE OUT—!
Her shoulders rose and fell with each breath as she swayed in place with perfect regularity.
Su Ling’er: "?????"
’Ummmmm, the enemy is right in front of me... what in the world am I doing right now?!’