TAG Chapter 9

Qiao Jingting hid behind a large tree, watching two men not far away smoking and chatting.

He was now in the most familiar place—the Gray Rat’s Nest. It was less than a kilometer away from Xin Yue Hu, and Shu Ai’s house was faintly visible. Zheng Wei had indeed sent people to stake out this place.

Zheng Wei must have thought that starving him to death was a surefire plan. After all, at his level, there were only two ways to earn points: simple tasks assigned by NPCs and killing the lowest-level monsters. Once these two avenues were cut off, he would quickly be unable to afford even food.

He hesitated for a moment about whether to kill these two Level 3 players. He didn’t think they would be his match. In the end, he decided to give up. One reason was that the village was very close, and causing too much commotion might alert others. The second reason was that these two men were not among those who had beaten him up before. For now, he would spare them.

He quietly sneaked toward the village.

Only NPCs were active in the village, and all the players were resting. As expected, Zheng Wei didn’t consider him a threat and didn’t bother with patrols.

But when he reached the vicinity of Shu Ai’s house, he saw someone standing guard at the door. The glass window he had shattered that day was intact, as if nothing had happened, and light could be seen inside. Recalling the miniature village scene he saw in the void space, he guessed that these houses were just like game monsters—they could disappear and reappear at any time as part of a program.

Shu Ai must have been imprisoned. He hoped she wasn’t hurt…

Qiao Jingting observed the terrain, quietly ran to the back of the house, and pulled out a dagger. This dagger was the only weapon given by the system to each newcomer. It was much lighter than the long knife and could be used by anyone, but as he held it, he felt an unusual heaviness.

He knew what awaited him ahead—a foe, prey, the first living person he would kill.

He reached the corner, peering out with half of his head, and saw the person leaning against the doorframe, yawning. He recognized this person, one of the lackeys of the fat guy who had “welcomed” him before.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Standing in front of him was the person who threatened his and Shu Ai’s lives. Moreover, he was worth 1500 points, a guarantee easier to obtain than killing shallow-water crocodiles.

This temptation overcame his uneasiness. He gritted his teeth and took advantage of the person yawning again. In a single step, he rushed forward at a speed that even he found unbelievable, covering a distance of three meters in an instant.

The man noticed him and just let out a startled “ah” before Qiao forcefully knocked him down. He straddled the man, pressing his arms with his knees, one hand covering the man’s mouth to prevent him from calling for help, and the other hand raising the dagger.

This series of actions flowed seamlessly, swift as a leopard.

The man desperately shook his head, his pupils dilated, fear and pleading evident in his eyes.

Qiao Jingting could clearly feel the warm, moist breath spraying onto his palm, reminding him that this was a living person, not a mechanical monster. If he struck with the knife, he would be cutting through flesh and skin, not fibers, silicone, and circuits.

He hesitated.

He couldn’t help but hesitate. He had beaten many people to a bloody pulp in the underground fighting arena, breaking several bones and thwarting numerous ambitions, but he had never killed anyone.

How could someone like Qiao Ruidu, who had been raised in comfort and observed eight hundred etiquette rules for a single meal, kill two people in just two days?

“What’s going on?” Someone inside the house heard the commotion and asked.

The man suddenly struggled and fiercely bit down on Qiao Jingting’s hand.

Qiao Jingting felt a sharp pain, but he didn’t let go. His eyes widened, his heart pounding twice before strangely calming down. He stared into the man’s eyes, unwavering, directly witnessing the emotions shift from terror to despair. He couldn’t see his own expression at that moment, but he felt that he could guess it from the man’s gaze. With a swift motion, he decisively slashed with the dagger in his hand.

The next second, warm blood gushed from the man’s throat, splattering on Qiao Jingting’s forearm. The temperature seemed capable of scalding him.

The man coughed violently, each cough spraying blood mixed with bubbles. His body convulsed like a dying fish.

Qiao Jingting stood stiffly, looking down at the man’s final moments. For a moment, he almost forgot to breathe. A bone-chilling coldness spread through his nerves, making his scalp feel like it was about to explode.

“Congratulations to player Qiao Jingting for killing a Level 3 player and earning 1500 points. First kill of a player unlocks the achievement ‘First Blood,’ granting an additional reward of 100 points. First kill of a player higher level than oneself unlocks the achievement ‘Transcendence,’ granting an additional reward of 200 points.”

The fluorescent text appearing before his eyes snapped Qiao Jingting back to reality. The next second, he trembled with excitement.

1800 points! He had obtained 1800 points!

He hadn’t even used one-third of the strength required to kill a shallow-water crocodile, and he had earned 1800 points. The total points he had gained from killing monsters in this game hadn’t even reached two thousand!

The joy of such a tremendous reward overwhelmed the panic and guilt of his first kill. It was like the most potent drug, instantly addictive.

Qiao Jingting looked at the lifeless body on the ground, his heart pounding, as if it would burst from his throat at any moment. He couldn’t describe the complexity of his emotions at this moment.

“What’s going on? Hey!” The person inside the house grew alert, quickly approaching the door, and the next second, the door was pushed open.

Qiao Jingting leaped up, kicking the man back into the house, and swiftly rushed inside, closing the door.

Focusing his gaze, Qiao Jingting noticed that the man on the ground had a peculiar long hair, with murky and sinister eyes, but his movements were agile as he quickly got up. He glanced at Qiao Jingting and sneered, “So, you dare to come back.”

“Where’s Shu Ai?”

“She’s inside.” The long-haired man pointed to Shu Ai’s room and smirked obscenely. “A few of us just had some fun. You’re late; otherwise, we could have counted you in too.”

Qiao Jingting’s brain buzzed, his chest almost bursting open. He let out a low roar and in an instant, his chrome-steel knife appeared in his hand. With a swift step, he leaped towards the long-haired man, ready to strike.

A flicker of surprise flashed in the long-haired man’s eyes. He probably hadn’t expected Qiao Jingting’s attack to be so fierce. He also produced a pair of swords in his hands, crossing them in front of him to block Qiao Jingting’s knife.

Qiao Jingting kicked at the long-haired man’s abdomen. The long-haired man reacted quickly, but Qiao Jingting was no weak opponent. Unable to dodge in time, he was grazed on the side of his waist, causing him to stumble a few steps.

Qiao Jingting swung his knife again, and the long-haired man stepped back while simultaneously thrusting his twin swords toward Qiao Jingting. Although the chrome-steel knife was slightly lighter than the refined steel longsword, it still had some weight to it. Qiao swung it with too much force, causing his body to lean in the direction of the knife. He couldn’t dodge the long-haired man’s sword in time, and it pierced into his left ribs!

Qiao Jingting’s face turned pale as he took a few steps back. Blood streamed down from his body, and he wasn’t sure if his internal organs were injured. But he couldn’t afford to concern himself with that now. He swung his knife horizontally, and the long-haired man once again raised his swords to defend.

The two of them exchanged blows continuously, with Qiao Jingting not giving the long-haired man a moment to catch his breath. He pressed forward relentlessly until he cornered him against the wall.

With a low shout, the long-haired man launched a dual-sided attack, aiming at Qiao Jingting’s waist. Qiao Jingting sidestepped, avoiding the strike, and with one hand, he swung his knife towards the long-haired man’s neck.

With the wall behind him, the long-haired man had nowhere to retreat. He suddenly squatted down, narrowly avoiding the blade grazing his scalp and cutting off a large bunch of flying hair.

Qiao Jingting performed a sweeping leg kick, hitting the long-haired man’s shin bone. As the long-haired man was already squatting, his posture was unstable, and he was instantly knocked to the ground.

Qiao Jingting raised his knife to stab, but the long-haired man attempted to roll away. The sharp blade grazed his hair, embedding itself in the wooden floor. The long-haired man’s head was pulled back for a moment, even though his hair snapped and fell apart in the next second. But that half-second pause proved to be fatal. Qiao Jingting stomped on his right hand with force, crushing the bones instantly.

The long-haired man let out a high-pitched scream. Qiao Jingting suddenly became alert. He pressed down on the long-haired man’s chest with his knee, leaned over, covered his mouth, and drew out his dagger, slashing the long-haired man’s throat.

This time, it wasn’t as smooth as he had imagined. The long-haired man instantly produced three healing scrolls out of thin air, which he used on himself without any regard for the cost. The wound on his neck visibly healed at a rapid pace.

Qiao Jingting’s eyes turned bloodshot, overflowing with a boiling intent to kill. Once again, he thrust his knife into the long-haired man’s heart. While the long-haired man used healing scrolls and struggled to escape from under Qiao Jingting’s body.

In this life-and-death moment, the front door was kicked open with tremendous force, and the door panel crashed into the wall.

Qiao Jingting suddenly raised his head and realized that the outside was brightly lit. He had been so absorbed in the fight that he hadn’t noticed.

The person entering was Zheng Wei.

Apart from Zheng Wei, everyone else was either blocked at the door or gathered by the windows, their expressions eerie.

A tingling sensation ran down Qiao Jingting’s scalp as he remembered that the houses in the novice village had protective functions. Only those authorized by the house owner could enter. So he could enter, the long-haired man could enter, and Zheng Wei had also entered before. But the others couldn’t.

Zheng Wei’s face contorted with a ferocious expression, as if he was about to flay Qiao Jingting alive and pull out his tendons. He rushed towards Qiao Jingting at a terrifying speed.

Qiao Jingting quickly pulled out the steel knife embedded in the ground and swung it through the air. However, this strike wasn’t aimed at Zheng Wei but at the nearly repaired wounds on the long-haired man’s neck and heart.

The shining silver blade cut through the thick, black hair and pale flesh, ultimately releasing a deep crimson blood. The long-haired man’s head flew into the air, and a geyser of blood soared, spraying towards the three-meter-high ceiling.

A row of fluorescent characters appeared before Qiao Jingting’s eyes, but before he could read them, Zheng Wei let out a roar and kicked Qiao Jingting in the chest.

Qiao Jingting’s body was sent flying like a broken sandbag. He felt as if a train had collided head-on with his chest, his ribs shattered, his throat filled with a metallic taste, and he spewed a mouthful of blood.

His back slammed against the wall, and the back of his head suffered a severe blow. His vision blurred, and he lost his grip on the steel knife.

This was Zheng Wei’s true power… Qiao Jingting lay on the ground, unable to breathe, struggling to regain his strength.

He had underestimated Zheng Wei. This was Level 5 strength, fully enhanced Level 5 strength.

Zheng Wei grabbed a handful of Qiao Jingting’s hair and mercilessly delivered two punches to his face, smearing it with blood.

Zheng Wei squeezed his neck, lifting him up, and said viciously, “Weren’t you trying to strangle me to death? Huh? Tell me, how do you want to die?”

Qiao Jingting spat out a mouthful of blood foam towards Zheng Wei’s face, then let out two peculiar laughs. “Kill me, can you dare?”

Zheng Wei grabbed Qiao Jingting’s wrist and twisted it forcefully.

“Ah!” Qiao Jingting screamed in pain, watching his arm being gruesomely twisted and broken. He gasped heavily but managed to utter a string of low laughter. “You… Hahaha… You… can’t kill me.” He discreetly glanced into the distance. His longsword and dagger were both on the ground. In this situation, it was impossible to reach for a gun, and he had no weapons on him…

Zheng Wei smirked, “I may not be able to kill you, but someone else can. Don’t worry, I won’t let you die easily. I’ll cut your flesh piece by piece, heal you when you’re about to die. I have plenty of healing scrolls, enough for you to die a hundred or a thousand times!”

Qiao Jingting coldly stared at Zheng Wei, feigning weakness and submission, waiting for the right moment.

Zheng Wei turned to his men and called out, “Come and take care of this kid…” He suddenly remembered that the others couldn’t enter and cursed, tossing Qiao Jingting to the ground. “I’ll go and get that bitch too. We’ll keep them together in my place.” He headed towards Shu Ai’s bedroom.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Qiao Jingting immediately entered the player platform. He glanced at his score: 3886!

With two kills, one Level 3 and one Level 4 player, plus achievement rewards, he had earned 3800 points in one go! He shouted, “Exchange five healing scrolls for enhancements in agility and speed, hurry!”

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, “OK.”

After a moment of dizziness, Qiao Jingting exited the platform, hearing Shu Ai’s cursing from inside the room. He consumed one healing scroll to repair his sword wound and his arm, then grabbed the chromium steel sword from the ground and rushed towards Shu Ai’s bedroom.

“Be careful, Brother Wei!” the chubby guy standing by the window shouted.

Zheng Wei, who was dragging Shu Ai outside, turned around and saw Qiao Jingting charging towards him with the sword. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes; he hadn’t expected Qiao Jingting to be so fast.

He let go of Shu Ai, and a short curved knife appeared in his hand. He raised his hand to block.

The sound of blades clashing pierced their eardrums, sending shivers down their spines.

Qiao Jingting quickly scanned Shu Ai, noticing that her hands were bound but she didn’t seem too disheveled. He realized that Long Mao had intentionally provoked him. With a slightly relieved heart, he knew that if he couldn’t kill Zheng Wei today, they would both be doomed.

With determination, he swung his sword at Zheng Wei again.

Zheng Wei dodged the attack, kicking Qiao Jingting away. The curved knife pressed against Qiao Jingting’s neck, and he instinctively tried to dodge, but restrained himself and instead met the attack head-on.

This time it was Zheng Wei who felt nervous. He had no choice but to change the direction of the blade, slashing across Qiao Jingting’s chest.

Fearless and prepared to die, Qiao Jingting charged forward against the blade. Since Zheng Wei didn’t dare to kill him, it was his biggest weakness and the only chance for Qiao Jingting to win.

Zheng Wei, furious, swung his knife horizontally, forcing Qiao Jingting to retreat back into the living room. He then kicked Shu Ai several meters away.

Shu Ai curled up in the corner, too much in pain to make a sound.

“Shu Ai, don’t come any closer!” Qiao Jingting yelled, drawing his submachine gun and spraying a burst of bullets towards Zheng Wei.

Zheng Wei’s protective shield deflected each bullet, and one even ricocheted back towards Qiao Jingting. The gun proved ineffective, so he had to give up using it.

Zheng Wei took out a healing scroll and casually used it to heal the knife wound on his shoulder. He glared maliciously at Qiao Jingting, saying, “You think I can’t kill you? Do you really believe you can kill me?”

Qiao Jingting spat out blood from his mouth and said in a rough voice, “Today, you’re not walking away.”

“But I am curious, how did you manage to earn those points in the past few days?” Two days ago, Qiao Jingting barely escaped from his men, and now he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. He had killed two Level 3 and Level 4 players in such a short time and dared to confront him!

“Why do the dead need to know so much?” Qiao Jingting held the knife with one hand, the tip of the blade pressed against the messy floor. “Zheng Wei, dare you face me in a one-on-one fight?”

Zheng Wei hesitated for a moment, then burst into laughter. “You’ve really provoked me. I will make sure you beg for survival but find only death.”

Qiao Jingting took out two scrolls and threw them to Shu Ai, locking eyes with Zheng Wei. “Let her go, and I’ll play with you properly. She’s much more important than you. No matter where she goes, we’ll send someone to track her. Do you think she can escape?”

Shu Ai struggled to move her body and used her bound hands to grab the scrolls, shaking her head at Qiao Jingting.

Qiao Jingting closed his eyes, steadying his mind, then opened them again with a resolute and murderous look. “Then I’ll kill you first.” As long as he killed Zheng Wei, there would be few opponents in the newbie village who could challenge him. With over twenty monster points, he didn’t believe Han Bin could send enough clones to pursue them.

Veins bulged on Zheng Wei’s forehead, consumed by anger. Qiao Jingting had repeatedly humiliated him in front of everyone, and he desired nothing more than to tear him apart and drink his blood. At this moment, he had to redeem his dignity in front of his boss and subordinates.

The window was filled with onlookers, unable to enter, including Han Bin. It was likely that the entire newbie village had gathered, and the scene was somewhat comical. They were like two wild beasts locked in an arena, with only one of them able to walk out alive.

Qiao Jingting recalled his underground fighting arena. He had experienced both defeats and triumphant victories in that arena, and now this small living room, swept by a storm, became his makeshift arena. It might also be his final arena. Regardless of the outcome, as long as he had a breath left, he would not give up tearing into his opponent. That was how it was before, and it remained the same now.

Qiao Jingting raised the chromium steel sword in front of his chest.

A tall and thin man appeared by the window, exuding a different aura than the others. It was Han Bin, with a trace of anger on his face. He glanced impatiently at Qiao Jingting, then said to Zheng Wei, “Zheng Wei, finish it quickly.”

Zheng Wei held the bloodthirsty curved knife and approached Qiao Jingting step by step.