Chapter 66 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 66: The Origin of the Dream Li Li was also flipping through the manga. After confirming that her ideas aligned with the mangaka's intent, she read on to follow the storyline. The scene shifted to the main hall where Qu Yan and An Heyu faced off. With Qu Yan's declaration of "My target is you," they began to fight. Prior to this, An Heyu had only appeared once, gaining popularity due to his good looks, but he remained a marginal character. The manga explained why Qu Yan sought out An Heyu, showing how An's concern for his brother exposed a weakness, allowing Qu Yan to turn the tables. In the end, An Heyu found himself enveloped by a web of wires, and the scene faded to black. 【？！Did the Crybaby Brother just disappear like that?】 【No way! Earlier the Crybaby was boasting about his brother being the strongest, and now he's gone?!】 【The Li fans are devastated now; soon, the Crybaby fans will join them.】 【No, please, no!】 Following the darkness, the next frame showed a splash of black resembling blood. A crescent-shaped arc appeared against the black background, with Qu Yan's head being grabbed by a gloved hand. Hei Ge had appeared. The mangaka intentionally skipped An Heyu's response, maliciously editing the events. With a shift in the frame, Qu Ran's corpse appeared before Qu Yan, and Hei Ge coldly remarked, "The one you killed by day was him." In the top left corner of the frame depicting this scene, the text indicated it was "one day prior," with Hei Ge, wearing sunglasses and looking down at Qu Ran's fallen body. In the corner of this background, a black silhouette resembling a woman was sitting in a collapsed posture on the lower left. "As expected." Li Li wasn't surprised at all. If readers knew An Heyu only faked his death, they might directly associate it with her supposed fake death. Li Baige's persona was intended to be Hei Ge's facade, but it couldn't be entirely revealed at once. The subsequent plot unfolded as she had anticipated. The mangaka fully exploited their skills to paint a dark picture of Li, using hints and sequences to obscure An Heyu's presence. Hei Ge released Qu Yan's head, and in the next frame, an ice blade severed Qu Yan's head. "I truly don't like this either," Hei Ge seemed to be speaking to someone, but since similar scenes had been shown before, it misled readers into thinking he was speaking as before, rather than to the still-living An Heyu in the scene. He raised his hand, and a long knife appeared, nailing the head onto the plaza. The mangaka depicted the aftermath in Four-Way City through several scenes, including the head nailed to the plaza and a stranger's comment: "He won." The following plot matched what she and An Heyu saw before. A young noble knelt before his brother's 'corpse,' reminiscing about their time together. It ended with him shouting at his brother during their last encounter. As darkness fell and cloaked the land, a young man in a black coat raised the jar containing the head and then set it down. The manga update concluded here, echoing Li Li's expectations. However, towards the end, the mangaka added a panel with a speech bubble reading: "Has someone been forgotten?" Next to it, a chibi version of Yu Xiao appeared puzzled: "What just happened?" Seeing this, Li Li murmured, "Oh, right, Yu Xiao." She realized they hadn't managed to rescue Yu Xiao as Yi Ming had planned. This update summarized the revelation that it was Hei Ge, not Li Baige, who killed the powerful Yue Qing. It also revealed An Huyu's brother as a target due to his abilities, and An Huyu gaining power after being struck down. After finishing the update, Li Li visited a forum, where she found a plethora of diverse threads due to the extensive update. 【What's going on?! I didn't expect this twist!】 【Is it dangerous to be a brother in this manga? Two have already died.】 【Analysis thread: Who was Hei Ge talking to?】 【Two possible theories: One, Li Baige was replaced by Hei Ge like Le Shan was; two, Li Baige was always Hei Ge's disguise to keep Little Corgi safe until he's bored.】 【So is Li still alive?】 【Yu Xiao, my dear, how could you be forgotten? Maybe it's time to save yourself?】 【Crybaby, how tragic that his last moment with family was an argument.】 【Analysis: Unmasking Hei Ge's true identity.】 【A rational discussion: Can Hei Ge truly not be defeated?】 【I feel like the mangaka is trying to redeem Hei Ge.】 ... However, most of the posts were filled with wailing. The happiness the Li fans felt days ago matched their sorrow now. 【Who are you? I'll give you another chance; tell me, who are you?!】 1L Original Poster Mangaka, you’re heartless! My genuine sorrow, only to be told it was Hei Ge?! 2L Exactly, I was still crying, and before I could wipe my tears, it turns out Li Baige was Hei Ge! 3L Ahhhh, I can't accept it! Days of joy turned into today’s sadness. How could you, how could it be Hei Ge! Isn’t Hei Ge supposed to be dead? 4L My heart was thoroughly deceived! But my tears still flow, sob sob sob! Let's just say Little Corgi was thoroughly played by Hei Ge, caught in his grasp, unable to escape the palm of his hand, sob sob sob. 5L How could he be Hei Ge, then where's Li, Cowlick Li? Where's Cowlick Li?! 6L As I look at my Li Baige fan creations, I'm lost in thought. Performing an epic SC failure live, my sanity points zeroing out, diving into madness, ripping up cards to start over. 7L Thank you for asking, I ended up liking someone full of knives. 8L The person above me, I'm worse off, I liked someone who was a complete facade. 9L This round, Hei Ge fans have really won. Enough said, I'm going back to cry. My great idol, arrogant and sarcastic, reluctant to look into his heart, yet grew stronger — how could he be gone, sob sob sob! ... 【This move was brilliant.】 1L Original Poster The mangaka still has their touch; this twist is brilliant! With so many details painting Li Baige as strong, if Cowlick Li were this powerful, how could he die? Hei Ge, and Baige — just a change of character, with the same 'ge' sounds, it was a clear clue! Moreover, Li Baige explicitly said he wasn't Cowlick Li. Cowlick Li might lie and disguise himself, but Hei Ge hasn't lied, right? He follows through on his words. Most importantly! Li Baige has black hair and red eyes! Just like Hei Ge! 2L Another day of being thoroughly toyed with by the mangaka. 3L Those Li fans are losing it; how tragic, taken for a ride by the mangaka, hahaha. 4L Aren't the Li Baige fans the most miserable? From the start, it's been Hei Ge's game. 5L Hold on, it's not definitive yet, there's unraveling happening elsewhere. Overall, Hei Ge fans must be jubilant, looking at the incredible Hei Ge, killing S-Class as he pleases. As a power scale fan, I'm diving in immediately, sensing I'm going to have a blast after this, hahaha! ... 【Did you think I was Cowlick Li? No, I'm Hei Ge!】 1L Original Poster Seriously, too shocked to remember Hei Ge was supposedly dead. Although, Hei Ge being dead is the biggest lie thus far, right? Did anyone actually get fooled? 2L I did. Wasn't he supposed to die thoroughly, and then Cowlick Li and Little Corgi reunite with Cat Tang? 3L Scold me, scold me, exhausted. I'm just a fool, sob sob sob sob. 4L How amazing that someone actually believed it, hahaha! 5L Tonight as a Hei Ge fan, I'll die laughing, hahaha! A sigh of relief! ... 【Rational discussion: What's the relationship between Li Baige and Hei Ge?】 1L Original Poster Are they two individuals, or the same person all along? If they're two, it’s highly possible that the Li Baige who appeared earlier was still Li, and didn't Hei Ge have a moment where he looked at a blue pendant and spoke into the air? If that’s the case, he was likely speaking to the Li who cares for Little Corgi. If they’re one, considering Hei Ge's current character portrayal, he's just toying with Little Corgi's emotions. This proved successful, with Little Corgi breaking in the manga, and Li fans breaking along outside. Oh, and let's not forget the Crybaby who lost his brother because he refused to save him — breaking the protagonist group. 2L Is there a possibility that Li, Li Baige, and Hei Ge are three different people but from the same lab? There was no reason given in the manga for Hei Ge approaching Le Shan, but what if Le Shan performs human experiments and they are connected? 3L Your idea is indeed a possibility, but your ID looks familiar. Aren’t you the one who’s been selling the 'Li is an experiment' narrative before? 4L I agree with the second possibility the Original Poster suggested. Hei Ge is a whimsical character, needing no reason to toy with Yi Ming. But for the first possibility, unless Cowlick Li is extremely strong, it's implausible that the Li Baige considered strong by Yan Changxiao could be Cowlick Li. Cowlick Li is mocked for being weak, to be honest, it's not likely. 5L Didn't we already debate this? The idea of 'Hei Ge killing Li' is a false premise; the manga never outright presented it. However, it sure left open the possibility that Li didn't die. I agree with the first theory; it was Li who saved Little Corgi, while this appearance of Hei Ge was just a game to fake his death and toy with the nobles. Otherwise, who else could Hei Ge have been talking to? It’s obvious he was speaking to the Li whose identity he borrowed! It can’t be that Hei Ge and Li Baige are dual personalities, can it? 6L Now we're talking about split personalities? How about we consider our sliced personas theory? Hei Ge hunting Li, Li Baige, and other test subjects, to collect mental fragments, combining the slices into one? 7L I propose the bloodline theory! Hei Ge and Li Baige clearly have a connection, why couldn't they be brothers? Twin brothers, where Li Baige took the name of Li and became someone else's (Little Corgi's) brother, prompting Hei Ge to imprison Li Baige and impersonate him to deceive Little Corgi! 8L Initially, I thought Li's death was uncertain, but Li Baige equals Hei Ge. But reading this thread made things even murkier. Does "Li Baige equals Hei Ge" signify a solitary epiphany? 9L Tired, let them be the same person after all; let it all end. 10L What a New Age joke, haha. Is that even possible? 11L Reading your thread is like reading a story, there's everything, haha. If you ask me, Hei Ge is Li Baige. Didn't Yi Ming see Li before? Li wasn't dead, but Yi Ming got misled. Just like we were misled by the mangaka. 12L Indeed, Yi Ming has seen Li! There's still hope for Li fans, hahaha. ... 【Isn't Hei Ge's combat power overwhelming? Single-handedly taking down an S-Class, is he really an A-Class? And where did his A-Class reputation even come from?】 1L Original Poster This is A-Class? Are you kidding me? 2L I dug around; it started with Hua Yizhi suggesting he's at least A-Class, then Qing Yu Shen agreeing, and we just accepted he's A-Class. The manga states Hei Ge is A-Class, but Hei Ge himself never claimed his level. 3L Don't even try figuring it out. I’ve given up—I think Hei Ge intentionally misled the opponents into a trap with false information, and then showed them who the real boss is when they were at their most arrogant. Yeah, I'm saying Hei Ge is my daddy. 4L This villain is incredibly hard to beat; right now, Little Corgi is completely under Hei Ge's control. Hang in there, Little Corgi! ... 【Fan creation: Hei Ge was unbelievably cool in this chapter!】 1L Original Poster Hei Ge was unbelievably cool in this chapter! Casually causing the death of two S-Class opponents, decapitating one and pinning it in the plaza, ahhhh so cool! [Image.jpg] 2L Slurp, slurp, I'm forever in love with Hei Ge's smile! 3L Tonight, I’m going all in, planning to sell products while I sleep. 4L Thanks for the invite. I was scolded by a Li fan earlier; today they broke down, hahaha. 5L I'll call it a double strike. Double kill~ ... Li Li shook her head as she browsed the forums. They were a vibrant cacophony tonight. 【My love-hate CP is a BE! But wait, selfcest is surprisingly shippable!】 【Brother An is totally my ideal type, such a dashing noble young man, but he died too soon!】 【We have never accepted that Li Baige is Cowlick Li! Li Baige fans, keep your distance!】 【I'm a Li Baige fan and never intended to leech off the Li fans!】 【Will we still see Baige in the future, or will Hei Ge suffice to ease our longing?】 【If you stan Hei Ge, you get multiple husbands. A house of many seas, the versatile Ge.】 【Discussion thread, stop wailing and analyze what's really going on! What's Hei Ge's leadership role? He seems so cool.】 【Former Ability Guild leader, Hei Ge, a leader; let us embrace the new plot unfolding.】 【Hei Ge, the strongest in the story! Indisputable!】 ... 【Summary of tonight's forum chaos—Who is he, who is he, and who is he, and who exactly are they to each other?】 【Hei Ge, a mysterious and deeply sinful man.】 ... Jiang Lan, far behind Luo Han, finally finished the update, her eyes wide with disbelief: "???" Speaking to Luo Han on the phone, she said, "So you knew all along you were boasting about your favorite character? That's why you agreed with me, saying my idol was so strong?" Luo Han feigned embarrassment: "Well, the one you mentioned is indeed very strong. I wasn't lying." Jiang Lan still couldn't believe it: "Then where's my idol, my big idol?" Luo Han comforted her: "Your idol hasn't disappeared; he’s just turned from being yours to mine." Jiang Lan: "...?" What an outrageous thing to say! "Waaaah, our friendship's over!" She hung up the phone angrily. She wouldn’t be creating any content for them anymore! Her heart was shutting off and locking away her affections! ... [Crossing preparation in progress.] [Passage has opened, wish you become a popular character and bring new vitality to the manga.] The previous manga chapter caused quite a stir on the real-world forums, but the manga's Illusory Reality arc was still not over. With such major events occurring in Four-Way City, at least one more chapter was needed to wrap it up. But besides this event, there was still one unresolved plot point. This was regarding Yi Ming's encounter with Li and the implications of the doppelgänger impersonating Li. However, it wasn't a pressing issue. Earlier, An Huyu had mentioned this while they were looking for Yu Xiao. He would surely tell Yi Ming when they had some downtime. But with such a mess, An Huyu and his group would likely be occupied for quite some time. Meanwhile, Li Li, who simply left, having even brought along a local product, went to Desolate Dragon. She had some business with Hua Yizhi, nothing major, but it was something she had to do. "So you're Hei Ge, then what should I be called?" Early in the morning, they were walking on the streets of Desolate Dragon, with the sea breeze bringing in moist air; the coastal city’s atmosphere was fresh and soothing. Slightly behind Li Li's left side, An Heyu donned that red hooded cloak, pondering over this matter. An Heyu couldn’t use his own name; he had faked his death to stop the nobility from coveting An family's abilities. Also, his future actions had to be distanced from the An family and not implicate An Huyu. So he needed a new public name. Li Li adjusted her sunglasses. She was wearing a navy blue jacket but had reverted to her own appearance. Hua Yizhi had only seen her original face, and she didn’t want to create any complications by altering it. She was merely passing through, after all. Hearing An Heyu's question, Li Li turned to glance at him, noting his ensemble in red, and pondered, "Little Red?" An Heyu gave a polite and restrained noble smile before replying, "Do you think of me as some pet cat or dog?" No, in my heart, you’re a mother hen. Li Li thought to herself as she raised her head and spotted Hua Yizhi's casino establishment. And there, she saw the familiar wooden door that had both frightened her yet compelled her to kick it open, deliberating long over how to do so. Standing there, she suddenly had a feeling. To her, this was where her dream began.