Chapter 88: Family Betrayal

"Irving, someone over there seems to be calling for help..." Vicky said anxiously.

Following the direction of the sound, they saw a few figures flashing through the woods not far away, and the air was filled with the scent of blood.

Irving merely glanced indifferently in that direction and continued walking towards the edge of the forest.

Help?

Having been reborn after a previous life, Irving's heart had long been tempered to be as hard as steel. To survive in the brutal environment of the apocalypse, "sympathy" and "pity" were the greatest taboos.

"In the Other World, people are being killed at every moment. Do you think you can save them all?" Irving glanced at her and continued, "Don't forget why we came here."

It wasn't that he was cold-blooded, but rather that he deeply understood the rules of the cruel apocalypse.

Vicky's expression became a bit complex, and she could only helplessly sigh in the end.

However, before Irving and Vicky could walk far, the cries for help behind them grew closer. Irving, who had initially planned to quicken his pace and leave, suddenly frowned for some reason.

"Why does that voice sound familiar..." Irving muttered, slightly taken aback.

A sharp cry echoed through the air. A woman who had been fleeing suddenly tripped over a rock and fell heavily to the ground. Seven or eight players wielding sharp weapons pursued her.

"Run, let's see where you can run now!" The leader, a burly man with a full beard, wielded a heavy hammer.

He and his seven subordinates encircled the woman.

"You bastards, you betrayed us." the woman gritted her teeth, her cold face showing anger.

"Betrayal?" The bearded man sneered disdainfully, "Blame yourselves for offending those you shouldn't have. We had no choice. Their offer was too tempting."

"Enough talk, finish her off." the bearded man ordered.

Facing the eight warrior players, the woman gripped her staff tightly. Her icy expression showed no fear, but it was clear she was unwilling yet helpless.

Mages were the rarest class in the game, capable of casting wide-range attack spells, but their close combat skills were weak.

Just as the eight warrior players were about to strike, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Stop!"

Irving had returned for some reason. His deep eyes fell on the woman who had fallen, a complex look crossing his face.

"Sophia, is that you!" Vicky recognized the woman instantly and exclaimed.

A spark of light flashed in Sophia's dim eyes as she hurriedly stood up from the ground. However, surrounded by eight warrior players, she had no way to escape.

"Kid, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. This has nothing to do with you, get lost!" The bearded man initially looked slightly surprised but then gazed at Irving with a mocking expression.

Even the seven warrior players beside him relaxed their guard.

In their eyes, this young man who had suddenly appeared posed no threat at all.

"Are you deaf?" the bearded man scolded, lowering the hammer from his shoulder, his face gradually becoming ferocious.

The hammer was covered in blood, making it clear that these people had just been in a fight. They were glaring at Irving with fierce eyes.

"Leave her behind, and you can go now." Irving said coldly.

He then walked straight ahead, and under the astonished gazes of the eight players, he prepared to leave with Sophia.

In an instant, the bearded burly man was utterly enraged.

The greatest insult is to be ignored!

"You bastard, do you really think we don't exist?" The bearded burly man's eyes were bloodshot as he yelled, swinging his hammer at Irving's back.

A strong wind blew.

As the hammer, weighing at least a hundred pounds, descended. With its falling momentum, even a mid-tier exotic beast would be smashed into pulp.

"Irving!" Sophia cried out in terror.

However, Irving seemed oblivious, continuing to hold her hand and walk forward as if unaware of the impending hammer strike.

Sophia was in a panic.

She hurriedly turned to shield Irving, but at that moment, a rustling sound came from the surrounding forest. Several dark figures leaped out from the dense foliage, pouncing on the players.

"Boss... it's those damn spiders!" one of the players realized, but before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed in pain.

The Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders had not only neurotoxins but also razor-sharp teeth lined with barbs. Once bitten, even if one managed to escape, the barbs would tear away chunks of flesh.

In just a few breaths, all eight players, including the bearded burly man, were on the ground.

Injected with neurotoxins, they felt their bodies go numb and lose consciousness, but they could still see their flesh being eaten bit by bit by the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders.

Death might not be the worst fate. Watching oneself being devoured amplifies the terror infinitely.

"H-how is this possible..." The bearded burly man's eyes widened in disbelief as he stammered, "When we came, we didn't see any spiders. Where did they come from?"

The other seven players had the same question in their minds, and they could only assume that it was all a coincidence.

"This is such bad luck." one of the players thought, hearing the sound of the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders chewing his flesh. Despair filled his heart.

They wished they could die immediately rather than endure this torment.

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it." Irving said, glancing at them indifferently. He then gestured lightly at the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders.

The next moment, the eight players on the ground saw something they would never forget.

The Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders, as if summoned, crawled toward the young man and vanished from sight in an instant.

"He... he can control those Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders..." the bearded burly man's face turned as white as a sheet, his voice trembling.

Only now did they realize the terror of the young man!

Irving didn't want to waste time on these people. The eight players were seriously injured and paralyzed by the neurotoxin. It wouldn't be long before other Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders sensed the commotion and gathered.

Once they crossed the forest and reached the clearing at the foot of the volcano, they could finally rest.

"Sophia, what was going on with those people earlier?" Vicky couldn't help but ask. "Why were they hunting you? Irving said you were supposed to enter the secret realm with your family. Why didn't we see them?"

Sophia sighed, glanced at Irving, and then explained the situation.

It turned out that not long after she and her family guild entered the secret realm, they were attacked by a group of men in black. Due to the overwhelming difference in strength, her family could only flee into the forest.

The Green family, being one of the top powers in Starling City, had teamed up with another family in the city to ensure their success in the secret realm.

"We thought we could shake off the men in black once we entered the forest, but..." Sophia shook her head and glanced back at the forest they had just passed through before continuing. "We never expected the family we allied with to betray us. They had been in cahoots with the men in black all along, planning to use this secret realm expedition to wipe out the Green family."

"Those people earlier were sent by that family."

Facing the betrayal of their allies, Sophia's family suffered heavy casualties. The scene was so chaotic that she had become separated from her family.

"Men in black?" Irving frowned and asked, "Do you know which faction sent the men in black that attacked you?"

"I'm not sure..." Sophia replied. "Since the emergence of the Other World Game, the situation in Starling City has become increasingly chaotic. Many families have been wiped out overnight. Such things happen frequently."

Irving nodded without saying much more.

With the apocalypse approaching, many malevolent factions were beginning to stir, each wanting to achieve their own objectives during this global catastrophe.

"By the way." Sophia suddenly remembered something. "I recall that the men in black who attacked us had tattoos. They were somewhat similar to the Brotherhood of Night Blades' tattoos, but not quite the same."

She furrowed her brow, trying to recall more details.

"Was it a tattoo resembling the moon?" Irving asked.

"Yes." Sophia nodded after the prompt. "Those tattoos looked very eerie. Some of them had it on their arms, others on their necks. The positions varied."

As she finished speaking, a cold glint flashed in Irving's eyes. "I didn't expect them to enter the secret realm too." Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The threatening message he had received before had a symbol resembling a moon, the mark of the Night Blades.

The previous incident in the park had already sparked enmity between them. With Irving having eradicated the Brotherhood of Night Blades, the conflict had escalated to an irreconcilable level.

Instead of sitting and waiting for the Night Blades to come after him, it was better to strike first...