Chapter 38: Identity

[Time Until Next Strategy Phase: 7:00:21]

Seven hours remaining.

Wu Xiaomi withdrew her gaze from the upper-left corner.

After failing to “borrow” the resonator last night, she and Lulutina had been locked up in a cell.

Lulutina had been exhausted and fell asleep the moment she hit the ground— she hadn’t stirred since.

Wu Xiaomi didn’t wake her. Given Lulutina’s current state, rest was the most important thing. Without recovery, she wouldn’t have any fighting strength.

“Return.”

She tried to initiate a return again—failed.

Looks like being in prisoner status means you can’t cheat your way out through returning.

But that’s fine. No wall could hold back Lulutina for long.

Once she recovered, escaping shouldn’t be too hard.

Clang!

A beam of light cut across the dungeon floor—someone had entered.

“How rare.”

The butler gazed at Wu Xiaomi with great satisfaction.

“Truly a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece. Go, give those guards ten times their bonus. They did exceptionally well.”

While he examined Wu Xiaomi, she examined him too.

The butler’s cheeks split into a wide grin, stretching like a blooming slab of meat.

“……”

She already knew he wasn’t a good person… but did he really have to look this evil?

“Ah, there I go again—so improper.” The butler dabbed at the drool dribbling from his split grin with a white silk handkerchief.

“Shall we begin now?”

His attendant opened a toolbox.

Inside were pliers, saws, and vials of ominously colored liquids.

“These trash tools insult her quality,” the butler snapped at the servant. “I need a proper workshop. Clear out that mental hospital in town. Go to the treasury and retrieve my collection kit. Tonight, I want to savor her alone.”

“…Alright.” The servant hesitated. “But you promised… you said you’d come to my room tonight…”

“Scram! Do your job!”

“tsk.”

The servant cast a jealous glance at Wu Xiaomi before leaving.

The butler squatted by the cell door, flesh-petals folding inward as he forced an ugly smile and spoke in a falsely kind tone:

“And what’s your name, little one~?”

Wu Xiaomi blinked her eyes—bright and innocent like stars—and replied sweetly:

“Wonen Die.”

“Hmm…” The butler’s brow twitched. “You refugees sure have strange names.”

He scribbled “Wonen Die” into his registry.

“How old are you this year?”

“(√36 + ∛8) × sin30° + (2² – 1)² + 3! – tan45° – 1”

“?”

Question marks practically flew through the butler’s field of vision.

Realizing that communication was impossible, he gave up trying to be friendly.

He stood and called over a dungeon guard.

“Keep your eyes on her. If she escapes, you’ll be the one on the table tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“And figure out how they got under the platform in the first place.”

The guards had only found a tunnel. How the tunnel had been dug remained a mystery.

Further investigation was needed.

……

[Time Until Next Strategy Phase: 3:00:00]

Three hours left.

The moment of descent was near and the resonator was still sitting intact on its pedestal.

Besides, even returning to Harvest Village would take at least three hours.

There was no telling what was happening on Bai Xiaozhi’s end…

Argh! Headache! Total crisis mode!

“We’re screwed, basically.”

Lulutina lay lazily on the straw mat, one leg crossed over the other, her tiny bare foot waving in front of Wu Xiaomi’s face.

“You seem pretty relaxed about it.”

“Me? I eat for one, no family to feed. End of the world? None of my business.” Lulutina’s foot swayed nonchalantly. “Honestly, I like this era. Everyone’s been stripped to their core— only the capable survive.”

“Says the one who almost sold her body out of hunger.”

“Pshh. That was an accident.”

.

Wu Xiaomi lay down beside Lulutina.

The two girls were about the same size. Wu Xiaomi was slightly older, but you couldn’t really tell.

“I actually get how you feel,” Wu Xiaomi murmured, using her arm as a pillow and gazing at the ceiling.

“Oh? A pampered princess raised with the stars revolving around her, and you understand someone like me?”

“Who isn’t a street rat these days?”

“Hah. No offense, but you don’t qualify. You ever sleep under a bridge?”

“Too damp. I prefer park benches.”

“?”

“Though in recent years, it’s been harder to find benches you can sleep on. They’ve all been redesigned with barriers, to keep out the homeless.”

“You know a lot. Your family likes watching the news?”

“I’ve never met my family.”

“……”

Lulutina turned her head to look at her.

“I used to imagine what they might look like. But no matter what I pictured, they always came out like bastards. Eventually, I just stopped trying.”

Wu Xiaomi said it calmly.

“Not everyone’s fit to be a parent. Sometimes, a new life is just the result of one night of impulse… Not having them around might actually be a blessing.”

Lulutina kicked her feet lazily up toward the sky.

For a twelve-year-old girl, her words were shockingly mature.

But Wu Xiaomi wasn’t surprised.

Maturity was something survival forced upon people.

“But I believe you now,” Lulutina held out her small fist, “you’re worthy of being my teammate.”

Wu Xiaomi extended her own soft little pink fist and bumped it lightly against hers.

“I have a way to get the resonator. But… it’s dangerous,” Wu Xiaomi said hesitantly.

“What way?”

“Tonight is Mirror Night—for us.

But for the guards… it is too.”

……

“Prepare for descent.”

There were still three hours until the strategy phase began, but the Flare members were already geared up and ready.

They had decided to descend early, to prepare for Mirror Night.

“Any word on Han Nuo and the others?”

“No, they probably fled far by now,” Ah Lei said, sliding his gleaming new sword into its sheath.

“Someone said they saw them redeeming a huge piece of fabric.”

“Fabric? Are they trying to cover the whole lake?”

“Not likely. The lakes in the Manggu Mountains are too many to count. That’s just impossible.”

True.

“Take a deep breath, everyone— don’t panic.”

Kang Jie comforted the surrounding Flare members.

It wasn’t just Flare members— many others had come seeking shelter or safety.

“We’ve received permission from the shaman of Harvest Village. For this raid, we’ll use the village as our central base.”

“Women and children will descend half an hour early and take refuge in the vacant houses.”

“Anyone far away should descend now and head straight to Harvest Village.”

“All other combat personnel, follow the operation plan.”

Thanks to Nanalia’s full coordination efforts, two-thirds of the village’s homes— 34 houses total— had been cleared out for use.

However, for the massive number of raiders in the Manggu campaign, it was still barely a drop in the bucket.

Though the Ark had taken many people away, and others had chosen to find their own solutions… there were still over 5,000 people gathered at Flare’s base.

After screening, only 2,500 of them would be able to squeeze into the available houses tonight.

The remaining 2,500…

Would have to face Mirror Night head-on.

To face those terrifying monsters that rendered Sequences useless.

“Initiate teleportation!”

Kang Jie descended at the entrance to the Harvest Village tavern.

He froze as a notification popped up in front of him:

[You have joined the Manggu Mountains Endgame Raid— “The Night of Plenty and Pride.”]

[In this raid, your role is: Knight.]

……

At the same time as Flare’s descent, another figure appeared elsewhere.

Bai Xiaozhi stood in the streets of Shirin City.

As her vision returned, a prompt flashed before her eyes:

[You have joined the Manggu Mountains Endgame Raid—“The Night of Plenty and Pride.”]

[In this raid, your role is: Angel.]

……

And at that very moment, a notification appeared in front of Wu Xiaomi as well.

[The revelry has begun.]

[Your role is: ???]