Gamers Are Fierce

The subway station abruptly stopped shaking. However, the faces of the many players still rushing toward the exit betrayed an uncontrollable horror and confusion. The collapsing subway station, the thick fog pouring from fissures in the ground, the special item Palace Lantern appearing above the fog, and the lantern's foreboding note—all these elements intertwined, leaving Ash, an official from the Special Affairs Bureau, utterly stunned and bewildered.

Li Ang's reaction couldn't have been faster. The moment the System alert popped up, he whipped around and dashed toward the Palace Lantern floating just above the layer of dense fog.

This classical Palace Lantern was crafted from golden nanmu wood, meticulously hand-carved and hollowed out, exuding an air of luxury, elegance, and exquisite classical design. Its primary colors were red and yellow, and its overall shape was octagonal. Each of its eight sides was covered with a material resembling fine silk gauze. Upon this gauze, intricate designs of landscapes, flowers, birds, the moon, and stars were formed from swirling gold and silver threads. The edges of each panel were inlaid with pale yellow, precious gemstones. Red tassels hung from the wooden frame of the octagonal Palace Lantern. At its center, a light shone with a gentle radiance, like moonlight. Under the glow of the All Bright Moon Palace Lantern, the thick fog surging from the ground continuously receded, shrinking and cowering close to the earth. This was in stark contrast to the anomaly on Qianhua Road, on the other side of the city.

Li Ang had entered a Misty Territory before and had even led a group of ordinary people trapped within it to safety. But that time, he hadn't ventured deep into the Territory, and the various demons he encountered were far from the strongest inhabitants.

Based on the hints in this mission's briefing, combined with the various clues gathered along the way, it's clear that the Misty Territory anomaly at Qianhua Road will escalate into a disaster affecting all of Yin City.

If the Misty Territory expands to cover the entirety of Yin City, and this lantern's description says it can dispel the sinister fog, then holding this lantern could ensure safety within the Misty Territory. It might even allow one to walk right out of it.

Whether I take the Palace Lantern and escape Yin City with Wang Congshan and the others, or use it to cooperate with the Special Affairs Bureau to try and resolve the anomaly, I'll have to compete with other players. I must seize the Palace Lantern and ensure it's under my control when the mission ends. I even have to be wary of teammates. The mission prohibits harming teammates, which means if a teammate gets the Palace Lantern, I can't take it back from them during the mission. This mission is truly filled with malice...

As he lunged for the Palace Lantern, Li Ang's thoughts raced. He casually tossed two Bloodworm Crowbars to Miss Chai. Simultaneously, his Triangular Bone Tipped Spear shot out, its broken spearhead streaking towards the hanging ring at the top of the suspended Palace Lantern, determined to seize the All Bright Moon Palace Lantern.

CLANG—

Opposite him, the Resentful Demon, who seemed to know more details about the mission, struck. He lashed his long whip diagonally at Li Ang. At the same time, countless showers of fire rain materialized beside the demon, swirling around the Palace Lantern and bombarding Li Ang.

"Get out of my way!" the Resentful Demon roared, his eyes blazing with manic excitement as he brandished the whip. A pillar of fire erupted behind him, propelling him toward the All Bright Moon Palace Lantern.

In the nick of time, just as Li Ang was about to be struck by the Green Flame Whip, Miss Chai, clad in her Qinge Armor, rushed forward. She struck the whip with her two Bloodworm Crowbars.

The Green Flame Whip was, in reality, a long segment of animal tailbone, solid and tangible. Upon contact with the Bloodworm Crowbars, the whip, driven by inertia, coiled around one of them. The crowbar instantly melted and snapped. The other crowbar also suffered severe damage.

Fortunately, though the whip missed Li Ang, the fire rain unleashed from the Resentful Demon's side shot towards him, arriving first and exploding in his direction.

Unable to find purchase in mid-air, Li Ang twisted sharply. He used his Dusk Cloak, disguised as Batman's cape, to shield himself from the fire rain. His bone-tipped spear, however, continued its trajectory, stabbing towards the hanging ring at the top of the All Bright Moon Palace Lantern.

The Dusk Cloak, an Excellent-grade piece of defensive equipment, blocked the widespread barrage of fire rain. The corrosive flames instantly dissolved the Batman disguise, revealing the large cloak underneath, which was woven from black animal fur. The surface of the cloak SIZZLED where it met the green fire rain, and countless tiny, grain-sized holes melted into it.

The scorching heat penetrated the bulletproof vest on Li Ang's back, searing his skin and raising red welts. But under the Dusk Cloak's "Severing the Moon" Special Effect (which absorbed moonlight to repair the cloak and enhance the wearer's Self-healing Ability), these injuries healed almost instantly. It was, however, very, very painful.

"No!" Amidst the Resentful Demon's enraged roar, the tip of the bone spear accurately pierced the Palace Lantern's hanging ring. As Li Ang flicked the spear upwards, the Palace Lantern slid down towards him.

"You asked for this!" The Resentful Demon's shout reverberated through the subway station. Maintaining his forward momentum, he reached a hand towards his forehead, jabbing a finger at one of Gulu Lugu's pea-sized compound eyes.

The earlier ground tremor had interrupted Li Ang's Drown in Misfortune Assassination Method. Gulu Lugu, having regained control of its body, SQUELCH! Punctured one of its own compound eyes with its finger.

"AAAAHHHH!"

As the green caterpillar let out an unearthly, piercing shriek, Li Ang, who was about to flee with the All Bright Moon Palace Lantern, froze. Every fiber of his skin, bones, and muscles began to tremble uncontrollably.

Gulu Lugu's skill was named Overwhelming Fear. It required one of the user's own eyeballs to activate. Its Special Effect was to target a single player, amplifying their fear a hundredfold. It forced them to relive the most terrifying memory of their life, experiencing that moment one hundred times within the span of a single second.

The skill's power was as immense as its cost. In Gulu Lugu's previous hunts with the Resentful Demon, Overwhelming Fear had proven devastatingly effective every time. Even players far stronger than Gulu Lugu would lose their sanity under its influence, becoming rigid or falling into a frenzy, allowing the Resentful Demon to effortlessly reap their lives.

This time was no exception.

Although Li Ang possessed the Cat's Eye equipment, which offered slight resistance to Illusion Technique, its quality was utterly insufficient to withstand such a potent skill, unleashed by sacrificing one of its own eyes. He was dragged directly into an illusion, forced to recall a fear that had been sealed deep within his memory.

Li Ang stood rigid, unable to move. Miss Chai's hands were ensnared by the snakelike Green Flame Whip. Wu Mu and the others in the distance finally reacted and rushed toward them. However, they were too far away and also had to defend against the barrage of fire rain, so they couldn't reach them in time.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

After one second, clarity returned to Li Ang's eyes. Without turning his head, he jerked his long spear upward, its tip aiming straight for the Resentful Demon's throat.