Chapter 99: Praise and Hidden Worries

Kamiyu and Jack repeatedly farmed monsters through the Secret Passage, causing the shouts and twisted sounds of slaughter at the entrance of the Dying Voice Valley Dungeon to shake the heavens within a short time, audible even to people several kilometers away.

This led others to mistakenly believe that Lei Yao, the highest-level player currently, was leading a team to farm monsters.

Every 24 hours, the sound effects in the Valley of the Deathly Echo underwent a major reset.

Because the two farmed monsters tirelessly and repeatedly, the sound effects were amplified to their maximum just before the reset each day. The terrifying, blood-curdling roars could be heard by people over ten kilometers away.

Even those near the Main City could hear it, sparking a wave of discussion throughout the city, with rumors spreading that Lei Yao was farming the Valley of the Deathly Echo.

Some said the Valley of the Deathly Echo contained special items, making it worth it for the big shot Lei Yao to farm repeatedly;

The rumors grew increasingly exaggerated, with some even claiming that by following a special method, Dark Gold Equipment could drop from the Valley of the Deathly Echo.

On the other hand, those who truly knew the details had even more exaggerated thoughts.

Li Changde of the Invincible Guild knew that Kamiyu was going to farm the Valley of the Deathly Echo, as she had asked him about it before setting out.

“Miss Kamiyu is a Pharmacist, a Support class. How can she farm so quickly? And she’s only Level 10. How on earth is she doing it?

Also, someone saw her at the City Gate leaving with another burly man who’s two meters tall. Could he be the real expert?

The sounds from the Valley of the Deathly Echo have reached the Main City. Could the two of them, working together, achieve such an outrageous feat?

Regardless, the strength of Miss Kamiyu, the Beta Tester, is truly unfathomable.” After a series of wild speculations, Li Changde sighed in amazement.

The five-member team, knowing it was the big shot “Kamiyu” along with the Invincible Guild’s high-level Mage, were equally astonished and filled with regret.

“Ah, if only we had known the two big shots were farming so fast, we would have stayed. Why did we leave?” The Warrior who was the first to leave slapped his thigh in frustration.

“I told you, you’re just too timid. In this game, the timid starve while the bold feast.

I said we should trust the big shots. That Mage big shot electrocuted over a dozen monsters with just a basic attack Skill. Taking down a Dungeon Boss would be a breeze for him.

And the big shot ‘Kamiyu’ hasn’t even truly made her move yet. See? Once an opportunity is missed, it’s gone. Their Experience and materials are skyrocketing, while we ended up with nothing.” The Axe-Wielding Warrior said with a hint of schadenfreude.

“Alright, enough said. What’s missed is missed. Don’t even think about shamelessly trying to cozy up to them again, lest you upset the big shots.” Another, more experienced Warrior advised.

“Right.” The female Archer player agreed.

Meanwhile, Eno, who had been loudly demanding her brother lead a team to seek revenge, was now being severely reprimanded by her Squad’s Deputy Captain, Edun, and confined to the Squad’s apartment.

“I advise you to give up on this idea. They are Beta Tester big shots. How could we possibly afford to offend them?” Edun was clear-headed, not the type of dim-witted thug.

“Actually, you’ve already offended them. Our Squad cannot afford to offend big shots further. The fact that the Captain hasn’t expelled you from the Squad yet is already giving me a lot of face.” Edun stated.

“But brother, I’m not convinced.” Eno’s face flushed red as she grabbed Edun’s hand.

“If you’re not convinced, then hold it in. If you’re still not convinced, quit the game, hide in reality, never come online again, and don’t cause trouble for our Squad.” Ayden shook off the hand of his useless younger sister Eno and said harshly.

“But—”

“Hmph, with just one skill, one finger, they could wipe you out, wipe out our entire Squad. What do we have to fight with? We should be rushing to apologize, not fighting at all.”

“Forget it, let this matter end here.”

With a “click,” the apartment door was locked, prohibiting entry and exit.

On the other side, the official power faction received rumors circulating in the city.

Lei Yao was at his private Sanctuary outside the Main City. He was currently the only Beta Tester with two Sanctuaries—one for his own use and one originally for Bai Zhan.

Now that Bai Zhan was dead, the Nobility of the Bopomo Kingdom cunningly reclaimed the usage rights, continuing to occupy Lei Yao’s Sanctuary and still refusing to return it to him for his own use.

Lei Yao harbored fresh resentment. The orders from above instructed him to capture Kamiyu, but he adopted a strategy of delay.

Lei Yao thought to himself: You occupy my Sanctuary? Then I simply won’t go capture Kamiyu, and I’ll bite back at you instead.

The struggle between Lei Yao and the Nobility secretly aided Kamiyu.

“Lord Lei Yao, rumors are spreading in the city that you’re farming special items in the Valley of the Deathly Echo. Do we need to refute them?” Aide Ye Feixuan held a report, frowning as she spoke.

Lei Yao sat on a simple wooden chair and calmly said, “We are not the official faction; there’s no need to refute rumors. Let others say what they want.”

“But, Lord Lei Yao, they say that you farming such a low-level Instance Dungeon is an insult to you.” Ye Feixuan spoke urgently.

It seemed this Aide, like Debe—Li Changde’s follower in the Invincible Guild—was a fervent follower of Lei Yao.

In the Real World, everyone called Lei Yao “Officer,” but here on the Crimson Earth, all respectfully addressed him as “Lord” or “General.”

“Enough said. We have more important matters to attend to. The Hell Tide is about to arrive, and this time it will be even more frenzied. I don’t know if we can withstand it.” Lei Yao gazed worriedly at the dark clouds in the sky.

It seemed something was lurking within the dark clouds—the same thing, or perhaps the same things, that Kamiyu had discovered when she looked up during her first run of the Valley of the Deathly Echo.

Lei Yao’s eyelids kept twitching, a sense of unease constantly enveloping him and other top-tier Players.

He asked, “How are the other Beta Testers reacting? Are their preparations sufficient?”

Ye Feixuan immediately reported professionally: “The first Beta Tester, known as the strongest Beta Tester, Lin Tianyu, has already gathered all his Squad’s subordinates back into his Sanctuary;

Other Beta Testers from Guilds and Squads have done the same, consolidating their Strength to protect their own Sanctuaries;

Only two neutral Beta Testers are willing to defend the Main City Kaijistan.”

Lei Yao was the highest-level Player, but he actually wasn’t the most powerful Beta Tester.

“Hmm, they believe this Hell Tide is extremely dangerous and that the Main City Kaijistan cannot be held, so they’re strategically abandoning the Main City to protect their own Sanctuaries.

Hmph, so-called Civilian Players are nothing more than a scattered, disorganized mob.” Lei Yao said contemptuously.

“Lord Lei Yao, should we help defend the Main City?” Ye Feixuan asked with an expectant expression.

“No,” Lei Yao replied.

Ye Feixuan’s gaze immediately dimmed. If the Main City fell, the Hell Tide would breach the boundaries and directly invade the Real World. According to Big Data model projections, over half the population would perish by then.

But Lei Yao hadn’t finished speaking. He stood up, hands clasped behind his back, looking down at the distant Main City of Kaijistan with an imposing and domineering presence. “We are going to conquer Kaijistan.”

Ye Feixuan’s eyes filled with astonishment, admiration, and reverence.