Volume 1, Chapter 34: Return to Reality

The next moment, the red-dressed phantom not far from Qin Shang also zoomed off in pursuit.

Its target was the Officer.

After the main quest of the [Death Train] concluded, these two guys had tried to kill him to loot his gear. Qin Shang had long since held no good feelings toward them; it would be best if they died.

If they died, so be it...

If there was anyone in this game he felt any fondness for, it was perhaps that NPC, "Grandpa Niu."

He wouldn't get the chance to see the "Eagle of Justice" die, though.

He clicked his tongue in regret, glancing at the black cross dropped beside the corpse of the elderly priest.

This must be an item as well. Just moments ago, the priest had used it with a single [Purification] move to beat back his "Cursed Red Dress." It looked like a decent treasure. With a flick of his mind, Qin Shang carefully picked it up, stowing it into his inventory without having time to inspect it.

Immediately after, before he could move further, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.

He winced, subconsciously looking at the wound on his waist.

That kick from the priest earlier must have utilized a skill exclusive to the Priest class...

A large area of his waist was severely burned.

If he brought an injury like this back to reality, Qin Shang figured he would need surgery.

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered that he had inherited the skills of the "Big Sister" Physician player.

[Heal (Countdown: 26 seconds)]

[Skill Description: Capable of healing all external injuries; healing speed depends on the severity of the wound.]

There were only 26 seconds left before exiting the instance...

"Let's see what a Physician's skill can do!"

With that thought, Qin Shang activated the character card skill.

In an instant, he felt a warm, life-giving aura wash over his wound, making his entire waist tingle. His damaged cells seemed to be infused with new vitality, and his spirit felt as if it had been purified. Large swaths of flesh were regenerating before his eyes.

Qin Shang felt a sense of refreshing clarity from head to toe.

Just as he touched his waist, feeling the incredible sensation of his flesh and blood reforming, an electronic notification sounded in his ears.

[Ding! Countdown finished. Congratulations on clearing the instance.]

[{Decipher} countdown 00:00, usage time ended. {Heal} countdown 00:00, usage time ended.]

The next moment, the world before Qin Shang shifted once more, a bright light piercing through the darkness.

Then, the world transformed like rippling water, replacing the train carriage with a space just as cramped.

However, the clean white wallpaper on the ceiling and the bright, steady light declared that the young man had finally returned alive.

Everything was quiet and peaceful; the stench of rot was gone from the air, replaced by a faint, clean fragrance.

This was his own room...

"I've finally made it home!"

"It feels just like a dream..."

Qin Shang looked at his surroundings, gave a wry grin, and glanced down at his waist.

The bloody, gaping wound was gone.

The [Physician Class: Heal] skill must have worked.

However, the hem of his casual shirt was torn, shaped exactly like a size 42 footprint.

"Damn it, 'Buddha Saves the Fated,' that old bastard deserved to die!"

"The old man looked so kind and benevolent, who knew he was a cold-blooded killer?"

"In this place called the God Road, human rights and human lives are like a joke. If I hadn't used my head, I really would have been done for..."

Although his physical wound had healed, his nerves hadn't quite caught up, and the memory of the injury remained vivid.

His subconscious nerves still thought there was a wound there, and his waist felt a bit numb...

This indirectly showed how ruthless the priest’s kick had been.

If he hadn't had the "Big Sister" class skill as a safety net, he might have been teleported out as a corpse.

Qin Shang winced and took a sip of water to calm his nerves, then cursed the scoundrel for trying to cross the river and burn the bridge—he didn't deserve any sympathy.

He picked up his phone and checked the time.

A day and a night had passed.

It had been exactly thirty-six hours since he first entered the God Road.

The timing matched; fifteen hours ago, he had just been teleported in.

He went in at night and came out during the day.

The passage of time in the God Road seemed to be the same as in reality!

As soon as Qin Shang thought of this, he felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion wash over his spirit, as if he hadn't rested for three days and three nights.

After a night of terror on the train, it was already bright outside.

Even though it was daytime, he was too tired.

It felt just like pulling an all-nighter.

And that was exactly the case; whether it was the first round, the second round, or the time he spent browsing the forums in between, he had gone thirty-six hours without rest.

Sleepy... it was only natural!

But before drifting off, a pair of bright eyes appeared in his mind.

The gaze filled with pleading as he faced death...

"Actually, being able to come out alive this time, I owe a thanks to the God-slayer 'Grandpa Niu'..."

With that thought, Qin Shang picked up his phone and bought a plane ticket to Yanjing for tomorrow.

He then sent a text to his good friend, Xu Mingyang, asking him to pick him up at the airport.

After receiving a prompt "ojbk" reply from Xu Mingyang, he felt his eyelids grow heavier. With his physical and mental strength pushed to the limit, Qin Shang could no longer hold on and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

...

Meanwhile, at the Yanjing Public Security Bureau.

A middle-aged man in a tattered uniform, still stained with dried blood, knocked on a door in the corner of the office building, his face ashen with anxiety.

Inside the office sat a young man in a crisp white suit, as if he lived in a different dimension.

The dust floating in the air didn't affect his appearance in the slightest; his clothes looked snow-white and brand new no matter how long he wore them.

When he looked up and saw the middle-aged man enter, he was slightly taken aback.

"'Eagle of Justice,' is that you?"

A rare trace of surprise colored his tone.

"You made it out of the instance?"

The young man's handsome chin lifted slowly; this was the first time he had taken his eyes off the screen in front of him.

He looked at his subordinate, the "Eagle of Justice."

Clearly, seeing the "Eagle of Justice" return alive and unharmed from the [Death Train] was far beyond Mr. Yin's expectations.

The fact that the young man had an independent office in an official institution like the Public Security Bureau made it clear that his status was not low.

Hearing this, the "Eagle of Justice" wore an uncertain expression, then gritted his teeth and said in a low voice:

"Leader, we can discuss the walkthrough later. I have something important to report."

"Actually, inside the instance, I ran into someone who called himself 'Licking Cockroach Jade Feet.' He was the Trickster in our party. I remember you mentioning this ID to me before—it's a God Road player who is supposed to be dead..."

Mr. Yin, whose expression had remained as calm as a frozen pond, froze upon hearing these words.

Then, his face changed drastically.

It was as if "Eagle of Justice" had mentioned a forbidden word!

"Who!?"

His tone was filled with disbelief.

This was the first time "Eagle of Justice" had seen this unflappable Mr. Yin show such shock.

He swallowed hard and repeated the nickname.

"Licking Cockroach Jade Feet!"

To be honest, he had thought that after clearing the instance, with the background of himself and the veteran player "Buddha Saves the Fated," taking down "Cockroach Jade Feet" would be a sure thing.

Who could have predicted that the kid had so many cards up his sleeve?

Heaven knows what method he used to lure the second-round boss over.

"Buddha Saves the Fated," a level 2 priest, was sacrificed on the spot.

If it hadn't been for his own good luck and the fact that the countdown had already started when he entered the second carriage, the "Eagle of Justice" would likely have perished on the [Death Train] as well.

Oh, no—to be precise, he would have perished at the hands of that kid, "Licking Cockroach Jade Feet."

So, after leaving the instance, "Eagle of Justice" didn't even care about eating or resting.

He desperately wanted to know about this ID.

If it wasn't as "Buddha" had guessed—that the guy was just some thief using a stolen account—then something was very wrong.

Before his second round in the instance, Mr. Yin had clearly stated that the player "Licking Cockroach Jade Feet" was already dead...

"Impossible!"

The next moment, his superior stood up abruptly, an invisible pressure flooding the office—the aura of someone in power.

A massive wave of pressure surged forth, and Mr. Yin stared at the "Eagle of Justice" with bloodshot eyes.

It was the first time "Eagle of Justice" had seen the high-ranking Mr. Yin lose his composure like this!

"I suggest you'd better not use this ID to joke with me. If you want to know about that player, your clearance level is not high enough yet."

"But I can tell you clearly and unequivocally..."

"That person called 'Licking Cockroach Jade Feet' is dead. It is absolutely impossible for you to have encountered him in the [Death Train] instance."

Hearing this, the "Eagle of Justice's" face turned pale and red in turns.

He was only a Level 1 Martial Artist, while Mr. Yin was rumored to have become a God Road player ten years ago.

In terms of seniority and strength, he didn't even reach a tenth of his superior’s.

Provoking him would do no good.

However, there was an explicit rule for official personnel:

In the game, one must never attack an innocent player.

This was the bottom line set by the authorities to restrain super-powered individuals like them.

Therefore, even with the mission stating that Tricksters were public enemies, ordinary Officer players would not easily attack a Trickster upon entering an instance.

But if they did strike, they would ensure the target's demise.

The matter must never be exposed...

If "Licking Cockroach Jade Feet" had died during the settlement phase, the "Eagle of Justice" wouldn't have worried about the truth coming out. After all, the only ones who made it out alive were himself and the elderly priest.

Whatever happened, wouldn't it be up to the two of them to fabricate a story?

Whatever they said would become the truth.

They could even claim that "Licking Cockroach Jade Feet" had colluded with the God-slayer to harm all the players in the instance!

But... the most critical problem was this:

"Licking Cockroach Jade Feet" was not dead.

Because he wasn't dead, the truth couldn't be buried.

And the "Eagle of Justice" had exposed his identity as an official player.

Heaven knows if "Cockroach Jade Feet" would eventually reveal the truth.

If he were alive and eventually came into contact with Mr. Yin or other official players, once the incident came to light, the "Eagle of Justice" would be as good as dead.

Moreover, before the second round began, "Eagle of Justice" had heard this ID from Mr. Yin himself.

No one could guarantee that "Licking Cockroach Jade Feet" and Mr. Yin weren't old acquaintances.

If they knew each other, his act of killing and looting would be even harder to hide.

So, after exiting the instance, the "Eagle of Justice" didn't dare rest for even a second.

If Cockroach Jade Feet wasn't dead, he was the one who was finished!

Furthermore, Cockroach Jade Feet knew his God Road ID; that was a handle!

A handle that could cost him his life!

In fact, the God Road did not forbid players from hunting Tricksters, those walking gold mines.

But the Chinese authorities did!

Once an official player was discovered to be wantonly harming other players—whether they were Tricksters or any other class—as long as those individuals had not threatened them in the God Road, they would be sentenced for intentional homicide...

The next moment, the "Eagle of Justice" gritted his teeth and said:

"Mr. Yin, may I ask, how did the Trickster you mentioned die?"

"All the other players in this instance were killed because of him. The Trickster colluded with the God-slayer, and I want to put out a bounty on him..."

He wanted to confirm whether the "Licking Cockroach Jade Feet" he met was just a petty thief who didn't even dare reveal his real ID, or someone else that Mr. Yin knew.

However, as soon as the word "bounty" was spoken, Mr. Yin's face turned icy cold, his anger reaching its peak.

"That is not something you are qualified to know."

"Get out!"