Infinite flow, but I submit myself

Meanwhile, in the real world:

Although Wang Yuan Zhi and the others had been mentally prepared, seeing Tang Mo Bai disappear before their eyes in the live stream still made them tense up. The base immediately entered a state of heightened alert, with the guards being far stricter than usual—nothing, not even a fly, could get through.

“Have you found him?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the live stream had an ID-locking feature. Once Tang Mo Bai’s stream began, their cameras quickly locked onto his broadcast, and they saw many figures appear out of nowhere.

Although they were prepared and had confirmed that “Paradise Lost” was real, seeing Tang Mo Bai’s figure appear on the screen still let out a collective breath of relief.

One minute, two minutes.

Ten minutes passed. When the black-robed man appeared on the screen, Tang Mo Bai was still standing there unharmed. Wang Yuan Zhi finally relaxed, sending a string of characters through a special communicator.

“Coordinates 40°N, 116°E, xxx, no abnormalities.”

“Received, initiating Plan α.”

The expert team had anticipated many possible crises, including the risk of Tang Mo Bai being targeted by the mysterious platform upon his return, which could lead to death or even exposure in the real world. If no such exposure occurred, it meant the worst-case scenario had passed, and they could continue assisting him.

As more faces appeared on the screen in Tang Mo Bai’s stream, the population database immediately activated to attempt to identify these individuals. However, Wang Yuan Zhi didn’t have much hope, since when they previously tried to find the real identities of players in other lower-level streams, they had come up empty every time.

These players either came from other countries on Blue Star or from entirely different worlds. Based on the expert team’s predictions, the latter possibility seemed more likely.

Now, it was just another attempt. Since Tang Mo Bai was from their world, it was possible that other citizens from their world could also be chosen.

As the stream continued, especially with the appearance of “rules” on the screen, the experts furrowed their brows.

They had prepared many scenarios in advance, observing all the lower-level streams over the past two weeks, attempting to predict what Tang Mo Bai’s next instance might involve.

But they hadn’t expected the actual situation to be even worse than they imagined.

Tang Mo Bai might not have fully realized it yet, but the expert team had already sensed deep malice from the mysterious platform, based on the barrage’s unrestrained comments and these rules.

Why had the viewership skyrocketed as soon as the resurrection match dungeon began?

Why was the style of the barrage so different from a normal dungeon?

And then, there was the system of slaves and masters.

Due to the lack of information, the expert team hadn’t yet been able to fully analyze the workings of this resurrection match, but the signs that had already emerged were enough to cast a shadow over their hearts. Everyone was on edge, aware that no matter what this resurrection match was about, every decision going forward could lead to a dead end.

Thus, when they noticed the slave team walking towards them, the psychologist immediately noticed something was off with one of the individuals. The body language expert observed that the person’s gaze kept drifting towards Tang Mo Bai’s shoulder and feet, and their muscles had deviated from the normal walking pattern.

When a person is nervous, their body reacts first.

Connecting this with the resurrection match rules, the experts quickly sent a warning to Tang Mo Bai—this was the sequence of events.

Tang Mo Bai and the others narrowly escaped danger, but not all newcomers had the benefit of timely warnings.

A commotion came from the back of the group, and Tang Mo Bai and the others stopped, curious about what was going on. They saw that someone from the back had been bumped into, and it was the same man whom he had carried in the princess carry earlier. Now, he was lying on the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.

Wait, was he faking an injury?

Tang Mo Bai was stunned. At that moment, the black-robed people from their side also stopped, turned around, and looked at him. After that, they walked toward the scene of the incident.

“He’s sprained his leg.”

One of the black-robed people from Manster’s side crouched down and checked the man’s leg. Their actions were nonchalant, as though they had done this many times before. “He probably won’t be able to fight for a few days unless he’s willing to pay with coins for treatment. You’ve damaged my property.”

The injured man was stunned for a moment, then angrily shouted, “He deliberately bumped into me!”

But both black-robed individuals completely ignored him. “What’s your claim?”

“Let’s go with the usual method. They don’t have any coins to compensate right now, so the injured person should propose a condition,” the other black-robed person suggested.

Manster was excited. “I demand a duel with him in three days!”

“I refuse!” The injured man didn’t even know what a duel was, but it was obvious he couldn’t agree to it.

Unfortunately, at that moment, he had no say in the matter.

“Agreed.”

The two black-robed figures didn’t give the injured man any chance to interrupt. After discussing, they resumed directing the group forward as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, both Tang Mo Bai and the expert team behind the screen let out a sigh of relief. The decision they made just now had undoubtedly been the right one. At least the man had indeed tried to do something to harm them, the newcomers.

Three days—why three days later for the duel? Was it related to the previous rule about newcomer protection?

But now, all the newcomers had no points or soul coins. They had nothing. What was the real reason for that man’s actions?

Without a doubt, there was a clear information gap between the veterans and the newcomers, and this gap was directly tied to the survival of the newcomers.

Clearly, Tang Mo Bai wasn’t the only one thinking this way. His companions stirred for a moment, and the burly man took a deep breath and asked, “Master, what exactly is a duel?”

?? You’re asking already?

Everyone stared at him in shock, but the burly man had thick skin and wasn’t even fazed.

One of the black-robed figures responded, “I’m under no obligation to answer you.”

“Come on, Master, look! Aren’t we your property?” The burly man looked pitiful, his large muscles contrasting sharply with his expression. “We know more, and we get stronger. Doesn’t that align more with your rules?”

Slave owners need to protect their property.

And right now, they were slaves, so protecting them meant protecting property.

From the slaves’ initial selection, it was clear that the black-robed individuals preferred to select the stronger individuals first. With the mention of ‘duels,’ it was easy to infer that they were required to participate in bloody gladiatorial fights, and stronger gladiators were naturally considered valuable property.

“You’re indeed our property, but only if you manage to survive tonight. Only those who prove their worth will qualify as our slaves,” another black-robed figure spoke in a teasing tone, the number “018” engraved on his mask.

By now, they had left the previous area, and before them stood a large cylindrical space. It resembled something Tang Mo Bai had seen before in reality, like a traditional earthen building from a certain ethnic style, with various rooms arranged in a haphazard manner. Occasionally, he could sense eyes focusing on them from some of the rooms, filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

The ceiling was round, and a small section of the sky remained visible, with a blood-red crescent moon hanging high above. The surrounding black rock walls were embedded with faintly glowing yellowish fluorite, providing just enough light to illuminate a half-meter-wide area. Beneath their feet, a spiral staircase wound downward as the group silently followed the black-robed figures, all wondering about the meaning of “tonight.”

Was another crisis approaching?

They were led into a very simple living area, built with bricks and wood, without windows. Even the houses built by rural farmers seemed better than this. Tang Mo Bai glanced inside; there was only a table in the center and a few broken chairs, nothing else. In one corner, there was a pile of straw—probably a makeshift bed.

“Go inside,” the black-robed figure with the number 018 announced. “You’ll spend the night here. Two people per room. Don’t wander around at night. No leaving the rooms.”

Everyone looked at each other in silence, but no one moved.

The black-robed figure with the number 018 sneered. “Did you think we were negotiating with you?”

At that, two of the people beside him suddenly collapsed onto the floor, twitching violently. This noise finally “woke up” the group, and they realized they had no choice. In a rush, they scrambled to claim the rooms in front of them.

Although the rooms were dilapidated, some of the “furniture” was still intact, some doors appeared more solid, and some floors were cleaner. In any case, with so much uncertainty, everyone instinctively fought for a potentially better environment.

However, only a few people noticed the phrase “two people per room,” and the number of slaves present was odd—meaning one person would be left without a room.

Tang Mo Bai was already looking for the singular person left out, but then—

[Good luck? Heh, think again. 009 never favors newcomers, and often tricks them. You think this is favor? I’ve already started mourning for the newcomers.]

[Wait, this room looks familiar. I think this might be…]

[Aaaah! It’s Deville’s room?!]

[He still lives here? Well, it’s not surprising, but I’m still mourning for the newcomers.]

[Mourning +1, they really don’t give any opportunity.]

The barrage clearly knew more, but Tang Mo Bai also understood that they would never reveal anything to him.

The live stream feature in “Paradise Lost” wasn’t for entertainment—it was more of an intelligence-gathering tool. The people behind the barrage were also members of the platform, some explorers like them, and others purely support staff. What they shared in common was their extreme malice toward their fellow explorers and an equally extreme admiration for strength.

It was just like the dark side of the real-world internet, where love and hate are amplified to extremes.

The expert team speculated that the live stream might be a method to attract followers, and that “fans” and “faith” might be valuable to high-level demons. However, they didn’t have enough information yet to make a more precise judgment.

Tang Mo Bai didn’t waste much time on the barrage. After confirming that no foreign IDs had appeared, he glanced at the time. It was already nearing 11:40, and the wind outside began to howl ominously, a stillness settling over the area.

According to the rules of the resurrection match, although they couldn’t turn off the live stream, they at least had personal time from midnight to 5 a.m., during which their sleep wouldn’t be spied on.

But this also meant that from midnight to 5 a.m., the live stream would be closed, and he wouldn’t receive any updates from the real world.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed the oil lamp from the wooden table by his side. He checked the fuel inside—it was a very old model that had long been outdated in modern times, but he still knew how to use it. The only problem was that there wasn’t much fuel left, and it might not last the night.

It was good that he hadn’t lit it immediately. Since the danger hadn’t yet arrived, it would be best not to waste it just in case.

He put the lamp down, turned to face the corner, and began to clear his throat.

“Ugh, ugh!”

A violent dry heaving ensued, and capsules began to fall from his mouth. But that wasn’t all. He also removed his outer coat and flipped out the inner pockets, which had been carefully sewn into place. From within the cotton lining, he pulled out small packets of powder.

Inside the capsules were tiny, delicate mechanical components, meant for crafting traps and miniature weapons.

In fact, these items could be exchanged in the Demon Market, and he could even bring items from the outside world back to Hell, though they came with a “verification fee.” But unfortunately, he had no points, so he had no choice but to resort to this method.

Based on his information, he had just…

In the past two weeks, the training he underwent wasn’t just about improving his personal overall abilities.

When it comes to exploiting loopholes, who could be better at “dealing with the common people” than the well-informed expert team?

And now, with the Demon Mall closed, and everyone having no points to exchange for weapons, the items that were illegally brought in from the outside are his “advantage.”

He observed the layout of the room, choosing a spot near the pile of straw. He used the cover of the straw to set up traps, and the small gun made of mechanical parts, no larger than half a palm, was hidden in his sleeve—easy to reach with a simple movement. He put the oil lamp back in place and quietly slipped a few drug-filled pellets into his pocket.

After finishing all the preparations, he glanced at the time displayed in the live stream, it was almost midnight.

Meanwhile, as he quietly set everything up, the live stream viewers were stunned.

【What’s going on with this new guy? Is he cheating?】

【No, is this allowed? Doesn’t this violate the rules? With these items, he’s got a huge advantage… hmmm, how did he know that the two people were going to fight? Isn’t the revival arena randomly chosen?】

【Wait, I think I remember someone warned this guy earlier.】

【Right, the older players were trying to mess with the new ones, but this guy saw the warning in the comments and avoided it!】

【A traitor among the crowd!】

【Interesting… Tang Mo Bai, huh? How did you bypass the rules here? Or should I say… who sent you here?】