Chapter 22

"Truth! Truth!"

Under the dim streetlights, the doll's voice echoed from the notebook, resonating eerily on the deserted street.

This scene was somewhat eerie.

Even the strong individuals in the various video windows couldn't sit still.

Many who had initially been watching for entertainment now wore serious expressions, all focusing intently on Wu Xiaode.

Since it was the truth,

then, how strong was this guy?

And his enemy—

the one with a mountain of corpses, how terrifying was he?

"Wait—was it confirmed to be the truth just now? I can only be eaten by that guy?"

The man wearing the gray rhinoceros mask asked unwillingly.

The doll screeched, "Not a single word of his was a lie."

"He slapped that guy and came back alive?" The man wearing the gray rhinoceros mask asked, still not giving up.

"This is the truth, I swear by all the evil curses," the doll said.

The man wearing the gray rhinoceros mask fell silent.

Who would have thought—

just one question and answer, and the line of strength was drawn.

Was this a threat from the other side?

Since he wasn't a match for him, what could he do even if he threatened him?

Wu Xiaode, however, wasn't about to let him off, and said softly, "You seem quite dissatisfied with me, huh?"

The man was silent for a moment, then a hearty laugh erupted from behind the mask, and he said loudly, "Truly, heroes emerge from the young. My half-baked killing skills, how dare I fight you?"

Let him join the team!

The team forbids mutual killing, which is a form of protection for him!

"You were pretty brave just now, right? How about we have a fight, and decide the outcome by life or death? That way, the living will be at peace, and the dead will be at peace," Wu Xiaode said.

The man wearing the gray rhinoceros mask waved his hands repeatedly, smiling apologetically, "I dare not, I dare not. You are magnanimous, don't take it to heart, and if you need anything in the future, just let me know."

Wu Xiaode knew when to stop and didn't push further.

After all, he had no idea what these people were capable of. If they really fought, he could only immediately turn into a crow and fly away.

—And he might not even be able to fly away.

Wu Xiaode didn't know, but the others felt a bit more favorably towards him for letting the man with the gray rhinoceros mask go.

—After all, he was the new recruit being evaluated.

Targeting the veterans right from the start?

The others were somewhat annoyed, but now that Wu Xiaode wasn't pursuing it further, he had proven his strength and shown the demeanor of a master.

Everyone was somewhat satisfied.

"Last question, I'll ask, does anyone have any objections?" Xiao Baihong raised his hand and said.

No one spoke.

—This was a sign of support.

"Go ahead," the shadow nodded.

Xiao Baihong smiled, "Wu Xiaode, you just demonstrated your strength—"

He glanced at the dejected man in the gray rhinoceros mask and said loudly, "Are you willing to be on my team? We'll be a fixed pair for all future missions, how about it?"

A freebie.

"Of course, I feel we have a great connection," Wu Xiaode said without hesitation.

As soon as Wu Xiaode answered, the doll immediately said,

"Truth! Truth!"

"Ha ha ha, great, we're brothers from now on!" Xiao Baihong laughed with great satisfaction.

Suddenly, a dramatic change occurred!

Bang—

A loud noise, and a dazzling light appeared in the air, quickly transforming into a half-star, appearing above Xiao Baihong's head.

The Book of the Dead opened:

"You have won some praise from Xiao Baihong."

"Current approval level: half a star."

"This book has resonated with Xiao Baihong and extracted valuable things from him based on the approval level."

"You have obtained Xiao Baihong's skill: Side Step (Right Step)."

"—This is a movement skill that allows you to quickly dodge from your original position to avoid ambushes and gunfire."

"You have obtained (Left Step) and (Right Step)."

"Now this skill is complete."

That's right, exactly like this!

Take everything they have!

Wu Xiaode clenched his fists, feeling that life was beautiful again.

"Then, let's end it here. It's almost midnight, everyone should survive first, and we'll gather again later," the shadow said.

The notebook turned black again.

Snap!

Xiao Baihong closed the notebook and smiled, "It's almost midnight, I have to help a friend, see you later?"

Wu Xiaode was stunned for a moment.

He suddenly remembered the words of the Defense Bureau chief.

"Every night at midnight, we can team up to deal with it, I'm sure you also want an extra hand."

The S-Class Club owner said the same thing just now.

What does this mean?

Wu Xiaode wanted to ask, but instead said, "Yes, midnight is coming, do you have any kind of manual or something?"

"That thing doesn't exist, but there are some precautions in the group files—oh, add me as a friend, I'll pull you into the group."

"Okay."

Wu Xiaode quickly took out his phone.

After a series of operations, he was pulled into a group by Xiao Baihong.

The group had a pink rabbit icon, looking very cute and cartoonish.

Is this the team's group?

Wu Xiaode had a question in his mind.

But the group name was normal, called: "S-Class Club."

As soon as he joined, a welcome message popped up on the screen:

"Welcome to the S-Class Club, we are the pinnacle of the industry."

There was no activity in the group, with only a few people's avatars showing a (busy) status, and only one person showing a (newbie) status.

—It was himself who had just joined.

Everyone was busy, so no one was talking for the moment.

"I'll leave first, contact me privately if you need anything," Xiao Baihong waved and said.

"Okay, see you," Wu Xiaode said.

Xiao Baihong retreated into the shadow in the corner and quickly disappeared.

Wu Xiaode opened the group files of the "S-Class Club" and saw a small note:

"Summary of the midnight 12:00 event:"

"1. People who have awakened soul power will be pulled into that world at midnight 12:00;"

"2. People with a soul power of 1 need to kill one monster to return, those with 2 need to kill two, and so on;"

"3. Do not stand with ordinary people, otherwise they will also be pulled into that world, and their fate is almost certain death unless you take care of them and bring them back when you return;"

"4. That world is constantly approaching us, it has caused earthquakes, tsunamis, and various phenomena, but it has also unleashed human potential, giving humans soul power. The soul power limit was 5 six months ago, now it's 10, and it may be higher in the future;"

"5. The general consensus is: it will eventually descend upon our world, and as this process unfolds, human strength will continue to increase;"

"6. Given the increasing number of deaths among professionals, the only recognized principle of action is: survival."

"—Do not have any illusions, this is a feast of darkness and fear."

Wu Xiaode sighed in relief.

After the Defense Bureau chief said those words, he had been paying close attention and wanted to figure out the whole thing.

Joining this team was indeed worthwhile, not only securing future skills but also learning some information about midnight 12:00!

As for fear—

It's useless to be afraid, might as well face it head-on.

Suddenly, a female voice sounded:

"Xiao Wu, I see that person has left, is everything okay now?"

Xia Huilan.

She dragged her suitcase and walked over, asking with concern.

"It's okay now." As soon as Wu Xiaode said this, he suddenly realized and looked at his phone.

The phone screen showed the current time:

"0:00."

Midnight had arrived.

Xia Huilan was still by his side, and it was too late to get her to leave.

According to the third point in the group files—

"No."

Wu Xiaode groaned.

The surroundings flickered.

Wu Xiaode felt the world suddenly disappear.

In an instant,

another world rushed from a distant place, enveloping him and Xia Huilan.

The surroundings gradually became clear.

The crow perched on Wu Xiaode's shoulder, uneasy, said, "This place is dangerous, be careful."

"Understood."

Wu Xiaode responded, shielding Xia Huilan behind him.

Xia Huilan, however, pushed his arm away and stood in front of him.

"Lan-ji, this place is dangerous," Wu Xiaode said.

"I knew it when I saw them trying to recruit you. The lie you told about joining a major force— you must have just become a professional," Xia Huilan said.

Wu Xiaode was surprised, "Eh? You—"

"I overheard."

Xia Huilan pointed to her ear.

She was wearing a small, delicate silver earphone that was flashing a deep blue light.

"I did indeed become a professional today," Wu Xiaode admitted.

"So, you've never been to the other world before," Xia Huilan said.

"Yes," Wu Xiaode said.

—Does the Death Pit count as another world?

But if it's a place like the Death Pit, no one could escape from the hands of the one-eyed giant.

He had just gotten lucky, awakening a necromancy ability, and could rely on the power of all the undead and heroes.

And he had only delayed it by seven days.

He would have to go back after seven days!

Xia Huilan looked at Wu Xiaode with a gentle gaze and shook her head lightly.

She seemed to have made a decision and said,

"Xiao Wu, I am the chief armor designer at Bright Machinery United Technology, overseeing the entire department, so I've known about these things for a long time. I used to think there was no hope for humanity, so I wanted to go back to the countryside to survive, living day by day."

"But now that you're involved, I can't just leave you behind..."

"Lan-ji, are you a professional too?" Wu Xiaode asked in surprise.

"No, I'm just an ordinary person, but I know this place is very dangerous. According to statistics, 71.635% of awakened individuals don't survive the first midnight," Xia Huilan said.

"Why?" Wu Xiaode was puzzled.

The S-Class Club's file was just a simple reminder.

The team didn't have a dedicated document to explain things to new awakened individuals.

"According to our data, when awakened individuals enter that world for the first time, their energy fluctuations are particularly noticeable, attracting countless monsters," Xia Huilan said, her tone becoming more serious. "Under such harsh conditions, two-thirds of awakened individuals don't survive."

She squatted down and opened her suitcase.

Inside was a large silver rectangular metal block.

Xia Huilan placed her hand on the metal block.

A cold voice sounded from the metal block:

"Identity verified."

"Battle slaughter program 92024 loaded."

"Xia Ni is about to awaken."

The metal block began to rise and take shape.

It formed the shape of a human female, and the metal surface gradually gained color and texture, transforming from the face, shoulders, waist, legs, and all over into someone familiar to Wu Xiaode.

Xia Huilan!

This robot was designed by Xia Huilan based on herself!

But upon closer inspection, she seemed to be around sixteen years old, much more youthful than Xia Huilan.

"I am Xia Ni, hello, Xiao Wu."

The girl, wearing a blouse and skirt, said playfully to Wu Xiaode.

Her voice was timid and carried the unique charm of a young girl.

This was Xia Huilan's voice at sixteen!

Exactly the same!

Wu Xiaode turned to look at Xia Huilan.

Xia Huilan was already in work mode, inputting various commands on the robot girl's back, and said,

"Xiao Wu, this is your first time tonight, I'll help you."

Xiao Wu was already stunned.