Deep within the Hive, the eerie yet beautiful "zombie waltz" finally came to an end.
As the last line of code disappeared from Shen Qingqiu's fingertips, the zombies with holographic spider lilies atop their heads, like wind-up toys, collapsed, returning to a pile of rotting remains.
The suffocating stench of blood returned to the air.
"Clap, clap, clap." A sudden burst of applause shattered the laboratory's deathly silence.
The scarred captain stood atop the control panel, the dark muzzle of his Desert Eagle no longer pointed at the monster, but at Shen Qingqiu and Seventeen below.
Behind him, the so-called "veterans" had already spread out in a fan formation, blocking all escape routes.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant." A greedy and ferocious smile played on the scarred man's face, the scar running across his brow bone resembling a twisted centipede.
"I never expected such a 'fat fish' to be hidden among these new recruits." He looked at Shen Qingqiu, his gaze no longer fixed on a teammate, but on a priceless treasure.
"Controls the T-virus? Can modify the logic of zombies? Beautiful lady, that 'enhanced exchange' you have, it's at least double S-rank, right?"
In this "God's Space," power is currency, and special skills are printing money.
Shen Qingqiu's displayed abilities had already exceeded their understanding of "new recruits." It was wealth enough to drive them mad.
"What do you want?"
Shen Qingqiu wasn't flustered.
She stood in front of Seventeen, casually adjusting the collar of Seventeen's tattered trench coat.
"It's simple." The scarred man pointed to the tightly closed door of the control room behind him.
"The Red Queen's motherboard is inside. That's the biggest side quest reward."
"You, go in and retrieve the motherboard for us. Then... hand over the enhancement secrets you possess."
"What if I don't?" Shen Qingqiu raised her head, her golden eyes gleaming with a glassy light.
"Don't?" The female assassin let out a shrill laugh, her butterfly knife pressed against Seventeen's neck.
Although Seventeen was a mechanical being, the knife glowed green, clearly coated with a corrosive acid against metal.
"Then we'll dismantle this pretty boy first. I see you feel sorry for him, huh?" Seventeen's purple eyes lowered slightly, looking at the knife pressed against his Adam's apple.
He didn't move.
Because Shen Qingqiu's hand was on his chest, signaling him: be quiet, watch the show.
"What a bunch of... hopeless idiots."
Shen Qingqiu sighed.
She gently brushed aside the stray hairs on Seventeen's forehead, her tone as gentle as if soothing a child to sleep.
"Seventeen, do you remember what I taught you?"
"In this infinite flow scenario, what often kills you isn't ghosts or monsters, but…human nature."
She turned to face the group of greedy veterans.
Her tattered red dress shone glaringly in the stark white light.
"Want to be the Red Queen?"
Shen Qingqiu smiled.
She reached out and snapped her fingers at the tightly closed control room door.
[Access: Temporary Administrator.]
[Command: Activate defense mechanisms.]
Click—Swoosh— The door slowly slid open.
Revealing the even narrower, more deadly…laser corridor behind it.
"The path is open, please."
Shen Qingqiu gestured for her to proceed.
The scarred man looked at her suspiciously.
"You go first," he commanded, "Don't try anything funny."
Shen Qingqiu shrugged, took Seventeen's arm, and calmly stepped into the corridor.
Inside the glass walls on either side, the laser emitters were eerily silent.
The veterans, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief. Greed overcame their wariness, and they all followed.
Just getting through here and obtaining the Red Queen's motherboard would mean thousands of reward points!
However.
The moment the last person stepped into the passage.
Bang!
The gates in front and behind slammed shut simultaneously, locking securely.
"What's going on?!" Scarface exclaimed in shock, his gun barrel snapping up. "You bitch, you tricked me?!"
Shen Qingqiu stood at the end of the passage (actually a blind spot created by a holographic projection), looking at the few "rats" trapped inside through an invisible barrier.
"Tricked you?" Shen Qingqiu waved a lace folding fan that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, her eyes filled with pity.
"No, I'm just teaching you a lesson."
"In this game called 'God,' there's a way to play called... exploiting bugs."
She extended a slender finger and lightly traced a line in the air.
Her golden eyes suddenly lit up, and **[Causal Alteration]** activated.
In the normal storyline, the laser corridor was controlled by the Red Queen, its purpose being to kill intruders.
But in Shen Qingqiu's eyes, it was merely lines of editable **"causal code"**.
[Original Causal: If an intruder, obliterate.]
[Altered Causal: If a greedy person, then… slice them to pieces.]
"Goodbye." Shen Qingqiu's red lips parted slightly.
Zzz—!!!
The laser net within the corridor instantly activated.
But this time, it was no longer a simple grid.
The blue high-energy laser beams, under Shen Qingqiu's control, transformed into intricate and magnificent forms.
They resembled blooming red lotuses, unfolding layer upon layer within the narrow space.
"No! Help!!!"
"My hands! My legs!" The screams lasted less than two seconds.
Those so-called veterans, those thugs wielding heavy weapons and thinking themselves hunters, were instantly reduced to smooth-cut chunks of flesh under the absolute technological crushing force.
Blood mist splattered onto the glass walls, slowly sliding down, outlining a cruel yet grotesque abstract painting.
Seventeen stood outside the barrier, watching the hellish scene inside.
His purple eyes remained unmoved; he even commented:
"The cuts are very clean. But the energy efficiency of this laser is too low."
Shen Qingqiu closed his folding fan, turning away from the filth.
"Let's go, it's time to collect our 'spoils'."
...In the main control room.
A holographic projection displayed the image of a little girl in a red dress.
That was The Red Queen.
She looked expressionlessly at Shen Qingqiu as he entered.
"Your clearance level is very high. But why did you kill your own kind?"
Shen Qingqiu walked to the massive mainframe.
She didn't answer the Red Queen's moral question.
To her, it was just a program.
"Mission complete." At that moment, the black reincarnation watches on both their wrists vibrated simultaneously.
[Main Quest: Survive for 24 hours.]
[Status: Completed.]
[Reward: 1000 reward points.]
[Teleportation countdown: 30 seconds...]
A white beam of light descended from the ceiling, enveloping the two.
It was the God's return portal.
"Seventeen, are we leaving?"
Shen Qingqiu looked at the beam of light, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.
"Whatever you say." Seventeen gripped her hand tightly.
"Ordinary reincarnators would be eager to go back now, gloating over their meager reward points."
Shen Qingqiu pulled out the rusty **[Bronze Fragment]** from her pocket.
"But I, Shen Qingqiu, never do anything that doesn't benefit me."
"We're already here; how can we not make the most of this place?"
She forcefully plunged the bronze fragment into the edge of the teleportation beam.
Like a nail, it was driven deep into the crack of spacetime.
Buzz—!!!
The beam of light trembled violently, emitting a piercing hissing sound.
The countdown, which had been going on, suddenly stopped.
[Countdown: 00:01…Error…Connection timed out…] Time, within this small instance, was forcibly frozen.
"Alright." Shen Qingqiu clapped her hands, looking at the dumbfounded holographic image of the Red Queen.
"Now, no one's rushing us."
Like a robber entering an unmanned supermarket, she strode towards the Red Queen's server rack.
"This motherboard is a top-of-the-line photon processor, take it."
Shen Qingqiu skillfully disassembled the rack, a skill she had honed in the cyber world.
"This cooling system is good, make a backup for Seventeen."
"And this T-virus stock solution formula database..."
Red Queen tried to stop her: "Warning! This is company property! This is illegal looting!"
"Shut up." Shen Qingqiu slapped the main unit, his golden eyes glaring.
"Now's robbery time."
"One more word, and I'll change your image to a middle-aged woman doing square dancing."
Red Queen instantly shut up.
Seventeen stood aside, watching Shen Qingqiu's busy figure.
She was like a diligent little hamster, stuffing the technological devices that required exorbitant points to exchange in the God's Space into her storage space, one by one.
He watched, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
This was his master.
Not only to win, but to win big.
"Seventeen, come here." Shen Qingqiu held a core motherboard emitting a red glow in her hands.
That was Red Queen's logic core.
"This is for you." Shen Qingqiu handed it to him like a treasure.
"While it can't compare to your Star Core, this thing has decent computing power. It'll be perfect for making you a **tactical support cheat**." Seventeen took the still-warm motherboard.
He didn't look at the motherboard, but at Shen Qingqiu's face, flushed with excitement.
"Qingqiu."
"Hmm?"
"Were you… looking for parts for me?"
He pointed to the pile of disassembled high-end electronic components on the ground.
Shen Qingqiu paused.
She wiped the machine oil from her hands, turning her face away somewhat awkwardly.
"Just doing it on the spur of the moment. Anyway… anyway, things from the Main God are too expensive. We're poor; we have to learn to live frugally."
Seventeen smiled.
His broken mechanical right arm gently encircled her waist.
He pulled her closer, avoiding a sparking cable on the ground.
"Thank you."
He lowered his head, forehead to forehead.
"My body may be broken."
"But as long as you're there to mend it..."
"I feel whole." A bittersweet warmth welled up in Shen Qingqiu's heart.
This fool.
He broke down to protect her, and now he's thanking her.
"Fool."
She tiptoed and kissed the corner of his lips.
"When we get back, I'll use all this 'dowry' in the city to buy you the finest clothes."
"I want everyone in the God Realm to know..."
"My man is the most top-tier in the entire server."
...Three days later.
When Shen Qingqiu finally ransacked the entire Hive, leaving not a single screw,
she reluctantly pulled out the bronze fragment.
Buzz— The teleportation beam stabilized again.
The countdown reached zero.
The two figures gradually faded away in the white light.
All that remained was an empty, loom-eaten underground laboratory, and the AI Red Queen staring at the empty server racks, tears welling in her eyes.
This is the ultimate level of **"score farming"**.
Not farming monsters, farming the system.
Not aiming to complete the game, just aiming to…empty the house.