"Hey, bro, why the hurry? You’re clearly a newbie. What will you do about the certain-death rule if you don’t have a veteran Player guiding you?"
The Player who had followed him shalessly tagged along.
Wang Linchi could tell with a single glance that this guy was up to no good. The na above his head, ’Community Broker,’ seed rather interesting.
"You actually didn’t give up, even after they exposed all your sches? Aren’t you afraid I’ll just deal with you right now?" This was a first for Wang Linchi, encountering soone so brazen and unafraid of death.
The other Player grinned cheekily and said, "What sches? If I were really up to sothing heinous, don’t you think they would’ve kicked out by now?"
"Not necessarily. What if you didn’t grease the right palms?" Wang Linchi replied sarcastically.
Just then, an icy wind swept past them. Wang Linchi turned to see it originating from the end of the corridor. This startled the Community Broker, who was visibly frightened by the chilling gust.
"I’m heading to the fourth floor. Are you coming?" Wang Linchi asked.
At these words, the Community Broker’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t expected Wang Linchi to actually intend to go higher.
Players on the third floor were already scarce as hen’s teeth, and this guy was going to the fourth? Wasn’t he afraid of being killed by the certain-death rule?
He could only manage a strained chuckle. "I think I’ll pass. I still have so things to..."
Before he could finish, Wang Linchi clapped a hand onto his shoulder.
"Since you’re already here, you wouldn’t want to go back so soon, would you?" Wang Linchi’s voice bood in his ear, making the Community Broker’s face turn pale.
This wasn’t just a tough custor; this guy was a lunatic! A very powerful one, at that. He had walked right into this madman’s grasp and was now going to be used as cannon fodder.
"I... I’m content. A man must know his limitations. I’m just not cut out for the fourth floor." The Community Broker tried to break free from Wang Linchi’s grip, but to his despair, he realized he couldn’t.
"No, no, no. People are pushed to their limits. If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never know your true Potential." As he spoke, Wang Linchi dragged the Community Broker towards the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
"It’s a sha the elevator isn’t working. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be great to go straight to the thirty-third floor?"
Regret tinged Wang Linchi’s voice. Only then did the Community Broker realize he was dealing with a top-tier Player who intended to conquer Building Thirteen. He wanted to slap himself. How could he have thought of extorting soone like this?
"Brother, Sir, Master, I was wrong! Please, spare my life! I’ll give you anything you want!"
"I have elders and children to support! If I die, my whole family will starve!"
"I’m only doing this because I have no choice! Please, spare this once!" The Community Broker began to beg. Since he couldn’t win by force, he naturally resorted to pleading.
"Ah, you still don’t understand the greater good, do you? If you die with , yes, your family will suffer. But if I succeed in taking down Building Thirteen, think about how many families you’ll have saved! That would be a great rit. You could die with no regrets." Wang Linchi didn’t buy his family sob story; he countered by appealing to a higher cause.
"As the saying goes, ’Every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country.’ Today, I’ll just borrow your ’common man’ services."
While speaking, Wang Linchi had already dragged the Community Broker onto the staircase to the fourth floor, causing the broker to struggle even more fiercely.
Stepping onto the fourth floor, Wang Linchi felt the air grow damp, making him frown.
"Get down, quick! Starting from the fourth floor, you’ll suffer the debuff from the Evil Qi invasion! Once it accumulates to ten layers, the certain-death rule will activate! Damn it! Are you insane? Why did you drag into this?!" the Community Broker roared. He wanted to retreat, but Wang Linchi held him in an iron grip.
"Because I need cannon fodder, of course. And you delivered yourself to my doorstep," Wang Linchi stated bluntly.
The Community Broker’s anger froze on his face. Indeed, if he hadn’t been greedy, this wouldn’t have happened.
"Wait, where are you going?" Before he could react, he found Wang Linchi dragging him onward, apparently towards the stairwell at the end of the corridor.
The hospital’s stairs weren’t continuous; they were staggered. The odd-numbered floors were on the left corridor, and the even-numbered ones were on the right. Therefore, each ti one went up a floor, it involved crossing the entire level. The danger lay in this very crossing.
As they advanced, the Community Broker’s complexion grew increasingly pale, and he seed to have lost the strength to struggle. Wang Linchi observed that the Evil Qi in the air was invading his body, comprehensively reducing his attributes and inflicting negative status effects.
"No... Let go... quickly," the Community Broker said Weakly. He had never been to the fourth floor, but Wang Linchi looked completely at ease, clearly a top-tier Player. Why hadn’t he seen him on the leaderboards?
Upon entering the stairwell, the oppressive Evil Qi intensified, causing nurous grueso, crack-like wounds to appear on the Community Broker’s body, from which a cold, viscous fluid oozed.
Wang Linchi reached out and touched the fluid. It actually tried to burrow into him, but he casually flicked it away. Is it alive? Wang Linchi sensed sothing was off about this substance.
He instantly understood. The hospital and the Dean weren’t using their full strength. This Building Thirteen alone possessed such strange power; the other buildings must have similar capabilities.
So, this is all an act? Wang Linchi found it incredible. These Old Silver Coins were each more cunning and insidious than the last. I despise these kinds of sches. Why can’t everyone just lay their cards on the table...
The hospital and the Dean’s machinations were likely aid at the Ga System, not Wang Linchi. In truth, Wang Linchi himself wasn’t particularly valuable to them. His only notable trait was his imnse destructive power. However, this power was not only impossible to replicate but also posed a threat to them. Therefore, the best strategy was to trick Wang Linchi into causing trouble for their adversaries, rather than trying to eliminate him.
"Are you alright?" Wang Linchi glanced down. The Community Broker looked like he was about to collapse. The Evil Qi within him had completely destroyed his Player Character, revealing his human body beneath. This was probably due to his Player Character not being strong enough.
Of course, if he could have connected to the Ga System, this wouldn’t have happened. Unfortunately, they were inside the hospital’s Building Thirteen, where there was no network connection. He could only rely on his own local area network—his Player Character.
"You... you’ll die a horrible death..." the Community Broker cursed, his voice Weak, like a final, fleeting breath.
"No problem. You go first. If I die later, I’ll try to find you." As Wang Linchi said this, the Community Broker breathed his last. The na of his Player Character vanished.
If the local area network ford by a Player Character couldn’t connect to the Ga System, it relied on the Player themselves. If the Player died, the Player Character would naturally dissipate.
So, this is how the certain-death rule works.
This ans the hospital either evolved or always possessed the ability to kill Players. So why didn’t they use it?
Wang Linchi quickly grasped the principle. When other Erroneous Sins killed Players, they attacked the superficial Player Character. So, even if the Player Character died, the Player themselves wouldn’t be affected. The Ga System would retrieve the Player and then reconstitute them—the resurrection process.
However, the Evil Qi in Building Thirteen tore through the protective outer layer of the local area network, directly attacking the human Player within. Once the Player died, their Player Character would naturally disintegrate.
Is it because they can only affect local area networks for now? Wang Linchi stepped onto the fifth floor. The entire level was severely warped, presenting a horrifying sight, and the Evil Qi was even thicker.
Players connected to the network and those who weren’t operated at completely different power levels. The Ga System could indirectly intervene for the forr, while the latter had to rely solely on themselves. No matter how strong Building Thirteen was, it couldn’t overpower the Ga System.
That’s a possibility. But given how this group always has multiple backup plans and engages in constant scheming, they might have already overco this limitation. Perhaps there’s a much grander plot, and they can’t afford to reveal these trump cards yet.
Wang Linchi naturally had an idea what that plot might be. What else could it be but to seize the Ga System?
As for how they planned to do it, Wang Linchi had no idea. He had only just arrived, possessed no data or intelligence, and had barely gotten involved. If he could figure all that out, he wouldn’t need to explore Building Thirteen; he could just use this information asymtry to his advantage and reap the benefits.
Coming here was certainly dangerous, but Wang Linchi was prepared. If he couldn’t win a fight, couldn’t he at least run?
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