Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

Melville knew perfectly well that this was Zuo Chang's revenge. She could have remained defiant to the end, but...

"Ugh."

With a soft sigh, Melville's emerald eyes revealed a hint of helplessness as he said, "Commoner, it's not gentlemanly to ignore a lady. I think you should treat me patiently now; this may be the only chance for us to cross paths."

Zuo Chang finally turned back.

He looked at Melville and asked, "Are you going to join me?"

"...Does even this need confirmation? Although I'm not very willing, I believe we are 'partners' now."

Zuo Chang nodded and said simply, "We can act together, but you have to do two things. First, you have to take my advice. I judge that my familiarity with the battle for the crown is far greater than yours, so it is more appropriate for me to lead the operation. What do you think?"

"..."

Melville bit down hard with his pearly teeth!

After a moment of silence, she said, “You’re right. I only have a superficial understanding of the Grand Order competition, while you clearly have a deeper understanding. Following your instructions might be beneficial; however, I want to retain some autonomy. If your instructions are obviously unwise, I will reserve my opinion.”

Zuo Chang added, "Secondly, you must possess talent. Melville, how capable are you? I don't want to be held back by you."

"what!"

Melville chuckled.

She leaned forward, her face filled with extreme displeasure, and said, word by word, "Unbelievable! My talent is outstanding even in 5245! How dare you, a person from a lower-level community, question my power? Look closely, I am from the upper realm!"

Zuo Chang remained calm: "5245 is considered a person from the Upper Realm? He's not qualified."

Melville remained silent.

Zuo Chang pointed to the way they came and continued, "Putting everything else aside, you saw Lu Zheng, right? He's from 1024. Do you see any arrogance in him? Miss Melville, I don't mean anything by it, but you really need to work on your manners."

Having gone this far, it's not much different from a complete falling out.

Zuo Chang's words were sharp and incisive, and Melville was momentarily thrown off balance.

Her face darkened, and she scoffed, "You really underestimated me... Fine, I'll show you what I'm capable of."

A few lights appeared in the passage ahead.

Another team is approaching, but they haven't yet located Zuo Chang and Melville.

In Melville's lowered palm, several round specks of mercury condensed.

The mercury slid down her fingers, bounced and rolled on the ground, and slid towards the fire in front of her.

This is--

Skills under the "Alchemy School"?

Zuo Chang asked, "Heavy metal bombs?"

Melville nodded: "Good insight, it's a heavy metal bomb. The mercury bomb I released had almost no magical fluctuations, making it extremely stealthy; the power of the mercury explosion is secondary, the real destructive force lies in the subsequent metallic poisonous mist... At this moment, they have no way out."

The teams ahead of them have already missed their best opportunity to react.

The mercury bomb bounced into the center of them. Some sharp-eyed people spotted the silvery-white beads, but they didn't realize their danger.

He said with a hint of surprise in his calm tone, "What is this? It looks quite valuable."

"What what?"

“These silver beads on the ground.”

"Silver beads?"

Uh--

The sound of someone taking a deep, surprised breath.

Then came terrified screams: "It's a mercury bomb! Scatter—"

"Oh!"

The sound of the explosion drowned out everything, and the fog in the corridor surged. A silvery-white poisonous fog rapidly expanded, covering everyone in the contestants' team.

Melville used his magic early on to isolate himself from the poison gas.

She was quite satisfied with her technique and turned to boast, "How was it, Mr. Zuo Chang? My magic wasn't bad, was it?"

Zuo Chang believes—

not bad.

Melville's mastery of the "heavy metal bomb" technique is remarkable. He can cast the spell in such a short time while maintaining both stealth and lethality, which is quite adept.

The toxic fumes produced after the explosion were equally impressive.

The adventurers who were hit didn't even cry out; they just breathed heavily.

This indicates that the poison took effect instantly, and Melville was very skilled in the "alchemy school," at least his poison skills were top-notch.

only……

Zuo Chang stood still for a second, then suddenly sprang up!

He drew his Moon Crown Sword and slashed at Melville—

"?!"

Melville's smugness vanished instantly, and she stared wide-eyed at Zuo Chang in horror!

too fast.

Zuo Chang's attack came so suddenly and so swiftly.

The overwhelming sword force pressed down on him, and the powerful sword energy passed through his body, completely suppressing Melville's magical power, making it impossible for him to mobilize even a fraction of it.

Her limbs were stiff, she was stunned, and her mind raced with thoughts like, "Why are you killing me? What did I do wrong?"

Warm blood splattered on the side of his face.

Zuo Chang's sword passed under Melville's armpit and pierced somewhere behind her, causing blood to splatter immediately.

"..."

Melville turned her head and saw a figure slowly emerging from the air behind her.

He stared at Zuo Chang in equal terror, his hands gripping the blade that pierced his chest, and with his last breath, he asked, "You...you saw me?"

Zuo Chang did not answer, but simply drew his sword.

The man had been struck by Zuo Chang's sword, and his internal organs and meridians had been shredded by the crisscrossing sword energy. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Zuo Chang has the max-level talent "Veteran".

Although he himself was unaware of it, all experienced adventurers knew that assassinating someone during the shockwave of an explosion was the easiest way to succeed.

During the previous mercury explosion, the veteran activated his own power, forcing Zuo Chang to concentrate and be alert to his surroundings.

In this episode, Zuo Chang quickly discovers that someone behind him is getting impatient and is secretly approaching, intending to ambush and assassinate Melville.

therefore--

Zuo Changcai drew his sword and suddenly lunged forward, stabbing him with a swift thrust that turned the tables and killed him!

He looked at Melville, who was still in a state of great shock, and then at her dripping crotch: "Are you alright?"

"it's okay no problem……"

cough cough.

Melville was somewhat embarrassed.

She adjusted her skirt and said, "Um... please forget everything you saw, and don't mention it to anyone... This is my lifelong request, okay?"

Zuo Chang stared at her coldly, remaining silent.

Melville grabbed his collar, gritting his teeth: "Promise me!"

Zuo Chang remained unusually calm.

He listened to the sound of raindrops falling, pulled Melville's hand away, and said, "Don't talk while you're relieving yourself, it's very impolite."

"..."

"You...did you drink too much water? Can you stop for a moment? I really can't take it anymore."

what.

Melville wanted to die.

Chapter 194 Dirty

A suffocating silence fell between Zuo Chang and Melville.

Zuo Chang is alright.

He was a man of experience and quick thinking, and wouldn't lose his composure over a minor setback. He rationally maintained his silence, saying nothing.

but--

No matter how calmly Zuo Chang reacts now, Melville will never be able to stay composed!

to be exact.

Zuo Chang's existence has become her inner demon. As long as he is still breathing, Melville will be driven mad with shame!

only……

After calming down and thinking it over carefully, Melville realized that it wasn't entirely her fault.

Previously, Zuo Changjue's eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a demon. When he thrust his sword at him, his momentum was incredibly fierce.

Melville felt a chill run through his body, his very soul was shaken, and he seemed to smell an ancient, desolate scent in his nostrils—the smell of death.

Is it not normal to lose one's composure even slightly under the influence of such a ferocious sword?

It's important to know that people can be driven crazy and crushed by pressure.

Melville believes that her previous actions were simply a way of relieving immense pressure in a somewhat indecent manner.

This is a very normal physiological phenomenon.

It is a self-preservation instinct that humans are born with.