**Chapter 171: Simplified Version of Youth Proxy Player**
In the dark cave, a drop of filthy water fell from a stalagmite and, before it touched the ground, it hovered in mid-air.
Gu Qiqi stared at the drop of water that refracted golden light, momentarily stunned, her eyes wide with curiosity. She reached out her hand and lightly touched it, causing the droplet to scatter as if in a state of weightlessness.
The next moment, everything returned to normal. The scattered droplets quickly fell, landing on the hard, cold ground with a soft sound.
That light sound seemed to be some kind of special command, making the stagnant time flow again.
The twisted filth roared like a heap of shapeless black sludge, a monstrous sound, as if countless tormented souls were crying out in anguish, merging into one.
The Spirit Energy Fluctuation, a conglomeration of centuries of sin and negative energy from this abandoned place, rippled outward in concentric circles.
Near it, Luxianbei’s body floated in mid-air, her eyes tightly closed, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep. On her delicate face, beneath her pale skin, a glow like lava spread through her veins, and her fiery red hair swayed behind her without wind.
The scorching and violent Spirit Energy Fluctuation, mixed with a hint of bloody aura, radiated from her petite body, sweeping through the cave like a tornado.
The distorted monstrous infants trembled on the ground, caught between the two terrifying Spirit Energy Fluctuations, shivering as they should have forgotten all fear and pain.
But at this moment, they remembered the humility of being “oppressed by the supreme” and quickly screamed in terror, scattering in flight.
Gu Qiqi looked around at the confronting monsters and Luxianbei, weakly asking the system in her mind, “System, system, what’s going on?”
“Gu Qiqi, don’t speak, don’t release Spirit Energy Fluctuations, try to back away carefully…” the system responded gravely.
It was unclear why the calamity was only releasing Spirit Energy Fluctuations to suppress, but had not taken action.
However.
It knew that once Gu Qiqi’s Spirit Energy Fluctuation was caught up in this confrontation, the outcome would probably be very grim.
Just like two adults fighting fiercely, and suddenly a three-year-old child rushes in to mediate, it might backfire and the two adults would team up to beat up the mediator.
……
“Proxy player, calling proxy player! Proxy player… uh, hmm?”
Luxianbei shouted loudly, suddenly feeling dizzy as if the whole world was spinning, and the bizarre scenery before her was being sucked into a vortex.
Then.
Her body fell rapidly, landing on a familiar rooftop of a high building.
Opening her eyes, she saw the pitch-black night sky, as if soaked in ink.
The sky appeared shattered, revealing the original darkness of the cosmos, stars dimmed, and malicious rays pierced through the arid air, illuminating the scarred earth.
The great fire in the crumbling city had inexplicably extinguished, and on the remains resembling the skeletons of giant beasts, blackened burn marks were all over.
As far as the eye could see, it was all a scene of desolation after calamity, a dead silence lingered even when the wind blew.
But…
Something felt off.
Luxianbei furrowed her brows slightly.
The next moment, her pupils constricted, and she hurriedly lay down, her fingers gripping the cracks in the ground tightly.
The earth above, the sky below, this world seemed upside down.
“Tsk, look at your inexperienced cowardice!”
A mysterious girl’s voice echoed in her ears. Luxianbei was taken aback, turning to follow the voice and saw a stranger’s silhouette.
Dressed in a black long dress interwoven with dark red and luxurious lace, the low-cut design perfectly showcased her figure. She walked towards Luxianbei, her snow-white long legs teasingly appearing and disappearing from under the skirt, and her long, cold white hair gently swayed behind her.
“Tap—tap!” The slender heels struck the ground, emitting a series of inviting soft sounds.
If the previous mysterious girl she met was a fiery, delicate girl, then this one was a seductive goddess exuding allure.
Dangerously alluring.
However, this seemingly unapproachable goddess walked up to Luxianbei, casually took off her high heels, tossed them aside, and lay down beside her.
She turned her face, looking at Luxianbei with her nose just a finger’s breadth away, her long and thick eyelashes resembling a white feather fan.
Luxianbei, “…”
Although lying on a ruined rooftop in a distorted world beside a beautiful girl, gazing at the starry sky felt somewhat romantic.
But.
“Who are you, gorgeous? Where’s my proxy player?!”
The girl paused for a moment, then smiled charmingly, “You didn’t recognize me in this form, did you?”
Upon hearing this, Luxianbei furrowed her brows, seriously observing the girl beside her. The silhouette of that snow-white face struck her as somewhat familiar.
“What the hell!? You are… It’s only been a few days since we’ve last met, how come…”
“No, sis, why has your chest turned so exaggerated? Taking hormones, huh?”
Facing Luxianbei’s jab, the girl seemed unbothered, instead puffing up her chest and laughing shamelessly, “Just my witch form! How about it, pretty impressive, right? Want to experience the extraordinary quality?”
“What’s so impressive? I’m not interested…” Luxianbei replied, expressionless.
As she spoke, she sat up and let her gaze casually drift over the girl’s chest, at a rather indecent cleavage. For some reason, she felt no interest in that display that could make someone nosebleed.
That feeling puzzled her, as if looking in a mirror, even though the person reflected was completely different from her.
The girl rolled her eyes at her dismissively, sat up too, fished out a pack of ladies’ cigarettes and a silver lighter.
Pulling one out and lighting it, she took a deep breath and then held the cigarette in front of Luxianbei, saying indifferently, “Want a puff?”
Luxianbei glanced at the crimson lip print on the filter and waved her hand, “Quit a long time ago, and besides, I have a cleanliness obsession.”
The girl shrugged, “Oh, you called for a proxy player, right?”
Luxianbei was taken aback for a moment before recalling her purpose for coming here, hastily saying, “Yes, yes, you’re right, I’m in big trouble, hurry and arrange a proxy player!”
“…” The girl looked at Luxianbei seriously for a few seconds, sighed, “Hey! You know, relying on proxy players like that isn’t good for you?”
“A proxy player can help you for a time, but can’t help you for a lifetime, especially…”
At this point, she paused and continued, “By the way, have you ever used a proxy player in games?”
“No.” Luxianbei replied expressionlessly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes, “Do you think I need a proxy player? I once received a trial contract from an esports team.”
“That’s true.” The girl nodded affirmatively, then shifted the topic, “But even if you haven’t, you should know that using a proxy player has its costs, right?”
“Account ban?” Luxianbei murmured weakly.
“Pretty much! Your body can’t handle that level of power right now; each use takes ten years off your life. The more you use, the sooner you d*e. If you rely too much, one day you could suddenly drop dead on the street.”
“Whoa—!” Luxianbei gasped, “Is this the legendary ‘life-killing’ gameplay?”
“Then how many years can I live? I should calculate how many times I can still use this, to have a fair plan.”
“How the hell would I know how many years you can live?”
Luxianbei rolled her eyes at the girl, “Tsk, I thought you knew how many hairs I have!”
The girl, “…”
Knowing how many hairs there are, I might actually be able to count them when I go back.
But how long you can live is hard to say.
The girl thought to herself, reining in her thoughts, she patted Luxianbei’s shoulder, slightly raising her chin, “So, do you still want to use a proxy player this time?”
Upon hearing, Luxianbei pondered for a moment, frowning, “I don’t want to, but is there another way?”
“There is! How about a simplified version of the youth proxy player? Only costs three years of life, pretty good price!”
Luxianbei, “…”
So you were waiting for me here? It feels like there’s some kind of conspiracy.
But.
“Before using, I want to understand what the difference is.”
“Not much difference, just that the AI is a bit stupid and has fewer skills.”
“A bit?”
“Uh…” The girl avoided Luxianbei’s gaze, awkwardly laughing, “A lot.”
“Ugh, don’t worry about the details, as long as you can win.”
Luxianbei, “…”
You’re not right!
But…
She suddenly thought of Gu Qiqi, who was threatened by danger, and the seemingly normal baby in Gu Qiqi’s arms, as well as Meng Raoze’s last words before he died, a determined look flashed in her eyes.
“Fine, simplified version it is! When is it implemented?”
“It’s the simplified version of youth,” the girl corrected, “And I already knew that a coward like you would make that choice, so…”
She smiled slightly, “It’s already implemented.”
Don’t casually make decisions for others! Although I would indeed choose this… Luxianbei grumbled inwardly.
Just then, the girl flicked away the burnt-out cigarette from her fingers, looked seriously at Luxianbei, and said earnestly, “Luxianbei, while there’s still some time, let’s chat?”
“Okay, about what? International politics, new games, or Bai Xiaohua’s comic?”
“Bai Xiaohua’s comic, um…” The girl blurted out, halfway through the sentence, she spat at Luxianbei, “Bah! Who wants to talk about that rubbish with you?!”
“I want to tell you, work hard to get stronger!”
“Master the power within you, break free from reliance on proxy players. I hope that one day, you won’t need to see me.”
“What?” Luxianbei tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why the girl was saying this to her.
“Because, I have a lot to do too! One day, I won’t be able to respond to your calls.” The girl explained with a smile, and as her voice fell, the surroundings suddenly shook violently, a roar like that of a giant beast rang in her ears.
The ground slanted, and the upside-down world was returning to normal order.
Luxianbei could no longer maintain her balance and started sliding towards the rooftop edge.
Clouds surged in the sky, lead-colored clouds condensed into a funnel, as if something was falling down.
“Come on! You bastards!” The girl shouted at the sky.
In the next moment, in her eyes, it was as if a golden sea was rising, and when the tide submerged the last bit of dark red in her pupils, a long sword, seemingly forged from lava, quietly appeared in her hand, swinging upward toward the sky.
Just a casual swing, and the sound and tremors vanished, the lead-colored clouds seemingly ignited, transforming into a fiery red, dazzling light spots quickly darting through the clouds…
……
Watching the girl fight an unknown enemy, Luxianbei’s mind flashed with a thought she had during their first encounter but quickly suppressed.
Every time she saw her, it seemed like she was battling something. What could that thing be?
That thing seemed very dangerous.
Would she…
Luxianbei thought as her consciousness was about to slip into silence, shouting to the girl, “Hey! Don’t d*e!”
The girl glanced at Luxianbei with a cold smile, “When the black and white call me and I don’t go, what can Qin Guang do to me? d*e? Impossible!”
Luxianbei, “…”
Girl, don’t make flags!
Before getting stronger, I was hoping to buy hacks from you!
As she grumbled in her heart, her vision twisted into a blur and plunged into darkness.
……
Under the sinkhole.
Guided by the system, Gu Qiqi ran far away, until Luxianbei’s figure was just a black dot.
“About done, let’s stay here!” The system’s voice echoed in Gu Qiqi’s mind, “Find a place to hide, watch carefully, learn well; this is a rare opportunity to collect data on calamity battles.”
“Got it!” Gu Qiqi responded, and in the next moment, the dark, profound cave echoed with Luxianbei’s low chant of a spell.
“Golden palaces and jade rooms, iron-cast walls…”
“Golden palaces and jade rooms, iron-cast walls, dragon tails, phoenix wings,麟蹄…”
“Golden palaces and jade rooms, iron-cast walls, dragon tails, phoenix wings,麟蹄, turtle shells, light shines down, energies return from all directions…”
Listening to the three chants that seemed to overlap, the system felt a pang of fear.
Triple chant!?
d*mn, how could calamity be using the forbidden spell formula numbered ninety-five from the Siye Society?
Even if she absorbed the Siye Society’s personnel, ordinary personnel couldn’t learn a spell of this level!
In an instant, the system felt as if it was facing the most difficult challenge ever, the difficulty level suddenly rising from previous “Hell Difficulty” to “No Survivors Difficulty.”
“Gu Qiqi, why don’t you just cling to her leg instead?” The system whispered.
Gu Qiqi pulled her attention away from the wailing baby in her arms, bewildered, “What did you just say, system? I didn’t hear clearly.”
“Nothing,” the system said.
d*mn it, facing that thing, I actually had a moment of retreat!
How could this happen? I should be trusting Gu Qiqi!
The system was pondering when suddenly countless stars shone like pure white light illuminated the dark cave, the roaring sound reverberated, mixed with dragon roars and phoenix songs.
Thousands of glimmering lights like pale meteors scattered, transforming into the appearances of four legendary spirit beasts, spreading wildly and illuminating this place that had not seen light for centuries with dazzling white light.
In the vast expanse of white light, the black viscous filth on the ground evaporated and dissipated like bl**d vessels, and the twisted, filthy monster emitted a terrified wail, struggling painfully, frantically flailing its claws… trying to escape, trying to tear apart the bodies touched by the light.
Then.
A terrifying shriek erupted a hundredfold, surging like a tidal wave, the evil sound expanded into the air, creating ripples upon ripples.
“Bad! Gu Qiqi, protect your head!” the system yelled.
“What?” Gu Qiqi was stunned for a moment.
And then.
The cave began to shake violently, stalactites like fangs fell, grotesque cracks spread across the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the sensation of weightlessness seized them.
Falling.
In the midst of chaos, the monster’s body tore itself apart, half vanishing in the white light, the other half quickly retreating towards the depths of the sinkhole.
……
On the edge of the sinkhole.
The serpent-headed Hui Mother plunged into the valley’s depths, seemingly not affecting the villagers and priests at all, the sacrificial ritual was still ongoing.
Strange and eerie prayers swirled in the sky, bl**d-red lanterns swayed in the wind.
“Roar—!”
In what felt like an illusion, they heard a mournful cry, like a giant dragon before its d*ath.
Following the lament, high-pitched screams ensued as a wild explosion of pale light surged from the unfathomable depths of the sinkhole, like a change of day, driving away the deep night, allowing these abandoned people to finally see the “sunlight” they once desperately yearned for.
But…
Perhaps having grown accustomed to the darkness, when they truly saw the light, a flicker of fear rose in their hearts.
The “sunlight” was fierce; under the pale radiance, the bl**d-red lanterns in the villagers’ hands seemed to be ignited, releasing waves of foul-smelling smoke, and then exploding, showering the land with pus and bl**d, staining the earth…
……
Spinning and falling for an unknown amount of time, Gu Qiqi’s back slammed heavily against the hard ground. The bright white light still hadn’t faded, yet countless golden stars flared around her.
Dazed from the fall, she lay on the ground for a long while, until the surroundings fell into darkness again, before she regained her senses, rubbing her aching joints and getting up.
Just as she rose, she heard a series of fragmented footsteps coming from the cave not far away.
Curiosity piqued, Gu Qiqi leaned against the wall, following the sound, and then saw a bizarre scene.
Luxianbei was staring blankly ahead, her head pressed against the stone wall, continuously running forward in place as if there were no wall in front of her at all.
Gu Qiqi and the system, “…”
“System, what is she… doing?”
“…” The system also didn’t know what was happening, as it had never seen Calamity display such bewildering behavior. After a moment of silence, it said, “I’m not quite sure, but she’s definitely doing this for a special purpose.”
“Maybe there’s something hidden behind that stone wall.”
“Is that so?” Gu Qiqi replied skeptically, tilting her head and propping up her chin to observe Luxianbei for a moment, muttering to herself, “Why do I feel like she looks a bit like… she’s stuck in the wall?”
The system, “…”
Tsk! I see you really don’t understand! The real world isn’t a game, and Calamity isn’t a stupid AI, how could she get stuck?
Not wanting to deal with it!
While the system was thinking this, a muffled sound suddenly came from ahead. Looking towards the sound, Luxianbei was found collapsed on the ground, her legs still maintaining the running posture, dancing in mid-air.
The system, “…”
Ah, this…
How does it look like she really is stuck in the wall?
