Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 502 I, Li Zheng, am protective of my own!
"Snapped!"

"boom!"

A violent explosion, with flames shooting into the sky.

And, large swaths of white light, representing 'death,' rise up.

"Old Li, do we really need to go this far?"

Lu Li said, unable to bear it.

"Necessary?" Li Zheng glanced at him expressionlessly. "Of course!"

"If our retaliation this time is not thorough enough, some people will take advantage of our kindness and do even more outrageous things to our Qidian Legion!"

"But……"

Looking at the growing number of players gathering around, Lu Li retorted, "You and I both know that most of these people are innocent!"

"innocent?"

Li Zheng raised his hand, scattering a shower of sparks that drifted into the crowd. He calmly raised his right hand and said, "From the moment that member of the New World dared to provoke us, no one is innocent."

"Snapped!"

Another snap of the fingers rang out, flames shot into the sky, and yet another group of players were sent back to the transit space.

Li Zheng cracked his knuckles and said calmly, "Lu Li, put away your petty sentimentality. You should be glad that I'm retaliating against them during the event."

"If I were really as bloodthirsty as you think, I would wait until after the event to take my revenge."

“You know, the Matrix can stop most of you, but it can’t stop me.”

"If I wanted to kill someone, the entire Matrix would be filled with fear!"

Lu Li was silent for a moment. He knew that what Li Zheng said was true. Ever since the last time he was framed, when Li Zheng killed people by repeatedly switching between different channels, almost everyone in the matrix knew that Li Zheng had at least one item that could ignore the cooldown and frequently switch channels.

With that tool in hand, he could kill whoever he wanted, and take revenge on whoever he wanted.

"but……"

"But what?" Li Zheng stared at Lu Li. "Are you saying that the suffering they endured was real? What about Wang Erzhu and the others? Are you just going to let their suffering go?"

"Lu Li, since you are a member of my Qidian Legion, whatever you do, at least make sure your motivation doesn't contradict that of your own people!"

"We never bully others by virtue of our power, but if we are bullied, we will retaliate!"

"Otherwise, wouldn't our Qidian platform become a joke?"

"A joke: someone who's ranked number one on the legion leaderboard, yet so weak that anyone can bully them?"

"Um... I know it's not appropriate to say this now." Wang Erzhu and the others came to the Lava Mountains after the freeze ended and have been following Li Zheng around. At this moment, he weakly raised his hand and said, "I... my real name is Wang Fugui, Erzhu is just my nickname."

Li Zheng: "..."

Land from:"……"

Tian Liuya: "...My real name is Tian Yu, Liuya is just my nickname. Wang Erzhu, are you trying to get yourself killed? Is this the time to be saying these things? Don't you know the occasion? Occasion! Erzhu!"

Zhang Yue covered her face, unable to bear to look. She had interacted with these two young people before and knew that they were somewhat unconventional in their speech and actions.

But I didn't expect them to be so unconventional, choosing to say such nonsensical things at this time.

"Can't you two just shut up right now? Besides, the name Wang Fugui isn't any better than Wang Erzhu's, so why are you so hung up on it?"

"Snapped!"

Li Zheng snapped his fingers again, blasting away a group of players who rushed towards him. Looking at Wang Erzhu and the others, they didn't seem to care about being killed just now.

He asked Wang Erzhu, "You were just killed, aren't you angry?"

“I was angry, of course I was angry.” Wang Erzhu said matter-of-factly, “When I first returned to the transit space, I wanted nothing more than to tear the guy who killed me to pieces.”

"But after the pain subsided, I understood."

"The reason we are bullied is because we are not strong enough. Joining the second batch of players is not a reason or excuse for our weakness."

"We are grateful to our leader for taking in us newbies when everyone else looked down on us and using your reputation to create a comfortable environment for us."

"But... you've already done enough this time, Commander. There's no need for you to offend any more people for our sake."

"If we continue to live under the shadow of your and your deputy commanders' prestige, without striving for progress and indulging in comfort, then if we are bullied again, it will be our own fault."

"Oh? It seems you've come to your senses after this incident?" Li Zheng waited quietly for Wang Erzhu to finish speaking, then looked at Tian Liuya and the others, asking, "What about you? What are your thoughts?"

Tian Liuya looked at Wang Erzhu and then at Li Zheng's expression, and said in a low voice, "Wang Erzhu and I share similar thoughts. Only when we become strong enough to make others back down can we truly be strong."

The others didn't speak, but they all nodded, their thoughts not much different from those of Wang Erzhu and the other two.

Li Zheng looked at them. Apart from Zhang Yue and Li Chun, almost all the players he left in the Lava Mountains were the second batch of new players. They were all quite young, just over sixteen.

This age is a rather awkward stage.

Their bodies are mature, but their minds are still in the process of transformation.

Without proper guidance, no one can guarantee how many lawless villains will emerge from this group of players.

It's worth noting that there are many such examples online.

There is a particular group of readers who enjoy online novels: they are pessimistic, resentful, and gloomy.

They like ruthless, villainous protagonists, wishing the protagonist could kill everyone in the world to satisfy the twisted and empty feelings that have arisen in their hearts but cannot be satisfied due to constraints such as 'right and wrong,' 'morality,' and 'law.'

They call this protagonist's behavior "decisive and ruthless".

What a ridiculous and childish idea!

But are you saying that this group of readers are all teenagers aged sixteen or seventeen?
Not at all.

However, one thing is certain: these people did not receive proper guidance on values ​​and beliefs at an age when they needed it, due to their family environment and flawed education methods.

It's not their fault.

The lack of education is caused by so-called 'taboos' in certain aspects of social structure.

This is society's fault.

It's a mistake caused by a distorted education system.

Don't blame them.

If things are like this even online, who knows what will happen if we let them develop freely in a place like the Matrix, where there are no laws or moral constraints.

Li Zheng is now trying to guide these 'children' in his own way.

He was not a professional in the education industry, nor was he sure whether his actions would achieve the desired results.

However, in retrospect, the outcome is acceptable.

"It's wonderful that you think that way."

Li Zheng smiled with satisfaction and said, "But there's one thing you've overlooked. You were only able to survive the attack and stand here talking to me because of the nature of your activities. If you were outside, you'd all be a pile of corpses waiting to be cremated!" "So..."

"Self-reliance is what you need to do, and what we need to do is—"

"Protecting one's own!"

Snapped!
boom! ! ! !

Towering flames billowed up, and Li, with his back turned, seemed to be glowing with golden light in the flames.

This scene was imprinted in the minds of Wang Erzhu and the others, and they could not forget it for a long time.

……

"Damn it, this guild leader is so protective of his own, it makes me want to leave the guild and join Qidian!"

"Who wouldn't want to? The problem is that the starting point upgrade is too slow. I've been waiting for several days and still haven't gotten in line. Otherwise, would I still be watching the live stream with you guys outside?"

In Zhou Shufen's live stream, Li Zheng's every move was broadcast, and the comments were full of envy. Those who had already joined Qidian were truly lucky.

Of course, while some people envy it, others have different opinions.

"You guys are so naive!"

"It's not wrong for Li Zheng to protect his own, but he's offended so many legions. Isn't he afraid they'll unite and retaliate after the event is over?"

"That's right. There's no such thing as a transfer after the event ends. If you're dead, you're dead."

Soon someone refuted this:
"You said it yourself, if you die outside the event, you're dead. Who would dare to retaliate against Qidian? Aren't you afraid Li Zheng and his men will come back and kill you?"

That's true. The reason why the Nth Room dared to participate in the plan to attack Qidian was because no one would actually die during the event.

Otherwise, even if they had a few more lives, they might not dare to make a move.

At this moment, a comment suddenly appeared on the screen, making everyone pessimistic about Qidian's situation:

"Li Zheng is so strong, he's probably not far from entering the outer city, right?"

"Once he goes to the outer city, will the starting point still have a guardian deity?"

"The more arrogant you are now, the more miserable you will be later. Anyone who wants to join Qidian should find another platform as soon as possible, or you won't even know how you died!"

As if in response to this comment, Li Zheng said to Feng Shan and the others, "Before I go to the outer city, I will leave behind the teleportation device. If our group is bullied, you should do what I did today and lead people to fight back!"

"Don't worry, Lao Li. If anyone dares to lay a hand on us, my wife and I will be the first to go and chop them up!" Feng Shan replied arrogantly. He was naturally a bit arrogant, and when he disliked Li Zheng, he was a ruthless person who would take action without hesitation. Li Zheng trusted him completely.

Lu Li hesitated for a moment, about to say something, when suddenly his mind went blank and he had another fit of madness, revealing a sick smile: "You're right, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! If someone treats me with respect, I'll treat them with even greater respect! But if anyone dares to mess with us, I'll kill their entire family!"

Everyone: "..."

Everyone felt a strange sensation upon seeing Lu Li's completely different behavior before and after.

Especially those like Wang Erzhu, who didn't know him well, felt that he was unpredictable and should avoid provoking him in the future.

Who knows if he will consider the bond between a legion and its members?

If you could just kill someone whenever you wanted, how frustrating would it be to die at his hands?

At that very moment, after a period of clearing out the encirclement surrounding Li Zheng and his group, very few players remained.

Guan Hu then led his men into the venue and began to clean up the mess.

"Commander Li, please give me some face and let them go this time," Guan Hu said as he approached.

Li Zheng looked at him, then at Liu Qishao standing behind him like a subordinate, and frowned slightly: "Why are you the one talking to me? Where is your major?"

Guan Hu wasn't annoyed by such offensive words. He smiled amicably at Li Zheng and said, "Our young... cough, young master Liu Qi has already stepped down as the commander of the Kunlun Legion. Until this event ends, I will temporarily act as the commander of the Kunlun Legion."

"He's stepped down?"

Li Zheng didn't understand why Liu Qishao would suddenly pull this stunt of stepping down, but since it was a family matter for Kunlun, he, as an outsider, shouldn't interfere too much.

His only concern was whether Liu Qishao's resignation would affect the cooperation he had agreed upon with Kunlun before the event.

"What we agreed on before..."

"Commander Li, rest assured, Kunlun will not go back on its promise. Even if Liu Qishao steps down, the cooperation we agreed on will continue." Guan Hu changed the subject, "However... things may have to be postponed until Kunlun elects a new chief person in charge."

No matter what the plan is, it needs someone to coordinate it. Without a person in charge, all of Kunlun's external activities will have to be temporarily suspended.

Li Zheng frowned even more deeply: "How long will it take?"

"Soon! Half a day at the earliest, three days at the latest. Commander Li will be notified immediately if there is any news," Guan Hu said unhurriedly.

"is it?"

Li Zheng nodded thoughtfully. Kunlun's decision to change its leader at this juncture inevitably made him think about some things.

He had originally agreed with Liu Qishao to take action against Genesis after the fishing competition and completely wipe out the legion.

Less than a day later, Liu Qishao stepped down?

This is more or less related to this matter.

It seems that Kunlun cannot be relied upon in the short term.

"Alright, since you, the acting leader, have spoken, I'll give you face." Li Zheng clapped his hands and gestured to the group behind him. "Let's go find a good spot to go fishing!"

"fishing?"

Guan Hu stepped forward, subtly blocking their path: "Doesn't the Qidian Legion have its own territory? Why doesn't Commander Li take your men back to fish?"

"What do you mean?"

Before Li Zheng could speak, Feng Shan couldn't sit still any longer and jumped out, shouting, "Don't forget, the Lava Mountains were originally our starting point's territory!"

“You said it yourself, it was originally yours, but now you’ve given it away, haven’t you?” Guan Hu looked at Feng Shan, not giving an inch.

“You!” Fengshan pointed at him.

“I believe Commander Li is a reasonable person!” Guan Hu ignored Feng Shan and interrupted, “He shouldn’t be making trouble on this matter, right?”

"Or are you saying that the people at Qidian are willing to cover the ticket price?"

"Damn it! I thought you were someone I could get along with, but I was wrong!" Feng Shan cursed angrily, raising his fist and about to jump up: "You fucking want a beating!"

"Fengshan!"

Li Zheng went up and stopped him, stared at Guan Hu for a while, and then glanced at Liu Qishao.

Seeing Liu Qishao winking at him, he hesitated for a moment before leading the Qidian members toward the entrance.

As Li Zheng passed by Liu Qishao, he lowered his voice and said, "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation afterward!"

Liu Qishao opened his mouth, but only managed a bitter smile.

(End of this chapter)