Chapter 83

At this moment, the system warships had gradually sunk, with debris, wreckage, oil stains, and flames floating on the Xiang River. NPCs gradually reacted, driving small boats onto the river to seek revenge on the demons who had massacred the city. More and more boats appeared on the river...

Was Hong Qingsong's death the end of it?

No, this was just the beginning.

Dugu Fu must think of how to deal with Hong Wuliang's investigation.

He had spoken confidently in front of Hong Qingsong, but Hong Qingsong's father, a federal general, held power and rank above Dugu Fu. How could such a person be easy to handle? Conditions must be set; otherwise, the other side would definitely be suspicious.

But how to set them? And how to pass the other side's verification? These all needed careful consideration. The easiest way would be to let Hong Qingsong live, hand him over to the resistance army, and let them deal with Hong Wuliang, keeping himself completely out of it.

But... everything he had done, Hong Qingsong knew the most. If he fell into the hands of the resistance army, they might suspect his identity and background. Given this, it was cleaner for him to be dead.

However, in this case...

While he was pondering, a loud shout suddenly came: "Commissioner! Commissioner! It's this guy! After delivering the letter, we were surrounded!" At this moment, there were many boats on the river, and the one who shouted was on one of them.

Turning his head, he saw a large boat, not comparable to the system warships, but much larger than Dugu Fu's small boat.

A group of people stood on the boat, searching and salvaging the bodies of the system soldiers. The drops, weapons, and even uniforms of the system soldiers were valuable.

The one pointing at Dugu Fu and shouting was Lu Tao, whose hands and feet were wrapped in bandages, looking like a mummy: "He also took Guo Xingxing away!"

As soon as Lu Tao finished speaking, Guo Hu's voice rang out; he was also on the boat: "Dugu Fu, you're out? Where's Xingxing? Why isn't she with you?" His tone suddenly became urgent: "Did something happen to her? Is she still in that Death Space?"

Death Space? The leader of the boat, Ye Wuyue, narrowed his eyes.

"Rustle..." The soldiers on the boat, observing their leader's expression, raised their guns and aimed at Dugu Fu. Although he was wearing a system uniform, Dugu Fu knew these people were from the resistance army. He was about to explain.

Suddenly, Jiaozipi, whom Dugu Fu thought was dead, appeared in front of him, spreading his arms wide to block all the gun barrels: "Master, run! Run quickly!"

Dugu Fu looked at him in surprise, feeling both moved and astonished—had he ever seen Jiaozipi stand up? This was a case of potential being unleashed in a critical moment? Or... no, Dugu Fu's eyes narrowed. He said to Jiaozipi, "Don't worry, they're not the Celestial Army, they're from the resistance army."

"Resistance army?" Jiaozipi was stunned. He looked at the people with guns and then at Dugu Fu: "Master, they're from the resistance army, so you're not..."

He had always thought Dugu Fu was from the resistance army.

Dugu Fu patted his shoulder: "It's just a misunderstanding, that's not important. What's important is, you won't die."

Jiaozipi was stunned, then after a moment, he reacted: "Right, I, I, how can I stand up? Wasn't I supposed to die?"

==========

Why didn't Jiaozipi need to die?

This was something Dugu Fu had only heard about in legends, never truly witnessed.

According to the legend, the NPCs initially invented the God-Slaying Technique not to kill players and loot their drops, but to... steal the players' power!

Players in the game world were like gods, whose blood, bodies, and souls were fundamentally different from those of NPCs. The initial God-Slaying Technique was developed to allow NPCs to possess powers comparable to those of gods.

From the players' perspective, this was always considered a ridiculous notion. They knew the truth about the world; the difference between NPC and player bodies lay in their method of creation. Could a group of ants killing an elephant give them the elephant's strength?

Ha!

Players ridiculed this NPC legend, viewing it as superstition. But it was this superstition that fueled the NPCs' relentless desire for players. Many player accounts, characters, and even uploaded minds were destroyed by NPCs.

How many players, like Hong Qingsong, dropped more loot than a boss? Not all players were wealthy. Compared to hatred or unreliable drops, this was a broader reason for attracting NPC enmity.

Players really wanted to encounter an NPC and shout in their ear: "That's superstition!" But even if they said it, would the NPCs believe it? They would only become more enthusiastic.

Until this moment, Dugu Fu didn't believe it either!

How could Jiaozipi, with such severe injuries, suddenly recover?

He couldn't think of any other explanation. But the more decisive evidence was the aura spreading within his body.

He hadn't noticed it while thinking, but after realizing Jiaozipi's condition, he felt it...

It was a completely different aura from the heat of the snake gallbladder and the Kung Fu Fruit, cool and refreshing, like an icy spring flowing through his body. It cleared his mind, calmed his mood, and... accelerated the healing of his wounds.

Dugu Fu clearly felt the injuries he had sustained in the Death Space rapidly healing under the influence of this power.

However, apart from this, the power didn't seem to bring any earth-shattering changes...

Was that it? Was the so-called God-Slaying Technique just for healing injuries? Was the essence of the Celestials only this effective? Dugu Fu felt it couldn't be that simple.

While he was pondering, Jiaozipi whispered, "Master, why didn't you let me talk about your heroic deeds..." He and Dugu Fu were already tied up and secured on the top deck of the boat.

Dugu Fu glanced at him: "The news of that person's death must not be leaked, otherwise..."

Jiaozipi shivered, suddenly understanding Dugu Fu's concern, and nodded: "I won't say a word, even if I die!"

"Even if you die, what won't you say?" Supported by two people, Lu Tao walked onto the deck with a smug look. He didn't continue to press the issue, circling Dugu Fu and examining him from head to toe, "Dugu Fu, didn't expect this day, did you?"

Dugu Fu smiled slightly but said nothing.

"Putting on airs." Lu Tao spat, "Do you think Inspector Li can save you? Let me tell you, you're a Celestial spy, the fat man is looking for you all over the world, and we already know about it!"

"Even if you're using Inspector Li's name, it won't help. Besides, we don't even know if your letter is real..."

Dugu Fu's expression changed slightly. A Celestial spy? This was Hong Qingsong's guess about him, which meant... there were resistance army informants in the Celestial Army?

Oh, that made sense.

A Celestial spy? Jiaozipi also looked at Dugu Fu in surprise, but the look disappeared in an instant. Master had eliminated three thousand system troops and the Celestial commander, saving tens of thousands of lives in the city. How could he doubt him?

Noticing Dugu Fu's change in expression, Lu Tao smiled smugly, feeling he had hit a soft spot. He was about to press the issue when a loud voice suddenly rang out: "What do you mean by tying up my second brother?" A large hand grabbed Lu Tao's neck from behind.

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