Chapter 137 The Show Begins

April 21st, morning.

The S3 finals from the day before were still vivid in his mind.

When Brother Jue defeated Gui Xiao, even the veterans of [Order] were undoubtedly affected. Add to that the "artifact countering" factor… Although they had some brilliant moments in the subsequent matches, the final result was just as Dream-like Zen had predicted… [Order] couldn't stand against [Hell's Frontline] and missed out on the championship.

[Hell's Frontline], this non-professional team, had achieved consecutive championships under two completely different S2 and S3 formats, and their popularity was unparalleled.

However, in the post-match interview, Feng Bujue, as the captain and spokesperson, attributed most of the credit for the victory to Xu Huishang, stating that the entire team were just casual players hitching a ride on her coattails.

This kind of statement, combined with Brother Jue's consistently annoying behavior… the contrast made it really impossible for people to figure out what he was thinking.

Of course, it was right that they couldn't figure it out; unfathomable was just what Feng Bujue was.

People's discussions about that match, and the retrospectives of the entire Pinnacle of War S3, would obviously continue for quite some time. However, for Feng Bujue, those things were no longer his concern.

What he was currently interested in was—Derivatives, Thriller Paradise, Fate… What would become of these things that had basically lost their value to the Gods and Demons?

Bang, bang, bang—

Around eight o'clock that morning, Brother Jue and Ruoyu were sitting at the dining table eating soy milk and fried dough sticks when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Saying it was a knock was actually an understatement; "pounding" or "slamming" would be more accurate.

The person outside was clearly very anxious, the frequency and speed of their banging on the door were extremely fast, like someone at their limit outside a public toilet stall.

"Huh?" As Feng Bujue stood up, his face was already filled with doubt, and he muttered, "Something's not right…"

Indeed, something was off. The building he lived in had a complete access control system and intercom, so it was unlikely that someone would come directly to the door to knock.

"Who is it?" Brother Jue asked loudly as he walked towards the door.

"It's me!" From outside the door came the voice of a girl.

Feng Bujue had heard this voice before. Although he wasn't familiar with the person, he immediately realized who was outside.

Two seconds later, Brother Jue had reached the door and looked out through the peephole… Sure enough, standing at his door was a girl in a school uniform, about thirteen or fourteen years old.

This girl lived on the twelfth floor of the building. Since they were both high-rise residents, Feng Bujue naturally encountered her and her parents in the elevator; they were the kind of neighbors who "didn't really talk, couldn't call each other's names (actually, Brother Jue knew her name, because he had investigated all his neighbors and knew every household in the community like the back of his hand; she also knew Brother Jue's name, because Brother Jue was famous now, and had been somewhat well-known before due to publicity from the police station and neighborhood committee… Of course, they had never actually introduced themselves and gotten to know each other), but because they were neighbors, they would nod to each other."

Ka—

Without much thought, Feng Bujue opened the door and said seriously, "Is something wrong?"

He asked this question because Brother Jue had already made a series of inferences and analyses about the situation in his mind. He thought that if a child suddenly went to knock on the door of a neighbor they barely knew, it was likely that something unexpected had happened at home… such as a sudden illness in the family, a fire, or some other emergency. Unable to cope with the situation, she was seeking help from the closest adult.

However, the girl's next reaction greatly surprised Feng Bujue.

"It's me! It's me!" She actually stepped forward, grabbed Brother Jue's collar, and repeated that sentence twice in a tone that was clearly inconsistent with her age.

This strange behavior made Feng Bujue frown. "You are…"

"I… I am…" The girl undoubtedly wanted to answer the question, but the words reached her lips, but she didn't say them… or rather, she "couldn't say them"; and at that moment, a very strange, electronic-like static came from her throat.

"Who is it? What's going on?" At this time, Ruoyu also came out of the living room and stood next to Brother Jue.

"I… can't… tell… you… those… things…" Each word the girl spat out was separated by static, making it sound like she was talking on a bad radio, "She… doesn't… allow… she… is… coming…"

As she spoke, her hand remained tightly gripped on Brother Jue's clothes, as if afraid he would disappear before her eyes.

"No… time…" She said, and suddenly raised her other hand.

In that instant, white light appeared on her open palm, just like when equipment was generated in the game world of Thriller Paradise. The white light quickly condensed, turning into a not-very-long, bare, forked tree branch.

"Keep… safe… only… it… can… stop… fate…" The static increased in the girl's next words, and it was almost impossible to hear the words clearly.

She trembled as she stuffed the branch into Brother Jue's hand, and then, a dazzling white light burst from her eyes…

The flash lasted about three seconds, and then, the girl's body went limp and she fell forward.

At this time, Ruoyu, with her trained reflexes, quickly took a step forward before the girl hit the ground and knelt down, catching her.

"Yunyun, are you okay? Yunyun?" Ruoyu looked at the girl in her arms and hurriedly called her name several times. Obviously, unlike Brother Jue, Ruoyu had had some interaction with the little girl, so she directly called her name.

"Something's not right…" At that moment, Feng Bujue stared intently at the branch in his hand, thoughtfully muttering to himself. Then, he looked at Ruoyu, "...First, help her to the sofa and lie down. This could be very serious. We need to contact your grandfather immediately…"

Before he could finish speaking, Ruoyu had already picked up the girl and headed towards the sofa. After Brother Jue stepped aside to let her pass, he closed the door and went straight to the dining table, preparing to get his phone.

Just as Feng Bujue picked up his phone and pressed the dial button, suddenly…

A strange "poof" sound came from outside his line of sight.

The sound was familiar… In the game world, he had heard this sound countless times—the sound of flesh being pierced.

"Hah… uh…" Then came two soft moans of pain.

In that instant, Feng Bujue mechanically turned his head towards the sound.

When Ruoyu, her chest pierced and already lying in a pool of blood, came into his view, a feeling that hadn't visited him in a long time returned.

At this time, the girl who had just fainted was standing next to Ruoyu with a cold expression, looking down at her blood-stained hand.

A moment later, as if sensing Feng Bujue's gaze, she looked up, looked at Brother Jue, and quickly focused her attention on the branch in Brother Jue's hand, saying, "It seems 'she' was one step ahead of me…" She paused, "That's fine, too. It saves me a lot of trouble."

As she spoke, she stepped over Ruoyu's body and approached Feng Bujue, "Give me what's in your hand, and I can let you…"

She didn't finish her words, because as she said this, on the floor, Ruoyu, who was barely alive, reached out and grabbed her ankle.

"Go…" Ruoyu's face was pressed against the ground, which was stained red with her own blood. Although she was unable to lift her head, the word "go" that she uttered with all her strength was clearly meant for Feng Bujue, who was a few meters away.

"I'll give you the thing, you save her!" Feng Bujue looked at the other party with cold eyes, his trembling voice suppressing despair and anger.

"You have no right to bargain with me." The girl said, forcefully lifted her right leg, easily broke free of Ruoyu's hold, and then quickly rushed towards Feng Bujue.

Brother Jue picked up a dinner knife from the table and prepared to fight the other party, but he quickly realized that it was futile…

The immense force coming from his wrist instantly made him understand that he had no chance of winning, but he still resisted until his hand was broken.

The girl snatched the branch from his hand, then turned and left, the speed of her movements and the strength she displayed… were no longer something that humans could achieve.

"Hah… hah…" Enduring the severe pain coming from his wrist, Feng Bujue gasped for breath, stumbling towards Ruoyu.

He scrambled to her side and used his uninjured arm to hold her in his arms.

She was still breathing, but she wouldn't be able to sustain it for much longer.

"It's okay… The call went through just now, the people from Division Nine will be here soon! Hold on!" Feng Bujue held her in his arms. At this moment, his body was trembling non-stop, while Ruoyu had already stopped moving much.

"I…" Ruoyu seemed to want to say something, but when she uttered this first word, she knew that she could no longer say even one more syllable.

Even the blood from her wound had stopped flowing.

Ruoyu used her last bit of strength to grip Feng Bujue's hand, her bright eyes never having been so affectionate as they were at this moment. If she could, she really hoped she could use her eyes to tell him that her seal had already been broken long ago.

But in the end, the light in her eyes dimmed…

…………

When Gu Chen personally led the team into the house, Ruoyu's chest was no longer rising and falling, and her body temperature was gradually fading.

Feng Bujue was still sitting on the ground, holding her, not moving at all.

His eyes, too, were like those of a dead man.

"Can she still be saved?" This was the first thing Feng Bujue said after seeing Gu Chen.

Gu Chen looked at Ruoyu's body with a solemn expression for a few seconds, then shook his head.

Hearing this, Feng Bujue was silent for a moment, then slowly lowered Ruoyu.

He stood up, walked to Gu Chen, and held out his injured hand. "Heal me."

He didn't even ask if the other party "could heal him," but instead made a direct demand.

"What are you going to do?" Gu Chen didn't waste any words. As he grabbed Feng Bujue's wrist, he asked.

"Take a trip to Dream Inc." Feng Bujue replied.

"And what do you plan to do when you get there?" Gu Chen asked again.

"Heh…" At this time, Feng Bujue suddenly laughed, his smile… unprecedentedly crazy, "I don't know either… Isn't that what makes it interesting?"