Chapter 14: Hello, Handsome

The world, within my grasp?

In a high-end luxurious restaurant, under the modern white crystal chandelier, Alister swayed the tall glass in his hand, observing the fluctuations of the crimson red wine, his eyes flickering.

The crystal-clear red wine refracted the light, reflecting the mysterious and unpredictable face of "Shadow," the inscription of "82" on the display case behind, and the evening moon in the night sky.

There are no ordinary people in the Linggu Valley District of the parallel world. In other words, all the properties of ordinary people in reality are ownerless here and can be used at will.

So Alister became the owner of this Western-style restaurant without any objections.

"Intimidation, cooperation, deception..." Alister's sharp gaze fixed on the red wine. "In the face of absolute interests, people can do anything, anything that defies logic."

As the "Shadow," who moved like a ghost within the scenes, Alister witnessed the struggles between players, the confrontations and games between teams, and the wanton actions of self-proclaimed executioners.

The sequence game was not a joke; it was a world where all the rules of reality were broken by the players.

"The desire to break free from shackles only grows endlessly, exceeding the limits of humanity."

Alister had come to understand this deeply. So he put down the tall glass containing the red wine and listened to the classical music playing automatically in the restaurant.

The music was melodious, like a cloud brushing against the face. Perhaps, it was the only beautiful thing on this night.

Lowering his gaze, there was a plate of Western-style grilled steak, tempura, and sauced spaghetti on the white tablecloth in front of him, still warm.

It was someone's dinner in reality, now lying peacefully in front of Alister.

"Ownerless delicacies will inevitably be shared at will."

Alister still wore a mask, only revealing his deep black eyes, and his dark hair hidden under the hood of his shadowed cloak.

He didn't enjoy this exquisite dinner, even though he hadn't had dinner tonight.

For Alister, these gourmet dishes were just embellishments to his actions, things he could only observe from afar, things used to evoke his own emotions.

Because only when a person feels hungry can they more deeply experience the malice of the world and express their most fundamental desires.

Pure thoughts. "Shadow" wanted to rewrite this illusory world.

But...

"The power to change the world, whether it is a blessing from fate or a curse of death."

Envy and greed make people hate the gifted abilities of "Shadow." Therefore, all actions must not easily reveal their existence.

Resting his hands on the white tablecloth, fingers interlaced in front of him, "Shadow" closed his eyes and meditated in the glow of the lights, quietly waiting for the right moment to enter the stage.

At this moment, the classical music continued to play, and the moon shone brightly.

Whispering in the night, the tall glass on the white tablecloth trembled slightly, and the red wine created subtle ripples. These were the faint movements of players active outside.

Naturally, no one noticed the contemplation of the ghostly figure.

...

...

The shadowy scythe fell sharply, slicing through like cutting tofu, smooth and without a trace of crimson.

"Player eliminated."

Only when the player's body transformed into pale blue data and returned to reality did the slender ghostly figure lift its scythe from the ground, emitting an incomprehensible low growl.

The hoarse growl echoed in the deep alley, but there was no response from anyone.

A few seconds of silence.

The slender ghostly figure trembled for a moment, then suddenly fell into a frenzy, lifting its scythe and madly hacking at the walls of the building, carving out the distorted words of "Sequence."

It stared at the font for a long time until it sensed the aura of a new player before dragging its body away.

"..." The low growl in the deep alley gradually faded.

No player could understand what the slender ghostly figure was saying, and no player was curious about what the figure was saying.

...

...

It was a moonless and windy night.

In the Linggu Valley District, where most of the neon lights were intentionally destroyed by certain players.

"It should be here."

Looking up at the towering high-rise building destined for demolition, the white-collar woman sensed the presence of the target and finally locked onto the 21st floor.

As a monster player, she was adept at tracking the scent of living beings and rarely lost her targets.

Beside her.

"Hmm..." The girl in pajamas sleepily opened her eyes. "Probably... here... no mistake..."

Even if we fail the game... we still need to teach them a lesson... the girl thought.

The sportswear-clad youth also tilted his head up, gripping the baseball bat in his right hand, tapping his left palm one after another, squinting as he said:

"That's right, it's best to hunt down the players who like to ambush. Today, I'll charge in head-on!"

Damn it, I've already been unnerved by the slender ghostly figure. I'm so annoyed...

You guys, sneaky and scheming, ill-intentioned, even ambushing our team, huh?!

I must teach you a lesson tonight!

Yes, the three-person team that had been trying to defeat the slender ghostly figure couldn't tolerate being ambushed anymore.

"Let's get one thing straight," the white-collar woman crossed her arms. "It seems like there are many opponents, so if anything unexpected happens, we withdraw immediately."

She didn't want to fall into the hands of these despicable players. According to the escaped player's account, it seemed like they would brutally torture any player who was left alone.

She hoped that they could capture these people in the real world after the 17th round and give them punishment.

"Hmph." The sportswear-clad youth shrugged, confident. "I understand this principle very well. You don't need to tell me."

"Oh?" The white-collar woman turned her face, casting a disdainful gaze at him.

She seemed to remember the experience of teaming up with the sportswear-clad youth before, and her eyes flickered for a moment as she sarcastically commented:

"During the last mission, who was it that didn't follow orders and rushed in swinging a baseball bat, only to end up pitifully calling for backup?"

"A man should be full of vitality and charge forward without hesitation!" The sportswear-clad youth retorted.

The expression on the white-collar woman's face remained unchanged as she continued to complain: "And during the mission before that, who was it that got carried away, knocked unconscious with a single blow?"

Once is an accident, but can twice still be an accident? The expression in the white-collar woman's eyes seemed to say that.

The sportswear-clad youth's expression became somewhat stiff, and he turned his head, explaining, "Hmph... full of vitality, charging forward without hesitation."

"And during the mission before the previous one..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking about it. This time, I absolutely won't get carried away!"

The white-collar woman was about to continue recounting past events, but the sportswear-clad youth quickly waved his hand, indicating that he would not make the same mistakes again.

Due to the countless similar experiences, the white-collar woman couldn't be bothered to pursue it any further. She retracted her gaze and calmly said:

"I hope you can really do as you say."

"Okay!" The sportswear-clad youth, holding the baseball bat, started walking forward. "I will lead the way. Just follow me."

"Alright." The white-collar woman trusted his ability to lead the way.

In perfect harmony, the two of them held their breaths and cautiously infiltrated the restricted area of the soon-to-be-demolished high-rise building.

However, just as they had taken a few steps, they suddenly realized that one person was missing from their team.

The girl in pajamas hadn't followed.

"Where is she?"

Finding a suitable wall as cover, the white-collar woman turned her head and asked the sportswear-clad youth next to her.

The sportswear-clad youth stared back at her, rubbed his head, and replied absentmindedly, "I don't know..."

Did she fall asleep? She seemed really tired...

Immediately, the white-collar woman and the sportswear-clad youth turned their heads together, only to see in the distance, under the lush row of trees...

"You... so handsome..."

The girl in pajamas, lying in the arms of a teddy bear, stared at the mysterious player in front of her with starry eyes, speaking with an admiring tone.

At some point, a player dressed in a black long coat appeared under the row of trees, like a shadow, silent and soundless.

His gaze was profound, his aura calm and intimidating, giving off an indescribable sense of oppression.

Due to the cover of his hood and black mask, his true appearance couldn't be seen.

Regardless of the hood, black long coat, or black mask, they were all created by Alister using shadows, effectively hiding his identity.

The white-collar woman lowered her voice and asked cautiously, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The sportswear-clad youth also stared at him warily, ready to strike with full force at any moment.

In response to their suspicions...

Alister merely placed his hands in his coat pockets, maintaining an air of mystery, and turned his face slightly, giving a faint smile, saying calmly:

"I also want to teach those players a lesson. How about working together?"

"Good!" The girl in pajamas's eyes sparkled, being the first to respond.

...