Our gentle, kind, and elegant Miss Hua Ru was just about to open the door to thank them when a chilling voice suddenly rang in her head — the very prompt she both feared and anticipated:
“Member BookletNa, please prepare. You will be transported to the battlefield in 30 minutes.”
She had no choice but to pretend not to be home.
The landlady’s eldest son didn’t knock; after scaring those people away, he left as well.
Truly a man who keeps his good deeds hidden — a silent hero.
Just as she was about to go to the computer to check who had been called out in the QQ group, her phone rang.
Even before touching it, she could guess who it was.
Aside from those punks, no one else could be calling her right now.
Sure enough, when she went to the bedroom and picked up the phone, the caller ID displayed the profoundly offensive characters: “Idiot” — the ringleader of that group of thugs.
She really didn’t have time to deal with them right now.
However, she hadn’t yet completely let go of her identity as Hua Hualong, so she couldn’t just ignore them outright — at least not yet.
She’d try to stall for a few days before making enemies.
She composed herself, then answered the call and recited in a sweet, clear voice:
“We’re sorry, the number you dialed is not in service. Please try again later…”
What was the English line after that again?
Hua Ru forgot how it went.
Just as she was fumbling for a follow-up, a voice cursed from the other end:
“F***, that bastard Hua’s number’s not in service? The phone’s—”
The call was hung up.
These thugs were as gullible as ever — easy to fool.
But the fact that she’d lost to them in any way still left a bitter taste.
They were blackmailing Hua Ru — or rather, Hua Hualong — with incriminating material, using it to extort money.
It was undoubtedly another stain on the otherwise smooth-sailing life of Hua Hualong.
But now, she was Hua Ru, not Hua Hualong.
That meant she could sidestep this weakness — at least in theory.
The only problem was, her mindset hadn’t fully shifted.
She was still emotionally tied to her past self, unable to let go.
Feeling conflicted, she sat down at her computer to check the situation regarding her being called out.
Unlike previous instances where people made jokes after getting selected, this time the mood was much more serious.
Several minutes had passed, and the group was still actively discussing the selections.
She had to scroll through several pages to find the relevant messages from a few minutes ago:
(Group Message) 【Shenzhu: (April 9, 2016, Match #3, 10:39 AM)】
(Group Message) 【Member 1: Infinite Monarch Dark Snow Dance 】
(Group Message) 【Member 2: Lapis Lazuli 】
(Group Message) 【Member 3: Never Had a Chance 】
(Group Message) 【Member 4: Lin Yuexian 】
(Group Message) 【Member 5: BookletNa 】
…
Ugh, 10:39 AM?
Why not just round it up to 10:40?
That would feel so much cleaner.
Instead of worrying about the fact that five people had been selected — an unusually high number — Hua Ru’s immediate concern was how uncomfortable the timestamp looked.
Meanwhile, the QQ group was still actively discussing the number of people being called in.
After all, it had been two whole months since five people were simultaneously called out from the Hamster Squad QQ group.
The last time that happened, it turned into a team war involving a hundred participants.
Only one team — a group of five from the same QQ group — made it out alive.
It was widely believed that whenever five or more people were selected at once, the mission world would be especially brutal.
Sometimes, it might even pull in the five strongest members of the group and force them to kill each other, leaving only one survivor.
That’s why the members were chatting like they were high on adrenaline.
Veterans were even explaining to newcomers what it meant when five people got picked.
Suddenly, someone sent Hua Ru a private message.
(Private Message 1) 【piapiapia: 200 points — I’ll sell you info on two people.】
Interesting.
She had taken note of this person before — this same member had leaked info on Black Uncle last night, and to some extent had even spilled details on the Corpse Princess of Wushou Tomb.
If it wasn’t a trap, then it meant the Princess was also a formidable figure.
Hua Ru had originally planned to buy intel after getting selected, but now the informant had come to her directly.
Still, after getting played once before, she wasn’t about to trust this guy so easily.
(Private Message 1) 【BookletNa: Why should I trust you?】
(Private Message 1) 【piapiapia: Interesting.】
(Private Message 1) 【piapiapia: So that means you haven’t spent your points yet, huh?】
Instead of answering her question, he cut straight to the heart of the matter — correctly guessing that she still had her points.
Another lesson learned: never underestimate anyone in this QQ group.
Even a casual remark could reveal more than she intended.
(Private Message 1) 【piapiapia: Don’t get nervous. I’m just here to do business. 200 points, two profiles — guaranteed to improve your survival odds. This is life-or-death intel. Think carefully. Time’s running out.】
Hua Ru was still scrolling through the QQ group chat history.
She noticed that the individuals selected this round were all dangerous people.
Except for Lapis Lazuli, the other three were near-permanent lurkers — the type who never spoke in the group.
In the Dark World, these silent types were like hunters in the forest or snipers lying in ambush — extremely dangerous if they ended up as enemies.
She recalled the bald man and the guy in blue from her first mission world.
If only she’d had information about their danger levels beforehand, maybe she wouldn’t have ended up so disheveled.
Maybe her life wouldn’t have depended entirely on dumb luck.
(Private Message 1) 【BookletNa: I need to know which two people you’re offering info on.】
(Private Message 1) 【piapiapia: I can give you one name first. If you want the second, you’ll need to pay.】
(Private Message 1) 【BookletNa: Fine. Say it.】
(Private Message 1) 【piapiapia: One of them is Infinite Monarch Dark Snow Dance. If you want to know more — pay up.】
(Private Message 2) 【Shenzhu: Member piapiapia has proposed a trade with you. Trade type: Intelligence. Price: 100 points. Reply with CONFIRM to accept, or CANCEL to refuse.】
This trade system isn’t transparent at all! What if it’s a scam?
What if he just writes some nonsense and pockets her 100 points?
Hua Ru searched the group again for any talk of scammers.
There were plenty of posts about tricksters, but no one had ever mentioned piapiapia.
That eased her mind a little.
(Private Message 2) 【BookletNa: Confirm.】
(Private Message 2) 【Shenzhu: Please reply with CONFIRM again to finalize. You will be charged 100 points and receive: one intel item.】
(Private Message 2) 【BookletNa: Confirm.】
After verifying he wasn’t a scammer, she went ahead and purchased the second piece of intel as well.
As expected, the other target was Lapis Lazuli, a fairly active participant in the QQ group — and a man known for his sharp mind and strategic manipulation.
If both intel reports were legit, then 200 points were totally worth it.
But if this turned out to be another trap like last time, then it would be a double loss — both points and credibility down the drain.
What she didn’t know was that piapiapia was now reaching out to the other selected players.
At this point, the merchant had three pieces of intel to sell — and the extra one?
That was info on BookletNa.
Being chosen as a participant after joining the group just one minute ago — and surviving — might have just been luck.
But the fact that this person had the composure to save up their points, and stayed so calm and articulate, meant they weren’t ordinary.
Either they had powerful backing… or they themselves were very dangerous.
Hua Ru had no idea that her own information was now being sold by piapiapia.
…
With just over ten minutes left, she finished prepping her appearance.
From outfit color coordination to hairstyle, everything was meticulously designed.
The shoes were made of a custom E-grade material from the Dark World.
Just this pair of stylish-yet-durable sandals cost 104 points.
Don’t underestimate them — even though they looked like simple women’s sandals, they had been modified into something halfway between sandals and athletic shoes.
If the Dark World wasn’t exaggerating, they could handle a full 2 km sprint with no visible wear.
For clothes, she specifically chose pants instead of a skirt — easier to move in, and in a muted color.
She didn’t dare stand out too much in-game anymore, not even pretending to be some noble lady.
She wore no jewelry, not wanting to draw attention.
She knew that her victory last time was largely due to being overlooked.
That edge was worth preserving.
But if she couldn’t avoid attention, then her appearance could earn her points in other ways — gaining trust through beauty and charm.
Seduction may be cliché, but it’s effective.
Just like punching someone in the face — crude, but emotionally satisfying.
After spending every last point, it was nearly time.
Just before departure, she remembered something — she went to her bedroom drawer, pulled out a small folding knife, and hid it… in her bra.
After all, her outfit had no pockets.
Only two places to store things: with the chubby guy… or in the bra.
She tested it out.
The cold steel pressed against the soft flesh of her chest gave her an unpleasant chill.
The foreign object created a weird, uncomfortable sensation.
She jumped twice to check — the knife stayed in place.
Secure.
Time was up.
Just like the first time, she was instantly transported to the Dark World.
But this time, the setting wasn’t outdoors — it was inside a building.
Oddly, the discomfort in her chest had vanished.
It felt like the folding knife in her bra had disappeared.
It wasn’t the right moment to lift her shirt and check, so she fought the urge to peek.
Everyone around her was glancing about, sizing each other up.
A quick count showed only 16 players.
It wasn’t that 16 felt like too few — but with five people being selected from a single group, a total player count of only 16 felt strangely low.
Truly ominous.