Chapter Fifty-Seven: Watching the Play
Sensing the terrifying gaze of the Shadow Fox, the little donkey, fearful of your "discarding after use," hurried its pace, working harder than before.
Such a feeble speed, and it dares to call itself the mount of my great master! The Shadow Fox was filled with envy.
It hinted to you that, with its abilities, it could definitely outrun this little donkey.
The Shadow Fox's Giant Shadow transformation has refreshed. Would you like the Shadow Fox to activate its skill and replace your mount?
The Shadow Fox, in its true form, was merely a small fox—adorable, only thirty centimeters in length, the kind one might cuddle in their arms.
But once it activated Giant Shadow, it became a monstrous beast over four meters tall!
Such size and stature, equivalent to stacking nine cars in a three-by-three formation—if one could truly witness it, the sight would be utterly magnificent...
Sadly, showing off the adorable fox was impossible on Earth.
Morning Dawn was by no means a professional beast tamer; he could not summon the Shadow Fox from the game into the real world.
Even beast tamer players starting in New Capital's District Six would be stuck on this issue for a long time.
Was there any item that could summon it to Earth?
Yes.
“Master, let me show you what true speed means!”
The Shadow Fox leapt into the air, activating its Giant Shadow transformation. Black flames flickered across its body, condensing until it became a fierce and terrifying giant fox.
Immediately thereafter, its fluffy tail curled around you and the little donkey, lifting you onto its back.
Seeing this awe-inspiring Shadow Fox, the little donkey lay trembling atop its back, overcome by existential terror.
The Shadow Fox asked you for your destination.
The Tower of Medicine.
The Shadow Fox began its long run, at more than twice the speed of the little donkey.
You sat leisurely upon the Shadow Fox’s back, advancing swiftly…
In the game, the character rode the Shadow Fox, returning to the Tower of Medicine.
As the destination drew near, you could have the Shadow Fox use Shadow Evasion, hiding within the shadows of your clothing and skin to avoid detection by others.
Morning Dawn, his stamina somewhat recovered, drank the hot water.
Suddenly, the lights in the entire building began to return; the power system damaged by the Shadow of Self and the Raven had been restored.
Soon after, the network was back online.
Several messages arrived on his phone.
Morning Dawn also learned the full details of today’s unexpected events from Chen Shi.
First came the flock attack by the Crow Scarecrow. The Crow Scarecrow launched an assault on Lin Yu Xing, who was outside training her weather forecasting abilities, drawing the attention of the Daybreak Society.
Then, the leader of the Saint Calamity Association’s Phantom Thieves suddenly appeared, assisting the Crow Scarecrow in its attack. The face of the Catastrophe Messenger was directly wounded by a raven.
The Phantom Thief was a leader-level figure, rivaling the top-tier players, terrifyingly powerful. His arrival immediately mobilized most of the branch’s forces!
Once everyone had been drawn away by the Crow Scarecrow and the Phantom Thief, the Shadow of Self and his accomplices began their operation—stealing confidential information from the branch and, afterward, planning to kidnap Morning Dawn as a convenient bonus.
All these events unfolded within a few short minutes, and, combined with the Shadow of Self’s special abilities, the entire branch was paralyzed in an instant.
Morning Dawn shook his head. He had overestimated the security of the Daybreak Society, and the effectiveness of firearms.
At this stage, there were only ten thousand Wanderers in total, scattered across the globe—a small number. Most of the branch’s security personnel were ordinary people armed with various weapons.
If all were physical players like the Umbrella Bearer, firepower suppression would surely be effective.
But faced with a player as uncanny as the Shadow of Self, after cutting the power, ordinary people could hardly even detect his presence, let alone suppress him with firearms.
Seeker: “Night Wanderer, is everything alright on your end? Please hide well. According to intel, a cadre-level figure from the Web Shadow is highly likely to infiltrate the building. Things are not optimistic here either. Please be careful.”
Is that what she calls infiltration?
Morning Dawn thought for a moment.
Night Wanderer: “I’m fine for now.”
On the other end of the network, Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared the Night Wanderer would start killing again. According to the intelligence, the Shadow of Self’s abilities were extraordinarily bizarre, and he was a player with a strong sense of vengeance.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed!
What’s happening… Morning Dawn walked to the window and looked into the distance.
In a distant skyscraper, the bulletproof glass at the very top was shattering, pane after pane!
Beside the building hovered a fully armed helicopter—clearly, that was the center of battle.
Someone was there, clad in a magician’s cloak, wearing a Phantom Thief mask…
That was a battle between top-tier players…
Wait, the Phantom Thief?
Morning Dawn suddenly recalled: wasn’t this the person who asked for his address in the New Sun gaming group?
He opened the New Sun chat group and found that two people had been trading barbs!
They were, indeed, the Phantom Thief and the Angler.
Phantom Thief: “Angler, with your intelligence, you’re only fit to be baited. I advise you to behave today and not force me to show my true colors.”
Angler: “Phantom Thief, as the saying goes, old ginger is spicier.”
Phantom Thief: “Some old men truly belong in the pot, stir-fried and harvested for experience.”
Angler: “Just wait! Those who hurt me never fare well!”
Phantom Thief: “Why not check if the little lamb you’re supposed to protect has already gone missing? I’ll have you know, he’s most likely been whipped by one of my subordinates by now.”
Calamity Diviner: “Whipped? That tragic? Please send privately.”
Watchdog: “Was it a man or woman doing the whipping? If it was a woman, I’d like to see it too.”
Angler: “Don’t even think about baiting me. Do you know what rare talents are? Don’t forget what happened at the start.”
Phantom Thief: “Heh, keep deceiving yourself. Have you been tricked into idiocy lately?”
…
Morning Dawn frowned. Though both were formidable, and their matters serious, their online dialogue was as ridiculous as ever—and he was dragged into it as well.
The two sparred in the group for fifty exchanges, but the Angler, lacking experience, was clearly outmatched by the Phantom Thief!
Later, Luo Qing chimed in with, “Please maintain a friendly atmosphere in the game support group,” and only then did they cease their quarrel.
Wait… So the Phantom Thief belonged to the Saint Calamity Association, while the Angler was with the Daybreak Society.
This group was indeed unusual—these arch-enemies were both members!
Though the online argument had ended, reality had begun a ferocious real-life PK!
But Morning Dawn was in no condition to fight anymore, nor could he help, let alone slip into the melee for a cheap kill.
Still, he could spectate.
It was the perfect opportunity to observe the strength of these top-tier players.
White Dove, go—scout!
Morning Dawn closed his left eye. The White Dove flew from his right, heading toward the scene of the battle.
The White Dove landed atop the skyscraper, watching the clash between the top-tier players.
The Angler wielded a fishing rod, binding the Phantom Thief with a line as long as the sky, repeatedly slamming him against the hard surface of the building!
“Useless, useless, useless.”
Yet the Phantom Thief only mocked, as if the Angler’s attacks did no harm at all.
What kind of tank was this Phantom Thief…
The Angler was lowest-ranked among the top-tier players, but one of the few with all three lives intact—Morning Dawn felt a twinge of concern.
Just as he was enjoying the spectacle, suddenly, a cold gaze locked eyes with his White Dove.