A few minutes later.
The image on the virtual screen was left with nothing but a surging crimson sea.
The entire space had been completely swallowed by raging flames, transforming into a scorching purgatory.
Outside, Silver Wolf and Firefly both watched the scene on the screen with complicated expressions.
"Always spamming range attacks... That's exactly the same way she plays games."
"...As long as Liu Xiyue is okay."
The 1v1 decisive battle ended just like that—in such a dramatic fashion.
Seeing that the temperature inside the game space had already reached "well-done," Silver Wolf took the opportunity to release the two of them.
Accompanied by a burst of particle effects, Liu Xiyue, once again in her Little Loli form standing less than 1.4 meters tall, appeared steadily before them.
Immediately afterward, a pitch-black, indescribable lump fell to the ground with a dull thud, scattering a few sparks.
The sizzling sound of burning fat, mixed with the pungent stench of charred flesh, drifted through the air.
Silver Wolf and Firefly frowned at the corpse lying on the ground before simultaneously turning their gazes toward the culprit nearby.
Their expressions seemed to say:
Not bad. Just how long have you been holding that grudge? You really didn't hold back.
Liu Xiyue caught the meaning behind Silver Wolf's gaze, and her cheeks instantly flushed bright red.
She quickly turned her face away and mumbled in a low voice,
"It's just... they dared to attack you two, so I accidentally lost my temper..."
But a moment later, as though she had suddenly remembered something important, the blush instantly faded from her face.
The Liu Xiyue who had been shy only a second ago suddenly looked up, her expression becoming sharp and serious as she stared directly at Silver Wolf.
After hesitating for a long moment, she finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"Silver Wolf... you're the owner of that mysterious voice that never showed themselves during the Anime Convention incident, aren't you?"
It wasn't until that familiar announcement echoed throughout the game space earlier that Liu Xiyue finally noticed what had felt so strange.
That voice sounded exactly like Silver Wolf's whenever she turned on her microphone while gaming.
Hearing that, Silver Wolf remained perfectly calm. She simply nodded casually, her tone carrying a trace of amusement.
"Yeah, that's me. Though I honestly didn't expect it'd take you this long to figure it out."
"It really was you?!!"
Liu Xiyue instinctively took a step back, her face filled with disbelief.
Then she tremblingly pointed at Silver Wolf, her voice overflowing with both shock and suspicion.
"Y-You... you're actually one of those mysterious Stellaron Hunters everyone's been talking about?!"
"Mm-hmm."
"You... you... you..."
Since the other party admitted it so casually, Liu Xiyue suddenly found herself completely speechless.
A moment later, she abruptly turned to Firefly standing beside Silver Wolf, her gaze filled with earnest inquiry.
She didn't say a single word.
Yet it felt as though she had already asked every question.
Firefly was briefly stunned before slowly nodding.
"Holy crap, Firefly, you're one too?!!"
Good grief.
Liu Xiyue could only shout those words over and over in her heart.
An unexpected attack had already caused them to expose their identities as Ability Users to one another, which was surprising enough.
But Silver Wolf and Firefly's revelations completely left her dumbfounded.
These two had really been hiding something huge.
...
After a short while, Liu Xiyue gradually calmed down and accepted reality.
Thinking about it carefully, during the Anime Convention incident, the Stellaron Hunters had just so happened to "pass by" and intervene.
After everything was over, Silver Wolf had also come away completely unharmed.
On top of that, the Stellaron Hunter who had shocked the entire internet was a hacker.
Silver Wolf just so happened to be a hacker too.
Liu Xiyue (●—●): 'Looking back... there really were plenty of clues.'
As for Firefly...
Wasn't there also someone called Sam within the Stellaron Hunters?
So adding another member named Firefly didn't really seem that strange.
As for the possibility that Sam and Firefly were actually the same person...
That possibility never even crossed Liu Xiyue's mind.
Come to think of it, Silver Wolf had mentioned before that the two of them were partners and companions.
So... that's what she had meant all along?
While Liu Xiyue's thoughts ran wild...
Watching the constantly changing expressions on her face, Silver Wolf rolled her eyes helplessly and reached over to pat both of Liu Xiyue's cheeks, trying to snap her out of her daze.
"Hey, hey. What are you spacing out for? It's just something this small. Do you really need to be that shocked?"
"Hey! We've played over a hundred matches together—we're comrades! And you still kept such a huge secret from me? That's totally unfair!"
Coming back to her senses, Liu Xiyue put her hands on her hips and deliberately glared at Silver Wolf with a resentful expression, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
She looked exactly like a little girlfriend throwing a tantrum—complaining on the surface while already having forgiven everything in her heart.
Silver Wolf merely shrugged indifferently and shot back,
"You're one to talk. Didn't you hide an identity from me too?"
Liu Xiyue's expression instantly froze.
The resentment on her face disappeared without a trace, replaced by unmistakable embarrassment.
She suddenly slapped her forehead.
Only then did she belatedly realize that, in the virtual game space, she had accidentally exposed her identity as Flame Heart in her haste...
In that case, it really was mutual.
Neither of them had any right to criticize the other.
Wait!
Liu Xiyue's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She abruptly remembered that Silver Wolf was that legendary genius who had once toyed with the world's greatest hackers!
If that was the case...
Maybe Silver Wolf had already thoroughly investigated her identity a long time ago!
Back then, she had thought she had hidden it perfectly.
But now that she thought about it...
Silver Wolf probably knew everything already.
Her reaction just now had simply made her look like a complete fool.
The more she thought about it, the more her scalp tingled.
Then another terrifying thought suddenly flashed through Liu Xiyue's mind!
Liu Xiyue (*ﾟﾛﾟ)?!: 'Could Silver Wolf have even seen my browsing history... and my precious collection too?!!'
At that moment, Liu Xiyue finally experienced firsthand just how terrifying a top-tier hacker could be.
...
...
"Ahem... back to the topic."
The more Liu Xiyue thought about it, the more panicked she became.
She hurriedly coughed twice and forced herself to put on a serious expression, attempting to hide her embarrassment by changing the subject.
Her gaze then solemnly fell upon that mangled...
Wait.
Something's wrong?!!
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The man who had clearly been roasted to well-done by her only moments ago had actually regenerated nearly thirty percent of his body in just a few minutes!
"Is this guy still not dead?!!" Liu Xiyue exclaimed in shock.
Firefly, however, shook her head, her tone calm and certain.
"Don't worry. He is dead."
"His life force has been severed. His heartbeat and breathing have both stopped."
"It's impossible for him to still be alive."
After hearing Firefly's explanation, Liu Xiyue stopped staring at the corpse and instead turned toward the pure and adorable silver-haired girl beside her with an extremely strange expression.
She could barely understand the part about life force...
But what was with the heartbeat and breathing?
Liu Xiyue suddenly found herself inexplicably curious about Firefly's role within the Stellaron Hunters.
Silver Wolf was the network hacker.
Sam was the heavy firepower.
As for Firefly...
A shadow assassin?
Otherwise, it was genuinely difficult to imagine how someone who was normally so soft-spoken, shy, and adorable could calmly say things like, "His life force has been severed. His heartbeat and breathing have stopped," without the slightest change in expression.
The contrast was simply far too great.