When Qi Xu turned to look back, he found nothing unusual. Sensing something amiss, he quickly stood up and began searching the area. Unfortunately, after circling the entire field, he still couldn’t find the figure he was hoping to see. Instead, he was recognized by the crowd. Anyone from District 88, Subdivision 666 immediately snapped to attention and greeted him loudly, "Hail Whirlwind Boss!"
No one even called him "big shot" anymore—just "Boss."
The roughly 200 people present all turned their heads in surprise at the mention of the legendary name "Invincible Black Whirlwind." After all, this was a top-tier player frequently announced server-wide. Running into him by chance like this was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up to make their presence known.
The entire room erupted in enthusiastic greetings, showering Qi Xu with the kind of attention usually reserved for celebrities. Feeling awkward but resigned, he decided to embrace the moment and responded with a smile, "Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you all."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qi Xu cut straight to the point: "I’m looking for someone. Has anyone here seen HappyEnding—Xie Shaoning? Before this survival game, he was an eight-time gold medalist swimmer for our country."
As soon as he finished speaking, a girl raised her hand. "I saw him! He was right next to me earlier. I wanted to ask for his autograph, but he pulled out a card and vanished instantly!"
"Ah, figures. Thanks anyway..." Qi Xu shook his head in disappointment and sighed before exchanging a glance with Old White Dragon in the Waves.
Old White Dragon immediately caught on and asked, "Whirlwind Boss, why are you looking for him?"
Qi Xu lowered his voice just enough. "To collaborate. He’s got a treasure map with multiple slots. Uh... let’s talk about this later. Don’t ask for now."
Old White Dragon played along, shutting his mouth and casually scanning the room as if he hadn’t been the one speaking.
Qi Xu was deliberately stirring the pot. They’d met several times before—how could Xie Shaoning just run off without even a greeting? That level of avoidance was way too suspicious.
Originally, Qi Xu had planned to fish for information, hoping to uncover whatever secret Xie Shaoning and Emberkiss Starmoon were hiding. But this worked just as well. Now everyone knew HappyEnding was Xie Shaoning, that he held a valuable treasure map, and even the server’s top player, Invincible Black Whirlwind, wanted to team up with him.
Instantly, the crowd buzzed with speculation. The more capable players were already calculating whether they could worm their way into this high-stakes game.
As for HappyEnding’s district, Qi Xu didn’t even bother asking. Someone as cautious as Xie Shaoning would’ve switched districts the moment he left. Asking would be pointless.
Admittedly, Qi Xu understood him well.
Xie Shaoning cursed under his breath as he exited the dungeon. His pet, Mountain Tyrant Tiger, punched him in confusion. "You promised me a fight! Why are we backing out before it even started?"
"Next time, I swear."
The tiger’s favorability dropped by 5 points, giving Xie Shaoning a headache. His pet was undeniably powerful, but it had a mind of its own—barely even acting like a pet.
With the favorability bar nearly in the red, Xie Shaoning had to spend some special-effect meat to calm the beast down, barely clawing back 3 points.
Then, without hesitation, he used another district-swap card. Invincible Black Whirlwind was notoriously vindictive. If he found out Xie Shaoning’s district again, he’d either come hunting himself or send an assassin. Better safe than sorry.
[All players, please take your seats according to the numbers on your wrists!]
As the dungeon announcement rang out, the crowd moved swiftly. Qi Xu’s wrist displayed the number "1," placing him at the frontmost console.
Player 2 was an unfamiliar girl, while Player 3 was Old White Dragon—close enough to strategize if needed.
Once everyone was seated, the screens lit up, displaying each player’s pets in the challenge arena. The number of pets determined the number of split screens. For example, Player 2 beside Qi Xu had three small windows.
"Whirlwind Boss, you only have two pets?"
The girl smiled, but her nosy curiosity was too obvious. Qi Xu disliked players with ulterior motives, so he ignored her.
He’d heard from Laicai that "Invincible Black Whirlwind" intel could be sold for profit. Qi Xu had no interest in having his privacy spread all over the place.
The girl took the hint, backing off with an apologetic smile. Provoking a top player publicly was basically asking for death. Even if it wasn’t personal, reputation alone demanded consequences for disrespect—otherwise, how could a boss maintain authority? Curiosity required survival first.
[Welcome, players! The dungeon event "Pet Gauntlet Free-for-All" is about to begin! All players retain the right to forfeit or withdraw at any time. If a pet wishes to quit, it may send a request to its owner.
No mercy, no stability. If you want your pets to grow stronger—to fight alongside you—this is the perfect training opportunity!
Current rules:
1. Pets that clear 5 stages earn their owner 100 survival coins. Clearing 10 stages grants 500 coins, and so on.
2. Owners who reject a pet’s quit request once earn 100 coins. Rejecting twice earns 200 coins, etc. Cheaters will die!
3. After each stage, owners may choose to send supplies. If no supplies are sent, the stage’s coin reward doubles!]
The three rules sent a collective chill down everyone’s spines—Qi Xu included. The system loved money, but it had standards.
Instead of a straightforward shop, it layered on all these restrictions.
On the surface, it seemed generous with payouts. But Qi Xu knew better: if anyone actually chased all those coins, their pets would either never return or turn against them in rage.
Having already pitted players against each other, the system was now driving a wedge between owners and pets.
[The Pet Gauntlet will now begin! Please select a buff for your pet. This round’s selection is free!]
Three options appeared on Qi Xu’s screen:
1. Unyielding Courage (No retreat, no surrender).
2. Death Protection Card.
3. 300 survival coins.
Little Seven and Sweet Girl had the same three choices. Without hesitation, Qi Xu selected "Death Protection Card" for both.
But the girl beside him suddenly gasped in excitement. "Wow! So this is the advantage of raising multiple pets! The strong ones can fight, the weak ones get courage boosts, and the obedient ones can earn money for their owner!"
..........
