Chapter 123.1 Merfolk Shore
Even though he wasn’t smiling, his expression carried a touch of apprehension. Luis couldn’t help but feel as though there was something unsettling about Wen Shi’s gaze.
However, he soon became too busy to think about that. The other person had promised to help, but hadn’t taken any action, not even making up nonsense anymore. Luis urgently whispered, “My【Bewitch】skill is running out.”
He was a man who never forgot to emit “charm” every time he undertook a mission.
Wen Shi: “Wait.”
Wait for what?
Luis didn’t get it.
Wen Shi had been privately checking the attribute panel. When the【Tail Fragment】got used, the gray five-minute countdown on the panel stayed that way, showing it hadn’t started working yet.
Among the three, it seemed like he and Ji Yuanzhi were usually ahead, while Luis was more like a cannon fodder. In reality, the merfolk didn’t attack them right away for a few reasons. One, Wen Shi was Mr. Ruan’s class representative, and he really wanted to know the role this person was playing. Also, part of Wen Shi’s aura got mixed up by something. But the most important thing was that Luis’【Bewitch】skill kind of made the merfolk like him more, even if it wasn’t much.
Wen Shi sighed, “Can’t hold on anymore…”
Luis noticed that Wen Shi seemed to be holding something in his hand.
Wen Shi muttered as he took a step forward, “The Merfolk King will bless all the believers.”
It was a suggestive gesture, walking ahead as if to say, “Go ahead, kill me first.”
Luis struggled to control his expression, could someone really be this selfless?
Wen Shi stood between him and Ji Yuanzhi, his slender shoulders having once provided a sense of security to many. Suddenly, Luis felt a hint of shame for his earlier eagerness to fly in the face of danger.
Ji Yuanzhi caught sight of this, his expression unchanged, thinking: Is this enough to move someone? If the cooperation continues, you’ll probably be ‘moved’ to death.
For the merfolk with murder in his heart, this suggestive move was quite effective. In the next moment, a wave of hair surged, death looming close. Wen Shi made no attempt to resist, staring directly into the merfolk’s eyes.
The merfolk’s pupils were terrifying, not suitable for prolonged gaze. However, Wen Shi managed to maintain eye contact, constantly murmuring, “King.”
Luis’s heart was in his throat, but Wen Shi remained still. Looking at Ji Yuanzhi, who was similarly unresponsive, it seemed like he was still pondering something from before.
In the game, one could take advantage of all the benefits, except for Pei Wenwei’s. Ji Yuanzhi had personally witnessed the magnificence of his rescue efforts and knew that the cost of salvation can often be more agonizing than death itself.
Ji Yuanzhi had an ominous feeling: Pei Wenwei’s calm demeanor likely meant he had already taken action to save someone.
Wait, he hadn’t even agreed to be saved. Pei Wenwei was always fond of leaving the choice to the individual.
The sharp attack seemed about to pierce his neck, yet it couldn’t advance any further. Instead, a surge of the same bloody scent rebounded, pushing the merfolk attacker back two steps.
For the first time, a strong sense of disbelief appeared in his expression. Even when Wen Shi had previously blabbered about fox tails, the merfolk had never been this astonished.
It was the King’s power, undeniably and truly the power of the King!
Wen Shi grinned, “You’ve defied the King’s will.”
Arlon had said that when he almost succeeded in tormenting Mr. Ruan, she had whispered ‘King,’ and another force had thwarted Arlon’s intrusion.
Wen Shi borrowed this approach.
Of course, there wasn’t be a Merfolk King to shelter him. He relied on the【Merfolk Talisman】he got on the train, a thing imbued with a hint of merfolk aura, helping him withstand one attack from a merfolk.
In truth, the phrase “die as friends, not as enemies” wasn’t in Wen Shi’s dictionary. He was quite sure Ji Yuanzhi could survive, but he wasn’t sure if Luis could make it through.
So he still handed over the choice.
Luis agreed to be saved, Ji Yuanzhi abstained, Wen Shi agreed. Since they were a team now, minority should follow the majority. Save!
The principle of following the majority was something Wen Shi learned from the House of Screams.
In the meantime, he could also test how lonely the side effects of【Tail Fragment】could get. After all, no matter what they encountered later, there wouldn’t be any merfolk danger, making it a difficulty downgrade.
Just as the merfolk was surprised, the gray countdown on the attribute panel finally began.
Wen Shi took a shallow breath. This game was a real pain. It only said it would boost teammates, not from when it would start boosting. There was even a buffering period. He seriously suspected the game was collecting information from all instances during this buffering period to see which one could be utilized.
Upon closer reflection, even You Fushang was a lowly night-shift worker.
The system’s notification sound came through:
“The Tail Fragment has officially commenced…
“For the next five minutes, your teammate will become the world’s dArlong.”
After hearing the prompt, Wen Shi’s eyes also gained a trace of a smile. From the merfolk’s perspective, he had just received the King’s protection, and now with the halo brought by【Tail Fragment】, the survival rate of the team would significantly increase. If the merfolk were prepared to spare them, there was no reason not to spare himself.
Teammate’s Heavenly Sacrifice, boundless magical power!
Just as Luis was questioning Wen Shi’s abilities, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from afar. Wen Shi turned to look, the sound seemed to come from the direction of the lake.
The merfolk also noticed that direction. His tail, sparkling like water, flicked, followed by a few movements of his gills, emitting a strange, conch-like response.
Wen Shi guessed this was a unique communication method among merfolk, which could be heard across different spatial gates.
The sudden explosion caused several dorm rooms to light up. Due to the lights-off policy, everyone used flashlights to illuminate downwards during the night.
Some beams of light even penetrated through the tree canopy, casting onto the ground below.
The merfolk avoided the bright spots. His figure shrunk a bit, at least not standing out as much.
Wen Shi’s large fox tail drooped to the ground, and he continued murmuring “King” under his breath. The merfolk furrowed his brows slightly upon seeing this. The lake was important. He needed to immediately confirm what had happened. He didn’t want to risk being discovered in the light, so he refrained from taking action again.
Wen Shi’s fox tail, which occasionally twitched, seemed to silently convey that he wasn’t completely helpless. Once he chose to resist, there was a good chance that the staff who were investigating would notice.
Before more beams of light could shine down, the massive, pale merfolk vanished. Wen Shi’s tense muscles relaxed.
His fingers weakly let go of the ground, the shattered merfolk pendant turned to powder and disappeared.
Luis, who had no idea, looked at Wen Shi in surprise, “Was that loud noise related to you?”
Could it be that this guy had planted explosives somewhere beforehand? The problem was, the in-game store didn’t sell such things.
Wen Shi evaded the question. “With such a commotion, the principal won’t be back for a while. Now’s a golden opportunity.”
Everyone knew this logic. Luis said seriously, “Hurry, open the time gate.”
Taking large strides forward, before they began running, Wen Shi glanced at his phone, “Three minutes and thirty seconds left. Start running, and after three minutes, turn back immediately.”
“What three minutes?”
Wen Shi had already started running, the other two could only follow suit. Luis ran while asking questions, but Ji Yuanzhi remained silent the whole way. He had an intuition that after hearing the truth, he might do something like ‘the disciple killing the master.’
Wen Shi explained the purpose of【Tail Fragment】, “You’ll soon become the world’s orphan.”
Luis’s face twitched, unsure if it was the wind or a nervous spasm.
“So your three minutes mean…”
Wen Shi enthusiastically swung his fox tail, “It means you have three minutes of lucky time-gate left. Please protect and guide me one last time, my teammates!”
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