VRMMORPG: The Other World Online

Cheng Xiu stood still for a moment, and then burst forward at full speed.

Frost frowned as she blocked the attack to her neck, and used a water blade to aim to the girl's torso.

Cheng Xiu slipped away by falling to the ground.

She did a round kick.

Frost dodged.

Cheng Xiu tried to kick her again.

Frost used a ice sword to try to slice her leg off.

Cheng Xiu pulled her leg back at the last second and engaged Frost in a sword fight.

Frost backed away, refusing to humour her. Frost knew better than anyone how well she would fair against a sword fight and fighting someone who could put EverHill in a standstill while in a sword fight was the stupidest thing that she could do.

On the Experts podium, everyone sat with a grim face.

"Did you guys see that?" Long Hei asked.

"See what?" Matchstick asked him. "That Frost is luring her into a trap, or that SelaXiu is freaking fast enough to dodge and play on a even field with Frost of all people. Oh hell! I can't believe I am saying this, but I pray Frost wins, just to keep our dignity as experts of this game!"

"Frost has stopped trying to drive her into the woods," Long Hei said. "I wonder why."

Star Phoenix snorted. "Is itsn't it obvious? A girl with enough brain power to defeat that scheming Crow before he could pull out the big guns! Frost is underestimating the girl's ability to think things through."

Long Hei frowned. "Why would she do that? Even I could tell her that her plan was far too obvious."

"It was a test," Yue said.

Long Hei blinked. "A test? What kind of a test? To see if she was smart?"

Yue shook her head. "To see how much the girl has let her win against the experts to go to her head. To see how aware she is of her opponent's thought processes."

"And what is the verdict?" Long Hei asked.

"Four hours," WuQi said.

Everyone looked at her.

"What are you saying?" Long Hei asked.

WuQi sighed. "Someone who is not used to the playing level of The Other World would be disoriented at this point. Four back to back Arena Battles, and yet her mind is so…"

Long Hei hmmed. "the AI takes her to the Arena Market, and makes sure that she is 100% efficient everytime though?"

WuQi glared. "Aren't you an expert? You should know this already!"

Long Hei stepped back nervously. "I…um…"

"The AI always says 100% physical efficiency," Star Phoenix said, "Not mental. The fact that her mind is still so sharp…no, sharper than before…is just…"

"I am inclined to believe she is an S Rank because of just that," WuQi said.

Star Phoenix frowned. He looked at San Zhe.

San Zhe backed up. "Um…I…"

Star Phoenix sighed and burned a Talisman. A golden barrier appeared around the two.

Long Hei jumped in at the last minute.

Star Phoenix glared.

Long Hei laughed. "No secrets between us!"

Star Phoenix shook his head at the green-robed man's antics and turned to San Zhe with a serious expression.

San Zhe gulped.

"You are a Qiless."

San Zhe froze.

Star Phoenix looked at him with a considering eyes.

San Zhe looked around nervously, wishing he could escape.

"Would you please look at me when I talk to you?"

San Zhe looked at him from under his lashes.

"I had thought that I knew the world around me," Star Phoenix whispered.

Long Hei frowned. "Yo! Phoenix, are you alright?"

"I wondered if I was wrong in recognising San Zhe as an honest person."

"And?"

Star Phoenix sighed. "I have never known who can fake being guilty of revealing a secret as well as Mr San here if that is the case."

Long Hei laughed. "What? Shocked that someone can actually out do you in being a liar?"

Star Phoenix glared at Long Hei.

The man gave him a strained smile. "Sorry."

The grey-robed man sighed. "Then I thought about the fact that Earth had an S Rank and yet they did not acknowledge it."

Long Hei stilled. He looked at San Zhe in disbelief. "You can't be saying that…that Cheng Xiu is a…"

"Why else would they not acknowledge it?" Star Phoenix asked, his eyes staring straight at San Zhe.

Long Hei's eyes widened. "She is a…a Qiless?"

San Zhe broke into cold sweat. He never realised how smart these experts were from this. Why were they able to figure this out so quickly? What kind of thought process did they have to have to think 'Oh! This girl is not declared officially despite the proof so she must be a Qiless?'

Long Hei gasped at San Zhe's nervous reaction. "She…she is a…she really is a Qiless?"

Star Phoenix shook his head. "I suppose so."

San Zhe looked at Star Phoenix in confusion.

Star Phoenix sighed. "It was a guess."

San Zhe frowned.

"Do you know what my speciality is, Little San?" Star Phoenix asked.

San Zhe's eyes widened. "Qi Empath."

Star Phoenix smiled. "Exactly. It means that I knew that you were not faking it when you acted so guilty about revealing Cheng Xiu's identity. Granted, the fact that you lied to me about SelaXiu's experience in the game threw me for a loop until I realised, she could have lied to you about it. But why would she? Or she could have told you the truth. Which meant all the data the guilds collected on her could be false. I don't know how she could have done that though, but this is the Other World. Anything is possible here."

Long Hei let out an impressed whitsle. "I keep forgetting how cool you can be, and then you talk like that!"

Star Phoenix spared him a glance. "I don't want any kisses from you."

"Wasn't offering any!" Long Hei said with a glare. He shook his head and turned to San Zhe. "As for the fact that she is a Qiless, well it is the most likely scenario. Trent McCoy was Earth's first A Rank and they leaked his identity as an A Rank despite his explicit request to remain anonymous. Kasi Nand was Earth's second A Rank. They declared him as such despite the fact that he still hadn't gone through the entire vetting process yet. So, what could be the reason other than her being a Qiless that would prevent a power-hungry government from declaring its first 18-year-old S Rank?"

San Zhe slumped. He understood their thought process.

San Zhe frowned as he realised something. "You do realise that Earth has more than one government, right? In fact, Earth has more than 200 countries at present."

Long Hei rolled his eyes. "But the Earth Alliance is the one that has the power to make Intergalactic decisions. Especially the declaration of Ranks."

San Zhe sighed. "Maybe, but the Earth Alliance doesn't work in the way your Moon and Mars Alliance do. I mean we are more in numbers."

Long Hei raised an eyebrow. "I can hear the condescence in your tone. Why do you sound so proud of the fact that Earth has more population? Did you contribute to that number already?"

San Zhe flushed. "I…no! I…I…how could you…I…"

Star Phoenix snorted. "You broke him, Hei."

"It was going to happen sooner or later," Long Hei said.. "He is far too easily teased."