Chapter 44: Dividing the Spoils
The task is complete.
Everyone, finally hearing the System notification, felt a wave of relief wash over them. They exchanged glances and couldn’t help but show sincere smiles. Even Liu Wu Dai, who was usually expressionless, cracked a slight smile.
This was a scripted mission with a five-person difficulty rating. It was already good enough to barely complete it, much less ensure that not a single person died.
"We finally snatched a life back from the hands of the System," Xing Hechou said with a wry smile. "I owe you all a lot this time."
Wanli Fengdao shook his head and replied, "You are too modest, Old Brother Xing. If it wasn’t for your quick decision-making and immediate action just now, I would probably have made a huge mistake."
What Wanli Fengdao was referring to was Xing Hechou’s act of throwing the Bronze Halberd to save Hong Niang during the banquet—the System’s mission only required everyone to survive for seven days and did not stipulate that the team had to kill the Mountain Demon.
Had Xing Hechou not taken action to save someone, Wanli Fengdao might have hesitated out of self-preservation and watched an innocent person die.
For ten years this blade was honed, its frosty edge never tested. Today, I present it to you all. Who among you suffers injustice? Finally selected by the battleground game, granted a chance to break free from the bonds of a desperate and dull reality, to possess a second life... if one were to still hesitate and be timorous, what kind of Swordsman would that make one? Of what use would talk of chivalry be?
"...Actually, I didn’t think too much at that moment; it was just professional habit," Xing Hechou said. Seeing the sincere gratitude in Wanli Fengdao’s eyes, he fell silent for a moment before speaking frankly, "As you all have guessed, I belong to the field operations of the Security Department Special Affairs Administration. Indeed, I am an official."
"Since the battleground game restarted seven months ago, the government has poured in a massive amount of human, material, and financial resources. It has identified the analysis, decryption, and utilization of the battleground game as one of the most important strategic orientations for the entire national machinery for the foreseeable future."