Chapter 16 – Joining Forces to Eliminate the Traitor

When he heard that their target was Deadleaf, 2B set aside his lustful thoughts and became uncharacteristically serious.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: This might be tough. She and Xuanyuan are practically inseparable these days.

Fang Zheng facepalmed. Wasn’t this guy’s concern a bit misplaced? Normally, wouldn’t people hesitate due to lingering feelings or fear of ruining relationships? Though he had hoped to exploit the tension between 2B and Xuanyuan, he hadn’t expected such eager cooperation…

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: How about I distract Xuanyuan while you take her out?

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Brother, you read my mind!!

The wavelengths of these two schemers aligned perfectly.

Xuanyuan wasn’t someone easily taken down. Rather than charging headfirst into a tough battle, it was better to strike at his weak spot—taking out Deadleaf would not only achieve their goal but also piss off My Blood for Xuanyuan. Ah, perfection!

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Easy. I’ll whisper Xuanyuan and try to lure him away. You lie in ambush and wait for my signal.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: You can whisper him? Didn’t you block the entire Huaxia Dominion guild?

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: I can unblock him. No big deal. I’ll just block him again after we’re done.

Truly, the strength of the schemer lay in their shameless resilience.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Alright, it’s settled. I’ll scout their location.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: No need. I already unblocked him and sent a friend request. I’ll just ask him directly where he is.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: …

[Whisper] Mad Lad: I support you!

Three minutes later—

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: He’s still at the Great Wall.

Fang Zheng sighed. Xuanyuan truly was a magnanimous man.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Traitor Elimination Squad, move out!

In the blink of an eye, the Assassin and the Spirit Master arrived at Shanhai Pass. Though they called themselves a “squad,” the two didn’t party up—because Fighter Jet needed Xuanyuan to join his party. The key to their plan was breaking up Xuanyuan and Deadleaf’s party. Otherwise, no matter where Xuanyuan was, he’d see Deadleaf’s HP plummeting. Even if he couldn’t make it in time, the aftermath would be messy. The best strategy was to strike unseen.

Deadleaf and Xuanyuan were still sitting on the Great Wall, leaning against each other, a picture of serene beauty.

At max level, decked out in top-tier Orange-Tier Gear, with no new game updates in sight, these accounts had nothing left to pursue but sightseeing and romance.

This time, Fang Zheng didn’t dare get too close. He kept Mad Lad hidden on a distant hill, far enough that even if the couple stood up and spun around, they wouldn’t spot him.

Fighter Jet, however, strode boldly forward. Within moments, Xuanyuan left with him.

Deadleaf was left alone, gazing quietly at the vast sky.

A whisper from Fighter Jet popped up—

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Go! You’ve only got one round of a card game’s worth of time!

Fang Zheng grimaced, praying the guy wouldn’t play his aces too quickly.

Stealth!

Backstab!

Throat Seeker!

Frost Arrow!

Followed by a rapid Heartstab!

This time, Fang Zheng didn’t even give Deadleaf a chance to summon her pet. Every time she tried to cast, his skills interrupted her. Her HP bar plummeted, faster and faster, until it was completely empty!

So satisfying!

You’re the prettiest cloud in the sky~~ Why couldn’t you stay~~

Deadleaf couldn’t hear the tune in Fang Zheng’s heart—a great mercy for her.

Watching the Demon Refiner vanish in a flash of light back to the respawn point, Fang Zheng felt thoroughly pleased. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a glint on the ground.

Holy shit, she even dropped gear?!

In Huaxia, gear came in two types: bound and unbound. Dungeon drops were usually bound to the picker and couldn’t be traded again, while Open-World Map Boss or mob drops weren’t bound and could be freely traded or gifted. However, regardless of binding, there was always a chance for gear to drop when PK’d. But gear dropped from PK was different—it didn’t auto-bind. If the picker couldn’t use it, they could sell or trade it to someone who could. A brilliantly player-friendly system.

Deadleaf was top-tier, and so was her gear. The sparkling Snowfield Cloth Armor Chestpiece was a rare Orange-Tier Gear, significantly boosting Magic Attack and Magic Resistance while offering top-tier Physical Defense for cloth armor.

Fang Zheng had just pocketed the loot when Fighter Jet whispered—

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Done?

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Wow, your timing’s impeccable.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Bullshit. Xuanyuan blocked me.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: You blew your cover?

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: You just ganked his wife—of course he knows!

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Oh, whatever. Revenge is revenge.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Meh, not as satisfying as I thought.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Deadleaf’s Snowfield Chestpiece dropped.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: You—what?!

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Her top-tier set piece dropped?! And it’s the CHEST?!

A full set consisted of five pieces: chest, legs, bracers, greaves, and boots. The chest and legs were the most valuable.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Heh, know any cloth-armor classes?

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Hehehehe, I’ll find you a rich one…

The perk of a crowded server: no matter how expensive the gear, there was always a buyer.

Within ten minutes, the chestpiece was sold to a Spirit Master for 50,000 Huaxia Coins—about 500 RMB. It sounded like a lot, but compared to Mad Lad’s Perfect Desert Fortress Assassin Set, it was peanuts. The former could be crafted by players with the right blueprint—get lucky, and you might nail it on the first try. Materials might be hard to gather, but a few extra trips to the Snowfield Highlands would do it. The Desert Set, though? Whether for personal use or sale, it required weeks of grinding. The labor cost alone was staggering.

The two split the spoils 50-50 at Xiushui Street and were about to bond over life and dreams when a server-wide announcement flashed—

[Megaphone] My Blood for Xuanyuan: Effective immediately, Huaxia Dominion issues a server-wide bounty on 2B Fighter Jet and Mad Lad. All guild members are ordered to kill on sight. This is an official notice.

Pinned Announcements stayed up for five minutes unless replaced by a new one.

The World Channel, however, exploded.

[Huaxia] Unintentional Mistake: Oho, what’d that 2B do this time?

[Huaxia] Summit of Mount Tai: I always thought his guild exit was fishy. Claimed it was for guild honor, pfft. Who knows what shady shit he’s hiding!

[Huaxia] Suave Not Sleazy: Did he give Xuanyuan a green hat or something?

[Huaxia] Drink Till You Drop: Keep that talk in guild chat.

[Huaxia] Hu Yifei12138: Damn, the Five Peaks Pavilion Guild Leader and his Three Guardians gossiping together? What’s happening?!

[Huaxia] A’Fei: Lady, swearing won’t get you a man.

[Huaxia] Qin Moon: Newbie, huh? Bow before Huaxia Summit’s top gossip squad—the Love-Is-Hell Guild Leader, Sister Yifei.

[Huaxia] A’Fei: That’s one long title…

[Huaxia] Hu Yifei12138: Good boy, say it again.

[Huaxia] A’Fei: …

Amid the chaos, the bounty announcement was quietly pushed down.

[Megaphone] 2B Fighter Jet: Xuanyuan, no need to be so harsh.

The unexpectedly meek tone stunned the crowd. Someone couldn’t resist spending 0.1 RMB to chime in—

[Megaphone] Hu Yifei12138: 2B, since when did you become a weak bottom?

Sister Yifei’s megaphone didn’t last long before being replaced.

[Megaphone] My Blood for Xuanyuan: Effective immediately, Huaxia Dominion issues a server-wide bounty on 2B Fighter Jet and Mad Lad. All guild members are ordered to kill on sight. This is an official notice.

Clearly, Huaxia Dominion’s decision was final.

Fighter Jet abandoned his conciliatory tone—

[Megaphone] 2B Fighter Jet: Fine, I’ll wait for you to PK me. Don’t go easy like you did with Parrot—only leveled him down to 37. Take me to ZERO. Come on! Baby~~ Go hard~~

Even Fang Zheng wanted to punch him through the screen at this level of trolling.

Though 2B Fighter Jet was smug on megaphones, he wasn’t delusional. If even someone as sharp as Polly got leveled down to 37, he wouldn’t fare much better, even without Five Peaks Pavilion joining the fray.

But he didn’t regret it. He’d been stewing for ages—now that he’d vented, it felt amazing!

Besides, he had an ally.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: What now?

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Hm?

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: The moment we step out of the Marketplace Safe Zone, we’re getting PK’d.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Then don’t step out.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Dammit, hiding won’t work forever. We need a long-term plan.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: You handle it. Good luck!

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Hey, you’re not thinking of bailing now, are you?

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: Even if you run, you can’t escape! We’re in this together!

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Nah, I’m just a humble Power Leveler~~^_^

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet: GO DIE!!!!!!!!!!

……

The night they took down Deadleaf, Fang Zheng slept soundly. By noon, he woke up refreshed, even the sunlight outside looking like a fragrant fried egg.

Logging into Mirage Server, he found only one person online in his Friends List—perhaps too early.

To be fair, half of Milk is Mom’s Friends List consisted of business contacts—either clients or trade partners. The remaining 30% were players he’d partied with or met during events.

At least there was one person. Comforting himself, Fang Zheng naturally started pestering them—

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: What’s up?

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: What else? AFK vending.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Any business lately?

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Last sale was last month.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Damn, the month’s almost over. So you’ve just been sitting here starving?

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Don’t act like your business is booming.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Alright, let’s not make miserable people suffer more.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Wanna run a dungeon?

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Two people can’t run shit.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Heavenly Lake. Two can do it.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Pass. Boring.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: AFKing is even more boring.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Excuse me, AFKing IS my job!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Pretty sure your boss is bleeding money…

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: That cheap bastard pays peanuts. He’s rolling in cash.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Hey, I’ve always wondered—how much do you guys make a month? Can you share?

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Stop pretending. We’re in the same line of work.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: I’m a Power Leveler, but I don’t have a boss.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Huh?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: I earn for myself. No dependents.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Damn, you’re a solo Power Leveler?!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: I’d love to start a company, but no people, no funds.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Solo’s not bad. Leveling a char to max gets you 500-600 RMB. At four days per char, weekends off, you can do five chars a month. Plus, you flip mats and gear. Tsk, 3,000+ a month is white-collar territory.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: That’s white-collar? In Beijing, that won’t even buy half a square meter of housing.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: You’re in Beijing?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Northeast.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Then why the hell bring it up?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: The Northeast isn’t cheap either! Dalian, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin…

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: Just tell me where you are.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Small city. You’ve probably never heard of it.

[Whisper] Diamond Seller: I swear I’m gonna murder you…

After some idle chatter with his fellow grinder, Fang Zheng logged off Mirage Server, listless.

Truthfully, his peer overestimated him. The 3,000 RMB figure was for months when he was diligent—though he did have exceptional months hitting 4,000 or 5,000. Diligence usually coincided with his bank account nearing zero. As long as he had savings—like now, having just paid three months’ rent with enough left for two months of living—he tended to indulge in whims.

With nothing to do that afternoon, Fang Zheng took another nap.

He woke up at 5 PM, just as the sunset painted the sky.

Feeling fully recharged, he mustered the courage to log into Huaxia Summit. After a grueling 15-minute queue, Mad Lad’s silhouette slowly materialized on Xiushui Street.

2B Fighter Jet was offline. So was Wu Next Door. Disappointed, Fang Zheng closed his Friends List and stared at Mad Lad on the screen.

After a long pause, he exhaled deeply, as if making a weighty decision, and directed the little Assassin toward the Teleport Master.

Seconds later, Mad Lad arrived at the foot of Changbai Mountain.

A minute later, Mad Lad clutched his chest, gasping at Tiananmen’s respawn point.

The last shred of hope vanished. Fang Zheng fully grasped Xuanyuan’s resolve—Mad Lad wouldn’t be safe on Huaxia Summit for a while.

A shame? Absolutely. Seven days of sweat equated to labor costs. Had he spent those days farming mats in Huaxia Summit instead of leveling, he might’ve made 500-700 RMB. Instead, he was left empty-handed.

But… regrets?

No.

Real life was frustrating enough. Was he supposed to swallow shit in-game too? If he were starving, he might’ve endured. But with food and shelter secured? No way. Besides, Mad Lad was leveled from scratch—it had no irreplaceable social ties or top-tier gear in Huaxia Summit. To the client, its value lay solely in the familiar ID. That’s why Fang Zheng dared to go wild with it. Spending 500 RMB for catharsis was pricey, but when did women ever stay rational while shopping? Same principle.

Returning to Mirage Server, Mad Lad was still offline.

Fang Zheng killed time watching a movie, then grabbed dinner downstairs. By 8 PM, his client still hadn’t logged on. Left with no choice, he sent a text—

[The account Mad Lad (Huaxia Summit) you commissioned us to Power Level has reached max level. However, due to special circumstances, we advise against using it for now. We sincerely apologize. You may provide your bank details for a full refund—consider this Power Leveling free of charge. Alternatively, you may provide a new account for us to level to max at half price. If you insist on keeping the original ID, we recommend waiting a month before logging in. Once again, we deeply regret any inconvenience caused.]