Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Teaming Up Again, What is the Death Gate?

Xie Antong lowered her head, burying it even deeper while continuing to clap.

Her suspicions had practically reached their peak now. The only thing preventing confirmation was not being able to see the face beneath the mask - anything unexpected was possible at this point.

But regardless, Lu Ce couldn't be simple. What happened back then probably had nothing to do with "outwitting each other."

Most likely it was just a story of a high-level player instantly crushing a low-level one.

Hearing Zhao Jiacheng on stage talking about "learning from Lu Ce" almost made her laugh out loud.

She was barely holding it together.

Zhao Jiacheng surveyed the crowd below, a glint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes as he finally managed to rouse people's emotions.

"Haha, while everyone should act within their means, we should still strive toward positive aspirations."

"I believe if Lu Ce were to become a player now, he would make the same choice as before, right?"

Stop talking bro, this is seriously awkward. I can barely take it.

This situation is way more hellish than any game, and I can't even let loose properly since I'm not wearing my mask right now.

All he could do was twitch his expression in exasperation, staring at the people opposite him and hoping this would end quickly.

......

"Alright, that's about all for today."

Zhao Jiacheng looked around. As the person responsible for this entire school's ideological education, he knew there wouldn't be any immediate dramatic effects - this was just laying groundwork.

After all, for youths just entering adulthood, this sort of thing might still be somewhat useful.

Finally, he needed to say something actually meaningful for the current situation.

"Also, we've lived in peaceful times for too long - our understanding of violence has become somewhat blurred."

"Those of you with family members in government positions or high-interaction commercial industries might have noticed how clearly various factions are consolidating and converging."

He touched on the topic lightly but didn't elaborate further, sensing not everyone would understand.

"In any case, even as ordinary people... everyone should protect themselves!"

"Additionally, if any of you have been selected or are already players currently feeling lost, you're welcome to come find me privately."

As he finished speaking, he gave Lu Ce one last meaningful glance of encouragement.

Lu Ce: "......"

Beside him, Xie Antong felt her hairs stand on end. Privately find him alone?

Zhao Jiacheng's earlier words had already made her frown, reminding her of many unpleasant family matters.

This latest suggestion sounded almost like Zhao Jiacheng was saying, "I've lived long enough, why don't you come kill me......"

Fortunately, Lu Ce beside her showed no reaction - probably wouldn't develop murderous intent over something so minor.

......

Lu Ce wasn't even sure how he left school that day.

Thanks to his usual loner persona, at least he didn't get swarmed by crowds bothering him.

However, his previously peaceful life had still been massively impacted.

With his body enhanced to superhuman levels, his five senses were abnormally sharp compared to ordinary people.

He could even hear his classmates whispering about him behind his back.

So annoying!

That Zhao Jiacheng just kept creating endless trouble for him, even after all this time had passed...

Bang!

Slamming the door of his small room shut, Lu Ce finally relaxed slightly as he collapsed onto his bed.

Though the conditions here were quite simple, it was comfortably liberating - finally free from all those matters.

Perhaps due to his excessive thirst for power, or some inexplicable sense of crisis, Lu Ce's entire life now revolved around the game.

He treated real-world matters merely as breaks between gaming sessions.

His perspective wasn't wrong either - even the real world would inevitably undergo massive changes because of the game.

That sense of boundaries would likely disappear soon. The only thing he could truly control was his continuously growing strength.

Even if dragged into completely unknown conspiracies, even if facing entities at the level of "gods" that could easily kill him -

He was willing to gamble!

Opening his game interface, he noticed the third-ranked player who had parachuted in - someone called "Creator."

Without access to Xie Antong's external information streams, he didn't know Know-it-All had once claimed to be the "Creator."

Thus, he didn't immediately connect it to Know-it-All from the previous game.

But he wasn't the type to pry into others' affairs - after briefly noting it, he lost interest.

He didn't care about others - all his goals were self-centered, with no habit of analyzing other players.

Suddenly, a friend message popped up on his game interface.

—Currently, he only had one friend.

[Blank: Your body's fully recovered, right? You're still carrying my Death Gate?]

[Blank: You should have interdimensional backpack access - remember not to leave my stuff lying around.]

Lu Ce: "......"

Reading Xie Antong's messages, he hesitated, remaining silent for a long while.

Their classroom conversation earlier had seemed normal enough, but they'd barely spoken since then.

Maybe they just didn't click, or perhaps due to other reasons, Lu Ce could clearly see how after checking her phone a few times, that emo mood had returned.

But regardless of what she was dealing with, he kept wondering if she'd figured something out.

While it was extremely unlikely for someone to suddenly suspect their classmate was secretly the world's top player, the probability wasn't exactly zero either.

Moreover, the All-Seeing Eye was absolutely one of the most broken legendary weapons, and it was her primary ability that she constantly developed.

Lu Ce couldn't quite gauge just how terrifying her analytical abilities were, or whether he'd exposed something.

Especially in this game - why was she suddenly insisting on teaming up every time now?

Tch, since he'd taken her Death Gate last time, didn't that mean he had to team up to return it this time?

After some thought, Lu Ce lowered his head and typed a reply.

[Sin: What Death Gate? What are you talking about?]

[Blank: ?]

When I type a question mark, it's not because I have questions - it's because I think YOU have questions.

It's hard to imagine Xie Antong's expression on the other side.

[Blank: What? So the world's strongest player, with seven consecutive perfect clears and undisputed top-tier strength, is now abandoning all credibility to strong-arm an A-rank sequence item?]