Chapter 62 – Did You Sell Your Kidney?
An hour later, Meilin had already taken multiple tours of the apartment but when she looked over at her brother, he still seemed to be standing at the same spot, doing something with his phone.
Hmmm? She did not understand what they were still doing here. "Brother, shall we leave? It's getting dark outside."
"Leave where?" Liam looked confused.
The little girl was about to say something when loud footsteps echoed near the door and a group of three men stepped out of the elevator, carrying what looked like newly packaged boxes.
"Chang Liam?"
"Yes. That's me."
One of the men took out a bill of sorts and handed it over to Liam who took a step away from the door, allowing the three men to enter the apartment and keep the packages inside.
"Come here, Mei Mei. Don't stand in the way."
"Ah… umm… ok but brother?"
Liam pulled the girl aside and then the two of them stood outside the apartment in the hallway while the three men made several trips up and down and placed a bunch of boxes inside.
Meilin stared at everything wide-eyed. She had absolutely no idea what was going on and she finally couldn't stand the suspense anymore and blurted out.
"Brother, what is all this? Whose things are these?"
"Aha ha ha. Dufus, are you zoning out or what? It's obviously our things. How can we live here without any furniture?"
Liam flicked the girl's face as her eyes widened further and she stared back at him anxiously. After a minute, her eyes even reddened and the little girl started sobbing.
"Eh! What happened now? Are you crying about that thing earlier?" Liam asked worriedly.
"No… Woo. Woo. Brother, can you please tell me the truth?"
"Okay?" Liam patted her.
The little girl looked up with tears clinging to her lashes and asked sincerely. "Did you sell your kidney?"
"Say what?" Liam did not know how to respond and ended up laughing. "This is what you were worried about?" He clutched his stomach and laughed hard.
"You idiot. I didn't sell anything. If you keep asking me things like this, I am going to sell you!" He pinched her cheeks and wiped her tears away. "Don't cry okay?"
"Un." Meilin nodded obediently in a daze and looking at her blank face, Liam explained a little with patience.
"I am making good money playing the game. So you don't have to worry about anything for now. In the future, things will be even better and we can live a peaceful life."
"I will make sure of that, okay? Trust your brother."
Though Meilin nodded her head, she still couldn't help but worry about the person in front of her. Was he working himself to death just to give them both these unnecessary comforts?
"Brother… then… can I also play the game? I will be able to help too?" She quickly exclaimed.
"Ha Ha Ha. Yes, yes. That is the plan. Give me one month and then we can both play the game together and make lots of money. Sounds good?"
Meilin did not expect her brother to agree with her so readily so she was instantly overjoyed. She nodded her head hurriedly. "You already said it. You can't change your mind later?!"
"Ha Ha Ha. I won't. Don't worry."
The two continued chatting while the men inside assembled everything and almost set up the entire apartment for use.
Since all of this created quite a bit of ruckus, the neighboring apartment door opened and its occupant stepped outside to take a look.
"Are you both renting this place?"
Liam turned around to see a young woman, probably in her twenties, munching on a bag of chips and looking at them.
She was wearing a pair of high-waisted shorts and a small shirt, which did not do a good job of covering any of her curves properly.
Her long black hair hung loosely in curls and she looked very beautiful like a model.
But surprisingly, she also wore a pleasant smile on her face, revealing small dimples, which made her seem like a polite and friendly person.
Liam did not want his sister to feel lonely, especially when he was going to be gaming full time the next few days, so he decided to put effort and make proper introductions.
"Hello, I am Liam and this is my sister Meilin. Nice to meet you."
Following his actions, the Mei Mei did the same thing. "Hi, big sis. We are your new neighbors. Please take care of us!"
The woman also smiled and looked somewhat surprised. "I am Shen Yue. Nice to meet you too. You guys are so polite. Where are you from? Are your parents inside?"
"Ah… it's just us. Ha Ha." Meilin replied.
"Eh? You are living alone with your brother?"
Liam had already moved away and started doing something with his phone, leaving the two girls to talk and become acquainted.
He took care of all the necessities for the new place, settled the balance amount for their old apartment, and lastly got the gaming capsule moved over.
He had also ordered another gaming capsule for his sister that was delivered promptly.
By the end of the day, almost all the work was done and food arrived as well. He invited their new neighbor over even though he was unsure if the person would be offended.
However, Shen Yue was more than happy to join them. She even praised Liam, looking around the apartment. "Not bad. Your taste in interior decorating is not bad."
He, on the other hand, simply nodded as he didn't know what to say. He had just casually ordered whatever had the best review.
The three sat down and ate dinner at the dining table making small conversations. Well, it was mostly the two girls chatting and Liam silently wolfing down his portion.
He also did not linger longer than necessary.. He quickly finished eating and washed up.
Chapter 63 – I Am Here To Issue A Job
"Mei Mei. You both have fun. I will be inside. Lock the door properly before sleeping."
"Un." The little girl nodded, while Shen Yue switched on the TV and was fiddling with the remote.
"Alright. I will see you both later then." Liam smiled and went inside his room, closing the door behind him.
"Mei Mei, what is your brother doing?" Shen Yue asked curiously.
"Ah. He is a professional gamer, sis." There was a proud smile on the girl's little face.
"Oh! Is he playing that new game everyone is talking about? I am also going to try it soon! Apparently, it is very realistic and we can have cute animals as pets."
"Have you also played the game? How is it? Do you like it?"
Meilin shook her head. "Ha Ha. I don't know. I might play it next month."
The two continued chatting for a bit, after which Shen Yue left and Meilin locked the door just as her brother had instructed her.
The apartment was a 3 bedroom apartment so she had her own space now and the young girl had a face full of smiles as she looked around her new room.
Everything was brand new and shiny and there was a soft bed, dressing table, study table, and also a desktop computer.
"Ahh… brother bought all of these?" She gulped nervously.
A couple of minutes later, a determined look appeared on her face and she quickly switched on the computer to learn everything that she could about the new game.
She didn't know if she was going to be any good at it, but she wanted to do her best to help out her brother who was carrying all the burden by himself.
Meanwhile… Inside Liam's room…
The gentle and loving smile he had worn on his face all this while had completely disappeared, leaving behind only an unmasked look of anger and coldness.
He silently opened the capsule and stepped into the game world once again, finding himself in the midst of a crowded street.
Several players had entered the city and it was now much livelier than before.
This was only going to worsen in the coming few days as Yleka city was one of the key places in the Gresh Kingdom.
Liam, however, did not care about the crowd. He in fact preferred it.
His figure did not stand out in the crowd and he inconspicuously walked over to a bridge that connected the two halves of the city.
But instead of walking over the bridge, he went under it and opened a door which led to somewhere dark.
This was one of the entrances to the underground sewage network of the city and at least on the surface, it looked completely abandoned.
There were a few rats that scurried over to Liam from some corner which he quickly finished off with a swing of his sword.
He kept walking deeper and deeper until he reached a particular place where there was another door. Liam did not hesitate and he opened this door as well.
Surprisingly, this time there was no dark tunnel or a bleak atmosphere. Rather, bright disorienting lights flashed like that of a nightclub's and loud boisterous noises spilled outside.
Liam calmly stepped in and closed the door behind him.
This was the infamous notorious underbelly of the trade capital of the Kingdom, purely a den of thieves, mongrels, and criminals.
Even the safety of the city which applied everywhere, preventing any players from getting attacked or injured, did not exist here.
There were a lot of hawkers selling suspicious items, women of the night, pickpockets, drunkards, and gamblers littered around everywhere.
A couple of brawls were taking place here and there. Even the air inside was nauseatingly intoxicating as if it was filled with drugs.
Liam kept his head down and weaved through the crowded place, making sure not to engage anyone. He only stopped when he reached a fat disgustingly dressed drag queen.
"Hey handsome, do you want to go for a ride? Only 1 gold for an hour! He He He." The man playfully flashed his plunging neckline, making a supposedly seductive pose.
However, Liam's face was still emotionless and indifferent, as if he was untouched by the depravity surrounding him. "I am here to issue a job."
"OOOOOhhh… Such a pity! I would have loved to ride a handsome guy like you! Right this way, darling." He lifted up a curtain on the left and Liam entered a small tent-like space.
Weirdly, inside the tent, there was no one present. However, Liam fished out a couple of gold coins and placed them on the empty table, along with a piece of paper.
"I need information on the whereabouts of these people."
After which, without looking back, he exited the tent and walked out of the raging underbelly, back onto the sewer networks, and then out from under the bridge.
He was back above the ground, in the main city again.
Liam silently walked over to a shop, filled up on all of his essentials, and proceeded to walk out of the gates of the city.
And just as he was about to leave, a prompt notification chimed in with a list of names and places.
"Hmmm… Already? Not bad. As reliable as always." Liam's lips finally curled into a smile. "Time to take out the trash."
Originally, Liam had not planned to deal with this particular issue this soon, but even he didn't have the discipline to remain calm after what happened earlier today.
He would have taken care of them, right then and there, back in that small alley.
It didn't matter that they had the advantage in numbers. He could have still turned every single one of them into lifeless dolls, but he did not.
It took him every ounce of control he had to not do that and unnecessarily complicate his future and his sister's future.
But that was his limit. Now in the game… there was no need for him to hold back anymore.. He really did not have that much patience or self-control.
Chapter 64 – Settling Some Debts
"Dude, this is an amazing quest! Oof! I can't wait to get the rewards."
"Ya, brother. Your luck in this game is simply amazing. I think we should be the first one to land a chain quest. I don't think anyone else had triggered anything like this before."
"Ahhhhh! I am psyched! I am getting goosebumps!"
Five young men were standing in a group and fighting with plagued wolves, beasts that were affected by some sort of disease.
Their skills weren't too bad and their group formation, as well, was good. Two of them tanked all the incoming attacks, one person healed and the remaining two were damage dealers.
Surprisingly, these five people were the same five bullies that always stuck together and had been making Liam's life a living hell ever since middle school.
In his previous time around, these people were also one of the main reasons why he was forced to live as a slave, and his sister suffered a miserable ending.
Liam owed a lot of debt to a lot of people and he did not intend to pay it all back this early, but these people went out of their way to remind him about it.
So who was he to refuse their wishes?
Unbeknownst to the five guys who were stalking a huge plagued ape, there was another predator stalking them at the moment.
Liam waited patiently. He wanted to savor this.
A couple of seconds later, the tank provoked the giant ape using his [Majestic Roar] and the ape started running towards the group.
OOOOO!!! AAAHHHH! OOOOOO!!! AHHHHH!
A volley of attacks swiftly landed on the beast.
Though the two tanks struggled a little to hold the animal's enraged punches, heavy damage numbers floated on the ape's head and before long, its health almost bottomed out.
"OOOOO!!! AHHHHH!!!" One of them imitated the ape and grinned wildly, as he was about to land the last hit. This was the leader of the bullies, Liu Senlin.
He dashed ahead and swung his hammer when unexpectedly a bolt of lightning landed and before he could attack, the ape already fell down on the ground, dead and lifeless.
"What the fuck? Who attacked it?" Liu Senlin turned around and shouted like a lunatic.
"Bro, none of us made any moves." One person answered.
"Yes, bro. No one did anything. Also even if we did, we would have gotten the experience points because we are all in the same party." Another one pointed out the obvious.
Liu Senlin's eyes widened in realization. That was right! This couldn't have been done by any of his underlings! Him getting the last hit in had always been merely a sign of respect.
So who the heck stole their kill? Was there someone else here? Hiding in stealth perhaps?
All of them turned around and looked here and there, but the place was ominously quiet. Not even the leaves in the tree moved.
Everyone was confused and remained silent, but their misfortune was not yet over. A smoke bomb landed in the middle of the five players and from it, thick white smoke started pouring out.
"What the fuck is happening now?"
"Gao, use wind blades or something!"
However, the person named Gao did not respond and the next instant, a party notification sounded.
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
"Hey! Heal me. Heal me." Someone else shouted and a second later, another notification chimed in.
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
Liu Senlin wanted to tear out his hair. He looked around in a haze like an idiot, having absolutely no idea of what was happening.
One by one all his group members were dropping like flies.
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Wasn't everything going smoothly? What is wrong? Just what the fuck is…"
[Ding. You have died]
Just as Liu Senlin's body fell down, the smoke cleared as well, revealing 5 dead bodies on the forest ground and a bunch of scattered equipments.
Of course, there was another person as well, the person who was responsible for everything.
Liam did not know whether to laugh or cry.
The smoke grenade's effect was only for 10 seconds and within that time, all five had been easily attacked and killed.
He did not even have to break a sweat in order to kill the group of people who had made his entire life miserable. How pathetic!
Regret and anger filled his heart. If only he had stood up to them… if only he had been a bit better, then probably everything wouldn't have turned out the way it had?
He let out a sigh and casually bent to pick up the drops. There was no point in thinking about the past anymore.
His figure then blurred and he channeled his mana to his feet to increase his speed and then moved to the big cemetery nearby.
This was the nearest grave and it was located near the neighboring village. This was also where Liu Senlin and his gang had obtained their quest.
And this was also going to become their permanent graveyard.
As the dead bodies littered on the ground became dust and dispersed into the air, the five of them promptly spawned at the village graveyard.
And just as they spawned…
"Guys, what exactly… Ahhh…"
"Fuckkkk!"
"Again?"
Liu Senlin did not even get a chance to look at the enemy's face when the notifications poured in all over again.
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. You have died]
Five dead bodies fell on the ground, one after the other, and a couple of seconds later, they disappeared leaving behind only a couple of items.
This time Liu Senlin was more aware that something suspicious was going on.. So he opened his status screen to log out as soon as his consciousness returned.
Chapter 65 – Even Death Cannot Save You
In the 'Evolution Online' game, graveyards did not have any immunity and players could be killed just as they respawned.
And they also could not log out until they summoned their status screen after they respawned and selected the logout option.
So technically, if one managed to attack a person before they could log out, they can infinitely keep killing their target as long as they wanted or rather as long as the other person's soul was still existent.
This only came to be known later in the game and by then graveyard massacres had become a common occurrence.
This single loophole made all kinds of stealth skills highly valuable as that was one of the ways players could escape from the potential graveyard massacre.
However, the current players had no idea about these things, especially the five fumbling young men who were getting slaughtered right now mercilessly.
Liam had no intention of holding back. It was inevitable that the strong trampled on the weak. The difference was that this time he was the stronger one.
So why would he hold back? The people whom he was killing over and over had never shown him that same kindness.
The world was never fair to begin with and this game and the apocalypse that ensued only made this worse. The dice have already been rolled and this was just the beginning.
Liu Senlin and the rest of the group wailed inwardly as they began to experience torture that they had never even dreamt of before in their wildest nightmares.
The game's realistic feature made this a hundred times worse.
How painful was a small cut on a finger? And how painful would the same cut be if it was aimed at a person's throat and ended their life?
By now, Liam's identity was no longer a mystery to them. Their dead lifeless eyes stared at the death god in front of them every single time they were killed and brought back to life.
They hadn't recognized him yet as his features were somewhat different in-game compared to real life.
But they could tell that they had seen him somewhere before even if they couldn't exactly pinpoint him.
Liam also did not put any effort into hiding his face. Today was their last day. What was even the point of hiding anything?
Only a small blissful smile hung on his face as he continued slashing his sword without batting an eyelid.
Every time the five bullies spawned, his hand moved with perfect coordination and cut them down.
All their equipments fell down one after the other and after the first twenty times, their levels were also brought down to 0.
Liu Senlin and the others were at the end of their wits.
They had just started playing the game and hadn't really offended anyone, so they didn't have the slightest idea of why this was happening to them.
By the time they saw that they had again become Level 0 characters, some of them were secretly overjoyed.
At least now this insane torture was going to stop?
However, unfortunately for them. Liam was not a kind person. His target was never their level. He also did not intend to simply cripple them. He altogether wanted to erase their existence.
The five naked bodies hoped and prayed that the god of death had departed, but when they respawned again…
Slash
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. A member of your party has died]
[Ding. You have died]
"FUUUUCKKKK!" Liu Senlin writhed in misery. He hated that he was the party leader as he received all the extra notifications which made it even more painful.
Weren't they already bankrupt, naked, and at level 0? What more did this person want? Just who the heck did they offend to bring this inhumane torture onto themselves?
Out of nowhere, for no reason, a familiar face crossed Liu Senlin's mind, but he put that thought away as he knew that it couldn't possibly be that loser.
But now that he had considered it… a slight doubt arose in the depth of his heart… that too if he squinted his eyes, the person in front of him was somewhat similar…
So maybe? But how could that loser possibly be so strong? He was just a fucking spineless worm.
He did not have time to think about it anymore as once again another round of torture descended upon them.
And to add to their already maxed out misery, another thing started to happen. After they reached level 0, losing all their experience points, skill proficiency, and stat points, something felt weird.
Every time they died now, there was first a burst of terrible stinging pain that accompanied the death, but after this, a dull pain echoed even in the fraction of a second where they were supposed to feel peace before they respawned and died all over again.
And this only became worse…
Little by little this dull pain became a throbbing head splitting ache that seemed to spread all over the body without having a particular point of origin.
It hurt so badly that it felt like their brain was being squeezed and juiced. Every single sense or rational thought their minds possessed disappeared and they were about to lose it completely.
And eventually, the five people altogether disappeared.
Meanwhile, Liam yawned lazily. He had already forgotten the total counts of death. It didn't matter. There was no point keeping track of it.
Everybody's innate soul had a different strength and there was no set number of deaths for erasing someone out of existence.
As he prepared to once again kill… no one appeared this time. This could only mean that this goal was successfully accomplished!
"Hmmm? Done already?" He coldly chuckled and stood up. "Did not even last for 5 hours! How pathetic!"
Liam closed his eyes for a moment, let out a deep breath, and walked away from there without looking back.
Unexpectedly, a system notification popped up in front of him.