Chapter 159: Stop Rubbing Against My Brother's Chest!

"Boss... You're out!"

The moment Wu Suowei stepped out of the room, his underlings outside cheered with joy.

However, the instant he revealed the corpse resting on his shoulder, everything came to an abrupt halt.

"Did we... lose? What on earth did Ji Linmo and his crew do?!"

The dyed-blonde man stared at the women's bodies, deep hatred burning in his eyes. At that moment, he wished he could slaughter Ji Linmo and his faction right then and there.

"It was my misjudgment. Little Pear Blossom, Sister Jing, and Zhou Mei—the three of them chose to sacrifice themselves so that I could live."

Wu Suowei gently lowered the bodies, taking off his oversized coat to cover their faces. Then, the tall, brawny man removed his sunglasses, bowing deeply to the departed with a sorrowful expression.

"Boss, don't grieve too much. Being able to sacrifice ourselves for you is our honor. You are the only one who can redeem this world. Along this journey, we have all held the absolute will to give our lives for you..."

The blonde man spoke in comfort. Following his words, the rest of the underlings stood straight, bowing to the deceased with solemn and sorrowful expressions.

Wu Suowei lowered his head and glanced at the blonde man. Immediately, a small knife singed by fire was handed over.

"Everyone, according to their final wishes, I promise that when the day comes for me to leave this world, I will certainly take care of Zhou Mei's younger brother and provide for the parents of Little Pear Blossom and Sister Jing."

With that, Wu Suowei exposed his left arm.

As the blade sliced through flesh, the man carved the names of the three deceased women onto his arm. On his exceptionally thick arm, names were already etched one after another from top to bottom.

Wu Suowei swept his gaze across his underlings, raised his arm high, and shouted to them.

"Everyone, death cannot be spoken lightly, but we are the true redemption of this world!"

"Starting today, we are at irreconcilable odds with Qin Feng's faction, the ones who caused their deaths!"

The underlings' eyes bloodshot with fury, veins bulging as they raised their arms and cheered wildly.

[Player Wu Suowei, do you confirm spending 50 skill points to issue a forum-wide announcement?]

The moment Wu Suowei pressed the confirmation key, four photographs popped up before the eyes of every single player in the game, clearly labeled with names and bounties.

These four photographs belonged precisely to the players Qin Feng, Ji Linmo, Lin Bufei, and Liu Xiaoxiao!

[Forum Announcement]

["Redeemer Wu Suowei" is at irreconcilable odds with these four players. Anyone else who aids them will be treated as accomplices!]

[Notice: Rewards for elimination! Anyone in the game who opposes these four players may claim their reward from the Redeemer.]

[Ji Linmo / Qin Feng: Bounties of 4 S-grade instance props each]

[Lin Bufei / Liu Xiaoxiao: Bounties of 4 A-grade instance props each]

In an instant, the other players within this instance exchanged bewildered glances.

"Is Boss Wu openly forcing us to pick a side?!"

"That top-ranking guy is really pitiful. Seems he's just a newly promoted senior player, yet he managed to offend Boss Wu. I was actually hoping to latch onto his coattails to coast through until the end of the game..."

"Hahaha, I bet Boss Wu has an eighty percent chance of being the final victor. If we can capture that bunch and use that achievement to become his teammates, wouldn't we hit the jackpot?"

Inside the room, Ji Linmo, who had also received the notification, furrowed his brows tightly.

—This Wu Suowei. I haven't even settled the score for this incident with him yet, and he makes the first move, acting as if they were the victims.

However, right now, they had truly become the targets of public criticism.

Granted, based on the previous battle between Qin Feng and Wu Suowei, players could not slaughter one another at will. But dirty tricks and sabotage were entirely condoned. With so many people viewing them as thorns in their sides, their journey in this world would become infinitely more difficult.

"Ha, Wu Suowei..."

Ji Linmo's eyes darkened as he stared at the player forum, reading the comments left by various players for a moment, his expression growing increasingly ice-cold.

—Everyone universally assumed that Wu Suowei would take first place and secure the chance at the ultimate wish.

After all, the senior players in this instance had all heard of Wu Suowei; no one wanted to cross swords with someone who had survived in the thriller world for three years.

As for "Ji Linmo," in the eyes of the crowd, he was merely a newly promoted senior player ripe for bullying.

"Mr. Ji... This is just Wu Suowei's excuse to get you to engage with him personally, pay no mind to it~"

"Besides, no matter how much trouble they stir up, I'll handle these matters. You can rest easy~"

At this moment, although the youth in his embrace had calmed down, he showed no intention of letting go.

He nuzzled against the man's chest, remaining utterly unfazed by the pop-up notification as if he had long anticipated that the other party would pull such a stunt.

"Mr. Ji?"

The youth looked up in puzzlement. Ji Linmo did not speak at the moment, nor did he react in the slightest to the youth's small gestures, seemingly lost in deep thought.

"Liu Xiao, are the people from your Abyss Guild still trustworthy?"

Ji Linmo expressionlessly handed his glasses to Liu Xiaoxiao.

"They are all devout enough. I believe that with a morale-boosting stimulus, they will quickly regain their confidence."

Putting on the gold-rimmed glasses, Liu Xiao's gaze regained its sharpness.

Seeing her nod with absolute certainty, Ji Linmo once again looked up at the player forum and raised his finger.

A brand-new announcement appeared before everyone's eyes.

[Forum Announcement]

[Miracle-maker Ji Linmo has joined the Abyss Guild]

[He will create miracles once more. Players are welcome to join the Abyss Guild and stand alongside him.]

At that moment, everyone, even Qin Feng, was stunned.

It wasn't because of the message itself, but because of the expression on Ji Linmo's face as he stared at the screen—it was cold and distorted to the absolute extreme.

"I will be the one who takes first place..."

"Anyone who tries to stop me from getting this wish will be executed without mercy."

His icy voice was as chilling and terrifying as seeping blood.

The man raised his head, sweeping his gaze across the crowd with their varied expressions, his voice low and deep.

"I don't wish to dwell on anything that happened before..."

"But now, I must claim first place."

"Lin Bufei, Liu Xiao, and Qin Feng—lend me your strength. We are all in the same boat. Once this succeeds, I will grant a wish that satisfies every single one of us..."

Qin Feng revealed a look of disbelief.

He stared straight at the man before him, grabbing him by the collar.

"Mr. Ji, are you joking? Have you forgotten what you promised me just now?"

Lin Bufei, standing nearby, could no longer stomach it. He abruptly lunged forward, grabbed Qin Feng by the collar, and violently yanked him away from Ji Linmo's embrace.

"Hehehe... Do you really think you can survive just by dodging Wu Suowei? Talking big like that—do you have any idea what kind of massive trouble we've stumbled into, and you're still over here rubbing against my bro's chest!!!"