Chapter 42: The Grand Stage of Peking Opera—If You Dare, Step Forward
Page (1/3)
On the stage, the sound of a wooden clapper and gong echoed as Mr. He appeared clad in theatrical costume, holding a spear.
“Whoosh, whoosh...”
Several figures leapt into the air. A dwarf accompanied by three huge centipedes, along with a tall player specializing in plunder, ascended the stage and stood beside Mr. He.
Opposite them, Ren Ye, Gu Nian, Xu Peng, Huang Wei—who had taken the form of a red dog—and three Guardians of the Year all showed expressions of fear before huddling together.
Ren Ye anxiously turned to Gu Nian. “Is my father here?”
“He is, but he’s in Room 501, not the missing 601,” Gu Nian said, eyes fixed on the dwarf, her brows slightly furrowed. “I don’t know the exact reason.”
Hearing this, Ren Ye immediately suggested, “Then don’t get caught up in fighting. Let’s retreat and rescue my dad first.”
“We can’t leave,” Xu Peng said gravely, eyes on Mr. He. “His supernatural ability... it’s strange. I tested it secretly just now. If he hasn’t finished his performance, we won’t be able to step down.”
Forced combat?
Damn!
Ren Ye felt restless, deeply worried about his father’s safety.
“We still have reinforcements outside, and they’ll be here soon,” Gu Nian whispered. “We need a quick and decisive battle.”
“I don’t think this will be a quick fight,” Xu Peng kept staring at Mr. He, his eye twitching uncontrollably.
The dwarf licked his lips. “Sir, the prisoner girl is breaking through with others. We’re here to help you.”
“Tat-tat...!”
Mr. He stood tall, kicking his leg and flicking his robe with the dignified air of a martial performer. His eyebrows twitched as he raised his spear high and sang in a proper tone: “Breaking through Cao’s formation in the dark night, the lord is gone till dawn.”
“When I storm into Cao’s camp, I’ll at least search for the two mistresses and the young master~”
The song finished, drums and gongs sounded in unison.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
Suddenly, Mr. He stepped forward, spear striking like a dragon, softly exhaling, “Full of courage!”
Whoosh!
With those words, his aura changed dramatically. He seemed fully immersed, charging straight at the Guardians.
Xu Peng turned and raised his arm, chanting a spell. “Benevolence and skill, miraculous healing—Heal!”
A violent wave of star energy appeared, two beams of light wrapping around Ren Ye’s body. He suddenly felt invigorated, his entire body relaxed. Looking down, the wounds on his arms and countless small cuts on his body vanished in the blink of an eye—completely healed.
Truly a healer of the world!
Ren Ye turned to him. “Thanks!”
“You’re welcome. You guys go and...” Xu Peng didn’t finish his sentence before withdrawing from the battlefield, cautiously standing at the edge of the stage.
Currently a first-tier player, his supernatural powers were limited to poisoning enemies with his dog form; he had no combat skills.
“Ahhh...!”
Nearby, Huang Wei, transformed into a red dog, contorted his face and let out a painful howl. Using the last bit of his sanity, he locked onto the charging Mr. He. “Challenge accepted—fight to the death!”
His aura and killing intent instantly fixed on Mr. He alone. The red dog leapt up, wielding a heavy sword like a cannonball, crashing forward.
Boom!
One tall, one short; one airborne, one grounded—they collided fiercely.
The battle on the stage had officially begun.
...
Outside, the prisoner girl was breaking through under the cover of two companions.
At this moment, no fool would use Ren Da Guo as leverage for hostage negotiations.
Smart and experienced criminals understood a basic truth: the longer negotiations dragged, the tighter the official cordon became, and the greater the chance of failure.
Moreover, looking back through decades of crime cases, public hostage-taking with successful escapes was almost nonexistent—perhaps not one in ten thousand.
Reinforcements from the Guardians might arrive any moment, so no time to hesitate—fight your way out first, so the hostages can serve their purpose.
The prisoner girl’s supernatural ability leaned toward destruction and crime, making her an expert at escape. After jumping out the window of Room 501, instead of plummeting, her body twisted upward, landing her feet on the apartment’s exterior wall.
From a distance, her body formed a straight line, face upturned, feet pressing against the stairwell’s outer wall as she swiftly ran vertically toward the rooftop.
Huang Wei brought eight Guardians in total; with five forced onto the stage, only three remained to set up perimeter control. Seeing the prisoner girl attempting to flee, they immediately rushed to block her.
“Stop them!”
Page (2/3)
The prisoner girl carried Ren Da Guo on her back, shouting to her two companions.
“Bang, bang...!”
Two players aligned with chaos descended from above, intercepting three Guardians and engaging them in combat.
Whoosh!
On the apartment rooftop, the prisoner girl smiled lightly, her red lips curving as she sprinted with Ren Da Guo on her back. Her movements were light and agile, like a seasoned thief dashing through a stormy night.
Below, the three Guardians were held back by the two reckless chaos players, unable to give chase.
Tap, tap...!
The prisoner girl’s eyes fixed on the boundary of the Wordless Monument, her heart pounding wildly. Just a little faster, and she could break through...
Outside the Xin Yuan SPA, the small battle wolf soul, who was preparing to slip away, suddenly paused.
He turned blankly toward the rooftop, seeing the prisoner girl running madly with Ren Da Guo, his irritation mounting.
Whoosh!
Activating his senses slightly, he detected at least six reinforcements from the Guardians running within two kilometers. But by the time they arrived, the prisoner girl would probably be gone...
“Damn!”
The little battle wolf stared fixedly at Ren Da Guo, gritting his teeth. “Is this for real? Ah, whatever, I’ll give you a hand...”
After some thought, he decided to turn back once more, swiftly drifting toward the rooftop.
Closing the distance rapidly, the little battle wolf called out, “Dear paper-thin wife, bite her!”
Whoosh!
Running, the prisoner girl suddenly felt a cold breeze brush her neck. She spun around sharply and saw a beautiful ghostly female figure smiling slyly at her.
Found the cause.
She had felt chills and soreness in her neck these past days, but despite careful inspection, had never realized a ghost was perched on her shoulder.
Whoosh!
The ghost opened her mouth wide behind her and suddenly inhaled.
Pure yang energy, thick and concentrated, drifted from the prisoner girl into the ghost’s mouth.
Weak and trembling in spirit, her whole body convulsed, her gaze growing vacant.
Mid-air, the little battle wolf swooped down, rummaging through his consciousness. “This one can’t be used, this one’s not worth it... damn, using this would be a loss...!”
His inventory was vast and varied, reflecting wealth and experience.
On the rooftop, the prisoner girl’s face turned purple and blue, her entire body pale. She already foresaw her death.
“...Steal...!” she stammered, trembling, preparing to activate her supernatural power again.
“This one then.”
The little battle wolf pulled out a large, antiquated-looking hammer from his crotch, clearly damaged, and threw it into the air.
Whoosh!
The heavy hammer swept through the air.
The prisoner girl, dazed and unable to dodge, was struck as the ghost absorbed her yang soul.
Thud!
A muffled sound as her head exploded instantly.
Yet the silver-white hammer did not stop. As if sentient, it flew on to slam into her chest and heart.
The little battle wolf’s soul arrived on the rooftop, first stabilizing and condensing as countless white lights drifted over, solidifying his spirit somewhat.
Smack!
He then kicked the unconscious Ren Da Guo off the ground, softly whispering, “Let’s go!”
Ren Da Guo’s body flew over the rooftop wall, falling toward the floor below—but suddenly vanished at the fifth level.
Suddenly, on the stage, Ren Da Guo dropped down swiftly, hitting the ground with a thud.
“Dad?!”
Ren Ye, dodging centipede attacks, cried out in shock.
On the rooftop, the little battle wolf retracted the ghost into a small bottle, decisively withdrawing and heading straight for the SPA across the street.
Page (3/3)
...
Inside Room 302 of Xin Yuan.
A dozen or so therapists stood by the bed, covering their mouths in terror, eyes wide with fear.
The female boss approached the elderly man’s massage bed and gently lifted his hand to check his breath.
Silent. So still!
The plump woman’s pupils dilated as she stared at the elderly man, already anticipating a prison sentence, but still protested aggrievedly, “...I really just started... only massaged his legs, nothing intense... and he died...”
“What a sin! I told you... no clients over sixty-five!” The female boss broke down, turning to the plump woman. “...You’re risking your lives for a little extra money?!”
Whoosh!
The soul body that had just forcibly condensed became faint and blurry, quickly passing through the wall and settling into the elderly man’s body.
“Ah!” The plump woman began sobbing loudly. “I only massaged his legs! Just two normal legs...!”
*Cough, cough!*
Suddenly, two coughs sounded.
All the women in the room froze, then stepped back in shock, their faces pale.
“Huh?”
The elderly man slowly woke, turning to look at the dozen or so women with a frightened expression. “Damn, that’s how you add ten...!”
...
On the stage.
Performing magic—fire hoops!
Blood sacrifices—great extermination!
Props—Chenier’s prison!
Charm!
...
The Guardians unleashed a furious concentrated assault on Mr. He, throwing all manner of control and offensive supernatural abilities and props at him.
Boom, boom, boom...!
The rumbling vibrations of star energy echoed everywhere.
Xu Peng, lacking combat skills, despite dodging desperately, was still caught in the crossfire. His scalp tingled, and he spat blood, urgently swallowing two brown pills—unable to tell if poison or medicine—to sustain himself.
As the brilliance faded, Mr. He’s figure reappeared, staggering back two steps. His costume was badly torn; two of the four small flags behind him were knocked off... even the information he had purchased from the little battle wolf quietly slipped from his embrace.
The thick envelope was blown beneath the drum stand by the curtain, hidden well, and the fully immersed Mr. He did not notice.
Nearby, Ren Ye stared blankly at Mr. He, utterly shocked.
This man was likely the strongest opponent he had encountered since entering the Star Gate.
As long as he was on this stage, he seemed to receive a combat boost. His speed, attacks, and supernatural power all reached absurd levels.
Though only Huang Wei among their team was a second-tier player, even a combined strike by six or seven people had failed to severely injure him—only leaving him looking disheveled.
“The target is on stage,” the dwarf said darkly, staring at the motionless Ren Da Guo on the ground. “The prisoner girl’s definitely lost. We have to go all out!”
In the center, Mr. He looked at Huang Wei and the others, his eyes showing no fear. Instead, he shouted, “I am Zhao Zilong of Changshan!”
“Seven entries, seven exits!”
Boom!
A chilling killing intent burst from his body.
Mr. He shook his spear and charged again, while the dwarf and the plunder-specialized player fought desperately as well.
As the battle resumed, Ren Da Guo remained motionless on the ground. The dropped envelope nearby suddenly trembled twice, emitting a white glow.
Whoosh!
The light flashed and vanished, and the contents of the envelope were instantly replaced.