Chapter 142: An Unexpected Twist!

“If it were you yesterday, wouldn’t you have taken on this task right away?” At night, Guo Lang lay in bed, holding Laura who was nestled against him, his mind swirling with countless thoughts.

It... was truly powerful—just appearing for a brief moment and already earning everyone's recognition!

A flicker of irritation crossed Guo Lang’s eyes. After all, whether it was the positive or negative side, it was still himself. Yet, hearing others praise this other side made him deeply uncomfortable.

He couldn’t let that side out so easily anymore. Guo Lang recalled the dusk when, during that one minute of pleading, he had agreed. That was definitely a warning sign. If he could agree in one minute, he might agree in half an hour. Over time, control might be completely reversed, and then... the one lying here holding a beauty wouldn’t be him anymore!

He mustn’t be swayed by mere words. Guo Lang kept reminding himself: twenty years of grinding from the bottom had taught him never to take reckless risks. As long as he wasn’t blinded by illusions, as long as he could clearly see the dangers behind the rewards and make precise judgments, he could minimize the chance of death.

Those at the bottom lived by their own rules. If it weren’t for some accident in his previous life, he could have lived longer, perhaps even peacefully.

“And then? Spend your entire life at the bottom?” A cold voice echoed in his mind.

“Shut up!” Guo Lang snapped coldly in his consciousness. “What do you know? Does boldness guarantee success? You only see the glory of those who dare to fight, but you ignore the countless corpses along the way. Aren’t there more who die on the path than those who succeed?”

“This life... I just need to protect everything I care about. The so-called ‘strongest’—I have no illusions about that!”

“Protect those you care about?” The voice sneered. “Living like a rat at the bottom? And are you even sure you’ll survive? You were so low-key in your past life, avoiding conflict whenever possible—did you survive?”

“That was... an accident!” Guo Lang retorted darkly.

“Ha?” The voice mocked further. “And how can you be so sure such accidents won’t happen again? Ants crawling on the street are prone to danger, right?”

“Enough!” Guo Lang’s irritation grew. “Can the strong avoid it? There’s always someone stronger out there. No matter how hard you try, you can still be killed. Statistically, a cautious approach has a higher chance of survival than reckless bravery. Besides, I’m not alone—I have Xiaoting, my parents, and Alice. I can’t just gamble recklessly!”

“Some sense...” Surprisingly, the voice actually agreed, catching Guo Lang off guard. He instinctively asked, “What did you say?”

“I said...” In the shadowy realm of consciousness, the voice looked at Guo Lang earnestly, “what you just said makes a lot of sense.”

“Is that... really so?” Guo Lang felt uncertain. Could he have convinced this being so easily?

“But I have a question...” the voice continued.

I knew there’d be a ‘but’... Guo Lang took a deep breath, preparing countless responses in his mind. “Go ahead.”

“Why choose the Night Elves?”

“What?”

“I asked... why did you choose the Night Elves?” the voice shrugged. “You were a human knight in your past life. Wouldn’t choosing the same path be safer? And by trying to return sooner, you could avoid the tragedies of the past, right?”

“The future for humans is limited... You know politics is too intense, and besides, I’m Central Asian. The human stronghold is in Northern Europe, which is not advantageous for me. Without national restrictions, among personal powers, the Night Elves are the best choice.”

“The best choice?” The voice chuckled.

Guo Lang fell silent for a moment, then irritatedly asked, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“The Night Elves aren’t the best choice...” The voice stared coldly. “We are one and the same. How do you think I wouldn’t know what you’re thinking? The Night Elves are the most high-risk, high-reward race. You chose them just to gamble, to try your luck with a profession that once shocked you.”

Guo Lang was speechless.

Seeing Guo Lang silent, the voice pressed on, “When you decided to gamble, did you think about what would happen to Xiaoting? Your parents? Did you consider that if you lost, their fate would be exactly like before? So why did you still choose to take the risk?”

“I...” Guo Lang was at a loss.

“I’ll tell you why!” The voice cut him off. “Because you don’t believe you’ll lose! No gambler thinks they will fail before the game starts. They always see only the victory ahead! Every gambler is absolutely confident before losing.” Pausing, the voice continued, “Do you know why Ye Zhiqiu and the others accepted you at first? Because back then, you were one of them. You probably didn’t realize it, but back then, you were also someone who dared to risk their life to become stronger!”

Guo Lang was stunned, his mind blank. He and Ye Zhiqiu belonged to the same kind? Impossible.

“Now I’ll tell you why you’re afraid.” The voice sneered, “Because you’re satisfied. You think your achievements are enough and don’t want to risk your life anymore. That’s it. Don’t blame Alice or your family for your fear. They’re not as fragile as you think. Don’t act like they can’t live without you! How long will you keep deceiving yourself? Even without you, Alice can survive perfectly well. Are you really still pretending not to recognize her?”

Guo Lang paused, silent... When he learned the opponent was Ian, he had already connected the dots about Alice’s identity. In his last life, Ian’s strongest card—the number one assassin of the Undead, Phantom: Alice!

“Think you can walk away after one big win? Have you ever seen a winner leave the gambling table so easily?” the voice laughed. “Those who lose can quit anytime, but winners must keep playing. Didn’t you learn the rules on your first day? Until the game is over, winners can never escape!”

Guo Lang opened his eyes, retreating from the shadowy consciousness. He glanced at Laura beside him, his eyes flickering with complexity. He was enjoying all of this now, wasn’t he? But if he stopped gambling, could he keep it all?

Just then, the necklace on his chest suddenly emitted a purple glow, making Guo Lang sit up sharply. It was the necklace he had specially exchanged before returning to this plane, used to communicate with his father. Because it spanned dimensions, it consumed a tremendous amount of energy—far more valuable than international roaming—so his family would never contact him without urgent reason.

Guo Lang tapped the necklace, and his father’s anxious face appeared.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” Seeing Guo Zhenghua’s worried expression, unease gripped Guo Lang.

“Xiaoting is in trouble!”

“What?!”