Chapter 450: Soaking Up Good Fortune

This thought sprouted in some players' minds like wild grass.

Sitting in the audience seats beneath the stage, they are the lowest tier of spectators; whatever happens, the Instance first targets them!

If they sit in VIP seats, they can, like Qing Qing, avoid risk in advance.

Thinking this, a player could no longer stay seated.

A tall male player, his face grim and his eyes bearing a desperate ferocity, sprang up from his seat and hurried toward the nearest vacant VIP suite.

His movement drew the attention of nearby players, but no one stopped him; everyone held their breath and watched.

The male player arrived at the suite's base, looked up at the intact single-sided glass, then at the broken gap of the neighboring suite, seeming to weigh his options. After a moment, he chose Qing Qing's suite.

After all, this was the room of the sole surviving lucky VIP guest; sitting inside might let one soak up some good fortune.

The male player, with a fierce expression, tore a piece of cloth from his body to wrap his hand, then gritted his teeth and pressed it against the broken single-sided glass.

The glass seemed to pierce the cloth; he muttered a curse, withdrew his hand, stepped back two paces, then lunged, trying to flip directly into the suite!

His physique was evidently good, his movements swift; after a few attempts he clutched the suite's edge, pushed, and half his body slipped inside.

Succeeded?

Many players below flickered their gazes.

However, just as the male player's body fully entered the suite's space and his feet were about to step onto the suite floor—

Hum…

A low, resonant vibration sounded.

From the ornate carved decorations inside the suite's edge that the male player clung to, dozens of hair‑thin spikes suddenly erupted!

The spikes instantly pierced his palm, spread up his arm, then into his chest!

He didn't even have time to scream; his whole body seemed nailed to the suite's edge, convulsed violently a few times, then went rigid, as if all his blood and life force were instantly drained.

A few seconds later, his body turned to ash, fluttering down, leaving no trace.

The suite remained as pristine as new, empty and quiet, as if never touched.

Sss…

A wave of gasps rose from below.

All restless thoughts were completely extinguished by this cold‑blooded scene.

The empty suite remains a forbidden zone.

It may even have activated a more terrifying defense mechanism after losing its owner.

"Looks like you can't just sit anywhere," Qing Qing clicked their tongue, "you need the right credentials. Those credentials are probably the invitation the String‑Puller mentioned, or…"

She looked at Cheng Shuili.

She always felt that the String‑Puller hadn't acted against Cheng Shuili because Cheng Shuili had done something—or perhaps hadn't.

Unfortunately, her teammate seemed to lack any sense of teamwork; any clue she found became Wu Ya's exclusive lead, with no sharing at all.

At this moment, Qing Qing felt immensely grateful to have joined the Long Guo Frontline Alliance organized by Wu Ya. Though they were an external special‑invite combatant, if real danger arose, Lao Da Wu Ya couldn't just stand by, could they?

They are still Wu Ya's sole seedling teammate!

Even though they tried to think that way, Qing Qing knew clearly that if they truly triggered any rule, Cheng Shuili would abandon them without hesitation.

That's the consensus in their elite circle—helping you is fine, but if helping you costs my life, then…

The rest is too harsh; Qing Qing hasn't said it.

But they know exactly what would follow.

"What?"

Cheng Shuili looked at the obviously dazed person before her and asked.

This matter—if it can be spoken, speak; if not, stay silent. Saying half of it means what?

Cheng Shuili, still looking at the clearly dazed person, asked again: "Or what?"

Qing Qing snapped back, shook off the scattered thoughts, and said seriously, "Or… what status must one obtain to evade the String‑Puller's scrutiny?"

She whispered, her gaze fixed directly on Cheng Shuili.

Because of the single-sided glass, she couldn't see Cheng Shuili's exact position, but if she got close enough, she could hear the breathing and focus her sight on Cheng Shuili accordingly.

Cheng Shuili remained silent, not replying immediately.

Qing Qing is truly clever, but unfortunately lacks an overpowered item like the Abyssal Ring, and can't see the description pages of unseen things.

Therefore… they have no idea that the mark exists.

Yet, without knowing the mark, they managed, using the Instance's vague hints and a recklessly bold drive, to precisely evade the String‑Puller's judgment…

Cheng Shuili doesn't even know whether they're just lucky or terrifyingly accurate in intuition.

But now is not the time to dwell on that.

"Perhaps," Cheng Shuili finally replied vaguely, revealing nothing more.

Qing Qing clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer, yet they had no time to think further.

After Cheng Shuili's voice faded, they heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Qing Qing glanced at Cheng Shuili, then turned around.

At some point, the surviving players clustered together; their faces bore all sorts of emotions, yet their steps were resolutely marching toward Qing Qing.

Qing Qing frowned, their body tensing instinctively, and their right hand silently slipped toward the weapon at their waist.

They weren't sure of these people's intentions.

Gratitude? Or something else?

In the Instance, especially after just witnessing such a brutal purge, anything that gathers everyone together is unlikely to be a good thing.

Leading them was a female player appearing about thirty, her short hair neat, a lingering tremor still faint on her face, yet her eyes remained steady.

She stopped a few steps away from Qing Qing, and the few people behind her also halted.

"Hello," the short‑haired female player said, her voice a bit hoarse but trying to stay steady, "just now... thank you. If you hadn't jumped down to stop that red‑hat person, we might have..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Qing Qing's kiss didn't let her guard down; she simply nodded, "Just a casual move."

She didn't want to take credit, nor be drawn into any strange collective action because of it.

"We know it was just a casual move," the other male player wearing glasses said, adjusting his spectacles, the eyes behind the lenses flashing shrewdly, "but the fact is, you saved us. And... your current status... is the most special among us."