Chapter 55: Chain of Suspicion

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Chain of Suspicion

"It’s finally starting!"

In the South District of Chaotic City, Feng Xingyun (Diamond J), who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

He paid no mind to the recent upheavals in the city, focused only on waiting for this moment to arrive.

Finally, as the full moon hung high in the sky, the familiar fluctuation appeared once more.

And this time, the fluctuation grew stronger and stronger, showing no signs of stopping.

’That direction... seems to be Demon Dragon Plaza?’

A flash of understanding crossed Feng Xingyun’s eyes, and he headed toward the source of the fluctuation.

At the same moment, Chen Qi and two others also sensed the fluctuation.

While Chen Qi remained where he was, Kolos and Jiru also began heading toward the city center.

If one were to look down from high above, they would discover a peculiar phenomenon.

The trajectories of the four individuals were bound to intersect!

...

"Felix, can you really hold back those four people?"

"This Joker Card is rather special. I’m afraid the final struggle will last for a very long time."

"I can’t make a move now!"

At Demon Dragon Plaza, Najir’s expression was fraught with anxiety.

The most critical moment had finally arrived.

He hoped that fellow Felix wasn’t just bluffing. Otherwise, he would be the one to pay the price.

If he could use his abilities right now, he really would have tried to divine his fortune.

"Relax. I do what I say."

"Who said four people will show up here? In the end, only one will appear before us."

As Felix spoke, he dabbed a few strokes onto the blood-colored patterns on the plaza floor. On closer inspection, one would see that what originally looked like graffiti had transformed into a massive map of the city.

Four points of light, representing the players, were moving across the map.

Felix’s strokes landed precisely on those four players.

And at the very instant he finished his strokes, a bizarre change occurred in the vision of Chen Qi and the other three.

...

’What the hell is this?’

’Why have four pillars of light suddenly shot up in the city?’

The moment the fluctuation began, Chen Qi had thought it over and decided to wait and reap the rewards at the end.

After all, his only target was Najir; it didn’t matter if Najir was dead or alive.

He thought he could quietly wait and watch the show, but an unseen force suddenly descended, delivering a piece of information.

Chen Qi felt a momentary daze, but nothing around him seemed to have changed.

However, four pillars of light that reached to the heavens had appeared in the city’s night sky.

The source of one of these pillars was Chen Qi himself.

His name, [Jomoya Chris], was even branded upon the pillar of light.

The other three pillars were exactly the same, branded with [Kolos], [Jiru], and [Feng Xingyun], respectively.

Chen Qi saw the pillar of light representing Kolos moving toward him.

Or rather, he happened to be directly in Kolos’s path.

’Damn that old bastard. He’s exposed every player’s location.’

Without even having to guess, Chen Qi knew that old man was behind it.

Only he could pinpoint the locations of all the players.

...

"Heh, is the plan to have us kill each other?"

Gazing at the pillar of light representing [Jomoya Chris] up ahead, Kolos stopped in his tracks.

They were at least two kilometers apart; he could easily go around.

Their previous encounter had proven the other guy was a smart person who wouldn’t do anything foolish.

However, just as he turned, the pillar of light representing [Jomoya Chris] suddenly vanished.

Kolos’s expression turned exceedingly grim, because his own pillar of light was still standing tall.

This meant he had lost track of his opponent, while his opponent knew his own whereabouts perfectly.

Under Felix’s manipulation, an information asymmetry had been created between Kolos’s and Chen Qi’s locations.

...

’This is trouble!’

At almost the same instant, the towering pillar of light for [Kolos] also disappeared from Chen Qi’s vision.

But his own pillar was still shining brightly!

’He’s actually planning to use an information gap to make us kill each other?’

’Well, he succeeded!’

Chen Qi sighed in resignation and moved in the direction where [Kolos] had been.

And the very instant he moved, the [pillar of light] representing Kolos reappeared.

Clearly, this was an overt scheme.

As for why Chen Qi was forced to "make a move," it was because after the city’s magnetic field shifted, the detection range of his Biological Radar had shrunk to just ten meters.

Meanwhile, the effective range of a LV2 skill was thirty meters.

Everything had long been designed by Felix; even his choice of who would fight whom was part of his own calculations.

It was a chain of suspicion, but no one dared to gamble.

Besides, they were all enemies to begin with. Clearing the field first wasn’t out of the question.

...

Kolos made the exact same choice as Chen Qi.

His perception of the Life Magnet Field had also been weakened to ten meters.

’That guy on the other side is an annoying Order Keeper anyway. So what if I kill him?’

The same scene was also playing out between [Jiru] and [Feng Xingyun].

The two of them, without prior discussion, also changed their routes and headed off to kill each other.

Ten minutes later, the four met in pairs, and the battlefields were set.

...

"Kolos, we meet again!"

"Can we not fight?"

"Is there any chance we could work together?"

Fifty meters apart, Chen Qi and Kolos had come face-to-face on a narrow road.

This was his first time facing another player, and he hadn’t yet entered a kill-or-be-killed mindset.

"Haha, what a naive rookie."

"You really haven’t officially joined the [Order Keepers], have you? To think you’d still want to cooperate with us!"

"It wouldn’t have been impossible, mind you. After all, our goals don’t majorly conflict!"

"But I’m very interested in the ability of that Card of yours!"

"And I have that old fossil Felix to thank for giving me such a great opportunity!"

Kolos’s eyes burned with desire as he stared at the bracelet on Chen Qi’s wrist. He had long coveted the Metal Manipulation ability possessed by the [Red Heart 7].

If he could just get that Card, his own ability puzzle would be one step closer to completion.

As for whether he could kill the guy opposite him?

Hahaha, what a joke. According to his intel, this guy had only been a player for a little over three months.

He, on the other hand, had painstakingly honed his skills for three years.

The only reason Kolos hadn’t made a move earlier was that there were other players around, and he hadn’t wanted to cause unnecessary complications.

This current situation was perfect!

...

"My ability?"

Chen Qi glanced at his bracelet. ’Looks like the full details of this Card haven’t been leaked.’

"I’d advise you not to get any ideas about my Card."

"This is a Card of Certain Death. Whoever gets it, dies!"

"Why seek your own doom?"

Chen Qi offered his advice in good faith. He felt he was being quite frank.

Unfortunately, Kolos was incapable of recognizing kindness, and instead assumed Chen Qi was scared, which only made him more arrogant.

"What Card of Certain Death? I’ve been in this game for three years and I’ve never heard of such a thing."

"Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick!"

Kolos closed in step by step. 45 meters, 40 meters, 35 meters...

"So you don’t know either!"

"In that case, you’re of no more use to me!"

With a casual flick of his hand, Chen Qi sent an iron ball shooting toward Kolos’s head, breaking the sound barrier like a cannonball!

’Who says you can’t attack from outside a skill’s effective range?’