The attention of the Upper City audience toward “that pretty little lamb who survived” kept rising.
Any news related to Jiang Huaying could quickly become a trending topic.
But after she took the initiative to knock on Heaven’s Gate and stepped inside, everything changed fundamentally.
The Micro Camera was ruthlessly crushed the moment it got close to the Butcher; no one knew what happened to her after she entered, only the data returned by the Full-holographic Terminal proved she was still alive.
But that alone was enough to drive the crowd into a frenzy, because this had never happened before in history!
The unbreakable rules had been shattered.
It was as if, on the scorched land where the gods claimed lives, a pure moonlit flower suddenly bloomed, a romantic rebellion growing on blood-soaked soil.
The entire Upper City was boiling over.
Overnight, Jiang Huaying’s full-holographic projection replaced the hottest AI idols.
No matter where you walked in the city, you could see that Angelic, pure, flawless face.
Platinum Blonde hair and blue eyes became the latest craze in the Upper City, with countless people scrambling to imitate her look.
The “commoner outfit” she wore became a fashion item in high demand, with supply never meeting demand.
The Golden Lamb—meaning, the Survivor’s Gamble—saw the credit points bet on Jiang Huaying skyrocket, leaving all others far behind and hanging high at number one.
People, one after another, opened betting accounts.
Some even began to hope the lamb could tame the Butcher…
The name “Jiang Huaying” seemed to have a special spell cast upon it, drawing the high-and-mighty Upper City dwellers into a whirlpool of obsession and madness.
Inside the MF Group Tower, the tallest landmark in the Upper City with its 201 floors, a lavish and extravagant banquet was underway.
A golden-haired, blue-eyed youth looked like an elegant noble stepping out of a mural, surrounded by stars.
Champagne floated with sparkling golden dust, shining brilliantly under the Aurora, like a flowing galaxy.
Zan En Montford, as the heir to the industry giant MF Group, was acting as his father’s spokesperson, hosting this banquet.
As he chatted and joked with other elites, a brown-haired man approached and whispered a few words in his ear.
Zan En’s smile didn’t change as he gracefully ended the social engagement and let the man lead him to the elevator.
The metal doors closed slowly. Zan En raised his hand impatiently to loosen his collar, the perfect mask on his face fading away: “What’s going on?”
The brown-haired man quietly explained what had happened during the live broadcast.
The magnificent Surveillance Crystal Elevator kept climbing until it finally stopped at the 199th floor.
Zan En was the first to step into the long corridor under the cold lights.
His skin was pale, lips vividly red, looking like a Golden Python revealing its true nature: “Father just handed the Group over to me. I can’t let the old man down. After all, the Butcher is his most prized masterpiece.”
The brown-haired man bowed his head even lower at those words.
The “father” Young Master Zan En spoke of was none other than Mr. Montford, who had recently survived an assassination attempt and was now recuperating peacefully at the top floor.
Zan En quickly scrolled through the information on his terminal, humming a chilling tune that sent shivers down one’s spine, clearly in a much better mood than when dealing with the group of fat-headed fools at the banquet.
His steps suddenly halted as his gaze swept over Jiang Huaying’s file.
The girl in the photo had long Platinum Blonde hair and emerald green eyes, looking five or six parts similar to Zan En.
Compared to his dazzling and flamboyant features, the girl’s face was softer, with drooping eyes that were especially moving, making her look obedient and docile.
“This is really unexpected.” Zan En stretched out a finger, slowly tracing Jiang Huaying’s cheek, chin, and neck.
His dear little sister was not only alive, but had caused such a sensation.
The outside world only knew Zan En was the heir to MF Group, but not that he had a younger sister.
It was just that his beloved sister had lived a secluded life, rarely appearing in public, and had supposedly died years ago in an explosion.
Who would have thought she secretly had a new Clone body made, changed her identity and name, and lived on in secret?
The holographic photo flickered and distorted under Zan En’s interference, like a giant python slowly tightening and coiling, finally shattering it to pieces.
The brown-haired man couldn’t guess what he was thinking, so he cautiously asked, “Young Master, are you planning to…”
Zan En turned off the terminal, his figure half-hidden in shadow, the smile at the corner of his lips widening, revealing a glimpse of icy fangs: “I want to send a gift to my little Angel.”
When Jiang Huaying woke up again, it was already the next day.
She slept on the floor at the foot of the bed like a cat, her stomach covered by the corner of the blanket hanging from the bed.
The just-awakened girl looked dazed, pushing herself up and staring blankly around. The pink marks pressed into her creamy white cheeks were especially obvious.
Because she hadn’t slept well, she looked quite out of sorts.
She remembered falling asleep on the sofa last night…
Jiang Huaying knew her sleeping posture was bad, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
She’d actually rolled off the sofa and ended up next to the bed.
And the blanket that had been neatly spread on the bed was now half-collapsed like melted butter.
She shrank her neck guiltily and tentatively called out: “Yi Cai?”
No one answered.
She tiptoed around, peeking about like a small animal: “Yi Cai, are you there?”
The room remained silent.
“Phew…” Jiang Huaying let out a sigh of relief, quickly picked up the corner of the blanket that had fallen to the floor, and tried to put it back in place.
A few minutes later.
Blushing, she stuffed the now-messy blanket under the pillow.
Then she pretended nothing had happened and wandered around the room.
The furnishings were very simple—one could even say downright shabby.
Besides a single bed, a sofa, and a battered table, there was only a window. There was no entryway, living room, or kitchen at all.
Thankfully, the bathroom was separate.
The only unusual feature was a staircase at the end of the room leading down to the basement.
Jiang Huaying glanced at it and immediately turned away.
No way she was going down there. Not in this lifetime.
Outside, it had started raining again at some point.
The damp, cold air carried the bitter scent of chemical industry, mixed with a faint whiff of rot.
Jiang Huaying closed the window, frowning and stepping away.
After she turned, a tail covered in black, hard exoskeleton slowly dangled down outside the window. The armored segments clacked with a “ka-da ka-da” sound, blurred by the endless rain.
The Class Leader’s tail tip was like a barbed chain blade, weaving through the air in an S-shape, the “MF” logo flashing across its surface.
After circling the room, Jiang Huaying sat on the sofa to check her terminal.
Thanks to her habit of skipping all plot and interactions in games, she knew very little about this world.
Luckily, the terminal was still connected to the network, so she could look up information.
Jiang Huaying decided to check out the MF Group the electronic eye had mentioned before the death game began.
MF Group, also known as Lingquan Technology Group, was founded by the Montford Family.
Their industries included biomedicine, Synthetic Meat modification, and weapon manufacturing, and they even monopolized air and purified water.
Yes, in this world, everyone had to pay the Air Tax. The amount you paid determined the quality of air you could enjoy.
It was the same with water. The poor in the Lower City could only drink polluted water.
If the Upper City’s elite stood at the top of the pyramid,
then MF Group was the very tip of that pyramid.
Jiang Huaying turned off the terminal, rubbing her inexplicably goosebumped arms, listening to the pattering rain, and belatedly felt something was off.
Were raindrops hitting the buildings supposed to be this loud?
She looked up slowly, puzzled.
And locked eyes with a monster without warning!
At some point, a huge hole had opened in the ceiling.
A pitch-black creature was crouched at the edge, its triangular head poking halfway through, three pairs of yellow-brown slit eyes staring straight at her.
The “yong wei” sound was the metallic limbs of the Metallic Frog-type Mutant tapping the floor.
“Cha-da-da-da-da-da-da…”
The Triangular-headed Spider Mutant let out an excited cry and leaped down from the hole!
Jiang Huaying hugged her head and dove to the side, rolling away.
When she looked up again, there were already six holes in the sofa, with stuffing poking out.
Her heart nearly leapt out of her throat. She instinctively grabbed whatever was at hand and threw it at the monster.
The pillow burst open under the mutant’s slicing limbs, feathers exploding and falling like snow on the creature.
The Triangular-headed Spider Mutant shook its head and sneezed, making “ge-fu ge-fu” sounds. Its six eyes flickered on and off like brass candles.
The moment Jiang Huaying threw the pillow, she bolted out into the rain.
She didn’t know where the Butcher was, so she could only run desperately toward the Red Lamb’s coordinates.
【Black Mist Density +1】
【Black Mist Density +1】
【Black Mist Density +1+1+1+1+1+1+1……】
The notification sounds went crazy. Jiang Huaying’s heart skipped a beat, but before she could react, the terrifying “ge-da-fu-fu-fu-fu” sounded behind her.
Like a ghost, it chased after her—one, two, ten thousand… until they merged into a mass.
The sudden rain made everyone uneasy.
The two-legged sheep that had been outside all hurried to find a safe place to hide.
The streets emptied out, the city returning to a ghostly silence.
Until a tall, terrifying figure tore through the cold gray curtain of rain, shattering the false peace.
The Butcher appeared, radiating an unspeakable danger from head to toe, every muscle brimming with destructive power.
Only then did the hiding two-legged sheep realize that what they had known about the Butcher was just the tip of the iceberg.
Now, the top predator had awakened and revealed his true form.
The chilling, oppressive aura pressed into every bone, making their teeth ache.
The Butcher stood still, looking up in the direction of the marked location.
She had left…
Why?
She had clearly said she wanted to stay this time, but now she’d broken their agreement.
But it didn’t matter. He would keep his promise.
The battle-hardened hunter waited along the prey’s only path.
Waiting for the prey to walk right into his trap.
Rapid footsteps approached, a misty silhouette burst through the fog like a startled bird.
In the next second, the girl’s clear, urgent cry rang out: “Yi Cai, help me!”
The aura of destruction froze for an instant, then melted away as lightly as a breeze blowing away a cloud.
So… she hadn’t left after all.