Alien Species Invasion? I Kill Them Back.

Chapter 73: Chapter 71: I Am Willing

Huangfu Miaomiao was ecstatic. Getting to meet a Maze Administrator made her feel like she was already a pro gamer, on a whole new level.

Feng Ling, however, frowned as she listened. She looked at Li Qing. "You’re a Maze Administrator, yet you’re posting data on Alien Species to human forums. What’s with the good-guy act? What are you trying to pull?"

Li Qing explained stiffly, "I mean no harm. I stumbled upon your forum by chance and saw that a lot of the information posted had mistakes, so I helped correct and organize it."

Feng Ling closed in on him, her voice laced with sarcasm. "So, should I thank you on behalf of all humanity?"

Li Qing took half a step back, defending himself. "I know you suspect me of having ulterior motives, but I really don’t mean any harm. The game’s balance was already on the verge of collapse. It was inevitable that humans would get involved, and as an administrator, my actions were just a response to the changing tide."

"Game balance? Collapse? Trend?" Feng Ling scoffed. "If it was collapsing, why didn’t you just get lost? Aren’t you an administrator? Don’t you have the authority to shut down the game?"

"...I don’t."

The quiet answer came from Huangfu Miaomiao.

Feng Ling shot her a displeased glare.

Li Qing observed their interaction. He deduced that since Feng Ling hadn’t killed the player, Huangfu Miaomiao, there was room for negotiation.

He took a deep breath, raising his hands toward Feng Ling in a gesture of surrender. "Can we just talk this out, openly and honestly?"

Feng Ling stared at him coldly.

A small animal hidden in her Daoist robe peeked out curiously from her collar. Meanwhile, her Cat Spider and Cat Owl, hungry for some time, crouched nearby, ready to pounce.

After a moment’s thought, her eyes landed on the sofa inside the RV. She walked over and sat down, leaving the opposite seat empty and motioning with her eyes for Li Qing to join her.

Li Qing glanced silently at the nearby Cat Spider and Cat Owl, his thin lips pressed into a firm line. He lowered his head, walked over, and sat down.

"If you help me solve the riddle, I’ll have no reason to kill you," Feng Ling said. "But not killing you doesn’t mean I’ll trust you completely."

She turned her head to Huangfu Miaomiao. "Didn’t you say you can make a contract with any intelligent life form? Make him sign one now. From this day forward, every word he says to you must be the honest truth, without a single lie. The penalty will be sudden death."

Huangfu Miaomiao muttered under her breath, "Contracts require a reciprocal exchange. You can’t just bind one party unilaterally."

Feng Ling said, "Then all you have to do is promise not to lie to him, right?"

Huangfu Miaomiao never expected her first Demon Contract to be used as a lie detector. She had rather mixed feelings about it.

But she didn’t dare refuse Feng Ling’s demand. She glanced silently at Li Qing, raised her hand to summon a panel, and input the terms of the contract.

Soon, Li Qing received a system message—

[A Demon has extended a contract invitation to you: So long as you are always honest with the Demon, the Demon shall also be honest with you. Once the contract is forged, neither party may renege, on pain of sudden death. Do you confirm?]

Li Qing: "..."

He hesitated.

As an administrator, the information he possessed was his greatest source of leverage and confidence. If Feng Ling learned everything, the consequences would be impossible to predict.

A sharp-edged bone spike slowly extruded from Feng Ling’s shoulder, and a slow smile spread across her lips.

"Li Daoist, are you reluctant?" Her smile was dangerously enigmatic.

Li Qing’s heart sank.

He remembered what Feng Ling had said earlier...

"If you help me solve the riddle, I’ll have no reason to kill you."

’She wants to kill me.’

’She’s just looking for a reason to kill me.’

Trying to ease the tension, Huangfu Miaomiao sprayed some perfume into the air while trying to persuade Li Qing. "This contract is actually a great deal for you. It just asks you to tell the truth. It’s not forcing you to betray the player community, and it doesn’t stop you from resisting the hidden Boss. You even get the Demon’s honesty in return. It’s a real bargain, you know!"

Li Qing: "..."

’Seriously? What kind of player even is she???’

He had a bad feeling. His temples started to throb. When he looked at Feng Ling again, her expression had changed. Her gaze was unfocused, as if she were scanning his body, deciding where to make the first cut.

"I agree," Li Qing answered, forcing himself.

He signed the contract.

A flash of light flared in the air, and the text changed:

[Demon Contract now in effect.]

Li Qing felt like he was having a heart attack.

Feng Ling and Huangfu Miaomiao might not know this, but as the game’s administrator, he understood it all too well—

The Demon Contract wasn’t Magic, but a powerful form of psychological suggestion. Once it took effect, he would be compelled to act according to its terms. Otherwise, his own suggestively conditioned subconscious would actually cause his body to drop dead.

"Excellent." Feng Ling gave a satisfied smile.

She tilted her head, resting her chin in her hand and admiring Li Qing’s ghastly expression. "I don’t care if you’re some Alien Species with ulterior motives or a true-blue peace ambassador," she said with a grin. "Now for my first question: Where is the Maze?"

Huangfu Miaomiao parroted, "Where is the Maze?"

Li Qing answered in a low voice, "I do have the authority to open the Maze, but it must be done at a specific time and place."

Feng Ling showed him the photo on her phone. "The riddle is: ’The frog in the top hat rushes to the clouds, coveting a kiss for the lone White Bird. The Heavenly Fire of the Snake Month burns a gate from the ashes.’"

Li Qing thought for a moment before replying, "I understand. The location of the light in the photo is Goddess Peak. The time is approximately twenty minutes before sunset. I will be at that location at that time to open the Maze for you."

"Second question," Feng Ling asked, her eyes curving into a smile. "What’s inside the Maze?"

Huangfu Miaomiao parroted, "What’s inside the Maze?"

Li Qing pressed his lips together, then shook his head after a moment. "I don’t know."

Huangfu Miaomiao turned to Feng Ling. "He really doesn’t know. The Demon Contract won’t let him lie, so he’s definitely telling the truth."

Feng Ling frowned. "Does that make sense? He’s a Maze Administrator and he has no idea what’s inside the Maze?"

"The Maze is a genetic testing ground created by the game system. It’s constantly changing and evolving. No one knows what stage the Sanqing Mountain Maze has reached by now," Li Qing explained, taking a deep breath. "However, one thing is certain: the things inside a Maze are influenced by local factors, such as the geology, native species, and cultural traditions of the area."

"What do you mean?" Feng Ling asked.

"You won’t find an Egyptian Mummy in the Volcano Island Maze in the Aegean Sea," Li Qing replied.

Feng Ling understood immediately.

She gazed through the RV window at the distant mountain rock, silent for a moment. "In that case, near Sanqing Mountain... will we see Pollution Bodies like mountain Fairies and monsters?"

"No," Li Qing said, speaking before Huangfu Miaomiao could parrot him. "I have diligently fulfilled my duties as an administrator. I haven’t allowed the pollution within the Maze to spread to the outside."

Feng Ling paused, stunned. "You mean the pollution from the Maze *can* spread to the outside world? Why? Aren’t the other administrators handling it?"

A look of helplessness crossed Li Qing’s face. "No. They were killed."

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