Chapter 50: Plum Blossom 3

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Plum Blossom 3

"Such an interesting young man. Wouldn’t it be a shame to kill him?"

Felix (Plum Blossom 3) was perfectly at ease, carrying the air of a decadent, elderly artist.

’He wasn’t about to tell Najir the truth. Was he supposed to admit that Red Heart 7 was too sharp and ran away too fast?’

"Forget it. As long as I can complete the Card fusion, the King’s ability to locate me will disappear!"

"Can you really protect me while I complete the fusion? There are five other players out there. No matter how well we hide, we’ll be found sooner or later."

Although he was safe for now, the sense of crisis in Najir’s heart never faded.

Yesterday, he had finally found a path to survival, only to discover upon reaching this city that it was the Chaotic City.

As an Order Keeper, he naturally knew that a Mysterious Player lurked within this city.

He even knew more confidential information, such as the fact that two players had once entered the Chaotic City and never came out.

Najir had hesitated outside the city for half an hour before ultimately choosing to trust his Superpower and enter.

And as it turned out, his ability hadn’t failed him. Not long after entering the city, he ran into Felix.

The latter offered him sanctuary, on the condition that after he completed his Card fusion, he would have to meet a certain "important person."

With no other options left, Najir had no right to refuse and could only agree.

To Najir, staying alive was more important than anything.

’Since the other party was allowing him to complete the Card fusion, it meant they had no intention of killing him.’

’In that case, what was the harm in meeting them?’

"Relax. As long as you stay in the Chaotic City, I can protect you even if a Level 3 player comes in person."

"Now that these five little bugs have entered this place, they can forget about leaving alive."

Felix was incredibly confident, to the point that Najir found him arrogant.

However, his Perception of Fortune and Misfortune Superpower clearly and unmistakably indicated that as long as he stayed in the Chaotic City, it was a sign of great fortune!

’What exactly was this guy Felix relying on?’

’Unfortunately, this concerned Felix’s most fundamental secret, and he would certainly never reveal it.’

······

’What a grand plan. So fantastical, so unbelievable.’

’But he actually managed to pull it off. How in the world did he do it?’

The more he knew, the deeper he understood, and the more "curious" Chen Qi became about the one hiding behind the scenes!

This person was basically digging a mouse hole in a cat’s den—and the crucial part was, he had actually succeeded in "claiming his territory."

This Tulun City truly lived up to its name as the "Land of Rebellion."

BUZZ BUZZ, BUZZ BUZZ!

Chen Qi had just finished recording the graffiti on a lamppost when the wristband on his right hand suddenly vibrated.

Evidently, another powerful Life Form had entered his 200-meter range!

Out of caution, while Chen Qi had no intention of meeting them, he used the wristband to monitor their movements.

This individual didn’t seem to have any means of long-range player detection. At least, Chen Qi was certain they hadn’t discovered him.

This player didn’t seem to be wandering aimlessly; they were purposefully searching for something.

Soon, they seemed to find their target and remained in place for a full ten minutes.

It was unclear if they found anything there, but they quickly left Chen Qi’s detection range soon after!

Chen Qi had no intention of hunting other players, so he didn’t continue to follow.

Out of curiosity, Chen Qi went to check the "stopping point."

’Maybe the other player had made a completely different discovery!’

’A tattoo parlor?’

The "target" was somewhat unexpected for Chen Qi. He didn’t enter but instead observed quietly from over ten meters away.

Soon, Chen Qi lost interest, because it was, indeed, just an ordinary tattoo parlor.

If there was anything special about it, it was that business was booming.

But considering this was the Chaotic City, that also seemed reasonable.

’I think I know what that guy was thinking. Did he believe the Mysterious Player was controlling the gang members through tattoos?’

The gang members’ attack last night was clearly being remotely controlled by a player.

This must be one of the two players who were attacked last night. He’s looking for the source of the gang members’ control.

After realizing this, Chen Qi instantly lost interest.

’Heh, he’s really underestimating the master of this city.’

’He’s not just controlling gang members, but every single person in the entire city.’

’And to accomplish something so incredible, mere tattoos would never be enough.’

As his thoughts strayed to this point, Chen Qi suddenly realized something.

’My own actions have been a bit narrow-minded.’

’Why was I so focused on the graffiti?’

This is a real city, with its own architectural layout and its own complete urban plan.

’Looks like the Celestial Star Geography and Earth Vein Feng Shui I taught myself will finally come in handy.’

Putting thought into action, Chen Qi headed directly to the tallest tower in the city to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire metropolis.

The moment Chen Qi took in the entire city, he knew he had still underestimated the person behind the scenes.

The layout of this city couldn’t possibly have been planned in a mere three years.

After confirming the locations of several key nodes, Chen Qi set off for the municipal government’s planning department.

After a bit of trouble, Chen Qi managed to view the urban construction archives for Tulun City.

’The largest node, the construction of the colosseum, was actually twelve years ago.’

’Construction on the other six nodes also began sequentially within a few years.’

’If that’s the case, does it mean the new player from the 9th game just took this place over?’

’Considering the sudden rise of graffiti culture and the Demon Dragon legend, could it be that the old man was able to take over because his Superpower was a perfect fit?’

Chen Qi felt the truth becoming clearer and clearer, but his heart grew colder and colder.

’All signs indicated that Tulun City had another master. Should he just run for it?’

After thinking it over and over, Chen Qi dismissed the idea of fleeing.

It wasn’t that he was particularly attached to the mission, but rather that he was betting the "true master" was no longer in this city.

’At the very least, they shouldn’t be able to interfere directly anymore!’

As for the basis of his judgment, it was, of course, because he had already deciphered 60% of the entire layout.

A certain fool who fancied himself an artist had done more than his fair share of ruining things with superfluous additions!

To put it bluntly, when it came to the "secrets" of this city, Chen Qi was the one who knew the most.

’In that case, why should he back down?’

Quite the opposite, this was a rare opportunity for Chen Qi.

······

Within Tulun City, the seven players each had their own agendas.

Time flew by. The day quickly passed, and night fell once again!

The five outsiders’ search yielded no results!

It was as if Najir had vanished into thin air; no one had seen him.

Due to the special nature of the Chaotic City, there were no surveillance devices anywhere.

Therefore, trying to find one person in a city of two million was basically like finding a needle in a haystack.

Even if the players had detection methods, their effective range was only a few hundred meters.

It was like casting a net in a lake—the odds didn’t increase by much.

Thirty hours had passed, and there wasn’t much time left.

The five players clearly had no intention of giving up. The arrival of night was actually a good thing for them; at least the foot traffic was lower.

They weren’t working so hard because they were worried about not finding Najir, but because they wanted to be the first to get to him.

This was because, in the final hours of the fusion, both Cards would "awaken."

The fluctuations produced by the Cards’ struggle then would be strong enough for every player in the city to sense.

For Najir Buffon to be hiding here was practically a death wish!