"Damn it, why are my eyes watering…?"
"Don't get soft! Remember, they killed plenty of our players... Ugh…"
"Even if we die, we can revive. Worst case, we lose some equipment… but this…"
"It's different for those who raise pets. Seeing this is just... unbearable…"
"…"
Little Bug, with the last shred of his strength, extended his tongue.
Just like always, he licked 007's face.
That single lick drained every bit of energy he had left.
His trembling tongue barely touched 007's cheek before falling limp.
"Rooooar! Roar!!"
Little Bug had been holding on just to see 007 one last time.
Just to lick his face one more time.
Of course, if he had any energy left, he would've loved to play their favorite game of tossing eyeballs again.
He wanted to see 007 panic like before, thinking his eyeball had been eaten.
He wanted to feel 007 rub his little belly one more time.
But it was beyond him now.
At that moment, as if understanding what Little Bug wished for, 007 dug out his own eyeball and placed it in Little Bug's mouth.
"Roar! Rooooar!"
007 shook Little Bug's body fiercely, as if trying to get him to stand up and play.
The eyeball kept falling out, and each time, 007 picked it up and put it back.
Over and over again, repeating the motion.
"Roar… Roar…"
"You like my eyeball, right? I'm giving it to you! No need to return it!" It felt as if he was silently telling him this.
For the first time, 007 experienced heartache.
He was incapable of physical pain—even if a blade pierced through him, he would feel nothing.
But right now, his chest was aching.
He had never felt anything like it before.
Holding Little Bug tightly, 007 didn't move. The Eternal Guild players watching seemed affected too.
They didn't attack.
Only now did they truly see that these two creatures had lives of their own.
And one of those lives was gone because of them.
007 continued to hold Little Bug close.
Until Little Bug's body lost all warmth.
When Little Bug's life signs faded completely, his body slowly began to dissipate.
Upon seeing this, 007 panicked.
He couldn't accept Little Bug's death, but he had no power to change it.
He couldn't bring him back.
But he refused to let Little Bug vanish from this world!
With this resolve, 007 made a desperate decision.
He stood up and brought both hands to his mouth.
Crack… Rip…
With a sickening noise, 007 tore his mouth open.
Then, with another "snap," he forcefully dislocated his jaw.
The Eternal Guild players were stunned.
They couldn't understand why 007 was mutilating himself.
Was it grief over losing Little Bug?
As they puzzled over it, 007 picked up Little Bug's body and started stuffing it into his mouth.
He was like a snake swallowing its prey.
Bit by bit, he swallowed Little Bug's corpse whole.
The players watched in shock.
"???????"
"Holy—?! He actually ate it???"
"What just happened?! I thought he cared about that wolf! Why is he eating it?!"
"See? Monsters don't have emotions! One moment all sentimental, the next, chomping down like it's nothing…"
"I think… he wanted to preserve the wolf."
"Yeah… The body was fading. If he didn't eat it, it would be gone…"
"Zombies don't digest, do they? So if he eats the wolf, it stays inside him forever?"
"Exactly… He ripped his jaw apart just so he could swallow it whole, to keep it intact…"
"He's… found another way to stay together forever."
"…"
The players of the Eternal Guild were deeply moved by 007's actions.
Many wiped away silent tears, even though he was their enemy.
007 and Little Bug's bond was undeniable.
Though they had thoughts and free will, they were not like players.
Their hearts were simple.
They had a purpose. They had each other.
To them, such bonds were lifelong promises.
Even if death took one away, the other would hold on however they could.
With a heavy heart and under immense pain, 007 swallowed Little Bug's body.
After he had done so, a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Something in his body seemed to activate. He suddenly felt extremely weak.
All his strength left him.
He wasn't sure why, but deep down, he felt it had to do with Little Bug.
After swallowing Little Bug, 007 couldn't even stand.
Eternal Guild's leader, Tian Heng, noticed immediately.
"Now's our chance!"
Unlike other players, Tian Heng had no sympathy for 007 or Little Bug.
No matter how tragic their story, he wouldn't waver.
To him, this was just a game.
As the leader of the Eternal Guild, he prioritized his guild's goals.
"He's weak! Everyone, attack!"
The players exchanged hesitant glances.
Tian Heng was about to lose his temper.
Just then, he received a message from the Eternal Splendor guild leader, Yonghui.
"There's a diamond-tier zombie near your guild base and you didn't tell me?!"
"You want to kill it?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Stop immediately and capture it!"
Tian Heng was dumbfounded after Yonghui's furious message.
He hadn't informed Yonghui yet.
Tian Heng had planned to kill the diamond-tier zombie first and then report to Yonghui for credit.
He hadn't expected Yonghui to already know.
Yonghui had known since the start when Tian Heng encountered 007.
But the situation was tricky—HIM's presence complicated things. If 007 was attacked, it could spell doom for the Eternal Guild.
Yonghui agreed with Tian Heng's approach.
His pride kept him silent about feeding monsters—it was a humiliation he preferred to ignore.
However, Yonghui never imagined Tian Heng would consider killing 007.
Yonghui also knew about HIM's demise.
Tian Heng thought killing HIM's subordinate would boost their guild's standing.
But killing a lackey couldn't compare to taking down the boss.
It would only offer a short-lived sense of superiority.
As one of the top guilds, Eternal Guild's position had already been overshadowed by the Cloud Saor Guild, thanks to HIM.
Killing 007 couldn't change that.
Tian Heng was short-sighted.
That's why he was only a leader of a subsidiary guild.
Yonghui, however, saw it differently.
With HIM gone, the Cloud Sky Guild soared to second place.
Eliminating HIM's lackey wouldn't surpass their glory.
In fact, it would achieve the opposite..
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