Chapter 20

Chapter 20

As the Formation activated, the ground began to rumble violently. The three in the central area could barely keep their footing.

"What’s happening?"

"Does the game even have earthquakes?"

Li Ran and Li Hao quickly supported Liu Kuang as they moved to the side. Just as they reached a safe spot, the ground where they had stood moments earlier erupted with a deafening roar. Corpses were shoved aside as something massive broke through the earth.

Before long, a tomb-like structure emerged before their eyes. At its entrance, a staircase descended into darkness, its end unseen.

"It’s here!"

Without hesitation, Qin Han rode Nightmare down the stairs at full speed.

Outside, Liu Kuang and the other two exchanged bewildered glances.

Liu Kuang: "This is strange. How did a hidden area suddenly appear here?"

Li Ran: "Not really. That expert showed up here late at night for a reason—probably waiting for this place to open. We just happened to hitch onto his luck and survived by sheer chance."

Li Hao: "Bro, do you think there’s something valuable down there? Should we check it out?"

Li Ran shook his head. "That expert discovered this place. He must have business there. We shouldn’t disturb him for now."

"Besides, Brother Liu Kuang’s knee is injured. We need to get him back to the village for treatment."

Hearing this, Liu Kuang sighed emotionally.

"Earlier, I thought you two would abandon me and run. I never expected you’d actually stay when it mattered."

Li Ran: "We’re brothers in hardship. Leaving you behind would’ve haunted us. And honestly, in the heat of the moment, we didn’t think much—just acted."

"Looking back now, it’s terrifying. If that expert hadn’t been here, the three of us would’ve died tonight."

Liu Kuang nodded. "Speaking of which, he saved our lives. If we ever get the chance, we must repay him."

Li Ran: "Given the power he just displayed, he’s clearly someone extraordinary. With our current strength, we’d be lucky not to hold him back, let alone help."

Li Hao: "Hey, bro… doesn’t that expert look familiar? Like we’ve seen him somewhere before?"

Li Ran froze, his mind racing.

In a flash, a memory surfaced.

"The edge of the grassland this morning!" he blurted out.

The words triggered Li Hao’s recollection. "Right! That’s it! The person we met back then looked just like him!"

"He wasn’t anonymous at the time… I think his name was Qin something…?"

The moment he said it, all three shuddered violently.

A name escaped their lips in unison.

"Qin Han!!!"

The moment the name was spoken, their scalps prickled, and their hands trembled uncontrollably.

Li Hao stammered, "D-Does that mean… h-he’s the one from the World Announcement?"

Liu Kuang: "That expert killed over a dozen players in seconds. No ordinary professional could pull that off. So yeah… I’m betting he’s the one from the announcement."

Li Hao's teeth chattered in fear. "688 actually hides such a true god? This is truly unbelievable."

"What... what should we do now?"

Li Ran said, "Since the big shot hid his name, he clearly doesn’t want others to know his identity. We should act like we know nothing, and in the future, it’s best not to discuss his matters in front of others."

"Let’s head back to the village."

As they were about to leave, Liu Kuang glanced at the equipment dropped by the dead players nearby.

"What about those people? And all that equipment?"

Li Ran replied, "Gather it. Leaving it here would just benefit passing players."

"Since these people were killed by the big shot, this equipment belongs to him. Even if he doesn’t want it, we should collect it. After selling it in the village, we’ll find a way to return the money to him."

"Of course, if there’s any suitable gear, we can equip it ourselves. Once we improve our strength, leveling up will be faster, and we’ll be able to contribute more when repaying his favor."