"Holy shit, what kind of strength is that?"
"H-Heavenly Ranking third place!"
"Shadow Sword God? A hidden class?"
As Lu Ye instantly killed nine third-turn players from Qingfeng Studio in a single move, the terrifying display of strength left the remaining Qingfeng players utterly questioning their lives.
The smug smile that had been plastered across Zhang Dong's face froze instantly.
How could he possibly have imagined, that among these two seemingly ordinary people, one of them was actually a top expert ranked third on Inferno City's Heavenly Ranking.
Inferno City was packed with guilds, noble families, studios, and clubs.
Qingfeng Studio was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg.
There was no way Zhang Dong could afford to offend a Heavenly Ranking third-place expert.
Even if this was just a game, he still had to consider the future of his studio. If he offended someone of this caliber, Qingfeng Studio probably wouldn't be able to survive in Inferno City anymore!
Zhang Dong hurriedly said to Lu Ye, "Great god, we were blind!"
"Y-You want Zhao Ling'er? Then take her! Please spare Qingfeng!"
As he spoke, Zhang Dong actually shoved Zhao Lingyun toward Lu Ye.
All that previous confidence and bravado, yet the moment danger appeared, the only thing Zhang Dong cared about was himself. He even pushed Zhao Lingyun out as a shield, trying to use her to resolve the crisis for him.
Zhao Lingyun had never liked Zhang Dong in the first place.
But at this moment, her heart went completely cold. She was utterly disappointed in him.
['Kill.']
"Kill."
As Mo repeated the remote command issued by his main body, he gave the order.
Gripping the Shadow Greatsword, Lu Ye charged toward Zhang Dong at high speed.
The fat on Zhang Dong's face trembled in fright.
"Stop him! Stop him for me!"
While ordering the studio members to intercept Lu Ye, Zhang Dong completely abandoned Zhao Lingyun and turned to flee by himself.
Clearly, he understood one thing very well: With the opponent being ranked third on the Heavenly Ranking, the mere dozens of people in his studio stood absolutely no chance against him.
If he could save himself, that alone would already be fortunate.
Unfortunately, the remaining twenty-some studio members couldn't even hold out for ten seconds.
Even without stacking the effects of his hidden class and talent, Lu Ye's raw base strength alone was more than enough to crush players at Qingfeng Studio's level.
Accompanied by a continuous chorus of miserable screams behind him, when Zhang Dong looked back while running, he was horrified to see that every single one of his subordinates had already been slaughtered.
At the same time, Lu Ye pursued him like a demon, closing in at terrifying speed.
Puchi!
The blood-soaked greatsword pierced straight through Zhang Dong's body.
A massive critical hit of 16,588 damage instantly killed Zhang Dong on the spot.
Eyes wide open, Zhang Dong stared at Lu Ye in disbelief.
The next second, he dropped to his knees with a thud before transforming into a beam of white light and disappearing.
Zhao Lingyun felt not the slightest bit of pity for Zhang Dong's death.
At this moment, however, her gaze remained fixed on Lu Ye in a daze.
'So this is what a top expert in the world of Divine Oracle looks like?'
'If I had this kind of strength too, I could use Divine Oracle to prove my worth. I wouldn't have to live like a tool anymore.'
After eliminating all the obstacles from Qingfeng Studio, Lu Ye stepped aside and yielded the stage.
Because his role, as he saw it, was simply to be a sword that removed every obstacle in Mo's path.
At this moment, Mo walked up to Zhao Lingyun.
Then said to her, "You want to prove yourself."
"Form an alliance with me. I can help you prove your value and let you live a life far more meaningful than the one you have now."
Zhao Lingyun looked up at Mo, and a powerful flicker of hope flashed through her eyes.
But in the next instant, it turned into disappointment.
She shook her head, "You can't help me..."
"No one can help me..."
"My life is already destined to stay this way..."
After speaking, Zhao Lingyun turned around absentmindedly and left.
———
[Meanwhile, Inside Inferno City]
Lin Mo was observing everything that had just happened outside the city through shared vision with his clone.
After learning what had happened, Ning Xi put herself in Zhao Ling'er's shoes, but there was one thing she couldn't understand.
"This Qingfeng Studio doesn't seem particularly powerful, and Zhao Ling'er clearly doesn't genuinely like this Zhang Dong either."
"When she obviously has better options, why is she still willing to remain trapped inside this cage?"
Lin Mo immediately saw through the truth, "Because what's truly binding Zhao Ling'er isn't Zhang Dong, nor Qingfeng Studio."
"Brother Lin Mo, you mean... there's an even bigger force behind Zhang Dong and Qingfeng Studio pushing all of this?"
Recalling the brief moment earlier when he had met Zhao Ling'er's eyes through the clone's shared vision, Lin Mo said, "There was light in Zhao Ling'er's eyes. Even if it only lasted for a fleeting instant, it was enough to prove she was moved for a moment."
"She's desperate to prove herself so she can escape her family's control. Faced with a situation where Lu Ye alone could wipe out all of Qingfeng Studio, there's no possible reason she would reject Lu Ye's invitation, because following Lu Ye offers far greater proof of her worth than staying with Zhang Dong."
Lin Mo continued, "So the only possibility is that above Qingfeng Studio, there's an even larger force suppressing her. What Zhao Ling'er fears isn't Zhang Dong or Qingfeng, she fears the stronger backer behind them."
"She's afraid that even with my clone and Lu Ye's strength, we still wouldn't be able to oppose that greater force, and that in the end she'd only drag us down with her."
Through the clone's shared vision, Lin Mo watched Zhao Lingyun hurriedly returning to the city, clearly intending to reunite with Zhang Dong.
Lin Mo muttered, "Looks like if I want to recruit Zhao Ling'er, I'll first have to remove the mountain truly weighing down on her."
When it came to professional work, you needed a professional.
And Ning Fei excelled most at this kind of thing.
"I'll investigate Qingfeng Studio and find out who's backing them."
Before taking action, however, Ning Fei still had one lingering question.
"Brother-in-law, there's something I don't understand."
"Of course, I'm not trying to belittle or look down on her or anything. I also know that if Zhao Ling'er caught your attention, she definitely must have something extraordinary about her."
Ning Fei asked in confusion, "But on the surface, she really is a talentless player, and her strength is pretty average too. She's nowhere near that hidden-class player from earlier, the Shadow Sword God Black Night."
"Inferno City is filled with experts. If you want to recruit strong people, I can help screen targets for you."
"But brother-in-law, why are you going through so much trouble just to recruit Zhao Ling'er?"
Lin Mo didn't explain much.
He only said one sentence to Ning Fei, "Zhao Ling'er's potential far surpasses Black Night's."
Hearing those words, Ning Fei eyes widened.
He asked no further questions.
His gaze instantly turned resolute.
"Alright!"
"No problem!"
"Leave it to me, brother-in-law!"
"Give me ten minutes!"
After saying that, Ning Fei immediately logged off.
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