The 'Caged Bird' video went viral because of the presence of the mountains and rivers; it was the first time they had ever experienced the terror of the top ten children.
Even as a middle school student, Shan Chuan is capable of planning such things; as he grows up and matures, he will only become more profound, reserved, and meticulous. So how much less wisdom and strategy could the other top ten possess?
They were also amazed by the Black Rabbit's powerful observation skills and terrifying execution ability. Faced with the same clues, no one dared to say they could do what he did.
The final emotional outburst is like the climax of a symphony. Even if the audience knows he is the murderer, they are still moved, let alone the actors in the play.
"True textbook acting only requires sufficient talent, which is beyond the reach of most people." Black Rabbit's fans celebrated online, crowning the new king.
Breaking into the top ten in just a few months is already an unparalleled legendary achievement, especially considering the notoriously difficult-to-clear dungeon solo using the Disguise style. The title of "Number One Disguise Player" is no longer commensurate with his skill.
"A new king is born!"
Compared to the fans' excitement, what other players saw most was Black Rabbit's abilities beyond the performance.
Watching him act in the play, killing people and still managing to escape unscathed, players vaguely recalled the rumor that 'his biological father, stepmother, and several other family members were killed or maimed by a black rabbit'.
"Is that true?"
"Of course it's true."
The man who called himself Brother Black Rabbit has long since become a lost soul, but his confident words still left traces.
"So even if Black Rabbit isn't a disguise-type player, he can still complete the game on his own. In other words, he's a master of both the deception and disguise types, which is the real reason why he keeps breaking records."
It's just strong, nothing else.
"Is this why you let the water out?" Chen Shen asked Shan Chuan.
The mountains and rivers appear gentle, but are actually more indifferent than butterflies. They always keep to themselves, making no friends and never meddling in other people's affairs. Yet, after only meeting the black rabbit once, he was willing to abandon his principles for him.
They didn't understand before, but after watching the video, they seem to understand, yet they also seem even more confused.
"It's like there's another me in the world, it's very interesting." Shanchuan stopped there.
Speaking of which, among the remaining five top ten, there's more than one person who has a good impression of Ren Yifei. Otherwise, he wouldn't have three copies of the strategy guide that others can't get.
Five people are now poised to become part of the top ten, while the other four are trying to extract the final secret—the strategy guide. However, the established top ten have nothing lacking, so why are they selling strategy guides?
Ren Yifei only realized how rare this guide was later, because if it were given to one person, it could easily be distributed and become the secret information of countless people.
Therefore, one must either pay a huge price or have a relationship so close that one disregards personal gain; otherwise, one would not simply give it away for free.
"So, I'm indebted to someone."
With things mostly settled, Ren Yifei began preparing for his final challenge.
The developers at Desolate Corner would practically send him off in a grand procession, so theoretically they wouldn't deliberately set traps for him and might even arrange advantageous dungeons for him. But rules are rules, and no matter how much they try to go easy on him, the basic difficulty remains the same.
Apart from a ghost card, players can only rely on their own abilities.
This special instance lasts for thirty days, and the conditions for completion are surviving for thirty days and collecting all the tokens from the Desolate Corner. As for how to complete it, it varies from instance to instance; you'll only find out once you enter.
"This trip might be a one-way trip." Ren Yifei faced the sea, then his tone changed a second later, "What's fun and delicious in the desolate corner?"
It's time to leave. Let's have our fill of fun before we go.
Samantha was pruning dead branches in the yard when he heard this and laughed, "There are many."
The desolate corner is home to many magnificent landscapes and unique species that do not exist in the real world. They went to the floating realm, where the largest and highest floating island is called 'Sky City'. It is surrounded by a seven-colored bubble and looks like a crystal ball from afar.
Wenli established an 'academy' here, and I heard that it is full of top students, and even those who are not top students have outstanding talents.
Sky City sounds like a fairy tale world, but reality is closer to cyberpunk.
Especially when night falls, the island is illuminated with dazzling lights, and players drive cool vehicles at high speeds, making the entire island seem like a sophisticated machine in motion.
Ren Yifei also met Wenli, who was beautiful and gentle. One of her subordinates was a player named "Xiaohua," who had reportedly interacted with him several times and was very talkative and interested in him.
"I remember now, it's you." We've met before, at the 'Neighborhood' and at the 'Spring Banquet'. Ren Yifei smiled and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
When he's out in public, Ren Yifei always presents himself as a charming, gentle, and friendly man. His aloofness, his willfulness, and his authenticity are reserved for those closest to him.
"Everyone else is busy with the challenge dungeon, how come you have time to come out?" Wenli was looking the 'dead' Saman up and down, but couldn't see anything unusual.
"Go when you've had enough fun," Ren Yifei said with a smile.
Seeing Ren Yifei's calm demeanor, seemingly confident, Wenli said nothing more. She then brought up what would happen after clearing the level: "If you can break through the barrier, what wish will you make? To leave this place?"
Ren Yifei thought for a moment and said, "You'll find out later."
"We knew that?" Wenli tried to understand the sentence, but what did it have to do with them?
Leaving the floating realm, the next stop is the dungeon.
The most famous place in the dungeon is Black Iron Fortress, which, as the name suggests, is an underground steel castle made of black metal. The most magical place in the Wasteland Corner is not large in area or population, but its unique art style makes it very memorable.
Because many people are curious about this place, a tourist route has been developed for Black Iron Fortress. Riding in a special bug-like vehicle, you can tour this mysterious place, brushing past those radical men in black robes – a thrilling and exciting experience.
But the most thrilling and exciting part is getting off the vehicle and walking among the group of men in black robes in everyday clothes. If you survive, you're a true hero.
Ren Yifei had always been curious: if Ke Bei died and this spiritual core ceased to exist, could Black Iron Fortress still exist?
Will they fall apart, or will a second generation come to power?
If Ren Yifei didn't still have some humanity left, he would have already taken action to let the final result confirm his guess.
The two of them arrived discreetly, intending only to pay for a bus ride, but the old man selling tickets recognized Ren Yifei at a glance: "Black Rabbit."
Wow, the scene suddenly became a bit chaotic, everyone wanted to see the Black Rabbit who had recently been banned online.
Then they also saw Saman standing to the side.
"Huh? This is Saman?... Wasn't he dead? The rumors are wrong?"
"No, they really are dead. They're no longer on the leaderboard."
Looking at Saman's face and then at his actions of closely following Ren Yifei, the players realized: "He's a stand-in!"
"So lucky, she looks like the tycoon's mistress." Envy and jealousy.
Thus, Black Rabbit and his 'substitute' lover were quickly invited into the interior of Black Iron Fortress, where they met Ke Bei, who also lived a secluded life.
Ke Bei has a bad reputation; he's considered the worst of the worst. Most people imagine him as a tyrannical boss, but he actually looks sickly and coughs every few words.
Ren Yifei had dealt with Ke Bei three times without suffering any losses, so he remained calm. Ke Bei, on the other hand, was tricked out of a precious Nirvana Card, but he didn't seem to care at all.
"What's there to say if I'm not as skilled?" Ke Bei said calmly. He asked Ren Yifei again, "Are you really not going to consider cooperating with me?"
"What are the benefits?" Ren Yifei asked casually, holding a local specialty of Black Iron Fortress, a kind of mushroom tea, which was quite delicious.
Ke Bei laughed, coughed a few times, and stared at him intently: "How about I provide the entire Black Iron Fortress for you alone?"
"Never mind, I prefer freedom."
If it were anyone else, daring to refuse Ke Bei at Black Iron Fortress would have meant certain death. But this is Black Rabbit, currently the brightest star on the Star Ranking. His refusal leaves the others with nothing but regret.
They spent the afternoon touring Black Iron Castle before leaving. Before departing, Saman spoke with the castle's head steward, instructing him to relay to Ke Bei: "My inheritance is more than enough to support me, and I can continue to earn more."
For the next month, they traveled around, during which another near-top ten member died, failing the challenge, and Ren Yifei became ninth in ranking.
But none of this mattered to them. The two guiding spirits followed them around all day, eating and drinking, and ignoring these trending topics.
Their final stop was the Sea of No Hope, which contains Seven Star Island, the territory of the Northern Island Alliance, where Chen Shen belonged. Upon arriving at Chen Shen's territory, they were invited by him to a bonfire party.
"Here, my strategy guide." Chen Shen handed him the strategy guide casually. "We're still missing a butterfly? Forget about his, he fought his way through, the approach is different."
"Why are all the votes coming my way?" Ren Yifei touched his face. "Because I'm good-looking?"
Slightly drunk, Chen Shen laughed heartily: "Of course it's because you're worth investing in. You have enough potential, and you're not a person that people dislike."
The key is having sufficient potential. Without this prerequisite, being likable is futile.
After saying goodbye to Chen Shen, they went home.
More than a month after he left, the house was still spotless, and could be lived in after a little cleaning. Everything inside was in its most suitable place. Ren Yifei sat down on the sofa with practiced ease, kicked off his slippers, and curled his long legs up on the sofa, sitting with an unseemly posture.
"It's more comfortable sitting like this." His gentle and polite smile vanished instantly, and he pointed to the kitchen. "I want to drink milk tea."
Samantha quickly brought over warm milk tea and chilled mint lemon sparkling water. They sat side by side on the sofa, one drinking milk tea and the other drinking sparkling water.
"What does this taste like?" Ren Yifei was intrigued by the drink in Saman's hand, which was decorated with lime slices. He leaned over and took a sip, only to find it was salty. He smacked his lips and said, "Milk tea is still the best."
Ren Yifei will enter the instance tomorrow. Although Saman will follow, he will have to stay in the small dark room the whole time. He can only watch and cannot speak or move.
Accompanying Saman were two guide spirits and a small golden ball that had broken away from the main system.
"Where does Afei want to go after we get out?"
Ren Yifei thought about the world he came from, but then realized there was nothing particularly worth staying for: "Go to your world."
"I'd rather see Ah Fei's world, where your past is."
Ren Yifei gave him a "I can't do anything with you" look: "Fine."