Pretending To Be A Boss

Time was up.

The anticipated rapid loss of life force did not occur. Tang Xian clearly remembered when he had arrived at the mine.

His brows furrowed slightly, the absence of the so-called seven-day certain death was naturally a good thing.

But why would the textbook lie?

Seeing is believing, personal experiences tell the truth.

Tang Xian had come across similar cases in books, and everyone had only read about them, none daring to test it for themselves.

He thought this ordeal would end meaninglessly, and he was ready to take out his diary to jot down some notes.

But suddenly, Tang Xian felt his heart violently thump!

It was as if a traveler known for light footsteps had suddenly stomped heavily on the ground.

In an instant, Tang Xian's eyes filled with bloodshot veins, turning frighteningly red in a very short time.

He looked anguished, his breathing became rapid.

His heart thumped more and more violently! The veins that pumped blood seemed as if they would burst under such intense vibrations.

His eyes, nose, mouth, and even ears began to bleed.

[Warning, subject to an unknown attack, unable to match corresponding resistance]

In his last moments of consciousness, he caught the alert in his sea of knowledge.

Tang Xian's gaze gradually grew vacant, and during this excruciating process, he couldn't even make a sound. Just as he was about to open a dimensional rift, he realized his body was completely out of control.

He felt as if his entire body was paralyzed.

In what Tang Xian understood to be a rapid loss of life, it seemed more like an accelerated degradation of bodily functions in a short time. He had enough time to open a rift and return to the Pyramid.

Yet, it was not so, it started with a violent trembling in the heart.

Instead of weakening, the heart was overly active, leaving his limbs in a constant state of paralysis.

Will I die here?

Tang Xian could no longer express panic; he was like a puppet drained of consciousness and strength.

His last thought was merely a fleeting puzzle about life and death.

It was too quiet; throughout this ordeal, Tang Xiaojiu and Tang Gazi hadn't even woken up.

Perhaps it was Tang Xian's presence that gave the fox and the bird a sense of security, allowing them to sleep deeply and soundly.

Thud—Tang Xian fell to the ground.

He completely lost consciousness, his last action being the attempt to open a transport rift, only to find he couldn't even bend a finger.

[Unable to match corresponding resistance, current life value detected to be too low, life recovery rate increased by 5%. Maximum life value increased by 5%]

[Life recovery rate increased by 10%, maximum life value increased by 10%]

[Life recovery rate increased by 15%, maximum life value increased by 15%]

…

…

[Life recovery rate increased by 315%, maximum life value increased by 315%]

…

…

Tang Xian had already completely lost consciousness; the messages in his sea of knowledge were like notifications occurring in an unconscious state, as indecipherable to him as the sounds of the outside world to a person deep in sleep.

However, the blood that continuously flowed from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose began to dry slowly.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop suddenly. Tang Xian's lips turned a frozen purple, hinting at the cold. He curled up and trembled slightly, as though in his dream he was enduring freezing winds and snow.

Suddenly, at some point, Tang Xiaojiu woke up. The little girl didn't know what had transpired, but as soon as she opened her sleepy eyes, she saw Tang Xian curled up in agony.

She remembered enduring similar pain in her childhood. Although now was also her childhood.

Back then, it was Qing who snuggled up to her, gently patting her back and saying many strange things to her.

Tang Xiaojiu tiptoed over to Tang Xian's side.

Although they had only known each other for two days, her impression of Tang Xian was exceptionally good.

Her small body could only hug Tang Xian's arm, not enough to encircle his waist. Her little hands patted Tang Xian gently.

Humming an unnamed tune.

If Tang Xian could hear, he would probably recognize it as a type of lullaby of the human race.

…

…

As the life force and life recovery speed reached a certain value, the warning about the low life value in Tang Xian's sea of knowledge was lifted.

But in this world, it wasn't just the unknown attacks that could claim lives.

Tang Xian had once read a book written by an author from the ancient Dongying Island Country called "Complete Manual of Suicide," detailing various means by which one could die.

The human body is fragile... so fragile that a slight change in temperature could mean death.

In the dream, Tang Xian seemed to watch his surroundings filled with blizzards, still wearing his thin work attire.

Walking through the storm, the discomfort on his body disappeared, but the bone-chilling cold did not.

He lifted his head to observe the boundless blizzards in the distance, thinking he might indeed die.

Die from the cold.

But then, a blaze of red appeared in the world of white.

The winds ceased, the snow melted, all in a moment—as the mighty flames overcame all the snow and ice.

At last, Tang Xian felt a certain warmth.

…

…

He woke up.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw it was already noon.

The feeling of sweat-soaked clothing was not pleasing—sticky and uncomfortable. At the moment, all he wanted was to take a bath in the river.

"Tang Xian, you're awake! Let's go catch some Cat-Eared Bats to eat!" Tang Xiaojiu's cheerful voice rang out.

"It's Bat-Eared Fox Gazi," Tang Gazi's voice also followed.

A night had passed, and Tang Gazi was no longer afraid of Tang Xiaojiu, even perching on her little shoulder.