Chapter 44: Observing Qi

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Observing Qi

"How is this mission going to work? I have no way of tracking Najir Buffon!"

Taruno’s intelligence network had only just expanded to the cities surrounding Talin City.

Without intelligence support from headquarters, Chen Qi wasn’t confident he could complete the mission.

"If Najir Buffon wants to hide, we’d have a hard time finding him quickly too."

"But he got too greedy. He took the Xiaowang Card!"

"This Card is special. The King is able to track its general location."

"But that only works as long as it hasn’t been fused. If Najir fuses with it, we won’t be able to find him quickly."

"So you only have 48 hours!"

Plum Blossom 10’s words made Chen Qi pause. ’This mission is on an incredibly tight schedule.’

’I was originally planning on becoming an Awakened before going after him. Better to play it safe.’

But under the circumstances, it seemed he had no choice but to rush into action.

’Good thing the opponent is a total weakling. He has to use a gun to kill people. So lame.’

The 48-hour time limit was because a Card’s Devouring Fusion took at least two days.

This very fact was recorded in great detail in Jomoya’s notes.

Of course, this was only for the simplest form of Devouring Fusion. Achieving true ability integration was a different story—the time required was variable, but it would take a month at the very least.

Since time was of the essence, Chen Qi had no choice but to change his plans and set out immediately.

Fortunately, the Lanyu Kingdom wasn’t large. Only a few hours had passed since the assassination, so Najir couldn’t have gotten far.

Most importantly, as a player, it was impossible for Najir to leave the Lanyu Kingdom.

So the remaining forty-odd hours would be more than enough time for Chen Qi to catch up.

Assuming, of course, that he had accurate intel on his location!

······

As the sun set, an old sedan cruised slowly down a remote highway.

Najir Buffon drove with a leisurely air, not at all the picture of a desperate fugitive that others might imagine.

For a player who had betrayed the Order Keepers, a "murderer" wanted by countless people, Najir was preternaturally calm.

This wasn’t because he had no fear of being hunted down. In fact, he knew that if he were discovered, death was certain.

Najir was well aware of the situation he faced, which was why he understood that simply running was pointless.

No matter how fast he drove, he couldn’t leave the Lanyu Kingdom—a restriction placed upon all players.

If a player tried to leave the Lanyu Kingdom, their Card would fully awaken and completely devour them.

It was the very first thing he had learned after joining the Order Keepers.

"Left... Good fortune."

The highway forked. Najir used his ability to determine which path to take.

This was how he had casually escaped the Royal Capital, evading countless military and police cordons.

’This isn’t enough. If I just keep this up, other players will find me sooner or later.’

A Card’s abilities weren’t omnipotent, and it was entirely possible that other players had Cards with abilities that could counter his own.

To evade the other players hunting him, Najir needed to find a truly safe haven.

Najir vaguely sensed that something had locked onto him, and the source was the Xiaowang Card in his hand.

On his left hand, two masses of purple light were currently colliding and merging, a phenomenon that had been going on for six hours.

Najir knew this devouring would continue for a long time.

And that meant he would be trackable the entire time.

’But giving up the Xiaowang Card? That’s even more out of the question.’

’I took such a huge risk, practically sealing my own fate, just to get this. How could I possibly give it up now?’

······

’It’s worth it. Everything I’ve done... it’s all worth it.’

’The Order Keeper faction seems safe, but that’s only until a major war breaks out.’

’Once war breaks out with the Demon Slaying Association, my Perception of Fortune and Misfortune ability would make me a prime target.’

’Those Traitors have had their eyes on me for a long time.’

’In the end, you have to rely on yourself. The only way to survive is to become powerful.’

’Isn’t that what the Prime Minister thought, too? That’s why he secretly completed his Card’s Metamorphosis, hiding it from everyone.’

Najir quietly reflected on his recent "madness." It had truly been a difficult decision.

After his ability advanced to Lv. 2, his Perception of Fortune and Misfortune grew even stronger. He had even developed another application for it on his own: Observing Qi!

If something was beneficial to him, it would emit a white light.

If it was harmful, it would emit a black light.

One day, Najir saw a golden light emanating from the Prime Minister.

Based on his accumulated experience with Observing Qi, the Prime Minister had to possess something that would bring him immense benefits.

Gold. It was a color he had never seen before. If he let this opportunity slip by, he would never forgive himself.

After repeated investigations and probes, Najir finally locked onto his target: the Xiaowang Card.

Although he didn’t know why at the time, after a long internal struggle, he decided to kill.

The final push came from an assassination attempt by the Demon Slaying Association.

Najir believed the Demon Slaying Association must have discovered some of the Prime Minister’s secrets and had come to steal his fated opportunity.

Time was running out, and Najir was certainly not about to let someone else take his prize. He seized the opportunity during a visit to the Prime Minister, launched a sneak attack, and succeeded in one fell swoop!

Only after obtaining the Xiaowang Card did Najir understand why he had seen the golden light.

Because this Card was no longer the old, ’non-combat’ version!

Cloze had actually managed to evolve it!

As long as he successfully fused with the Xiaowang Card, his future would be paved with gold.

’I’ll bet everything on this! I know I can find a way to survive!’

Najir activated a new ability he’d gained at Lv. 2, temporarily boosting his own luck.

Then, he used Observing Qi to search for a safe haven.

He wasn’t asking for much—just a place to hide for the next forty hours.

He hadn’t expected to find anything, but a flash of green light suddenly filled his vision.

’There’s actually a safe place!’

Najir was ecstatic. Green was a level higher than white, meaning this place would be of immense benefit to him.

’The city up ahead... it must be the key to surviving this ordeal.’

······

"That guy actually stopped running?"

An hour later, just after leaving Talin City, Chen Qi received the latest coordinates from Plum Blossom 10.

’I thought Najir and I were going to have a race, a regular ’Fast and Furious’ showdown. I can’t believe he just stopped.’

This put Chen Qi in an awkward position. He had just taken out his maglev sports car, all ready to tear up the road!

This was a gift from Westin; there were only ten of them in the entire Lanyu Kingdom.

’So what now?’

Soon, a silver streak of lightning cut through the night. Chen Qi drove under the moonlight, thinking the only thing missing was a beautiful woman in the passenger seat.

However, Chen Qi was unaware that his movements had quickly been noticed by many interested parties.

Contracts could often be circumvented, and Chen Qi was the key. After all, he wasn’t a party to the agreement.