Chapter 54: The Angel’s Seed and Final Settlement

“Thank you, Hank, I won’t forget you.”Having watched Hank meticulously strip the ‘corpse’ of the Azure Dragon of its every item, before then summoning the ‘Azure Dragon’ battle pet, Xue Hu finally allowed a long-suppressed, brilliant smile to grace her lips.After all, she had been forced to conceal her genuine intentions, plastering on insincere, commercial smiles to manipulate those individuals into pursuing the Azure Dragon according to her own agenda.

“What? You said—” Hank, who had been rapturously admiring the ‘Azure Dragon’ battle pet he had just summoned, was utterly blindsided by Xue Hu’s unexpected gratitude.A prickle of unease immediately set him on edge, prompting him to voice a question, only for his words to abruptly catch in his throat, suspended in the air.

Xue Hu watched as Hank froze, suspended in the very act of questioning, before his form began to subtly lose its vibrant hue.He grew progressively translucent, ultimately dissipating from her vision as though dissolved by a phantom breeze.

“Congratulations, Player Xue Hu, you have emerged victorious in this round of the game. Mission settlement will now commence.” Nina’s voice, saccharine yet devoid of all emotion, had begun speaking even as Hank’s form dissolved. “Player Xue Hu, codename ‘Little Angel’, your missions are detailed below.”

“Main Mission: None. Side Mission: None. Special Mission: Assist others in capturing the Azure Dragon—Completed. Confidential Mission: Do not let others discover your true gender—Not Failed.” Nina proceeded with her summary. “Please observe the main screen, which now presents your detailed data and that of the other players.”

Xue Hu gazed at the translucent, 3D holographic screen that materialized before her, presenting an unobstructed, comprehensive view.It meticulously detailed her missions, those of the other participants, and their respective completion statuses.While she was already privy to all this information, there were still certain distinct revelations: a select few among the players harbored unique abilities.For instance, Yi Ye Zhixia possessed the peculiar trait of rapid solo leveling contrasted by sluggish team progression, and Kabasiji could ‘magically modify’ the Azure Dragon’s hacking skills a single time.None of these special capabilities had been disclosed, even after their demise.

“The Most Valuable Player of this round is Xue Hu. Despite lacking any inherent special skills, she not only successfully completed her special mission but also managed to keep her confidential mission entirely undiscovered.” Nina then commenced the distribution of mission rewards. “Ultimately, by employing the ‘Seed of an Angel’ to undergo a class change into an ‘Angel,’ she skillfully dodged the ‘Azure Dragon · Modified’s’ devastating assault and even resurrected her teammates, thereby fulfilling the special mission. Her resourcefulness was truly exceptional.Thus, in recognition of Xue Hu’s outstanding performance in this game, she is hereby granted the MVP reward: the ‘Seed of an Angel’!”

A pristine white seed settled gently into Xue Hu’s open palm, igniting a tremor of excitement within her.She had long heard both the Destiny System and Nina speak of the supernatural rewards bestowed upon a game’s MVP, and now, it appeared this ‘Seed of an Angel’ was indeed one such prize.Given that the ‘Angel’ class within this game was predominantly healing-oriented, a thought sparked within her: ‘could carrying this item outside the game enable her to swiftly heal her own ailing body?’

“Rewards are now being distributed. Player Xue Hu, as the undisputed victor of this round, you are awarded a base prize of 1000 points. Furthermore, having successfully completed both the special and confidential missions, you shall receive an additional 500 points.” Nina’s voice resonated once more, almost as if directly addressing Xue Hu’s unspoken query. “Regarding the points acquired in this game, Player Xue Hu, please indicate your preference: would you like to convert them into cash?”

“Wait a moment,” Xue Hu interjected, momentarily deferring the decision on her points. “I recall from the previous game that the sole surviving player was supposed to receive an additional 500 points as a bonus, correct? Why am I not receiving it this time? I should also be the only survivor in this round, shouldn’t I? Don’t tell me they managed to survive without even completing their missions!”

“Addressing Player Xue Hu’s inquiry,” Nina clarified, “the criterion for ‘sole survivor’ is determined based on the time immediately preceding the full settlement. Prior to the game’s final tally, Player Hank remained alive alongside Player Xue Hu, thus precluding you from being classified as the sole survivor. Do you have any further questions? If not, Player Xue Hu, please make your selection: would you prefer to convert your points into cash?”

“Ah? So that’s the explanation,” Xue Hu murmured, a hint of exasperation in her tone. “This is just too… Never mind. The final right of interpretation rests with you, doesn’t it? My protests would be utterly futile.” She shook her head, then declared with resolute certainty, “Convert it to cash. That’s a total of one thousand five hundred yuan, correct? I presume there’s no tax implication for this?”

“No tax is levied; these rewards are directly disbursed to players by the system itself,” Nina’s voice continued. “Player Xue Hu has confirmed the conversion of the points acquired in this game—a total of 1500 points—into 1500 RMB. All cash has now been transferred to your hands; please ensure you verify its receipt!”

No sooner had Nina’s final words faded than Xue Hu was assailed by a familiar, disorienting sensation of the world spinning. In an instant, she had reverted to Wang Tianming, now lying on the long-familiar hospital bed, gazing up at the equally familiar ceiling. The stack of paper in his hand felt notably thicker; Wang Tianming instinctively knew the banknotes had swelled from one thousand to two thousand five hundred yuan. Beyond this, he also detected a small, round, hard object nestled in his palm—an undeniable confirmation that it was indeed the ‘Seed of an Angel’!