Online game: As a dad, it’s reasonable to hit 999 with one hit, right?

Earth?

Lin Chen never thought that he would hear these two words from the mouth of an NPC.

He always thought that these NPCs in the Land of the Hunting God were some special "indigenous people", but now... Lin Chen began to have some new views, at least... he had a new understanding of the origin of the NPC in front of him.

He stared at the old man in front of him with interest, whose face was full of anticipation.

"You..." Lin Chen asked softly, "Are you from Earth?"

The old woman did not act mysterious like other NPCs, but nodded immediately.

"Indeed, Chosen One... Judging from your performance, you should also be from Earth, right?"

Lin Chen didn't say anything, just waited for what was to come.

The old woman chuckled slightly. "To be honest, it's not that hard to meet an Earthling, but it's incredibly difficult to meet a second-round player from Earth."

She walked tremblingly to Lin Chen's side. She did not look up at the sky, but stared at the front in confusion.

"I remember that the second usage period of the [Guixu Scroll] is level 40. Have you used it?" the old man asked in a deep voice.

Lin Chen thought about it and shook his head truthfully.

"That's good..." The old man suddenly grinned: "Chosen One, do you want to know what those mysterious things you encountered on Earth are?"

Lin Chen's pupils shrank slightly at this moment. He stared at the old man in front of him in disbelief and nodded quickly.

"You know those things?"

Of course he wanted to know what those things were. If he guessed correctly, the mysterious crisis that the Moon Goddess Anna had mentioned was very likely related to those things.

Those strange creatures without any substance, made of liquid and mist...

But this old man in front of me is willing to tell me something that even the World Boss doesn't dare to mention?

"They are all [Vanguards]." The old man spoke with a final burst of energy, his words strong and powerful. "They are attracted by the [Power of Guixu] carried by all the second-round players. The Vanguards you encounter now are all weak individuals, but when [that day] arrives, their legions will flood the world, and all worlds will be devoured and torn apart by them!"

The old man grabbed the corner of Lin Chen's clothes, and his weak body burst out with an indescribable special power. Lin Chen subconsciously wanted to retract his arm, but he couldn't.

The old man's dry arms were like iron clamps, tightly grasping Lin Chen.

"The Chosen One!" Her voice was like that of a dying lone wolf, harsh yet resolute: "We must save the world... At least, at least save Earth..."

Having said this, the old man began to cough violently.

She fell to her knees uncontrollably, and something in her body seemed to be draining away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lin Chen could clearly see a special luster spreading outward from the surface of the old man's body. After it was free, it looked like wisps of smoke.

"You...what's wrong with you?" Lin Chen wanted to go forward and help her.

"No... don't worry about me." The old man struggled to poke the ground with his crutch, and then used the crutch to support his body.

She couldn't stop taking deep breaths and coughing a few times, then the old man suddenly grinned.

"The System has judged me, and no one can stop it." The old man said in a hoarse voice, "But what does it matter... I should have died in this hospital bed. I've lived enough. I won't thank the Hunting God Land for giving me a chance to live again. It's meaningless to me..."

"The longer I live, the more torture it is for me." The old man seemed to start talking to himself, completely unaware that his body was rapidly dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

These substances like fine sand quickly slipped away from Lin Chen. Lin Chen wanted to reach out and grab them, but those things were hiding from him, then quickly rose into the air and finally disappeared.

"My death is not a pity... but Earth... our world, we must not let those things devour us... Chosen Ones, you are the last hope of this world, this universe... Only you... can... "

When she said this, the smoke made of light had completely enveloped the old woman's entire body. Except for her upper body which was still moving, her lower body had disappeared directly, but the crutch was still sticking in the same place.

"Hey!" Lin Chen wanted to stop her: "Stop talking...you're going to die!"

The old woman suddenly laughed, and in the smoke, the look of relief on her face was imprinted in Lin Chen's eyes.

Lin Chen stood there in a daze, looking at everything in front of him in disbelief.

It turns out... NPCs really can die...

It turns out that these NPCs have special restrictions. Once they touch this taboo, the [System] will take action and wipe them out from the Land of Hunting God.

"Wait a minute!" Lin Chen suddenly thought of something: "You...you will also return to the real world? Just like the players?"

Yes, after players die, they return to reality with everything they have gained in the Land of the Hunting God. But... what about the NPCs?

They can't kill monsters and level up like players, they don't have this function at all!

The old woman's incessant muttering began to weaken. She paused, her eyes seeming to lock onto Lin Chen through the smoke.

"No...we...will not go back...we...should follow...the Land of the Hunting God [Guanfu]...to go back..." The old man's voice began to weaken, and finally turned into the sound of mosquitoes and flies.

"Goodbye... Chosen One..."

At this point, the old man who was leaning on a cane and introducing the spirit pet egg to Lin Chen disappeared.

She is dead.

The real death will not be resurrected...

Lin Chen stood there, his thoughts seemed to be trapped in a deep fog. It took a long time before he gradually regained his sense of reality.

The little white cat on his shoulder stuck out its barbed tongue, bringing Lin Chen back to his senses.

The world in front of me gradually became clear. The familiar spirit pet egg stall in front was still firmly located there. Black, red and blue blankets were spread on the ground, and spirit pet hatching eggs of various shapes were placed on them.

There was a dead silence in the air. These spirit pet eggs lay quietly on the soft blanket, but the old woman NPC who managed these spirit pet eggs was dead at this moment.

It was the first time that Lin Chen saw an NPC die in front of him. He looked at the stall in front of him and was a little dazed for a moment.

What will happen to this place when an NPC dies?

Is it possible that there are no more spirit pet users in this main city called [Emerald Paradise]?

Just as Lin Chen was still lost in thought, a new figure slowly walked out from a dark corner of a building not far away.

It was a seemingly ordinary NPC. He walked silently to the spirit pet stall, his eyes swept over the items scattered on the ground, and finally stopped at the abandoned crutch.

The NPC hesitated for a few seconds, then reached out and slowly picked up the crutch.

At this moment, changes began to appear on the originally ordinary NPC.

The characters above his head began to rapidly flow, as if a mysterious force was reshaping his identity...

Within ten seconds, those characters condensed into a few eye-catching large characters - [Spirit Pet User].

Lin Chen witnessed all this and couldn't help but feel surprised.

"This..." Lin Chen finally spoke, his voice filled with confusion and puzzlement: "Is this the system's arrangement?"

He asked questions to the new pet master, but the other party did not answer his questions. He just stood there quietly, as if everything was self-evident.

"Honorable Chosen One, is there anything else you need?" After a while, a look of worry appeared on his face, and he said in a low voice, "I have some pet rations and special snacks to increase intimacy and loyalty. Do you want to buy any?"

After saying these words, the two of them just stood there silently, staring at each other for a long time.

The world around them seemed to have stopped at this moment. The atmosphere between the two seemed a little gloomy. Lin Chen frowned and fell into silence.

After a while, Lin Chen sighed and said, "Okay, sell me some."

"Okay... take your pick."

Lin Chen spent 50 silver coins to buy a lot of food and snacks from the other party. After the transaction, the new NPC made a ceremonial gesture that Lin Chen was somewhat familiar with, and then said something.

"May you be successful in everything you do and may the gods be awed."

Lin Chen was not used to this feeling. He reached out and patted Xiaobai's head who was squatting on his shoulder, then nodded to express his gratitude.

"Then, Chosen One, take care..."

"Okay, goodbye..."

"Goodbye."

The two of them said goodbye.

Everything that just happened was like a stone thrown into a calm lake. Not only Lin Chen and the new spirit pet master, but all the NPCs around witnessed it all silently.

There were more than a dozen bustling NPCs, who gathered from all directions, with an indescribable sadness on their faces.

Most of these NPCs do not have specific positions. They are either chattering on the streets or working silently. They do not have fixed stalls and do not have anything they must sell.

However, despite their different identities, they share a little-known taboo.

The old woman's death served as a warning to them, and it was also the first time for most of the NPCs here to see the system's punishment for leaking secrets.

That seal was like the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, constantly reminding them not to overstep the line.

What shouldn’t be said…must never be said!

At this moment, the rabbit died and the fox mourned. The NPCs present were silent and said nothing.

Under the gaze of everyone, Lin Chen slowly walked through the area.

He didn't linger for long and didn't ask anyone anything.

He understood that it would be difficult to find NPCs like the old woman who dared to reveal those things to him.

The NPCs along the way consciously made way for Lin Chen. Their eyes stayed on Lin Chen for a moment, then quickly moved away.

Until Lin Chen completely left the area, no NPC took the initiative to talk to him.

……

After a while, inside the [Church] of Emerald Paradise.

Lin Chen was sitting on a bench in the hall inside the church. He had just learned all the skills up to level 40 from the sage mentor NPC here, and distributed the skill points he could add to different skills as much as possible.

After doing all this, Lin Chen sat on the bench and stared at a prop in his backpack.

【Guixu Scroll】.

Yes, after re-observing the Guixu Scroll this time, Lin Chen made a new discovery.

Unlike the last time, the details page of the Guixu Scroll now reads as follows.

[Second round exclusive item: After using this item, the user will have 30 (+20) minutes to return to their real world. Please use with caution.]

[Unlocked special mission: Collect "Guixu Power". Initial Guixu Power: 0.] (Your current Guixu Power: 15.)

The time it takes to return to the real world has increased.

It was only 10 minutes before, but now... it has increased to 20 minutes!

but……

"The power of Guixu..." Lin Chen touched his chin and frowned: "What exactly is it?"

Lin Chen muttered to himself, remembering what the old woman had said.

[They are attracted by the [Power of Guixu] carried by the second-game players. Now, they are only encountering weak vanguard individuals, but when "that day" arrives, their legions will flood into the world and tear all worlds apart...]

If I guess correctly...

Killing those weird things will increase the so-called power of Guixu... ?

Then, what is the use of the power of Guixu?

What does it do?

Just when Lin Chen was feeling a little annoyed, the little white cat beside him suddenly straightened up alertly, wagging its tail gently and letting out a low meow.

Although the voice was small, it was enough to bring Lin Chen back to his senses.

Lin Chen closed his backpack and reached out to gently stroke the little white cat's head. The pet lost its vigilance and immediately purred, rubbing gently against Lin Chen's wrist.

At this time, Lin Chen raised his head and a pair of long, snow-white legs happened to appear in his sight.

"Ok?"

Lin Chen was stunned. He remembered that Gardenia didn't have such long legs...

The legs were white and slender. Light from outside was now shining into the church hall, reflecting the light through the mirror-like tiles below, making the legs reflect light.

They were tightly wrapped in a pair of black leather boots. The boots had a delicate texture and a warm luster, forming a sharp contrast with the skin color of the legs.

Lin Chen seemed to have seen this style of long boots somewhere before. The edges of the boots were slightly raised, like a crescent moon in the night sky, adding a touch of mystery and sexiness to these beautiful legs.

Moving his eyes upwards, Lin Chen's gaze passed over the curvy figure and finally saw the familiar pair of elf ears.

"I...Irina?"

Lin Chen was stunned!

The person in front of him was none other than the elf, Elena.

He really didn't expect that this elf...

He actually found me!