Hearing the girl's icy words, Rong Fan clicked his tongue silently. How cold.

"No need to be like this, Yu Li. I mean no harm—I just want to talk. You can chat with Yu Jiao, so why not with me?"

Yu Li glanced at him. "Sure, why not? Quit Deva first, and then we'll talk."

"..."

When the man fell silent, she let out a short, dismissive breath. "Follow me if you want, but keep quiet."

Rong Fan silently took a sip of his drink, turning his face away without a word, though his grip on the glass tightened.

She was becoming more and more alike. Was this just a coincidence, or...?

But it didn't add up. This woman before him was undeniably a player, while Limu had been an NPC.

Yu Li paid no mind to Rong Fan's thoughts as she took a sip of juice.

Nearby, conversation drifted from the sofa booth.

"Is this really such a big deal? Why make a fuss over something so minor?" Cen Xiu sat on the couch, brows slightly furrowed, unable to comprehend why Jiang Xi was so affected by mere rumors.

If she couldn’t handle this, how would she react to the comments from the audience in the dungeons?

Deep down, Jiang Xi knew these words shouldn’t bother her, but she still felt wronged and furious—a burning indignation at being distrusted and slandered.

She accepted the tissue Hou Liang handed her, wiping away her tears, her voice hoarse from crying. "But being framed like this... no one would feel good about it."

For a moment, Cen Xiu hesitated.

He wanted to say that Yu Li had been slandered too, but seeing the flush on Jiang Xi’s tear-streaked face, he swallowed his words.

Guangran watched silently before suddenly speaking up. "Honestly, I don’t like Yu Li either."

She had heard what Yu Li said that day.

Telling them that if they feared death, they shouldn’t play the dungeons. But after surviving so many rounds, death wasn’t so easy—especially with Qi Mai, who had been strong enough to protect her in the dungeons.

What right did Yu Li have to dismiss him like that? Just because Bo Jingmo couldn’t die, she could afford to be so callous?

Wu Bei sighed soundlessly at the sight of them.

"Alright, stop crying. I’m here because of orders from above."

Jiang Xi looked up blankly, tissue in hand. "Orders?"

"Yeah." Wu Bei nodded. "The higher-ups told us to stay away from Yu Li. And for the next few dungeons, they’ll make sure we avoid Bo Jingmo and Yu Li."

Cen Xiu wasn’t worried—he hadn’t advanced yet.

Rubbing his chin, he mused, "Is Yu Li really that strong? Even the higher-ups are wary of her?"

Jiang Xi gave a bitter smile. "Her skill... is unusual."

Cen Xiu perked up. "What is it?"

Hou Liang shook his head.

"We don’t know the details. Just that she can summon a small figure, and the gas it emits is corrosive."

Corrosive...

Guangran stiffened, then frowned.

Was it just her imagination, or did that sound familiar?

Then, remembering Yu Li’s face, her pupils contracted.

Wait...

No way...

Wu Bei noticed her dazed expression and asked, "What’s wrong? You okay?"

Guangran clenched her fists. "...It’s nothing. I just remembered a dungeon where I encountered corrosive black gas before."

Cen Xiu’s eyes widened. "Wait, you met Yu Li back then?"

"No!"

Guangran lowered her gaze, deep in thought. "That black gas belonged to the dungeon’s BOSS—it wasn’t a player’s skill."

Then she paused before slowly adding, "And... that NPC I mentioned earlier, the one who looked like Yu Li? She was in that same dungeon."

Silence fell over the group.

The implications of her words were unmistakable.

Jiang Xi sat frozen on the sofa.

Guangran’s words cut through the fog in her mind, revealing a sliver of truth.

An NPC who resembled Yu Li. A skill identical to a dungeon BOSS. And... Bo Jingmo’s strange behavior in the dungeons.

A sudden realization struck her—her breath hitched, her pupils shrank, and her heart pounded violently as a bold thought took root.

—Yu Li is those NPCs!

Once she accepted this possibility, all the oddities made sense!

No wonder Bo Jingmo was involved with the NPCs! No wonder they all looked alike!

Every NPC they had ever encountered flashed through her mind—their gentle words, mocking expressions, amused smiles, and lazy postures—all slowly merging into one figure.

—Yu Li!!

The moment she recognized that face, Jiang Xi’s eyes widened in horror, her body trembling violently. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

"No... That’s impossible. It can’t be her."

How could Yu Li be those NPCs...?

Hou Liang noticed her distress and leaned in, whispering, "What’s wrong, Xi Xi? Are you feeling sick?"

Jiang Xi’s fingers shook as she grabbed his wrist, looking up with terror in her eyes. "Hou Liang... I think..."

Think she had stumbled upon something terrifying.

If Yu Li really was an NPC, then what did that make everything they were doing?

And she remembered—in one dungeon, Yu Li had taken the form of a woman named Xu Wei.

But everyone said that Xu Wei was actually Limu—the top-ranked player.

Yu Li was the number one on the leaderboard?

Jiang Xi’s vision swam, her expression blank with shock.

Just then, Wu Bei’s voice reached her ears. "I heard Xing Yuan went to Deva. Seems both teams are collaborating to hunt down Yu Li and Bo Jingmo. But it won’t involve us, so we’re safe for the next few dungeons."

Hou Liang nodded, then noticed Jiang Xi still seemed dazed. He asked softly, "Xi Xi, what’s on your mind? Did you want to say something earlier?"

Startled, Jiang Xi flinched, avoiding his gaze guiltily as she murmured, "N-no... nothing."

She knew how influential Limu was. If Deva and PEACE learned Yu Li’s true identity, the hunt would be called off immediately.

At that thought, Jiang Xi froze, gripping the fabric of her clothes tightly.

Wait—what did she mean by "true identity"?

This was all just speculation. It might not even be true. Besides, if Yu Li really was Limu, why wouldn’t she reveal it herself?

For the first time, Jiang Xi desperately hoped her usually accurate intuition was wrong.

Yu Li... couldn’t be Limu.

She lowered her eyes, lips pressed tightly together.

Otherwise, she would be the one in danger.

Because she had already thoroughly offended Yu Li and Bo Jingmo.