Chapter 534: Abrupt Halt

Cheng Shuili withdrew the title's physical effect, the golden light above her head slowly faded, and the crowd immediately let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Lao Da, show us again…" Xinxue looked at her pitifully.

Cheng Shuili glanced at her: "Had enough of looking. Didn't we say we'd celebrate tonight? Where's the food? Where's the wine?"

Xinxue's eyes lit up instantly: "Got it, got it, got it! It's been ready for a long time! Lao Da! Quickly, quickly, take your seat!"

She darted away in a flash.

Jiang Tang laughed and caught up: "I'll help you."

The crowd gradually dispersed, each going about the evening celebration.

The night grew deeper.

On the open ground of Hei Yu An Quan Qu, a bonfire was lit.

The aromas of food and wine, together with people's laughter, mingled and drifted far, far away.

Cheng Shuili sat beside the bonfire, holding a cup of wine, watching the laughing, noisy crowd.

The firelight reflected on everyone's faces.

Cheng Shuili took a sip of wine, squinting slightly, meeting Guang Hui's gaze.

Since joining Black Feather, this man's face had filled out; noticing Cheng Shuili's stare, he first froze, then smiled and raised his cup toward her.

Pretty good.

Unfortunately, things won't stay this good forever.

Cheng Shuili overslept past breakfast for the first time; when she opened her eyes, Su Rui had already been sitting in the cockpit for a long while.

A torrential rain fell last night, washing the mud off the road; after three days of halt, the players could finally drive again.

Cheng Shuili sat up, feeling a dull ache in her head.

How many more cups did she have after that wine last night?

She couldn't recall.

She only remembered Xinxue later insisting on playing finger‑guessing with her, Jiang Tang heckling beside them, and even Wan Yi drinking a few cups, his face unusually smiling.

Then…

And then it was over.

Cheng Shuili pressed her temples and sat up; the sunlight outside the car window was so sharp it made her squint.

The post‑rain air was especially fresh, tinged with soil and fresh grass, seeping through the car window cracks.

She inhaled deeply, feeling her head clear a bit.

"Awake?"

Su Rui's voice came from the cockpit, with a hint of laughter.

Cheng Shuili replied, threw on her coat and went to freshen up.

The cockpit door was open; Su Rui turned back, eyes laced with obvious teasing: "Did you drink a lot last night?"

Cheng Shuili gave no reply, sat in the passenger seat and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's almost ten o'clock. Lao Da, after all these days, this is still the first time I've seen you sleep this late."

"Why didn't you call me?"

Cheng Shuili asked naturally, without any hint of blame.

She could guess the reason.

With such a big celebration yesterday, everyone drank; Su Rui wanting her to rest longer was normal.

"What do I call you for?" Su Rui said matter‑of‑factly, "There's nothing urgent. The leaderboard just finished publishing, everyone's happy; what's wrong with letting you sleep a bit longer?"

Cheng Shuili said nothing, just stared out the window.

"How's the road condition?" she asked.

"Fine." Su Rui pointed ahead, "The rain washed away the mud, though some sections are still a bit slippery, but it doesn't hinder progress."

Cheng Shuili nodded.

She leaned against the seat back, opened private chat to check messages needing her attention.

Without warning, Guang Hui's message suddenly popped up.

【Guang Hui Illuminates Blue Star】: Lao Da… I'm sorry. These past days I've kept thinking about my identity before joining Black Feather, unintentionally helping the War Wolf, I…

It was a voice message he sent.

Cheng Shuili didn't listen; she looked at the text the system automatically transcribed.

Guang Hui's recent oddities Cheng Shuili had of course noticed; after all, yesterday while listening to the Weaver Girl's leaderboard announcement together, his behavior was unmistakably obvious.

The reason Cheng Shuili pretended not to see it was that she had been waiting.

Waiting for Guang Hui to speak up herself.

Some matters, it's better to speak them yourself than have others point them out. Saying it yourself is honesty; others pointing it out is accusation.

Cheng Shuili didn't want the latter.

What she wanted was a subordinate who could proactively face problems and seek solutions, not a time bomb that required her constant watch and tapping.

It seems she has waited enough.

Yet the second message kept not arriving; bored, Cheng Shuili clicked the voice note, and before Guang Hui's voice could emerge, her pupils suddenly contracted and she sprang to her feet.

Guang Hui's avatar… turned gray.

Cheng Shuili stared at the gray avatar, her mind blank for a full two seconds.

Gray.

A player's avatar turning gray has only one explanation.

He is dead.

Su Rui turned their head, saw Cheng Shuili's expression, and the smile on their face froze instantly.

They furrowed their brows and asked, "What's wrong, Lao Da?"

"Guanghui is dead."

Cheng Shuili replied, her finger opened the influence panel and swiftly swiped through the member list.

【Guanghui Illuminates Blue Star (Deceased)】

Both people in the car could see this panel.

Cheng Shuili stared tightly at those three characters behind, pursed her lips without a word. Su Rui pressed the brake, opened their mouth, but didn't know what to say.

At that moment, the voice message finally played in the quiet carriage.

"Lao Da… I'm sorry. These past days I kept thinking about the identity before joining Black Feather, unintentionally helping the Warwolf, I…"

The voice abruptly stopped here.

The person who sent the message couldn't finish the sentence.

His voice was already weak, and by the last few words it was almost just breath.

Cheng Shuili stared at that brief few‑second voice clip, stared at the glaring gray avatar, her finger unconsciously tightened.

The carriage was terrifyingly quiet.

Su Rui opened their mouth, closed it, opened it again, voice hoarse: "Guanghui… how could he? Last night…" it was still so lively.

The scenes from last night flashed frame by frame in Cheng Shuili's mind.

Guanghui raised his cup and smiled at her.

The firelight reflected on his face, revealing a pair of eyes with a sense of release.

Did he say anything?

It seemed not.

He just smiled, lifted his cup, then drank it all in one go.

Cheng Shuili at that time thought it was quite good, feeling that he finally let go of the past, merged into Black Feather, and would surely get better.

But now? His avatar turned gray, and the voice cut off halfway.

The person is gone.

Cheng Shuili opened that voice clip again.

She listened repeatedly, trying to discern Guanghui's cause of death from the faint background noise.

Monster sounds…? No, not at all.

Cheng Shuili opened it again, closed her eyes and listened carefully, finally distinguishing a footstep sound.

It was faint, seemed far from Guanghui. But the rhythmic thuds could only be footsteps.

Not a natural disaster… it's a human tragedy.

Cheng Shuili opened her eyes, and the still‑open message pane popped up a new message from Ailin.

【Ai Mi Li】: Lao Da, the road just merged here, a dozen people came together.

【Ai Mi Li】: Their weapons are good; if it weren't for the Guard Team people following me, I would have been in serious trouble today.