NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
Yu Qing took a breath as he became the target. His fingertips trembled, and his Adam’s apple rolled quietly.
Seeing the situation ahead, Xue Ziyi raised his head high and cleared his throat in a pretentious manner: “Do you know me?”
The young man lowered his eyes, briefly recalling the information he had linked to from other systems to master the host’s details. After scrutinizing his appearance and information, he opened his mouth and said, “Xue Ziyi.”
If he truly was famous, things would be much easier to handle.
Xue Ziyi silently breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gradually. Zhang Yizheng, standing behind him, was gearing up and nearly cried with excitement, “It’s good that you recognize each other. Come share the information you’ve found with us. Let’s all take a look!”
In reality, this wasn’t a solo game. There was no competition among hosts entering the game; cooperation was key.
However, most newcomers entering the dungeon for the first time relied on veterans for support to gain experience and clearance skills, but…
Yu Qing raised his eyes and smiled politely but firmly, “Sorry, I won’t share.”
The young man’s expression gradually cooled, speaking in his usual serious and straightforward manner, “I could, but I don’t like your attitude, so I won’t.”
With that said, he turned away as if nothing had happened, taking a step forward. Zhang Yizheng grabbed his clothes with all his might, “What do you mean? Boss Xue hasn’t finished speaking! Where are you going?! The exploration time is almost up. Only when we find the clues can Boss Xue protect you. Understand?”
Suddenly pulled, Yu Qing staggered back. Exhausted from searching the entire floor, he barely maintained his balance with Qian Lai’s support.
Zhang Yizheng’s eyes were bloodshot, pulling desperately as if he would kill Yu Qing if he didn’t lend a hand.
“Let go,” Qian Lai tapped his wrist twice, not swatting it away, engaging in a struggle with Zhang Yizheng’s hand, veins bulging.
[There are still two minutes until the exploration is over…]
[Beep, beep, beep, beep—]
Two minutes!
The countdown changed from minutes to seconds, 120 seconds! In 120 seconds, he would be dead!!!
Zhang Yi’s head buzzed; the fear of death relentless.
Cold sweat soaked his clothes, forcing him to shove Qian Lai away, shouting desperately, “Listen! Boss Xue tops the rookie power list and has a powerful boss backing him. Going against him…”
[Who is this guy? Is he out of his mind?]
The incessant chatter and shouting riled up the live broadcast room, inundated with disparaging comments.
[Yeah, find your own clues if you need them. If you want to kiss up to the old man, go ahead. What’s that got to do with our Qingqing?]
[By the way, Xue Ziyi is also the top host on the newcomer power list. Among newbies who’ve played the dungeon fewer than five times, he’s the highest scorer. Show him some respect!]
[What respect? Who are you telling me to respect? These old folks really need to get over themselves. They see a newbie and just have to flex their authority and lecture them?]
Amid the discussion, [Beep——]
Suddenly, the system broadcast again: [The 24-hour time limit has expired, and all rankings for “Stairway to Heaven” will be automatically updated. Hosts, please check your rankings~]
The system’s general broadcast concluded, and Xue Ziyi paused, his smile widening.
He knew that every time the ranking list was refreshed, the hosts on the list would be broadcast again by the system.
Just in time, there was only one minute left in the countdown to exploration!
After the system finished its report, he stepped in to break up the fight and graciously allowed Yu Qing to cling to his thigh.
Not only did he do Yu Qing a favor, but he also gained even more admiration from Zhang Yizheng. Plus, he managed to obtain information for free, killing three birds with one stone.
So, Xue Ziyi adjusted his hair once again in front of the live broadcast room, casually licking his lips. His naturally charming face appeared on screen, and soon, the live broadcast room erupted.
[Ah ah ah ah! Ziyi! Husband, you are so handsome, those peach blossom eyes and those thin lips, I’m swooning!]
[Xue Ziyi~ I love you so much, kiss~ kiss~]
Xue Ziyi was thirty-eight years old this year, but the audience in the live broadcast room was quite young.
He relied on his naturally pretty face and a few smooth moves to win over many young and old fans, earning him points.
Therefore, most fans also adored him in an extreme manner, and some even flooded into Yu Qing’s live broadcast room to show their support.
[Is this newcomer crazy? Daring to challenge our Ziyi? Does he even know who protects our Ziyi?]
[This innocent-looking pretty boy, he’s called Yu Qing, right? Is he just here to attract guys and earn points by selling himself?]
[We don’t need to defend Ziyi! Look, he’s still number one on the newcomer power list this time, and he’s really putting this newcomer in his place!]
Excited comments streamed in one after another, and right on cue, the system made another announcement: [Host Xue Ziyi, congratulations, you’ve climbed to second place on the newcomer power list and thirty-first on the overall host list. More details to come.]
Not yet… not yet?!
How could this be?
For a moment, Xue Ziyi felt like he was struck by lightning. He stared in disbelief at the blue panel hanging before him, his heart racing.
No… no…
The last time he checked, he was still number one on the newcomer power list.
Among all the new hosts, he was the only one on the overall list!
How could this happen…
Then, another “beep” followed, and the system’s announcement rang in his ears once more.
[Host Yu Qing, congratulations. You’ve become number one on the Rookie Power List, eighty-seventh on the Overall Host List, number one on the Rookie Popularity List, and fifty-sixth on the Weird Host List. You’ve achieved the best results for a newcomer this year in just one day. Keep up the great work.]
“…”
“…”
For a moment, Xue Ziyi was stunned, Zhang Yizheng was stunned, and even the mindless viewers who had rushed into Yu Qing’s live broadcast room to hurl insults were stunned.
After a long silence—
[Hahahahahahahaha!]
Yu Qing’s live broadcast room erupted in laughter, and as the exploration countdown reached its end, they plunged into an extreme celebration.
[Who? Who said Yu Qing was just selling himself for money? In just one day, he achieved the best newcomer performance of the year! Xue Ziyi, you auctioned off three “special editions” for charity and still didn’t make the cut, right?]
[As far as I know, Xue Ziyi’s biggest achievement so far was swindling three elderly ladies out of their savings to sneak into the top 100 power list, right? How dare you flaunt that?]
[Look at us, number eighty-seven overall list in just one day! Hype up the charts!]
[Those who claim Yu Qing is just a pretty face, watch the replay. If you still think so, I’ll twist your heads off!]
The comment in the live broadcast room continued to surge, and the system’s countdown persisted.
[There are still 30 seconds until the exploration ends.]
Thirty seconds!
Zhang Yizheng was frantic!
Ignoring the uproar in the live broadcast room, he raised his fist to strike Yu Qing. In the next moment, he saw the young man wearily handing over his name tag and pinning it on him.
Zhang Yizheng was taken aback and didn’t understand, until he heard Yu Qing speak softly: “In this dungeon, name tags and clothes identify people. If you wear the doctor’s name tag, ghosts won’t harm you. Go in and find something. Hurry.”
With that, he handed over the white coat.
Those sincere eyes evoked an unwarranted sense of guilt!
Meanwhile, in the “Rookie Power List” section of the live broadcast hall, Xue Ziyi’s name was no longer in the top spot, replaced by the innocent, clean face of the young man with white hair.
Far across the hall, in the VIP seat, someone slowly raised their eyes. Amber eyes peered through silver-rimmed glasses, fixing their gaze on him…
Note
Ohhh~ could it be… our ml??