Lu Mingze was truly a little angel.

 

After dealing with Song Er, Xing Ye and Yan Hebi had no more worries. Yan Hebi went to continue his noblewomen side quest. Of course, he didn’t consider it a side quest—he simply enjoyed chatting with the noblewomen and found their company far more comfortable than the casino. By staying in the aristocratic areas of the cruise ship with them, he could avoid Shao Lin and the others, ensuring his safety while also not causing trouble for Xing Ye. This gave him great peace of mind.

Meanwhile, Xing Ye watched a movie with Little Mirror. Afterward, he used his chips to buy several compact mirrors from the shopping area, then returned to his room with Little Mirror and said to Lu Mingze, “I’ll keep these mirrors in different pockets. You need to switch between them frequently to avoid being noticed. We can’t rely too much on your luck-enhancing ability—if we overuse it, the casino will catch on to our tricks. ‘Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern.’ If we use the same method too often, we’ll be exposed.”

Lu Mingze appeared in the bedside mirror, looking a little downcast. He sighed and said, “Why is this happening? This is a game where everyone could win by working together, and even if someone loses, nothing terrible happens. So why do they have to hurt each other?”

Seeing his expression, Xing Ye couldn’t help but want to pat his head.

“But you were so cool just now,” Lu Mingze continued. “I know that from Song Er’s perspective, you were the villain who took away his choices. But I also know that you never wanted things to be this way in the first place.” He could tell that using such methods weighed on Xing Ye’s mind, so he quickly cheered up to comfort him.

Only in front of Little Mirror did Xing Ye allow himself to show his true emotions.

He sighed. “I admit it—Shao Lin caught me off guard at first. I suppose that’s a common mistake for newcomers to the advanced world.”

In the melee world, even if players eventually turned against each other, it usually happened only when they were close to reaching the ending. Xing Ye’s usual approach was to cooperate first—if they got along well, they would become long-term teammates; if not, they would part ways. Since they had already interacted and understood each other, even if they became enemies later, it wouldn’t feel like a betrayal.

More importantly, losing in the melee world didn’t harm players much. At worst, they lost their points and had to start over. That’s why players entering the advanced world naturally thought about forming alliances rather than attacking others outright.

Even though Xing Ye had been wary of the advanced world, he still didn’t act aggressively from the start. He wanted to convince others through reason, observe their personalities in secret, and gradually win over trustworthy teammates.

But that moment of hesitation put him at a disadvantage.

Shao Lin was clearly an experienced player. He moved too quickly—on the very first day, he had already infiltrated both his own team and the enemy’s. If someone could be recruited, he roped them in; if not, he eliminated them.

Xing Ye’s cautious approach didn’t work in the advanced world. This was a world where people would truly devour each other. The only way to survive was to strike first and establish dominance—only through pressure could people be controlled.

“I wasn’t ruthless enough,” Xing Ye sighed. “Because I hesitated, Liu Yi was framed and eliminated. I just hope his starting ability doesn’t affect his real-world life too much. Otherwise, he won’t just suffer in the game—his real life will be difficult too.”

Lu Mingze knew Xing Ye was frustrated. No matter how cold he seemed on the surface, deep down, he had a protective nature. He could be weak because of it, but he could also be strong because of it.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Mingze asked, “For you, if ‘Repainting Brush’ and ‘Eye of Impression’ disappeared—if you lost your artistic talent and photographic memory—would that affect your real life much?”

Xing Ye smiled. “I don’t rely on those abilities to run my company. At most, I’d just have to take more notes. It’d be a little inconvenient, but in the end, I’d actually be more precise. It wouldn’t make a huge difference.”

“And if Teacher Ding lost ‘Cunning Rabbit's Burrow’ and ‘Betraying Friends for Survival,’ how would that affect him in both the real and game worlds?”

Xing Ye replied, “Losing those flaws would actually be a good thing, wouldn’t it? And in the game world, ‘Betraying Friends for Survival’ might even make it harder for him to find allies, so it’s not a big deal.”

At that moment, Xing Ye understood—Lu Mingze was trying to comfort him in his own way.

“You’re saying that losing one or two abilities might have some impact, but it wouldn’t be life-changing, right?” Xing Ye asked.

Lu Mingze nodded obediently. “If I lost ‘Unparalleled Beauty’ and ‘Eye of Truth,’ I’d probably be sad for a while. After all, I’ve always loved my face. If I became ugly… just thinking about it makes me miserable. But in the end, it wouldn’t really matter. Even if I became ugly, my parents would still love me. My life wouldn’t change much—at worst, I just wouldn’t like my face as much.”

As he spoke, he started to look more and more pitiful, lowering his head as if he was about to cry.

Xing Ye couldn’t help but laugh. “Hahaha, weren’t you supposed to be comforting me? How did you end up making yourself sad instead? I think I’d still like you even if you became ugly.”

“Why did you say ‘I think’?!” Lu Mingze protested angrily. “You should say, ‘Even if you turn into a pig’s head, I will love you the same!’”

Xing Ye pulled out his phone, scrolled through a few pictures of pink piglets, and looked at them thoughtfully. “Hmm, they’re really cute. Even if you turn into a pig’s head, I will love you the same.”

Then he showed the pictures to Lu Mingze, which annoyed him so much that their intimacy rating dropped from 93 to 90.

Seeing Lu Mingze glaring at him in frustration, Xing Ye seriously told him, "Honestly, love at first sight is often based on appearance. It was only natural that I was initially drawn to your ‘Unparalleled Beauty.’ But as the saying goes, ‘Attracted by looks, but loyal to character.’ Visual appeal is the easiest way to draw someone in, but it’s also the quickest thing to fade. What first caught my attention might have been your appearance, or maybe the experiences we shared nine years ago. But what makes me love you now is who you are. So even without ‘Unparalleled Beauty,’ you’d still be the Lu Mingze I love."

Lu Mingze felt much better after hearing this and found it reasonable. He muttered, "If you weren’t at least decent-looking in real life—just slightly worse than me—there’s no way I would’ve agreed to let you pursue me after seeing you cross-dress in that first world."

Despite his grumbling, their intimacy score increased to 94. Lu Mingze was an incredibly straightforward person.

The longer they stayed in the "Challenging Fate Game," the more Xing Ye appreciated how valuable it was for Lu Mingze to remain true to himself.

Indeed, Little Mirror was lucky. His natural luck stat was higher than most people’s. Yet, despite his luck, he still failed at the final stage. That meant Lu Mingze wasn’t significantly luckier than other following Fate players. Faced with the same choices, Lu Mingze chose kindness, while Mu Ba prioritized money over Liu Yi’s life.

Xing Ye acknowledged that he was lucky too. He had met Lu Mingze in his very first world, discovered the truth about the game, and under Little Mirror’s influence, had remained true to himself. They had stuck together and never lost each other.

But that was also because Xing Ye had resisted the system’s temptation to erase Little Mirror’s consciousness. That alone proved that he was an exceptional person.

As he thought about this, Xing Ye indulged in a moment of self-admiration. Then he snapped out of it and chuckled—he really was also influenced by Little Mirror’s narcissism.

However, liking oneself, facing oneself honestly, and cherishing oneself were all good things. It meant that Xing Ye, who had always lived like a robot, was gradually learning how to love this world.

"Thank you." Xing Ye couldn't help but say to Lu Mingze. "After hearing your words, I don't feel as much of a failure anymore, nor do I feel as frustrated."

Looking into Xing Ye's deep gaze, Lu Mingze blushed slightly and said, "I'm just stating the facts. You are not weaker than Shao Lin; you just aren't as despicable as he is. Let's roll up our sleeves and take him on. We’ll show him that kindness is not weakness. We can defeat the Red Team and the system, without harming anyone!"

"Alright!" Xing Ye extended his hand toward the mirror.

Lu Mingze also reached out his hand, and the two lightly touched palms through the mirror.

It was the farthest distance, yet the closest connection.

After the emotional moment, Lu Mingze asked, "What do you think Shao Lin will do next?"

"He will approach Yan Hebi through Ning Xinyao," Xing Ye said with certainty. "He can immediately tell that my relationship with Yan Hebi is different from my relationship with Song Er. Yan Hebi and I have a good bond, and he trusts me enough. More importantly, he met me in the melee battle world and knows my initial skill."

Lu Mingze frowned with concern. "Will Yan Hebi fall for it? He’s fine with most things, but when it comes to women, he turns into an idiot."

Xing Ye replied, "It doesn’t matter whether he falls for it or not. Don’t forget, there are two things Yan Hebi doesn’t know—one is your existence, and the other is the skill ‘Kuafu Chasing the Sun.’ Even if Shao Lin manages to get my initial skill out of Yan Hebi, all it will do is make him panic. He'll realize that the mind-controlling QR code I used on Lin Si before is something I can use without restriction. Do you think that’s good news or bad news for him?"

"Absolutely bad news!" Lu Mingze said. "He’ll try to force you into a gamble, find a way to get your initial skill!"

Xing Ye responded, "But he can't force me. Every day after 9 PM, I make sure to complete three rounds of betting as soon as possible. Unless he wagers all his assets against me, he won’t succeed."

Lu Mingze thought for a moment and then asked, "Would Shao Lin turn against his own teammates? Even though we’re not on the same team, I feel like it's fine to defeat the Red Team in a fair game. But if they end up like Dong San and Liu Yi, losing even their initial skills, that would be too pitiful."

Xing Ye shook his head. "For now, he won’t. His subordinates are all following Fate players, while he is a Fate-defying player pretending to be following Fate. He still needs his team’s following Fate players to keep winning passenger chips at the casino. More importantly, with me as a powerful opponent, even if he wants to manipulate his teammates and eliminate others, they’ll hesitate. They’ll think it’s not the right time for internal fight."

Hearing this, Lu Mingze was completely reassured.

Feeling relieved, Lu Mingze suddenly realized he was hungry—not physically, but psychologically.

Looking at the fruit platter on Xing Ye’s table, he said, "When this world ends, if you can draw an ability that lets me eat, that would be great. I haven't eaten anything in months. I'm really craving food."

Xing Ye felt very sorry for Lu Mingze, but there was nothing he could do. He could only hope that Lu Mingze’s luck would allow the next world's QR code to grant his wish.

Just as Lu Mingze warmed Xing Ye’s heart once again, Shao Lin did exactly as Xing Ye had predicted—he sent Ning Xinyao to find Yan Hebi.

Previously, Ning Xinyao had treated Yan Hebi with a very arrogant attitude. Now that she had to lower herself to seek him out, she felt awkward and grumbled at Shao Lin, "It was you who wanted to cut ties with the Green Team before, and now it’s also you who wants me to go ask him for help. How am I supposed to save this relationship?"

Ning Xinyao was the only female player in this game. She also had a particularly attractive body in the game, so her teammates had always taken care of her. Even in the Red Team, she remained proud and haughty.

A flash of displeasure crossed Shao Lin’s eyes, but he still smiled and said, "The situation is different now. Xing Ye is a strong enemy. Don’t you want to know what his initial skill and QR codes are? This guy has top-tier luck, intelligence, and psychological resilience. You’re all following Fate players—can any of you guarantee that you can win ten rounds in a row at the high-stakes betting table like he did?"

Even for following Fate players, the probability of winning ten times in a row was quite low. The probability of winning a single round of high-stakes betting was 50%, so winning ten consecutive rounds was 50% to the tenth power—less than one in a thousand. Following Fate players had a 99% luck stat, but that still wasn’t 100%, meaning such extreme luck was impossible.

"So, you suspect he’s cheating?" Lu Qi, a quiet man who rarely spoke but always got to the point, asked.

After Lin Si lost earlier, Ning Xinyao had been betting alongside Lu Qi. She trusted him more than Shao Lin.

Shao Lin nodded. "Exactly. If we uncover his initial skill, we can find out how he’s cheating. Right now, all of their team’s chips are in Xing Ye’s hands. If we catch him cheating during a bet, we can wipe out the entire Green Team in one go."

Lu Qi found Shao Lin’s words reasonable and turned to look at Ning Xinyao.

Seeing that everyone was relying on her to extract information from Xing Ye, Ning Xinyao narrowed her eyes and said, "Then sign a contract with me. If I find out Xing Ye’s initial skill and we win because of it, each of you must give me 10,000 points and two QR codes. Otherwise, why should I do this for free?"

Ning Xinyao had already survived ten advanced worlds. She was no longer the slightly spoiled woman that Yan Hebi remembered. She had long since learned to do whatever it took to get what she wanted. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to help Shao Lin isolate Dong San—after all, it was all for the sake of taking Dong San’s points.

Shao Lin’s expression remained unchanged as he immediately replied, "I agree."

He then turned to Lu Qi and asked, "You too—do you agree?"

Lu Qi wasn’t entirely pleased, but at this stage, Xing Ye was indeed a major threat. They had to deal with him together. Points and QR codes weren’t difficult to earn for following Fate players, so he reluctantly nodded.

However, Lin Si, whose face had gone pale, protested, "I’ve already lost so many points to Xing Ye. Out of the four of us, I’m the only one who has lost. Why should I also give her points and QR codes? And if it weren’t for my sacrifice, would you even know how strong Xing Ye is? At that time, no matter who he challenged, he would have won. I just happened to be the one who got hit first! Shao Lin, you were the one who provoked him in the first place—why do I have to bear the consequences?"

Shao Lin suppressed his anger and patiently tried to persuade Lin Si.

Little did they know, everything they were saying was being watched by Xing Ye through the "Projector" ability.

The small mirror remarked, "As expected, they’re going after Yan Hebi, just like you said. And they’re already turning on each other!"

Xing Ye smirked. "I knew it. People who can gang up to betray a teammate are never easy to get along with. Shao Lin is in for a headache now."

 

Translator : DarNan