007's words had just left his mouth when even he was surprised.
He hadn't expected himself to be able to speak, though his words still came out a bit haltingly.
Pengpeng was equally startled by this.
However, he quickly recovered—it wasn't too shocking considering he was a subordinate of HIM.
If HIM could speak, then it wasn't so surprising that 007 could do so as well.
With that thought, Pengpeng slowly sat down and began chatting with 007.
"I'm Xiao Bu… uh, well, I'm the one who looks after your wolf in the camp…"
"I named it Little Bug. I hope you don't mind…"
Pengpeng was unsure how to explain his relationship with 007.
After speaking, he nervously glanced at 007, fearing any signs of displeasure. Seeing that 007's expression remained neutral, he finally relaxed.
"I know everything they did to Little Bug."
"But I was powerless. There was nothing I could do."
At this point, 007 could clearly sense Pengpeng's deep guilt.
This also confirmed that Pengpeng's feelings for Little Bug were genuine.
Additionally, 007 had already learned some things about Pengpeng from Little Bug.
Little Bug actually liked Pengpeng quite a bit and had no intention of hurting him.
For that reason, 007 had even scolded Little Bug, reminding it not to forget its mission.
Seeing that 007 was listening attentively, Pengpeng continued.
"I couldn't stand it when I saw them using Little Buh to torment you psychologically."
"But even then, my options were limited. All I could do was come here and offer you some advice."
007 nodded to show he understood and encouraged Pengpeng to continue.
"The best move for you right now is to play along."
"They're treating you this way to break you, to make you serve them."
"So why not turn the tables on them? Just like when you sent Little Bug to infiltrate the Eternal Guild."
"The key is to make them believe you've been tamed. Once you're out of this cage and strong enough, you can strike back!"
Pengpeng's words made a lot of sense.
It really was the best plan for 007 to escape and take his revenge.
Just like when he had sent Little Bug into the Eternal Guild—it was only by convincing them of its loyalty that they were able to deal a critical blow at the right moment.
Otherwise, the Eternal Guild would continue to use Little BUG against him, and 007 would never escape this obsidian prison.
Deep in thought, 007 mulled over Pengpeng's suggestion.
It was a point he hadn't considered before.
After careful reflection, he realized that Pengpeng's plan was indeed viable.
"Roar… I… understand…"
Convinced of Pengpeng's sincerity, 007 decided to accept his advice.
Pengpeng was overjoyed to see 007 agree.
"Oh, and don't listen to them. HIM—your master, as we call him—isn't dead!"
"I'll find a way to let him know you're here!"
Pengpeng worried that the Eternal Guild players might brainwash 007 into believing that HIM was gone.
That's why he made sure to share this crucial information.
007 didn't appear surprised by the news. Even though the Eternal Guild had told him countless times that HIM was dead, he never believed it. He could still sense that his master was alive.
Before Pengpeng could say more, noises came from outside.
"I have to go! Take care of yourself!"
With that, Pengpeng quickly disappeared underground.
Just as he hid himself, a voice rang out from above.
"Already losing it?"
The player on watch immediately snapped to attention upon hearing Tianheng's voice.
"Yes, Guild Leader. Look, his eyes are completely red."
Tianheng glanced into the cage.
Inside, 007 was repeatedly banging his head against the wall, as if driven mad.
Satisfied with the sight, Tianheng smirked.
"Begin the next phase of brainwashing."
"Tell him we are his masters now. His orders are to obey us—his loyalty must be absolute!"
---
After issuing orders to the players, Tianheng promptly reported 007's conditioning progress to Yonghui.
Naturally, Yonghui was pleased.
"This is heaven's blessing for our Eternal Glory!"
He had barely finished reading a message from Canglong when he received Tianheng's report.
Both operations were going smoothly.
Arrangements had already been made for hatching the Ender Dragon egg; Canglong and his team were tasked with accelerating the process.
On Tianheng's side, Yonghui provided further guidance.
"It shouldn't take much longer to break him."
"Once he's tamed, make sure he kills plenty of our players."
"My guess is that he, like HIM, grows stronger by killing players."
"With our 20,000 members taking turns, his growth should catch up to HIM's soon enough!"
Ever since the Cloud Soar Guild incident, Yonghui had closely monitored HIM's movements.
Currently, HIM had yet to locate a new batch of players.
Thus, with proper 'feeding,' 007's strength should rise quickly.
Even if he couldn't surpass HIM, the Eternal Glory Guild still had the Ender Dragon as their trump card.
A two-on-one fight would be nothing to fear.
---
Hidden underground, Pengpeng continued tunneling.
He soon found the path he'd used to arrive and stealthily returned to his post.
Once back, Pengpeng immediately opened the forums.
He began searching for posts related to HIM.
His promise to 007 wasn't empty words.
Pengpeng had seen 007's strength firsthand—it wasn't enough to defeat HIM.
If there was any hope of successful revenge, HIM's involvement was critical.
Pengpeng had watched Steve's live broadcasts, so he knew that HIM was having difficulty finding players.
Moreover, the location of the Eternal Guild's base was known only to its members and a select few guild leaders.
Therefore, Pengpeng needed to leak this information.
Searching for posts with "HIM" quickly brought up over 1,000 pages.
Clearly, HIM was still a hot topic.
Sorting by the latest posts, Pengpeng clicked through the top results.
The posts all told similar stories: HIM appearing suddenly and asking for the Eternal Guild's location.
When the players didn't know, they were killed.
Reading through them, Pengpeng's heart raced.
"There's hope!"
He realized that HIM was also looking for 007.
This made things easier.
All Pengpeng needed to do was post the exact location of the Eternal Guild under these threads and boost their visibility.
With HIM interrogating players, one of them might just point him in the right direction!
Motivated, Pengpeng put his plan into action.
He wasn't careless—he made sure to post anonymously.
While it was still possible for the Eternal Guild to trace him, by the time they did, HIM would likely have arrived.
By then, nothing else would matter.
After hours of work, the posts gained traction.
More players were reporting encounters with HIM.
Soon, HIM would have the information he needed.
Seeing this, Pengpeng smiled to himself.
"Revenge is only a matter of time."
"Little Bug, hold on. I'll help you get your revenge soon!"
---
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
In-game, eight cycles of day and night came and went.
Currently, at the Tianheng Guild's plaza…
007 stood in the center, surrounded by a line of players taking turns approaching him, unequipped and ready to die.
To speed up the process, Tianheng had even handed him an iron sword for more efficient killing. (How generous, I'm in tears.)
Though, unlike before, the players now wore smiles as they offered themselves up.
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