Chapter 111 - 106: The New King Ascends the Throne, the Old King Must Die

Nan Jiamu lay on the ground. Data Fire ignited in her eyes; this Extraordinary Ability, capable of erasing settings, also allowed her to see the underlying mechanics.

At this moment, in her eyes, a Black Gold card was shining in Yin Zhen’s sea of consciousness. In addition, a Golden thread extended from her body, connecting her to the Red Corpse Female Protagonist battling in the background.

Sheng Yehan’s Villain Card! The Chi Hai protagonist’s protective luck! Realizing that Yin Zhen now had the ability to kill her, Nan Jiamu suddenly panicked.

She didn’t want to die! The day she left her grandmother’s grave, she had sworn to herself that she would make something of herself. She had killed Guan Heting, who loved her deeply. She had gambled the fate of the entire world to trigger the invasion game for a chance at freedom. She had exhausted all her Strength fighting against the invasion of the Blood Clan. She had done so much, and she had even more to do. She hadn’t lived to see the day when Ancient Abyss was truly safe. She hadn’t led her team to the end of this path. She hadn’t rooted out the entity behind the invasion game. She couldn’t die here! This wasn’t the moment she was supposed to die! This wasn’t the way she was supposed to die!

Nan Jiamu struggled to prop up her upper body to face Yin Zhen. Before she could do anything, Yin Zhen’s ice-cold hand viciously clamped around her neck.

Yin Zhen mobilized the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Method. All the blood in her body surged toward her right arm. Every vein swelled, and every bundle of muscle hummed under the overwhelming strain. Bulging blue veins throbbed beneath the skin of her right arm, pulsating like a heart about to burst.

Victor had said that the Fourth Level of the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Method was a breakthrough of willpower. When the body reached its limit, the will remained. And Yin Zhen’s will at this moment was to concentrate all her Strength into a single point to punch through the damn protagonist’s halo protecting Nan Jiamu.

Fueled by her blood, the S-Class blood silk condensed into a sharp spike in her palm. Every inch of it carried her hatred and her absolute resolve to kill Nan Jiamu. Under the crushing pressure of this Strength, her right hand trembled, the skin beginning to crack and seep blood.

"When Sheng Yehan sent people to kill me, I was pinned to the ground by the neck just like you are now. I didn’t even have the strength to fight back. Where were you then?"

"I... understand your hatred," Nan Jiamu croaked, looking at Yin Zhen. "It’s right for you to hate me. Whatever you do to me is justified. But right now... I cannot die!"

Blue flames coalesced in Nan Jiamu’s palm, fueled by her desire to survive, and she smashed them fiercely toward Yin Zhen. The bloody spike in Yin Zhen’s palm pressed down mercilessly, colliding with the blue flames. The two forces clashed and canceled each other out, erupting in a shower of intense sparks.

"Yin Zhen... now is not the time... for a deathmatch. Ancient Abyss is still waiting for me..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Nan Jiamu swept her gaze over Lilith, who was locked in a fierce battle with Zoe in the distance. She glanced at the two slowly opening coffins, and at the rest of their people being shielded in the corner by Bai Qiang. She still had so much left to do. She couldn’t stop here.

"Nan Jiamu!" Yin Zhen’s hoarse voice interrupted her. "Even at death’s door, do you still think Ancient Abyss needs a ’protagonist’?"

Nan Jiamu’s pupils quivered.

"What do you think Ancient Abyss is? Your personal script? Your sole responsibility? Who do you think you are?"

Nan Jiamu opened her mouth, wanting to say that she was the protagonist of Ancient Abyss, that the system had chosen her. If she didn’t shoulder this burden, who else could?

"Ancient Abyss never needed anyone to be its savior! Every lit lamp chose to shine on its own! Every living person is living for themselves! No one has the right to make choices for everyone else, and no one has the right to carry the weight of other people’s lives!"

The hand gripping her neck trembled with fury. The blood silk surged beneath Yin Zhen’s skin like a dark red tide.

"You left me a huge sum of money instead of an apology! You asked the community workers to look after me instead of coming to atone for your sins in person! You thought your arrangements were a way of taking responsibility for me? No, it was nothing but arrogance. An arrogance you will never realize!"

Nan Jiamu was stunned. On the day her grandmother passed away, she had told herself that with her grandmother gone, there was no one left in the world who truly loved her. She had to survive on her own and make something of herself. Later, she was admitted to the best university, won the highest scholarships, and published the best papers. Everyone praised how amazing Nan Jiamu was, but she never felt amazing herself. She was just terrified—terrified that if she wasn’t exceptional, she would be abandoned.

It wasn’t until she stood before the entire city and declared, "I am Nan Jiamu," that she finally became the protagonist of her own life.