Chapter 226: The First Faction Eliminated

Outside Regional Grid No. 56.

The onlookers who had rushed over stared intently at the pitch-black wooden cabin in the middle of the grid.

The total execution time was ten minutes, and eight or nine had already passed.

Yet there was still no sign of movement from inside the cabin.

"He isn't dead, is he...?"

A player gloated secretly.

"You're overthinking it. Only good people die young. Someone like Advisor Yan... heh..."

An inner world resident spoke up. He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

For a time, the crowd present roughly split into two camps:

One side thought Yan Jing might have met with disaster.

The other side thought he was fine, but fervently hoped otherwise.

As the execution time ticked down toward zero, even those who thought Yan Jing was fine began to grow suspicious.

Was he really dead?

But just as the clock hit the final dozen seconds, the cabin door was kicked open from the inside with a bang.

Under the crowd's varied gazes, Yan Jing walked out.

"Alright, no need to see me off."

Yan Jing pried off several fleshy tentacles wrapped around his hand. "I know you appreciate talent, Madam, but I have to go."

"..."

The tentacles quivered continuously, as if expressing their reluctance to part.

"I know, I know."

Yan Jing nodded. "As long as you are satisfied, Madam. As the saying goes, fate brings people together and fate parts them. If the opportunity arises, we'll meet again."

"I'm also trapped in this prison, completely helpless. If I had the choice, who wouldn't want to spend a little more time with you, Madam?"

"..."

Hearing this, the tentacles finally released Yan Jing's arm, lingering with reluctance.

Seeing this, the crowd's eyes widened in disbelief.

Who was this guy talking to?

The weird entities inside the Random Grid?

Why did it look like... their relationship was so intimate?

[Faction No. 4 satisfied the demands of the bride in the bridal chamber and received the bride's gift, +10 yuan]

"..."

Everyone, including the participating players, was stunned by the text on the light screen.

The fate of the last player who stepped into a Random Grid was obvious to all. Comparing the two, the difference was simply too massive.

Was Yan Jing's luck really this good?!

Amidst the crowd's shock, the next Dice roll began.

"Begin Dice roll."

Right at this moment, another unexpected scene occurred.

[Faction No. 3 used the Designated Dice Card]

[The Dice for this round has been designated and cannot be changed]

[Do you choose to skip this turn?]

[Faction No. 5 did not choose to skip this turn]

[The Dice roll for this turn has been designated]

"..."

The Dice above the short-haired woman's head slowly came to a stop.

34.

A number appeared in everyone's sight.

Before the crowd could react, the short-haired woman from the Public Security Association was instantly teleported to Regional Grid No. 34, which Bai Qiu had just upgraded to the Fourth Level.

Boom—

Just seconds after the short-haired woman was teleported, two streaks of weird energy—one red, one black—rocketed into the sky from Regional Grid No. 34.

The ground beneath the crowd's feet began to tremble. Terrifying rumbles echoed endlessly as massive boulders tumbled down and dust billowed into the air.

Some people tried to get closer to watch the battle unfold.

But under the expanding shockwaves of weird energy, they were knocked back repeatedly. A mist of blood exploded from their bodies, and they scrambled away in a panic, barely escaping with their lives.

Several minutes passed.

The clash of weird energy abruptly ceased.

[Faction No. 5 has chosen to pay double the toll to stop the combat]

[Faction No. 5 pays Faction No. 3 a 60 yuan toll]

An uproar swept through the crowd.

Everyone finally understood Faction No. 3's earlier maneuver.

It turned out that from the very beginning, Faction No. 3 had their eyes on the double toll required to halt the fight!

Indeed. If a chess piece died in battle, replacing the player wouldn't just cost a fee; the replacement would certainly be weaker than the original.

Under these circumstances, the moment Faction No. 5 decided not to skip their turn, there was actually no turning back.

They could only pay the 60 yuan toll to Faction No. 3 to save their piece.

This way, the 70 funds Faction No. 3 had just spent to upgrade the Domain were almost entirely recouped in an instant.

And if they had designated Yan Jing earlier, there was a chance Yan Jing might have won, which would have resulted in a massive loss.

This move was truly brilliant.

Many people ran over to Regional Grid No. 34 to see how the short-haired woman was doing.

The vast majority of people in this Super-Large Dungeon were from Rainbow City.

Therefore, they were quite familiar with the short-haired woman.

Crazy Jiang, Jiang Yao.

The strongest genius the Rainbow City Public Security Association had seen in nearly a century. Having entered the Inner World Dungeons only six years ago, she had already broken through to the Third Tier, and the quality of every single one of her Rituals was exceptional.

Most importantly, before she advanced to the Third Rite, absolutely no one had provided her with any support.

She had relied entirely on her own talent and hard work!

Yet such a figure had now been defeated, and defeated by the shadow of the long-haired man.

Even though that shadow possessed 120% of its usual strength under the amplification of the Fourth Level region, it still left many wondering exactly what had happened.

By the time the crowd arrived, they only saw Jiang Yao sitting cross-legged on the ground. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her expression one of intense agony. The scar on her face twitched incessantly, and a trail of blood lingered at the corner of her mouth.

The short red hair on her head now looked like it had been scorched by fire, uneven and reduced to an ashen black.

Moreover, there was a fist-sized bloody hole in her abdomen, bubbling with fresh blood. It was clearly a severe wound.

Someone drew a sharp breath.

For Jiang Yao to be beaten to such a state—and this was merely the result after halting the fight halfway—was enough to prove just how formidable the long-haired man was.

"Heh."

A cold sneer rang out from the crowd. Everyone looked over to see a tall, scrawny boy dressed like a high schooler in a uniform and sweatpants, looking completely out of place among the people around him.

"Brother Cheng's strength isn't something you lot can even imagine."

The boy's gaze was gloomy. "As for that guy who killed Brother Ming earlier, Brother Cheng will soon make him pay the price."

Hearing this, the crowd realized that this boy was on the same team as the long-haired man.

"..."

Although they were highly displeased by his words, everyone reached a tacit understanding not to make a move.

It was simply because, after Stage A ended, even the biggest idiot would try to dig up the backgrounds of the monsters who had displayed such divine might during Stage A. There were even leaks circulating on the player forums.

Thus, regardless of whether they belonged to a major faction, almost everyone knew that the team before them hailed from Longhe City.

Their Pathway was one found in the Inner World Domains corresponding to many prosperous cities in the Fifth Ring Domain:

[absurdity]

This was a Pathway based on professions and identities.

It sounded very similar to the cultivators of Minhu, but its backdrop was the modern metropolis.

The abilities possessed by its various branches were the result of twisting and amplifying their corresponding professions.

For instance, the man holding the calculator earlier had elevated its arithmetic function, turning it into a tool to calculate an opponent's strength and status. He could even use the pen in his hand to grade the score floating above his enemy's head, inflicting tangible damage.

"What's so strong about him? He's just relying on the Fourth Level Regional Grid's amplification. Wasn't his First Level Regional Grid wiped out by Zhou Xian in mere seconds earlier...?"

Someone muttered softly. Hearing this, the student-looking boy grew furious, the veins bulging on his forehead.

"What did you say?!"

"I actually think he's not wrong."

At this moment, a woman with a cigarette pinched between her fingers suddenly spoke up.

She wore a short black leather skirt and a hollowed-out lace bustier. With heavy makeup on her face, she looked like she had just stumbled out of a nightclub.

She completely ignored the student's fiery glare, leaning against a tree and blowing out smoke rings one by one.

Someone immediately recognized the woman's background.

"She's from the [Smoke Troupe], that bunch from Wuqing."

In this Super-Large Dungeon, two out-of-town teams had arrived in the Fifth Ring Domain: Longhe City and Wuqing City.

But compared to the mystery surrounding the Longhe City team, the Wuqing City team was deeply renowned throughout the Fifth Ring Domain.

On an Inner World System leaderboard known as the [Team Rankings], Wuqing City's [Smoke Troupe] had made the list seven or eight years ago. Their defining trait was that every member always carried their favorite cigarettes, puffing away at all times.

The student clearly recognized the woman's origins as well.

In the end, his face darkened. He said nothing more, turned around with a cold expression, and walked away.

The crowd exchanged glances and collectively shifted their attention back to the chess pieces on the Regional Grids.

After all, during this Stage B, the true battlefield was still inside this Monopoly game.

"Begin Dice roll."

"Begin Dice roll."

"Start..."

As time passed, one faction after another completed their first Dice roll and advanced.

The vast majority of the factions got through smoothly, rolling onto First Level Combat Grids.

A small minority were unluckier, rolling onto Special Grids and Random Grids.

During this period, a few minor episodes also occurred.

Among those who landed on a Random Regional Grid, one faction chose to pay a fine to pass.

And it was then that a bizarre event took place.

Within the spectating crowd, a member belonging to that faction suddenly turned ashen the moment the fine was paid. He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes losing focus as if his soul had been snatched away. No matter how much his friends beside him shouted, he showed no reaction whatsoever.

And yet, the halo of light around him still remained.

Soon, news spread. The faction that had just made the transaction was Faction No. 7, Baile Manor. After giving 100 funds to Faction No. 3, the halos around some of Baile Manor's players changed color, shifting from Baile Manor's yellow to green.

After Faction No. 3 spent 70 funds to upgrade the plot of land at No. 34, a change occurred once again among those specific players—the number thirty-four appeared above their heads.

Because of this, someone in the crowd came to a realization:

"Treating players as funds means exactly what it sounds like. If you trade funds with other players, then the players' faction alignment will change. And if you hand over funds to the bank to pay a fine, then those players will..."

"..."

"..."

The players present felt a wave of horror rise in their hearts upon hearing this conclusion.

If it was true... didn't that mean their lives were completely out of their own control?!!

"That's not right. Some people received reward funds from the bank. So what were the funds they received?!"

Someone's words shocked the crowd awake.

"Yeah! Didn't Yan Jing receive ten yuan earlier? What was the ten yuan he got?"

"Could it be... could it be life-saving money?"

Someone guessed.

Right as the crowd debated, several lines of text suddenly appeared on the light screen.

[Faction Fifteen's chess piece has been defeated in battle]

[Faction Fifteen must pay 30 yuan to Faction No. 3]

[Faction Fifteen sells plots 603-609 and receives 30 yuan]

[Faction Fifteen must pay 20 yuan to replace the chess piece]

[Faction Fifteen has insufficient assets and cannot pay]

[Faction Fifteen begins requesting aid from all factions, selling their last two plots for 18 yuan]

[Message from Faction Fifteen's commander: Save my life, everyone. I'm selling it cheap]

[No response]

[Faction Fifteen declares bankruptcy]

In a certain space enclosed by a black curtain, a man who looked like a player stared at the crystal panel in front of him in terror. Just as he tried to flee, a pitch-black laser surged out of the crystal panel the very next second, shooting straight into his head.

Bang!

The man's eyes bulged, completely bloodshot. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but before he could make a sound, his head exploded like a firework, spraying blood and flesh everywhere.

The headless corpse fell stiffly to the ground.

The pitch-black curtain vanished into thin air.