The sudden news interrupted their honeymoon-like moment. Li Xi and Duan Zhen exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking, but both sensing the gravity in each other’s eyes.
“It seems like they directly confronted Clemens in the final stage,” Li Xi said.
“Only one person survived,” Duan Zhen said, his tone heavy.
“Perhaps we should ask why that person survived,” Li Xi pondered for a moment, then turned to Duan Zhen. “I need to go back and see what he’s up to.”
“I’ll go with you,” Duan Zhen immediately offered. “My blood has a restraining effect on him.”
“No need,” Li Xi shook his head. “Nothing will happen. Your presence might only provoke his hostility.”
Duan Zhen furrowed his brow. “Last time he wanted to kill you.”
“I don’t remember,” Li Xi squinted. “Did he actually lay hands on me?”
Duan Zhen almost forgot that Li Xi’s memories were still sealed because Li Xi behaved so naturally, showing no difference from before. This made him forget about it, and he explained, “It was a while ago. You probably don’t remember now.”
Li Xi rubbed his chin. “It seems like a lot happened during that time.”
Initially, he thought having his memories sealed wasn’t a big deal, but now he felt that it was somewhat inconvenient.
Duan Zhen didn’t say anything. Actually, he secretly hoped Li Xi would regain his memories, but if Li Xi didn’t want to, he’ll act as if nothing happened and wouldn’t mention it again.
Now he was just silently nodding beside him.
“Never mind, I’ll take you back first,” Li Xi shook his head, not saying much. “Next time, I’ll bring you to see other places.”
“Li Xi,” Duan Zhen grabbed his hand, meeting his gaze. Then, he softened his tone. “You don’t have to shoulder everything on your own. Trust me.”
Li Xi was taken aback. “I didn’t…”
Duan Zhen reached out and tousled his hair, whispering, “You’re not alone anymore.”
After a momentary daze, Li Xi lowered his gaze, not saying anything, and simply led Duan Zhen back to their resting place.
Duan Zhen never let go of his hand, and Li Xi seemed to tacitly agree to his presence, walking forward in silence.
“Hey!” Not long after they left, they didn’t find Clemens, but two teenagers ran out from around the corner.
“Hest,” Li Xi nodded at the one who spoke. “Are you also here to find Clemens?”
“No, we’re here to find you,” Moduna said, glancing at Duan Zhen beside him. “You’ve probably received the message too. Clemens’ side has cleared the game.”
“Yes,” Li Xi’s face darkened slightly. “With his strength and personality, there’s no reason he would let one person escape. He must have another purpose.”
“What do you think he wants to do?” Moduna asked.
“How would I know?” Li Xi replied irritably. “Maybe he’s tired of this game.”
Hest blinked, half of his body pressing against Moduna’s, and grinned, “I think he wants you and this guy to split up quickly.”
“Allowing one person to clear doesn’t mean everyone’s game ends,” Li Xi frowned. “And what does it matter to him whether Duan Zhen and I are together or not?”
Hest gave him a knowing look. “You know Clemens’ attitude towards you. With his personality, not killing Duan Zhen directly already shows restraint.”
“… Don’t make it sound so weird,” Li Xi clicked his tongue. “I have no relationship with him whatsoever.”
With that, he said coldly, “If you have time to come here to sow discord, you might as well see if there are any new changes in the game after clearing it.”
“Not yet,” Moduna said. He smiled at Li Xi. “I checked immediately to make sure there were no problems before coming out.”
Li Xi insincerely commented to Hest, “You see, even though you look alike, he’s much more stable than you.”
Hest laughed. “You’re just trying to sow discord.”
He reached out to pull Moduna. “But our relationship won’t be affected by it.”
“Oh,” Li Xi responded indifferently.
After being interrupted by the two, the idea of finding Clemens immediately faded. Mainly because if the other party’s main purpose was really Duan Zhen, then whether he took Duan Zhen to find Clemens or let Duan Zhen stay alone, it wasn’t that safe.
He unceremoniously chased away the twins and leaned close to Duan Zhen’s ear, whispering softly, “Let’s go find Dan Zuo.”
They walked towards Dan Zuo’s room and happened to bump into him heading in the same direction. Upon seeing them, Dan Zuo quickened his pace.
“This time, the system has fully broadcasted. I’ve found its loophole,” Dan Zuo went straight to the point as soon as they met.
“Wait,” Li Xi raised his hand to stop him, pulling him into Duan Zhen’s room and setting up a soundproof barrier before speaking, “Walls have ears.”
He suspected that the twins didn’t want the game to end so soon. If they heard Dan Zuo’s plan, it would only increase the difficulty unnecessarily.
“I’ve found a backdoor into the system, although I can’t take control of it. However, while it remains undiscovered, I can change some settings,” Dan Zuo spoke rapidly. “At the same time, I’ve further narrowed down its location range. If there are a few more full broadcasts, we might be able to pinpoint its exact location.”
“If the full broadcast only happens when the tenth level is cleared, then the chances are too few,” Duan Zhen frowned. “Many people clear up to the eighth or ninth level before switching to other demon lord worlds. For them, advanced worlds are too dangerous.”
“But they won’t truly die,” Li Xi said. “However, we can’t confirm this, and no one would want to try.”
“No, there will always be someone,” Duan Zhen’s eyes flashed slightly as he spoke to Dan Zuo. “Can you remove the barrier between intermediate and advanced worlds? That way, we can team up with those who have cleared up to the ninth level and help them break through the tenth level.”
Dan Zuo lowered his head and operated his computer for a while before looking up. “Yes.”
Immediately, he pressed a few keys, and the computer screen filled with text, flashing rapidly. Then, the screen went black suddenly.
“It’s successful,” Dan Zuo said.
However, this computer was also scrapped because the system detected it.
Li Xi suddenly pulled him, and a surge of magic burst out, colliding with the invisible force in the air. The furnishings in the room were blown aside, and it seemed like a whirlwind wreaked havoc inside.
After a dozen seconds, everything returned to quietness.
“Is it the main system?” Duan Zhen asked.
He couldn’t see the aerial conflict, only the damaged items around them. But both of them were beside Li Xi and weren’t harmed at all. He faintly realized that it was Li Xi’s power, which made him feel unusually powerless.
“It wants to eliminate you,” Li Xi nodded, turning to Dan Zuo. “This time, I blocked it for you, but the main system has probably listed you as an anomaly.”
“The main system identifies people’s identities through smart wristbands,” Dan Zuo pushed his glasses up. “Next, I will research how to change the recognition code of the smart wristband.”
Although Li Xi didn’t quite understand, he had an intuitive feeling that this matter wasn’t simple.
“It’s best to complete it before the next game,” he said. “Otherwise, the main system will spare no effort to eliminate you in the game. If the next world you go to is the twins’ world, the danger will double.”
He suspected the twins would target Dan Zuo and directly kill him.
As they were speaking, the system suddenly broadcasted a new message to everyone’s smart wristbands.
[Due to unknown reasons, the rules of the test level have changed. Advanced members can team up with intermediate members to enter advanced levels. After successfully clearing, all members will have the same level.]
This was followed by a paragraph detailing the changes.
“The first step of preparation is complete,” Duan Zhen looked at the information on his smart wristband, squinting slightly.
Next, they would have to find members willing to take a chance on the ninth level.
“Coming to my world is the most appropriate,” Li Xi spoke up. “I’ll be the final boss, ensuring your safe passage.”
Maaan I’m worried :’cc
Thank you for reading
