London, England
A blonde man holding a heavy knight's sword with both hands swung the blade rhythmically. His shoulder-length golden hair was soaked with sweat, and his thin clothes could hardly conceal his lithe, powerful muscles.
[Black Smoke Squad member Survivor No. 8775 has been killed by Survivor No. 11766.]
[According to Article 3 of the Squad Treaty, when a member of the Black Smoke Squad dies, all remaining members receive a -20% penalty to all attributes. Attributes will restore after two survival games.]
"Poison Blade is dead... killed by a survivor with such a high number..." The Knight stabbed his sword into the ground, staring at the message from the Survival Brand in disbelief.
In a dim room filled with indescribable odors...
Smash!
A round-bottomed flask containing a strangely colored potion hit the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Poison Blade is dead? Killed in the real world at that. It seems I need to go see the Knight." A woman with purple curly hair dressed like a witch stared gloomily at the potion spilling across the floor.
A cockroach crawled out from under the table and took a sip of the liquid. After a few violent struggles, it melted into a puddle of fluid within seconds.
Abandoned Unfinished Building
Cyan held a bucket of gasoline and splashed it over Zhang Chengfu's corpse. She pulled an unopened pack of cigarettes from her pocket, took one out, placed it in her mouth, and lit it with a lighter.
The next second, she coughed violently, patting her chest.
Cigarettes really aren't for everyone...
Having no desire to continue, she threw the lit cigarette onto the gasoline. Flames spread rapidly, and Zhang Chengfu's body began to burn. She took off her outer clothes and threw them into the fire, wiped the blood from her face and hair with wet wipes, and changed into a prepared set of clothes. Finally, she tossed the pack of cigarettes into the flames.
"A gift for you to smoke in hell... Ah... Professor Zhang, you don't seem to have a smoking habit..."
Cyan picked up the newsboy cap from the ground, brushed off the dust, and walked out. Shortly after she left, the batteries exploded under the intense heat.
A day later, children playing in the area discovered the charred body and told their parents, who called the police.
Qingnan City Airport
A taxi stopped in front of the airport, and a cute, beautiful girl with long black hair stepped out carrying a small suitcase.
The girl had silky black hair and large, clear eyes. She carried a small pink suitcase and wore a white long-sleeved hoodie, a black short skirt, and black stockings that wrapped around her slender legs. Her small leather shoes made a "da-da-da" sound as she walked.
"It's my first time seeing the surname 'Wu' (Five)."
The ticket inspector looked at the name on the beautiful girl's passport in surprise.
"There are only about ten thousand people with the surname Wu in the whole country; it's one of the surnames at the very end of the 'Hundred Family Surnames' list."
Cyan smiled sweetly. The black contact lenses made her eyes feel a bit uncomfortable, and the edges of her eyes were slightly red, making her look like a shy little rabbit—the kind that makes people want to pull her into their arms and pamper her.
Two days later, realizing her husband hadn't returned, Yang Tong reported Zhang Chengfu missing.
DNA testing confirmed that the charred body in the unfinished building was indeed the missing Zhang Chengfu. According to the forensic autopsy, the deceased had sustained multiple fatal knife wounds to the chest before death, and his neck had been snapped.
The case was defined as a vicious kidnapping and murder. Suspicion fell on a figure seen frequently near Huaiqin Garden recently. At the same time, the police suspected the case was related to the previous disappearances of university students.
While the police searched for that figure, the person they were looking for had already left Qingnan City—and the country—two days ago. Cyan knew that after killing Zhang Chengfu, it wouldn't take long to be discovered. Being seen near Huaiqin Garden made suspicion inevitable; once investigated, her identity would likely be exposed.
South of Miami, Florida – Old Cutler Road, Hammock Oaks
Erni had finally managed to endure a family gathering and felt physically and mentally exhausted. She was desperate to improve her strength to survive in the Survival Space; with her current power, she might die in the next game.
"Who are you?!"
Erni pushed open the door to her room and saw a girl with long black hair sitting on her bed, looking at her expressionlessly.
"Erni Sophia Cipriano von Gattes." Cyan stood up from the bed, speaking slightly awkward English as she walked toward Erni and took off her wig.
"I need your help."
"Oh my God!"
Seeing the familiar short hair revealed under the wig, Erni said in shock, "Cyan? How... how do you know I live here?"
"Von Gattes. You once mentioned your surname."
"You... you found me based on just a surname? Are you a detective?" Erni looked at Cyan in disbelief.
"No, I saw you in a news photo."
As Cyan spoke, she took out her phone and found the image. A member of the von Gattes family had been exposed for having a mistress who was a famous star (the curvy kind), and it made the news. Erni happened to be in the photo; although only her profile was visible, it was enough for Cyan to identify her.
In truth, Cyan had another choice: going to Japan to find Asama Ai. However, there were far too many people named Asama in Japan. Finding her in a short time was impossible, so she settled for Erni, who was easier to locate.
"Fine. What kind of help do you need?"
Erni looked at her own profile in the blurry photo on the phone; she wouldn't have even recognized herself. She never imagined Cyan would find her based on that alone.
"Speaking of which, why are you dressed as a girl?"
Erni sized up Cyan's female clothing with a strange expression. She actually thought it suited Cyan quite well—her mind must be playing tricks on her.
"I am a girl."
"I don't believe it!"
Erni suddenly flipped up Cyan's black short skirt, eyes wide as she stared at the underwear. Her expression was identical to the perverts she usually cursed at.