Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 154

Moments earlier.

A man and a woman walked along with seven subordinates behind them.

Every one of them wore a violet wristband.

Of the two leaders, the man was Xu Yang and the woman Xu Feiyu. Their features were so alike that they were clearly siblings.

Inside the game, however, their roles differed sharply: the elder brother was a god-level player, while the younger sister acted as his shepherd.

The siblings had founded the “Feidu Legion”, which now ranked seventh overall—an impressive showing for a budding guild.

The name Feidu comes from the line: “Wild geese fly high yet cannot cross the boundless moonlit world. Fishes and dragons dive deep, tracing patterns in the water.”

Xu Yang can transform into a goose.

In the poem, no matter how well geese fly, they cannot traverse the endless moonlight. Xu Yang chose “Feidu” for the legion because he intends to be the lone goose that breaks convention and soars past the moon*.

*Clarity: The name takes fly [fei] (飞)  and [du] (度), which in the poem refers to cannot (as in cannot cross the boundary). In this sense, the name translated would be like Flying Beyond (as in flying beyond the boundary).

Passing a derelict factory, he ordered two men inside to scout while he and his sister kept going.

Along the way Xu Feiyu raised a pair of binoculars and spotted an office building in the distance.

Sensing something, she reached into her trench-coat pocket and pulled out a small wire cage.

Inside a hamster scurried back and forth in agitation, as though it feared something.

“That building is radiating heavy negative energy. Even from here my Scout Mouse can feel it… Brother, there’s definitely something interesting in there—shall we take a look?”

She was about to step ahead when Xu Yang caught her arm.

She halted, turned, and saw the grave look on his face.

“What is it?”

“I can sense a god-level power,” Xu Yang said. “A very… strong god-level player.”

Xu Feiyu’s expression also turned serious. “So this instance really is unusual. Looks like its hidden reward is quite the prize.”

“We’ve watched Peach Blossom a long time. Their latest move was to convert Blue Harbor City, then open this hidden instance. Looks like our trip was worth it.”

Xu Yang pulled several hats from his pack and handed them to her. “Have everyone put these on. They suppress killing intent—and my power. That way we can approach quietly without being noticed.”

“Brother, always the cautious one.” Xu Feiyu grinned. “But the intel says weapons are clustered in only a few spots. This god-level in the office building probably hasn’t found any yet. The game’s barely begun. Since we’ve run into them, why not force them to wear violet? Imagine—making a god-level player work for us.”

“Peach Blossom is already bullying masses into their green camp. We’d better hurry or we’ll lose the race for the hidden quest.”

“Agreed,” Xu Yang said after a moment. “Take some men with guns, probe that god-level. With everyone’s skills suppressed there’s no need to fear them.

“Still, I feel a power that’s too strong—maybe more than one god-level. I’ll stay out of sight for now. If you’re in danger, I’ll come at once.”

“I know. On the surface I’ll handle it—they won’t realize I have such a big brother backing me.”

Laughing, Xu Feiyu distributed the hats to her people and led them silently toward the office building.

On the rooftop

After Zhou Qian’s party disappeared below, He Xiaowei noticed Hidden Blade half-crouched at the parapet, scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly Hidden Blade gestured for silence, then re-closed the lattice elevator gate, gathered the ivy that Qi Liuxing had cut, and draped it back over the grille—especially hiding the ropes tied to Zhou Qian’s group.

“What is it, Master?” He Xiaowei whispered.

Hidden Blade took out a private-chat device, stuck one earpiece into He Xiaowei’s ear, and said, “Someone’s coming—and they already sense us.”

“How do you know?”

“Their hostility just dropped sharply—so faint it’s almost gone,” Hidden Blade replied. “That means…”

That meant the newcomers were strong—strong enough to cloak their killing intent—and that they had detected a god-level nearby.

Likely they were god-level too.

Unlike “137”, who was low-key and elusive, many knew Hidden Blade’s reputation. Once another god-level sensed him they might disguise any trace the moment they realized who it was.

But they hadn’t reckoned with Hidden Blade’s upgraded intuition. Since finishing Murder Exhibition and Baquet of the Red God, his danger-sense radius had grown enormously. Though they masked their aura, they had already stepped inside his range.

He Xiaowei slowly pieced it together and looked at Hidden Blade. “So, Master, you want to…”

Hidden Blade said, “Green and violet numbers never drop—those camps must be flaunting weapons, forcing players to join. We don’t yet know which one is Peach Blossom. If we get threatened into a camp, we can join as moles and gather intel.”

He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. “Qian-er really planned ahead. I had to wear yellow, but he never let you put one on, and all the spare yellows are with him… heh-heh.

“If they coerce us, we pretend to yield. When the moment’s right we grab yellows from Qian-er and ‘defect’—then turn on them!”

“Exactly,” Hidden Blade nodded. “All thanks to Zhou Qian keeping an ace up his sleeve.”

Thought for a couple of seconds

“Right, let’s do it. Don’t worry—I can really act now. It’s just…” He Xiaowei rubbed his palms together. “Haa, it’s just that we’re all spread out. Yun Xiangrong and Yin Jiujiu are who-knows-where, and now the two of us are leaving too…

“Right here it’s only Big Boss Bai Zhou wearing yellow. Qian-er’s holding some white band we still don’t know the use of. Meanwhile the green and purple teams keep swelling, and our camp is a pile of loose sand…”

Hidden Blade turned, narrowed his eyes to scan the distance, and said, “All we need is to slip into another camp and gather intel. As for everything else, I’m sure Zhou Qian has it mapped out. You really don’t have to fret for him.”

He Xiaowei, the resident healer, could never rest easy about teammates—especially the reckless ones.

He always felt that no matter how hard he chased with his heals, he still couldn’t keep Zhou Qian alive.

He couldn’t help sighing. “I’m just afraid that once we’ve left, Qian-er will be lonely.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Hidden Blade gave him an incredulous look. “Bai Zhou’s with him. With those two glued together, you think Zhou Qian needs you?

“And honestly, Big Boss’s icy aloof persona shatters the second Zhou Qian’s around. Back then I’d never have believed it was him—actually, I still can’t.

“Zhou Qian has the nerve to call me Su Daji? Don’t you think he’s more like her? I’m not talking about looks or gestures, but his knack for bewitching people—it’s uncanny!”

He Xiaowei mused, “Hmm, Qian-er really is charming—it’s hard to put into words, but—”

Hidden Blade: “……”

—See? What did I tell you.

“But Master, it seems you like Qian-er too. You’re happy to listen to him,” He Xiaowei said earnestly.

Hidden Blade: “…………That’s just your imagination.”

Back to the present.

Xu Feiyu reached the roof with three subordinates.

After threatening Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei, she took off her cap and patted the dust from it. “Mmm… these things are really useful. Hidden Blade—

“I’ve heard of you. You rank quite high. I’ve always admired you. I never thought we’d meet here—let alone find you… in such a plight.”

Hidden Blade gave her a flat look, said nothing, and bent to pick up the wristband.

“Hold on,” she said, lifting her chin to stop him. “Agreeing so quickly?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Orange and indigo bands are disappearing fast. Anyone wearing them has been threatened by you or someone like you. The system logs show the two drops for a single color often come minutes apart. That tells me if someone refuses to switch bands, you really kill them. I have no other choice. Of course—”

He looked up, eyes intimidating. “That doesn’t mean I’m weaker. I was just unlucky—couldn’t find a gun or ammo. I work alone, so I have less intel. You’re ahead only because you learned the weapon locations first.”

After a pause Xu Feiyu laughed. “Well said. I like people who understand the situation. In an instance, information warfare decides life and death. On that front you are inferior—you have to admit.

“Still, you agreed so cheerfully. I’m pleased. But… I have to check.”

She opened the cage and let the little hamster out. Patting its head, she had it run a circle around He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. “See if they’re hiding any extra bands.”

“You’re something else… First you insist we wear a band, now you won’t let us.” Hidden Blade pointed to his bare wrist. “Three-minute limit’s almost up—I refuse to die a joke.”

“I wouldn’t let you die. You’re a god-level player—experienced and useful for the tasks ahead.” Xu Feiyu smiled, waiting for the hamster to scurry back.

Getting its answer, she said, “I’d hate to lose you so soon. All right—let’s begin.”

Under her gaze Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei swiftly switched to purple bands.

Xu Feiyu looked satisfied. “Such cooperation—nothing better than win-win. Let’s start our search in this building. Behind you… what’s that? Looks like some sort of mechanism.”

“Indeed. I think it’s an elevator shaft. Something’s down there—we were about to look when you arrived.” Hidden Blade met her eyes. “Why not have your men explore below? Floors one through seven are full of info to harvest. Leave the roof to me.”

Remembering her brother’s warning that there might be more than one god-level here, Xu Feiyu narrowed her eyes at him and smiled. “You’ve only just joined my team—how could I let you go alone? We’ll all go. It might be very interesting below.”

Without changing expression Hidden Blade summoned his curve-blade, hacked the ivy away again, and moved in front of the grille, blocking it with his body to hide the ropes.

A god-level player’s senses were sharp. Earlier he’d used a private-chat device with He Xiaowei so the other god-level wouldn’t overhear—but anything he now said to Xu Feiyu could carry down the shaft, where Bai Zhou should be listening.

The ropes Zhou Qian’s group had used had a safety lock at the anchor to prevent sabotage, so Hidden Blade couldn’t undo them.

Now, under the pretext of pulling an identical rope from his pack, he kept himself between the grille and Xu Feiyu, eyes flicking toward the spot where Bai Zhou’s ropes were tied—

He hoped Bai Zhou and the others would reel the lines up from below. If they vanished, Bai Zhou could stay hidden while he and He Xiaowei infiltrated the purple camp to gather intel.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>