"Qingxue, what on earth happened?" Zhao Yueru knew Bai Qingxue well.
The moment she saw Bai Qingxue's icy expression, she knew Bai Qingxue was furious.
But Bai Qingxue had always been calm and composed, never one to lose her temper easily. Now, after reading a single message, she was this angry — something major must have happened.
It wasn't just Zhao Yueru who felt something was off. Even Shi Feng, who wasn't particularly close to Bai Qingxue, could sense it. However, he held back from asking. After all, he was an outsider.
After finishing the message she'd received, Bai Qingxue's first reaction was fury, followed by a look of visible exhaustion. Shi Feng could tell that upon hearing Zhao Yueru's words, Bai Qingxue wanted to speak but simply didn't know how to begin.
Disappointments were endless, yet there was hardly anyone one could confide in.
Bai Qingxue offered a faint smile and forwarded the message to Zhao Yueru.
"That ungrateful traitor Lingshe, the fence-sitting worm — worse than an animal! We took care of him when he was at his lowest, provided him with massive resources, and helped him become one of the Snake of the Body's Twelve Apostles. And now he's someone else's lapdog? Next time I lay eyes on him, I'll break all three of his legs!" Zhao Yueru finished reading and let loose a string of curses.
"Yueru-ji, surely this is some kind of mistake? How could Lingshe betray us? Sister Bai personally mentored and raised him — she's practically his own sister. Why would he turn on her?" The cold-faced young man, Xiong Snake, blurted out in disbelief.
Lingshe had always been the one who curryed favor with Bai Qingxue the most. He conducted himself with simple honesty and hard work, and he looked the part too — not at all the sort of person capable of such a thing.
"If you don't believe it, see the evidence for yourself." Zhao Yueru switched the message to visual mode so everyone could view it.
The message contained numerous pieces of proof showing that Lingshe had been bribed even before Bai Qingxue began her plans. He had been feeding information to those people the entire time, giving them time to prepare. And just an hour ago, Lingshe had officially become one of their five duelists. The evidence was ironclad.
Xiong Snake was rendered speechless, his eyes turning bloodshot as he frantically tried to contact Lingshe — but couldn't get through no matter how hard he tried. He wished more than anything he could rush over right now and demand an explanation.
But compared to Xiong Snake's heartache, it was Bai Qingxue who had been hurt the most.
The person she had looked after like her own younger brother had stabbed her in the back at the most critical moment — and with a fatal blow at that.
In a five-versus-five duel, Bai Qingxue had estimated their opponents' strength. The ones with the highest chance of winning were herself, Lingshe, and Yefeng. As for Zhao Yueru and Xiong Snake, their odds were probably less than fifty percent. Now that Lingshe had switched sides, the balance of power shifted dramatically, putting them at an immediate disadvantage.
"Qingxue, don't worry. Even if Lingshe has defected, we still have several other executors, don't we?" Zhao Yueru quickly tried to comfort her. "Their strength has improved a lot recently — it's not like we have no chance at all. I'll contact them right now and have them come over immediately."
Bai Qingxue waved her hand dismissively.
Since Lingshe had betrayed her long ago, every card in her hand — with the possible exception of Yefeng — had likely already been exposed to the other side. They probably couldn't make it here in time. The only option now was to find a last-minute replacement and hope for the best.
She hadn't reached a completely hopeless situation yet. Defeating the other side was still possible, so long as Zhao Yueru and Xiong Snake could each win one round.
At that moment, Bai Qingxue was quietly grateful she had never revealed anything about Yefeng. That single decision kept the current situation from becoming a complete dead end.
Standing off to the side, Shi Feng watched the scene unfold and, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, found himself thinking about the day Bai Qingxue had left the Snake of the Body and withdrawn from the virtual gaming world entirely.
When the Ice Goddess Bai Qingxue had departed, it had sent shockwaves through the entire virtual gaming industry — virtually everyone had heard about it.