The King of Black Fog

"Um, Turquoise Pool, didn't you say we would meet next time in the past?" Li Qianxia looked at the Turquoise Pool in front of her.

Turquoise Pool was not at all embarrassed as she stood up opposite: "I forgot that the departure point was your courtyard."

She looked around the courtyard and then raised her head to look at the apricot tree, which spread like an umbrella.

It was November, and the apricot tree was gradually tinting golden yellow.

Under such an apricot tree, her white hair was gently blown by the wind, reminding one of scenes from childhood martial arts movies.

"Quite a nice place. Should I also buy a set here?" Turquoise Pool withdrew her gaze and said to the three.

"The courtyards here are quite expensive." Li Qianxia wrinkled her cute little nose.

Turquoise Pool smiled.

Li Qianxia knew that smile very well; whenever she watched TV shows with her elder brother and said this actor was handsomer than him, her brother would show that smile.

Damn rich people and handsome men!

The handsome men referred to here means: brother who is too handsome.

"Alright!" Since Turquoise Pool was wealthy, Li Qianxia didn't fuss, "I'll take you shopping then!"

"Hmm, I'll come over and stay a couple of days when I'm free, and go on the ship with you."

"Going again? Not going, not going!" Li Qianxia shook her head again.

"I had the same thought as you after my first experience with the ship's game, but half a month later, I joined you guys again—do you plan to enter the next stage with B-grade or A-grade Visualization?"

Li Qianxia looked at her brother and Yang Qinglan; she was not one to bother with decisions and was very obedient (as Li Changzhou thought, enjoying life lying down).

Li Changzhou and Yang Qinglan had to admit that Turquoise Pool had a point.

Just like in the first stage with 'Strength', 'Constitution', 'Agility', 'Perception', they had to 'max out' to break the boundaries.

A bit further back, their initial continuous actions of taking buses, entering instances, and seizing the "market" were essentially the same as having to learn high-level Visualization—to secure an early advantage.

"For now, let's strengthen our abilities in the subway first." Yang Qinglan responded to Turquoise Pool, but her gaze sought confirmation from Li Changzhou.

"Alright." Li Changzhou nodded.

With three usage rights of the Imperial Mecha, they could at least ensure basic safety in the subway where the game difficulty was matched by strength.

Li Qianxia punched her left palm with her right fist: "Using gamer language, that means we first develop, farm minions and neutral monsters, and improve our level and equipment!"

No one needed her superfluous explanation.

"Well, let's exchange contact information then."

After Turquoise Pool left, the three finally relaxed completely.

Li Changzhou took out the 'Snow Mountain Water Bottle' and before he could pour water for himself, Yang Qinglan's delicate fingers pointed at the cup in front of her.

"..." Li Changzhou poured water for her.

Li Qianxia took out her phone to check the latest news and messages—though it was just one night, what could there be...

"A murderer?"

Yang Qinglan looked at her, and the water pouring into the cup made a gurgling sound.

"Zheng Qing added us to that player's WeChat group saying there's been a murderer in Ming City recently."

Li Qianxia explained briefly, her fingers scrolling down to check previous chat records.

After all, it was just overnight, and she quickly finished reading all the messages.

"The suspect is a girl who came from out of town to work; she killed her fellow villager, stole her money, and even killed the villager's boyfriend... The photo is so disgusting, why would they even share it in the group!"

"A player?" Yang Qinglan asked.

"Yeah, Zheng Qing also asked everyone to inform the Special Warfare Bureau if they see her." Li Qianxia spoke, then suddenly thrust the photo into Li Changzhou's eyes.

"What are you doing?" Li Changzhou wasn't startled by the photo, but by her action.

"Can't let me be the only one disgusted! Qing Lan, you can't hide either!"

"I'm drinking water." Yang Qinglan held up her cup.

"It's not like you're eating; what's wrong with looking at a disgusting photo! You're not a child anymore, just look! Quick!" Li Qianxia held down Yang Qinglan's hand holding the cup, pressing her phone against her face like a stamp.

"No need." Yang Qinglan turned her face away.

"No need means yes!"

"Stop it!"

"Who's teasing you, I'm serious!"

Listening to the two girls' voices, Li Changzhou lay on a rocking chair, looking at the apricot tree above him and the autumn sky between the leaves.

Whether it was going back to the past on the subway or traveling to a different world on a ship, how to meet up with Yang Qinglan was always an issue.

They couldn't ignore this crucial matter just because they were lucky in 1928 and in the Cangqiong World, enabling them to meet up quickly.

Is there any way… any skill…

Li Changzhou pondered continuously.

After a while, he recalled asking Master Huang to borrow the 'Thunder Map', to continue practicing the Visualization, and at the same time, he could ask them how the senior group used to gather in the past.

Thud!

The sound of footsteps hitting the ground.

The three turned their heads to look, it was a girl wearing a white shirt and work pants.

About seventeen or eighteen years old, she was not just slender; she was so thin it almost detracted from human aesthetics, roughly around 1.6 meters tall, and she looked somewhat decent.

The girl who jumped down from the roof, and the man sitting under the apricot tree and the two beautiful girls entwined together, looked at each other.

Li Qianxia's eyes widened, and she sneakily poked Yang Qinglan's slender waist.

Yang Qinglan glanced at the picture in her hand; the murderer and the girl in front of them looked exactly alike.

She gave Li Changzhou a look, meaning—over to you now.

The assertive manner in which orders were issued reminded Li Changzhou that Yang Qinglan was the leader of their small team.

It might also be the unfussy intimacy often found between old married couples...

"Thief?" In a good mood, Li Changzhou decided to let this person off the hook.

Actually, he wasn't particularly interested and didn't want player conflicts to arise in the area.

Let's not talk about the rented house, if the books in Yang Qinglan's bookstore were damaged, she would probably be unhappy.

Well—speaking of which, he hadn't seen Yang Qinglan unhappy before. Maybe it would be interesting to see?

"..." The girl didn't speak, seemingly hesitating about something.

"As for money—" Li Changzhou pretended to search his pockets, retrieving five hundred yuan belonging to Yang Qinglan from "Honey Pot World."

He placed the money on the table and said, "I won't tell anyone you were here; I won't call the police."

The girl glanced at the money, then at Li Changzhou, and also sneakily eyed the two beautiful girls forming a lily flower.

The money flew into her hands.

"What is this?" exclaimed Li Changzhou in surprise.

"Wow!" Li Qianxia played along with her brother.

In her mind, Yang Qinglan critiqued, not as good as the kid who had chili oil on his mouth yet denied eating spicy strips. She speculated whether it was a skill or just instinct.

The girl gripped the money, jumped onto the roof, and carefully peered around, looking for a chance to escape.

She seemed not to be a person prone to unnecessary violence, no, perhaps she didn't want to leave clues for the Special Warfare Bureau.

The girl crouched like a cat, her small body perched there.

"There will be people here until 10 PM." Li Qianxia kindly advised.

She paused, then asked, "Do you need help?"

The girl looked back at her, continuing to search for a chance to leave.

"You can tell me your story, and if I think you are a good person, I can help you—well, get my brother to help you too."

After about a minute of silence, the girl finally spoke.

"...How would you help?" her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time.

"It's probably not feasible domestically; whatever the reason, it's no excuse for murder. I can get my brother to send you abroad, to have someone take care of you."

"...You're players too? Giving me money, are you mocking me?" the girl's gaze turned fierce.

"Just don't want trouble, but you don't seem particularly evil," Li Changzhou spoke up, and then his tone shifted, "How about considering my sister's proposal?"

The girl stared at them, lost in thought, and after a while, she said, "I was deceived."

"Hmm." Li Changzhou poured himself a glass of water.

"My family is poor. I came out to work with a sister from my village, who grew up with me. She stole the money I worked hard to save. Her boyfriend came over one night, and together they...they raped me and filmed it, threatening to hand over all my wages to them."

"Ah!" Li Qianxia couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Li Changzhou paused in his drinking.

"Later," the girl continued, "I was chosen by the Value game, gained strength—"

"So you killed them both?" Li Qianxia hurriedly asked.

The girl said nothing, just nodded her head.

"They got off lightly." Li Changzhou set down his glass. "Would you go to Italy? Or is there somewhere else you'd like to go, start a new life?"

"...I don't know where I could go."

"Then go to Italy. I know people there; you won't have to worry about basic needs, but if you want a better life, you'll have to work. How about it?"

The girl fell silent again.

She shared her story solely because she felt wronged and wanted to vent the frustration in her heart, not necessarily because she trusted Li Changzhou and his group.

Li Qianxia jumped directly onto the roof.

Before the girl could react, she sat beside her, not minding at all as she hugged her.

"It's okay!"

The girl was startled, instinctively wanting to retaliate, but relaxing unconsciously under Li Qianxia's sincere and sorrowful gaze.

"My name is Li Qianxia, what's yours?"

"..."

Li Qianxia pursed her lips, feeling even more pity for the girl.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you."

In the yard, Yang Qinglan handed her phone to Li Changzhou, showing him the chat record with Zheng Qing, which included intelligence on this girl from the Special Warfare Bureau.

Her name was Liu Xi, and her reasons for killing were indeed as she had said.

"Could help her out—what are you doing?" Yang Qinglan asked.

"It's nothing." Li Changzhou was just checking Yang Qinglan's WeChat messages, nothing to be alarmed about.

He returned the phone to her.

Yang Qinglan turned off the phone's screen, then lit it up again, flashing it in front of Li Changzhou's face.

It was a selfie with three of them, making the two in the back look like a couple.

Li Changzhou poured water for Yang Qinglan.

Yang Qinglan watched the water splash into the glass for a second, then raised her head to the roof where Li Qianxia and Liu Xi were whispering.

"Ordinary people get bullied, players seeking revenge get wanted, your identity exposed will put you into endless danger..."

She turned her head towards Li Changzhou, "The ship, we still have to go."