Spare Me, Great Lord!

There was a concept called the Dark Forest Rule ¹ , which essentially meant that the universe was like a dark forest and each civilization inside was a hunter with a gun, sneaking through the woods like ghosts.

The hunters must exercise extra caution as the dark forest was full of hunters like themselves. Any signs of exposure might result in themselves being destroyed by other civilizations.

Now, the situation in the forest was the same. Neither the Heavenly Network nor other organizations knew the exact location of each other and the exposed teams would put themselves in an unfavorable position.

This was also why the Heavenly Network operation squad was so careful when they approached the campfire.

The squad leader could even imagine how other enemy teams approached the campfire like them. Then, they would be overjoyed seeing that there was only one boy here, and soon they would be engulfed in desperation…

After all, who would dare to set up an open campfire in a dangerous forest like this? Naturally, people would be attracted to the fire as all of them were here to kill. It would be easier for them with each enemy erased from their map. In any case, it was not a PC game and no rewards could be claimed if you managed to be the last man alive.

Instead, cutting your enemies’ ears and bringing them back had a higher chance of getting you some rewards.

That was what had truly happened on the battlefield. Lu Shu was exasperated when he saw the right ear of every Heavenly Network martyr at their campsite was missing.

Now, Lu Shu smiled at the operation squad and explained, “It’s more convenient this way. I call it ‘the anti-Dark Forest Rule’. It saves me the trouble of having to go and find them myself.”

That rendered all the squad members in shock. It was their first time to hear such a plausible excuse for a fishing strategy like that.

“You can try my method. It’s very efficient,” said Lu Shu.

“It’s okay. Thanks…”

The entire squad was dumbstruck. This boy’s lack of fear stemmed from his extraordinary combat abilities. Judging from the number of corpses around him alone, he must have attracted at least three squads. Plus the enemies he claimed to have killed in the eastern parts of the forest, the boy might have slaughtered at least four squads!

The squad leader gestured one of his members to investigate the situation in the east. The man came back, stuttering in shock, “He destroyed at least four more squads over there…”

In other words, Lu Shu had killed more than eight squads on one night with the same strategy.

In the beginning, Lu Shu could simply sit there and wait for people to come for him. But as the corpses piled up around his campfire, fewer would fall for his trap. Thus, he had no other choice but to chase his prey.

The squad leader was stunned. Was the boy really from the Heavenly Network? According to his knowledge, Heavenly Kings Feng and Heavenly King Li had already returned to their camp for rest. Besides, all of them knew how Heavenly Kings Feng and Li looked like.

Lu Shu grinned. “What’s your name?”

“Ma Youjin ¹ ,” replied the squad leader nervously.

Lu Shu mused, “You sound pretty rich… What’s your level?”

Ma Youjin replied, “Peak of Class C. I believe that I can ascend to Class B in half a year!”

Lu Shu nodded. “Now go back. The area in front is too dangerous for you.”

“No way,” said Ma Youjin, “I’m a soldier and I fear no danger. We plan to ambush them at Ladder River and kill more enemies.”

Lu Shu studied Ma Youjin closely and smiled. “Head north. The Tiger Back area is really too dangerous for you.”

“We are not cowards,” said Ma Youjin, slightly annoyed. The enemy invasion into the Changbai Mountains had set the entire Heavenly Network on fire and everyone was willing to risk their life in regaining the national territory. “If all of us back down because it’s dangerous, who’s going to fight for our country?”

Lu Shu smiled. He stood up and patted the dust of his clothes. Then, he said, “Me.”

Under the squad’s astonished stares, Lu Shu disappeared into the dark forest. His figure was tall and sharp, like a sword that pierced through the sky, allowing the first ray of sunlight to sip through the clouds.

…

In the Liuhai Lane, the Capital, Nie Ting was ready to set off. A jeep was waiting for him in the lane, and the people following in attendance were elites like Hao Zhichao.

Dressed in the Heavenly Network uniform, Hao Zhichao and the rest stood outside the courtyard quietly in respectful attention.

They were the last group heading to the Changbai Mountains. Finally, the day that all of them were looking forward to had come.

Now that Nie Ting’s invisible storage equipment was no longer in use, he hung the black iron case on his back. Then, he faced the house and said, “I’ve got to go.”

The doors, who had remained shut for two days, suddenly opened widely. With a book in his hands Shi Xuejin walked out and said, “Give me a moment and I’ll find you a solution… Wait, where’s my walnut tree? My tall walnut tree?! You should at least leave some trunks behind after you chopped it down, right?”

It had been two days since the last time Shi Xuejin stepped out of his room. He had been looking for a remedy for Nie Ting.

“Lu Shu took it away…” Nie Ting said after a moment of silence.

“From Shi Xuejin’s distress, +666!”

Then, Shi Xuejin reiterated, “Don’t ever use it unless out of absolute necessity!”

“I know,” said Nie Ting with a nod of understanding, “Lu Shu has probably entered the central area of Changbai Mountains because the front line has been pushed back eastward again. I will only use it as a last resort, but… I cannot be that selfish because I have to protect the future of the Heavenly Network. Our people are risking their lives for our country, and I should be by their side.”

Shi Xuejin raised his hands a little, and then lowered them again helplessly. “Never mind. I can’t persuade you. You have known your own way since you were young.”

In fact, Shi Xuejin also knew himself well. Otherwise, he would not aspire to be well-versed in the Three Teachings and open a new yet risky road.

Nie Ting turned and walked away. When he was about to reach the gate, he suddenly looked back and smiled. “I wasn’t mistaken about Lu Shu, was I?”

Shi Xuejin smiled too. “Did you not suspect that he’s a demon king just a while ago? Although he can’t destroy the Earth, he’s pretty talented at destroying good moods. Now that he’s on a killing spree, it’s no longer an exaggeration to call him the Demon King.”

Nie Ting pondered over it and asked, “What do you say if he becomes the next leader of the Heavenly Network?”

Shi Xuejin replied impatiently, “He’ll mess it up. Don’t even think about it.”

“True.” Nie Ting agreed. Then, he turned and boarded the car.

As the fleet of black jeeps sped eastward, Nie Ting closed his eyes to rest on the rear seat. The logo on the cars was a clear sign that the fleet belonged to the Heavenly Network.

After some hesitation, Hao Zhichao, who was sitting on the front passenger seat, asked, “Heavenly King Nie… Lu Shu has killed countless people this time. Are you not worried that he may lose himself?”

“Rest assured,” replied Nie Ting calmly, “Heavenly King Shi once said that he has a heart of gold.”

…