26: Please, please don't refuse anymore.

After locking the bedroom door, Lin Du set two alarms for the middle of the night and entered the game.

As soon as he entered the game, Lin Du's friend chat box popped up.

The one calling was Shameless Cao Thief. Without even guessing, Lin Du knew what Shameless Cao Thief was going to say next.

"Mr. Cao Thief, I'm really not interested in joining Three Kingdoms! Leave the opportunity to join Three Kingdoms for the players who need it."

Before Shameless Cao Thief could speak, Lin Du shut him down first.

In the video call, Shameless Cao Thief fell silent.

"Since Mr. Cao Thief has nothing else to say, I'll hang up now."

Beep, beep, beep—

Lin Du hung up as soon as he said he would, leaving Shameless Cao Thief stunned within the Three Kingdoms territory.

"Little brat, you actually dare to hang up on me!" After cursing a couple of times, Shameless Cao Thief dialed the video call again.

Listening to the "ding-ding" sound from his friend list, Lin Du was hesitating whether to just blacklist Shameless Cao Thief directly.

After some thought, Lin Du dismissed the idea of offending someone like that.

The video call connected.

This time, before Lin Du could speak, Shameless Cao Thief started cursing first.

"Little brat, you're the second person besides the boss who has dared to hang up on me."

"If the boss hadn't insisted I recruit you, do you think I'd be willing to come?"

In the small territory of Yunlong City, Shameless Cao Thief was a figure of some repute. He never thought he'd one day be toyed with by a Level 11 novice player; it was simply embarrassing.

Shameless Cao Thief had lost his patience by now and went straight to the point. "My boss said that as long as you're willing to join Three Kingdoms, he'll give you whatever you want."

"Think it over carefully..."

Before Shameless Cao Thief could finish, Lin Du waved his hand and interrupted him.

"No need to think about it. I have no interest in Three Kingdoms. Thank your boss for his high regard on my behalf!"

In the video call, Shameless Cao Thief was stunned again.

This was an invitation from Yuan Shu, a top-tier big shot in universe ol! And he just rejected it so casually?

If this opportunity were offered to the outside world, players would absolutely fight tooth and nail for it.

But in the eyes of this clown player before him, it had become so worthless?

He didn't even need to consider it for a second?

Shameless Cao Thief felt that both he and his boss had been insulted, and his expression gradually turned cold.

"Kid, you are the first novice player my boss has taken an interest in. Do you know what your choice just now means?"

Lin Du nodded with a calm gaze.

"I've already said it: thank your boss for his high regard!"

... "Since you won't accept my boss's recruitment, let's talk about something else."

Shameless Cao Thief proactively changed the subject, his face showing a hint of violence and killing intent that wasn't there before.

"You killed five players from Three Kingdoms. How do you want to settle this?"

The five players Shameless Cao Thief mentioned were exactly the five Three Kingdoms squad members Lin Du had dealt with in the Withered Forest earlier.

Lin Du didn't panic upon hearing this; instead, a look of confusion appeared on his face.

"I don't understand what you mean. What does the death of Three Kingdoms players have to do with me?"

Shameless Cao Thief grew angry, and two veins bulged on his forehead.

"At the entrance of the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon, many players saw the conflict between you. Do you still want to quibble?"

Lin Du gave a half-smile. "Since many players saw the conflict between us, may I ask, Mr. Cao Thief, did anyone see me kill them with my own hands?"

Huff—

Shameless Cao Thief's breath hitched, and the words at the tip of his tongue were choked back.

"Hmph! Indeed, no players saw you kill them with their own eyes, but the victims themselves witnessed your face."

"With the victims' testimony, do you still want to quibble?"

Hearing the words "witnessed with their own eyes," the mockery on Lin Du's face intensified.

"Mr. Cao Thief! Are you sure the person they saw was me?"

"I awakened as a Clown, which is recognized as the most useless class. Do you think I have the ability to kill five of them?"

"Why don't we find other major factions to mediate and see who's right?"

When he was killing them earlier, Lin Du had deliberately hidden his face. The five players of the Three Kingdoms squad didn't even get a chance to turn around before Lin Du finished them off.

Shameless Cao Thief saying these words was nothing more than an attempt to bluff Lin Du.

If it were any other young player, they would definitely be scared witless by Shameless Cao Thief and honestly confess everything in their panic.

But who was Lin Du?

These little tricks were simply beneath him.

"Mr. Cao Thief, if you have evidence, please produce it."

"If you don't have evidence, please don't speak nonsense and slander me!"

"Goodbye!"

Without waiting for Shameless Cao Thief to speak, Lin Du hung up the video call... Outside Yunlong City, at the entrance of the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon.

The high rewards and news of the record being broken had been displayed repeatedly on the World Chat Channel throughout the day, attracting the attention of many low-level players.

Many players hoped they could also create a miracle!

If a Sequence 999 Clown could do it, who wouldn't want to give it a try?

The entrance to the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon was already crowded, with at least ten times more players than during the day.

Confident players entered the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon one after another, only to return dejectedly after five or six minutes.

Throughout the afternoon, the best result achieved was only 4 minutes and 50 seconds, a full 20-second gap from Ember Eyes, who was 4th on the record board... When Lin Du arrived at the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon again, he was startled by the crowd gathered there.

"So many people?"

The clown mask was very eye-catching, and as soon as Lin Du appeared, he was spotted by sharp-eyed players.

"Night Ember! Night Ember is here! Everyone, come look, the clown who broke the record today is back."

"It really is him! What is he doing here? Does he want to challenge the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon again?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! The record of 3 minutes and 11 seconds is unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed. He couldn't break that record even if he challenged it ten thousand more times!"

"I'm not so sure; maybe he's already figured out the trick to the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon..."

While the players were discussing, many scouts from major factions also sent the news back.

In an instant, countless major factions swarmed toward the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon.

The first person to appear gave all the surrounding players a massive shock.

The newcomer was riding a ferocious Black Wyvern, holding a Black Great Halberd with unparalleled aura—it was none other than Shameless Cao Thief, one of the four great knights of Three Kingdoms.

Shameless Cao Thief arrived very quickly, almost right on Lin Du's heels.

When Lin Du hung up the video call just now, Shameless Cao Thief had keenly sensed Lin Du's geographical location, so he rushed here immediately.

The Black Wyvern flapped its wings and circled in mid-air, casting a massive shadow that enveloped hundreds of players.

The players under the shadow were trembling with fear; locked by the Black Wyvern's aura, they didn't dare to move a muscle... Shameless Cao Thief looked down at Lin Du from above, his eyes suppressing a raging fire of anger.

"You've already rejected Three Kingdoms twice. Once, twice, but there won't be a third time!"

"I'll give you one last chance. Join Three Kingdoms obediently, and I can let bygones be bygones regarding what happened before!"

Roar—

A domineering dragon's roar echoed from the Black Great Halberd in Shameless Cao Thief's hand, and a heaven-shaking killing intent pressed down toward the ground.

The players on the ground were all stunned by now.

On one hand, they were terrified by the overwhelming killing intent; on the other, they were shocked by Shameless Cao Thief's words.

"What did I just hear? This clown actually rejected Three Kingdoms twice in a row?"

"This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight. I've been hanging around the Yunlong City game forums for so long, and this is the first time I've seen Three Kingdoms so proactively recruit a player."

"Oh my goodness! This brother is actually stupid enough not to join a top-tier faction like Three Kingdoms? If he could join Three Kingdoms, he'd be set for life."

"With Three Kingdoms backing him, as long as he doesn't look for trouble, he could walk sideways in Yunlong City from now on."

"Sigh! This brother is probably blinded by glory. Wake up quickly!"

... Listening to the chaotic discussions on the ground, Shameless Cao Thief curled his lips into a smug smile.

Since I can't persuade you myself, I'll let the voice of the masses drown out your reason.

While the players below were lamenting for Lin Du, they also listed every advantage of Three Kingdoms. Even Shameless Cao Thief himself hadn't realized there were so many benefits to joining... Shameless Cao Thief was convinced that under such temptation, no one could say "no."

However, Shameless Cao Thief's smugness didn't last long before his face fell.

Because Lin Du didn't pay him any attention at all and stepped into the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon on his own...