Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 93 - 73: Say You Love Me (Seeking Followers, Monthly Pass, and Recommendation Tickets)

Chapter 93: Chapter 73: Say You Love Me (Seeking Followers, Monthly Pass, and Recommendation Tickets)

"What are you trying to do?"

"Have you finally come to your senses now? But it’s too late, your time is short, and you can’t even move your waist."

"You’re still okay...uh, sorry, my mistake for asking."

Gu Pan looked at you worriedly, realizing you were done for. The wisest choice for her now would have been to seize the chance to flee, after all, as an ordinary person, she couldn’t defeat a monster of this level. Only by escaping in time could she honor your sacrifice.

She hesitated as she glanced at the small demon about to rise again, then at you, trying desperately to speak, and hurriedly asked, "What on earth are you trying to say...ah, I get it, you still have an ace up your sleeve!"

She remembered that when you failed to take refuge in the past, you sustained yourself from death by doing sit-ups in a similar fashion. In her eyes, this was a special move from the evil tome of your training.

Gu Pan had an epiphany as she crossed her legs and sat down in front of you, "You want me to help you do sit-ups, right!"

Just like in school, when boys and girls partner up for sit-ups in gym class, she used her bottom to hold down the back of your feet, the inexplicably soft touch almost made you lose your composure.

You felt like you had touched something forbidden, and couldn’t help but curl your toes.

Heavenly Defiance, you’re quite the lustful one, but you only ever act so recklessly on your journey. Why don’t you try doing that in reality? Besides, you’re wearing shoes, what could you possibly feel through them?

"Come on, give it your all!" urged Gu Pan, grabbing your hand, hoping to assist you and make your sit-ups a bit more forceful.

Strangely enough, even though you were as pale as death, you kept gripping her neck unwaveringly, sliding down.

Gu Pan grew suspicious, thinking she might have misunderstood. She cautiously asked you, "Could it be that you want to say your last words?"

At that moment, you finally caught your breath, your eyes shining with determination, "Quick, tell me you love me."

"??? Why should I? Dude, I’m a guy too, I don’t love you!"

"Say it or die!"

How despicable, you actually used force, gripping her slender neck.

Though you were on the brink of death, your mighty warrior physique allowed you to easily snap her neck.

"Ugh...love, I love you!"

You choked Gu Pan until her delicate tongue stuck out, her eyes rolled back as she finally submitted to your vile power, angrily professing her love for you.

You had achieved your goal; were you enjoying your tyranny over her? But this did nothing to change the hopelessness of your situation.

You had less than a minute left, and Nagou’s little demon would soon be upon you to finish you off, but maybe you wouldn’t make it that long. Your body was gradually stiffening and soon you wouldn’t be able to do any more sit-ups. You were going to die a gruesome death, so you should make the most of your time to leave your last words. Your last words are: "Quick, say you’re willing to die for me." You’re not saying your last words, but again you’re viciously threatening her!

"You? Don’t you dare go too far!"

"Say it or die."

"Fine, fine, I’m willing to die for you, ugh~" Tears rolled down Gu Pan’s cheeks; you’re insane, harboring such fetishes even when you’re dying.

With a hook at the corner of your mouth, you said, "Heh, go well on your way, I will avenge you."

"Huh?" A flicker of bewilderment crossed Gu Pan’s face, "Weird, I feel like I’m filled with strength..."

Before she finished speaking, her entire body swelled as if inflating and then exploded into a rain of blood, leaving only a kite embroidered with a hen-bird falling from the sky, one end was her, the other was you.

It was Fugitive Mandarins, you had used the Fugitive Mandarins!

Fugitive Mandarins (Excellent): A kind of kite with two ends designed as kites, painted with an image of mandarins frolicking in the water; it can only be used on the opposite sex. Once used, you both acquire the bond "Mandarins sing, following the mate; when one dies, the other grieves."

Mandarin Dies, the Partner Grieves: When either person in the bond suffers fatal damage, the other will sustain the same level of injury; they can also activate it willingly, suffering double the damage to protect their partner.

You deliberately deceived Gu Pan into saying that phrase to trigger the Mandarin Dies, the Partner Grieves effect on purpose.

Now she took double the damage for you, and she exploded.

All the pollution inside you dissipated, and you stood up, fully recovered.

"Now, it’s my turn."

You rubbed your fists, walking towards Nagou’s little demon with a menacing smile, which still needed fifteen seconds to get up.

Its head had partially regenerated; it watched you in terror, but you gave it no chance. You started pounding into it with your basic attacks.

You smashed it to pieces, and you obtained a peculiar Curse Crystal. It was slightly purple, but the purple seemed somewhat off.

At a glance, the crystal appeared purple, but it differed from true purple.

Its fluffy spirals included a full sixteen strands of dark blue,

while the strange spells used to distinguish between the Curse Crystal and the Erosion Crystal were vibrantly green.

The blue and green intertwined, casting a strange purple halo on the surface.

Hmm?

Xu Shu scrutinized the crystal image closely, feeling a hint of puzzlement.

Because the blue Curse Crystal from Yang Manman was utterly blue, inside and out.

Merely, the fluffy spiral was dark blue and the crystal itself was light blue, a difference in saturation, but overall the color was rather uniform.

In fact, including other Erosion Crystals he had previously obtained, it was the same.

White, green, blue, purple, gold, corresponding to ordinary, fine, excellent, flawless, and epic.

The color of the crystal corresponded to the rank of the monster.

It could be said to be progressive, with levels in order, strictly defined.

White is white, green is green.

While Xu Shu had seen green and blue before, he had never encountered anything that combined the two to mimic purple.

"Is the Abyss Path particularly unique?"

"What a pity Gu Pan is dead, otherwise, we could have asked her," Xu Shu said helplessly.

[? Do you even think about stealing wool from a Dead Man? Have you forgotten how she died?]

[Watching Gu Pan, with barely any remains left, you didn’t have a moment to mourn her. You were consumed with finding a way to survive, rushing straight toward the end of this exit.]

[You knew you’d encounter those quicksand traps again, so you had to catch up quickly to your mine-clearing Warrior.]

[Stepping out of this cramped ruins passage, what used to be an old factory area sprawled outside. You caught up with your mine-clearers, shivering as they lined up, moving ahead in fear. Not far from the factory gate, two floating corpses eroded into skeletons.]

[You were right, no place was absolutely safe, but with those mine-clearers, you’d managed to try out a path, somewhere those trap-digging monsters hadn’t accounted for.]

[You memorized the escape route here, and after sacrificing nearly half your lives, you finally reached the so-called hidden parking lot, a makeshift warehouse.]

[Along with vehicles, many bodies were piled up, nearly every one of them dressed in Patrol Soldier uniforms.]

[Your pupils shrank; you recognized a few of them. They had battled at your side, including people like Lao Jiang and Old Lin.]

[Judging from their wounds, they had died in a gunfight. You guessed that the real Patrol Team had clashed with a fake one, sparking a fierce conflict. In the end, the leaderless Patrol Team was outnumbered and, after killing several enemies, were wiped out, with their bodies dragged back here.]

[The blood had long dried, and the bodies were chilled. The time of the gunfight must have been yesterday, after you had parted ways with the Patrol Team.]

[Gu Pan’s death was false, reversible; their deaths were true, irreversible.] (Note 1)

[You observed a moment of silence, seeing the tire tracks outside. You knew you had finally found a way out.]

[The survivors of the shelter forcefully opened the big door at the other end of the warehouse, ready to evacuate in their vehicles.]

["Goodbye, Mom. I will bravely survive!" "Don’t give up. Maybe they’re still alive too; we need to escape first."]

[These people, around your age, had suffered unexpected disaster and escaped death, their tears unable to be contained.]

[As the doors opened, on the other side lay the road through the Wasteland, the hope for life.]

[Ah! Before your eyes stood a Buddha statue outside the door, its majestic features serenely watching over you.]

["Ah, my eyes~"] In just an instant, all the survivors from the shelter were annihilated. Some were strangled by their collars, others whipped to death by their belts, some bizarrely bled out, strangling themselves to death!]

["It’s you!" you roared out.]

[It was her! She had come!]

[Namo Wandering Laser Cannon Bodhisattva—Narrow Sleeve Guanyin!]

[It had been here all along, waiting for a long time.]

[Behind Narrow Sleeve Guanyin unfolded the airborne mechanical monster, its blue flames coalescing like a whirlpool, a vast expanse of light beams enveloping you.]

[You were dead, and this journey had ended. Now, settling accounts...]

[Assessment: What ease can there be in exhaustive precautions? The path to survival is now peerless! You’ve lost a beloved one, you’ve killed Nagou, your old nemesis, your revenge complete, but the monster had laid a Heavenly Net. Escape? Where could you flee?]

[In the end, you died by the hands of an old lover; a Mandarin is dead, can the other half live alone? Life and death, predestined!]

[At this point, all roads for humans are dead ends. It’s time to consider a different path.]

[You’ve received an item: Shaye’s Song (Excellent)]

You’ve triggered the keyword "Heavenly Defiance," and your reward has been upgraded by one level.

[Shaye’s Song (Excellent)"Shaye’s Song (Flawless)]

[Shaye’s Song (Flawless): Using this item, you can release a forbidden lilting melody, unleashing the nature of the Spirit, eroding everything. The forbidden song is a type of spiritual attack, and you may set your lyrics freely.]

[Today’s opening count: 0/3]

——

"Fuck this, my old lover be damned!"

"Damn it, why is it this thing again? Has the Primordial Spirit latched onto me? Like a ghost that won’t disperse, am I fated to be entangled with it?"

"What to do? Could it really be that I’ll die today?"

In a moment of distraction, Xu Shu was back in reality.

Before him lay Gu Pan, delicate on the bed, clutching her head with a pitiful look.

"Why did you hit me... uh, what happened?" Gu Pan asked after a pause.

She initially wanted to complain about being suddenly slapped on the head, but at that moment, she sensitively noticed that something was off with Xu Shu’s expression.

"Troublesome. This time, it’s going to be very difficult for us to stay alive," Xu Shu said with an extremely unsightly and gloomy face.

"Could it be the Cultists have fought back?" Gu Pan instantly reacted.

Xu Shu shook his head. Looking at the flawless Gu Pan, he suddenly ruffled her disheveled hair, his manner unexpectedly gentle, smiling faintly.

Gu Pan: "???"

"What the fuck, brother, what are you trying to do?!"

This was the first time she had seen Xu Shu’s eyes showing such human emotion, but she didn’t find it warm at all, instead feeling a bit terrified.

He had just slapped my head three times, then unexpectedly caressed my head as if trying to make amends. Was he trying to give a date after a slap?

But why are you suddenly being so nice to me, man! Don’t you think I’m a guy? Wait a minute, this bastard often shows a lecherous face around me; could it be that what he actually likes is...

Contemplating a certain possibility, Gu Pan felt the chill run down her spine.

However, before she could ponder further, she saw Xu Shu stand up, his face resolutely saying, "Time to wake up, Gu Pan. It’s time for us, as brothers, to fight for our lives."