Absolute Death Game

"Old Gao, could you help me with the appraisal?"

Gao Bainame nodded, seeming a bit apprehensive as he took the "Sacrificial Book of the Ancient Gods." A flash of white light flickered over his hand, and all of a sudden, he cried out in dismay—it appeared the appraisal had not been successful. The light flickered again, but the result was the same.

He couldn't help but grimace and said, "Master, my Appraisal Skills level is not high enough to appraise this item."

Xiao Buli was surprised. It seemed that the item's grade was much higher, which meant it should be quite valuable.

"Well then, I'll buy it for 3 Gold Coins."

Three Gold Coins? Wu Tao spoke up with some dissatisfaction, "Can you add a bit more? At least let me break even."
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Xiao Buli shook his head, "I don't have that much spare cash. Besides, this thing is of no use to me. I only offered to help you out of pity. Otherwise, let's just forget it."

"No, no, no, I'll sell it to you. Okay?" Wu Tao, though a bit reluctant, had no choice but to agree.

Having acquired the "Sacrificial Book of the Ancient Gods," Xiao Buli hesitated about whether to open it.

"Old Gao, do you think this thing is good or bad?"

Gao Bainame said with a wry smile, "Haven't I already told you, Master, my Appraisal Skills level isn't enough. But I always think that reading more can never be a bad thing."

Xiao Buli hoped for the best and double-clicked on the book.

System message: The ancient pages turn to a pile of ashes in your hands.

The quest item just disappeared like that.

Xiao Buli frowned. This was somewhat unexpected. After checking his Attributes, he saw no changes. He gave everything another look and discovered a DEBUFF—Ancient God Mark—floating above his head.

He checked the description of this negative status, which read — "The ancient gods are watching you." Beyond that, there was no further explanation. This negative status didn't show a duration time, which made it even more strange.

(What does this mean? Seems like I've lost out. Three Gold Coins for a negative status, what the hell is this all about?) Xiao Buli thought, somewhat dejectedly.

At lunchtime, as he stepped out of the computer room, Xiao Buli was still pondering what that BUFF could mean. He hadn't gone far when someone suddenly called out to him from behind, "Hey, Old Xiao, wait up."

Xiao Buli turned around and saw it was Li Chuang. Not exactly close with this guy, who was suspected to be the mole, Xiao Buli was puzzled when he called him, "Is something the matter?"

Li Chuang said, "Manager Qin is asking for you in her office."

"Oh, I'll go right now." Xiao Buli nodded and headed to Qin Shimoon's office.

After knocking, Qin Shimoon's voice came from inside, "Come in."

As he walked in, Xiao Buli surreptitiously glanced at Qin Shimoon. She looked as beautiful as ever, impeccably dressed in a professional, tight-fitting OL suit. She was concentrating on several documents in front of her but promptly closed them as she saw Xiao Buli enter.

"Did you need something, Manager Qin?" Xiao Buli asked.

"Of course," Qin Shimoon smiled naturally, "I heard that you recently acquired a new follower."

Xiao Buli's heart tightened. How did she know? But he immediately smiled to himself. Of course, she would know—if she didn't, that would be the real surprise.

Xiao Buli had long suspected that the company was using more than one means to monitor their behavior, but he didn't know whether it was done through person-based reporting or some kind of monitoring device.

Xiao Buli didn't deny it and nodded slightly, "There is such a thing."

Qin Shimoon said, "The Xuanwu Group is in need of these kinds of NPCs for business strategies, so please transfer Gao Bainame's usage rights to the leader of the Xuanwu Group by three o'clock this afternoon. Of course, as a reward for your contribution, you will receive an extra bonus this month."

Xiao Buli was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected the other party to be so forthright in demanding the transfer. However, after some thought, he realized he had no leeway to object. From the beginning, the contract had clearly stated that all in-game properties belonged to the company.

If Xiao Buli hadn't known the truth about the game, he would have complied without a word, but at this moment, he couldn't help feeling unsettled, as if he had been outmaneuvered.

"I understand. I will take care of it this afternoon," Xiao Buli said calmly, as though he was agreeing to something completely trivial. As he walked out of the office, though, he clenched his fists, feeling an even greater urgency for the day of rebellion to come.

(At least the ownership of Gao Bainame is still mine; as long as I break away from the company, I can still use it for myself.) Xiao Buli comforted himself with this thought and turned toward the cafeteria.

The lunch was as lavish as ever. No matter how many detestable or infuriating aspects the company had, the food in the cafeteria was definitely not one of them. Xiao Buli filled a huge plate with food and began to eat heartily, as if he was trying to make up for the loss of his follower, and was halfway through his meal when Qin Shimoon suddenly walked in with that person named Ouyang.

She picked up a glass and tapped it with a stainless steel spoon. "Everyone, please pause for a moment; I have an announcement to make."

When everyone had stopped eating and looked toward her, Qin Shimoon said, "Since the White Tiger Group has submitted their personnel list, the Dark Forest dungeon Pioneer Corps is hereby officially established. From tomorrow on, all individuals on this list must begin unified combat coordination training.

This matter will be overseen by Zhang Yaoyang, the leader of the Azure Dragon Group, who will also serve as the leader of the Pioneer Corps. Li Jian from the White Tiger Group will act as the deputy leader.

Moreover, for the next two weeks, the group leaders and deputy leaders will lead team members to carry out daily tasks near the Dark Forest to familiarize themselves with the Demon Clan monsters' combat patterns and to prepare for the dungeon development safely. We aim to push the front line to the dungeon's entrance before the end of the month.

Now, I will start reading this list, and anyone who hears their name should gather in the newcomer's area tomorrow."

After Qin Shimoon finished speaking, Ouyang took out a list and began to read it. A total of ten people were called from the White Tiger Group, while the Azure Dragon Group, unsurprisingly, was wholly selected.

Although they had been mentally prepared, those whose names were read couldn't help showing a variety of expressions.

Finally, the list reading concluded, and Qin Shimoon nodded, "Alright, the reading of the list is complete; please continue to enjoy your lunch."

Once Qin Shimoon finished, she left with Ouyang, but the impact of her announcement lingered for a long time.

"Damn it, what kind of dungeon Pioneer Corps is this? It's more like a 'go die, go die' group," someone complained.

"Don't be discouraged; if we work together, we still have a chance to clear it," a passionate youth voiced.

"Lucky I'm not on the list, I'm finally safe," someone else expressed relief.

"It doesn't matter, even if we die it's okay; after all, there's still three hundred thousand to collect. It's just right for starting some small business," said a resigned, uninformed person.

The mix of voices turned the cafeteria into a noisy market for a while.

Watching the variety of reactions, Wang Yifan frowned and left the cafeteria, pulling out a phone from his pocket.

"Hello, is this the boss? I think the company is in trouble. There's something I need to report to you..."

Xiao Buli observed the myriad human states in the cafeteria coldly and glanced back at Zhang Yaoyang, who had a fervent look in his eyes. This guy was really eager.

"Hey, are you still upset about your follower?"

Xiao Buli looked up to see Wu Min'er.

"The follower issue? How do you know about that?" he asked in surprise.

Wu Min'er smiled proudly, "Don't forget what I do." Then she added, "But don't be upset, I have good news for you. I found Xuan Zhenzi." (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)