Chapter 29: A Boss Fight Right After Entering the Dungeon?

Liu Xiong endured the agony and looked at Cao Yu, his voice trembling as he replied:

"Who... who exactly are you? What grudge do we have..."

"One more word of nonsense, and I’ll twist your head off."

Cao Yu said these chilling words with a smile. Friends who often commit murder while masked know that voice modulation is a highly practical skill; with practice, it can be mastered in just a few weeks.

At this moment, Cao Yu was wearing a Pikachu mask and using a raspy, low-pitched disguised voice, making it impossible for Liu Xiong to identify him in such a short time.

Elsewhere, Liu Xiong’s uncle, Liu Xuanyin, had already sensed the danger and backed away. Standing at a distance, he glared at Cao Yu and shouted a threat:

"Stop! How dare you! We are from the Sishan Liu family—how dare you raise a hand against us...!? Don't think that just because we’re in a dungeon, you’re safe. If you don't stop now, once we leave this instance, the Federation has plenty of ways to find you! Your entire family will pay with their lives!"

"Heh..."

Cao Yu couldn't be bothered to pay attention to such blustering threats. Why are dungeons always the perfect place for murder and looting? Because there are over two hundred thousand players.

Who has become a player, who failed to return from a dungeon—whether they died due to the dungeon’s hazards or player feuds—and who entered which dungeon at what time and killed whom... the Federation simply lacks the capability to investigate these matters. Consequently, they generally adopt a laissez-faire attitude toward murders within dungeons.

The Liu family, a minor clan in Sishan City, lacked the influence to interfere with the operations of the Sishan Special Affairs Bureau.

Cao Yu had concealed his identity; no one knew he had entered this dungeon. On the surface, he didn't even have a personal vendetta with Liu Xiong. The only potential snag was that Liu Xiong had once slandered him with snide remarks in their graduating class...

Meeting in the dungeon now was merely a coincidence. With such perfect conditions, Cao Yu didn't want to hold back for even a second.

He was going to kill him right now!

By the time the Liu family realized Liu Xiong was dead, launched an investigation, confirmed it was murder, ruled out all factions with actual conflicts of interest, and finally suspected him over a trivial dispute like "classroom slander"... he would, at the very least, be a seasoned D-rank player, if not already a C-rank.

By then, what would the Liu family amount to?

Cao Yu looked at Liu Xiong and asked once more, like a death sentence:

"How much is your life worth?"

"..."

Liu Xiong dared not spout any more nonsense. He forced himself to ignore the pain and replied with lightning speed:

"I’ve already used all my evolution points. Just help me leave this dungeon alive, and once I return home—"

*Squish.* Cao Yu didn't hesitate for a moment, stepping down and crushing Liu Xiong’s head.

Even if Liu Xiong had offered money today, he was going to die. And if he didn't have money... wasn't he even more deserving of death?

*Poor wretch.* Cao Yu cursed inwardly.

And this was considered a scion of a powerful family?

Fortunately, it wasn't a total loss—he had inherited the E-rank item named "Earth-Surging Stone Sword" from Liu Xiong. Although such an offensive item was of little use to him, he could always sell it.

The Meishan district, where he lived, hosted the largest player black market in the coastal regions. Even if the item were a hot potato, there would be no shortage of buyers in Meishan.

Even if he worried about the safety of the black market... well, there was always An Li, whose background was far from simple. Surely, a girl like her had access to secure channels for trading items.

"You... how could you!?"

Liu Xuanyin saw Cao Yu kill Liu Xiong, his eyes bulging—not from anger, but from pure terror.

To kill someone the moment the dungeon started, without any regard for the potential repercussions... how could there be such a madman!

Cao Yu turned his head to look at Liu Xuanyin.

"You threatened me just now, didn't you?"

"I..."

Liu Xuanyin retreated several steps. In his eyes, the smiling Cao Yu was as terrifying as a demon.

"How much is *your* life worth?" Cao Yu walked toward him. "I hope you’re a bit smarter than the one lying on the ground."

"No... don't come over!"

Liu Xuanyin was gripped by extreme fear. As a deadbeat player in his family, he had received no resource support, and his evolution points had long since been squandered. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been groveling to get Liu Xiong to carry him.

How could he possibly have the money to buy his own life?

In his desperation, he instinctively looked toward the other players. Following the habits bred by his pampered upbringing, he resorted to verbal threats:

"Are you just going to watch? I’m from the Sishan Liu family! If anything happens to me, none of you will get away! This guy is a lunatic! Quick, kill him together!"

No one paid him any mind. No one dared to attack Cao Yu.

"Seeking death!" Cao Yu lunged at Liu Xuanyin.

Liu Xuanyin abandoned his threats and fled toward the edge of the plaza. As an "Immortal" class player, he had completed all his E-rank evolutions, making him significantly faster than Cao Yu.

Seeing this, Cao Yu didn't skimp on his mental energy. He whispered, "Foul Wind Does Not Dissolve Bone," and activated his item.

"Superman" class players focus primarily on evolving their mental power at the E-rank and cannot compete with the other two classes in raw physical fitness. However, the gap at the E-rank is small. Supplemented by his items, Cao Yu—having already transformed into a zombie—quickly closed the distance.

"Bright Light Barrier!"

Liu Xuanyin activated his item. A translucent, radiant light emerged and converged into a spherical protective shield, encasing him.

This barrier not only provided defense but also emitted a blinding glare, functioning like a pure flashbang without the auditory disruption, stinging Cao Yu’s eyes so he couldn't keep them open.

However, in his zombie state, Cao Yu’s sense of smell was exceptionally keen to the scent of blood, allowing him to easily distinguish and track his prey.

He kept his eyes closed, relying on his sense of smell to precisely track his path. The light-based barrier shattered like paper the moment he collided with it.

"Why..."

In his collapse, Liu Xuanyin wanted to scream "Why couldn't it stop you?" Unfortunately, Cao Yu’s sharp claws had already swept through, shattering all his means of defense and hacking him into six pieces, his mangled remains scattering across the ground.

Until his death, he never understood why his foolproof defensive item couldn't even delay the opponent for a single second. Could it be that the opponent was a dungeon boss disguised as a player just to toy with him?

He would never get an answer. He was already dead.

In Cao Yu’s mind, the inheritance notification for the E-rank item "Bright Light Shield" chimed. He immediately canceled his transformation and returned to the group of players in the plaza.

Including him, there were only 10 players left.

Seeing Cao Yu approach, the other players—except for An Li—all stepped back, as if they feared Cao Yu would ask, "How much is your life worth?" in the next second and then cut them down like common mobs.

Damn, this was truly terrifying!

No joke. Several of them were even speculating whether this dungeon was a "Werewolf" style game and if Cao Yu was a boss posing as a player... They hadn't brought any intel into the dungeon, so how could they be facing a boss fight right at the start?

Seeing their expressions, and considering the possibility of future cooperation, Cao Yu took the initiative to explain:

"Don't worry, everyone. I’m no murderous criminal player. The Sishan Liu family and I have an irreconcilable blood feud! My behavior just now was purely for vengeance! Nothing more."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't much of a feud, but there is something called emotional intelligence... He continued:

"I once had a very happy family; my siblings and I were close... The Liu family are the powerful elite of Sishan City, wealthy and influential..."

The more he spoke, the more tragic and indignant he sounded. By the end, he simply stopped talking and let his eyes express the rest—it was easier to make up a story if you didn't over-elaborate; the right emotional tone was enough.

He forgot the beginning, forgot the middle, forgot the end... In any case, he and the Liu family were mortal enemies!

"..."

The group looked at each other. After ten seconds or so, they tentatively believed his explanation.

Elite oppression, an ordinary person becoming a player to struggle for revenge... since the arrival of the Evolution Game, such stories had become frequent, almost a classic template for a revenge tale.

Beside Cao Yu, An Li was naturally not deceived by this story. She scrutinized Cao Yu, feeling even more certain that he was a kindred spirit.

Addicted to hacking people up, dismembering a few eyesores... though the behavior was a bit vicious, he had hacked down pompous elites, so that was fine.

At this moment, a man with a buzz cut wearing gym training gear said to Cao Yu:

"No wonder you wear a mask. I’ve heard of the Liu family and the Liu Group—they really aren't good people. But... brother, are you really an E-rank player? You were pretty fierce just now!"

"I was lucky to obtain a powerful offensive-defensive hybrid item," Cao Yu replied, returning to his normal demeanor. "Plus, my evolution level has reached 11%, allowing me to draw out the full potential of E-rank items... get it?"

As he explained, he observed the speaker, noticing the well-defined, hard muscle definition and the athletic attire—he was likely a personal trainer in reality.

"11%? You broke the limit of the E-rank evolution? No wonder you could push through their attacks and kill them."

A middle-aged man interjected. He stood next to the fitness coach, dressed in custom business casual wear with a luxury watch on his wrist and his hair slicked back with pomade, exuding the aura of a successful businessman.

The businessman and the fitness coach stood very close; it was clear they knew each other in reality.

"Now is not the time for this," said a woman in a martial arts suit. She had a stern face and the temperament of a chivalrous heroine: "My player interface shows the dungeon opened at 6:30 PM. Our task is to survive for 24 hours, and the dungeon hint mentioned 'the dead shall sleep forever in their graves'... I think you all know what that implies?"

"It means we have to survive a night in a dungeon involving supernatural forces," answered a tall, thin man in glasses. "Supernatural dangers usually run rampant at night, and it’s not long before dark."

"Exactly," the heroine confirmed. "Instead of talking here, we should explore the dungeon and try to find some intelligence that can help us avoid danger before nightfall."

"But we need a direction to investigate; I feel completely lost right now," said a young man with delicate, feminine features, looking at the heroine. "Sister, did you happen to come up with any clues?"

"What clues could I have?" The heroine shook her head. "But since the hint mentioned the dead sleeping in graves, perhaps we should go to the graveyard to check things out?"

This dungeon was truly confusing. It dumped players into a plaza at the start, the background information and the hints seemed unrelated, and the goal was just to survive... So, where was the danger?

Just then, An Li suddenly stepped forward and posed a question:

"Do any of you... feel very hungry?"

"..."

The group checked their conditions carefully and were shocked to find they were all feeling a sense of hunger.

What was going on?