Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Thirteen, Innocent Victims

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Lu Yi pondered the prompt from the Metropolis carefully: death here meant true death, which implied that the Ring of Fortune, as well as the rings given to him by Helian Xun and Katerina, would all be destroyed. His body would undergo transformation, meaning his dark magic would certainly vanish, and it was highly likely his demon eye would be lost as well. What did he get in exchange for all this loss? Mid-rank demonhood, and a faction shift.

No matter how he looked at it, this was a losing bargain!

"Metropolis, can I exchange this reward for something else?" Lu Yi asked helplessly.

"This reward is to be decided by the native inhabitant," the Metropolis replied crisply and coldly.

Lu Yi was at his wits' end and could only look at the Warden. "Let's talk. Just give me something, anything, and I won't become that mid-rank demon."

The Warden was momentarily stunned. "If you aren't my companion, why would I give you anything? To help you escape faster?"

Lu Yi had nothing to say. "Metropolis, can I refuse this reward?"

"You are currently in the transformation ritual. As long as you break free and escape, it will be considered a refusal. Please note: the consequences are your own responsibility."

Lu Yi rolled his eyes. What consequences? If I don't run now, I'll lose everything.

"The Cradle, right?" Lu Yi looked at the Warden as he spoke. The Warden looked up at him in puzzlement.

Lu Yi glanced at the branches above his head. "I appreciate your kind intentions, but I have many things to accomplish in my current identity. I cannot accept this ritual."

With that, he suddenly mobilized his internal power. The vines binding his hands snapped one by one, and, losing the support of the vine cot, Lu Yi fell downward.

He rolled as he hit the ground, then dusted himself off and glanced up at the Warden sitting on the branch.

The Warden made no move, but a terrifying aura radiated from her, making Lu Yi's heart pound.

Seeing this, Lu Yi dared not linger a second longer. He turned and bolted.

A Fish: "What did I just see? The streamer actually refused such a great offer."

Warmhearted Man: "Haha, he must be an idiot. To run from such a good thing... Look at the Warden—she's clearly upset and might go berserk at any moment. He's asking for death."

Sweetheart Yiyi: "I think the streamer did the right thing. I believe he can grow to far surpass a mid-rank demon."

Sickly Fairy: "Oh, I have that feeling too."

Warmhearted Man: "Surpass that level? Dream on. I bet the Warden will go after him like a madwoman—he has no future. If he survives this, I'll send a 666 gift immediately."

The Warden sat on the branch, her body trembling. The flower in her hand suddenly turned black and its petals began to fall one by one.

"You actually dared to refuse me." The Warden jerked her head up, her eyes now glowing red.

She slapped the branch and leapt from the tree.

As Lu Yi ran, he felt the air behind him grow oppressively heavy. He glanced back—somehow, the Warden had already closed in behind him.

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But that one glance was enough for Lu Yi to sense something was wrong. The Warden was eerily silent, yet the aura she exuded was even more terrifying than before.

"No wonder they made me refuse by action—there was a trap behind it! Damn you, Metropolis," Lu Yi cursed inwardly. He ducked his head and saw three flowers stuck in the ground ahead.

Lu Yi knew the Warden was deadly serious this time. He pulled out a speed talisman, about to stick it to himself, when a crack silently appeared in the ground ahead.

Startled, he dove to the side and quickly slapped the talisman onto himself.

At that moment, a vine shot up from beneath the earth, coiled, and snapped back to the Warden's side.

Lu Yi rolled as he hit the ground, and, seeing the vine retract, he breathed a silent sigh of relief. If he hadn't ducked for the talisman, the vine would have grabbed him and dragged him back to the Warden.

Even so, he dared not slow his flight for a second.

But he'd run less than five meters before another surge of danger rose behind him. He dodged sideways again.

With a thunderous crash, the Warden landed beside him, two vines lashing out at his legs.

Sweetheart Yiyi: "This Warden seems way stronger than before!"

Black Phosphorus: "Yeah, the streamer is in real danger now."

"Haha, that's because you haven't watched enough. If you accept such an offer, take it. If you refuse, the backlash is huge. The Warden's state now is almost like her berserk mode in the last five minutes—just a bit weaker than when that idiot tried to boost her with light magic attacks."

Vines quickly coiled around Lu Yi's legs. He pulled out an object and snapped it onto the vine, pressing down. The vine split open.

He kicked the vine away and kept running.

"Why is this happening?" Lu Yi was still fleeing for his life. By now, it had been twenty minutes since the Warden started chasing him—about two teleportation intervals, in his estimate.

Lu Yi could feel his stamina dropping. If this went on, he would never last until the next teleport.

He fumbled in his pocket and his fingers brushed against a vial—"Internal Environment Balancing Energy Potion: relieves muscle fatigue, restores internal balance, and quickly replenishes energy."

Lu Yi's eyes lit up—it was the potion Shen Yixue had tossed him before. A true lifesaver now.

He gulped it down and soon felt the heaviness in his muscles ease; his body felt lighter.

Their chase led them to a factory. Lu Yi frowned deeply—the place was a mess, planks scattered everywhere and boxes piled haphazardly, even stacked high in places.

To Lu Yi, this environment clearly hadn't been organized by any experienced participant. He'd managed to evade the Warden this long thanks to the obstacles.

He dodged another attack—"No choice, I'll have to break line of sight."

He vaulted a box and darted into the Warden's blind spot. But the Warden immediately used vines to lift herself, spotting Lu Yi from above and leaping down after him.

Dodging and weaving, the two soon reached a pile of boxes. Lu Yi crouched low and circled the stack.

The Warden waved her hand, and several vines erupted from the ground, knocking the entire pile of boxes aside, then lunged at Lu Yi.

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But something unexpected happened. When the boxes were swept away, Lu Yi saw that the center was hollow—an outer wall of boxes, with a person inside: Cui Xin, the one who had proposed various plans at the start.

Clearly, the chaos in the factory was Cui Xin’s deliberate handiwork. He must have gotten a movement device and used it to stack the boxes, then hid himself inside. Whether through luck or something else, the Warden hadn’t found him all this time.

Cui Xin was sitting cross-legged on a folding bed, staring in shock as half his painstakingly stacked boxes collapsed.

"You hid really well," Lu Yi called out, giving him a thumbs-up as he turned and ran.

Cui Xin stared blankly at Lu Yi’s retreating figure, confused—until a shadow landed beside him, shaking both him and his bed.

Only then did Cui Xin think to flee, but the Warden smashed a basket of flowers down on him, knocking him out cold.

A Fish: "Tsk tsk, I never liked watching him play with those boxes. Now I feel much better."

I Am a Husky: "His antics have nothing to do with me, but why does this feel so satisfying? Dog head."

The red gleam faded from the Warden’s eyes, and her aura subsided. She looked at Lu Yi running into the distance, then at the unconscious Cui Xin at her feet. Grabbing his leg, she dragged him away, soon disappearing beyond the range of Lu Yi’s livestream.

Minister of Ink: "Looks like the streamer got VIP treatment."

Black Phosphorus: "Ha, the Warden took away the hide-and-seek guy, which means the streamer is safe."

Sweetheart Yiyi: "That was tough—he got chased for half an hour!"

Sickly Fairy: "Yeah, I thought he was doomed more than once, but he burst out with new strength and made it in the end."

I Am a Husky: "Flame Demon Bro, time to send the gift—I’m ready to snatch your loot."

With Husky taking the lead, more and more viewers began to summon the Warmhearted Man.

"Warmhearted Man has gifted streamer Lu Yi a magic crystal sports car."

"Sweetheart Yiyi has gifted the streamer an evening gown."

"Black Phosphorus has gifted Lu Yi six violet crystal drift bottles."

Lu Yi could sense the danger fading, and heard the gifts being announced through his headset. Though he was still panting, he managed a smile. "Thank you all for your support and your gifts, and a special thanks to our top supporter."

Black Phosphorus: "Hehe, top supporter, take us to victory!"

Sweetheart Yiyi: "Don’t mess around. The top supporter is a rich boss—don’t upset him, naughty grin."

Warmhearted Man: "Don’t get cocky. My gift only goes to Lu Yi if he survives till the end. Do you really think he’ll make it?"