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

Chapter 40: Let’s Kill Them Together

Ding!

[Player ‘Modern Aristocrat’ has challenged you!]

Ding!

[Any counterattack you make within the next hour will be considered self-defense. No crime value will be added, no reputation points will be deducted, and you will not be flagged as a red-name player.]

Ding!

[Detected that Player ‘Modern Aristocrat’ is in a party with others. The system has deemed the entire party as a single entity. Any attack on any member of this party within the next hour will also be considered self-defense!]

The system notification echoed in Ye Qiu’s mind.

“Hmm?”

His gaze shifted toward a group of players approaching him quickly.

At the forefront was a plump, fair-skinned man with a vicious expression. He held a longbow, and an arrow had already been loosed. Its target was none other than Ye Qiu!

However, the aim was poor.

The arrow missed and landed in the ground nearby.

Even though it failed to hit him, the system had still deemed it an “attack challenge.”

“What are you doing, Zhou Wenyuan?!” a startled voice came from the side.

Zhao Hanyan, shocked, immediately shouted at him.

Zhou Wenyuan, whose in-game name was “Modern Aristocrat,” was momentarily taken aback by her reprimand before responding, “Yan’er, this NPC actually dared to hold a sword to your neck! He’s asking for death! I’m just teaching him a lesson for you!”

His mindset toward the game was still stuck in the logic of traditional online games.

No matter how realistic it was, in his eyes, players were players, and NPCs were nothing more than lines of code. Killing them was no big deal.

“Get lost right now!” Zhao Hanyan snapped, furious.

She had been trying her best to win over this mysterious NPC, only for Zhou Wenyuan to barge in and ruin the atmosphere!

“You’re telling me to get lost?!” Zhou Wenyuan froze for a moment, then his expression darkened. “He was the one bullying you! I stepped in to help, and now you’re scolding me instead?!”

He was fuming, though he couldn’t fully vent his frustration on Zhao Hanyan.

So, he fixed his glare on Ye Qiu instead and growled, “Oh, so you’re an NPC, huh? Pretty advanced AI, huh? Well, I’m pissed off now, and it’s all your fault!”

With a wave of his hand, he commanded his followers, “What are you waiting for? Kill him!”

“Yes, sir!” The group of players he had brought immediately rushed toward Ye Qiu.

“I dare anyone to lay a hand on him!” Zhao Hanyan stepped forward without hesitation, blocking their path.

Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

This female player named Smoky Clouds Fade was certainly unpredictable, but it seemed like she wasn’t inherently bad.

On the other hand, Heavenly Eye!

A white glow flickered in Ye Qiu’s vision as information about the plump player appeared before him:

[Player: Modern Aristocrat]

[Class: Archer]

[Level: 1]

[HP: 250]

“So, he’s a rich second-generation kid,” Ye Qiu mused.

Slowly, he raised the refined steel sword in his hand.

By now, many other players had gathered around, watching the commotion.

“What’s going on?”

“That fat guy brought a whole group to attack the mysterious NPC!”

“Will they even stand a chance?”

“Hard to say.”

“That guy is apparently the heir of Tianfei Group! He’s been preparing for this game for a while now!”

“Some of his teammates are already level 7!”

“Then the outcome is uncertain!”

“The mysterious NPC might be in danger!”

“If a player dies, they can respawn. But if an NPC dies, that’s it!”

As the spectators murmured amongst themselves, Zhou Wenyuan tilted his chin up smugly. “Yan’er, step aside. This is between me and this NPC. It has nothing to do with you.”

He was giving her an out.

However, even though Zhao Hanyan understood this, she still refused to move.

She frowned and said, “Zhou Wenyuan, stop messing around. This game is nothing like the ones you usually play!”

Zhou Wenyuan’s face twisted with anger. “Zhao Hanyan, enough! I’ve been helping you this whole time, yet instead of being grateful, you keep siding with someone else and scolding me?! You’re shameless!”

“You—!” Zhao Hanyan had never been humiliated like this before, especially not in public!

Fury flared within her as she retaliated, “Zhou Wenyuan, don’t think that just because you’re the heir of Tianfei Group, everyone has to fear you or give way to you! People have just been tolerating you out of courtesy!”

Despite her words, she truly didn’t want to escalate the conflict.

Though the Zhao family was powerful, they were still a notch below Tianfei Group.

She was only stopping Zhou Wenyuan because she was genuinely worried that if his group attacked, the mysterious NPC might get hurt or worse.

After all, some of Zhou Wenyuan’s teammates were high-level players, with one even reaching level 8!

They were well-equipped, and while she had no doubt that none of them could take on the mysterious NPC one-on-one, an all-out siege was a different story.

But Zhou Wenyuan was already too enraged to back down.

“Kill them all,” he ordered coldly. “Players can always respawn anyway!”

With that, his impatient followers sprang into action, charging forward!

Many bystanders had already started recording.

The game had an inbuilt recording function.

The attacking players had their faces twisted in excitement as they lunged like wild beasts.

The spectators, eyes wide, eagerly awaited the outcome.

Would the NPC be injured and flee? Would he be slain outright? Or perhaps… would he beg for mercy?

Although the game had only been online for three in-game days, players had advanced rapidly, while NPCs had remained stagnant.

Some had even begun planning to storm the Novice Village and kill the village chief once they hit level 10.

Players thrived on freedom.

“You—!” Zhao Hanyan was panicked, but there was nothing she could do.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

If she died, so be it.

It was a shame, though. She had just taken an interest in this mysterious NPC and wanted to recruit him.

Now, that was no longer an option.

But the pain she expected… never came.

Instead, a low voice whispered in her ear:

“Seventh Slash — Borrowing Power!”

The wind stirred.

A gentle breeze, natural and unassuming, suddenly turned fierce and violent!

Dust swirled in the air.

“Whoa! These high-level players are insane! Who used a wind-element skill?! That was amazing!” a player’s excited exclamation rang out.

But it seemed out of place, because everyone else was silent. Even Zhou Wenyuan and his elite team.

The player who had spoken quickly shut up, then, just like everyone else, froze in shock.

Before them, Zhou Wenyuan and over a dozen high-level players were splitting apart.

Blood sprayed into the air. Finally, screams erupted.

One after another, the high-level players collapsed.

Some died instantly. Others twitched for a moment before succumbing.

Ye Qiu, now standing in front of Zhao Hanyan, still held his sword.

A faint wind curled around the blade. Not a drop of blood had stained it. With a flick of his wrist, the breeze dissipated entirely.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

All the onlookers were dumbfounded.

They stared at Ye Qiu, then at the corpses of Zhou Wenyuan and his followers.

For a long moment, no one could process what had just happened.

One strike.

Just one, and over a dozen high-level players were annihilated.

Many players rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

But reality was undeniable.

Zhao Hanyan slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw the bodies, she was utterly stunned.

Her hands flew to her mouth in shock.