Die, Replay, Repeat

The middle-aged man, engaged in battle with Specter, heard a voice. He swung his sword, pushing the Frozen Zombie back, and turned to look at the group.

For a moment, he froze, disbelief flashing in his determined eyes. "Qingxin, Li, Xiong!"

Hearing those familiar names, Li Xiaoru and the others were overwhelmed with excitement. It couldn't be a mistake. This was the former Chief Commander who had vanished years ago.

"Sir, be careful!" Luo Qingxin suddenly called out in alarm, disappearing from her position.

It turned out that the Frozen Zombie had noticed the middle-aged man's distraction and seized the opportunity to strike. Its cold, withered hand reached for his heart.

In that instant, Luo Qingxin appeared in the middle of the scene. She raised her hand, sending an ice spike toward the Frozen Zombie's hand, forcing it to hesitate for a moment.

The middle-aged man, a fifth-tier psychic, reacted quickly. His sword flashed with dazzling white light and pierced through the Frozen Zombie.

Fang Xiu, witnessing the scene, scoffed thoughtfully.

The middle-aged man's strength was clearly superior to the Frozen Zombie's. Yet, he hadn't dealt with it immediately. He had waited, only striking after everyone had arrived—seemingly on purpose, to create a chance encounter.

During the last reset, Wei Xin had mentioned that someone from the headquarters in Whitestone would be glad to see Fang Xiu and the others.

Now, it seemed that the guy was this middle-aged man.

Fang Xiu sneered. "So, this is the former Chief Commander? Interesting."

After the Frozen Zombie was defeated, the group began talking.

"Is it really you?" Luo Qingxin asked, her voice filled with excitement.

The middle-aged man smiled warmly, a smile full of the charm unique to a mature man. "Qingxin, Li, Xiong, it's been nine years. You've all grown so much!"

Li Xiaoru and the others were overjoyed.

"Sir, I can't believe it really is you! We thought you were dead after disappearing for nine years. We had no idea you'd come to the Land Between!"

He glanced around cautiously, then said, "This isn't the place to talk. There are endless Specters here, and if we stay too long, our Spiritual Energy will eventually run out. Follow me."

Li Xiaoru and the others nodded and called out to Fang Xiu, "Xiu, this is the former Chief Commander of the headquarters, Lu Ziming!"

"Mm, let's go." Fang Xiu didn't question it. Instead, he followed Lu Ziming, curious about what the man was up to.

From the reactions of Li Xiaoru and the others, it was clear that Lu Ziming had once been a good man. But after three years in this ghostly place, it was hard to say how much of that remained.

With a fifth-tier expert leading the way, the group's journey was smoother. But there was something puzzling: Lu Ziming was not heading toward Whitestone, but rather in the opposite direction. ȐÃＮȪꞖÈꞨ

Soon, a steep mountain range appeared before them.

Lu Ziming waved his hand and said, "Let's go, up the mountain!"

"Sir, where are we going? This doesn't seem to be the road to the town," Li Xiaoru asked, confusion flashing in his eyes.

As time passed, the excitement that had initially filled him began to fade, and his sharp mind started to take over.

Without turning his head, Lu Ziming explained, "To enter Whitestone, you must go in the opposite direction. If you head straight for it, you'll never reach it."

The group was stunned. "No wonder we've been walking for so long and still haven't reached the town."

Soon, the group made their way up the mountain.

As they reached the mountain, the snake-like Specters mysteriously thinned out, as though something on the mountain frightened them, preventing them from coming any closer.

Walking along the mountain path, Lu Ziming explained, "This place is called Brain Hill. It's the territory of the Brainfeasters. The snake-like Specters don't dare venture near."

"What's a Brainfeaster?" Li Xiaoru asked, intrigued.

"Brainfeasters are a type of Specter that only consume brains, and they especially prefer the smart ones," Lu Ziming replied, his expression serious.

Yang Ming's face went pale. "Does that mean I'm in danger?!"

His comment earned a round of eye-rolls from the others.

Li Xiaoru said, "I wouldn't put it that way."

Xiao Chuxia added, "I can already imagine what will happen. The Brainfeasters will open your skull, look inside, and then just walk away, disappointed."

Yang Ming frowned. "What do you mean by that? You're looking down on me? I AM SMART! I just don't bother to think about things."

Lu Ziming chuckled at the group's banter. "You all really get along well. It seems like the headquarters has gained a lot of young, talented members."

"By the way, Chief Commander, I forgot to introduce them to you. This is Yang Ming and Xiao Chuxia, both new members of the headquarters. And this one..." Li Xiaoru paused briefly, choosing her words carefully, "This is Xiu, Fang Xiu, the current Chief Commander of the headquarters."

As soon as she spoke, Lu Ziming's eyes immediately locked onto Fang Xiu, a sharp glint flickering in them.

Fang Xiu met his gaze calmly, remaining silent.

"Current Chief Commander? If my senses are correct, you seem to be only at the third tier?" Lu Ziming remarked. Realizing his words might have sounded blunt, he quickly added, "I'm not questioning your abilities, just curious how someone at the third tier could become Chief Commander."

Yang Ming jumped in excitedly. "You don't know Xiu, do you? That's why you're asking. Do you have any idea who he is? He's the famous—"

"Just lucky," Fang Xiu cut him off flatly.

Lu Ziming smiled slightly. "It seems Mr. Fang is still cautious around me. I understand. After all, I've been missing for nine years, and so much has changed in that time. But as we get to know each other better, you'll see my true character. You've just arrived in the Land Between, and you certainly won't be able to leave anytime soon."

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you know how to leave the Land Between?"

Lu Ziming nodded. "Actually, everyone in Whitestone knows how to leave the Land Between. The problem is that no one has managed to do it yet. But now that you've joined, the time it takes to leave will be significantly shorter."

Yang Ming couldn't contain himself. "What's the way out?" he asked eagerly. He was desperate, especially since he only had one pack of cigarettes left, and that pack had already started to smell like death.

"One hundred million Spirit Money bills," Lu Ziming replied casually.

Yang Ming rolled his eyes. "Spirit Money again? Is that the answer to everything here? Can you buy cigarettes with it?"

Lu Ziming gave a thoughtful look. "It seems you already know about Spirit Money. Did you meet someone else before?"

Luo Qingxin nodded and said, "We met Wei Xin, the Zombie."

"Wei Xin?" Lu Ziming's expression darkened slightly. "You didn't trade with him, did you? Wei Xin is not trustworthy. He's tricked newcomers before, getting them into huge debts and forcing them to work for him."

Yang Ming laughed. "With Xiu around, who would he be able to trick? Instead, Xiu tricked him out of ten thousand Spirit Money."

Lu Ziming's face showed surprise. "Mr. Fang, I think I understand now why you became Chief Commander."

Fang Xiu didn't respond.

Notes

Translator's note: I have a feeling that this Lu Ziming is another hypocrite.

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