Xiaojuan had always known that in Chao Musheng's world, there was a chance for players' items to fail, but she had never witnessed it so blatantly before.
The Mountain Crusher, a weapon heavy enough to flatten a boss into mud, had turned into a child's sandbag. The Heart-Piercer Staff, capable of penetrating spirits and hearts, had become a flimsy paper airplane.
She stared at the objects in Chao Musheng's hands, unusually distracted even in such a tense moment.
"Watch out!" Chao Musheng noticed cracks forming on the corridor windows and immediately yanked Xiaojuan and Old He behind a wall.
Shards of glass grazed Xiaojuan's hair as they flew past. Three players who hadn’t dodged in time weren’t so lucky—their arms were slashed by the flying fragments, blood instantly streaming down.
A howling wind burst through the shattered window, knocking the three off balance. They stared helplessly at Xiaojuan and the others in the safe zone, not daring to move closer as they crouched on the floor.
[Ding! Players are under continuous negative status, losing 1 HP per minute.]
The gale stung their skin. The three players watched in despair as the wind grew fiercer at the window. Behind them, another pane of glass was about to shatter—once it gave way, they’d be swept straight out.
"Come here." An arm stretched out from the sheltered area. The young man’s hair whipped wildly in the wind. The paper airplane and sandbag he’d been holding had long been tossed aside, now blown into a corner.
The nearest player froze, looking up at him in disbelief. The very opponent players were supposed to fight in this dungeon was offering them help?
"Hurry." Thinking the man was paralyzed with fear, Chao Musheng leaned further out, grabbing and dragging him to safety.
"Chao-ge!" Xiaojuan kicked the rescued player aside and clung to Chao Musheng’s ankle. "Chao-ge, the wind’s too strong outside—you’ll get swept away too!"
Chao Musheng glanced around the corridor. There were decorative items, but nothing useful as a tool.
He looked down at the carpet beneath his feet, then back at the three. "Does anyone have a knife?"
The rescued player, Xiaojuan, and Old He exchanged uneasy glances. As players, they all had blades in their inventory—but they couldn’t just pull them out in front of Chao Musheng.
"I have one." A door creaked open behind them. Song Xu stood there in a robe, holding a pair of scissors provided by the villa.
"Thanks." Chao Musheng took them and cut a long strip from the thick carpet.
The villa’s carpets were high-quality and sturdy.
After tying one end to a heavy antique ornament, he hurled the weighted strip toward the remaining two players. "Grab hold! We’ll pull you in."
After a brief hesitation, they seized the fabric.
It took tremendous effort, but they finally dragged the two inside.
The moment they reached safety, the second window shattered. Every object in the area they’d just been standing was instantly sucked out into the storm.
"My god, that was terrifying." Song Xu shuddered at the sight of the three staff members’ bleeding arms. "This wind’s like something supernatural—so eerie."
Xiaojuan shot him a look. It wasn’t supernatural, but it might as well have been.
"My room has a first-aid kit. Come inside." He snapped out of his daze, ushering them in.
"With wind this strong, how dare you open the door? The airflow would—" Xiaojuan’s words died in her throat when she saw Song Xu’s room layout. His window was tiny—too small to even fit a head through.
"I don’t like rooms with big windows." Song Xu caught her expression. "Small ones feel safer."
Once, he’d stayed at a hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows and forgotten to close the curtains. Paparazzi snapped an unflattering photo of him picking his feet, and to this day, antis still mocked him with it.
Ever since, he’d avoided large windows.
Xiaojuan helped the two injured players into the room, then turned to Chao Musheng. "Chao-ge, what do we do now?"
Old He silently supported the third player, not daring to speak loudly in Chao Musheng’s presence.
He and Xiaojuan moved instinctively between Chao Musheng and the three players, guarding against any sudden attacks.
Song Xu eyed the deep gashes on their arms, unconsciously touching his own. To endure such wounds without a sound—these staff members had incredible pain tolerance.
Hearing Xiaojuan defer to an NPC at a time like this, the three players couldn’t hide their shock, staring at her in disbelief.
Players taking orders from a dungeon boss—was that even right?
Xiaojuan ignored them. If not for Chao-ge’s kindness, these three wouldn’t have survived.
"Oh, Mr. Chao." Song Xu suddenly remembered something. "About twenty minutes ago, I ran into Editor-in-Chief Chao in the elevator. She left with two assistants—seemed like some dinner meeting."
He’d tried calling his agent to ask industry contacts for details, but the signal was terrible. "The connection’s—"
Noticing Chao Musheng also on the phone, he tactfully fell silent.
After a few rings, Chao Yin’s voice came through. "Chaochao?"
"Mom." Hearing no tension or fear in her tone, Chao Musheng relaxed slightly. "Where are you?"
"Out to dinner with some industry friends." Her voice warmed with affection. "Want me to bring anything back for you?"
"No need, Mom." He kept his tone even over the roaring wind outside. "The weather’s unpredictable by the coast. How’s it on your end?"
"We’re barely ten minutes from the villa—how different could it be?" She glanced outside at the lively nightscape of the pedestrian street. "Don’t worry so much at your age."
"I’m just concerned." His voice remained steady. "Enjoy your time. I’m with Xiaojuan and the others."
Hanging up, he studied the three severely injured "staff" on the sofa. "The weather’s normal just ten kilometers away. This must be a localized extreme system."
With no weather warnings, it couldn’t be typhoon-related.
The bizarre gale had struck without warning. At least the event had ended—most artists and fans had already left the affected area.
Seeing Chao Musheng’s call go through, Song Xu frowned at his own phone, tapping stubbornly at the dead signal.
But to the players, the fact that Chao Musheng’s phone worked at all was the most horrifying thing of all.
It was currently the players' siege phase against the BOSS. The raging wind was a dungeon mechanism meant to restrict the BOSS's movements. In such situations, the BOSS only had two choices—either be eliminated by the players or kill those attempting to harm him.
But instead, here they were—several players rescued by the BOSS—sitting inside an NPC's room in the dungeon, listening to the BOSS make a phone call to his family.
"The wind hasn't stopped yet," Old He murmured, looking up at the small window on the wall. The entire building seemed to tremble under the force of the gale.
Xiaojuan kept a close watch on the three players, wary of any sudden moves against Chao Musheng.
No wonder she had felt something was off ever since entering this dungeon. The mission was chaotic, devoid of any clear logic. Not only was the number of players vague, but the main quest was also ambiguous. At first, she thought the system had detected her anomaly and was trying to eliminate her. But it turned out the dungeon's real target wasn’t her—it was her golden thigh, "Brother Chao."
There were too many players, and since this was the real world, most could only rely on their own skills to hide within the dungeon.
The players desperate to return home were the system's preferred enforcers. Upon entering the dungeon, they were given stable identities and a clear direction for their main quest.
As for players like them, who had entered under the hidden identity of "paparazzi," they were merely the system's backup enforcers.
Perhaps the system hadn’t even been sure whether Brother Chao would appear. But once it confirmed his presence, all players were left with only one main quest—to eliminate him on behalf of the Main God.
The Main God didn’t care about the players' lives. Every single one of them in the dungeon was just a tool to get rid of Chao Musheng.
A powerful Main God, ruler of countless dungeon worlds, so desperate to eliminate a mere mortal—could it really just be because He found him annoying?
Outside, the wind howled ferociously. Despite the terrifying scene, Xiaojuan couldn’t help but sense a hint of bluster in its roar.
Linhaishi Meteorological Warning Center.
The weather data had been normal these past few days, and the night-shift colleagues were as steady as the readings.
When the phone rang, the answering colleague still had a smile on his face. But as he listened, his expression froze. "You're saying… persistent gale-force winds have appeared at Baiyuan Villa in Xifengkou, Linhaishi?"
Frantically, he pulled up radar, satellite, and detector data from the Xifeng region. Everything was normal.
"Sir, falsely reporting natural disasters is a punishable offense," he said, signaling to a colleague to trace the call. The location confirmed it was indeed from the Xifengkou area.
"Of course I know that," replied the young voice on the other end. "Baiyuan Villa currently has over a hundred people trapped. Some have been injured by shattered glass. We need rescue assistance."
"Sir, may I ask for your identification details?" The staff member’s heart tightened at the mention of trapped civilians.
Other staff monitoring the call quickly pulled up a topographic map of Baiyuan Villa. Built near the sea cliffs, the villa had no recorded history of isolated natural disasters in the past two decades.
The young man on the phone provided his name and ID number. The staff pulled up his information in the system.
"Understood. Thank you for the information, sir. We will immediately coordinate with rescue departments to assist in relief efforts."
"The registered number matches the ID," the staff member tracking the caller’s information said grimly. "The caller is Chao Musheng, a current student at Jinghua University."
"Meteorological instruments in Xifengkou show normal data transmission, but satellite imagery reveals a grayed-out area above the region. The images are too blurry to discern any details."
"Contact all relevant departments and get them to the scene ASAP!"
"Try calling Baiyuan Villa’s contact numbers."
"No response. All front desk numbers are unreachable."
The warning center mobilized emergency response teams at full speed, even recalling off-duty staff from their homes.
"This doesn’t make sense," muttered several colleagues en route to assist. Given Baiyuan Villa’s geographical position, it was unlikely for localized gales to form due to the "wind tunnel effect."
They felt a pang of helplessness. In the face of natural disasters, humanity’s knowledge was still far from enough.
"Brother Chao," Xiaojuan’s throat felt dry. "Who… did you just call?"
"The meteorological disaster warning center," Chao Musheng hung up. "I don’t know how strong the winds outside are or where they might spread. But if we don’t alert the authorities in time, more people could be affected."
Whether it was Chao Musheng’s unexpected concern or the blood loss from their wounds, the three players felt dizzy.
Since when did a dungeon BOSS care about natural disasters instead of fighting players?
Now that they owed him their lives, how could they bring themselves to attack him?
"Your wounds are deep. You need proper treatment to stop the bleeding," Chao Musheng said, noticing their pallor. "I learned basic first aid at a summer training camp, but I’m not sure how effective it’ll be. Do you want to give it a try?"
"Thank you, Mr. Chao." The first to speak was the player Chao Musheng had pulled into the shelter earlier. He offered his arm without hesitation.
If the BOSS had wanted them dead, he could’ve done it long ago.
Chao Musheng’s movements were a bit clumsy as he worked to stop the bleeding, but he kept his voice calm. "Rescue teams will arrive soon. Don’t be afraid."
The players inwardly laughed bitterly. Fear was irrelevant—their life points had already dropped by nearly ten. Once those hit zero, so would their lives.
"The bleeding stopped!" Song Xu exclaimed, staring at the player’s arm. "Mr. Chao, is there anything you can’t do?"
Xiaojuan shot a glance at the actor, who never missed a chance to flatter Brother Chao. Even now, he was still brown-nosing?
The life points stopped decreasing!
The player jerked his head up to stare at Chao Musheng, who was already moving on to the second injured person.
"Mr. Chao, thank you!"
"Don’t mention it." His movements were slightly smoother now. "But I’m still inexperienced, so this might hurt. Please bear with it."
He quickly finished basic first aid for the remaining two. The room reeked of blood, but Song Xu eagerly poured a glass of water. "Mr. Chao, you’ve worked hard. Have some water."
"Thanks." Chao Musheng smiled at him. "Sorry for the intrusion."
"Not at all!" Song Xu was momentarily dazzled by his smile. "Helping you is an honor. Besides, with all of you here, I’m not as scared anymore."
The wind showed no signs of stopping. Baiyuan Villa covered a vast area in a remote location. When rescue teams arrived at the villa gates and saw the raging storm inside, they were stunned.
"The wind outside is completely still, yet inside it feels like a chaotic tempest—this... this..." The rescue team, clad in full protective gear, was stopped by experts from the warning center before they could approach: "The winds inside are too strong. Right now, you won’t be able to do anything except get swept away."
Their expressions were grave as they observed the situation inside. Even after living for so many years, this was the first time they had encountered such a bizarre natural phenomenon.
"There are still so many victims trapped inside—we can’t just abandon them!"
BANG!
A tree inside the villa was uprooted by the wind and hurled toward the main gate, smashing the stone statue standing there.
"This..." Everyone present stared at the toppled statue, their unease deepening. With winds this fierce, how were the people trapped inside faring?
Fearing the storm might spread, the surrounding area had already been cordoned off. Strangely, the wind seemed confined, swirling only within the Baiyuan Villa. The entire estate was shrouded in darkness, more eerie than a tornado.
"Everyone, retreat to the heavy-duty vehicles for now. Stay safe," the expert said, his face pale. "In these conditions, we can’t approach the storm zone..."
Before he could finish, a man was seen walking toward the villa’s gate. "Wait!"
The man seemed not to hear, stepping through the gate without hesitation. In moments, his figure vanished into the raging winds.
What was happening?
The rescue team was stunned. When had this man even appeared?!
The black tempest swept through every corner of the villa before converging around the guesthouse.
The guesthouse was like a piece of sugar dropped into an anthill, swarmed by countless ants. Unable to devour it whole, the ants could only struggle to surround it.
A few players, relying on their tools, barely held on against the wall, their bodies covered in bloody gashes from the wind. Debris flew everywhere, and with all the lights out, they could hardly see a thing.
Then, abruptly, the winds around them weakened.
Was that...?
One of the players, his face streaked with blood, lifted his head and squinted ahead. There seemed to be a figure there.
The man walked through the storm as if it were solid ground. He stepped over the players sprawled on the floor, his expression as indifferent as if they were mere stones.
With measured, elegant strides, he passed one disheveled player after another. Just as they thought he would keep going, he suddenly stopped beside one dressed in security uniform.
The security player shrank back in terror. He didn’t know what this man was, but the moment he appeared, an overwhelming sense of death had choked him.
The man lowered his head and looked at him.
What kind of eyes were those? The security player couldn’t describe them. By the time he regained his senses, his body was already dissolving inch by inch.
"No—"
He didn’t even have time to scream before vanishing into smoke, swallowed by the night.
The other players trembled, bracing for the same fate—but the man had already ascended the guesthouse steps.
"Mr. Chao." Song Xu noticed the three staff members looking paler than paper, afraid they might collapse in his room. He cautiously asked, "With winds this strong, the rescue team probably can’t get in, right?"
Outside, the gale seemed intent on uprooting the entire building. If the rescuers came now, wouldn’t they be blown away?
Please don’t let them die—he’d have nightmares for the rest of his life.
"Don’t worry. Small-scale extreme weather like this doesn’t last long." Chao Musheng checked the time, doing his best to reassure everyone. "The wind should stop soon."
"W-Will it really?" Song Xu wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but when Chao Musheng said the wind would stop, he thought he heard the storm let out a furious roar.
Maybe his frightened mind was playing tricks on him. How could wind have emotions?
"Of course." Chao Musheng nodded firmly. "It can’t last much longer. The conditions don’t allow it."
This defied the laws of nature.
Whoosh...
The wind abruptly ceased.
"Cough! Cough!" Chao Musheng choked on his own saliva and quickly took a sip of water to soothe his throat.
"The wind stopped?!" Song Xu couldn’t believe it. He scrambled onto a chair and stuck his head out the tiny window, straining to listen. "Mr. Chao, the wind really did stop!"
The three players were stunned. Extreme weather in the game usually lasted for days at minimum—how could it end so quickly?
They listened intently. Though they didn’t want to believe it, the wind... really had stopped.
"See? I told you. Small-scale extreme weather can’t possibly last long." Chao Musheng glanced at the time, relieved, then turned to the three dazed staff members. "The rescue team will be here soon. You’re safe now."
No, that wasn’t it...
The players felt something was off, but they didn’t dare contradict the boss. Instead, they shot pleading looks at Xiaojuan and Old He.
Old He wasn’t faring much better. His mind was stuck on Chao Musheng’s words and the sudden halt of the storm.
If the system wanted Chao Musheng dead, why would it let the wind stop so easily?
This wasn’t the way the mastermind operated.
"Mr. Chao, you predicted it perfectly!" Song Xu jumped off the chair, resuming his relentless flattery. "You said the wind would stop, and it did."
Truly worthy of being the assistant who could punch Song Cheng and kick the Song family.
Just that incredible!
Blushing at Song Xu’s shameless praise, Chao Musheng coughed awkwardly. "Ah, it’s nothing. Now that the wind’s stopped, let’s check if anyone in the other rooms is hurt."
He opened the door. The hallway was dim, lit only by emergency night lights. Just as he was about to knock on the neighboring door, he spotted a familiar figure standing at the far end of the corridor.
Unsure, he took a few steps forward and called softly, "Is that... Mr. Su?"
"Chaochao."
The hallway lights flickered on, illuminating Su Chenzhu beneath them. His hair was disheveled, and a leaf clung to his shoulder.
It really was him!
"How did you get here in this storm?!" Chao Musheng’s mind buzzed with panic as he rushed over. "Are you hurt? Are you stupid? With winds this strong, did you want to get launched into the sky like a firework?!"
Listening to Chao Musheng’s furious scolding, Su Chenzhu chuckled weakly, his face pale.
"What’s so funny?" Chao Musheng brushed the leaf off his shoulder and touched the back of his hand—icy cold. "Did the wind freeze you?"
"Mn." Su Chenzhu smiled faintly. "After watching the livestream, I thought you’d be resting, so I came to check on you."
Chao Musheng stared at him for a long moment before grabbing his wrist. "Come on, I’ll take you to Song Xu’s room to rest. How did you even know I was in the guesthouse?"
"The storm was so bad, I figured you’d be worried about Aunt Chao." Su Chenzhu obediently followed, letting himself be led. "But I didn’t know which room you were in, so I just waited here for you."
Rushing out of the room, Song Xu, who had been planning to continue buttering up Chao Musheng, nearly lost control of his expression when he saw Su Chenzhu standing beside him.
Is that President Su?!
In such terrible weather, how could he brave the raging storm to come here?
"What are you going to do?" Su Chenzhu glanced at Song Xu, whose facial features seemed to be in disarray, before his gaze softened as it landed on Chao Musheng. "I'll go with you."
"I’m going to knock on every door to check if anyone’s injured," Chao Musheng replied, turning to look at him. "You want to come too?"
"Mn." Su Chenzhu glanced down at his wrist, where Chao Musheng was holding him. "I’ll go with you."
"Alright." Chao Musheng agreed almost without hesitation, then turned to Song Xu. "Song Xu, do you have any masks here?"
"Yes!" Song Xu, still struggling to compose his expression, nodded vigorously. "Assistant Chao, we do!"
Su Chenzhu stood at the doorway, his eyes icy as he took in the sight of the three injured and bleeding staff inside.
But the moment Chao Musheng looked his way, his expression gentled, returning to the warmth he always reserved for him.
"Put on a mask." Chao Musheng took the mask Song Xu handed over. "Xiaojuan, stay here and keep the three staff company until help arrives. The rest of us will split up and check the other rooms for injuries."
"Got it." He then placed a mask in Su Chenzhu’s hand. "President Su won’t be splitting up. He’s coming with me."
Song Xu’s eyelid twitched violently. He wanted to behave, but his eyes refused to obey, darting repeatedly between Chao Musheng and Su Chenzhu.
He swore to the heavens he didn’t want to ship them recklessly.
But the chemistry between Assistant Chao and President Su… it was just too real.
