Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Twelve: An Unexpected Turn of Events and a Reward

The box was opened, yet nothing happened. The warden was clearly caught off guard by this unexpected outcome.

“I told you it was a gesture of goodwill, and you still don’t believe me? Where’s the trust between people?” Lu Yi wore an expression of wounded indignation.

“So what if there’s no danger? You really think you came here with good intentions? Like a mouse hanging a bell around a cat’s neck?” The warden shot Lu Yi a fierce glare, then finally turned the box around.

Lu Yi curled his lip, leaned against the cage behind him, and surreptitiously took something out, fastening it onto the bars.

The warden, seeing what was inside the box, froze. Her hands trembled as she retrieved the contents, a look of confusion crossing her face. After quickly flipping through several diaries, a single tear traced her cheek.

A Fish: “What’s going on here? Warden, don’t forget your duty!”

Kindhearted Man: “Hey, hey, hey! I want to file a complaint. You can’t just play like this!”

I’m a Husky: “Tsk, tsk, is he trying to win over the warden? This is like a sheep falling for a wolf. I have to respect that, dog salute.”

Black Phosphor: “Huh? What? This?”

Sweetheart Yiyi: “What happens next? Is the warden just going to ignore the streamer? No way, that would be so boring.”

The warden wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, waved her hand, and the cage vanished. She walked up to Lu Yi, threw her arms around him, and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

Lu Yi was utterly dumbfounded and awkward. He’d come here for the reward—where was the promised prize? He wanted something tangible, not some sentimental gesture!

Sweetheart Yiyi sent a shocked emoji: “A hug, she’s actually hugging him.”

Manic Fairy: “Hmph, flaunting affection in public always ends badly.”

I’m a Husky was clearly stunned too: “He actually pulled it off? Respect, respect, dog salute.”

Kindhearted Man: “Impossible!”

Not far from the clock tower, a group had been hiding—this was the Gale Squad. They, too, were struck dumb by the warden’s embrace of Lu Yi.

When they’d seen Tan Weiwei being chased earlier, they’d assumed she wouldn’t escape. They’d kept their pace controlled, planning to arrive just as the purification was underway. By then, with the warden gone after a period of peace, they could easily rescue someone and earn a few reward points.

But when they arrived, they discovered Tan Weiwei hadn’t been caught, and were instead confronted by this bizarre scene.

“Captain, what’s going on?” Wang Ge, the squad’s archer, pressed himself to the wall, his face full of disbelief.

Captain Ge Wendong rubbed his eyes, taking another careful look. “They really are hugging. What in the world?”

Deng Yuqi, holding her staff, peeked out and quickly withdrew. “Since the girl’s fine, should we head back or keep watching?”

Ge Wendong glanced over once more. “Let’s watch a bit longer. This is too strange. Look at that Lu Yi—he’s not trying to escape or resist. He must know something, and I suspect he orchestrated this himself.”

Meanwhile, Lu Yi, under so many watchful eyes, was thoroughly bored, glancing around. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch the back of his neck.

At first, he didn’t think much of it, but the next moment, a sharp blow landed on his nape before he could react. His vision went black and he collapsed limply into the warden’s arms.

Vines coiled the wooden box and drew it back underground. The warden scooped Lu Yi up in both arms and walked away from the clock tower.

“Why do I feel like Lu Yi’s in trouble?” Wang Ge remarked, looking oddly at the others, who nodded in agreement.

Black Phosphor: “Huh? What is this? What kind of plot twist is this?”

Sweetheart Yiyi: “The warden just knocked out the streamer. Is he done for? Weren’t they just getting along?”

Handsome, You’re Naughty sent a blushing, face-covering emoji: “Let him go! Let me do it. Purifying him now is such a waste!”

Kindhearted Man: “Ha! I knew it. How could the warden fall for a player? He’s courting disaster.”

Lu Yi’s live stream chat was erupting, but he was oblivious to it all.

Time passed slowly. Lu Yi gradually regained consciousness, wincing at the pain in his neck. He heard a snipping sound, as if someone was trimming something with scissors, and then felt something cool and soft fall onto his body.

A jolt ran through him, and he snapped his eyes open. The warden was perched on a tree branch, holding a flower in one hand and shears in the other. With another snip, a flower drifted down onto Lu Yi’s body.

“You’re awake?” The warden glanced at him, then took another flower from her basket.

“The Minister of Ink offers Lu Yi a tomb.”

“A Fish sends Lu Yi three nooses.”

Hearing the gift notifications in his earpiece, Lu Yi froze, looked at the warden, then flexed his limbs only to find himself tightly bound.

He looked around and saw he was lying on a bed of vines suspended from a tree, flowers already strewn across his body.

“You—” he finally faced the warden. “What’s going on here?”

“I’ve decided to make you my companion,” the warden replied, directly addressing his main concern.

“Your companion?” Lu Yi was completely bewildered, but he noticed she said “companion,” not “put you to sleep” or “turn you into a plant.” There must be something more.

“You just need to lie quietly. Once I finish the ritual, you’ll emerge from your cocoon and become a mid-tier demon,” the warden said calmly, never pausing her work with the scissors.

“Ding! Do you accept the warden’s ritual? If you accept, you will die shortly, after which your body will be completely transformed and revived.

Note: Death will be actual death, triggering all death-related equipment abilities.

This is a process of transformation. Your previous training and body will change.

After resurrection, your faction will switch to the warden’s. When the warden changes, you will appear, and your new mission will be to purify or sacrifice two adventurers.”

Lu Yi was stunned by the string of system prompts, and his live chat exploded.

Black Phosphor: “Whoa, he’s turning into a demon? Is this a hidden reward? An Easter egg?”

Manic Fairy: “Suddenly, I feel like I’m losing a toy. I wonder if we’ll see the streamer after the transformation, hehe.”

I’m a Husky: “A mid-tier demon, just like that? Jealous.”

Kindhearted Man: “Ah! Why?”

Sweetheart Yiyi and Sweetheart Yueyue each sent a confused emoji.

After a while, Kindhearted Man seemed to have figured something out and sneered, “Fine, let him transform. Once he does, he won’t be a player anymore. My money’s as good as gone, but at least I can confront Lu Yi in person.”