A voice colder than the night air echoed in the silence. Mu Jingfeng turned around, frowning in confusion. "What do you want now?"
"Nothing much. I just wanted to say something harsh." Mu Qingyun looked up at him. Her gaze was as chilling as a venomous snake, enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
"In the future, do not regret this."
In her past life, Mu Qingyun had said those very same words to her father.
Shortly afterward, he died.
As soon as those words left her lips, Mu Jingfeng felt something shift. It was still Mu Qingyun standing there, but something about her had changed. When he looked into her eyes, he sensed an unfamiliar, indescribable feeling.
"Hmph, I never regret anything," he said, frowning as an odd sense of dread crept into his chest. He scoffed and pushed the feeling down, then turned and boarded his aircraft, quickly leaving the area.
As the Emperor of the Empire, Mu Jingfeng normally traveled with a large entourage for protection. But because this meeting involved classified imperial matters, he had concealed his schedule and brought only a trusted subordinate.
Dawn was approaching—he had to return immediately.
…
Mu Qingyun stood by the window for a few seconds, staring at the spot where Mu Jingfeng's face had vanished. She reached up and rubbed her temples, then turned her gaze toward the fence nearby.
"You can come out now. How much longer are you planning to hide?"
She had noticed the figure behind the fence earlier but had not said anything while Mu Jingfeng was at the window.
The figure behind the fence shifted. The gate creaked slightly as it opened, revealing Kazel. He stepped out and offered a slightly awkward smile. "Looks like I will not live much longer."
"Why would you say that?" Mu Qingyun lowered her eyes briefly and patted the spot beside her, signaling for Kazel to sit down.
"I just learned a major Empire secret. Do you really think I can live?" Kazel walked over slowly and sat beside her. "That man who spoke to you earlier—he was the Emperor, right?"
"Yes. He gave me ten days to leave this place. If I do not, he will kill me," she replied nonchalantly, tilting her head and shrugging as if it were of no concern.
Kazel frowned at her carefree attitude. "This may not be the right time, but I need to remind you—although the military academy is not under his jurisdiction, if he wants to eliminate a trial participant, it would be effortless."
"So?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"So I can help you accumulate virtual points quickly. Get out of here first," Kazel said, lowering his head to meet her eyes. "How about it?"
Mu Qingyun did not respond immediately. She stared up at the ceiling for a long while before speaking softly. "You said the military academy is outside his control?"
"Yes. If you manage to become the First Commander, not only will he be powerless against you, he might even treat you with the utmost respect and beg for your return," Kazel replied.
Her eyes grew pensive.
Mu Jingfeng was not like her previous-life father. Her father, after the useless crown prince was taken down in palace struggles, had finally started valuing actual competence. Whichever son had the ability to govern was the one he supported.
But Mu Jingfeng… he was obsessed with Mu Xueyao. Even if Mu Xueyao died, he would not consider anyone else. Trying to rise in power through skill and merit alone was almost impossible under him.
Yet status, power, and wealth were fundamental to survival. If she wanted to take revenge for what happened today, she needed to find another path.
Suddenly, she recalled the conversation she had with Su earlier.
Back then, she had not taken it seriously. But after everything that happened, she was starting to hope—hope that Su Qiluo would really see her potential and choose to mentor her.
"All right. I understand."
She turned to Kazel with a faint nod. "Then, I will be counting on you."
"Of course. We are friends. Helping each other is only natural," Kazel said with a light smile. He glanced at the straw mat beneath her. "Once you are gone, this house is mine."
"Sure."
Kazel's comment reminded her why she built the house in the first place. She thought they would be here for several months—long enough to need something more stable. Plus, she had found some seaweed and leftover bricks, and had wanted to put her skills to use.
She had not expected Mu Jingfeng's sudden arrival to force her to give up the house so soon.
Very well. She would add this debt to the list. She would settle everything with Mu Jingfeng in the end.
…
The next morning, Kazel watched as the three others emerged from the fence after waking up.
None of them noticed that their virtual points were increasing rapidly above their heads.
Mu Qingyun had recovered just before dawn. The moment her strength returned, she rushed out to hunt virtual creatures.
The first rays of sunlight lit the earth, and this was the time when virtual creatures were most active.
"Where is Mu-ge?" Xiong Ruoyou asked, her eyes swollen from crying.
Though she had seemed fine yesterday, the moment she was alone, the sadness returned and she had cried herself to sleep. As a result, her eyes were still red and puffy.
"She went to hunt virtual creatures," Kazel replied, though his gaze remained fixed on Su.
Perhaps Su could be a great help.
"She has to kill enough to reach one thousand virtual points in ten days. She must leave this deserted island in ten days."
"Ten days?"
[Ten days?!]
As soon as Kazel spoke, not only were the three people present shocked, but the live broadcast room also exploded with confusion.
[Did I hear that right? Ten days? Is Mu-ge trying to become a god or ascend to heaven? I remember she only had around two hundred points. To kill over seven hundred creatures in ten days—what even is that?!]
[Say no more. I will leave my words here. If Mu-ge actually manages to hit one thousand points in ten days, I will buy a massive bouquet of roses and propose to her on my knees at the trial exit!]
[Uh… are you a girl?]
[Get lost! You are the girl! I am a 24K pure man!]
[…Well, even so, that is a bit much.]
…
"Why?" Su raised an eyebrow, surprised by Kazel's words. Killing over seven hundred creatures in ten days would require at least seventy kills a day.
There were 24 hours in a day. Take away 10 hours for eating and sleeping, and that left 14 hours. That meant killing at least six creatures per hour.
If divided among the four of them, each person would have to kill at least two every hour.
That was madness.
There was a fixed number of virtual creatures released each day. Even if they did not rest, where would they find that many creatures to kill?
Besides, their area was not a designated spawn zone—virtual creatures did not consistently appear here.
"It is for a personal reason—I cannot say more," Kazel shook his head, clearly signaling, Do not ask again. I will not tell you.