I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 151

Chapter 151: Before Me, All Are Equal!

Those familiar with the strange tale world know this: sometimes, when it’s necessary, if you don’t want to die yourself, you have to let others die.

Lenny had betrayed so many ‘teammates,’ yet he didn’t feel he was wrong. After all, if everyone stayed here, they’d all die. Better to let you all take the risk—at least I might survive.

He had deliberately waited until the eerie plant warriors were approaching before saying this. His goal was to create a overwhelming sense of crisis, leaving the prisoners no time to think.

The crocodile man might look big and bulky, but he wasn’t stupid. At best, he was only around four-star strength, just breaking into five-star. While that made him somewhat capable among this group, outside, encountering just a few eerie plants would mean certain death. Let alone facing an eerie plant warrior—he wouldn’t even have a chance to resist.

So it suddenly occurred to the crocodile man: if everyone else lured the eerie plants away, wouldn’t the original hiding spot become safe? When he returned, sure enough, he found Lenny, that sly old fox.

Neither of them wasted words. In the face of apocalypse, what was there to say about morality? Survival was the only truth.

They started tidying up the hideout, first blocking the entrance, then aiming the artificial light source at the doorway, just in case.

At this point, the crocodile man began to feel somewhat wary of Lenny. This guy had openly sold out his teammates—he had to be cautious.

Lenny didn’t care. He just had to hold out for another hour and a half, and he could leave.

Soon, the footsteps of the eerie plant warriors faded into the distance. Looking through the periscope, Lenny could no longer see any sign of them; only some ordinary eerie plants moved about nearby. These plants weren’t much of a threat to the crocodile man, and Lenny could run if needed, so there was no hurry.

For Lenny, the greatest danger was temporarily over.

In this stage, many more chosen ones had perished. They were short on manpower and hadn’t built sturdy defenses. It wasn’t just the eerie plant warriors finding them—even being discovered by ordinary eerie plants meant certain death.

But those who sold out their teammates or reacted extremely quickly had a much higher chance of survival.

Then came the surprising part: almost no one thought the chosen one from Bear Country could survive.

But Goncharov found a bug in this stage.

At first, Goncharov had only wanted to find a place in the amusement park similar to the wasteland. But there were only sand piles here, fine sand at that, offering nowhere to hide.

Just as everyone thought he had no hope—he had no helpers, and his abilities were poor. Surviving this apocalypse, facing endless eerie plants, seemed impossible. He’d probably starve to death today.

But Goncharov never considered giving up. He sat cross-legged, thinking carefully for two hours, observing everyone around him.

Suddenly, he thought of a solution. “If I can’t find the wasteland, why not just go to the wasteland?”

After all, no eerie plants appeared in the wasteland. After the eerie plants destroyed the amusement park and withdrew, couldn’t he just go back then? The rules said he needed to survive in the amusement park for three days—it didn’t say he had to be there from the start. He just needed to accumulate three days.

This was the solution Goncharov came up with because he had no other options.

Actually, it was a huge gamble. What if the eerie plants never withdrew? Wouldn’t he just be waiting in the wasteland to die? But waiting to die in the wasteland meant he could still live for a few more days, right? Staying here was certain death.

So Goncharov stood up and began rummaging through trash cans like a homeless person, looking for food. After finding a few bags, he wandered around the trash cans behind major stores, taking anything that looked edible. He didn’t care about dirt, smell, or even mold—if it was edible, that was enough.

His physical condition was decent and had been enhanced, so eating this stuff wouldn’t kill him immediately.

Thus, Goncharov spent five hours scavenging for food in the amusement park’s trash cans, along with discarded clothes, blankets, sheets, and such. To his delight, he even found a special telescope—an ordinary item in this world, but outside, it was a high-tech product.

With these supplies, he headed into the wasteland, found a place that could shelter him from wind and rain, made do, and quietly waited for the apocalypse to arrive.

Watching Goncharov work so seriously and hard just to stay alive, many viewers in Bear Country felt like slapping themselves. Goncharov was representing them in the strange tale world, yet they had constantly doubted him, saying he was doomed. But he was the chosen one who had dared to enter this deadly strange tale.

From the moment he entered, no one in all of Bear Country had the right to criticize him, let alone lecture him. Those enjoying peace and tranquility had no business judging someone who faced danger alone for his country.

Once they realized this, all Bear Country viewers began cheering Goncharov on.

Bear Country’s panel of experts also felt a deep respect. Honestly, upon reflection, the experts admitted that this chosen one, willing to eat from trash cans to survive, was truly remarkable. If he was still fighting, how could the experts give up on him?

Inside the strange tale world, the screens of survival-focused chosen ones were going dark one after another.

Soon, even the strongest survival-focused player ran into trouble.

This time, it wasn’t that Greco chickened out—he really was playing seriously in the second half.

He teamed up with the science fanatic to build a relatively large refuge. It had almost everything: the best food ingredients, oxygen tanks, instruments, and equipment from the entire amusement park.

Viewers who hadn’t been watching Greco’s screen might wonder: wasn’t the science fanatic extremely poor? Where did he get all these good things?

Anyone checking the replay would see: the science fanatic was indeed poor, and his abilities capped at around five-star at best. He couldn’t possibly have obtained these items.

But Greco could. With his strength, he could even break through the steel barriers outside the prison—so what if he robbed a few places? The defensive systems of those skyscrapers were no match for Greco. If he wanted to steal something, he basically could. And he was incredibly fast; wearing a mask, he was like a bandit. The amusement park’s security system couldn’t catch him.

At first, the science fanatic was worried. What if they got caught after stealing so much? Greco told him to relax. Like he said, the apocalypse was coming; who would care about these valuables? Soon, everyone in the amusement park would be fighting for their own survival.

If this were the old Greco, with his status, would he need to do such thuggish things? Wouldn’t that bring shame upon his Lord?

But now he understood: these were the rules of the strange tale world. If he died because he cared about face, that would truly shame his Lord.

So, a cardinal like him ended up robbing and plundering resources in the strange tale world.

This time, the Pope gave him face, even explaining: this was the Lord’s test for him. Without experiencing such hardships, how could he understand the suffering of all living beings? This made many believers feel like they understood something new.

Anyway, the Pope managed to explain it away, boosting his own presence and popularity in the process.

But even with the Pope’s words, some still questioned Greco’s methods.

However, Greco’s subsequent performance was enough to silence these doubts.

The time reached about two days and twenty hours. At this point, some people seeking help appeared near Greco’s location.

Because by this time, mutated eerie plant warriors had emerged, capable of destroying the hidden refuges within the amusement park. Many people had escaped from them.

The refuge built by the science fanatic was very sturdy. Maybe the eerie plants couldn’t identify it as a refuge, but humans could.

So many people knocked on the door, begging for shelter.

Normally, no chosen one would open the door—why bother with unnecessary trouble? Both the science fanatic and viewers from Pasta Country thought Greco wouldn’t open it.

In this kind of strange tale world, if these people didn’t die, the chosen one might. Better to avoid extra trouble.

But at this moment, Greco said, “Open the door.”

This puzzled the science fanatic. “I think we can ignore these people. That way, they’ll lure the eerie plants away, and we’ll be fine.”

 It has to be said, the science fanatic was also a “better you die than me” kind of person.

Outside was that eerie plant warrior. According to data from his metal spider probes, its strength completely overpowered even seven-star peak experts. By that estimate, it should have reached the legendary eight-star level.

This was already beyond what humans could handle. There was no need to take such a risk.

Greco naturally also saw the terrifying combat power of the eerie plant warrior.

So why did he want to open the door? Naturally, to show off.

He wasn’t stupid. He felt his performance in this strange tale had been utter garbage. If he just settled accounts and left like this, even if the Pope didn’t lock him in confinement, he’d have no face left to stay in the Church. His former colleagues would especially mock him.

So he decided to go all out in one grand display to salvage his dignity.

If the eerie plant warrior weren’t strong, he wouldn’t even bother. So what if it was eight-star? He’d fight exactly because it was eight-star!

Since Greco had decided, the science fanatic had to trust him. After all, he knew Greco’s capabilities—he had no choice but to believe.

When the refuge door opened, over a dozen people rushed in, thanking Greco and the science fanatic profusely.

The result was predictable: the eerie plant warrior tracked them to the vicinity.

The eerie plant warrior seemed intelligent. It could detect things ordinary eerie plants couldn’t. It had already noticed clues about this well-hidden refuge and was heading straight for it.

The twenty-meter-tall behemoth approached like the grim reaper, shaking the ground with every step. Even inside the refuge, the tremors were unsettling.

Everyone could see from the monitors set up by the science fanatic that the eerie plant warrior’s target was clearly here.

When he let those people in, the science fanatic had still held onto a sliver of hope. He hoped the eerie plant warrior hadn’t discovered his refuge. Now, he felt despair. He never should have let them in; now they were doomed.

Just as everyone prepared to use the backup power to release intense artificial sunlight, buying time to escape, Greco confidently walked out the door.

In this pitch-black world, surrounded by dark eerie plants, facing the twenty-meter-tall behemoth, the aura of apocalyptic doom was overwhelming. It felt like anyone would be swallowed by this dark army. Humanity seemed so small and helpless before such cataclysmic disaster.

At this moment, Greco seemed like humanity’s beacon of hope.

Under the faint lights, Greco’s figure appeared majestic. He was the first person in this world brave enough to face the apocalyptic disaster.

At this point, the science fanatic thought Greco was trying to buy time for everyone else, so he prepared to make a run for it. He and Greco were merely cooperating—using each other, really. There was no deep bond between them.

After all, if Greco hadn’t been capable back at the prison stage, the science fanatic wouldn’t have bothered with him.

Now they were facing an eerie plant warrior that could slaughter seven-star peak experts—it had to be at least eight-star. If they didn’t run, weren’t they waiting to die?

Just as he gathered supplies and prepared to escape through the metal tunnel at the back of the refuge, Greco began his show.

With his back to the crowd, he shouted at the eerie plant warrior: “You ugly creature, face divine judgment!”

Instantly, a blinding holy light made the endless darkness retreat. Just by releasing holy energy, Greco vaporized the ordinary eerie plants on the spot. How terrifyingly powerful!

His outstanding performance rekindled hope in those inside the refuge.

The eerie plant warrior, being a creature that knew no fear, was provoked by the holy light. It roared, dark energy swirling around it, a bloody aura soaring to the sky! The dark red aura seemed to overwhelm Greco’s holy light.

Seeing this, many thought Greco was losing the momentum battle against the eerie plant warrior.

But he instead smiled, full of arrogance, saying, “Not bad, you have some skill. Then I’ll use a fraction of my power to eliminate you.”

His words radiated an attitude of “No matter how strong you are, I shine brighter.”

Greco stopped holding back. He故意 (deliberately) showed a little strength precisely to let his opponent ramp up its presence. Otherwise, if he ended it too quickly, how could he display his true power?

Holy energy gathered around Greco, distorting the very space nearby.

In the next second, Greco flashed like light itself, appearing right in front of the eerie plant warrior’s chest.

A fist imbued with immense holy energy slammed forward.

BOOM!

The punch’s radiance illuminated the entire world. In that moment, Greco seemed like the only sun in this world, the hope that could save countless humans!

The massive body of the eerie plant warrior couldn’t react in time. Punched back over a hundred meters, it crashed through several skyscrapers before the impact finally stopped.

The once towering and arrogant eerie plant warrior now lay barely alive in the ruins.

With just one punch, Greco had brought it to the brink of death.

At this moment, Greco’s figure already stood atop a skyscraper.

He looked down from on high, dominating over all.

He paused for a moment, then said, “Go to hell for your ignorance!”

The pause was because he was thinking of a good line.

As everyone’s eyes focused on him, he gathered holy energy between his hands and fired an energy cannon capable of destroying heaven and earth. It pierced straight through the eerie plant warrior’s chest.

Another deafening explosion echoed across the sky, accompanied by the eerie plant warrior’s agonized cry.

The spot where the eerie plant warrior stood was blasted into a sunken ruin by the holy energy. Its body was torn apart, a miserable death.

The shockwave from the holy energy explosion vaporized all eerie plants within several hundred meters.

Everyone was stunned by the terrifying display of power.

Those hiding in the refuge saw a savior for humanity, extremely excited.

Viewers in Pasta Country finally saw Greco performing at his normal level and began celebrating nationwide.

They had truly been worried sick about Greco for the past few days.

Seeing Greco’s performance, the Pope breathed a sigh of relief—finally, he could hold his head high again.

In his eyes, Greco’s success here was enough to wash away his previous disgrace.

Because that’s how humans are: no one really cares how hard you tried or how much effort you put in. Everyone just likes the final victor. No one cares about the process.

Inside the strange tale world, Greco wiped out all nearby eerie plants in minutes, creating a temporary lull.

The eerie plants seemed to be gathering, preparing to attack, but Greco wasn’t afraid. He only had a few hours left before he could leave; he had plenty of holy energy to spare.

At this point, everyone from the refuge came out. They were thrilled to see Greco, treating him like an idol.

Witnessing Greco’s performance, the science fanatic asked excitedly, “Your Excellency Greco, what level are you actually? You even took down an eight-star eerie plant warrior.”

Greco, with his back turned, replied arrogantly, “I’m not sure what level I am. But if they’re six-star, I’m seven-star. If they’re seven-star, I’m eight-star. If they’re eight-star, I’m nine-star!”

With this line, Greco maxed out his arrogance.

No matter how strong you are, I’m always one level stronger!

This statement left many feeling deeply awestruck.

Is this the confidence that comes with power?!

But the strange tale world is like that: there’s no limit to shock, only ever greater shocks.

Normally, evolution-blast style chosen ones should be like Abdul, waiting near the prison for the end.

But as someone who never plays by the rules, Zhang Yangqing was currently inside the amusement park’s prison skyscraper, drinking tea.

The way he sat leisurely on the sofa gave the impression that nothing in the world had happened.

Abdul escaped to avoid the eerie plants’ attack.

But in Zhang Yangqing’s dictionary, there was no concept of “hide.”

Other chosen ones needed manpower and materials to barely build a refuge. And this refuge couldn’t be discovered, otherwise it wouldn’t hold for long.

Even the science fanatic’s defenses, made with top-tier materials, were useless against the eerie plant warrior.

Zhang Yangqing only needed to casually set up a simple “Eight Trigrams Sect Protection Array” around the prison skyscraper, and it was already impervious to the eerie plants of this world.

Everyone inside the skyscraper watched as hordes of eerie plants outside continuously charged at the array Zhang Yangqing had set up, but it was like moths to a flame—they died as soon as they touched it.

This left the people on site in awe of Zhang Yangqing’s prowess.

Actually, arrays use minimal energy to maintain maximum defense.

Other Taoist cultivators needed flags and rare treasures to sustain their arrays because their spiritual energy wasn’t abundant enough to maintain them for long.

The depth of spiritual energy within Zhang Yangqing was more than enough to sustain an array. Three days? Even thirty days would be no problem. This amount of spiritual energy was merely a drop in the bucket for him.

As he put it, this skyscraper had excellent food and various teas and snacks. Why wouldn’t he come here to enjoy himself instead of hiding in a prison?

The prison skyscraper’s supplies were plentiful; there was no need to worry.

At first, people in the skyscraper were nervous, but after a day or two, they also stopped fearing the eerie plants.

The snake-eyed lackey was still serving tea and water beside Zhang Yangqing. Because if he didn’t, plenty of others would fight for the chance.

In this world, whoever could please Zhang Yangqing would see their status continuously rise. Zhang Yangqing was the core figure of this world; one’s status was determined solely by their relationship with him.

Time also reached about twenty hours into the third day. The eerie plant warrior appeared.

It clearly noticed the “Eight Trigrams Sect Protection Grand Array” and led a massive army of dark eerie plants towards it.

After all, everyone else who saw it hid far away, either underground or in refuges. The people in this skyscraper were still living it up—wasn’t that disrespectful?

Seeing this giant approaching, the prison officer rushed to Zhang Yangqing, panting, and said, “Boss, there’s an eerie plant warrior that can instantly kill seven-star experts heading our way. What do we do?”

He hadn’t been idle during this time, using various mechanical creatures to scout the surroundings. He naturally knew how fearsome the eerie plant warrior was.

In his opinion, the eerie plant warrior was probably eight-star, and Zhang Yangqing was also likely eight-star. After all, both could instantly kill seven-star experts and had the power to destroy the amusement park.

Perhaps the coming clash would be between the two strongest beings in this world.

Zhang Yangqing, sitting on the sofa, initially didn’t want to bother. But the eerie plant warrior kept pounding on his Eight Trigrams array, the noise disturbing his rest.

So Zhang Yangqing got up and walked out.

Hearing that Zhang Yangqing was going out, not only were people in the strange tale world excited, but viewers across Blue Star felt their hearts surge.

They wanted to see who was more powerful: the Cardinal from Pasta Country or the Heavenly Master from Dragon Country.

After stepping outside, seeing such a low-intelligence eerie creature, Zhang Yangqing couldn’t be bothered with words. He directly took action.

At his fingertip, light shone forth brilliantly!

Instantly, thunder roiled in the sky above. The terrifying aura made countless people on site drop to their knees.

Just being able to summon a single lightning bolt in this world was considered possessing peerless power.

Zhang Yangqing merely pointed lightly, and heavenly thunder gathered like a vast ocean.

Within the sea of thunder, three lightning dragons frolicked.

Each one possessed power sufficient to destroy everything within a radius of several kilometers.

The once massive eerie plant warrior now seemed small, even humble, before the sea of thunder.

With a slight wave of Zhang Yangqing’s finger, the three lightning dragons let out earth-shaking roars that made the eight directions tremble.

The lightning dragons descended from the sky, instantly swallowing the eerie plant warrior whole, not even leaving behind charcoal.

It was killed so quickly that the eerie plant warrior didn’t even have time to kneel or let out a cry.

No matter what strange energy formed it, before absolute power, it was merely a paper tiger.

But the lightning dragons’ target wasn’t just the eerie plant warrior. Zhang Yangqing cleared all eerie plants within a several-kilometer radius completely.

The ground was left sizzling with residual electricity from the dragons’ passage.

Witnessing this, everyone began doubting their lives again.

You kill seven-stars that casually? And you kill eight-stars even more easily?

It felt like a large-area attack wasn’t aimed at anyone specifically; he just happened to casually eliminate an eight-star eerie plant warrior while using it.

Whoever stands before him gets instantly killed!

Remember, the other guy needed two moves!

This made the difference in strength clear.

People might have thought an unrestricted Greco could rival the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master in spells.

Now it seemed that even in terms of magical ability, they weren’t on the same level.

And this amusement park wasn’t so much destroyed by the eerie plants as it was by Zhang Yangqing.

The area destroyed by the eerie plants was far smaller than the area Zhang Yangqing destroyed.

The snake-eyed lackey climbed up from the ground, looked at the several-kilometer radius now empty, swallowed hard, and couldn’t help asking, “Boss, what level are you actually? I see even eight-stars are nothing to you.”

No one could feel the might of heaven and earth as closely as he could. Only by Zhang Yangqing’s side did you truly understand how powerful he was.

Hearing this question, Zhang Yangqing casually replied, “I don’t know what level I am. But all of you, in my eyes, are one-star.”

In other words, before me, all are equal!