The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

In the game world, they only experienced mild pain reactions. However, the sudden fall still caused their game screens to momentarily go blank.

By the time their vision cleared, the scene before them had changed entirely to a new location.

It was a place resembling a tunnel. The ceiling barely allowed Hai Ku to stand upright, and the entire tunnel was uneven, forcing anyone walking through it to stoop slightly.

The system notification of a gift package for entering the third level left Hai Ku utterly baffled. They hadn’t even fully explored the second level yet, and the strange area Longde Chuanren had mentioned hadn’t been visited. How did we inexplicably enter the third level?

Could it be that the female lead’s cheat ability was just that ridiculous?

There was no time to dwell on those thoughts. Hai Ku quickly assessed the surrounding terrain.

The hole they had fallen through had already been sealed off automatically by the game. Before them were scattered ice chunks and the firewood that had fallen with them.

Most critically, a massive ice block had fallen and blocked the middle, completely sealing off both ends of the tunnel.

It was impossible to tell how large the ice block was. Hai Ku attempted to contact the others on the other side. “Dong Hai! Xi Hai! Are you guys okay over there?”

After a long silence with no response, Hai Ku realized the sound likely couldn’t travel through. He opened his friend list and initiated private messages.

[Hai Ku: It seems we’ve fallen into a hidden passage. Are you guys okay over there?]

[Dong Hai: We’re fine, but everyone’s low on health. I feel sorry for you, though, being stuck with that girl.]

[Hai Ku: …]

For some reason, reading that message gave Hai Ku the distinct impression they were gloating over his misfortune.

[Dong Hai: Anyway, we’re going to log off for now. We’ve got some school matters to handle this afternoon. Why don’t you log off too and regroup later?]

[Hai Ku: No need. I don’t have anything to take care of. I’ll try to find the exit from this place first. If I find it, I’ll contact you. Focus on your studies; don’t let this game disrupt them.]

[Dong Hai: Alright, then look for the third level’s mission point.]

[Hai Ku: Got it. I’ll send you a screenshot if I find it. We can regroup later or use the teleportation talismans.]

In this game, each level allowed players to use a teleportation talisman once. No one had used theirs in the first or second levels, so now, in the third level, each person still had three uses left.

Under special circumstances, wasting one wasn’t a big deal since the game was all about who could clear it the fastest.

Thanks to the female lead’s absurd luck, they had reached the third level. For some reason, Hai Ku found Bing Jingxue a little less annoying now. Despite her lack of intelligence and unpleasant way of speaking, her luck was undeniably impressive.

She was probably the kind of infuriating “luck emperor” everyone despised.

“How annoying!” Bing Jingxue stomped her foot, her face full of grievance. “Why did I end up stuck with you? Longde Chuanren would’ve been so much better!”

If not for her, they wouldn’t have entered the third level at all. Bing Jingxue felt like she had been seriously shortchanged, doing all the hard work only for others to benefit.

Meanwhile, the global chat was in chaos. No one could believe that someone had advanced to the third level so quickly. Who would believe they weren’t cheating?

“Ugh…” Hai Ku sighed after glancing at the messages in the global chat. Did the female lead’s cheat abilities really think the game company couldn’t detect them?

Of course not.

Initially, he had wanted to ditch Bing Jingxue and act on his own, but now Hai Ku had to rethink his approach.

With the female lead’s absurdly good luck, unless she actively sabotaged herself, there was no way he could outperform her. But forcing her to sabotage herself felt a bit heartless. Besides, wasn’t this one of those clichéd situations where two people who disliked each other ended up trapped together?

Tsk, why did this feel so familiar?

Did the female lead’s cheat ability think this was one of those scenarios where enemies stuck in the same place eventually fall in love?

“What are you sighing about? I’m the one getting the short end of the stick here! A lone man and woman together…” Bing Jingxue glared at him, feeling like her bad luck had peaked for the day.

“Chirp–” A blue-eyed little rabbit hopped over and jumped onto Bing Jingxue’s shoulder.

Bing Jingxue was extremely irritable at the moment. She had initially been in the mood to care for the little rabbit, but after the unexpected fall, she had no food to eat and was now stuck with someone she absolutely despised.

She rolled her eyes unreservedly and pointed at Hai Ku, speaking coldly, “I’m logging off now. When I come back online, I better not see you! I never want to run into you again.”

Hai Ku frowned and fanned his hand in front of his nose. “Next time you log in, make sure to brush your teeth.”

Bing Jingxue froze for a moment before immediately realizing he was insulting her. She exploded in anger, shouting, “What do you mean? Are you saying I ate shit?”

Her mood fluctuated so wildly that she almost jumped up. It was as though if Hai Ku nodded, she would pounce on him and beat him up on the spot.

Hai Ku chuckled softly and took a step back, leaning against the wall of the cave. “You said it yourself; you can’t blame me for that~.”

“You–you just wait! One day, I’ll teach you a lesson!” Bing Jingxue glared at him fiercely and gritted her teeth as she hit the log-off button.

She still had important matters to attend to at school and couldn’t waste any more time there.

After such an ordeal, even the little rabbit on her shoulder seemed disgusted. Grabbing the rabbit carelessly, Bing Jingxue threw it to the ground and angrily warned Hai Ku, “You better stay far away from me, or your fate will be the same as this rabbit’s!”

The rabbit lightly hopped and landed at Hai Ku’s feet.

Feeling like even a rabbit was mocking her, Bing Jingxue gritted her teeth and angrily clicked the log-off button.

***

With only himself; no, and a rabbit left around him, Hai Ku could only stare at the blue-eyed rabbit at his feet.

This blue-eyed rabbit was a foreshadowing device, incredibly important later on. It paired perfectly with the female lead’s cheat-like abilities, helping the male and female leads dominate this game world.

But Hai Ku hadn’t expected that the female lead, with her explosive temper, would throw the rabbit away just like that. Did this mean that, without the male lead around, the female lead’s personality fell apart?

Still, looking at the rabbit at his feet, Hai Ku didn’t think he could just take something that belonged to the female lead. Rather than trying to win over a rabbit, he figured it’d be better to check his system inventory for anything useful.

The Bing Jingxue in the game was a fiery character, portrayed as someone bold in love and hate. If someone bullied her, she’d retaliate tenfold, even a hundredfold. Not only that, but after she finished retaliating, the male lead would step in to help her deal a few more blows.

When Hai Ku had read this before, he’d found the vengeful scenes satisfying, with all kinds of face-slapping moments. But now that he had become the “villain,” he felt far less entertained.

Fortunately, none of the men who were supposed to surround her were here yet.

Realizing he needed to come up with a way to counter the female lead’s cheat-like abilities, Hai Ku opened his own system page and attempted to contact the system that had just set him up.

Being paired with the female lead was intolerable. He had to form his own team while somehow limiting her overpowered abilities.

“System, is there a way to control the female lead’s cheat abilities? She’s way too lucky; it’s absurd! Even people using hacks aren’t this lucky. Is there any way to rein her in?”

[Isn’t there a rabbit right next to you? That’s her cheat ability! Did you even read the storyline properly?]

Hai Ku: “…” What?

[Remember how the last world had a cheat-copying skill? I gave you that for this world too. But I didn’t expect the cheat ability here to be a living creature. And if it’s not an inanimate object, it has its own will. If it doesn’t want to cooperate, you can’t use it.]

Hai Ku: ??????

Before he could ask more questions, the system promptly threw a screenshot at him, as though fearing he’d ignore it.

[Bing Jingxue covered her eyes in disbelief. She couldn’t have imagined that the little rabbit could transform into a human!

The snow-white hair and cold, white eyes made him look like a prince stepping out of a painting.

If not for Dong Hai supporting her, Bing Jingxue’s legs might have gone weak. She covered her mouth, afraid she’d accidentally scream out loud, shouting those two words–or rather, that one sentence: “Handsome guy!!! Look at me! Ahhhhh!!”

The man narrowed his eyes slightly and walked forward, lifting Bing Jingxue’s chin. However, his provocative gaze was clearly directed at Dong Hai. “I am Lanbai Wangzi, an NPC in this game world. Xiao Xue, in this world, you have my protection.”

Dong Hai: “What did you say? She’s my woman!”

Bing Jingxue scolded, “Enough, you two! I haven’t even said anything, and you’re already arguing with each other. Seriously!”

Thus began yet another legendary love triangle…]

Hai Ku closed his eyes, unable to bear the awkwardness of the description. It was excruciatingly cringeworthy. He had completely forgotten about this particular plotline, and now the system had dug it up and highlighted it for him.

Rubbing his eyelids in embarrassment, Hai Ku squatted down and tried to appease the rabbit. “Brother Rabbit, can you take me out of here?”

“Chirp!” The blue-eyed rabbit turned around and pointed its backside at Hai Ku.

Hai Ku muttered, “…Fine, I guess like repels like, and opposites attract.”

“Sigh…” He opened the reward package the game system had sent and examined the map inside.

The third level was somewhat different from the second, yet they also shared some similarities.

In the third level, the world was plagued by a virus, turning infected people into zombie-like creatures over time. The task for this level was relatively simpler.

Perhaps the exhaustion from searching for doors in the first and second levels had been taken into account, as the third level required crafting an antidote to cure the infected. Once the antidote was successfully made, the player would receive the key to the fourth level.

Although Hai Ku vaguely remembered this part of the game’s setup, he still needed to collect the mission for the third level to officially start. Looking at the mission points marked on the map, Hai Ku felt a headache coming on. He was currently inside a tunnel that wasn’t even marked on the map, likely a hidden area.

Calming himself, he analyzed the situation and figured that if he followed the tunnel, he might eventually find one of the locations marked on the map.

Putting the map back into his inventory, Hai Ku decided to pick up the rabbit and place it in his coat pocket.

Even if the rabbit wouldn’t work for him, he wasn’t about to hand it back to the female lead. If he couldn’t use her cheat, he’d make sure she couldn’t either.

The little rabbit in his pocket twitched its nose, feeling its dignity trampled upon. However, it had just experienced heartbreak; rejected by a lively, adorable girl who had even thrown it to the ground. Quietly curling up in the pocket, the rabbit decided to take a moment to calm its emotions.

Noticing that the rabbit had settled down, Hai Ku finally let out a sigh of relief.

The tunnel seemed endless, stretching far beyond his sight. Hai Ku had no choice but to continue walking forward.

Perhaps it was the rabbit’s presence, but after walking for a while, Hai Ku spotted a light up ahead.

Quickly running toward it, he discovered a virtual door. Following the door, he emerged into a dilapidated warehouse.

Right then, the mission window popped up.

Hai Ku’s heart stirred as he accepted the mission for the entire team.

The mission map was immediately sent to each team member’s mailbox, and Hai Ku sighed in relief. At least the game emphasized team cooperation.

Examining the map, he found that the nearest location for gathering the ingredients to craft the antidote was an amusement park in the western district.

Studying the route, Hai Ku decided it would be better to wait for the others before heading there. Otherwise, going alone would feel like taking unnecessary risks.

Besides, this was just a game. Once logged out, there was still the real world.

Ever since entering this world, everything had been in a virtual state. Hai Ku still didn’t know what the in-game character he was playing looked like in real life. The story didn’t describe much about the original owner, as most of the plot took place within the game. It was only near the ending, during a rejected confession in the real world, that a brief mention was made.

***

Just as Hai Ku was about to log out, he carefully took the rabbit out of his pocket.

After all, it was a cheat ability. Even if it couldn’t be used, it should still be treated with respect. Gently placing it on a table, Hai Ku spoke kindly, “Little rabbit, I’m logging out now. Do you want to find a place to rest first?”

“Chirp chirp chirp!” The blue-eyed rabbit instantly became agitated. In a flash, it transformed into a human form, glaring fiercely. “I just got dumped! And now you all want to log out one after another? No way! If you’re logging out, you’re taking me with you.”

Hai Ku stared, speechless. This wasn’t how he remembered the storyline at all.

“My name is Lan Bai. Although I’m an NPC in this game, I can still go to the real world with you. I want to find Xiao Xue. If you help me, I’ll help you clear the game,” Lan Bai said, pouting as he made his offer.

Originally, he had wanted to clear the game with Bing Jingxue, but he had been too shy when near her, so he had always kept his rabbit form. However, today was unbearable. Even though he had been rejected, Lan Bai still wanted to see what that girl was like in the real world.

“You mean you’ll help me clear up to level seven?” Hai Ku asked, though he didn’t understand why the female lead had such a strong appeal. He quickly grasped the main point in Lan Bai’s words.

“Yes, I am the soul of this entire game,” Lan Bai nodded. “I want to see what that girl is like in the real world. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“Why do you sound like you’re about to die?” Hai Ku put a hand to his forehead, thoroughly impressed with Bing Jingxue. Even an NPC had been unknowingly drawn to her.

“Cut the nonsense. Didn’t you come to play this game to clear it?” Lan Bai said. “But Xiao Xue is different. She’s such a pure girl. She plays this game purely for fun.” Lan Bai’s lips curled into a bitter smile as he thought about how Bing Jingxue had appeared in the game. She seemed like a goddess of fortune who had descended right beside him.

“Alright, alright,” Hai Ku gave in and nodded. “So, how exactly are you going to get to the real world?”

Before he could finish speaking, a system connection popped up on the game interface. Hai Ku clicked [Agree.]

“Alright, now you can log out of the game,” Lan Bai thought happily. Soon, he would get to see his goddess in the real world!