Ye Shu swore to herself. This was the first time she’d ever been thrown face-first into a pile of sand—and she guaranteed, it would be the last.
"Peh! Peh!" She spat out a mouthful of grit, glancing sideways at the inferno raging in the sand pit.
For a split second, her pupils widened in disbelief. Su Bai, just a rookie at Level One, had unleashed such terrifying power… For a moment, Ye Shu wondered if Su Bai really was a fledgling—because this looked more like the work of a seasoned pro.
Flames, bright and wild, always burn themselves out. In just a few heartbeats, the towering fire in the pit vanished, flickering into hints of smoke.
Ye Shu rubbed her brow. Yes, Su Bai truly was a newcomer. Still, she’d risked herself to save Ye Shu—and for all her grumbling, Ye Shu ran over without hesitation.
"Shushu? Why'd you come back?"
"If I didn't, were you planning on dying here alone in this desert?"
"Weren't you the one who asked me to cover for you?"
Ye Shu, usually so cold, allowed a wisp of warmth to cross her face. This girl—Su Bai—she’d just said she wanted Ye Shu’s protection, but when danger came, she’d turned around and saved Ye Shu first. Honestly, Su Bai was almost too straight-laced.
Still treating her like she was the fragile Ye Shu of old.
"Shushu…" In Su Bai’s gaze flickered the remnants of flame; she managed a weak smile. "I’m about to burn out…"
"Freeze!" Ye Shu didn’t particularly exert herself channeling her ice powers, but it came smoother than usual. A shimmering wave swept out, and a mass of black ants instantly froze solid. In the same motion, she pried Su Bai free from the ice clump.
Ye Shu glared down at Su Bai's familiar face, half-irritated. "You have a death wish? A rookie like you, rushing up in front of me."
Su Bai’s face was ashen; she slumped, boneless, into Ye Shu’s arms. Her voice was as fragile as moth wings. "I’m just used to protecting you, Shushu. My body moved before my mind caught up—but next time, I'll be more careful. Besides… you’re not just anyone."
"Shushu is the most important person in my life."
That final line was murmured under her breath, too soft for Ye Shu to catch. Touched, Ye Shu asked again, "What was that? I didn’t hear you?"
"Nothing." Embarrassed, Su Bai tried awkwardly to change the subject—only to notice a fresh swarm of black ants erupting from the sand, endless as a nightmare.
In the dim moonlight, Ye Shu could just make out the frozen bodies at the bottom of the pit—each as big as half a grown man’s fist, their jaws lined with black, serrated teeth.
"We need to deal with these little monsters first."
Otherwise, nobody would be sleeping soundly tonight.
A twinge of frustration throbbed in Ye Shu’s head; she felt something was off, something missing.
Wielding her powers, she froze another mass of ants, and then a few more. Just as she was about to finish off the next wave, realization struck—she’d slaughtered hordes of these ant beasts, but hadn’t gained a single point.
No points...? Oh right. She’d forgotten to use the peachwood sword.
Ye Shu drew the wooden blade and swung—the black ants shattered. Dozens fell in a single sweep.
[Ding! Congratulations, Player Ye Shu, for slaying 12 Lesser Black Carapace Ants. You have earned 12 points.]
As expected—nothing works like the peachwood sword! This sacred blade is her lifeblood; without it, her wallet would be half-empty by now.
The moment the peachwood sword appeared, its aura of exorcism had an immediate effect. The relentless black carapace ants, so aggressive before, began to turn and burrow back into the ground.
Su Bai, utterly drained, collapsed weakly on the sand and watched as Ye Shu—now wild-eyed and unstoppable—whirled her sword in a blur, skewering black ants by the dozens. She looked every bit the living King of Hell. Su Bai's lips twitched helplessly. "Shushu… you don't have to go this far. No need for total annihilation..."
Ye Shu bared her teeth, crazed. "Kill, kill, kill! Every point counts, every point is money!"
She grinned down at the ants scrambling underground; she’d missed out on points in the previous two rounds, but this time, she’d fill herself to the brim.
Inside the System’s space, a heavy silence hung where the system's presence lurked.
With no executor authorized, its abilities were limited. It was true Player #10096 had made things harder, but it seemed to have backfired—the intended 'mini-bosses' were now walking score batteries for Ye Shu.
And as for that wretched wooden sword—how did it make its way into the game? It should have been sealed away from the first round. The executor had suffered enough from it before. Without that blade, Ye Shu would never have been so bold.
Was it just her imagination? Somehow, the Black Ant Army was nothing but fresh meat for Shushu—and her companion seemed positively ecstatic about it!
Is this how normal players react to monsters? Of course not—most just flee in terror. But Ye Shu was fearless, ferocious, rampant.
Su Bai looked on, conflicted, at the mound of ant carcasses in the pit. This life’s Ye Shu was even more… extreme. Maybe her worries had been misplaced after all.
Who could have guessed she’d be picked to play the First Round this time? Su Bai never expected it. No wonder her watch at the Ye and Qin households had come up empty for so long.
[Ding! Slayed 123 Lesser Black Carapace Ants. 123 points awarded.]
[Ding! Slayed 1 Black Carapace Ant King. 10 points awarded.]
At the end of the night’s bloody massacre, Ye Shu emerged triumphant, having wiped out an entire lair of black ants and claimed nearly a thousand points. She flashed a bright, silly grin of delight. The remaining swarm retreated hastily into the sand.
"Where are you running? Don’t run!"
Seeing her points escaping, Ye Shu grew panicked. She sealed up the sand tunnels with ice, chasing down the stragglers and finishing them off. Su Bai, quietly tending her wounds at the side, could only watch in silent awe.
She nibbled a chunk of cactus flesh—sweet, thirst-quenching. This brand-new Shushu was a stranger to her.
She’d assumed even entering the game early, her friend would be the same as last time. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Ye Shu had awakened both spatial and ice powers, her constitution and strength mysteriously boosted. From the start, she’d slain a monster lurking in the desert, and tonight she’d decimated an entire ant colony.
Meanwhile, Su Bai had the same fire ability as before—just awakened, barely bright enough to light a stick. That's why she had to hide her strength within the team.
On the fifth day in the game, dawn crept into the desert. After a night of recovery, the two women set out again. Ye Shu, ever considerate, handed Su Bai a chunk of ice to hug, to keep her temperature down.
So there they walked—Ye Shu wrapped in a floral scarf, Su Bai in white linen, both clutching matching ice blocks—a pair of dazzling figures ambling through the sands.
They made for the oasis. The way was not as desolate as before: the cacti grew thicker, and sometimes they ran into other players along the route.
Su Bai had fully adapted to Ye Shu’s new style. One was all affectionate mischief, the other cold as ice. To her surprise, Ye Shu kept all the same little habits—as if nothing had changed at all.
After half a day trekking the dunes, Ye Shu managed to nab a member from their old party—a human GPS: Li Laojiu. He was still alive!
He seemed to recognize Su Bai as well, gibbering in terror. "Granny, it wasn’t my idea, it was Liang Lao’er! I was just leading the way, I had no choice. We’re all players here, please spare me!"
Ye Shu frowned, her voice as deep as thunder, "Who said I was going to kill you? Take us to the next spot. And if you try anything funny…"
"No tricks, no tricks! If nothing else, I’m good at being a guide," Li Laojiu simpered obsequiously, grinning up at Ye Shu.
His ability was more than maps—he could sense living beings, though only within a limited range. He’d only realized there was something alive in the watering hole when he got within five meters—so he’d bolted. He never expected a girl to cut down the monster in one stroke. Clearly, she was formidable.