Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened

Chapter 39: Cloaked Big Brother

One hour later, Ye Qiu emerged from the secret realm.

However, his brows were tightly furrowed.

After killing the Human Demon, he had put on the diving suit he had prepared in advance, along with an oxygen tank, and dived into the Polluted Immortal Spring.

Then, he saw a scene that made his scalp tingle with horror!

At the bottom of the pool, numerous metal cages were submerged.

Inside each cage was a corpse!

Yes, a corpse!

There were no signs of decay nor did the water make them swell.

They looked as if they had just died. Their skin was pale, devoid of any color of life!

There were both men and women. They were completely naked. Their bodies were covered in strange markings, carved into their flesh with a blade!

Ye Qiu gritted his teeth.

He stuffed the cages along with the corpses into his backpack!

Fortunately, each cage, including its corpse, only occupied one inventory slot.

There was a total of eighteen cages and corpses.

After surfacing, he also found some bottles and jars.

He collected samples of the polluted spring water.

By the time he was done, exactly one hour had passed.

It was time to leave!

Ye Qiu had no intention of lingering.

Without hesitation, he teleported out of the secret realm!

As soon as he emerged, before he could even gather his thoughts, a sickly sweet voice reached his ears.

“Cloaked big brother, little sister has been waiting for you so patiently! You’ve finally come out!”

The voice was laced with flirtation.

Overly delicate, downright nauseating!

Ye Qiu rubbed his forehead.

Looking over, he saw the female player Smoky Cloud Fades, whom he had previously slain with a single sword strike, approaching with a beaming smile.

Not far away, Zhou Wenyuan, who had been about to leave, suddenly halted at the sound of Zhao Hanyan’s sickly sweet voice.

Then, in disbelief, he turned to look.

And what he saw was the goddess he had been pursuing for so long, Zhao Hanyan, who always treated him with indifference, was now acting… so intimately with another man?!

And for the first time ever, he saw her wearing a flattering smile!

Yes!

A smile of fawning!

She had lowered her status completely!

“Unbelievable!” Zhou Wenyuan was furious.

He turned to his subordinates and demanded, “Who the hell is that cloaked guy?! Which family does he belong to? Doesn’t he know that I’ve been pursuing Zhao Hanyan? How dare he steal my woman?!”

One of his subordinates quickly replied, “Young Master Zhou, please don’t be angry. That cloaked guy is actually an NPC in the game!”

“Huh?!” Zhou Wenyuan’s anger vanished instantly.

Instead, he was left stunned and confused.

What the hell?!

His subordinate explained, “The NPCs in this game have intelligence comparable to real people and possess independent thoughts and actions. Recently, players have discovered that the fastest way to level up is by befriending and recruiting NPCs into their parties to hunt monsters together. It provides immense benefits!”

Zhou Wenyuan had been busy with company matters.

It was only recently that he had begun experiencing this immersive game.

Now that it was explained to him, he understood.

“No wonder Zhao Mingyuan, Jiang Xinghe, and Ding Yuan leveled up so fast. So, this is their trick!” Zhou Wenyuan muttered.

His subordinate added, “Building a good relationship with NPCs doesn’t just help with leveling up. It also grants access to the inner village of the starting area! The most enviable part is receiving quests from NPCs other than the village chief! For example, the Ning siblings, Ning Qianjun and Ning Qingyue, managed to befriend that cloaked NPC, and in return, they received a purple rare equipment and a pink spirit artifact! There’s a video on the forum. Young Master Zhou, you should take a look!”

Zhou Wenyuan was no stranger to games.

He immediately grasped the significance in it.

Opening the game forum, he saw the top trending post.

The title read: “The Luckiest Players in Novice Village 0001 — A Pair of Siblings!”

Clicking into the post, it detailed how Ning Qianjun and Ning Qingyue had met the mysterious NPC. How they helped him. And most importantly, the rewards they received!

A purple rare equipment!

A pink spirit artifact!

There was even a video!

The comment section was filled with envious players!

“I see…” Zhou Wenyuan closed the forum.

Then, he waved to his subordinates.

“Come on, let’s go support my dear Yan’er!”

With that, the group of players rushed toward Zhao Hanyan’s location.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hanyan reached out and offered several thousand gold coins!

“Cloaked big brother, do you need money? This is for you to buy some drinks!” She sent a trade request.

“Sorry, I don’t need money.” Ye Qiu rejected it outright.

Then, he turned to leave.

As for this female player, Ye Qiu had no strong impression of her.

In his past life, there were many famous players.

He had met quite a few, but Smoky Clouds Fade wasn’t among them.

Either she had died early on or, like most others, she had merely struggled to survive, remaining unknown.

Zhao Hanyan saw Ye Qiu leaving and instinctively stepped forward to block him.

However, she didn’t know what to say!

Not interested in money?

Then… women?

Just as she was about to speak, a cold glint flashed!

Ye Qiu’s steel sword was already resting against Zhao Hanyan’s neck!

“Do you want to die again?” Ye Qiu’s voice was calm.

Inside, however, he was eager to try.

After all, the last time he killed Zhao Hanyan, she had dropped a Secret Realm Map!

That meant she was loaded!

If he killed her again, perhaps she would drop something even better!

Of course, Ye Qiu understood the game mechanics.

Whoever initiated an attack first, whether they killed or got killed, would bear the risk of getting a red name!

As such, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to make the first move!

Zhao Hanyan’s heart trembled in fear and unpleasant memories surfaced.

Even if it was just a game, the experience of being killed was horrifying!

At that moment, Zhou Wenyuan and his group arrived just in time to see this scene.

His eyes widened in fury!

Damn it!

That bastard NPC dared to put a sword to Yan’er’s neck?!

He is asking for death!

Even if this was just a game Zhou Wenyuan would never allow anyone to treat his beloved Yan’er like that!

“F*ck!” He exploded with a string of curses.

Then, he roared, “All of you, get him! Kill that damn NPC for me!”