Chapter 43.1 – Bloody Ferrara (15)
◎ The Big Star and the Little Bodyguard ◎
“Flag coordinates refresh.”
“Here are the remaining flag coordinates: (324, 865, 101), (779, 1023, 55), (1356, 954, 321).”
“Flag coordinates refresh.”
“Here are the remaining…”
…21:12, outside Mirror Lake.
After the appearance of the first flag, in just a moment, it seemed as though a battle horn had been sounded within Mirror Lake. The smell of gunpowder grew stronger, and the system announcements kept refreshing. All areas were in full bloom, with one team killing mutant zombies only to be killed and have their flag taken by the next. Similar atrocities repeated continuously, and flag ownership changed hands frequently.
Some crystals even changed ownership more than a dozen times in just a few minutes.
Song Ke and Xu Xing continued running without a break, stopping at a distance from Mirror Lake. The backup drone closely followed, circling around her, afraid of losing her again.
Both of them were covered in dirt, desperately in need of cleaning, but the only nearby water source was Mirror Lake, which had already been completely contaminated by the water monster’s corpse. Song Ke had no intention of turning back, so she thought for a moment and took out an empty bucket from her necklace space.
“Xiaoxing, release some, powers.”
“Huh? Okay.”
Xu Xing scratched his head, responding with confusion. Thud, thud, several ice shards as thick as small arms fell directly through the bottom of the bucket.
Song Ke: “…”
Xu Xing innocently blinked his eyes. He didn’t do it on purpose, and he wasn’t a water-based awakener, so he definitely couldn’t release a drop.
“No, release some, snow,” Song Ke said helplessly.
“Oh, I see!” Xu Xing suddenly realized.
This time, he carefully controlled his powers and piled a neat little snow mountain in the bucket. The two of them used the cool ice and snow to wipe their faces and bodies, finally getting rid of the disgusting slime.
“Sister, thank you for saving me.” Xu Xing still had lingering fear from the moment he was almost swallowed by the water monster. His tone was soft, and his gaze was affectionate as he thanked Song Ke. His sister was really good; in that situation just now, she didn’t leave him behind and run away.
“You’re a com, companion, it’s what I should do.” Song Ke patted his head.
“By the way, I…” Song Ke thought of something, but before she could continue, her expression froze.
There were faint footsteps coming from the woods; someone was approaching.
The newcomer didn’t hide or conceal themselves and boldly appeared from behind them.
“Chatting in a place like this isn’t a good choice, you know~”
A gracefully proportioned woman gradually took shape. She wore a half black mask that covered the upper half of her face, leaving only her rosy and plump lips and her beautifully curved chin visible. Her chestnut-colored wavy hair was tied into a ponytail, piled loosely behind her head. Even if her face couldn’t be clearly seen, her overall demeanor exuded an irresistible charm.
Behind the woman, a tall man in an all-black combat suit, like a ghostly knight, silently acted as her shadow, protecting her.
The moment Song Ke recognized her, she immediately reacted—this woman was Lin Youyou!
“We meet again,” Lin Youyou greeted first.
Song Ke didn’t respond. Under the brutal rules of the Battle Royale, she wouldn’t easily trust anyone unless they were her companions.
Lin Youyou smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous. Since neither of us has a flag now, can’t we have a peaceful conversation?”
Song Ke hesitated for a while and then asked, “What, what do you want, want to talk about?”
“Are you interested in cooperating with us?”
Song Ke was taken aback. Cooperation again?
During the incident at Luli Port, Lin Youyou didn’t gain much advantage because of the presence of Zhuang Qingyan, who was very cunning. She only exchanged for the “useless” crystal. However, from Lin Youyou’s perspective, she had come for the crystal in the first place, so she didn’t actually suffer a loss. Now, with only herself and Xu Xing, Song Ke was very self-aware that she must be the one who’d suffer.
She shook her head vigorously, saying, “I’m, I’m not interested.”
“Don’t reject so quickly. How about you hear the conditions first?”
Lin Youyou dangled a tempting offer, “We team up to snatch two crystals, and then we each take one. How does that sound?”
Because of her guarded stance, Song Ke was particularly clever at this moment and countered with a clear thought, “Why should, should I team up with, with you?”
“You’ve seen it yourself. Both our teams only have two people, and compared to those fully formed teams, our combat power is seriously lacking. Even if we can kill mutant zombies, we’ll soon be hunted down, surrounded. The risk is just too great.”
Lin Youyou wasn’t making empty promises. She was purely a support-type awakener. Although her awakener level was high, she could only rely on Su Cha to make moves in crystal snatching. On the other hand, Song Ke and Xu Xing were both highly offensive awakeners, one specializing in close combat and the other in long-range attacks. Their attack methods were vastly different, and if they were dispersed and besieged, they would be at a disadvantage.
The best solution was for the two teams to form an alliance, join forces to seize the crystals, and in terms of both numbers and combat power, it would be a qualitative leap.
Song Ke still shook her head, saying, “Crys, crystals are very, very important to you.”
Lin Youyou had once abandoned an A-level mission for the sake of a crystal. Why should Song Ke believe that she wouldn’t turn against her for crystals in the future?
Lin Youyou’s eyes dimmed slightly, and some obscure emotions flickered across her gaze. “Yes, but I want to advance. Winning is more important to me.”
Lin Youyou’s captivating eyes looked at Song Ke. “I thought we had some basis of trust due to our previous interactions?”
Song Ke didn’t show anything on her face, but inside, she had her doubts and reservations.
What basis of trust? With a big liar like Zhuang Qingyan in front of her, how could she dare to trust others casually?
Lin Youyou observed her expression and then dropped a bombshell, “How about this? You take the crystal first. Does that work for you?”
“That’s it, little sister. I’m really sincere, and with so many drones watching, you don’t have to worry about me deceiving you.”
Song Ke struggled and hesitated for a while, then turned to Xu Xing to discuss. Finally, she reluctantly nodded, “Alright.”
As Lin Youyou had suggested, the success rate of four people working together was evidently higher, and she could take the crystal first. It seemed like she couldn’t lose… She hoped she wouldn’t lose. She decided to trust the beautiful sister one more time.
After reaching a preliminary agreement for cooperation, the four of them moved together, but Song Ke and Xu Xing still maintained a certain distance from the other two.
Su Cha took the initiative to take on the role of scouting. He was extremely skilled at concealing himself, like a chameleon. If one wasn’t careful, he could completely disappear into the darkness, blending in with the surroundings. Even if Song Ke kept a close eye on his whereabouts, it took her a while to locate his true position.
Stealth, concealment, assassination, poisoning… Su Cha was truly in his element in the Mirror Lake environment. However, Song Ke had a new doubt. Why would someone like Su Cha team up with the famous star Lin Youyou and obediently follow her orders?
Whether it was snatching A-level missions or killing the zombie Zhang Lei, Su Cha didn’t hesitate to do whatever Lin Youyou told him to do.
Song Ke couldn’t help but be curious and, with little hope, she asked, “Why did you team, team up?”
“Hmm? Are you talking about Su Cha?” Lin Youyou’s lips curled slightly. “Strictly speaking, he’s my bodyguard.”
Song Ke’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement in her mind. Wow, a bodyguard! So, the big star from District C actually travels with a bodyguard?
“Are you surprised?” Lin Youyou teased her with interest. “Have you not secretly looked up my name after that day?”
Lin Youyou’s current appearance and disguise were completely different from what she showed in public. She had donned an anti-snooping mask, and even with drones around, someone like her, who wasn’t a popular player, wouldn’t be exposed as long as she didn’t foolishly shout, “I’m Lin Youyou.”
A faint blush spread across Song Ke’s cheeks, and she thought to herself: Not only did I look you up, but I also listened to your famous song “Thank You for Loving Me” many, many times. I almost know the lyrics by heart.
Lin Youyou seemed to find her reaction exceptionally cute and giggled.
“It’s okay to tell you,” Lin Youyou said casually, “To put it simply, Su Cha was in a very desperate situation for a while, as pitiful as a stray little dog. Since I’m kind-hearted, I took him in and even paid him a salary. Naturally, he’s responsible for protecting me.”
Song Ke’s voice was small as she asked, “But, but he listens to, to you so obediently.”
Lin Youyou casually twirled her ponytail with her finger and said, “Isn’t it normal for a stray little dog that’s been picked up to be loyal to its owner?”
Little dog… owner…
Song Ke choked and was left speechless. What kind of simple and bizarre metaphors did Lin Youyou come up with?
Up ahead in the shadows, Su Cha’s steps momentarily paused as he glanced in their direction. It was evident that he had heard the famous star’s description of him. However, his expression remained unchanged as he calmly accepted his new nickname.
Lin Youyou stifled a laugh, lightly tapping Xu Xing’s head with her delicate fingertips. “And you, you like clinging to your sister, don’t you?”
Xu Xing subconsciously nodded on the side. Yes, he did like sticking close to his sister.
Wait a minute, was this lady calling him a little dog too?! Annoying, just like Zhuang Qingyan! Xu Xing dared not voice his anger but secretly clenched his little canine teeth.
“Flag coordinates refresh.”
“Here are the remaining flag coordinates: (195, 773, 218)…”
Song Ke and Lin Youyou halted their conversation, their expressions startled. This newly refreshed flag was exceptionally close to them, almost right in front of their faces.
As this announcement appeared, there came a hoarse roar from the mountainside ahead. Could it be that the mutant zombie guarding the crystal flag was still alive?
Lin Youyou and Song Ke exchanged a glance and made a quick decision, “Quick, we might still be able to grab it!”
The four of them sprinted at full speed towards the flag coordinates.
Upon arriving at the mountainside, they indeed found a fierce battle still ongoing. Roughly estimating, there were three different groups of people present.
There was already one mutant zombie lying on the ground with its skull split open, and the crystal inside had been taken. However, there was still one alive, although it was barely hanging on, teetering on the brink of death.
“Quick, take action!” Lin Youyou urgently called out.
Now was not the time to be concerned about who got there first. Song Ke and Su Cha leaped into action almost simultaneously, rushing towards the center of the battle.
Xu Xing took the opportunity to release several ice shards to disrupt the other superpower users in the vicinity.
Song Ke drew her dual blades, and Su Cha’s dagger gleamed with a dark green light as they both aimed for the mutant zombie’s head.
All the awakeners were racing against time, bombarding the mutant zombie with their strongest attacks. Its condition rapidly deteriorated. Just at that moment, the stubborn zombie trembled all over, its body expanding several tens of times in size, and then it exploded with a “bang.”
“Get down!”
After the body exploded, body parts scattered in all directions, and a few sporadic pieces hit some of the awakeners. Shortly afterward, an unbearable stench filled the air, and a blood mist rose, enveloping everyone.
Song Ke’s line of sight was obstructed, so she had to rely on her memory to aim at the zombie’s head. Her long knife pierced the skull, and she twisted it. Huh, it was empty! The crystal had already been taken!
