Chapter 1669 - 423: I Am the Natural Disaster—What’s There to Fear? (Part 2)

Chapter 1669: Chapter 423: I Am the Natural Disaster—What’s There to Fear? (Part 2)

Unlike the happiness of the Black Snake, Yang Xiu has been under immense pressure recently.

As a legitimate player, he has been in Blissful Space for more than two years.

During this time, he occasionally goes offline.

For example, during trips to the Monster World, he would go offline under the pretense of exploring outside.

As for tasks like changing nutrient liquids, these have already been delegated to robots.

By subscribing to related services, robots will regularly come to replace them, so he doesn’t need to worry about whether the nutrient liquid needs changing.

To ensure his health, he even used sacrificial power to buy the latest game pod launched by the Moon Eclipse Clan that can automatically facilitate fitness.

So, the pressure isn’t from reality.

Instead, it comes from these brothers by his side who are born and die together.

As a legitimate player, he could have experienced the Death Space Dungeon with an entertainment mindset and returned to the Divine Hall Guild with a great amount of sacrificial power.

The boss always kept a spot for him in the assassination group.

The intense battlefield of the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range is his true place.

Initially, he thought so as well.

When he luckily drew the Death Space Key, his idea was simple: go to Ah Le, make a haul, and then return to the village.

To successfully clear the level and earn more sacrificial power, he relied on strategies hard-earned by forum players through blood and tears, disguising himself as an infallible "Wisdom" at the start and leading a group of innocent newcomers to grow quickly.

Back then, witnessing the admiring gazes of his teammates brought unprecedented satisfaction to his vanity.

Unlike the constant intrigue mentioned multiple times in the forums at the start, the teammates he encountered initially were all very sincere.

They would share their findings without reservation, and even at critical moments, use their lives to block attacks from the shadows for him.

They would risk their lives to complete tasks based solely on his decision.

Each time a companion fell, the sorrowful emotions revealed by other teammates were incredibly genuine.

Initially, he approached this with an almost game-like light-hearted mindset, while his teammates fought with all their might and staked their lives on every challenge.

Throughout their interactions, Yang Xiu realized he was changing.

He could no longer view his teammates as mere tools or virtual NPCs.

The decisiveness of Eagle Head, the bravery and boldness of Stone Statue, the admiring gaze of Black Snake... every figure was vividly imprinted in his heart.

The shift in perception breached the psychological barriers he had initially set.

When he began to truly regard these teammates as brothers fighting alongside him, the original "entertainment mindset" vanished completely.

In its place was a heavy sense of responsibility and mounting pressure.

During this period, forum strategies became increasingly insufficient.

The scenes updated by the Lord of Jile introduced many new elements.

Despite positioning himself as "Wisdom" initially, he still had to step forward and make decisions when facing difficulties.

He had no choice but to force himself to remain calm.

Melding the macro perspective he learned from the Divine King, the combat intuition honed through countless battles, and the inspiration sparked when pushed to the brink, he painstakingly carved a path through the darkness with the Life Soul Squad, ascending to Death City.

Since then, he found himself changed.

The way he handled problems shifted from instinctively opening forums for strategies to analyzing, judging, and even taking responsibility for wrong judgments.

In this way, by exploring and growing, he became the irreplaceable leader of the Life Soul Squad.

His abilities improved, and confidence was built during this process.

But along with this came deeper bonds.

Because every teammate was someone who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood with him.

From giving them the "Life Soul" code names to watching them evolve from inexperienced to reliable, their relationships far surpassed simple teammate alliances.

They were life-and-death comrades who could entrust each other with their backs completely.

Precisely because of this, he lost the joy he had as a legitimate player.

Every day, he thought about how to keep these brothers alive.

Lately, the competition in Death Space has become increasingly intense.

Exploring the unknown areas of the Monster World also bears ever-increasing risks.

Although the "Life Soul" Squad he led remains top of the charts, he knows in his heart that they are like dancing on the edge of a knife.

Crisis could descend at any moment.

He fears that a misjudgment on his part could lead his trusted teammates to an irredeemable fate.

He’s also afraid that this "disguised Jile player" will one day fail to protect these brothers who see him as their support.

Thinking of this, Yang Xiu recalled a teammate: Taunt.

True to his name, Taunt has a rather provocative mouth, but is agile, and the best reconnaissance soldier in the team.

His mouth, which never rests, always managed to break the tension at the most oppressive moments, allowing the team’s taut nerves to relax slightly.

During an exploration of unknown territory, they were ambushed.

A bizarre creature capable of lurking in shadows and launching spiritual spikes caught them off guard.

As the team’s core, he became the primary attack target of the ambushing entity.

When the intangible spiritual shrieks stabbed at his consciousness like poisonous needles, attempting to shatter his mind, he felt dizzy and experienced a moment of disorientation.

In that deadly moment, a figure suddenly crashed into him.

It was Taunt.

He used his body to block the path of the spiritual shock, throwing him aside.

When he regained his senses, he saw Taunt’s smile, his lips moving but producing no sound.

At that moment, Yang Xiu saw no hesitation or regret in his eyes, only a resolute nod.