Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 324 - Chapter 324: The Former Chief Commander

The middle-aged man, engaged in battle with Specter, heard a voice. He swung his sword, pushing the Frozen Zombie back, and turned to look at the group.

For a moment, he froze, disbelief flashing in his determined eyes. "Qingxin, Li, Xiong!"

Hearing those familiar names, Li Xiaoru and the others were overwhelmed with excitement. It couldn't be a mistake. This was the former Chief Commander who had vanished years ago.

"Sir, be careful!" Luo Qingxin suddenly called out in alarm, disappearing from her position.

It turned out that the Frozen Zombie had noticed the middle-aged man's distraction and seized the opportunity to strike. Its cold, withered hand reached for his heart.

In that instant, Luo Qingxin appeared in the middle of the scene. She raised her hand, sending an ice spike toward the Frozen Zombie's hand, forcing it to hesitate for a moment.

The middle-aged man, a fifth-tier psychic, reacted quickly. His sword flashed with dazzling white light and pierced through the Frozen Zombie.

Fang Xiu, witnessing the scene, scoffed thoughtfully.

The middle-aged man's strength was clearly superior to the Frozen Zombie's. Yet, he hadn't dealt with it immediately. He had waited, only striking after everyone had arrived—seemingly on purpose, to create a chance encounter.

During the last reset, Wei Xin had mentioned that someone from the headquarters in Whitestone would be glad to see Fang Xiu and the others.

Now, it seemed that the guy was this middle-aged man.

Fang Xiu sneered. "So, this is the former Chief Commander? Interesting."

After the Frozen Zombie was defeated, the group began talking.

"Is it really you?" Luo Qingxin asked, her voice filled with excitement.

The middle-aged man smiled warmly, a smile full of the charm unique to a mature man. "Qingxin, Li, Xiong, it's been nine years. You've all grown so much!"

Li Xiaoru and the others were overjoyed.

"Sir, I can't believe it really is you! We thought you were dead after disappearing for nine years. We had no idea you'd come to the Land Between!"

He glanced around cautiously, then said, "This isn't the place to talk. There are endless Specters here, and if we stay too long, our Spiritual Energy will eventually run out. Follow me."

Li Xiaoru and the others nodded and called out to Fang Xiu, "Xiu, this is the former Chief Commander of the headquarters, Lu Ziming!"

"By the way, Chief Commander, I forgot to introduce them to you. This is Yang Ming and Xiao Chuxia, both new members of the headquarters. And this one..." Li Xiaoru paused briefly, choosing her words carefully, "This is Xiu, Fang Xiu, the current Chief Commander of the headquarters."

As soon as she spoke, Lu Ziming's eyes immediately locked onto Fang Xiu, a sharp glint flickering in them.

Fang Xiu met his gaze calmly, remaining silent.

"Current Chief Commander? If my senses are correct, you seem to be only at the third tier?" Lu Ziming remarked. Realizing his words might have sounded blunt, he quickly added, "I'm not questioning your abilities, just curious how someone at the third tier could become Chief Commander."

Yang Ming jumped in excitedly. "You don't know Xiu, do you? That's why you're asking. Do you have any idea who he is? He's the famous—"

"Just lucky," Fang Xiu cut him off flatly.

Lu Ziming smiled slightly. "It seems Mr. Fang is still cautious around me. I understand. After all, I've been missing for nine years, and so much has changed in that time. But as we get to know each other better, you'll see my true character. You've just arrived in the Land Between, and you certainly won't be able to leave anytime soon."

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you know how to leave the Land Between?"

Lu Ziming nodded. "Actually, everyone in Whitestone knows how to leave the Land Between. The problem is that no one has managed to do it yet. But now that you've joined, the time it takes to leave will be significantly shorter."

Yang Ming couldn't contain himself. "What's the way out?" he asked eagerly. He was desperate, especially since he only had one pack of cigarettes left, and that pack had already started to smell like death.

"One hundred million Spirit Money bills," Lu Ziming replied casually.

Yang Ming rolled his eyes. "Spirit Money again? Is that the answer to everything here? Can you buy cigarettes with it?"

Lu Ziming gave a thoughtful look. "It seems you already know about Spirit Money. Did you meet someone else before?"

Luo Qingxin nodded and said, "We met Wei Xin, the Zombie."

"Wei Xin?" Lu Ziming's expression darkened slightly. "You didn't trade with him, did you? Wei Xin is not trustworthy. He's tricked newcomers before, getting them into huge debts and forcing them to work for him."

Yang Ming laughed. "With Xiu around, who would he be able to trick? Instead, Xiu tricked him out of ten thousand Spirit Money."

Lu Ziming's face showed surprise. "Mr. Fang, I think I understand now why you became Chief Commander."

Fang Xiu didn't respond.

Translator's note: I have a feeling that this Lu Ziming is another hypocrite.@@@@