Absolute Death Game

Xiao Buli felt a sudden lurch in his heart as he tentatively asked, "Corpse poison?" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Lu Jiang’s father paused for a moment, "Probably."

When Xiao Buli uttered that question, it wasn’t after careful deliberation; it was a subconscious reaction. However, after posing the question, a realization dawned on him—why had he thought of that?

After a brief contemplation, he understood the source of his idea. In the game, Lu Jiang had been killed by the Corpse-driving Warlock. That morning, he had already witnessed the Corpse-driving Warlock’s combat methods, which amounted to nothing more than the Nether Fire Orb, corpse poison, and close combat attacks by Zombie minions.

The Zombie Lu Jiang had turned into appeared very much intact, so obviously, it wasn’t possible that he was burned to death by a Fireball nor likely that he was strangled by a Zombie. Clearly, he must have died from the Corpse Poison, which probably also explained why he turned into a Zombie. But that was in the game, could it be—

A sense of incredulity surged through Xiao Buli’s heart. Could it be that the way one dies in the game is replicated in real life?

But how could that be possible? That couldn’t be explained by science at all.

Yet he quickly self-mocked, encountering ghosts didn’t seem very scientific either. By comparison, this explanation didn’t seem so far-fetched.

Xiao Buli’s mind was in turmoil; he listed the information he currently held, point by point.

1. Lu Jiang died on the same day he was expelled.

2. The cause of Lu Jiang’s death was a strange toxin.

3. This toxin was very likely corpse poison.

4. In the game, Lu Jiang was killed by a Corpse-driving Warlock, who also released corpse poison.

5. The Zombie that Lu Jiang turned into in the game was very much intact, so Lu Jiang couldn’t have been killed by a spell like the Nether Fire Orb or physical attacks—corpse poison was the only explanation.

But if being killed by corpse poison turned one into a Zombie, why was there no such transformation in reality?

"Where is Lu Jiang’s body?"

"Of course, it was cremated," Lu Jiang’s father said matter-of-factly, seemingly puzzled by Xiao Buli’s question.

So that was it, cremation naturally prevented any change into a Zombie, and with that, everything made sense.

However, reaching this point, Xiao Buli felt even more confused. Why would someone killed in the game die in real life? And what did all this imply? Could it mean that the game and reality were interconnected?

At this thought, he suddenly remembered another matter. Earlier on the road, he had encountered danger successively, first nearly being hit by a car, then almost struck by a flowerpot—could this also be his own "luck?"

By deduction, he recalled many strange events that had recently occurred. The peculiar movement technique he used to dodge the car, wasn’t it quite similar to the Emergency Dodge in the game?

The moves of the Chain Sword Strike, weren’t they exactly like the Triple Wave technique he had used that day?

He had never learned Swordsmanship before, but during the sparring with Gu Shaobang’s grandfather, he had been able to perform as though practiced, and the moves his character automatically used while fighting monsters in the game felt familiar—now it dawned on him, weren’t they strikingly similar to the Swordsmanship he had learned from the old man?

There was also the mysterious elevation in his Basic Swordsmanship level, his inexplicable affinity with pets—all the minor events he had overlooked were now vividly coming together in his mind.

The disbelief in his heart grew stronger, yet his doubts about the matter became increasingly undeniable.

And he thought about the implications behind it. If these low-level skills learned in the game could be used in reality, then what if he learned powerful Martial arts or Immortal Techniques and Taoist magic?

The thought of being able to utilize all sorts of supernatural powers from the game in reality had Xiao Buli trembling with excitement, but after the thrill had passed, he gradually calmed down. If things were truly as he imagined, then the company must also be aware of this, and that meant the company’s background was anything but simple.

However, up to this point, these were still his guesses. Whether they were true still needed further confirmation, but before that, he had to understand the situation at hand.

Xiao Buli refocused his attention on Lu Jiang’s father, who didn’t seem to have noticed his distraction, mumbling to himself in a rambling manner, "Lu Jiang lost his mother early on, and I barely managed to raise the two kids. I never expected that now, one after another, they would all leave me. Ah, it’s all my fault for not working hard enough and not knowing how to save.

I don’t even own our house; it’s rented. If I had enough savings, I might have been able to save Wan’er..."

While talking, Lu Jiang’s father picked up his glass again, looking as if the wine could drown his thousands of sorrows.

"How is Wan’er doing now?" Xiao Buli asked with great nervousness. Before, he didn’t think much of it—if Lu Jiang’s ghost entangled him in the game and he couldn’t play, he would simply quit. But after his recent speculation, he didn’t think so any longer. Even if he stopped playing the game, the curse would still haunt him constantly. Therefore, the curse had to be lifted at all costs.

He didn’t want to die without understanding why.

"Wan’er is alright for now, but if she doesn’t have surgery soon, I’m afraid she won’t last much longer,"

"How much is still needed for the surgery? You can’t possibly have no savings at all, right?"

"That’s not the case," Lu Jiang’s father seemed somewhat more alert when it came to his daughter, "These days I’ve sold everything I could at home and finally scraped together over two hundred thousand, but we are still short by three hundred thousand. It’s a pity I don’t have many relatives; otherwise, that might have been enough."

"It’s good she’s not dead!" Xiao Buli silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He was truly afraid that Lu Wan’er had already passed away—then he would have been truly desperate. Three hundred thousand was a lot, but he had two hundred thousand, and borrowing one hundred thousand from Mr. Bang would be enough.

Still, he felt it was better to be sure before making a move.

"May I see her?"

Lu Jiang’s father hesitated for a moment but then nodded his head, "Go ahead, you might not have another chance to see her. She might be asleep right now, so keep your voice down."

While speaking, he pushed open the door to a bedroom inside.

The two of them, Xiao Buli, entered quietly. The bedroom seemed like a different world compared to the outside. It was a typical teenage girl’s room with pink wallpaper on the walls, a basket of fresh fruit on the desk, fresh flowers in a water bottle and plush toys in the corner, and a comfortable small bed by the window.

Under the thick quilt, the pale little face of a girl was revealed, frowning even in her sleep, looking pitiable.

A laptop was placed on the bedside cabinet, and it looked like it might be the only valuable piece of electronics left in the house. From what Xiao Buli could see, despite selling everything he could, Lu Jiang’s father was still trying to maintain the comfort of this bedroom. He couldn’t help but feel a bit moved and admired this seemingly destitute father.

Thinking back on his past, this slight touch of emotion became the last push he needed to make his decision.

After leaving Lu Wan’er’s room, Xiao Buli tried to appear nonchalant as he said, "I will pay the three hundred thousand. Contact the hospital as soon as possible and try to arrange the surgery for Wan’er earlier." Xiao Buli said this without hesitation.

"What!" The eyes of Lu Jiang’s father instantly showed an excited expression as he suddenly grabbed Xiao Buli’s hand with a frighteningly strong grip, "You’re not joking, right?"

Xiao Buli shook his head, gravely saying, "At a time like this, how could I be joking? Lu Jiang and I are the best of buddies, ironclad. I’m committed to helping with this."

Lu Jiang’s father almost knelt down, looking overwhelmed with excitement and continuously thanked him, while Xiao Buli thought to himself, Please don’t thank me. If only your son could stop haunting me, that would be better than anything.

Xiao Buli withdrew two hundred thousand from the bank, which was pretty much his largest asset aside from his apartment. In addition, he borrowed one hundred thousand from Gu Shaobang. Gu didn’t ask what it was for, but after getting the money, Xiao Buli felt a bit embarrassed. He had always strived to keep financial matters clear among friends.

If not for the urgency of the situation, he would not have chosen to borrow money from a friend.

Maybe later he could tell him everything. After considering it briefly, Xiao Buli decided it would be best to keep it to himself for now. Aside from the fact that such an unbelievable story might be difficult for Gu Shaobang to believe, Xiao Buli himself was somewhat unable to believe his own speculation.

After delivering the money to Lu Jiang’s father, he didn’t just let the matter go. Instead, he asked Lu Jiang’s father to sign an agreement, which stipulated that this three hundred thousand could only be used for Lu Wan’er’s medical expenses and nothing else. It wasn’t that he distrusted Lu Jiang’s father, but the matter was too important to leave any room for carelessness.

He didn’t head straight back to the company afterward but decided to go home first. There was something he had to check.