344: Blinded by Yuan Jing

Looking at his pathetic performance—forty-five yuan crystals—Filiche always felt that the so-called second place was an insult to him.

It was like a resounding slap across his face.

How could he, of all people, be ranked behind someone with three hundred thousand units of original performance?

At this rate, the outcome of this competition had already been decided; he was bound to lose.

Although the items to be auctioned later were all grand finale pieces, who could guarantee that Luo Ji's friend wouldn't continue to bid?

The thought of his past mockery made Filiche feel like a clown.

He finally understood why Luo Ji's gaze towards him had been so off—it was the look one would give an idiot.

"Congratulations, congratulations! Congratulations to the King Filiche for effortlessly securing second place on the performance leaderboard."

"I truly envy Filiche for achieving second place on the performance leaderboard at such a young age, unlike me, who has already given up the fight."

...These mocking words couldn't even stir Filiche's heart in the slightest, for he had long since despaired.

In order to secure first place in this performance, in order to seize this promotion opportunity, and in order not to drag down the Zebra Clan,

Filiche had committed countless absurd acts, resorting to every conceivable evil.

While doing so had garnered him immense performance, it had also left behind numerous hidden dangers.

Under normal circumstances, as long as Filiche successfully got promoted, he could disregard all consequences and become the undisputed victor.

However, he hadn't expected that just as he was brimming with confidence, reality would deliver a harsh slap, plunging him into despair even before the auction concluded.

He had no hope of victory whatsoever.

The thought of the terrifying consequences he might face after failing to get promoted made Filiche's body tremble uncontrollably.

Sometimes, death was the best release.

What awaited Filiche was a fate far more tragic than becoming a Slave.

As if sensing each other, in an instant, two Cosmic Beasts simultaneously raised their heads, both seeing the other's desperate eyes.

This was the despair of being at the end of one's rope, yet it was also mixed with a hint of reckless madness.

With a cruel smile, Udo said, "Some ignorant Cosmic Beast doesn't seem to plan on giving me a way out."

"I, Udo, am no saint. Since that's the case, if I can't live, I won't let him have an easy time either!"

Filiche let out a cackling laugh, saying, "What a coincidence, there's also a Cosmic Beast that doesn't intend to let me live."

"It seems my long inactivity has made the Extremely Cold Universe forget just how sharp my claws are."

Malice bred courage!

The two madmen were in perfect sync at this moment, both brewing insane ideas in their hearts.

A few breaths later, as if by telepathy, they simultaneously burst into laughter, "Hahahaha."

As their laughter grew louder and faster, the madness within it became increasingly apparent.

Sometimes, events unfold in such a magical way; all it takes is a serendipitous glance to sow the seeds of world-shattering restoration.

They simultaneously began to unleash their malice towards Lin Tianwei.

Although this insane thought was merely fleeting, after calming down, they began to scheme.

While they had fallen into madness, they were not fools; they wouldn't act too impulsively and directly charge out to fight Lin Tianwei.

After all, such a foolish act would be no different from courting death.

They began to quickly plan in their minds, devising a crazy scheme.

Although they had never had contact with Lin Tianwei, and Lin Tianwei's representative beast was merely Luo Ji, whose strength hadn't even reached the Cosmic Level,

they dared not underestimate Lin Tianwei's strength in the slightest.

How could a Cosmic Beast with such financial resources be weak?

Only by exhausting all their resources could they possibly carve out a sliver of hope for themselves.

When you're in the universe, how can you not have some unconventional methods? And now? It was time for them to unleash all their methods.

It was unknown what kind of surprise they would ultimately bring to Lin Tianwei.

The most ridiculous thing was that even in such a dangerous situation, these two Cosmic Beasts were not entirely united.

Because Udo suddenly remembered something: Lin Tianwei seemed to have taken a liking to his arm.

That's right, Udo was the so-called Long-Arm Tribe member, and the arm he sold was one he had detached from his own body.

This was also why Lin Tianwei felt a bit strange when he received this arm.

Normal spoils of war would have some traces.

However, this arm was as bright as new, completely without any signs of battle.

It was a world apart from the head.

To reduce his pain, Udo even quickly treated the wound, leaving some unnatural traces.

Most Cosmic Beasts would never be so foolish as to sell parts of their own bodies.

Although a Cosmic Beast's Self-healing Ability is powerful, body injuries can harm its core, making recovery extremely difficult.

Newly grown parts, after much effort, require a significant amount of time to adapt, greatly affecting one's combat power.

In this perilous universe, a damaged combat power is almost synonymous with death.

However, since Udo dared to do so, he was naturally not an ordinary Cosmic Beast; he possessed his own unique Talent.

He could sever parts of his body without greatly harming his core essence.

Not only that, Udo could even heal quickly and grow brand new body parts.

These body parts were identical to the original ones, not affecting his combat power in the slightest.

It was precisely because of this that Udo embarked on a path of no return, selling his flesh.

With the yuan crystals obtained from selling his flesh, he slowly but surely built up his strength with resources, elevating his power to the third stage of the Cosmic Level.

Of course, this Talent was not without its drawbacks.

Because it lacked its original essence, the arm Udo sold was very ineffective, completely lacking the power commensurate with its supposed strength.

Initially, Udo worried that this would cause problems and was uneasy.

However, he soon discovered he was wrong, terribly wrong.

The Cosmic Beasts who spent large amounts of yuan crystals to buy his fake body parts rarely complained.

This involved a very strange phenomenon: being blinded by yuan crystals.

If something bought with a small amount of yuan crystals or a few yuan coins had problems,

most Cosmic Beasts would blame the item, not themselves.

But if something bought with a large amount of yuan crystals had problems, the first reaction of most Cosmic Beasts wouldn't be that the item was faulty; instead, they would think it was their own problem.

Was their physique incompatible with the transplanted part?

Did they have a minor issue during the transplant process?

Did they not consume it thoroughly enough, wasting the essence in this arm?

...They would gradually self-gaslight, making it difficult to discover the truth of the matter. This is called being blinded by yuan crystals.

Most of Udo's customers were like this.

They doubted heaven, doubted earth, doubted luck, doubted themselves, doubted life, but they never doubted that the things Udo sold were problematic.

Of course, this was only the reaction of most Cosmic Beasts; there were also a very few Cosmic Beasts who discovered the truth and intended to come and cause trouble for Udo.

Unfortunately, by this time, Udo had already colluded with Filiche.

They conspired together, covering for each other, coaxing and deceiving, jointly swindling these victims.

Ultimately, they expanded and strengthened the flesh-selling business, achieving their current success.

However, this unscrupulous selling of his own arm ultimately harmed Udo himself, leading to a loss of his essence and a nearing end to his lifespan.

Yet, this swindling business was already an arrow on the string, impossible to stop.

If he stopped abruptly, setting aside other things, Filiche would never let him off.

It was precisely under these circumstances that Udo gradually reached his current desperate situation.

However, Lin Tianwei's previous inquiry did give Udo an idea.

He was still holding onto a glimmer of hope, with a somewhat immature idea.

Since this mysterious big shot was interested in his arm, could he perhaps exchange a large number of his arms for treasures that could extend his lifespan?

As soon as this bizarre idea was born, it swept through Udo's mind with an irresistible force, making him increasingly feel it was feasible.

He was a Cosmic Beast of Cosmic Level three strength; his arm was priceless, and even this mysterious big shot would definitely covet it immensely.

Udo even fantasized that perhaps by offering just two or three arms, he could obtain a large number of treasures that would extend his lifespan.

At this thought, Udo's desire to contact Lin Tianwei became increasingly uncontrollable.

However, with Filiche present, Udo naturally couldn't do anything that would affect morale.

After all, he still needed to make two sets of preparations.

At this thought, Udo, with a guilty conscience, glanced at Filiche standing beside him and quietly went offline.

This was a virtual world, so disconnecting was a perfectly normal function.

Although Udo had been blacklisted by Luo Ji, it didn't prevent him from contacting Luo Ji.

After all, he was incredibly thick-skinned and wouldn't feel any embarrassment about shamelessly contacting Luo Ji again.

As for the solution, it was very simple: everyone in the universe had one or two superficial friends.

If it was just to borrow a communicator, under normal circumstances, these superficial friends would not refuse.

Udo did exactly that.

Soon, he contacted a friend named Terensu, and through his communicator, attempted to contact Luo Ji again.

Luo Ji, as the person in charge of the Tello Slave Market, was in reality just a slightly more senior salesperson,

so he naturally wouldn't block strangers, which would be akin to turning away customers.

Without exception, Luo Ji's communication channel was connected again.

However, this time Udo dared not show the slightest disrespect to Luo Ji; his former arrogance had transformed into flattery, and his voice was full of obsequiousness.

Even though Luo Ji only had Star-level nine strength, an existence like trash in Udo's eyes, he still dared not be impolite to Luo Ji in the slightest.

Even if Luo Ji was just a dog, he was a big shot's dog, not an existence Udo could easily offend.

At this thought, Udo was so jealous he wanted to go mad.

Why did an ant like Luo Ji have such good luck, getting to know such a big shot?

If it were him, he would definitely be able to do things even better.

In the palace.

Luo Ji looked curious, wondering who would contact him at such a time.

However, the current Luo Ji was no longer the original Luo Ji; he had only one thought in his mind, which was to serve Lin Tianwei well.

So, the moment he received the call, he hung up.

However, the other party seemed to have something very important to discuss with him; after hanging up, they resubmitted a communication request.

After several repetitions, Luo Ji became annoyed and finally answered the call.

As soon as the call connected, Udo's fawning voice came through, saying, "Mr. Luo Ji, I'm truly sorry."

"I apologize for the abrupt interruption, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with the Lord and hope you can allow me to speak directly with him."

This familiar yet strange voice instantly stunned Luo Ji.

The voice seemed familiar, like that of the buyer named Udo.

However, the fawning tone made Luo Ji somewhat uncertain.

The last time Udo spoke to him, his attitude had been nothing short of arrogant.

At this thought, Luo Ji subconsciously asked, "May I ask who you are?"

The "Lord" in the other party's mouth was naturally Lin Tianwei, and as such, Luo Ji naturally couldn't just let any strange person speak with Lin Tianwei.

Facing Luo Ji's inquiry, Udo smiled and said, "Mr. Luo Ji, you really are a busy man with a short memory."

"I am Udo, the seller of the Long-Arm Tribe's arm."

"This time I'm here to discuss with the Lord about trading Long-Arm Tribe arms again."

As if fearing that Luo Ji would blacklist him again, Udo hastily added, "Don't worry, this time I will definitely show the best attitude and won't do anything foolish."

"The price will definitely not exceed one thousand yuan crystals per arm, I guarantee it!"

It really was Udo?

Udo's change in attitude, from arrogant to humble, truly shocked Luo Ji.

He couldn't understand why Udo's attitude towards him had undergone such a drastic change in just a few days.

Considering Udo's previous attitude, and the fact that Lin Tianwei had indeed shown interest in the Long-Arm Tribe's arm before,

otherwise, Luo Ji would have already added Udo to his blacklist.

In Luo Ji's eyes, an idiot like Udo, who dared to disrespect Lin Tianwei, simply wasn't qualified to speak with Lin Tianwei again.

After a moment of thought, Luo Ji finally spoke to Lin Tianwei, inquiring:

"Respected Lord Zeta, that Cosmic Beast named Udo has sent another communication."

"This time his attitude is much better, and he has expressed his willingness to sell you a large quantity of Long-Arm Tribe arms at a low price."

Hearing Udo's words, Lin Tianwei was very surprised.

How thick-skinned was Udo to contact him again under such circumstances?

As for the Long-Arm Tribe arms he mentioned, Lin Tianwei was completely uninterested now.

Such trashy food, not even comparable to the body of a low-level Cosmic Beast, simply failed to pique his interest in the slightest; it was as bland and uninteresting as plain white porridge without a hint of aroma. (End of Chapter)