Chapter 54: Sudden Change

After the adventurers left, Lu Ming walked alone, vaguely able to hear the noisy bustle of the banquet.

On the way, Lu Ming also saw several ordinary residents, mostly in pairs, perhaps rarely entering a high-end place, wanting to experience a bit of romance.

After walking two more steps, Lu Ming stopped; ahead, a girl in noble attire was blocking his way.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ming asked.

"Seeing you leave the banquet, I came to look." Emily said: "And, I saw Moyan."

Lu Ming blinked, his calm like a flawless water surface.

"Surprised?" Emily said: "Or rather, planning to meet? I've been looking for you."

"Did you get any clues from there?" Lu Ming asked.

Emily was stunned for a moment, somewhat unexpected; she thought she had revealed no flaws, yet the boy in front saw through her at a glance.

It seemed clear now why Moyan had changed his mind to help Lu Ming; both were equally frank, yet completely different—Lu Ming's frankness seemed deliberate.

The boy from Country C left him puzzling…

"You already know, can't hide it." Emily said: "After telling you, I then used a different identity to obtain the clue."

It was a matter of luck, but Moyan also knew Lu Ming's number; this situation could only be resolved via location tracking.

Lu Ming guessed that Moyan must have joined some guild.

Although Moyan said he would help later, Lu Ming still intended to meet quickly.

A guild capable of providing location tracking would surely be dangerous; if the opponent used tracking to find Moyan and thus enter the same instance, it would be quite troublesome.

【Temporary Mission: Try to kill hostile targets (the banquet seems to have mixed in some pure-hearted individuals).】

【Note: This temporary mission can greatly alter the clearance route; completing it requires careful consideration of the consequences!】

Emily let out a sigh, also having received the same mission.

"..."

The latter half of Emily's sentence was drowned out by a huge explosion.

In the distance, thick black smoke rose from the direction of the banquet, accompanied by chaotic sounds.

"Looks like something happened." Emily looked at Lu Ming: "What's your plan? Go back?"

"Go back?" Lu Ming asked.

"Forget it, we already have the clue—why go back?" Emily said: "Let's wander around the inner city… Anyway, are you really planning to cooperate?"

Lu Ming looked, his expression indifferent: "Let's talk later."

"Whatever." Emily walked past Lu Ming, her figure gradually merging into the darkness.

Behind the banquet, a boy fled under a streetlamp, two shadows closely pursuing him.

In the darkness, the boy panicked choosing a path, stumbled and fell into the bushes; the toy in his hand had already disappeared.

He turned back in terror; the two shadows had caught up, one male raising his gun at him.

"Wait, Cress!" another woman hurriedly pressed down on the gun barrel.

"What are you doing?" the man called Cress looked at her with a puzzled expression.

The woman stammered in speech, but did not loosen her grip.

"You wouldn't want to say 'hand', would you?"

The woman furrowed her brows, her hand on the gun barrel trembling slightly: '... at least, for the child...'

"What are you saying?" the man's face instantly sank: "Which children deserve pity, which child? Should they just die?!"

The woman's face tightened, her pupils trembling uncontrollably, her hand on the gun loosening a bit.

Exactly, why do the upper class occupy half the resources and still oppress the lower-class civilians?

Obviously everyone is the same, why is there still a hierarchy?

All he wanted was a peaceful life, free from daily worries about food and shelter—nothing more.

"Ah, what are you doing..." the woman loosened her grip, her tone almost self-mocking.

Those upper-class children have already been thoroughly assimilated; once they grow up, their descendants will forever live under oppression!

As he spoke, the man opened the bolt, emitting a crisp sound.

The boy stared at the hollow gun barrel, already too frightened to make a sound.

"Bang!"

The gunshot merged into the chaos, drowned out by screams and wails.

The manor was in utter chaos, the fire‑ignited bushes blazing brightly in the night.

The woman suddenly felt a warm liquid splash on her face; realizing it, she touched it and opened her palm to see a expanse of crimson.

"Cress?" the woman saw her comrade collapse straight to the ground.

In an instant, another gunshot rang; the woman, with a dazed expression, fell completely into darkness.

"Ah... ah..."

Overwhelmed with fright, the boy who used to be vocal stared at the two corpses on the ground; his throat felt blocked, his gaze gradually turning hollow.

He lifted his head; the fire‑lit night filled his vision, flames spreading like tongues licking every inch of land; the crowd fled in all directions, the supposed nobility of the upper class utterly vanished.

He now knew what had happened tonight, and why his parents had been killed….

【NPC Kill: Cress (Hostile)】

【NPC Kill: Jianasi (Hostile)】

【Skill Points Gained: 34】

Lu Ming shifted his gaze from the sights, thin white smoke rising from the barrel; after confirming both were completely dead, he turned and walked toward the manor.

Along the road, he saw fallen figures everywhere, mostly lavishly dressed upper‑class individuals.

Lu Ming found that killing enemy NPCs yields more skill points; according to the situation, when the main character encounters players, these NPCs are easy to deal with.

Moreover, more rebel forces will break into the manor.

。。。。。。。。。。

「Swish! 」

A sword blade swept through the group, precisely piercing the nearby NPC.

【Killed NPC: Nolun】

At the banquet, a boy in a military police uniform walked among the fallen corpses.

Their eyes eagerly searched for something.

"Mo Yan, are you looking for the S Player?" Kate, behind Mo Yan, looked with a helpless gaze and said: "S Player, as long as you kill more rebel forces, you get more skill points."

Mo Yan stopped walking, suddenly seeing a graceful figure in the distance.

A dress fluttered, white light flashed, instantly beheading one; even when surrounded by many, the momentum did not wane.

"…" Mo Yan's gaze hardened.

Kate followed his gaze and asked: "What's wrong?"

"It's dangerous; avoid encountering Lu Ming, and just kill him."

"…They must be enemy NPCs; no need to provoke them." Kate looked with a familiar helpless gaze: "I have no objection to fighting, but think clearly—if we get eliminated now, our score will drop, and we'll only get further from the S Player."

Mo Yan paused for a moment, looking toward.

"Do you think the S Player will drag down the low score?"

"Alright." Moving forward, Mo Yan controlled the blade to stab the oncoming rebel army: "First, find Lu Ming to regroup."

On the other side, inside the manor. Lu Ming pushed open the door and found a person lying on the ground, chest covered in blood.

He was dead.

【Tip: Obtained a sharp dagger (a dying act of self-defense, but seemingly useless)】

Lu Ming picked up the dagger from the blood pool, tried a few times, the blade made a sound as it cut the air.

, footsteps echoed noisily from the building.

"Hurry, kill all those damned high-ranking officials!"