Throughout her journey on the run, Su Shisan had truly come to understand just how capable an A-rank player could be.
[Youlemei] never once used any ability that exceeded what a normal human could do, yet everything about her felt… superhuman.
She could effortlessly locate vacant houses, always chose routes with little to no presence of the Blood Cross, and somehow managed to find exactly what they needed—every time.
Honestly, Su Shisan had begun to suspect she was using some kind of map-type item.
But whenever she asked how Youlemei managed to do it, the woman would always offer a convincing and logical explanation.
Empty houses? She judged from the undisturbed dust on the doormats. Secluded paths?
She mapped out the layout of plazas and parks, choosing routes far from crowded areas. As for finding needed supplies? She relied on plain old common sense.
But that wasn’t all—[Youlemei] was a jack-of-all-trades. She drove fast and steady, fought hard and vicious.
Every time the Blood Cross picked a fight with them, she handled two enemies at once like it was nothing.
And let’s not forget—the Blood Cross had gained superhuman strength and speed from the virus. That she could still take them down with ease only proved how formidable her combat power really was.
And all of this? She did without using a single special item.
Su Shisan couldn’t see what was in the Player Shop, but she’d seen enough on the forums to get the picture. Items were expensive—way pricier than those in the Builder System Mall.
But A-rank players? They could afford them. Every one of them would have a trump card or two up their sleeves.
No wonder, even with the looming threat of the Blood Cross, [Director Liu] still scripted in a missile strike to obliterate the city in the finale.
A simple doomsday crisis wouldn’t be enough—there’d always be A-rank survivors. To wipe them out? You had to go big. Nothing less would do.
That said, it didn’t mean most players survived. Few could manage to maintain a disguise as long as [Youlemei] had.
Disguise items were outrageously expensive—using one continuously for over ten days? You’d be bleeding credits.
So most players had no choice but to dodge and fight like ordinary people, scrambling for their lives against the Blood Cross.
From what Su Shisan had heard, there was a group holed up in a fortified underground bunker—definitely players among them.
[Director Liu]’s NPCs were already leading an assault with Blood Cross soldiers. Unless something unexpected happened, they were as good as done.
After all, they had poison gas. All they needed was to locate the air vents and flood the place. One sweep, game over.
But aside from the players who stuck together, those still surviving alone out there—like [Youlemei]—had clearly figured out how to live.
To wipe people like her out? The difficulty needed to be cranked way up.
Su Shisan couldn’t help but feel grateful for her own cleverness. Good thing her mission didn’t depend on brute force. Trying to curb players through strength alone was a fool’s errand.
Compared to intelligence, physical strength was way too easy to inflate—anyone could train for it.
It was late by the time they found another empty house to rest in. For the past two days, Su Shisan had let [Youlemei] take the lead. But today, she finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“What’s your destination?” she asked.
“I was wondering when you’d ask,” [Youlemei] said with a faint smile. “You’ve been quiet these past few days.”
Su Shisan shook her head. “You were wandering aimlessly at first. But today… you took out a map.”
That seemed to click. [Youlemei] didn’t bother hiding it. “I want to check out the airport.”
Surviving fifteen days wasn’t a problem anymore, so she was aiming for a higher-tier clear. Besides, she had a gut feeling—this dungeon wasn’t going to let her off that easily.
It was her second time entering an A-rank instance. The last one featured parasitic beasts that could latch onto players and read their memories.
Compared to that “everyone-is-your-enemy” hellscape, this dungeon almost felt merciful. At least the Blood Cross had clear visual markers—there was no mistaking them.
But precisely because of that, this dungeon’s difficulty felt… lower. For someone with her shapeshifting ability, surviving wasn’t all that hard.
Which only made [Youlemei] more suspicious. There had to be a hidden catch. If she got too comfortable, she’d crash and burn when she least expected it.
Su Shisan had no idea what she was thinking—but she had to admit, the woman’s instincts were sharp.
Escaping by air? That was actually a good idea. Driving, walking, trains—they were all pipe dreams. But heading for the airport was still basically suicide.
There was no way [Director Liu] would leave it unguarded. The place would be swarming with Blood Cross, biting anything that moved.
One NPC was even in charge of mixing Blood Cross blood into the air humidifiers.
Anyone stepping foot in that terminal was guaranteed to be infected. No exceptions.
Worse still, [Director Liu] had dismantled critical parts from every plane. Even if someone managed to start one up, it would crash shortly after takeoff.
Sure, the missing parts were scattered around the airport—that was the gimmick—but finding them while avoiding viral mist, sneaking past guards, identifying which parts were missing, fetching replacements, and still managing to take off?
If anyone actually managed all that, Su Shisan would gladly raise both hands and surrender.
Honestly, hijacking a billionaire’s private jet sounded more realistic. Especially [Director Liu]’s personal plane—at least that one hadn’t been sabotaged.
Of course, difficulty-wise, it wasn’t any easier.
“You’re planning to hijack a plane?” Su Shisan frowned. She was relying on this woman to help her find other players—she couldn’t just die like that. “That’s a tall order.”
Thankfully, [Youlemei] nodded, then shook her head.
“I just want to scope it out first. If it’s doable, I’ll go for it. If security’s tight, I’ll lay low nearby—see if I can rendezvous with others. It’s the most likely place for survivors to gather, after all.”
Big dungeons always came with massive information gaps. Her real goal was to regroup with other players and exchange intel.
“Smart move,” Su Shisan nodded. “But with how you look now, how will your teammates recognize you?”
Players had no identifying markers. That was what made infiltration possible. [Youlemei], in her current disguise, looked just like a typical Blood Cross.
No one in their right mind would risk approaching her—after all, high-IQ Blood Cross were terrifyingly cunning.
“I have my ways,” [Youlemei] said confidently. Then, a bit hesitantly, she added, “But I can’t guarantee that once I find them, they won’t try to hurt you. So you might want to…”
Ah. Burn the bridge before crossing it. Su Shisan understood instantly. It was reasonable, really.
Someone like [Youlemei], disguised and dangerously smart, would be the top threat on any player’s radar. No one would willingly bring her back to a safe zone.
But that was fine. She’d already gotten what she needed. Su Shisan tilted her head and spread her arms wide.
“Going by tradition—don’t we hug before parting?”
[Youlemei] tensed, instantly on guard. Some people liked to kill just before dawn—maybe Su Shisan was one of them. She could be trying to infect her mid-hug.
“No thanks,” she refused. “I’m not a hugger.”
“No worries.” Su Shisan dropped her arms, unbothered. “Good habit. Stick to it. Don’t let anyone touch you.”
After all, hidden in the seam of [Youlemei]’s shoulder fabric… was a tiny tracker.
Seeing how easily she gave up, [Youlemei] wondered if she’d been overly paranoid. But she didn’t regret it. Safety first. Still, a small pang of guilt lingered.
“What will you do now?”
“Find a place nearby to lay low,” Su Shisan replied casually. “You’d better go with your team. Don’t come looking for me again.”
“Got it,” [Youlemei] nodded. It was the smart move—for both of them.
The next morning, [Youlemei] left without waking her.
But Su Shisan hadn’t slept at all. As a Blood Cross, she didn’t get tired. As soon as the door closed behind [Youlemei], she sat up.
From the lining of her clothes, she pulled out a small device. On the screen were two dots—green for her, red for the tracker now walking away.
She curled her lips into a smile and sent a message to [Director Liu]:
“How many players are left?”
Director Liu didn’t know their identities or locations, but the dungeon system kept count. Since they were already on Day 11—the home stretch—he was busy. An hour later, he replied:
“Nine. Two are in the bunker and about to be wiped out. Three are targeting my private jet—one’s actually my NPC. They’re dead meat.”
Nine still alive? Not bad. A-rank players really did have something going for them.
Su Shisan replied:
“I’ve got one. I let her go to find the others. If she does, I’ll send her location.”
This time, he replied instantly:
“Where are you? I’ll monitor the area to ensure everything goes smoothly.”
She sent her coordinates, along with a picture of [Youlemei] in disguise.
“She probably has disguise abilities.”
“Understood,” he replied.
“Stay put. I’ll send a reliable NPC to meet you. If she finds at least two players, your reward doubles. Find all of them? I’ll throw in a bonus item.”
That reward was exactly what Su Shisan wanted. Technically, she didn’t have to do this. As long as she finished [Director Liu]’s original task, she’d get paid.
This side quest was extra—and helpful enough to warrant a bigger bonus.