Chapter 36: A Veteran Player Enters the Fray—The Target is Xu Lang!

"Xu Lang, look at the chat room quickly!" Cao Yaxuan exclaimed.

Xu Lang was taken aback; he quickly opened the chat room and clicked on Liu Quan's profile.

[Name: Liu Quan]
[Seniority: Third Term]
[Room Number: 57 (Host)]

A third-term player!

Xu Lang's brows furrowed deeply. A player two tiers above them had arrived.

At this moment, the chat room was buzzing with activity.

[32 Ye Fan: Holy crap, it's a third-term boss! Please carry us!]
[88 Cao Bin: Senior, how exactly do you play this game?]
[84 Li Wang: @Liu Quan, big boss, please carry me!]
[191 Sun Yan: @Liu Quan, do you still have any tenant spots left in your room? Can you add me?]
[57 Liu Quan: Heh, it seems I’m the only veteran player here. When I arrived, I checked your profiles; it seems you are all in a newly unsealed building. I’ll ask only one thing: who took the unsealing gift pack?]
[44 Lin Bao: Xu Lang from Room 200 took it!]
[57 Liu Quan: @Xu Lang, hand it over, and I might spare your life!]

Xu Lang’s brows remained deeply knit. The moment this man arrived, he had aimed his guns at him.

"Brother Lang, what should we do?" Tong Qi asked, her expression tense. This veteran player didn't look like a good person, and his arrogance suggested he had something to rely on.

"Let him come," Xu Lang said calmly.

Tong Qi felt a sense of relief.

Cao Yaxuan said indignantly, "The crossbow hasn't had a target yet anyway. If he comes, we’ll shoot him dead!"

Wang Yazhi’s eyes were filled with worry. Although there hadn't been any direct confrontations between players yet, the physical prowess of a third-term player was surely beyond that of an average person, and he might even possess various bizarre items.

[57 Liu Quan: Those willing to follow me, gather on the third floor. @Wang Ao, you’re the floor leader of the third floor, right? Tell your lackeys to follow me; you can just coast through the next round of the game.]

Xu Lang’s eyes flashed. He understood now why Liu Quan had targeted Wang Ao the moment he arrived: it was to build momentum for himself. Someone like this was much harder to deal with than a brainless madman.

...

In the third-floor corridor, more than a dozen players gathered. The brutal dormitory survival game made them desperate for higher authority figures—seniors or guides—much like how humans love to create gods.

Seeing so few players, Liu Quan frowned and asked, "Are there no others?"

"Brother Quan, I don't think so. Most of the players are on the tenth floor," Sun Heng said, rubbing his hands together with a smile.

Others were so stunned they didn't know what to say, resorting to blatant flattery. "Brother Quan, you truly look majestic."

This big shot could actually help them survive; kissing up to him was worth it.

Liu Quan touched his unkempt beard, his expression strange, and said, "Alright, enough bootlicking. Follow me to the tenth floor."

"Brother Quan, are you going to rob Xu Lang? He has a gun, so be careful," one boy said with a fawning smile.

"Guns are generally tier-two weapons; it should be fine," Liu Quan said, waving his hand dismissively.

As the group walked toward the tenth floor, many of them started spilling Xu Lang’s secrets, selling him out completely, terrified that they would miss the chance to gain Liu Quan’s favor.

"Xu Lang is very lecherous, he has three beauties in his room!"
"Xu Lang has a steel door and two rapid-fire crossbows!"
"Xu Lang bought meditation..."

Liu Quan waved his hand. "What are the prices of the most expensive items in the five sections of your supermarket?"

A thick-browed boy quickly replied, "I know this. The most expensive item in the goods section is a tier-four battle axe, priced at 19,999 copper coins. The facilities section..."

After listening, Liu Quan stared at the man and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Liu Qiang. We share the same surname, Brother Quan!" the thick-browed boy said with a grin.

Liu Quan nodded meaningfully. "Your intelligence-gathering ability is quite good. Come be my tenant later."

Liu Qiang was overjoyed.

Liu Quan continued, "Let me teach you a little trick: the most expensive items that refresh in the supermarket after each game are often the most cost-effective. Buying them is always a win."

"Heh, but we don't have that much money," Liu Qiang laughed.

Liu Quan shook his head. "That is a problem with how you play. How to save money and how to farm monsters—I will teach you all that later! Now, tell me what items you've scavenged over the last two days. Do not hide anything."

Liu Qiang hesitated. There were too many trivial things to mention.

Liu Quan said seriously, "Mention the more unique items. The attributes of the things you find during rest periods are often related to the content of the next game!"

Hearing this, the group began to chime in all at once. Liu Quan’s expression remained calm until he heard the items "Red Sleeve Shoes" and "Red Lantern." His brows twitched violently.

"Brother Quan, what's wrong?" Liu Qiang, quick-eyed, noticed the anomaly and immediately acted with concern, as if Liu Quan were his own young wife.

"Nothing. It's only the second day; the characteristics aren't obvious yet. They will become clearer as the game progresses," Liu Quan said, taking a deep breath.

He hoped it wasn't what he thought. Red sleeve shoes, red lanterns—it instinctively brought to mind Chinese-style horror.

Liu Qiang let out his signature chuckle and asked, "Brother Quan, can you tell us how you came to our dormitory building?"

"Survival games are very diverse, and the items become more varied. You'll understand once you get further along. Moving between dormitory buildings isn't difficult," Liu Quan explained impatiently.

The others fell silent, as they had reached the tenth floor.

...

In Room 200, Xu Lang knew Liu Quan had brought people up, and his expression turned grave. This might be the greatest crisis he had encountered since entering the dormitory survival game.

A dozen people plus a veteran player—a single steel door definitely wouldn't hold!

[44 Wang Ao: Xu Lang, do you want to cooperate and take out Liu Quan?]

Just then, a private message popped up.

Xu Lang’s furrowed brow relaxed, and he turned off the message notifications. At a time like this, even Wu Huihui, who had a better relationship with him, hadn't spoken up—let alone Wang Ao, who was completely untrustworthy.

Only moments ago, he and Wang Ao were at each other's throats, and now he was suggesting cooperation. This level of shamelessness... honestly, people like this might be the best suited for the dormitory survival game.

The four of them stared tensely at the surveillance screen. When they saw Liu Quan leading the group into the monitoring range, Cao Yaxuan immediately followed Xu Lang’s previous instructions and activated the rapid-fire crossbow’s automatic attack mode.