Infinitely Criticizing the Villain for Being Like My Ex-Boyfriend

"I understand." Zhang Chunliang murmured, "So that's how it is."

"What?" Wang Shaofan looked at him in surprise.

"The Mermaid King, it's indeed him." Zhang Chunliang stood up suddenly and rushed out the door.

The two hints Wang Shaofan received from the goddess were very crucial. The first hint told them that the goddess’ child was the fallen mermaid king.

The second one, although it did not provide a direct hint, inadvertently helped Zhang Chunliang connect all the information together.

Zhang Chunliang broke out in a cold sweat as he suddenly realized something scary - the vague nickname "Mermaid King" given by the system was really very confusing.

So far, two NPCs suspected to be the Mermaid King have appeared in this copy - Xiao Ai, who possesses the sacred bones of the Mermaid Island, and the headless fish corpse that Will uses as his body.

And they all happen to have missing "treasures".

If players who don't have complete information discover them, 90% of the time they will directly identify them as the "Mermaid King", thus getting further and further away from the main quest -

So far, only Zhang Chunliang, who is friends with both the mermaid and the player, has obtained the complete information chain.

Xiao Ai is a powerful soul attached to the deep blue skeleton of the Mermaid King, and the headless fish corpse is... the father of the "Mermaid King" in the real mission.

The basis for his judgment that the fish corpse was not the Mermaid King in the mission was the two "treasures" that appeared on his system interface.

Before these two "treasure" hints appeared, the fox had given him something intentionally or unintentionally.

This shows that he is the real protagonist of the mission - the Mermaid King.

Although he had guessed it long ago, the idea was so bizarre that he hesitated to make a conclusion.

It was not until Wang Shaofan conveyed the goddess's order to him just now that he finally confirmed his thoughts.

Zhang Chunliang braked suddenly, and Wang Shaofan, who was following closely behind him, almost hit his nose.

"...What's wrong?" Wang Shaofan asked blankly. He didn't understand why Zhang Chunliang, who was always calm and composed, suddenly reacted so violently.

"If you are lucky enough to leave this copy, you must remember to burn more incense to the goddess." Zhang Chunliang patted his shoulder.

Wang Shaofan: “……???”

023 found something new to do. It gathered several players, collected a lot of snacks left by the researchers, and fed them to the headless fish corpse.

When Zhang Chunliang rushed in, the tied-up fish corpse was eating spicy strips with the huge mouth on its tail.

"When I was a human, I loved eating this brand of spicy snacks the most, but I have stomach ulcers and high blood pressure, so my daughter hid them all." 023 looked at the ugly fish corpse with emotion and smiled kindly, "I am willing to accept Will's invitation to come to the Siren because he promised me an unlimited supply of snacks."

It added: "Will is a treacherous bastard."

"How old are you?" a player asked.

"As a human being, I am a 77-year-old old man. As a stone, I am a 77-year-old young stone." 023's tone was humorous and relaxed.

The players wanted to laugh at this humorous old man, but when they saw his stiff gray body, they suddenly fell silent.

"Xiaoliang, why are you in such a hurry?" 023 smiled at the breathless Zhang Chunliang, "I wanted to make you a cup of instant coffee, but I couldn't find anything."

Zhang Chunliang smiled at it politely, his eyes roaming around the crowd.

The fox was sitting quietly in the corner, supporting his chin with one hand, looking at the fish corpse monster he called "father".

"Why are you so flustered? Are you going to agree to be with me?" He said in a cold tone, looking at Zhang Chunliang calmly, "Then we can ask 023 to be the witness."

He used the embarrassing topic of 023 not being able to figure out the situation just now to tease Zhang Chunliang again.

"Oh..." The players cheered in excitement and pricked up their ears.

Zhang Chunliang looked at him calmly: "To be honest, I once dreamed of becoming a mermaid princess, but I'm sorry... I probably don't have this honor."

"……what?"

Mermaid Princess?

Everyone was stunned at first, then they understood the hidden meaning in his words, and their expressions were so stunned that they seemed a little funny.

Wang Shaofan followed Zhang Chunliang in, and when he saw the confrontation between him and the fox, he felt his scalp go numb.

"Zhang Chunliang, this is a player... not the Mermaid King. You've made a mistake." He reminded carefully, "He's not easy to mess with. Stay away from him."

Wang Shaofan already knew that the famous player Fox had entered the same dungeon as them. This super high-level player who was capable of both brute force and mental puzzle solving was the target of numerous guilds, and he had originally wanted to try to pry him into the dungeon.

However, soon after entering the dungeon, he ran into a fox that broke the necks of two players who tried to chat with him and threw them into the sea.

——He is a real madman.

Wang Shaofan had been terrified for a while, fearing that he would be associated with him and die inexplicably. But he didn't expect that the lord he had just acknowledged would run into the gun.

The empty, spacious room was eerily quiet.

It was so quiet that the only sound could be heard of the mermaid king's corpse chewing spicy strips.

Under everyone's tense gaze, the fox slowly stood up and gently brushed off the dust on his shoulders.

"How did you guess it just now?" His tone was calm and casual, as if he was just discussing today's weather. "It's a little later than I expected."

The players gasped and took a few steps back in horror.

There was not a single fool present, and they heard the message behind the confrontation between the two.

The fox is the mermaid king!

No, it must be that the Mermaid King of this world has possessed the body of Fox, a high-level player... How powerful of an NPC can be to kill a top player like Fox? !

No one dared to think about it too much.

"I had a hunch, but I was never sure." Zhang Chunliang looked at him sincerely, "Now that I think about it, it seems that you never intended to hide your identity from me."

The fox smiled softly. "I invited you in. I have to give you a little extra treat, don't I?"

"No wonder, I always feel that you are very similar to me." 023 smiled and stood in front of Zhang Chunliang, "Mermaid King? What a great gentleman... You may be about the same age as me. I have a few elegant and beautiful single friends here. If you are willing, I can recommend them to you..."

Zhang Chunliang was speechless. When will 023 get rid of this bad habit of introducing his partner to others at any time?

"No need." A faint silver-blue light flashed in the fox's eyes, which was breathtakingly beautiful. "I was only 29 years old when I died. I'm afraid I don't have much in common with your friends."

The players became visibly more desperate.

"What are you all doing here?" Zhang Chunliang suddenly spoke up. "We found the protagonist of the mission. We should be happy, right?"

He patted 023's arm, walked around behind it, and went straight to the fox.

The blue in the fox's eyes was close to ice blue. Zhang Chunliang felt an endless chill just by looking into its eyes.

Zhang Chunliang inexplicably felt that the fox was completely "empty" at this moment. He was like a statue made of ice crystals, staring at the rebellious mortals indifferently.

——Is he angry? Because Zhang Chunliang exposed his identity? Or maybe he sensed the players' fear and vigilance, and recalled some bad stories...

"I haven't given you a gift yet." Zhang Chunliang said suddenly.

There was a sudden look of daze in the fox's inorganic eyes, and the brewing cold wave gradually dissipated, turning into a weak cool breeze.

"Have you forgotten?" Zhang Chunliang asked, "It's a gift from a friend."

The fox looked at him, the dangerous aura on his body still lingered for a long time. He asked softly, "Is this a unique way of begging for mercy?"

"If you think so, I'll be angry." Zhang Chun smiled good-temperedly, "Do you think I'm standing in front of you just to beg for mercy?"

The fox raised the corner of his lips, and the blueness in his eyes gradually disappeared: "Cunning little liar."

"Don't think I can't kill you." His tone was oddly cheerful. "If you're waiting for that little mouse that only dares to spy on your fantasies to save you, then you're probably going to be disappointed. I have thousands of ways to break your neck before it catches you."

"You always seem to think that I'm weak. Are you looking down on me?" Zhang Chunliang took his hand and placed it on his fragile neck under the horrified gazes of the players behind him.

"Would you like to try? Honorable Mr. Mermaid King." Zhang Chunliang kindly helped him to spread his knuckles. "I need to find my somewhat evil friend. If you failed to kill me, please return him to me."

The fox suddenly tightened his grip, and Zhang Chunliang's fragile throat made a thrilling "crunch" sound: "Do you think I don't dare?"

Under the feet of the crowd, in the spacious room, and in the cracks everywhere, terrifying waves of vines were secretly surging.

If the players shift their gaze to the ceiling and walls at this moment, they will find that the originally flat and smooth alloy walls are constantly becoming uneven and bumpy, as if some horrible monster is stirring with ill intentions.

The entire room, no, it should be the entire stomach wall of the whale, had long been wrapped by endless vines and tree roots.

Zhang Chunliang felt something entangled under his feet. He kicked and kicked the branches back into the floor.

His larynx seemed to have been crushed by the fox, but there was still a smile on the corner of his mouth. That smile was too calm, even a little cruel.

After an unknown amount of time, the choking feeling in his throat disappeared.

The fox put down his hand and turned away without saying a word.

Wang Shaofan rushed over and took out a healing item and put it on his neck: "You are taking too much risk - Lord! The fox is a lunatic, he doesn't play by the rules at all, he wanted to kill you several times just now!"

Lord?

Zhang Chunliang wanted to laugh because of this interesting name, but just as he was about to open his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his throat.

He coughed twice quickly and spat out the blood in his mouth.

He knew it was risky, but he had to do it. This was the only moment when he could have an equal conversation with the fox.

He bet that the fox would not kill him.

Because of the thin and fragile "friendship" between the two, and because of his boyfriend who was crawling around the house in a panic, and also because - he could keenly sense a danger that was brewing from Zhang Chunliang.

Of course it's dangerous.

Hidden in the palms and sleeves of Zhang Chunliang's hands were seven or eight tattoo stickers developed with the Holy Father System. They were all instant attack tattoos with extremely unstable power.

If the fox's murderous intent had been any stronger, he would have severed this fragile friendship with his own hands.

"That's amazing..." someone exclaimed, "You are so brave, you will definitely have an extraordinary future."

Zhang Chunliang smiled slightly and hid the tattoo sticker back into his backpack.

As soon as his neck was healed, the fox turned around and came back.

"What is this?" Zhang Chunliang asked in a familiar tone, looking at the thick and long hose in his hand.

"Something to help it detoxify." The fox replied, using the force to jump above the severed head of the fish corpse and pressing the strange tube in his hand into the broken spine in its neck.

"Go throw that end over to the pool of stomach acid," he commanded.

This was the first time he took the initiative to do something.

For so many days, he has been passively wandering outside the copy, like an idle ghost, observing everything indifferently, and nothing happening in this world has ever concerned him.

Zhang Chunliang nodded and asked the players to drag the hose to the railing.

"It's hard to imagine... the game mission is helping us complete the task..." The player's tone was excited and incredible.

"It's still early." Wang Shaofan lit a cigarette and looked at the black mud gradually filling up the hose. He said in a serious tone, "The game just now was very dangerous. Zhang Chunliang seemed to be very passive, but he was actually taking the initiative. His cleverness was to let that person take the initiative to weigh the pros and cons and think about what would happen after he was killed."

"What's going to happen?" someone muttered. "The world is going to lose a handsome gamer?"

"I don't know either, but the fox's letting go means that he is temporarily unable to bear the consequences. From the moment he let go, the scales were destined to tilt towards our side."

The black, sticky mud was sucked out of the headless fish corpse and discharged into the stomach acid in the hall through the hose.

Wang Shaofan concluded: "He is not helping us. Although I can't guess what he is thinking, but... I always feel that he seems to be quite happy after letting go...?"

The players looked at him in horror, thinking that his brain was damaged by smoking.

"I'd be happy too." 023 looked at the gradually shrunken headless fish corpse and said in a gentle tone, "What could be more gratifying than meeting an equally matched opponent? I guess this mermaid king is in big trouble, but he is alone and helpless, and no one can save him."

"But now, he seems to have found his lifeline."

Zhang Chunliang was hiding behind the headless fish corpse at this moment, anxiously trying to comfort a wilted little tail grass at his feet.

"I didn't mean to kick you...baby, the situation was urgent and I couldn't let you do anything..." he explained solemnly.

"I didn't pretend not to see you... Well, you have to give me some psychological preparation..." Zhang Chunliang muttered, "My boyfriend has gone from a skeleton to a little flower and grass, can't I escape for a while?"

The little tail grass shook twice and slowly shrank back into the floor.

"The flowers and grass are cute too..." Zhang Chunliang tried to make up for himself, "I like them all!"

A twisted vine emerged from the floor, twisting itself into the shape of a bone, and then into a tree.

Zhang Chunliang: “…”

"Both the bone and the little tree are lovely..." He racked his brains to find the right words. He felt that talking to this delicate guy was more tiring than dealing with the fox a thousand times. "But if you force me to choose my favorite... it must be the little tree!"

In the shadows not far away, the fox who was standing with his arms folded in a daze raised his eyebrows.

The branch tied to the headless fish suddenly blossomed with small white flowers.

Zhang Chunliang had his back to the fish carcass and did not see this scene. He was still trying to comfort Xiao Ai and trying to pull the dogtail grass out of the floor.

Suddenly, his neck felt a little itchy.

Zhang Chunliang reached out and touched it, and a soft and moist vine gently touched the bruise that had not yet healed.

The moist grass-green juice flowed across his Adam's apple like tears, making him look extremely sad.