No wonder he made those horrifying faces. No wonder he constantly needled his target's nerves with his words. Screaming Earls were the [Corruption] camp's foremost experts at manufacturing and harvesting fear. They fed on terror, endlessly tornting their enemies — rivaling certain [War] followers in their capacity for cruelty.
And rumor had it that the Terror Demons birthed by the Mother Tree of Fear after it absorbed the world's terror were the very prototype for the Screaming Earl class.
Thinking this, Cheng Shi glanced at the Bone Servant Le Le'er's Ring on his finger.
'Manufacturing fear, using fear as sustenance, and carrying one-quarter of the Fear Mother Tree Le Le'er's divinity...'
'By that logic, this ring was practically this Screaming Earl teammate's ancestor!'
But he couldn't go around claiming family ties with everyone. After all, not everyone could be The Prisoner. As the civil war reignited, Cheng Shi hurriedly retreated in another direction — toward where Da Yi stood.
Despite Both having questions about why the other was here, the two sharp players chose to "cooperate" first, at least until the civil war's shockwaves passed — survival ca first.
And so Cheng Shi and Da Yi converged, standing together.
Seeing doubt lingering in Da Yi's eyes, Cheng Shi took the initiative, feigning total ignorance:
"What's the story, Brother Da Yi? Only the two of us matched in?"
The question left Da Yi montarily speechless. Seeing that Cheng Shi's expression appeared genuine, Da Yi shifted into a sour grimace and spat:
"Hot damn, who knows.
"Didn't bump into a single teammate, but trouble? Plenty of that. How'd we end up with those two? Peh, rotten luck."
Cheng Shi wanted to say sothing like "Compared to Zhen Yi and The Prisoner, the current scene barely qualifies as bad luck," but he held his tongue and asked directly:
"Who's that guy?"
This ti, Da Yi dropped his usual catchphrase entirely, speaking with unusual gravity:
"Gongyang Jiao. Sa as his ID. Number three on the [Corruption] ladder. He's a... lunatic who enjoys eating people."
'Gongyang Jiao?'
'Real na or stage na?'
Cheng Shi blinked in confusion: "His surna is Gongyang?"
Da Yi paused, regarding Cheng Shi with mild surprise, and nodded:
"Hot damn, Brother Cheng, you're clearly a cultured man. You even know that surna exists.
"First ti I heard his na, I thought he was so pervert who lifts ladies' skirts. Peh, what a garbage na."
"..."
"But don't let the na fool you. This guy is no joke. We steer clear if we can."
"How much of 'no joke' are we talking?"
"?"
Da Yi genuinely hadn't expected anyone to ask such a casual question under these circumstances. He shot Cheng Shi an odd look, then patiently elaborated:
"Fights like a front-line berserker. Eats people like a gourt.
"All Screaming Earls specialize in manufacturing fear, but there's only one player who's turned himself into the gold standard of terror.
"Gongyang is an obsessive. Don't try to understand him. Just rember: see him, walk the other way."
"..."
Cheng Shi was stunned. He sized up the brawny man standing bare-ard in the blizzard and thought: 'I'm a priest — I'd obviously dodge everyone. But you're a big, burly... assassin. And even you're this cautious?'
Da Yi was scanning the battlefield with a deep frown and didn't catch Cheng Shi's faintly condescending gaze. Soon enough, Cheng Shi turned his attention to the fight as well:
"What about the other one? The other—"
He stopped mid-sentence, freezing up.
Because he realized that until now, his judgnt that three people were fighting had been based solely on process of elimination: three hadn't moved, so three must be fighting.
But the problem was — why did this last teammate have such a pitifully low presence?
He rembered distinctly seeing that teammate's silhouette earlier. Yet trying to recall the details now, he couldn't rember what the person looked like.
A jolt of alarm ran through him. He suddenly realized he'd been unconsciously skipping over this teammate during his earlier assessnt, as if the person possessed so kind of magic that deflected gazes!
And soone who could repeatedly evade notice like that had to be...
"Hot damn, it's that Chaleon." Da Yi's expression darkened. He'd clearly identified the sixth player.
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. 'As expected.'
Bianse Long — [Silence]'s hunter.
A hunter suprely skilled at camouflaging himself and waiting for prey.
They were like real chaleons, always managing to vanish from everyone's field of vision, erasing their presence so thoroughly that people unconsciously overlooked them. Then, at the most unexpected mont, they'd launch a killing strike.
And right now, this oft-ignored hunter appeared to be assisting the Screaming Earl!
aning Poison was currently facing two experts at once.
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened: "What rank?"
Da Yi frowned: "Hot damn, sixth. But very strong."
Cheng Shi nodded, ntally elevating the situation's severity another notch. He asked simultaneously: "What on earth did she do to earn this kind of beating?"
"That's... complicated. I only heard that Poison snatched away a target Gongyang Jiao had been watching for a long ti. As for how she snatched it, or where it went — no idea.
"Lao Hu's seen that woman. Good looking. He said Gongyang Jiao might not be hunting this ti — could actually be serious. I didn't believe it at the ti, but watching Gongyang's ferocity now, I'm starting to buy it.
"Not that it matters anymore. She's been snatched away with no trace left. No wonder he's clobbering Poison so enthusiastically.
"Hot damn, [Corruption] really is a ss."
"?"
Cheng Shi's head was spinning with question marks after that info dump.
'Wait, big guy, I'm confused. Can you elaborate?'
'The woman you're talking about — you an a different woman, not Poison?'
'Huh? Poison stole the Screaming Earl's woman right out from under him?'
"..."
[Corruption] was indeed a ss...
This side was deep in conversation; that side, deep in combat.
Just as the two were still assessing the situation — BOOM! A blood-spraying figure was hurled from the battle zone, crashing heavily into the snow not far from Cheng Shi and Da Yi.
Looking at the battered, bloodied Poison casting pitiful, pleading eyes their way, Cheng Shi chuckled and closed his eyes.
But Poison wasn't discouraged. She imdiately targeted Da Yi instead. This ti, she wasted no effort on expressions and simply said with a smirk:
"Save . I know where the Gift of Sores is."
The words had barely landed before Da Yi leapt in front of Poison, blocking the pursuing Gongyang Jiao.
And Cheng Shi's eyes snapped open, gleaming with excitent. He raised a hand, summoned a healing spell, and smiled:
"Talk first. Heal second. Fair and square."
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