Gamers Are Fierce

He drew the Dusk Cloak behind him. This cloak possessed an automatic repair Special Effect and now had hardly any holes left. The red, swollen burn marks on Li Ang's body were also slowly healing with the help of the cloak's Special Effect.

By his side stood Liu Wu Dai, a hand resting on a bowstring, and Miss Chai, hovering in the air.

Previously, the Green Flame Whip had directly destroyed one Bloodworm Crowbar. It was uncertain if another half-melted crowbar could still be used. The Green Flame Whip had also bound the Qinge Armor's wrist, burning deep wounds into it. Luckily, due to the Qinge Armor's special material, Miss Chai, who resided inside it, hadn't suffered any direct harm. Furthermore, the Qinge Armor also possessed a self-healing Special Effect and was now almost fully recovered.

However...

Miss Chai subtly glanced at Li Ang's back.

When Li Ang had violently struck and severely injured the Resentful Demon, the unprecedented, pure killing intent he had revealed caused even Miss Chai, still bound by the Green Flame Whip, to feel an oppressive fear deep in her soul. That pure killing intent left her no doubt that Li Ang would do everything in his power to thoroughly eliminate both the Resentful Demon and Gulu Lugu.

Considering the Resentful Demon might have used some kind of psychic-type skill to trigger Li Ang's 'mechanism,' Miss Chai had reason to believe that Li Ang, who valued the secrecy of his identity to an extreme degree, might find an opportunity to eliminate everyone present except for herself—all outsiders. Perhaps even... Chu Yin, Ash, and Liu Wu Dai.

It was probably because of that undisguised, intense killing intent that Ash, Chu Yin, and Wu Mu, who should have been on the same side, chose to stand a little farther away at this moment.

"..."

Watching Li Ang's back as he gradually calmed, Miss Chai quietly sighed in relief.

She couldn't even imagine how powerful Li Ang might be if he unscrupulously used the Virulent Poison Short Dagger and Origin of Life in the real world without any bottom line.

Fortunately, no one noticed her expression.

Ji Jiu continued, speaking as if to himself, "Let's talk about the personal safety of those present here."

He glanced around the abandoned subway station and said softly, "In about eight minutes, the sixth barrier will begin to contract, and its final extent will be the area around this subway station. And this place... it's already surrounded by the Mobile Detachment..."

True to his words, in the real world, helicopters were slowly lowering their altitude, their searchlights pouring into the subway station.

A middle-aged Mobile Detachment operative, after a quick assessment, reached out and gripped the dome blocking the subway station entrance. He grunted, then exerted his strength, coordinating with his teammates to forcibly pry open the bent and fractured structure. This allowed the fully-armed operatives to rush into the station.

Two tactical squads descended from the entrance in single file, quickly establishing fire positions with light and heavy weapons.

Due to the Ball Technique, the Mobile Detachment personnel couldn't see Li Ang or the other players. They could only see the cracks scattered across the ground and the thick fog seeping out from them.

However, this fog was different from what they had seen on Qianhua Road. Here, the fog, seemingly affected by something, clung to the ground in a shallow layer, not daring to expand freely.

In one part of the subway station, the fog was even more noticeably suppressed, forming a circular void. It was as if something invisible to everyone was constantly eroding the mist there...

In the silence, Mobile Detachment members rapidly set up fire positions throughout this level of the station. Each operative's helmet was equipped with a real-time video transmission device. Combined with the scout drones the logistics team had released deep into the subway station, the distant command center could clearly see every location within the abandoned station.

The Mobile Detachment combat team leader used his headset to report the situation to his superiors, then waved for his subordinates to quickly clear the area and set up portable circuitry and lighting. Except for the deliberately lightened footsteps, the process of clearing the subway station was almost silent.

At this point, the research team, along with advisors from the Heterodox Academy, also hurried down with various instruments. With the help of the operatives, researchers in white lab coats quickly placed miniature signal arrays at various points along the edge of the fog. They used laptops connected to the portable circuitry to rapidly analyze the fog's concentration, content, composition, and Energy characteristics, uploading the data for comparison with the fog samples from Qianhua Road.

To Chu Yin and the others, the bustling activity of the Special Affairs Bureau seemed incredibly strange. The Bureau members were right there, yet completely unaware of their presence, unable to communicate, interact, or make contact.

"When the barrier is removed," Ji Jiu continued, "everyone present will find themselves deep within the Mobile Detachment's encirclement. Even with skills and equipment for stealth and escape, facing fully armed elite players possessing various types of gear, it would be nearly impossible to get away."

Ji Jiu glanced at Ash and Chu Yin, speaking unhurriedly, "Those two, who are already operatives of the Special Affairs Bureau, naturally don't need to worry. However, for players who aren't members of the Special Affairs Bureau and have no intention of joining, it will be quite difficult to handle."

"..."

Li Ang tilted his head slightly and said indifferently, "Judging by the inscription on the Palace Lantern, it won't be long before this city is enveloped by the Misty Territory. If the anomaly isn't resolved, what difference does it make whether we escape the Special Affairs Bureau's encirclement or not?"

"Correct." Ji Jiu took a deep breath. "But what if I told you I have a way to resolve the Misty Territory anomaly and save Yin City from its current crisis?"

Before Li Ang could voice his doubts, Ash exclaimed in astonishment, "What?! You have a way?"

Truthfully, Ash was skeptical. The Special Affairs Bureau had the most abundant manpower and resources, assistance from the Academy of Sciences, and guidance from the Heterodox Academy. If even they were at a loss regarding the Misty Territory anomaly, what qualifications did a crippled player lying on the ground have to claim he could solve it?

Facing Ash's astonishment, Ji Jiu nodded silently and said to him, "You're a member of the Mobile Detachment, aren't you? You should have heard the name Zhuang Pengpai."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "...A high-ranking member of Datura in Yin City?"

"Yes," Ji Jiu said. "After his death, I took over his position. This Misty Territory anomaly, all its stages, are part of Datura's plan."

"..." Ash remained silent. His reason told him that, based on the Special Affairs Bureau's understanding of Datura, their power was nowhere near capable of causing an anomaly of this magnitude. Moreover, the history of the Misty Territory itself far predated the founding of the Datura organization.

"The Misty Territory wasn't created by Datura," Ji Jiu said, his voice Youyou. "It originated in the Han Dynasty and was used to seal all the demons in the world. Back then, it had another name: the Demon Prison."