Volume One: Entering the City Chapter Five: To Stay or To Leave

"Hey." A girl let out a long breath, complaining, "I was scared to death, thought someone was out for revenge in this world."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet Wild Blade's ears were remarkably sharp.

"What?" Wild Blade exaggeratedly pointed at the other cars. "Just a few small-time thugs in these vehicles scared you? If you were in the zombie world I went through before, chased by hordes of zombies through the streets, you'd be scared out of your wits."

The girl stomped her foot angrily and cast a shy, annoyed glance at Wild Blade.

Her little glare had no effect on Wild Blade, who rested his hands on the car window frame and shamelessly whistled.

Sitting in the car, Emperor Ao surveyed the newcomers and spoke in the team channel, "See that group? Find a way to split them up."

Emperor Ao finished speaking, got out of the car with a gentle smile, and, standing in front of the vehicle, glanced at Wild Blade, discreetly signaling him.

Wild Blade opened his arms indifferently, as if to say, "Do as you like." Then, he leaned forward and slipped out of the window.

With his left hand touching the ground, he flipped over and landed steadily. He swung his right leg in front of his left, crossed his legs, and leaned back against the car door.

"You managed to get these cars?" Fang Hao walked up with interest, bending over to examine the vehicles, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Not only Fang Hao, but other trial-takers also gathered around Emperor Ao and his group.

"Hope you weren't waiting long," Emperor Ao addressed Fang Hao, then quickly glanced over everyone. "We were just going to find any cars to get around, but Wild Blade insisted on finding good ones."

Hearing this, Wild Blade raised his eyelids and snorted softly.

"Getting around?" Fang Hao straightened up, puzzled. "Where to? Are we leaving now?"

"Now. Back to the departure point, Anvalo," Emperor Ao replied concisely.

"Alright." Fang Hao nodded immediately, surprising Emperor Ao's teammates.

"Hey, hey, hey." A dissatisfied voice called out as a man walked up beside Fang Hao, casting a contemptuous look at him. "You say 'alright' and that's it? Who do you think you are? Look at the thickness of your glasses, you're obviously a shut-in. Just because you've watched a few movies, you think you can strategize?"

Being spoken to so bluntly, Fang Hao's expression soured. He took a few deep breaths, seemingly suppressing his emotions, then calmly asked, "What do you think?"

The man shot Fang Hao a disdainful glance, pointing his thumb at the Security Bureau's main entrance. "You know the protagonist, right? You know about premonitions? That's the key to surviving this mission. Our top priority is building a stable relationship with the protagonist.

If you can't even see that, you're truly clueless. Your intelligence probably doesn't even reach the average person's passing grade," the man mocked.

As he finished, Lu Yi noticed the other newcomers nodding in agreement. In fact, even Lu Yi himself still believed the protagonist—or rather, Xie Rui Da—was the key to the mission.

Thinking of this, Lu Yi couldn't help but feel anticipation. "Fang Hao, what will you say? Earlier, you told me that the veteran trial-takers, for their own interests, wouldn't let us approach the protagonist here. Now, in front of them, surely you won't just say that outright. So how will you refute him, or will you simply stay silent?"

Fang Hao turned to look at the man. "That's what you think?"

"Exactly. Much smarter than you," the man boasted.

"Utterly foolish," Fang Hao sneered, contempt gleaming in his eyes.

"What did you say?" the man shouted, blocking Fang Hao.

The other newcomers looked displeased—they shared the man's view, so if he was called utterly foolish, weren't they as well?

"You really want to know? I warn you, it may not be good news," Fang Hao said, a hint of pity in his gaze.

"Say it! Tell me! Stop being mysterious," the man practically roared.

With mockery in his eyes, Fang Hao dug at his ear. "Have you considered that this mission might have a script that forces execution? Even if you learn the protagonist's premonition, can you eliminate all sources of danger around you?

For example, say you're in a shopping mall, and the protagonist tells you your crisis is fire.

Can you instantly turn the mall into a bare shell? If you could, why would the city bother to assign veteran trial-takers?" His words froze everyone's faces.

Seeing this, Fang Hao summarized bluntly, "In the end, when danger arises, you still have to rely on the veteran trial-takers."

Even Emperor Ao and the other veterans were slightly surprised.

"This newcomer is interesting," Emperor Ao commented in the team channel. "Whenever we encounter someone slightly smarter, they're always thinking about going solo. But this one wants to rely on us."

"And some, when they find something beneficial, always keep it to themselves. But Fang Hao actually spoke some truths," Emperor Ao laughed in the team channel.

"Hmph, if he went solo, could he survive in this world?" a teammate muttered disdainfully.

"Regardless, what he said fits my plan perfectly—I appreciate it," Emperor Ao said in the team channel, giving Wild Blade an approving look, as if to say, "This one's not bad."

Emperor Ao cleared his throat. "What Fang Hao said, you'll realize in time."

"May I ask, what are we doing back at Anvalo?" Jia Jun, the only man in Lu Ningyu's group, inquired.

"I received a city prompt. In a few hours, the official Death God's design will begin, and the first victim will appear," Emperor Ao said, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd.

His words sent shockwaves through the newcomers. "You mean you already know who the first is? And after that? Do you know the rest too?" a girl asked eagerly.

"We do know the first victim, but not the subsequent order.

The city provides his information because, at this stage of the plot, the first victim doesn't take up much screen time. After that, there won't be any more hints," Emperor Ao replied openly.

"You've never experienced a crisis. When you face it yourselves in the future, you'll inevitably panic. Right now, you have a safe opportunity to observe the Death God's design. So, will you go?" Emperor Ao asked with a gentle smile.

The newcomers fell silent. Even with the importance of veteran trial-takers pointed out, they couldn't entirely deny the protagonist's significance.

"I want to ask, can we participate in stopping the Death God's design if we go?" Jia Jun asked his most pressing question.

"You want to earn reward points? Sure," Wild Blade replied carelessly. Everyone looked at him askance, and even Emperor Ao frowned.

"Of course, since you want rewards, you'll have to be the first to discover and resolve the crisis.

Those with the ability can claim more benefits—that holds true anywhere," Wild Blade said, though his gaze at Jia Jun was oddly probing, as if questioning whether Jia Jun really had what it took.