The other monsters in the group chat weren't easy to trick out, but Mu Anqi really didn't want to just survive seven days safely and ordinarily; she found that too boring.
But each monster shot was worth 2 points!
Every time she fired, Mu Anqi had to comfort herself in her mind: "I've got plenty of points; it's just 2 points, just ridding the Underworld of a threat." Only then did she feel a little relieved.
She thought the giant lizard was perverted and insane, and its fans and followers were hardly any more normal. One after another, contributions flowed in, and the giant lizard had to carefully select monsters at the Entry stage to send over first, and the timing had to be staggered.
This hunt went surprisingly smoothly. These lunatics threw themselves forward for the sake of "art," never suspecting that the giant lizard might do something bad to them. Perhaps in the eyes of some pathological monsters, sacrificing oneself for art was still a kind of reward?
Mu Anqi found it hard to understand such behavior.
She used the monsters that came over as targets, almost all taking a single headshot. There were so many monsters coming that even the giant lizard got a few good meals out of it. She didn't know if this monster was just shameless—after being beaten nearly to death on the first day, eating plain rice and drinking cold water, now with a few more deliveries under fifty Guan-si, it was completely satisfied, becoming even more eager to help screen out trash monsters for Mu Anqi to "clean up."
Mu Anqi even felt that the giant lizard cared about this matter even more than she did. By the fourth day, she noticed that the giant lizard had developed a certain fanaticism, seemingly enjoying it and treating it as another form of art.
If Mu Anqi hadn't been beside the giant lizard during the selection process, confirming that those monsters were indeed impure and watching their work videos, she might have thought the giant lizard was using her to do something evil.
On the fifth day, Mu Anqi learned the address of the monster that was draining players' health through hints in the group chat.
The giant lizard was even more excited than she was: "I'll go with you! I'll take a taxi, it'll be quick. I'll open the door first, and you just shoot from behind me!"
If she hadn't known what kind of creature the giant lizard was, Mu Anqi might have thought it was possessed. "What are you even thinking? No matter what you do, I'll kill you before leaving the game."
"I know, I have no other intentions. You used that ability to bind me—have you forgotten?" the giant lizard said. "You can choose not to believe me, but during the game, I can't harm you. I won't do anything to hurt you."
"You have a gun. If I had other intentions, you could shoot me dead!" the giant lizard said. "I just think… cooperating like this is just perfect. The feeling is so thrilling, it's addictive."
Hearing this, Mu Anqi's fists clenched. She kept telling herself this creature was still useful to resist the urge to blow its head off. "Cooperating"? "Perfect"? "Addictive"? Mu Anqi really wanted to crack open the giant lizard's skull to see what was inside.
What Mu Anqi didn't know was that when the giant lizard was spouting this nonsense, General Ji, far away in Taiyin, stared at the screen and suddenly broke into a smile.
In that instant, the giant lizard, about to say something excitedly, suddenly felt a chilling grip around his neck, leaving him momentarily unable to breathe. Of course, the sensation vanished quickly. The giant lizard had no idea what had happened, and Mu Anqi hadn't done anything… After days of "cooperating" in monster hunts, the giant lizard had almost figured out all of Mu Anqi's skills; there was no ability like this. He breathed heavily, his face dark, thinking maybe something was wrong with his body and that he should get it checked after the game ended.
In the end, Mu Anqi still went out with the giant lizard. For this, she even spent a Guan-si, breaking the agreement that "the giant lizard cannot go out." There were actually two monsters that fed on players' flesh and blood to raise them, but Mu Anqi had tracked only one… but killing one was better than none.
Near that residential building, the giant lizard sent a message to the monster, then went to the door with Mu Anqi. He walked in front, just as he said, attracting the monster's attention and lowering its guard, while Mu Anqi used the anti-monster bullets to blow the monster's head off in that instant.
The coordination was perfect. Mu Anqi saved the player who had been bound and drained by the monster, gave him some food and water, sprayed him with the giant lizard's healing spray, and left once the delivery arrived. She had no intention of helping the player clear the game directly, nor did she want to stay to receive thanks.
However, after this door-to-door "monster extermination," the giant lizard seemed even more excited. It was as if he had found a new pursuit, becoming more eager to draw out the remaining monsters. But those monsters either didn't speak in the group chat, ignored private messages, or outright refused. After all, there were only seven days, and no one wanted to waste time. So the giant lizard could only rely on attracting like-minded followers to maintain his three meals a day.
By the seventh day, the giant lizard had already become famous in the circle. Those who had been led by him and killed once—though they could revive in the game—would never describe the instant pain of a headshot as pleasant. For a time, many monsters held grudges against him but didn't have the courage to come over and be killed again. This outburst, however, made it difficult for the giant lizard to attract any new monsters. Luckily, it was already the seventh day, and Mu Anqi had lost interest in killing one or two more.
The Underworld had all kinds of demons, both good and evil. Trying to eliminate the "evil" ones completely was impossible. These creatures hid in dark corners, unnoticed most of the time, yet still there. You could clear a wave of dust, but it would pile up again after a while—you could never get it all.
Fortunately, Mu Anqi had no grand ambition to do anything major for the Underworld; everything in this mission was done casually. When trash fell at her feet, she would still pick it up and throw it in the bin.
Just as Mu Anqi raised her gun to kill the giant lizard, for the first time, he looked at the muzzle without fear. "You're a player, I'm a monster of the Underworld. Do you… would you be willing to sign a contract—not recruitment, just cooperation! We work so well together. Don't you want to kill monsters like those? I can take you to wipe them out completely, truly kill them in the Broken Mirror Continent—hoh—"
Before he could finish his excited words, the giant lizard was suddenly lifted by an invisible hand, letting out a short gasp. His eyes gradually bloodshot and bulged, his claws frantically trying to grasp something in front of his neck, but he caught nothing.
Mu Anqi could feel waves of dark energy emanating from her backpack. She opened it, looking at the token inside emitting a faint red glow, then glanced at the giant lizard, who was about to expire. She hadn't expected the general to take action—at a time like this.
However, this also proved that General Ji had been watching her all along. Mu Anqi felt like smiling, but fearing the general might misunderstand her intentions, she held back. She looked at the giant lizard, whose struggles were gradually weakening, and finally spoke: "General, let me finish this."
After all, it would affect the rating.
The invisible force vanished instantly, and the giant lizard fell to the ground with painful groans. Mu Anqi touched the token still glowing red; it remained as cold as ever. She raised her gun and pulled the trigger under the giant lizard's pained and fearful gaze.
Even the power of a player is truly limited…
Mu Anqi sat on the bed, quietly waiting for the seventh day to end. She held the token in her hand; it no longer emitted a red glow, but Mu Anqi felt that General Ji was probably still watching. Perhaps influenced by the general's action of intervening because of the giant lizard's few words, Mu Anqi clenched the token and whispered, "General, I said I would always be loyal to you; of course I won't rebel. Besides, what I like are cute, fluffy things—not that ugly lizard."
In the study, General Ji quietly stared at the screen, listening to the gentle voice of the little money tree on the other side. The first sentence was fine, but the second…
What does that mean? If she had bought a white cat or some other fluffy animal, she would have liked it? Ji Huaichu stared at the little money tree on the screen, feeling annoyed for the first time. Recruiting players really was troublesome…
"But, even the prettiest fluffy things aren't as good-looking as you, General. You're the most handsome person I've ever seen." Mu Anqi seemed oblivious to the coldness emanating from the token, smiling as she continued, "General, you're handsome and powerful, still a revered ghost general in Taiyin. I'm just a small player—how could I ever betray you? Why don't you try trusting me a little more?"
As Mu Anqi spoke, she increasingly felt that General Ji was truly… unexpectedly charming in a contrasting way. Of course, the other party was a ghost general at the Kaiyuan stage, having experienced far more than she ever had in life or death. Mu Anqi only lightly tested the general's attitude and limits, making a few appropriate requests before stopping. After all, if she really angered the general…
Mu Anqi certainly didn't want to be wanted across all of Taiyin.
Watching time tick by, Mu Anqi used the giant lizard's phone to order some takeout. After eating her fill, she sat in the chair, looking out at the pitch-black sky as stars gradually began to twinkle. Holding the token, she finally whispered, "General, are you satisfied with my performance this time?"
"Will… I get a reward this time?"
[Game cleared: Animal Village. Level Rating in progress—]
[Level Rating: S (All Underworld Monster Kings collectively approve)]
[Passive triggered! Received clearance points: 2000]
[Drawing official player clearance reward items—]
[Ding! Congratulations, player received [Five Hydrating Face Masks]]
[Special mark detected!]
[Beep! Please start the next game within seven days! (Or the game will be forced after 168 hours)]
[Do you want to teleport back to Nirvana Space?]
Mu Anqi glanced at the token and placed it, along with the face masks she had drawn, into her backpack. After confirming she hadn't left anything behind, she returned to the space.