Chapter 434: Flowing Clouds and Water

Cheng Shuili glanced at Su Rui, who was still dazed in the pilot seat, and reminded, "Watch the road."

Su Rui snapped back to sense with a start, quickly replied, and flusteredly checked the instrument panel, after which the vehicle steadied and restarted.

Cheng Shuili then leisurely opened the private chat window.

As expected, the messages were about to explode.

The spam and provocation messages that flooded in during the previous cross‑server test had all been blocked by the system after the test ended and the zones were restored.

At this moment, only the messages left in the list were those sent by the players who had just been killed in the siege—their last words.

However, most of those last words were curses or threats.

Cheng Shuili didn't care, blocked all of 001, and then continued to look at the other messages.

The liveliest, of course, was the internal group chat of Black Feather.

Next was the internal group chat of the Long Guo Alliance.

Messages in both groups kept popping up, quickly reaching 99 entries.

Cheng Shuili first opened Black Feather's group chat, dragged the progress bar to the top and read from the beginning.

At first the group was confused about the sudden disappearance of nearby teammates; after discovering that everyone was "going home, looking for their own mothers," the members relaxed.

A Black Feather player who used a rocket launcher started with "Did you see, those Sun‑sons of the Xi Da Qu, their faces turned green when they saw the rocket coming!" and the atmosphere in the group instantly ignited.

"Hahaha, saw it! I also fired a rocket, their car blew up into flowers! So satisfying!"

"The shield team members are amazing!! That big shield stood up like a city wall, bullets hitting it went 'pop‑pop' like tickling!"

"And the crossbow! I didn't even know we had such large cold weapons; at the time each arrow took down a kid! Black Feather really hides its strength~"

"Did you see Wuya Lao Da's expression at the end? Just standing there, didn't move a muscle, so cool!"

"Did we just hurt Xi Da Qu? Will they dare to come back?"

"Come? Welcome! Let them taste our power again!"

"Speaking of which, was our firepower a bit excessive? Feels like bullying kids…"

"Mainly because the other side seemed average, is that their elite? Honestly, they looked like cannon fodder scouting."

"Maybe they didn't prepare much, or never expected us to be this fierce."

"Anyway, this first battle, Black Feather fought beautifully!"

"Right! See who dares to plot against us after this!"

Text, voice, pictures—the discussion in the group was blazing!

Cheng Shuili scanned it, a slight smile appearing on her face.

Victory should be joyful.

She steadied herself, swiped her finger, and opened the leader group of the Long Guo Alliance.

The atmosphere here was much more complicated.

Messages scrolled rapidly, but there were few happy ones.

Worry, after‑effects, probing… various emotions intertwined, each message tangled with another.

The whole group chat seemed like casual talk, but underneath currents were swirling.

"Is it over? What's the situation on Black Feather's side? Is the safe zone open?"

"We Dawn‑Coming‑Soon and Instant Noodles together raided the Gospel Expeditionary Force of Xi Da Qu; their players weren't in the territory, we burned, killed, looted, and had a blast."

"@Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji, where's the boss? What's the situation now? Heavy losses?"

"I just saw someone on the zone channel say Xi Da Qu was counter‑killed? Real or not? Is Black Feather that strong?"

"I think so, several major forces in Xi Da Qu united; ten minutes is short, but if they focus fire… bullets won't joke with us."

"Wu Ya Dalao, say something! It's driving us crazy! What's really happening?"

"It's been that long and nothing's posted—could something serious have actually happened?"

This uncertain speculation, like a small stone tossed into an already restless lake, added a hint of gloom to the already anxious atmosphere.

But that gloom lasted only a brief instant.

A draft through the hall suddenly spoke, "Don't you all watch the zone channel?"

In confusion, many immediately switched to the zone channel.

What was being discussed here was a screenshot from the Black Feather group chat, showing only a few lines:

"The Sun‑sons of Xi Da Qu still dare to surround our boss?!"

"What a bunch of trash, we beat them into splattering!"

"Black Feather is awesome! Wuya Lao Da is mighty!"

A player also posted the final moments of the cross‑server test: a blurry picture of burning vehicle wreckage on the highway and corpses scattered everywhere; although it was quickly flooded, that shocking scene left a deep impression at a glance.

It's well known that this cursed place has no PS!

In other words, that picture must be real.

The Xi Da Qu Alliance… with a traitor from Dong Da Qu mixed in, more than a dozen forces teamed up to encircle Black Feather, only to be easily counter‑killed by Black Feather?

Even judging by the situation, the opposite side had no chance to fight back at all?

The news was so shocking that the Alliance leader group fell silent for several seconds.

Then, the information exploded completely!

"I… I can't believe it! We won?! Really won?!"

"Ten minutes… counter‑kill siege… this record…"

"Wu Ya Dalao where are you? @Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji! Boss you're amazing! Please accept my knees!"

"I'm done, completely done! Wu Ya Dalao, from now on Dawn‑Coming‑Soon follows only you!"

"And our evil Instant Noodles! From now on, when Wuya Lao Da says go east, we'll never go west! Long Guo Alliance forever! Dong Da Qu forever!"

Elation, shock, disbelief, and an excited feeling of having found a powerful support surged turbulently in the group chat.

Cheng Shuili watched as hundreds of compliments and statements flooded by instantly, yet her face remained unchanged.

The praise from these wallflowers was useless; she cared more about what those forces had just done.

According to the original plan, when Black Feather was besieged, the other forces in the alliance were to declare war on the forces besieging Black Feather, attacking directly to disperse the pressure on Black Feather.

Judging by these people's performance, there don't seem to be many who obey.

Facing everyone's congratulations, Cheng Shuili raised her hand and typed a line of text to send.

【Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji】: Won. A minor victory, hardly worth mentioning.

Her understated few words were like a perfectly timed splash of cold water, cooling the boiling emotions in the group and calming the ecstatic leaders.

"Wuya Dalao is too modest!"

"This is of great significance to our Dong Da Qu!"

"Boss, what do we do next? Xi Da Qu certainly won't just let it go, right?"

Cheng Shuili said nothing further.

These matters had been discussed early on; the fact that these people could ask such questions shows they were truly intoxicated by the joy of victory.

Even though the victory was achieved by Black Feather.

But this question also indicates that they are now completely subjugated to Black Feather, or rather to Wu Ya.

The previous cautious weighing of pros and cons seemed to vanish before absolute strength and victory; now their minds are empty, only wanting to follow Wu Ya's directives.

Cheng Shuili was quite satisfied with this.

It is commonplace for each member of the team to have their own thoughts.

But being able to temporarily silence those thoughts in the face of strength is the best situation at this stage.

With this, the regional merge test finally concluded, and the order of the Long Guo region was essentially established.

But it is not yet fully established; to set the rules, one final task remains.

Cheng Shuili's gaze grew colder; after exchanging a few compliments with other leaders in the group, she abruptly shifted tone and brought up the main matter.

【Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji】: Won, but the accounting isn't finished.

Those eight characters caused the previously noisy alliance leader group to fall silent instantly.

Everyone sensed a hint of bloodiness in those calm words.

Someone's about to have bad luck.

Cheng Shuili didn't tease; she went straight to the point.

【Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji】: When One Hand Covers the Sky withdrew, I already said that the supplies he obtained from players in Xi Da Qu should ultimately cost him his life. Now, it's time to settle the accounts properly.

Bringing this up in the group shows Wu Ya's stance.

White Tiger was undoubtedly the most perceptive of the group chat.

Now that the overall situation is set, Black Feather is momentarily unrivaled, making it the perfect chance for him to show loyalty!

He didn't even speak; he simply opened the faction panel and declared war on One Hand Covers the Sky.

After doing all that, he posted a screenshot of the regional channel's war declaration in the group, saying, "Traitors like this should pay the price!"

White Tiger's smooth operation, flinging the screenshot into the group with that righteous statement, instantly drew everyone's attention.

The group fell silent again.

That speed, that move—this kid is a bit too skilled, isn't he?

Immediately, the leaders who caught on muttered internally: "Well done, White Tiger, even your flattery is rolled up now?!"

But despite the insults, their hands didn't lag.

【Faction "Great Wall Watch" has declared war on faction "One Hand Covers the Sky, Long Live"!】

【Faction "Yanhuang" has declared war on faction "One Hand Covers the Sky, Long Live"!】

【Faction "Dawn Approaches" has declared war on faction "One Hand Covers the Sky, Long Live"!】

【Faction "Evil Instant Noodles" has declared war on faction "One Hand Covers the Sky, Long Live"!】

……

A rapid cascade of system prompts scrolled by, and within seconds, every faction in the Long Guo alliance except Black Feather itself had collectively declared war on One Hand Covers the Sky!

The regional channel boiled again from this series of war declarations:

"What's going on? What's this?"

"Whoa! What is One Hand Covers the Sky, Long Live doing? All these war declarations are from top-ranking factions in our region!"

"Compared to this, don't you think it's more fantastical that these factions can unite? Aren't they all refusing to submit to anyone?"

"I know, I know! One Hand Covers the Sky defected during the merge test and colluded with Xi Da Qu! Isn't it deserved that they're being exterminated now?"

"Serves them right! Traitors like that deserve this fate! Those wallflowers still try to eat both sides, without considering their own weight!"

"Tsk tsk, look at this war list—except Black Feather himself, almost every major faction in the Long Guo alliance is on it. This is to make an example, establishing absolute authority!"

"One Hand Covers the Sky is finished… already severely weakened, now besieged by so many factions; its territory probably won't hold five minutes."

"Wu Ya is truly awesome! Just after winning the external battle, she immediately cleaned out the traitors, using the traitors' heads to cement absolute authority within the alliance. That method, that boldness… Wuya Dalao, give a signature (distorted)!!!"

"Honestly, the last time I saw this kind of chaos was before the merge, when several factions jointly besieged Black Feather."

"Besieging Black Feather??? Details upstairs!!!"

……

The remaining matters don't require Cheng Shuili's involvement; the alliance's factions will swiftly divide the remaining value of the traitor One Hand Covers the Sky.

Cheng Shuili relaxed, leaned her back against the sofa, and took a small bowl of already washed fruit from the Abyssal Ring.

She lifted her hand, pinched a piece, placed it in her mouth, and with a slight chew the fruit's juice and sweetness spread inside.

Cheng Shuili then squinted contentedly.

After a major event ended, leaning on the sofa and eating this fruit was truly blissful.

But happy moments are always interrupted; the vehicle suddenly jolted violently, then came an emergency brake!

Cheng Shuili almost immediately realized what had happened; as she opened the cabin door, the white ghost… or rather, the resentment puppet's figure had not yet fully dissipated.

The Soul-Scattering Bell instantly appeared in Cheng Shuili's hand; she fixed her gaze on the white ghost's position, and the bell in her hand swayed gently under her will, sending out a ripple centered on the copper bell.

The bell's sound ripple swiftly moved toward the white ghost.

It seemed to sense the anomaly here; the white ghost's dissipating form suddenly paused, letting out a sharp whistle.

Su Rui trembled all over from fright, her scalp going numb.

She widened her eyes, staring fixedly at the white ghost ahead of the vehicle.

After the whistle, it crumbled and scattered like a sandheap swept by a gale, vanishing completely into the air without a trace.

Everything happened extremely fast—from the emergency brake to the white ghost's dissipation, only two or three seconds.

Silence returned to the road, with only the low rumble of the vehicle's engine and the wind's moan over the wilderness.

Su Rui was still dazed when she felt someone lightly pat her shoulder.

It was Cheng Shuili.

She had already put away that copper bell; although she had seen it herself, Su Rui couldn't help asking, "Is it dead?"

Cheng Shuili nodded, "Such things won't appear again."

Su Rui took a moment to regain her composure, glanced at Cheng Shuili, seemed to relax considerably, and finally smiled, saying, "That's good. If this continues, I'll be scared into having a heart attack."

Seeing her still in the mood to joke, Cheng Shuili also felt more at ease.

She chatted with Su Rui for a couple of sentences until the other's breathing and heartbeat had completely steadied, then signaled that they could continue onward.

The vehicle restarted and proceeded smoothly along the road.

The silence inside the vehicle was no longer tense; instead, it brought a sense of relief after the dust had settled.

Cheng Shuili leaned back into her seat, her gaze falling on the barren scenery flashing past the window, but her thoughts did not cease.

Now… everything is over, and she ought to think seriously about how to repay the Rat King's great gift.

But before that, she needs to take care of the Bear Clan's affairs.

Cheng Shuili rubbed her forehead, shifted her posture on the sofa and lounged a while longer, then returned to her territory.