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The fisherman’s instincts within them couldn’t help but stay fixated on the few fish they had caught.

“Um… HIM, sir… can we talk this out? Maybe avoid using any explosive skills? We wouldn’t want to scare off the fish…”

“Yeah, take my life if you must… but at least let me put my catch in the box first…”

“…”

Hearing his friends’ words, Tian Li was dumbstruck.

These buddies of his were avid fishermen in real life, and even in the game, their love for fishing persisted.

But he never imagined that even facing imminent death, they’d plead with HIM not to use explosive skills—just so their fishing spot wouldn’t be disturbed.

Unbelievable.

Xu Yuan, hearing Tian Li’s group, almost burst into laughter.

‘Fishermen, huh? Truly a breed of their own.’

To them, scaring the fish was apparently a fate worse than death.

Still, Xu Yuan wasn’t planning to kill them, at least not yet.

The kill value he got per second from the monster farm tower far exceeded what he’d gain by eliminating this bunch.

Not even worth the effort.

More pressing matters lay ahead: locating the Eternal Guild’s stronghold.

Tian Li and his friends glanced nervously at HIM, who stood there, watching them silently.

Finally, HIM spoke.

“Where is the Eternal Guild?”

Though phrased as a question, HIS tone and demeanor made it sound more like a command.

Stunned silence greeted HIM’s words.

“Huh???…”

“Aren’t you here to kill us?!”

“Did I hear that right? HIM… is asking for directions?!”

“…”

The group could hardly process this unexpected twist.

HIM, however, frowned impatiently at their gawking expressions.

Realizing this, Tian Li’s group immediately snapped out of their daze.

“Wait, don’t do anything rash! We can talk!”

“Uh… we don’t know…”

“The Eternal Guild is a massive organization. They’d never openly share the location of their headquarters. We’re just loners—we wouldn’t have a clue…”

“Maybe we could ask around for you…?”

Naturally, they clung desperately to whatever slim chance of survival they could muster, even if it meant finding the Eternal Guild’s location.

Unfortunately for them, they genuinely had no idea. As outsiders with no affiliations, there was no reason for them to hide such knowledge.

Xu Yuan saw no point in wasting more time. With a casual flick of his wrist, he hurled a fireball at the group.

The fireball hit the ground and exploded instantly, obliterating Tian Li’s group in one strike. Without a second glance, Xu Yuan moved on to find the next set of players.

He wouldn’t waste time on dead ends.

It was unlikely they were lying—wandering solo players wouldn’t go out of their way to protect the Eternal Guild’s secrets.

Continuing his search, Xu Yuan opened up the taming system interface.

What he saw regarding 007’s status left him stunned.

“Advanced consciousness evolution?!”

Xu Yuan was surprised. Despite 007 being trapped, he had evolved into advanced consciousness.

“Does that mean… he escaped?”

Xu Yuan quickly examined 007’s health bar.

After a brief inspection, his confusion grew.

The health indicator remained the same—fluctuating from near-death to full recovery repeatedly.

This clearly indicated that 007 hadn’t escaped.

“Never mind. Finding him will answer everything.”

Xu Yuan put his questions aside. No matter what, he would track down 007.

Once he did, the mystery would unravel itself.

———

At the Eternal Guild’s stronghold.

Beside the obsidian cage, two players were engaged in conversation.

“Wasn’t this zombie’s eyes black before? Now they’re red.”

“Maybe it caught pink eye?”

“You’re the one who looks like you have pink eye. Clearly, it’s gone mad!”

“Alright, alright… mission accomplished for us then…”

“Yeah, you go report to the guild leader. I’m taking a nap… damn, I’m exhausted…”

“…”

After discovering that wolf cubs could agitate 007, players had continuously tossed them into the cage.

With the sheer volume of cubs being thrown in, at least seven or eight hundred of them had died by 007’s hands—if not more.

What the players didn’t realize, however, was that their actions were inadvertently adding to 007’s player kill count.

For every player killed, it was worth one point. Each wolf cub, by comparison, was worth 0.5 points.

007 had only been a few hundred kills away from advancing to advanced consciousness.

Ironically, the Eternal Guild’s relentless “feeding” expedited this evolution.

The moment 007 ascended to advanced consciousness, he felt two powerful forces surging and colliding within him.

While he sensed their immense potential, he was clueless about wielding them.

As 007 pondered this, a player with an ID that read “Peng Peng” poked his head near the cage window.

“Hey… um, hi…”

“Shh… don’t make a sound! I snuck over here… there’s something I need to tell you!!”

—

Since the reveal of Little Bug’s spy status, Peng Peng’s standing had plummeted.

Though never a high-ranking member, Peng Peng was a veteran of the Eternal Guild and enjoyed decent perks.

But after the Little Bug incident, while he wasn’t outright expelled, he was punished severely.

From then on, Peng Peng was demoted to the lowest ranks—relegated to menial tasks like farming and tending livestock.

Even basic expeditions and open-world ventures were denied to him.

But what stung the most was the unending mockery from other players.

Though months had passed, some still wouldn’t let it go, their words harsh and mocking over a minor loss of equipment.

Iron gear, not even diamond.

With mining and crafting facilities, getting another iron set wasn’t difficult.

Why the relentless bullying?

Confronted by this ceaseless ridicule and provocation, even the higher-ups turned a blind eye—tacitly condoning such abuse.

With no end in sight, the torment grew worse, isolating Peng Peng further.

It was blatant harassment.

Peng Peng couldn’t believe that a mere game could become so toxic.

He refused to put up with it.

This guild wasn’t worth his time.

Yet Peng Peng refrained from quitting. Not because of sentimentality, but because he wouldn’t leave until he had his revenge.

His eyes turned to 007.

They shared a bond through Little Bug.

Peng Peng had firsthand knowledge of the torture inflicted on 007.

He was even responsible for handling the black-collared wolves used against 007.

Memories of his own dog—lost and cruelly butchered by dog traders—haunted him. For years, the image of that blood-soaked stall lingered.

The game, however, brought a semblance of healing—thanks to Little Bug.

Until tragedy struck again.

This cycle of cruelty, embodied by Tian Heng, had to stop.

Peng Peng couldn’t change the past, but here, he had a chance.

The chance to end this madness.

He bided his time, watching the cage closely for any opportunity.

Now, seeing a sliver of hope, Peng Peng made his move.

007, momentarily on guard, blinked as Peng Peng drew close.

Though cautious, something about this man felt familiar—a residual trace of Little Bug.

It was enough.

Lowering his guard, 007 listened.

“Speak…” he growled softly.

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