Qi Xu really is unreliable—first it was forming a group, and now it's a face-to-face meeting! There's no pattern to follow at all...
As the darkness before her eyes gradually faded, Qi Xu finally got a clear view of her surroundings.
An enormous round conference table, ten people in total—and what a coincidence, sitting directly across from her was Happyending, Xie Shaoning.
Qi Xu was slightly surprised. Four A-rank assassins, and they still couldn’t finish you off?
But upon closer inspection, his condition wasn’t great at all—pale face, exhaustion, dark circles glaringly obvious, messy hair, disheveled clothing, even a few blades of grass stuck to his collar.
A far cry from the "deathly serious" image he’d projected at the Monster Shop’s second-floor auction last time.
Seeing a familiar face was, of course, a pleasant surprise.
So Qi Xu casually waved and greeted Xie Shaoning, "Hey~ What a coincidence, meeting again."
"It’s you!"
Xie Shaoning slammed the table and stood up. No matter how much self-control he had, seeing the mastermind behind his troubles was the last straw!
Though he hadn’t dealt with those four shadowy figures yet, he’d finally uncovered the truth—they were A-rank assassins from the Assassin’s Guild!
The only person who held a grudge against him and had the resources to send assassins after him was the "Invincible Black Whirlwind" from District 88, Subdistrict 666!
If there had been even a sliver of doubt before, now—it was absolutely confirmed. It was her!
"Yeah, it’s me." Qi Xu admitted without hesitation, leaning back lazily in her chair, grinning at his furious reaction like a true villain who treated lives as disposable.
But there was no denying it—her sheer arrogance instantly made everyone at the table regard her with caution. This was clearly someone not to be trifled with.
"Invincible Black Whirlwind, you put a hit out on me with the Assassin’s Guild!"
Xie Shaoning blurted out Qi Xu’s nickname, and instantly, all eyes turned to her in shock. So this was the legendary player who dominated the server-wide announcements! This woman was on another level!
Under the collective scrutiny, Qi Xu sensed a mix of wariness, admiration, caution, and envy. She also knew Xie Shaoning had deliberately exposed her.
So she fired back without holding back, "Happyending, right? You’re really something. Weren’t you the one who hired assassins to kill me first?"
"It wasn’t me! I didn’t!" Xie Shaoning’s voice was sincere and frustrated—clearly, he’d been framed. His murderous glare suddenly flickered with a hint of grievance and honesty.
"Tch. Acting."
Qi Xu already knew it wasn’t Xie Shaoning. A’Bian’s analysis had been thorough. But everyone sitting here was likely the strongest player from their respective districts.
The real culprit might even be among them. Under the pretense of accusing Xie Shaoning, Qi Xu had been carefully observing the room.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t spotted anything unusual. Either the person was a master at hiding their emotions, or they weren’t here at all.
Xie Shaoning took a deep breath, forcing down his rage. Before the meeting officially began, he seized the moment to say, "I swear it wasn’t me. If I’m lying, may I be pierced by ten thousand arrows, descend to the eighteenth layer of hell after death, and only pull monsters from every loot box!"
Qi Xu raised an eyebrow, studying him thoughtfully, as if finally swayed by his words. Her demeanor visibly softened.
Xie Shaoning pressed on, "The Assassin’s Guild’s hit can be revoked, right? Let’s make a deal."
Qi Xu shook her head. "You still ambushed me first. A few assassins in return isn’t a big loss."
"Three kilograms of extraterrestrial iron. I’ll trade you three kilograms of extraterrestrial iron!"
Xie Shaoning practically spat the words through gritted teeth.
Qi Xu’s interest was instantly piqued. Now that was a worthwhile offer. Her stockpile of extraterrestrial iron with the goblins had just run out.
If she could win this cross-district challenge and secure the Vehicle Core, upgrading to a Tier-7 vehicle would be urgent. This material was exactly what she needed—server-wide announcements were everything.
"Deal," she agreed without hesitation.
Xie Shaoning swiftly initiated the trade, drafting an agreement requiring Qi Xu to revoke the hit within three days. Once she signed, he slid the extraterrestrial iron across the table.
Qi Xu snatched it up and stored it in her inventory. Xie Shaoning clearly had ulterior motives—everyone here needed this material. By flaunting the trade, he was practically announcing to the room that Invincible Black Whirlwind was one step closer to upgrading her vehicle.
He was deliberately trying to unite the others against her. But with her strength, she wasn’t worried.
At this stage, the cross-district challenge would be a one-on-one duel between districts. They couldn’t gang up on her, and even if they tried, without trust, their cooperation would be useless.
Once the deal was settled, the system announcement finally spoke up.
Just one sentence, and Qi Xu knew—this wasn’t her own "Ball Ball."
[Greetings, everyone. No drawing lots this round. Pair up as you wish—just ensure mutual agreement. The five winning pairs will compete, and the highest scorer gets an extra reward.]
The voice was identical in tone and pitch, but Qi Xu detected a hint of laziness in it.
If it were her Ball Ball, it would’ve started with an enthusiastic monologue. This abrupt efficiency was completely out of character.
This Ball Ball clearly wasn’t thrilled about being on the clock.
As for the "extra reward," it was probably the Vehicle Core—a must-have for upgrading to Tier-7.
Since they were meeting face-to-face, nicknames weren’t displayed, so Qi Xu had no way of knowing if "War Wolf Fragment" was among them. She couldn’t exactly ask outright.
Her only option was to scan the room visually. One young, baby-faced player seemed to fit the description, but she couldn’t be sure.
After some hesitation, Qi Xu extended an invitation to Xie Shaoning first. "Let’s team up. We’re acquaintances, after all—there’s a bond between us."
Despite the seemingly flirtatious words, Xie Shaoning only sensed murderous intent. He glanced up at her, baffled as to why this woman kept treating him like a fool.
What, so she could kill him in the arena, keep the extraterrestrial iron, and get a full refund on the assassins?
Xie Shaoning ignored her entirely and turned to the woman beside him.
Perhaps thanks to his disheveled appearance, she didn’t refuse. She accepted with a smile, even shooting Qi Xu a smug look.
"Sorry, this prey’s mine."
Qi Xu, unusually kind, warned her, "He’s strong. Be careful."
The woman smirked. "No problem. I like a challenge—makes things fun. And hey, that face of his is pretty cute. Mind if I check out those abs, little brother? I’ll be gentle..."
She even threw Xie Shaoning a teasing glance.
Xie Shaoning instantly felt like he’d swallowed something vile. This whole table was full of lunatics!
..........
